The stroke exercise preference inventory is feasible to use in a community rehabilitation setting.

Exploring exercise preferences may help people to adhere to exercise programs by promoting customized programs to suit the person's choices and concerns. We investigated if the Stroke Exercise Preference Inventory, a questionnaire designed to explore stroke survivors' preferences for exercise and potential barriers, was feasible to use, and whether it assisted physiotherapists to design ongoing exercise programs in a mixed diagnostic convenience sample attending community rehabilitation. Physiotherapy staff interviewed 42 participants, and sought feedback about the questionnaire.

Early mobilization and quality of life after stroke: Findings from AVERT.

Objective: To determine whether early and more frequent mobilization after stroke affects health-related quality of life.

Methods: A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT) was an international, multicenter (56 sites), phase 3 randomized controlled trial, spanning 2006-2015. People were included if they were aged ≥18 years, presented within 24 hours of a first or recurrent stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic), and satisfied preordained physiologic criteria.

Television Viewing Time and Stroke Risk: Australian Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyle Study (1999-2012).

Introduction: Having a low level of physical activity is an established risk factor for stroke, but little is known about the importance of common sedentary behavior-television viewing-to stroke risk.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data that were collected as part of the longitudinal Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle study. Stroke events reported during the study (between baseline assessment in 1999-2000 and April 2011) were confirmed using adjudication based on medical records.

Investigating post-stroke fatigue: An individual participant data meta-analysis.

Objective: The prevalence of post-stroke fatigue differs widely across studies, and reasons for such divergence are unclear. We aimed to collate individual data on post-stroke fatigue from multiple studies to facilitate high-powered meta-analysis, thus increasing our understanding of this complex phenomenon.

Methods: We conducted an Individual Participant Data (IPD) meta-analysis on post-stroke fatigue and its associated factors.

The AVERT MoCA Data: Scoring Reliability in a Large Multicenter Trial.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a widely used cognitive screening tool in stroke. As scoring the visuospatial/executive MoCA items involves subjective judgement, reliability is important. Analyzing data on these items from A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT), we compared the original scoring of assessors ( = 102) to blind scoring by a single, independent rater.

Classifying post-stroke fatigue: Optimal cut-off on the Fatigue Assessment Scale.

Objective: Post-stroke fatigue is common and has debilitating effects on independence and quality of life. The Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) is a valid screening tool for fatigue after stroke, but there is no established cut-off. We sought to identify the optimal cut-off for classifying post-stroke fatigue on the FAS.

Effects of Physical Activity on Poststroke Cognitive Function: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background And Purpose: Despite the social, health, and economic burdens associated with cognitive impairment poststroke, there is considerable uncertainty about the types of interventions that might preserve or restore cognitive abilities. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of physical activity (PA) training on cognitive function poststroke and identify intervention and sample characteristics that may moderate treatment effects.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials examining the association between structured PA training and cognitive performance poststroke were identified using electronic databases EMBASE and MEDLINE.

Determining the Association between Language and Cognitive Tests in Poststroke Aphasia.

Background: Individuals with aphasia are often excluded from studies exploring poststroke cognition because so many of the standard cognitive assessments rely on language ability. Our primary objective was to examine the association between performance on cognitive tests and performance on comprehension and naming tests in poststroke aphasia. Second, we aimed to determine the association between language performance and a real-life measure of cognition (Kettle Test).

Using technology to overcome the language barrier: the Cognitive Assessment for Aphasia App.

Purpose: We developed and explored the feasibility and user acceptance of the Cognitive Assessment for Aphasia App: a non-immersive virtual reality cognitive assessment for stroke survivors, designed to be inclusive of individuals with aphasia.

Methods: Participants were assessed on a battery of pen-and-paper cognitive tests and the Cognitive Assessment for Aphasia App. Feasibility was explored by quantifying missing data for test completion, determining user acceptance for the app by measuring participants' preferred testing method, enjoyment and perceived task difficulty and time-taken to complete the test.

Developing the Stroke Exercise Preference Inventory (SEPI).

Background: Physical inactivity is highly prevalent after stroke, increasing the risk of poor health outcomes including recurrent stroke. Tailoring of exercise programs to individual preferences can improve adherence, but no tools exist for this purpose in stroke.

Methods: We identified potential questionnaire items for establishing exercise preferences via: (i) our preliminary Exercise Preference Questionnaire in stroke, (ii) similar tools used in other conditions, and (iii) expert panel consultations.

The prevalence of fatigue after stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom after stroke. The last decade has seen rapid expansion of the research literature on post-stroke fatigue, but prevalence remains unclear.

Aims: To estimate post-stroke fatigue prevalence and to identify the contributing factors to fatigue, by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The Missing Medians: Exclusion of Ordinal Data from Meta-Analyses.

Background: Meta-analyses are considered the gold standard of evidence-based health care, and are used to guide clinical decisions and health policy. A major limitation of current meta-analysis techniques is their inability to pool ordinal data. Our objectives were to determine the extent of this problem in the context of neurological rating scales and to provide a solution.

Is early rehabilitation a myth? Physical inactivity in the first week after myocardial infarction and stroke.

Purpose: To compare physical activity levels of patients in the first week after myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke.

Method: We conducted an observational study using behavioural mapping. MI patients were consecutively recruited from Alfred Hospital, Melbourne.

The High Prevalence of Anxiety Disorders After Stroke.

Objectives: Previous studies indicate that post-stroke anxiety is common and persistent. We aimed to determine whether point prevalence of anxiety after stroke is higher than in the population at large, and whether the profile of anxiety symptoms is different.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted in Göteborg, Sweden, with stroke patients recruited from the Sahlgrenska University Hospital and a comparison group selected from local population health studies.

The health and economic benefits of reducing intimate partner violence: an Australian example.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) has important impacts on the health of women in society. Our aim was to estimate the health and economic benefits of reducing the prevalence of IPV in the 2008 Australian female adult population.

Methods: Simulation models were developed to show the effect of a 5 percentage point absolute feasible reduction target in the prevalence of IPV from current Australian levels (27%).

A Phase 1 exercise dose escalation study for stroke survivors with impaired walking.

Background: Targeted exercise and increased practice can improve the mobility of stroke survivors. However, many stroke survivors continue to have reduced physical work capacity and impaired walking, and experience frequent falls after participating in physical rehabilitation programs.

Aim: In this Phase 1 study, we used a dose escalation method, common in pharmaceutical trials, to determine the maximum tolerable dose of multimodal exercise in community-dwelling stroke survivors with mobility impairment.

Assessing cognition after stroke. Who misses out? A systematic review.

Background: Cognitive impairments post-stroke are common. Assessment of cognition typically involves pen-and-paper tasks, which are often reliant on linguistic and motor function, creating barriers for many stroke survivors. The characteristics of stroke survivors excluded from cognitive assessments have never been investigated.

The importance of cognition to quality of life after stroke.

Objective: Suffering a stroke typically has a negative impact on a person's quality of life. There is some evidence that post-stroke cognitive impairment is associated with poor quality of life, but the relative importance of deficits in different cognitive domains has not been established.

Methods: Patients with confirmed stroke were recruited in the acute hospital.

A Bahasa Malaysia version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: validation in stroke.

Background: Many stroke research trials do not include assessment of cognitive function. A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT) is an international multicenter study that includes the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as an outcome. At the Malaysian AVERT site, completion of the MoCA has been limited by low English proficiency in some participants.

Stroke, cognitive deficits, and rehabilitation: still an incomplete picture.

Cognitive impairment after stroke is common and can cause disability with major impacts on quality of life and independence. There are also indirect effects of cognitive impairment on functional recovery after stroke through reduced participation in rehabilitation and poor adherence to treatment guidelines. In this article, we attempt to establish the following: ● whether there is a distinct profile of cognitive impairment after stroke; ● whether the type of cognitive deficit can be associated with the features of stroke-related damage; and ● whether interventions can improve poststroke cognitive performance.

Cutting a long story short: reaction times in acute stroke are associated with longer term cognitive outcomes.

Background: The viability and usefulness of cognitive assessment in acute stroke have been questioned, with practical challenges arising from the focal nature of neurological deficits as well as heterogeneity in arousal state. We aimed to test whether acute measures of attention correlate with attentional function at 3 months post-stroke.

Methods: Patients with confirmed stroke completed 2 computerised cognitive tasks (CogState) within 2 weeks of stroke.

The effect of physical activity on cognitive function after stroke: a systematic review.

Background: Research in both humans and animals indicates that physical activity can enhance cognitive activity, but whether this is true in patients with stroke is largely unknown.We aimed to evaluate the relationship between increased physical activity after stroke and cognitive performance.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and other electronic databases.

Can stroke cause neurodegenerative dementia?

Stroke and dementia have typically been housed in different taxonomies. They are considered to be exemplars of very different forms of brain injury: stroke as an acute vascular injury and dementia as a progressive degenerative disease. Yet there is definite overlap between the two conditions: stroke increases the likelihood of developing dementia.