Post-Stroke Depression in Older Adults: An Overview.

Detailed data on post-stroke depression (PSD) in older adults are limited in spite of the high vulnerability of this population to stroke. In fact, PSD prevalence in older adults ranges from 16.0 to 43.

Uncovering Subtle Gait Deterioration in People with Early-Stage Multiple Sclerosis Using Inertial Sensors: A 2-Year Multicenter Longitudinal Study.

Limited longitudinal studies have been conducted on gait impairment progression overtime in non-disabled people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Therefore, a deeper understanding of gait changes with the progression of the disease is essential. The objective of the present study was to describe changes in gait quality in PwMS with a disease duration ≤ 5 years, and to verify whether a change in gait quality is associated with a change in disability and perception of gait deterioration.

Objective and subjective evaluation of walking ability with and without the use of a passive brace for hip flexor muscles in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the cognitive and motor domains. Muscle weakness often leads to abnormal gait. Several solutions are rising, including the use of passive exoskeletons.

Evaluation of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 through dual-task paradigm: a longitudinal case-controlled study.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was associated with cognitive alterations affecting everyday life activities. These need input integration of both motor and cognitive systems. The study aim is to evaluate cognitive-motor interference phenomenon in previously independent patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 (PwMCOVID-19) compared with healthy controls (HC), through dual-task (DT) paradigm.

The administration of the paper and electronic versions of the Manual Ability Measure-36 (MAM-36) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) is equivalent in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: The mobile device diffusion has increasingly highlighted the opportunity to collect patient-reported outcomes (PROs) through electronic patient-reported outcomes measurements (ePROMs) during the clinical routine. Despite the ePROMs promises and advantages, the equivalence when a PRO measure is moved from the original paper-and-pencil to the electronic version is still little investigated. This study aims at evaluating equivalence between PROMs and ePROMs self-administration in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS); in addition, preference of self-administration type was evaluated.

The correlation between 9-HPT and patient-reported measures of upper limb function in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Upper limb function is one of the most affected domains in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), as self-reported by 50% of patients. Heterogeneous results have been found about the correlation between objective and subjective upper limb function. The aim of the present study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies presenting data on the strength of association between the gold standard for 9-Hole Peg Test scores and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) of manual ability.

Balance Impairments in People with Early-Stage Multiple Sclerosis: Boosting the Integration of Instrumented Assessment in Clinical Practice.

The balance of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is commonly assessed during neurological examinations through clinical Romberg and tandem gait tests that are often not sensitive enough to unravel subtle deficits in early-stage PwMS. Inertial sensors (IMUs) could overcome this drawback. Nevertheless, IMUs are not yet fully integrated into clinical practice due to issues including the difficulty to understand/interpret the big number of parameters provided and the lack of cut-off values to identify possible abnormalities.

Correlation between patient-reported manual ability and three objective measures of upper limb function in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background And Purpose: Upper limb (UL) function is often affected in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and is typically assessed through objective measures, including the Nine Hole Peg Test (9-HPT), Box and Block Test (BBT), and Hand Grip Strength (HGS). It is important to include the subjective perspective of PwMS in the assessment. This study aims to evaluate associations between Manual Ability Measure-36 (MAM-36) and 9-HPT, BBT, and HGS in MS.

Acute Thermoregulatory and Cardiovascular Response to Submaximal Exercise in People With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Heat sensitivity occurs in a high percentage of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), in response to environmental or exercise-induced increase in body temperature. However, the kinetic and magnitude of adaptation of the internal load and of the core body temperature (CBT) to a submaximal continuous exercise has been poorly addressed in PwMS; this may be relevant for the brief exercise bouts usually occurring in normal daily life. The aim of this work was to evaluate whether multiple sclerosis influences the acute adaptation of the internal load, the CBT and the perceptual load in response to a constant submaximal work step.

Physical activity in non-disabled people with early multiple sclerosis: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) show low levels of physical activity (PA), however there has been limited research on PA in early diagnosed and no/minimally impaired (<5 years, EDSS≤ 2.5) PwMS. The aims of the study were to objectively quantify PA levels in non-disabled PwMS, to compare the time spent daily at different PA levels (No activity (NPA), Light PA (LPA), Moderate PA (MPA), and Vigorous PA (VPA)) with healthy subjects (HS), and to examine the association of PA with disability, and clinical measures in PwMS.

Walking With Horizontal Head Turns Is Impaired in Persons With Early-Stage Multiple Sclerosis Showing Normal Locomotion.

Background: Turning the head while walking (an action often required during daily living) is particularly challenging to maintain balance. It can therefore potentially reveal subtle impairments in early-stage people with multiple sclerosis who still show normal locomotion (NW-PwMS). This would help in identifying those subjects who can benefit from early preventive exercise aimed at slowing the MS-related functional decline.

Italian translation and psychometric validation of the ABILHAND-26 and its correlation with upper limb objective and subjective measures in multiple sclerosis subjects.

Background: Upper limb (UL) function is affected in about 50% of people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). In the last decade, Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROM) are playing an important role in clinical trial and practice. ABILIHAND-26 is a PROM that assess self-perceived manual ability defined as the capacity to manage daily activities using the upper limbs.

Spasticity, spastic dystonia, and static stretch reflex in hypertonic muscles of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To investigate prevalence of EMG patterns underlying hypertonia in multiple sclerosis (MS) and whether these patterns indicate different levels of spinal excitability.

Methods: We investigated the EMG activity recorded from 108 hypertonic muscles of 59 consecutive MS patients. To investigate spastic dystonia (SD), we looked for the presence of EMG activity in muscles in a resting position.

Instrumentally assessed gait quality is more relevant than gait endurance and velocity to explain patient-reported walking ability in early-stage multiple sclerosis.

Background And Purpose: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) often report walking limitations even when the gold standard Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) indicates normal walking endurance/autonomy. The present multicenter study on early-stage PwMS aims at analyzing which aspects are associated with patient-reported walking limitations measured with the 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12).

Methods: Eighty-two PwMS (EDSS ≤ 2.

Prevalence and patterns of subclinical motor and cognitive impairments in non-disabled individuals with early multiple sclerosis: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Motor and cognitive disorders appear early in the course of multiple sclerosis (MS) and develop gradually over time.

Objective: To study the frequency and pattern of subtle functional disorders in people with MS (PwMS) with no overt signs of disability in an early phase of the disease and their association with walking impairments in daily activities.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited PwMS with an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score≤2.

Assessing balance in non-disabled subjects with multiple sclerosis: Validation of the Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale.

Objective: To validate the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale for high-functioning non-disabled people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Participants: A convenience sample of early-diagnosed PwMS (N = 82; Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≤ 2.

Local Dynamic Stability of Gait in People With Early Multiple Sclerosis and No-to-Mild Neurological Impairment.

Poor dynamic balance, such as poor walking stability, is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis. Instrumental measures of local dynamic stability (LDS, e.g.

Italian translation and psychometric validation of the Manual Ability Measure-36 (MAM-36) and its correlation with an objective measure of upper limb function in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system with an unpredictable course. During its course, deficits affecting upper limb functions may occur. Hence, there is a need for self-administered scales providing a comprehensive assessment of upper limb functions.

Conversion to Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: Patient Awareness and Needs. Results From an Online Survey in Italy and Germany.

Few studies have investigated the experiences of patients around the conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). ManTra is a mixed-method, co-production research project conducted in Italy and Germany to develop an intervention for newly-diagnosed SPMS patients. In previous project actions, we identified the needs and experiences of patients converting to SPMS via literature review and qualitative research which involved key stakeholders.