Comparing the contents of outcome measures in upper-limb amputation using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: A systematic review.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) provides a universal framework for assessing the functioning of any person. To facilitate the application of the ICF in practice, ICF core sets are being developed. This study is part of a project intended to develop an ICF core set for upper-limb amputation (ULA) and aims to identify relevant concepts included in the outcome measurements used in studies of ULA.

Effect of visual biofeedback on fine motor function and activity daily of life in stroke patients: A pilot study.

Introduction: Many stroke patients suffer from dysfunction in their upper limbs, which can lead to difficulties in performing activities of daily living (ADL) as well as social and work interactions. This is particularly true for patients whose dominant side has been affected. The aim of the current study was to explore how effective visual biofeedback could improve fine motor function in the hand and ADL for people suffering from a stroke.

Restoration of natural somatic sensations to the amputees: finding the right combination of neurostimulation methods.

Unlabelled: Limb amputation results in such devastating consequences as loss of motor and sensory functions and phantom limb pain (PLP). Neurostimulation-based approaches have been developed to treat this condition, which provide artificial somatosensory feedback such as peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), spinal cord stimulation (SCS), and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Yet, the effectiveness of different neurostimulation methods has been rarely tested in the same participants.

Prosthetic Gait Achievement in an Elderly Patient with Chronic Limb-threatening Ischemia and High Complications Using a Novel Lipoprotein Apheresis.

Background: Chronic limb-threatening ischemia is a condition of the lower extremities that requires therapeutic intervention. It is characterized by ischemia, tissue loss, neuropathy, infection, and risk of amputation.

Case: An 82-year-old woman with a history of bilateral total knee arthroplasty and rheumatoid arthritis underwent a left ankle arthroplasty.

A performance evaluation of commercially available and 3D-printable prosthetic hands: a comparison using the anthropomorphic hand assessment protocol.

Despite significant technological progress in prosthetic hands, a device with functionality akin to a biological extremity is far from realization. To better support the development of next-generation technologies, we investigated the grasping capabilities of clinically prescribable and commercially available (CPCA) prosthetic hands against those that are 3D-printed, which offer cost-effective and customizable solutions. Our investigation utilized the Anthropomorphic Hand Assessment Protocol (AHAP) as a benchtop evaluation of the multi-grasp performance of 3D-printed devices against CPCA prosthetic hands.

Spatial and spectral changes in cortical surface potentials during pinching versusthumb and index finger flexion.

Electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals provide high-fidelity representations of sensorimotor cortex activation during contralateral hand movements. Understanding the relationship between independent and coordinated finger movements along with their corresponding ECoG signals is crucial for precise brain mapping and neural prosthetic development. We analyzed subdural ECoG signals from three adult epilepsy patients with subdural electrode arrays implanted for seizure foci identification.

Extensive humerus and scapula hydatidosis: A unique case report and comprehensive review of management strategies.

Introduction And Importance: Bone hydatidosis is a rare manifestation of Echinococcus infection, presenting significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This case report describes the successful management of an extensive hydatid disease involving the entire humerus and scapula.

Case Presentation: A 44-year-old male presented with progressive right arm pain and swelling.

Application of a sEMG hand motion recognition method based on variational mode decomposition and ReliefF algorithm in rehabilitation medicine.

Hand motion intention recognition has been considered as one of the crucial research fields for prosthetic control and rehabilitation medicine. In recent years, surface electromyogram (sEMG) signals that directly reflect human motion information are ideal input sources for prosthetic control and rehabilitation. However, how to effectively extract components from sEMG signals containing abundant limb movement information to improve the accuracy of hand recognition still is a difficult problem.

A Multi-Scale CNN for Transfer Learning in sEMG-Based Hand Gesture Recognition for Prosthetic Devices.

Advancements in neural network approaches have enhanced the effectiveness of surface Electromyography (sEMG)-based hand gesture recognition when measuring muscle activity. However, current deep learning architectures struggle to achieve good generalization and robustness, often demanding significant computational resources. The goal of this paper was to develop a robust model that can quickly adapt to new users using Transfer Learning.

Prevalence of neck pain among unilateral upper limb amputees: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Neck pain is a significant health concern for unilateral upper limb amputees (UULAs), affecting their functional status and quality of life.

Objectives: To address the neck pain burden that is adding to UULA's pre-existing disability and help Physical therapists to judiciously design and execute effective therapeutic strategies.

Methods: We searched databases for articles till October 23, 2023, and included primary studies reporting neck pain prevalence among UULAs.

Amputations Resulting From Systemic Sclerosis: The Role of Multidisciplinary Cooperation.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex connective tissue disease involving microvasculopathy, immune dysregulation, and extensive organ fibrosis. It affects various systems including the skin, lungs, heart, and gastrointestinal tract. Management is challenging due to the disease's heterogeneity and often requires more than just pharmacological treatment.

An environmental scan of limb loss rehabilitation centers across Canada.

Background: The clinical landscape of limb loss rehabilitation across Canada is poorly delineated, lacks standard rehabilitation guidelines, and is without a shared clinical database.

Objective: To address these gaps, the objective of the present study was to undertake an environmental scan of the rehabilitation centers across Canada that provide inpatient and/or outpatient services to the limb loss community.

Study Design: An environmental scan was conducted to describe the rehabilitation service structure, program services, and outcome measures of sites across Canada.

HDE-Array: Development and Validation of a New Dry Electrode Array Design to Acquire HD-sEMG for Hand Position Estimation.

This paper aims to introduce HDE-Array (High-Density Electrode Array), a novel dry electrode array for acquiring High-Density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) for hand position estimation through RPC-Net (Recursive Prosthetic Control Network), a neural network defined in a previous study. We aim to demonstrate the hypothesis that the position estimates returned by RPC-Net using HD-sEMG signals acquired with HDE-Array are as accurate as those obtained from signals acquired with gel electrodes. We compared the results, in terms of precision of hand position estimation by RPC-Net, using signals acquired by traditional gel electrodes and by HDE-Array.

Mothers' perspectives on the use and acceptability of 3d printed prosthesis by their children with congenital upper limb difference in India: a qualitative study.

Purpose: Children with congenital upper limb difference (CULD) in India have limited access to treatment with conventional prostheses. 3D printed prosthetic devices (3DPP) can function as transitional prostheses for growing children with congenital transverse deficiency. They are low-cost and the designs are easily customized.

Artificial Tactile Sensory Finger for Contact Pattern Identification Based on High Spatiotemporal Piezoresistive Sensor Array.

Human fingertip tactile perception relies on the activation of densely distributed tactile receptors to identify contact patterns in the brain. Despite significant efforts to integrate tactile sensors with machine learning algorithms for recognizing physical patterns on object surfaces, developing a tactile sensing system that emulates human fingertip capabilities for identifying contact patterns with a high spatiotemporal resolution remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we present the development of an artificial tactile finger for accurate contact pattern identification, achieved through the integration of a high spatiotemporal piezoresistive sensor array (PRSA) and a convolutional neural network (CNN) model.

Free fillet flap: Outcomes in emergency microsurgical reconstruction of upper and lower limb.

Introduction: Despite its infrequency, 'spare-part surgery' represents a reconstructive strategy that uses segments of amputated limbs as donor tissue to preserve function in other injured anatomical regions. The purpose of this study was to review our 14-year experience in emergency microsurgical reconstruction of traumatised limbs using free fillet flaps obtained from non-salvageable amputated parts.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on patients who underwent urgent free fillet flap transfer for upper or lower limb reconstruction between 2007 and 2021.

The effect of trunk control on sitting balance and upper extremity functions in patients with subacute stroke.

Background: Impairment of trunk control is a common problem after stroke, and trunk impairment may affect many functions such as breathing, speech, limb movements and transfers.

Objective: The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of trunk control on sitting balance and upper extremity functions in individuals with subacute stroke.

Methods: A total of 30 patients with subacute stroke (14 female, 16 male) were included in this study.

A Multimodal Bracelet to Acquire Muscular Activity and Gyroscopic Data to Study Sensor Fusion for Intent Detection.

Researchers have attempted to control robotic hands and prostheses through biosignals but could not match the human hand. Surface electromyography records electrical muscle activity using non-invasive electrodes and has been the primary method in most studies. While surface electromyography-based hand motion decoding shows promise, it has not yet met the requirements for reliable use.