Sleep Quality and Disability for Custodial Grandparents Caregivers in the Southern United States.

Sleep quality amongst caregivers with disability may have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated differences in sleep quality amongst custodial grandparents from a southern state that were identified through state-based Kinship Care support groups coordinators and online. Participants ( = 102) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and self-reported disability statuses.

Characteristics and consequences of falls among people with multiple sclerosis who use wheelchairs or scooters: Differences between injurious and non-injurious falls.

Background: Falls are common among people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) who use wheelchairs or scooters. Falls may lead to severe consequences including physical injuries. However, very little is known about the circumstances associated with injurious falls in this population.

Investigating Relationships Among Interoceptive Awareness, Emotional Susceptibility, and Fatigue in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Fatigue is a particularly debilitating symptom for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Although personality traits and MS have been studied, interoception and emotional susceptibility and their links to fatigue have not yet been explored.

Methods: Study participants provided demographic information and completed standardized patient-reported outcomes of walking function, physical activity, subjective fatigue, interoceptive awareness, and emotional susceptibility.

Online Delivery of the Individualized Reduction of Falls Intervention for Persons With Multiple Sclerosis Who Use a Wheelchair or Scooter Full-time: A Pilot Study.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who use a wheelchair or scooter full-time fall frequently; however, fall prevention programming that meets the unique needs of this population is limited. This study examined the preliminary efficacy of a group-based online fall prevention and management intervention designed specifically for people with MS.

Methods: This pre/post intervention, mixed-methods study included people with MS who used a wheelchair or scooter full-time, experienced at least 1 fall within the past year, and transferred independently or with minimal or moderate assistance.

The Consumption of Animal and Plant Foods in Areas of High Prevalence of Stroke and Colorectal Cancer.

Diets of red and processed meat have been reported as important risk factors for developing colorectal cancer. Given the racial and ethnic differences in the incidence of colorectal cancer, patterns of food consumption, and areas of residence, particularly in the South, more data is needed on the relationship between residing in a high stroke area, colorectal cancer incidence levels, and red meat and processed meat consumption. We created online surveys to ascertain meat, red meat, and healthy food consumption levels.

Feasibility of Using a Mobile App Supported Executive Function Intervention in Military Service Members and Veterans with mTBI and Co-Occurring Psychological Conditions.

This pilot study assessed the feasibility of using SwapMyMood, a smartphone application supporting evidence-based strategies for emotion regulation and problem-solving as a supplement to conventional care for military service members and veterans (SM/Vs) experiencing chronic symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and co-occurring psychological conditions. Eight military SM/Vs were recruited from an intensive outpatient program. Participants were block randomized to an experimental group (conventional care plus use of the SwapMyMood app) or a conventional care only group for six weeks.

Neurorehabilitation for the Uninsured: Georgia Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Partnership Clinic.

Purpose: Individuals who experience brain injury and are uninsured often do not have access to health care services following their injury. The Georgia Rehabilitation Services Volunteer Partnership (GA RSVP) Clinic is a free outpatient rehabilitation program for uninsured individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) and/or spinal cord injury (SCI) for all racial and ethnic backgrounds. While the clinic serves people with ABI and SCI, this clinical focus article will focus on people with ABI by describing the clinic, lessons learned from operations, an ABI patient case study, and future directions.

Eagle-449: A volumetric, whole-brain compilation of brain atlases for vestibular functional MRI research.

Human vestibular processing involves distributed networks of cortical and subcortical regions which perform sensory and multimodal integrative functions. These functional hubs are also interconnected with areas subserving cognitive, affective, and body-representative domains. Analysis of these diverse components of the vestibular and vestibular-associated networks, and synthesis of their holistic functioning, is therefore vital to our understanding of the genesis of vestibular dysfunctions and aid treatment development.

Gunshot Wound to the Spine With Delayed Radiculopathy: A Case Report.

Gunshot wounds (GSWs) to any part of the body can leave a trail of insidious complications. When the spinal cord is the injured organ, these sequelae can be debilitating to the patient and often exhaust all known therapeutic approaches available to the providers. The management of pain associated with GSWs to the spine is often a clinical challenge and there is often a question as to whether or not surgical intervention can help with pain relief in these cases.

Pilot Study of a Fall Prevention and Management Intervention Program for People With Multiple Sclerosis Who Use a Wheelchair or Scooter Full-Time.

Objective: To examine the efficacy of a fall prevention/management intervention among persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) who use a wheelchair (WC) or scooter full-time.

Design: Pre-post/follow-up trial.

Setting: Community and research laboratory.

Use of person-centered goals to direct interdisciplinary care for military service members and Veterans with chronic mTBI and co-occurring psychological conditions.

Objective: To explore the use of person-centered goals (PCGs) to direct interdisciplinary care to support PCG attainment in military service members and Veterans (SM/Vs) with chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and co-occurring psychological conditions.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was completed for 146 United States military SM/Vs reporting chronic symptoms following mTBI and co-occurring psychological conditions who received care in the SHARE Military Initiative intensive outpatient program, a donor-funded program administered by a not-for-profit hospital, between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2019. PCGs were used to direct care consisting of individual and group-based interventions and therapies delivered by an interdisciplinary, co-located team including behavioral health, case management, neurology or physiatry, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, recreation therapy, speech-language pathology, and transition support.

Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction in People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Physiological Target for Improving Physical Function and Mobility.

Impaired mobility is amongst the most debilitating symptoms reported by people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Historically, it has been viewed that walking impairments in people with MS are directly caused by the physical damage to the neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) which results from the immunopathology of MS. However, research from over the past 4 decades has revealed that physical function in people with MS is also affected by skeletal muscle dysfunction characterized by a reduced capacity to produce, regulate, and sustain the force-generating muscle contractions that propel human movement.

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions on Exercise Behavior Among People With Multiple Sclerosis Enrolled in an Exercise Trial: Qualitative Interview Study.

Background: During spring and summer 2020, US states implemented COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, resulting in the closure of rehabilitation facilities and, with them, some of the clinical trials that were taking place. One such trial was the Supervised Versus Telerehabilitation Exercise Program for Multiple Sclerosis ("STEP for MS") comparative effectiveness multiple sclerosis (MS) exercise trial. Although 1 study arm was implemented via telerehabilitation, the comparative arm took place in rehabilitation facilities nationwide and was subsequently closed during this time frame.

Reconceptualizing Recovery After Concussion: A Phenomenological Exploration of College Student Experiences.

Purpose: Typical measures of recovery from concussion-such as symptom scales, neurocognitive testing, or exertion measures-may not capture individualized experiences of concussion. This report examines how college students with concussion interact with and consider their recovery.

Method: Sixteen college students who sustained concussions while in college completed 40- to 75-min semistructured interviews.

Accuracy of self-reported severity and level of spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Observational.

Objectives: To assess accuracy of self-reported level of injury (LOI) and severity in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) as compared with clinical examination.

Setting: An SCI Model System Hospital.

The role of worry in exercise and physical activity behavior of people with multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: This study is a secondary analysis of data from a mixed methods exploration of fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. During initial analysis, worry emerged during discussions of the fatigue experience. The purpose of this study is to explore worry in relationship to exercise and physical activity behavior.

Using Large-Scale Sensor Data to Test Factors Predictive of Perseverance in Home Movement Rehabilitation: Optimal Challenge and Steady Engagement.

Persevering with home rehabilitation exercise is a struggle for millions of people in the US each year. A key factor that may influence motivation to engage with rehabilitation exercise is the challenge level of the assigned exercises, but this hypothesis is currently supported only by subjective, self-report. Here, we studied the relationship between challenge level and perseverance using long-term, self-determined exercise patterns of a large number of individuals ( = 2,581) engaging in home rehabilitation with a sensor-based exercise system without formal supervision.

Personality and Spirituality as Predictors of Mental Health and Salivary Alpha-Amylase Activity in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Objectives: To determine the relative predictive validity of personality and spirituality for mental health and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) in breast cancer (BC) survivors.

Sample & Setting: 23 BC survivors participated in a single-group, cross-sectional study.

Methods & Variables: Predictor variables included personality and spiritual variables.

Job Retention Among Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis: Relationship With Prediagnostic Employment and Education; Demographic Characteristics; and Disease Course, Severity, and Complications.

Objective: To identify how prediagnosis employment, education, demographic statuses, and disease factors relate to job retention among people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: Cross-sectional logit model.

Setting: Data were collected at an academic Medical University and a specialty hospital, both in the Southeastern US.

Prediction of future falls among full-time wheelchair and scooter users with multiple sclerosis: A prospective study.

Background: Seventy-five percent (75%) of full-time wheelchair or scooter users with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience at least one fall in a period of 6 months. Falls are detrimental for the independence, quality of life, and community participation. No previous prospective study has evaluated fall risk factors in this segment of MS community.

Implementation of a Mobile Technology-Supported Diaphragmatic Breathing Intervention in Military mTBI With PTSD.

Background: Diaphragmatic breathing is an evidence-based intervention for managing stress and anxiety; however, some military veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report challenges to learning and practicing the technique. BreatheWell Wear assists performance of breathing exercises through reminders, biofeedback, and visual, tactile, and auditory guidance.

Objective: To evaluate feasibility of implementing BreatheWell Wear, a mobile smartwatch application with companion smartphone app, as an intervention for stress management in military veterans with mTBI and PTSD.

Walking and Balance Outcomes Are Improved Following Brief Intensive Locomotor Skill Training but Are Not Augmented by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Persons With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.

Unlabelled: Motor training to improve walking and balance function is a common aspect of rehabilitation following motor-incomplete spinal cord injury (MISCI). Evidence suggests that moderate- to high-intensity exercise facilitates neuroplastic mechanisms that support motor skill acquisition and learning. Furthermore, enhancing corticospinal drive via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may augment the effects of motor training.

A Pilot Study of Intensive Locomotor-Related Skill Training and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.

Background And Purpose: Improved walking function is a priority among persons with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury (PwMISCI). Accessibility and cost limit long-term participation in locomotor training offered in specialized centers. Intensive motor training that facilitates neuroplastic mechanisms that support skill learning and can be implemented in the home/community may be advantageous for promoting long-term restoration of walking function.