The comparative effectiveness of combined hydrodilatation/corticosteroid procedure with two different quantities for adhesive capsulitis.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of injecting various amounts of fluid into the shoulder joints for capsule distension in patients with adhesive capsulitis.

Design: A randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Outpatient clinic of a tertiary care centre.

Why teaching innovation matters: Evidence from a pre- versus peri-COVID-19 pandemic comparison of student evaluation data.

The COVID-19 pandemic has robustly affected global education environments, so higher education institutions need to emphasize innovation and creativity in educational methods for teachers to improve their teaching performance as well as enhance the engagement and motivation of students in this changing environment. Accordingly, it is essential to discuss the role of teaching innovation in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. The aim of this study is to empirically validate the importance of teaching innovation in student evaluation of teaching before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[The Effect of Using a Real-Time Feedback Device on the Quality of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)].

Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a standard procedure delivered to patients experiencing cardiac arrest. CPR quality is associated with the rate of survival of patients with cardiac arrest.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of a real-time feedback device in terms of improving CPR performance quality and CPR self-efficacy in nursing staffs.

Comparing the Effects of Stroke-Appearing and Stroke-Disappearing on Learning the Order of Strokes in Chinese Characters.

Different approaches to stimulating perceptions in learning can be easily designed with technology-enhanced learning systems. This study aimed to explore how different approaches can influence learners' perceptions that may negatively or positively affect their learning performance of writing Chinese characters using the correct Chinese order of strokes (COS). We therefore designed an e-learning system which was subdivided into two modes: stroke-appearing (i.

High-frequency versus theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of poststroke cognitive impairment in humans.

Background: Because the reliability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in treating poststroke cognitive impairment has not been convincingly demonstrated, we systematically examined the effectiveness of this regimen with 2 protocols.

Methods: We randomly allocated 41 patients with poststroke cognitive impairment to receive 5 Hz rTMS (n = 11), intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS; n = 15) or sham stimulation (n = 15). Each group received 10 stimulation sessions over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Effects of individualized Tai-Chi on balance and lower-limb strength in older adults.

Background: To investigate whether a simplified and personalized Tai-Chi program could be beneficial for practitioners. A prospective quasi-experimental observer-blinded controlled trial was done in Beitou District of Taipei City.

Methods: Community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older without debilitating disease (N = 50) participated the study.

Secondary metabolites of petri-dish cultured Antrodia camphorata and their hepatoprotective activities against alcohol-induced liver injury in mice.

Antrodia camphorata, a well-known and highly valued edible medicinal mushroom with intriguing activities like liver protection, has been traditionally used for the treatment of alcoholic liver disease. A. camphorata shows highly medicinal and commercial values with the demand far exceeds the available supply.

Speed and temporal adaptations during nonmotorized treadmill walking in Parkinson disease and nondisabled individuals.

Few studies have explored the potential of gait analysis and training in nonmotorized treadmill (NMT) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. We investigated (a) the walking strategy adopted by patients with PD on NMT and (b) how balance may influence spatiotemporal gait parameters. We enrolled 12 patients with PD of modified Hoehn and Yahr stage 2-3 and 13 nondisabled individuals as controls.

Printing a 3-dimensional, Patient-specific Splint for Wound Immobilization: A Case Demonstration.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology can generate objects in almost any shape and geometry. This technique also has clinical applications, such as the fabrication of specific devices based on a patient's anatomy. A demonstration study is presented of a 54-year-old man who needed a thermoplastic splint to limit arm movement while a dehisced left shoulder wound healed.

Detection of free flap pedicle thrombosis by infrared surface temperature imaging.

Background: Reliable detection of any circulatory issue threatening flap viability after free flap surgery is essential for prompt flap salvage. Currently, the gold standard of flap monitoring is clinical monitoring. However, this method presents logistical challenges to insufficient trained personnel.

Sonographic findings of painful hemiplegic shoulder after stroke.

Background: Hemiplegic shoulder pain is common in stroke patients and can influence rehabilitation outcome. The underlying pathology can be various: in addition to impaired motor control and altered peripheral and central nervous activity, soft tissue lesions may also play an important role. It remains unclear how these pathologies may interact or correlate with each other.

Prevalence, characteristics, and work-related risk factors of low back pain among hospital nurses in Taiwan: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Low back pain is a common health problem among hospital nurses. However, the prevalence, characteristics, and work-related risk factors of low back pain have not been widely investigated in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey of 217 hospital nurses to gather self-reported information on the prevalence of back pain, demographic and pain characteristics, and work-related risk factors from 178 respondents who indicated a past history of back pain.

eFurniture for home-based frailty detection using artificial neural networks and wireless sensors.

The purpose of this study is to integrate wireless sensor technologies and artificial neural networks to develop a system to manage personal frailty information automatically. The system consists of five parts: (1) an eScale to measure the subject's reaction time; (2) an eChair to detect slowness in movement, weakness and weight loss; (3) an ePad to measure the subject's balancing ability; (4) an eReach to measure body extension; and (5) a Home-based Information Gateway, which collects all the data and predicts the subject's frailty. Using a furniture-based measuring device to provide home-based measurement means that health checks are not confined to health institutions.

Characteristics and treatment of headache after traumatic brain injury: a focused review.

Headache is one of the most common complaints in patients with traumatic brain injury. By definition, headache that develops within 1 wk after head trauma (or within 1 wk after regaining consciousness) is referred to as posttraumatic headache (PTH). Although most PTH resolves within 6-12 mos after injury, approximately 18-33% of PTH persists beyond 1 yr.

Spinal cord implantation with acidic fibroblast growth factor as a treatment for root avulsion in obstetric brachial plexus palsy.

Nerve root avulsion carries the worst prognosis among brachial plexus injuries and remains a great challenge for surgeons to repair. In this case, a boy with complete avulsion of the left-side C6 root presented with flaccid paralysis of the left arm after birth. As there was no significant spontaneous recovery, the patient underwent operation when he was 6 months old.

Repair of multiple cervical root avulsion with sural nerve graft.

To obtain easier access to avulsed roots in the intradural space for patients suffering cervical root avulsion, the authors of this study developed a novel repair method. This involves using nerve grafts to bridge corresponding segments of the spinal cord and the trunk or cord level of the plexus, respectively, in two surgical stages. All eight patients admitted to this study received pre- and post-operative workups of electrophysiological evaluations and muscle power grading through Medical Research Council (MRC) scores.

Injuries during a massive tug-of-war game.

"Tug-of-war" may cause a variety of sports injuries, which has rarely been reported previously. This report described an uncommon case of a previously fit 64-year-old male who presented with abrupt onset of loss of consciousness after falling down in a game of massive tug of war including 1,500 participants as the rope snapped apart. Computed tomography (CT) scan of his abdomen revealed liver and spleen rupture.

Neurourological changes before and after radical hysterectomy in patients with cervical cancer.

Background: The severity of bladder dysfunction in patients receiving radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer has been related to the delicacy and the degree of radicality of the hysterectomy. Our goal was to evaluate the effect of modified radical hysterectomy on the storage and evacuation of the lower urinary tract.

Methods: In this prospective study, 18 patients underwent radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer with FIGO stages Ia, Ib and IIa.

Effect of selective posterior rhizotomy on transverse myelitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

This report describes the case of a 26-yr-old man experiencing transverse myelitis, a rare but serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus occurring in less than 1% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, 4 yr after the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus. Significant neurologic deficits, including spastic paraplegia, dysthetic pain, and impaired bladder control, which made him completely bedridden and dependent in activities of daily living, continued, despite his immediate diagnosis and treatment. The patient received bilateral L1 to S1 selective posterior rhizotomy 1 yr after the onset of transverse myelitis, and 10 mo after selective posterior rhizotomy, he was completely independent in ambulation and self-care, demonstrating that selective posterior rhizotomy can be safely performed and its goals achieved under different medical conditions, as long as thorough preoperative evaluation and every possible precaution have been taken.

Electrophysiologic findings and muscle strength grading in brachioplexopathies.

The electrophysiological evaluations and the British Medical Research Council (MRC) scale (0-5) findings of target muscles in brachioplexopathies before surgery and 1 year postsurgery were conducted. Each component of the brachial plexus was analyzed in 15 patients with injuries, among them, to 5 roots, 19 trunks, 7 cords, and 13 terminal nerves. In each of these cases, neurolysis and/or nerve transfer and/or neurotization were performed, within 3 weeks to 6 months after the injury was incurred, to ameliorate the resulting severe disabilities.