Proportional myoelectric control of a virtual bionic arm in participants with hemiparesis, muscle spasticity, and impaired range of motion.

Background: This research aims to improve the control of assistive devices for individuals with hemiparesis after stroke by providing intuitive and proportional motor control. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States, with 80% of stroke-related disability coming in the form of hemiparesis, presented as weakness or paresis on half of the body. Current assistive exoskeletonscontrolled via electromyography do not allow for fine force regulation.

Pain can't be carved at the joints: defining function-based pain profiles and their relevance to chronic disease management in healthcare delivery design.

Background: Pain is a complex problem that is triaged, diagnosed, treated, and billed based on which body part is painful, almost without exception. While the "body part framework" guides the organization and treatment of individual patients' pain conditions, it remains unclear how to best conceptualize, study, and treat pain conditions at the population level. Here, we investigate (1) how the body part framework agrees with population-level, biologically derived pain profiles; (2) how do data-derived pain profiles interface with other symptom domains from a whole-body perspective; and (3) whether biologically derived pain profiles capture clinically salient differences in medical history.

Respiratory Muscle Strength Correlation with Functional Capacity, Quality of Life, Demographics and Co-morbidities in Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury.

Objectives: To record Maximal Inspiratory Pressure (MIP) and Maximal Expiratory Pressure (MEP) in neuro-rehabilitation patients and establish correlation with functional status, quality of life, demographics and co-morbidities.

Methods: Respiratory muscle strength was measured in 50 stroke patients and 50 spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. Both groups were evaluated with the Modified Barthel Index (MBI-Shah version) and the 36-Item Short Form Survey.

Effectiveness of acupuncture as an adjunct to cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Considering the importance of cardiac rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and the development of acupuncture over the past few decades, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on patients' exercise tolerance, heart rate and blood pressure after CABG.

Methods: Thirty-four patients with a history of recent CABG were recruited between 2019 and 2020 for this clinical trial and randomly divided into two groups receiving acupuncture plus cardiac rehabilitation (group A) and cardiac rehabilitation alone (group B). In both groups, exercise-based rehabilitation exercise was performed.

Use of the walking and turning test to accurately discriminate between independently ambulatory community-dwelling older Thai adults with and without a history of falls: a retrospective diagnostic study.

Objectives: This study developed and investigated the possibility of using the walking and turning test (WTT) to indicate fall risk in community-dwelling older adults.

Design: Retrospective diagnostic study.

Setting: The study was carried out in a community setting.

Differences in Brain Volume in Military Service Members and Veterans After Blast-Related Mild TBI: A LIMBIC-CENC Study.

Importance: Blast-related mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), the "signature injury" of post-9/11 conflicts, are associated with clinically relevant, long-term cognitive, psychological, and behavioral dysfunction and disability; however, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear.

Objective: To investigate associations between a history of remote blast-related mild TBI and regional brain volume in a sample of US veterans and active duty service members.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Prospective cohort study of US veterans and active duty service members from the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium-Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC), which enrolled more than 1500 participants at 5 sites used in this analysis between 2014 and 2023.

Association of fear of falling and low physical activity with fall risk among older Taiwanese community-dwellers.

Background And Purpose: Fear of falling and low physical activity become prevalent in an aged society, but their association with fall risk warrants further investigation.

Methods: Our study involved 600 individuals aged 70.8-96.

The Expression pattern of NK cells in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with different disease activities.

Data demonstrated the role of natural killer (NK) cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to determine the immunophenotype and frequency of NK cells and their subsets, CXCR3, CD161 expression in blood and renal tissue of SLE patients with and without lupus nephritis and their relationship with disease activity. The study included 31 SLE patients and 11 controls.

Adults born preterm have lower peripheral skeletal muscle area and strength.

Prematurity is associated with lower exercise capacity, which relies on the integrity of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and skeletal muscle systems. Our animal model mimicking prematurity-associated conditions showed altered muscle composition and atrophy in adulthood. This study aimed to compare muscle composition and strength in adults born preterm versus full-term controls.

Molecular investigation of MEFV gene polymorphisms among patients with familial mediterranean fever-like symptoms.

The diagnosis of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is primarily based on clinical standards. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relevance of Mediterranean fever (MEFV) genetic testing in the diagnosis of FMF as well as to identify the most frequent variant alleles and their relationship to clinical symptoms in Egyptian patients. Egyptian patients with a clinical suspicion of having FMF were studied in order to determine MEFV genotypes.

Center of Pressure- and Machine Learning-based Gait Score and Clinical Risk Factors for Predicting Functional Outcome in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Objectives: To investigate whether machine learning (ML)-based center of pressure (COP) analysis for gait assessment, when used in conjunction with clinical information, offers additive benefits in predicting functional outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Design: A prospective, single-center cohort study.

Setting: A tertiary hospital setting.

Exploring Responsiveness to Highly Challenging Balance and Gait Training in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Exercise potentially improves gait, balance, and habitual physical activity in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, given the heterogeneous nature of the disease, it is likely that people respond differently to exercise interventions. Factors determining responsiveness to exercise interventions remain unclear.

Associations between smoking history, baseline pain interference and symptom distribution, and physical function at discharge, in individuals seeking care for musculoskeletal pain.

Objective: Study of the association between smoking and pain intensity has produced conflicting results; with less focus on pain interference. Different pain constructs could have varying associations with smoking behaviors. This study sought to investigate the association between smoking history and not only pain intensity, but also pain interference, symptom distribution and physical function.

The prevalence of cervical contribution in patients reporting shoulder pain. An observational study.

Background: Shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal disorder yet diagnosis remains challenging. In some cases, shoulder symptoms can be partially attributed to a cervical origin.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of cervical contribution in patients presenting with shoulder pain.