Aiming Movement After Stroke: Do Time-Since-Injury and Impairment Severity Influence Ipsilateral Performance?

In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated post-stroke ipsilesional (less affected) upper limb aiming movement in individuals whose strokes were either 2-5 months ( = 16) or >6 months ( = 17) prior to our testing; we also compared both stroke groups to a control group of healthy individuals ( = 14). We evaluated the participants' level of movement impairment in the contralateral upper limb from the site of the cerebrovascular lesion as an indicator of the severity of the participants' impairment. Participants were asked to move a stylus on a tablet with their ipsilesional upper limb according to a visual stimulus seen on a monitor.

Hemiplegic shoulder pain affects ipsilesional aiming movements after stroke: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) is common after stroke. The pain perception may exacerbate changes in the motor behavior of the ipsi-lesional upper limb, contributing to the functional decline of an individual's motor performance.

Objective: This study evaluates the influence of pain perception on the aiming movements performed with the ipsilesional upper limb in individuals with unilateral chronic stroke.

Planning and Executing Aiming Movements in Middle Childhood.

Harmonious voluntary movements require efficiency in their planning and execution. Throughout middle childhood structural changes in the central nervous and musculoskeletal systems influence these processes and resultant motor behavior. In this study, we evaluated the characteristics of the motor planning and executing of aiming movements directed at targets located in different positions in space in children aged 7, 9, and 11 years.

Ipsilesional arm reaching movements are not affected by the postural configuration adopted by individuals with stroke.

Individuals with stroke present several impairments in the ipsilesional arm reaching movements that can limit the execution of daily living activities. These impairments depend on the side of the brain lesion. The present study aimed to compare the arm reaching movements performed in sitting and standing positions and to examine whether the effects of the adopted posture configuration depend on the side of the brain lesion.

Implementation of a multicomponent intervention sign to reduce delirium in orthopaedic inpatients (MIND-ORIENT): a quality improvement project.

Delirium is a serious and common condition that leads to significant adverse health outcomes for hospitalised older adults. It occurs in 30%-55% of patients with hip fractures and is one of the most common postoperative complications in older adults undergoing orthopaedic surgery. Multicomponent, non-pharmacological interventions can reduce delirium incidence by up to 30% but are often challenging to implement as part of routine care.

The walking cane length influences the postural sway of community-dwelling older women.

Background: Mobility-related problems in older people may be relieved by the use of walking canes. However, the influence of the cane length on the postural stability of cane users has not been explored.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the influence of a single-point cane with different lengths on the postural sway of regular cane users, older women during two stance positions, with feet parallel and semi-tandem stance.

Combined effects of the light touch and cognitive task affect the components of postural sway.

The light touch (LT) of the fingertip on a rigid surface and the performance of a cognitive task (CT) affect the postural control. The current study examined the mechanisms involved in the control of postural sway (i.e.

Functional Capacity and Motor Performance of Upper Limbs in Individuals with Cerebellar Disorders: A Pilot Study.

In simple daily activities carried out by the upper limbs, the cerebellum is responsible for the adaptations required for the accurate movement based on previous experiences and external references. This paper aims to characterize the performance of the upper limbs after a cerebellar disease. We evaluated the digital and handgrip strength, dexterity, and function of the upper limbs.

Electromyographic activity of the erector spinae: The short-effect of one workday for welders with nonspecific chronic low back pain, an observational study.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of one workday on pain and perceived exertion, muscular strength, and electromyographic activity of the erector spinae muscles in welders with and without low back pain. This is an observational cohort study.

Participants: Twenty-two welders, metallurgical shipbuilding, were equally divided into 2 groups: low back pain and no low back pain.

Assessment of the Ipsilesional Hand Function in Stroke Survivors: The Effect of Lesion Side.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the side of brain lesion on the ipsilesional hand function of stroke survivors.

Methods: Twenty-four chronic stroke survivors, equally allocated in 2 groups according to the side of brain lesion (right or left), and 12 sex- and age-matched healthy controls performed the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT), the Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT), the maximum power grip strength (PwGS) test, and the maximum pinch grip strength (PnGS) test. Only the ipsilesional hand of the stroke survivors and both hands (left and right) of the controls were assessed.

The influence of a real job on upper limb performance in motor skill tests: which abilities are transferred?

To investigate whether the specificities of real jobs create distinctions in the performance of workers in different motor tests for the upper limbs, 24 participants were divided into two groups according to their specific job: fine and repetitive tasks and general tasks. Both groups reproduced tasks related to aiming movements, handling and strength of the upper limbs. There were no significant differences between groups in the dexterity and performance of aiming movements.

Comparison of Two Methods for Estimating Adjustable One-Point Cane Length in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background And Purpose: Our aim is to estimate inter-observer reliability, test-retest reliability, anthropometric and biomechanical adequacy and minimal detectable change when measuring the length of single-point adjustable canes in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: There are 112 participants in the study. They are men and women, aged 60 years and over, who were attending an outpatient community health centre.

Effects of direction and index of difficulty on aiming movements after stroke.

Background: Brain hemispheres play different roles in the control of aiming movements that are impaired after unilateral stroke. It is not clear whether those roles are influenced by the direction and the difficulty of the task.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of direction and index of difficulty (ID) of the task on performance of ipsilesional aiming movements after unilateral stroke.

The influence of the tasks characteristics in physical performance and psychosocial aspects of workers.

The work and life conditions have influence on the health and life quality of workers. Physically active persons can demonstrate a life style that are and affect the physical performance, psychosocial aspects and work capacity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical activity level and work capacity in different tasks characteristics, one with more physical exertion and other with more cognitive exertion.

[Sexual violence against adolescents: notifications filed in the Child and Adolescent Protective Services in the city of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil].

Unlabelled: This study examines reports of sexual violence against adolescents in 2007 and 2008 made with the North- and South-District Child and Adolescent Protective Services of Campo Grande, the capital city of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul Brazil. Data for this retrospective, descriptive and quantitative research were collected from the services' archives on sexual violence against adolescents.

Results: most victims were females.

A comparison of methods for identifying the Jacobian for uncontrolled manifold variance analysis.

Uncontrolled Manifold (UCM) analysis has been used to identify a component of joint variance leading to pointer-tip position variability and a component representing motor abundant joint combinations corresponding to an equivalent pointer-tip position. A Jacobian is required for UCM analysis, typically derived from an analytic model relating joint postures to pointer-tip position. Derivation of the Jacobian is often non-trivial, however, because of the complexity of the system being studied.

Effect of motor planning on use of motor abundance.

This study examined the hypothesis that the degree to which motor redundancy is used to coordinate joint motions for reaching is influenced by motor planning and enhanced when the task requires greater movement flexibility. Subjects reached at arm's length to the same centrally placed target under conditions where the target location was either certain or uncertain, using a double-step paradigm. The hypothesis was evaluated by partitioning the across-trials variance of the joint configuration at each percent of the reach into a component corresponding to the use of different joint angle combinations to achieve an equivalent hand position (GEV) and a component leading to a variable hand position (NGEV).