Distinctive MicroRNA Profiles in Serum of Patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 2: A Bioinformatic Exploratory Study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore serum microRNA (miRNA) profile characteristic of patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), including both sporadic and familial cases, by comprehensive analysis of miRNA expression using next-generation sequencing.

Methods: Nine patients with NF2 were included in this study. In addition, 7 patients with unilateral acoustic neuroma without a family history of NF2 were invited to participate as the control cohort in the study.

Involvement of the Rostromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Human-Robot Interaction: fNIRS Evidence From a Robot-Assisted Motor Task.

Assistive exoskeleton robots are being widely applied in neurorehabilitation to improve upper-limb motor and somatosensory functions. During robot-assisted exercises, the central nervous system appears to highly attend to external information-processing (IP) to efficiently interact with robotic assistance. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear.

Developing a Clinical Prediction Rule for Gait Independence at Discharge in Patients with Stroke: A Decision-Tree Algorithm Analysis.

Objectives: To develop a clinical prediction rule (CPR) for gait independence at discharge in patients with stroke, using the decision-tree algorithm and to investigate the usefulness of CPR at admission to the rehabilitation ward.

Materials And Methods: We included 181 subjects with stroke during the postacute phase. The Chi-squared automatic interaction detection analysis method with 10-fold cross-validation was used to develop two CPRs; CPR 1 using easily obtainable data available at admission; CPR 2 using easily obtainable data available 1 month after admission, for prediction of gait independence at discharge.

[Anti-doping from the Perspective of a Pharmacist and an Athlete].

I have been active as a professional basketball player at Hiroshima Dragonflies, which belongs to B.LEAGUE until 2018. At the beginning of my professional career, I started by balancing a pharmaceutical student and a professional life.

Effects of age and gender on spatiotemporal and kinematic gait parameters in older adults.

Purpose: Gait changes are more prominently observed in older adults than in young adults, especially in kinematics of lower extremities and trunk. These changes can result in incidental falls during gait, possibly leading to inability to perform activities of daily living independently. This study aimed to investigate the effect of gender and age on gait changes, such as spatiotemporal parameters and peak joint angles in lower extremities and trunk during gait.

Effects of Combining Online Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Gait Training in Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and repetitive gait training may be effective for gait performance recovery after stroke; however, the timing of stimulation to obtain the best outcomes remains unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to establish evidence for changes in gait performance between online stimulation (tDCS and repetitive gait training simultaneously) and offline stimulation (gait training after tDCS). We comprehensively searched the electronic databases Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and included studies that combined cases of anodal tDCS with motor-related areas of the lower limbs and gait training.

Development of a clinical prediction rule for patients with cervical spinal cord injury who have difficulty in obtaining independent living.

Background Context: A simple and easy to use clinical prediction rule (CPR) to detect patients with a cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) who would have difficulty in obtaining independent living status is vital for providing the optimal rehabilitation and education in both care recipients and caregivers. A machine learning approach was recently applied to the field of rehabilitation and has the possibility to develop an accurate and useful CPR.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and assess a CPR using a decision tree algorithm for predicting which patients with a cervical SCI would have difficulty in obtaining an independent living.

Impact of the state of emergency enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical activity of the elderly in Japan.

[Purpose] In Japan, the government issued a state of emergency due to the spread of COVID-19 in April 2020. In this study, we measured physical activity before and after the state of emergency, and assessed the factors that affected physical activity. [Participants and Methods] We included thirteen elderly people living in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, in the study.

Association between long-term hospitalization for mental illness and locomotive syndrome.

Background: Patients in psychiatric care wards face serious problems in terms of declining physical function due to aging and long-term hospitalization. This study aimed to determine the current status of locomotive syndrome (LS) in long-term inpatients in psychiatric care wards and to clarify the factors associated with LS risk severity.

Methods: The study included 84 patients admitted to psychiatric care wards who underwent the LS stage test.

Factors that affect the changes in the satisfaction of Japanese physical therapists with their profession over the years.

[Purpose] To analyze changes in the level of satisfaction of new physical therapists with their profession over time and in the factors that affect their satisfaction, focusing on the impact of previous experiences and working conditions. [Participants and Methods] This longitudinal survey study administered a questionnaire to 585 physical therapists who participated in the newcomer orientation at Hiroshima Prefectural Physical Therapy Association from 2017 to 2019 as follows: 210 in 2017, 188 in 2018, and 187 in 2019. The responses to the questions regarding professional satisfaction and the factors that affect it were investigated.

Decision Tree Algorithm Identifies Stroke Patients Likely Discharge Home After Rehabilitation Using Functional and Environmental Predictors.

Background And Purpose: The importance of environmental factors for stroke patients to achieve home discharge was not scientifically proven. There are limited studies on the application of the decision tree algorithm with various functional and environmental variables to identify stroke patients with a high possibility of home discharge. The present study aimed to identify the factors, including functional and environmental factors, affecting home discharge after stroke inpatient rehabilitation using the machine learning method.

Relationship between whether the planned discharge destination is decided and locomotive syndrome for admitted patients in psychiatric long-term care wards.

Objective: We focused on locomotive syndrome as a low physical function factor that may prevent patients with psychiatric disease from being discharged. The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors, including locomotive syndrome, that prevent discharge from psychiatric long-term care wards.

Method: We enrolled 74 patients who were admitted to psychiatric long-term care wards at three different hospitals in Japan.

Twenty-four-hour ambulatory oximetry monitoring in a patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for assisting in the discharge instruction on activities of daily living: a case report.

[Purpose] Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) often develop remarkable exercise-induced hypoxemia and are hospitalized for management. The pre-discharge management of activities of daily living (ADL) should determine the amount of exercise-induced hypoxemia permitted during daily activities and inform concrete instructions based on these results. This clinical report aimed to promote 24-hour ambulatory oximetry monitoring in a patient with IPF to guide the pre-discharge management of ADL.

Clinical Features for Identifying the Possibility of Toileting Independence after Convalescent Inpatient Rehabilitation in Severe Stroke Patients: A Decision Tree Analysis Based on a Nationwide Japan Rehabilitation Database.

Background And Purpose: In severe stroke patients, considerable concern should be given to toileting activity in rehabilitative support. Recently, the application of artificial intelligence, including machine learning (ML), has expanded into the stroke medical field, which could clarify the factors affecting toileting independence in severe stroke patients. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting toileting independence in severe stroke patients using ML.

The Effects of Vestibular Rehabilitation on Gait Performance in Patients with Stroke: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Patients with post-stroke hemiparesis have poor postural stability; nevertheless, it is unclear whether vestibular rehabilitation affects gait performance after a stroke or not. We performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials to investigate the effects of vestibular rehabilitation on gait performance in patients with post stroke.

Methods: The Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were comprehensively searched.

Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is a pathophysiological biomarker of early-stage acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis among pigeon fanciers.

Background: Identifying early stages of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is hampered by variable presentation, heterogeneous or undetected causal antigens and lack of gold-standard biomarkers. Krebs von den Lungen (KL)-6 is pathophysiological biomarker of alveolar epithelial damage. Pigeon fanciers, susceptible to HP, provide a model to investigate early HP.

Spatial navigation ability is associated with the assessment of smoothness of driving during changing lanes in older drivers.

Background: Age-related changes affect driving ability, including the smoothness of driving. This operation requires the use of both allocentric strategies (based on world-centered representations) and egocentric strategies (based on self-centered representations); however, with age, a greater preference for egocentric strategies is evident when driving. Furthermore, an age-related decline occurs in both driving ability and spatial navigation.

Baseline High-Resolution CT Findings Predict Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: German and Japanese Cohort Study.

Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF) is a major cause of morbidity and death in IPF. However, sensitive predictive factors of AE-IPF have not been well-investigated. To investigate whether high-resolution computed tomographic (HRCT) abnormalities predict AE-IPF in independent ethnic cohorts, this study included 121 patients with IPF (54 German and 67 Japanese; mean age, 68.