Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An initial exploration of the perceptual threshold test using electrical stimulation to measure arm sensation following stroke

Objective: To explore the viability of the perceptual threshold test using electrical stimulation to measure light touch sensation in the hands of stroke survivors. Design: Descriptive study. Setting: University research laboratory. Subjects: Twenty-nine adult community-dwelling chronic stroke survivors. Main measure(s): Perceptual threshold test using electrical stimulation, stroke rehabilitation assessment of movement, Nottingham sensory assessment for stereognosis, action research arm test, Fugl-Meyer assessment of sensation and motor activity log 14. Results: Perceptual threshold test using electrical stimulation mean threshold values were 1.23 (0.6) milliamperes (range 0.5–3.5) for the uninvolved side and 1.68 (0.91) milliamperes (range 0.5–4.5) for the involved side. The perceptual threshold test using electrical stimulation demonstrated excellent intra-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.896 – uninvolved; 0.829 – involved). There was a statistically significant difference between the perceptual threshold test using electrical stimulation mean threshold values for the uninvolved and involved arms (P = 0.003), but this significance did not hold for subjects who had normal sensation as measured by the Fugl-Meyer assessment of sensation (P = 0.083). Low to nonexistent correlations were found between the perceptual threshold test using electrical stimulation and other measures of sensation, arm movement, activity and participation. Conclusions: The perceptual threshold test using electrical stimulation is a reliable and clinically feasible test with the potential to identify sensory capacity in stroke survivors with substantial sensory loss. Electrical sensory thresholds do not reflect overall sensory function or motor capabilities in stroke survivors.
Efficacy of gait trainer as an adjunct to traditional physical therapy on walking performance in hemiparetic cerebral palsied children: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To assess the effects of additional gait trainer assisted walking exercises on walking performance in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy. Design: A randomized controlled study. Setting: Paediatric physical therapy outpatient clinic. Subjects: Thirty spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsied children of both sexes (10–13 years – 19 girls and 11 boys). Methods: Children were randomly assigned into two equal groups; experimental and control groups. Participants in both groups received a traditional physical therapy exercise programme. Those in the experimental group received additional gait trainer based walking exercises which aimed to improve walking performance. Treatment was provided three times per week for three successive months. Main measures: Children received baseline and post-treatment assessments using Biodex Gait Trainer 2 assessment device to evaluate gait parameters including: average step length, walking speed, time on each foot (% of gait cycle) and ambulation index. Results: Children in the experimental group showed a significant improvement as compared with those in the control group. The ambulation index was 75.53±7.36 (11.93 ± 2.89 change score) for the experimental group and 66.06 ± 5.48 (2.13 ± 4.43 change score) for the control group (t = 3.99 and P = 0.0001). Time of support for the affected side was 42.4 ± 3.37 (7 ± 2.20 change score) for the experimental group and 38.06 ± 4.63 (3.33 ± 6.25 change score) for the control group (t = 2.92 and P = 0.007). Also, there was a significant improvement in step length and walking speed in both groups. Conclusion: Gait trainer combined with traditional physiotherapy increase the chance of improving gait performance in children with spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsy.
Effects of home-based exercise training for patients with chronic heart failure and sleep apnoea: a randomized comparison of two different programmes

Objective: To evaluate the effects of home-based exercise for patients with chronic heart failure and sleep apnoea and to compare two different training programmes. Design: A randomized, prospective controlled trial. Setting: Department of Cardiology, University Hospital, Brazil. Subjects: Fifty chronic heart failure patients with sleep apnoea were randomized in three groups: Group 1 (aerobic training, n = 18), Group 2 (aerobic with strength training, n = 18), and Group 3 (untrained, n = 14). Interventions: The training programme for Groups 1 and 2 began with three supervised exercise sessions, after they underwent three months of home-based exercise. Patients were followed by weekly telephone call and were reviewed monthly. Group 3 had the status of physical activity evaluated weekly by interview to make sure they remained untrained. Main outcome measures: At baseline and after three months: cardiopulmonary exercise testing, isokinetic strength and endurance, Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire and polysomnography. Adherence was evaluated weekly. Results: Of the 50 patients enrolled in the study, 45 completed the programme. Clinical events: Group 1 (one death), Group 2 (one myocardial infarction), Group 3 (one death and two strokes). None were training related. Training groups showed improvement in all outcomes evaluated and the adherence was an important factor (Group 1 = 98.5% and Group 2 = 100.2%, P = 0.743). Untrained Group 3 demonstrated significant decrease or no change on measurements after three months without training. Conclusion: Home-based exercise training is an important therapeutic strategy in chronic heart failure patients with sleep apnoea, and strength training resulted in a higher increase in muscle strength and endurance.
Patient inclusion in goal setting during early inpatient rehabilitation after acquired brain injury

Objective: To investigate the effects of patient participation in multidisciplinary goal setting during early inpatient rehabilitation after acquired brain injury. Design: Case controlled retrospective study. Setting: Regional neurological rehabilitation unit. Subjects: One hundred and five patients with acquired brain injury. Main measures: Numbers of goals set and achieved per patient before and after intervention; Barthel Index and Functional Independence Measure. Results: The intervention resulted in a significant increase in the number of goals set per patient (340 versus 411 total goals, mean per patient 6.3 pre versus 8.05 post, P = 0.008). More patients had multiple goals set within each domain (P = 0.023). There was an increase in the number of patients with sleeping (0 pre, 9 post), continence (3 pre, 17 post) and leisure (15 pre, 35 post) goals set, and leisure goals achieved (60% pre and 68% post, P < 0.001). Correlations between goal achievement and change in activity-related outcome measures (Barthel Index and Functional Independence Measure) also improved with the new goal setting process. The proportion of goals achieved remained similar (60% pre and 63% post intervention), suggesting there was no evidence of inappropriate or unachievable goals set when the patient and family were included. Conclusions: Real-time engagement of brain-injured patients in the goal setting process during early inpatient rehabilitation is achievable, but requires a structured multidisciplinary assessment of need. We found it increases the number of domains in which goals are set and includes functional areas not rated by commonly used global measures of outcome during inpatient rehabilitation.
A prospective nonrandomized clinical study on exudative age related macular degeneration

Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in individuals over 50 years in developed countries. The objective was to study the various fundus fluorescein angiogram (FFA) patterns of exudative ARMD and monitor the treatment response and the change in visual acuity, macular thickness, angiographic patterns following intravitreal injection of bevacizumab and to assess the systemic risk factors for exudative ARMD. Materials and Methods : This prospective nonrandomized clinical study was carried out among 50 patients of ARMD diagnosed by FFA and optical coherence tomogram (OCT) with best corrected visual acuity of Results: Fifty-two percent cases with classic choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) showed 1 line improvement at the end of 2 months and 56% of cases showing 2 lines improvement at 4 months. About 50% of occult CNVM showed more than 2 lines improvement at 4 months. About 50% of Classic CNVM and 40% of occult CNVM showed reduction in macular thickness of 50 μ at the end of 2 months, and 52% of both CNVM types showed reduction of 100 μ at the end of 4 months. Conclusions: In India ophthalmologists feel that AMD is an uncommon condition. By this study, we proved that although its prevalence rate is low in India as compared with Western countries, Indians are not immune from developing AMD.
Monitoring Rugby Players for Fitness and Fatigue: What Do Coaches Want?

PURPOSE The advantages of monitoring players in a team are well documented. However, barriers associated with lack of resources and time prevent teams from implementing systematic monitoring programs. This study aimed to identify (1) the methods rugby teams use to monitor the training load and associated response to the training load and (2) prerequisites of a monitoring protocol that are scientifically suitable and practically applicable for monitoring fitness and fatigue of rugby players. METHODS Coaches and support staff working with varying levels of rugby union were invited to complete an online questionnaire. RESULTS Of the 55 respondents, 96% indicated that although they regarded monitoring the training load and training-load response as important, there is no monitoring protocol that is cost-effective, time efficient, and nonaversive to the players. Respondents measured several variables when monitoring and incorporated more subjective than objective measures. Respondents (41%) indicated that they would like a protocol that is time efficient (5-10 min) and provides immediate feedback on players who identify as fatigued (50%). For coaches to have confidence in the information provided by the protocol, it needs to meet basic clinimetric principles of reliability and validity. The technical and biological error in the measurement needs to be known so that meaningful changes in fatigue and fitness can be distinguished from natural variations in the measurements. CONCLUSIONS Prerequisites of an ideal monitoring protocol for rugby players were identified. It follows that a monitoring protocol that fulfills these prerequisites should satisfy both scientific principles and the coach's demands.
Video capture virtual reality: A decade of rehabilitation assessment and intervention

Abstract Background: Video capture virtual reality (VR) systems display the users on a TV or projected screen where they see themselves within a virtual environment (VE) and interact with the virtual stimuli by naturalistic movements without any encumbrance. This is one of the greatest assets of video capture VR systems, making it ideally suited as a tool for rehabilitation. Objective: To provide an overview of how single camera-based markerless video-capture technology has developed and been applied to rehabilitation over the past decade. Method: Short summaries are provided of the numerous studies that use video capture VR for motor and cognitive rehabilitation of clinical populations including stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities. Results and conclusions: VEs running on video capture VR systems have been shown to be feasible for clinical use for a wide variety of patient populations. The summarised papers include reports of case studies, group comparisons and review articles. Most of the studies using video-capture VR systems were aimed at improving motor aspects of individuals with neurologic conditions but some also address cognitive impairment and motivation in populations with developmental disorders. The majority of the VEs are gaming environments (involving competitive games such as virtual soccer) but functional environments (e.g. street crossing, supermarket shopping) have also been developed. The VEs have been found to be sensitive to differences in motor and cognitive ability and appear to provide an enjoyable and motivating setting for implementing a wide variety of therapeutic goals.
Short-Term Effects of Rolling Massage on Energy Cost of Running and Power of the Lower Limbs.

PURPOSE Self-myofascial release (SMFR) is a type of self-massage that is becoming popular among athletes. However, SMFR's effects on running performance have not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of SMFR on the cost of running (Cr). In addition, the authors evaluated the effects of SMFR on lower-limb muscle power. METHODS Cr and lower-limb muscle power during squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) were measured before (PRE), immediately after (POST), and 3 h after (POST 3h) an SMFR protocol (experimental condition). In the control-condition testing session, the same measurements were performed without undergoing the SMFR protocol. Experimental and control conditions were tested in a randomized order. RESULTS Cr at POST trended to increase compared with PRE (+6.2% [8.3%], P = .052), whereas at POST 3h, Cr was restored to PRE values (+0.28% [9.5%], P = .950). In the experimental condition, no significant effect of time was observed for maximal power exerted during SJ. By contrast, maximal power exerted during CMJ at POST and at POST 3h was significantly higher than that observed at PRE (+7.9% [6.3%], P = .002 and +10.0% [8.7%], P = .004, respectively). The rate of force development measured during CMJ also increased after SMFR, reaching statistical significance at 200 ms from force onset at POST 3h (+38.9%, P = .024). CONCLUSIONS An acute use of foam rollers for SMFR performed immediately prior to running may negatively affect endurance running performance, but its use should be added before explosive motor performances that include stretch-shortening cycles.
What Do Developers Use the Crowd For? A Study Using Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow relies on the crowd to construct quality developer-related knowledge. To determine what developers use this knowledge for, researchers analyzed 1,414 Stack Overflow-related code commits. The developers used this knowledge to support development tasks and collect user feedback. The researchers also studied Stack Overflow posts' helpfulness and timeliness. The crowd was the most helpful on topics such as development tools and programming languages. The questions that took the longest to resolve were related to Web frameworks. The study findings can help developers better understand how to effectively use Stack Overflow, can help Stack Overflow designers improve their platform, and can help the research community understand Stack Overflow's strengths and weaknesses as a development tool. This article is part of a special issue on Crowdsourcing for Software Engineering.
Study of the therapeutic effects of a hippotherapy simulator in children with cerebral palsy: a stratified single-blind randomized controlled trial

Objective: To investigate whether hippotherapy (when applied by a simulator) improves postural control and balance in children with cerebral palsy. Design: Stratified single-blind randomized controlled trial with an independent assessor. Stratification was made by gross motor function classification system levels, and allocation was concealed. Subjects: Children between 4 and 18 years old with cerebral palsy. Interventions: Participants were randomized to an intervention (simulator ON) or control (simulator OFF) group after getting informed consent. Treatment was provided once a week (15 minutes) for 10 weeks. Main measures: Gross Motor Function Measure (dimension B for balance and the Total Score) and Sitting Assessment Scale were carried out at baseline (prior to randomization), end of intervention and 12 weeks after completing the intervention. Results: Thirty-eight children participated. The groups were balanced at baseline. Sitting balance (measured by dimension B of the Gross Motor Function Measure) improved significantly in the treatment group (effect size = 0.36; 95% CI 0.01–0.71) and the effect size was greater in the severely disabled group (effect size = 0.80; 95% CI 0.13–1.47). The improvements in sitting balance were not maintained over the follow-up period. Changes in the total score of the Gross Motor Function Measure and the Sitting Assessment Scale were not significant. Conclusion: Hippotherapy with a simulator can improve sitting balance in cerebral palsy children who have higher levels of disability. However, this did not lead to a change in the overall function of these children (Gross Motor Function Classification System level V).
The impact of occupational therapy in Parkinson’s disease: a randomized controlled feasibility study

Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial including process and potential impact of occupational therapy in Parkinson’s disease. Design: Process and outcome were quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated in an exploratory multicentre, two-armed randomized controlled trial at three months. Participants: Forty-three community-dwelling patients with Parkinson’s disease and difficulties in daily activities, their primary caregivers and seven occupational therapists. Intervention: Ten weeks of home-based occupational therapy according to the Dutch guidelines of occupational therapy in Parkinson’s disease versus no occupational therapy in the control group. Main measures: Process evaluation measured accrual, drop-out, intervention delivery and protocol adherence. Primary outcome measures of patients assessed daily functioning: Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and Assessment of Motor and Process Skills. Primary outcome for caregivers was caregiver burden: Zarit Burden Inventory. Participants’ perspectives of the intervention were explored using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Results: Inclusion was 23% (43/189), drop-out 7% (3/43) and unblinding of assessors 33% (13/40). Full intervention protocol adherence was 74% (20/27), but only 60% (71/119) of baseline Canadian Occupational Performance Measure priorities were addressed in the intervention. The outcome measures revealed negligible to small effects in favour of the intervention group. Almost all patients and caregivers of the intervention group were satisfied with the results. They perceived: ‘more grip on the situation’ and used ‘practical advices that make life easier’. Therapists were satisfied, but wished for a longer intervention period. Conclusions: The positive perceived impact of occupational therapy warrants a large-scale trial. Adaptations in instructions and training are needed to use the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure as primary outcome measure.
Effect of therapist-based constraint-induced therapy at home on motor control, motor performance and daily function in children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled study

Objective: To determine the effect of therapist-based constraint-induced therapy at home on motor performance, daily function and reaching control for children with cerebral palsy. Design: A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Subjects: Forty-seven children (23 boys; 24 girls) with unilateral cerebral palsy, aged 6–12 years, were randomized to constraint-induced therapy (n = 24) or traditional rehabilitation (n = 23). Interventions: Constraint-induced therapy involved intensive functional training of the more affected arm while the less affected arm was restrained. Traditional rehabilitation involved functional unilateral and bilateral arm training. Both groups received individualized therapist-based interventions at home for 3.5–4 hours/day, two days a week for four weeks. Main measures: Motor performance and daily function were measured by the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale, Second Edition and the Pediatric Motor Activity Log. Reaching control was assessed by the kinematics of reaction time, movement time, movement unit and peak velocity. Results: There were larger effects in favour of constraint-induced therapy on motor performance, daily function, and some aspects of reaching control compared with traditional rehabilitation. Children receiving constraint-induced therapy demonstrated higher scores for Peabody Developmental Motor Scale, Second Edition – Grasping (pretest mean ± SD, 39.9 ± 3.1; posttest, 44.1 ± 2.8; P < 0.001), Pediatric Motor Activity Log (pretest, 1.8 ± 0.3; posttest, 2.5 ± 0.3; P < 0.001) and shorter reaction time, normalized movement time (P < 0.001) and higher peak velocity (P = 0.004) of reaching movement. Conclusions: Constraint-induced therapy induced better grasping performance, daily function, and temporal and spatiotemporal control of reaching in children with unilateral cerebral palsy than traditional rehabilitation.
Validity of the Nintendo Wii® balance board for the assessment of standing balance in Parkinson’s disease

Background: Impaired postural stability places individuals with Parkinson’s at an increased risk for falls. Given the high incidence of fall-related injuries within this population, ongoing assessment of postural stability is important. Objective: To evaluate the validity of the Nintendo Wii® balance board as a measurement tool for the assessment of postural stability in individuals with Parkinson’s. Subjects: Twenty individuals with Parkinson’s participated. Intervention: Subjects completed testing on two balance tasks with eyes open and closed on a Wii® balance board and biomechanical force platform. Main Measures: Bland–Altman plots and a two-way, random-effects, single measure intraclass correlation coefficient model were used to assess concurrent validity of centre-of-pressure data. Results: Concurrent validity was demonstrated to be excellent across balance tasks (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.96, 0.98, 0.92, 0.94). Conclusions: This study suggests that the Wii® balance board is a valid tool for the quantification of postural stability among individuals with Parkinson’s.
Self-management programmes for people post stroke: a systematic review

Objective: To examine the evidence base underlying self-management programmes specific to stroke survivors. Data sources: Eleven electronic databases were searched using combinations of keywords related to stroke and self-management. Review methods: Studies involving adults with a clinical diagnosis of stroke, which explored self-management interventions, were included. Study selection was verified by two reviewers who independently conducted methodological quality appraisal and data extraction using a tool developed by The American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Results: Fifteen studies were included in this review. Significant treatment effects in favour of the self-management intervention were found in six out of nine randomized controlled trials, and three out of six non-randomized trials in our review. Four randomized controlled trials involving more than 100 participants per trial reported statistically significant results in favour of the self-management group in relation to measures of disability, confidence in recovery, the stroke specific quality of life (sub-scales of family roles and fine motor tasks), and the physical component scale of the short form SF-36 Score. The wide range of outcome measures used prevented comparison across studies. Conclusions: This review provides some preliminary support for the potential importance of self-management interventions after stroke. The most appropriate content and best approach for delivery of these interventions remains to be determined. Further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to test the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of stroke self-management programmes.