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Objective To evaluate the effect of weight-bearing alignment training (WBAT) in correcting anterior pelvic tilt in children with cerebral palsy.Methods Twenty-seven children with cerebral palsy and anterior pelvic tilt were recruited and randonly assigned to a WBAT group,a strengthening group and a standing group,each of 9.In addition to routine medication and rehabilitation training,the 3 groups received WBAT,strengthening training or standing training respectively for 20 minutes a day,5 times a week for 4 weeks.Before and immediately after the treatment,the subjects' anterior superior iliac spine-posterior superior iliac spine angles (ASIS-PSIS angles) were assessed along with their anterior-posterior angles (A-P angles) and distances in a 1-minute walk test.Results The WBAT group showed significant improvement in their average ASIS-PSIS angle (to 18.61 ± 3.13°),A-P angle (to 23.31±3.81°) and the distance in the 1-minute walk test after the treatment.The standing group had significant progress in improving their A-P angles (to 24.48±4.33°),and the strengthening group had significant improvement in the distance walked in the 1-minute walk test.The average improvements in the ASIS-PSIS angle and walk distance in the WBAT group were significantly better than in the other 2 groups.Conclusion WBAT is superior to strengthening and standing training in improving the ASIS-PSIS angle,A-P angle and walking ability of children with cerebral palsy and anterior pelvic tilt.
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Objective To evaluate the effect of injecting botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) to the external urethral sphincter on detrusor wall thickness (DWT) and the bladder function of spinal cord injury patients with detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia (DSD).Methods Twenty-one adult patients with DSD due to spinal cord injury were recruited.A single 100 IU dose of botulinum toxin A was injected into their external urethral sphincters via an uhrasound-guided transperineal route.DWT,detrusor leak-point pressure (DLPP),post-void residual volume (PRV) and maximum bladder capacity(MBC) were assessed by urodynamic examination and ultrasound evaluation before and 4 and 8 weeks after the injection.Results Four weeks later a significant decrease in PRV was observed,but no significant difference in DWT,DLPP or MBC.After eight weeks the mean DWT value had decreased by 17％,a significant reduction.There were also significant improvements in DLPP,PRV and MBC at eight weeks compared with the of baseline values.Conclusions BTX-A injection to the external urethral sphincter can reduce DWT and improve bladder function in spinal cord injury patients with DSD.
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Objective To evaluate the effect of the transcranial magnetic stimulation on upper-extremity function rehabilitation and changes in the excitability of cerebral cortex,and to evaluate from the viewpoint of electro-physiology the prognosis so as to guide the rehabilitation treatment of patients after stroke.Methods Forty-six patients in the early stage after a stroke were given TMS examinations of the ipsilateral brain region.Those with the motor evoked potentials (MEPs) amplitudes lower than 50 μV were classified into a motion-induced experimental negative group (the negative group),whiie those whose MEP amplitude reached 50 μV or more were classified as movement-induced positive (the positive group).Both groups were given the same treatment.Before and after 2,4 and 8 weeks of treatment the Fugl-Meyer movement function rating scale was used to assess their bilateral upper limb movement function.TMS technology was used to detect any change in the resting motor threshold (RMT) and the amplitude (Amp) of MEPs in the motor cortex.The incubation period of the cortex (CL) and the central motor conduction time (CMCT) in the contralateral motor cerebral cortex were also observed.Results After 4 weeks of treatment,the average score of the positive group on Fugl-Meyer upper movement function rating scale reached (54.99±2.76),significantly higher than before treatment and significantly higher than the negative group's average (P＜0.05).After 8 weeks of treatment,the average score in the positive group had increased further to 73.11±2.98,still significantly higher than that of the negative group (P＜0.01).After treatment,RMT decreased progressively in both groups,but that of the negative group dropped from (98.35±10.12) to (30.35±7.31) (9＜0.01),with significantly greater decline in amplitude and rate than that of the positive group (P＜0.05).After treatment,the Amp of both groups showed a gradual increasing trend.Amp increased earlier in the positive group,but there was no significant difference in the extent of the increase between the two groups (P＞0.05).After the treatment the CL and CMCT had shortened significantly in the negative group compared to before the treatment (P＜0.05),while there was no significant change in CL and CMCT after the treatment (P＞0.05).Conclusions The excitability of the contralateral motor cortex changes after a stroke.TMS can be used to characterize the MEP to monitor and predict recovery.This should help clinicians prepare more scientific rehabilitation plans.
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Objective To determine any relationship among detrusor wall thickness (DWT),bladder capacity (BC) and neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD),and to study the clinical implications of using DWT to predict the risk of renal injury after spinal cord injury (SCI).Methods Forty-eight adults with NLUTD due to SCI were recruited for the SCI group,and another 41 healthy adults formed a control group.Both groups underwent urodynamic evaluation and maximum bladder capacity (MBC) detection.The DWT of all subjects was measured by ultrasound imaging of the anterior bladder wall.Thereafter,the SCI group was divided into low and high risk subgroups based on the results of the urodynamic tests.Patients with detrusor leak point pressure ＜40 cmH2O were classified as low risk.Results At MBC,the average DWT in the SCI group was (0.97 ± 0.31)mm and (0.59 ± 0.08)mm in the control group,demonstrating a significant difference in DWT between patients with NLUTD and normal adults.The average DWT among the patients with type A detrusor sphincter dyssynergia was (1.10 ± 0.34)mm,which was significantly higher than among the patients with external urethral sphincter contraction without detrusor contraction (type C).DWT was significantly correlated with detrusor leak point pressure.A DWT of 0.87 mm (sensitivity 89.5％,specificity 58.6％) could be used as a critical point for predicting risk of renal injury in patients with NLUTD.Conclusions DWT is significantly greater among SCI patients with NLUTD and it correlates positively with detrusor leak point pressure.DWT could be used as a risk predictor for renal injury in patients with NLUTD due to SCI.
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Objective To observe the effect of the Western massage combined with muscle energy technique on masticatory muscle dis-orders. Methods 58 patients with masticatory muscle disorders were randomly divided into control group (n=29) and observation group (n=29). The control group accepted ultrashort wave therapy, while the observation group accepted the Western massage and muscle energy tech-nique. They were assessed with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of pain and Friction index of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) before and 4 weeks after treatment. Results The scores of VAS and Friction index of the TMJ decreased in both groups (P<0.001), and decreased more in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion The combination of Western massage and muscle energy technique is advanced for masticatory muscle disorders.
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Objective To investigate the effectiveness of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injection to the external urethral sphincter guided by ultrasound in the treatment of various types of lower urinary tract dysfunction.Methods Twenty-two patients with urinary retention caused by neurological dysfunction (neurogenic bladder) were recruited,of which 18 were men and 4 women.They had various types of lower urinary tract dysfunction including detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia (DESD) in 7,nonrelaxing urethral sphincters in 5,and detrusor underactivity in 10.BTX-A (100 U) was injected into the external urethral sphincter at three different points guided by ultrasound.Clinical effects and urodynamic parameters were compared at baseline and after treatment.Results After treatment the urinary function and urodynamic parameters in each group improved significantly compared with the baseline.Maximum efficacy was observed at the 4th week.In the DESD group,3 patients (43％) had an excellent result and 3 (43％) had significant improvement; in the nonrelaxing sphincter group 3 (60％) had excellent results and 2 (40％) showed significant improvement; in the detrusor underactivity group 5 (50％) had excellent results and 3 (30％) had significant improvement.There were no obvious side effects.Conclusions BTX-A injections guided by ultrasound can accurately locate the external urethral sphincter.It is a simple and repeatable method for the treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction.
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Objective To research the clinical rehabilitative effect of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.Methods Fifty-five PD patients were randomly divided into an rTMS treatment group (n =29) and a sham stimulation group (n =26).The treatment group received a course of 0.5 Hz rTMS treatment,while the sham stimulation group had the same treatment but with no energy output.Both groups were evaluated using a non-motor symptoms questionnaire (NMSQuest),the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD),the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS),the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and the scale for outcomes in PD for autonomic symptoms (SCOPA-AUT) before treatment,immediately after,and a month after treatment.Results Compared with before treatment,the average NMSQuest score of the treatment group declined significantly,though 1 month after treatment the improvement was no longer significant.After treatment and 1 month later the average NMSQuest score of the sham stimulation group increased gradually.The effect in the treatment group was therefore significantly better than in the sham stimulation group.After treatment and 1 month later the average HAMD score of the treatment group was significantly lower than before treatment while the average HAMD score of the sham stimulation group had increased gradually.The improvement in depression in the treatment group was therefore significantly better than in the sham stimulation group.After treatment,sleep disorders in the treatment group had been significantly alleviated,but one month later the improvement was no longer significant compared with before treatment.PDSS scores in the sham stimulation group declined gradually,but the improvement in sleep disorders among the treatment group was significantly better than among the sham stimulation group.Cognition improved significantly among the treatment group right after treatment,but 1 month later it had worsened while the MMSE scores of the sham stimulation group decreased gradually.The difference between the two groups was statistically significant.The average SCOPA-AUT scores of the two groups were not significantly different from each other or from the scores before treatment.Conclusion Repeated TMS can improve most non-motor symptoms of PD.The improvement in depression is the most significant.A short course of rTMS has no obvious rehabilitative effect on the autonomic function disorders of PD patients.
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Objective To investigate risk factors and prognosis of hemorrhagic transformation(HT)in acute cerebral infarction patients treated by intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator(rt-PA).Methods All 128 patients with acute cerebral infarction were treated with intravenous rtPA within 6 hours from stroke onset.The clinic records and laboratory datas of pre-and post-treatment were statistically analyzed between HT group and non-HT group to find potential risk factors to HT and contributors of prognosis.Results HT occurred in 29 patients(22.66％),including 16 patients with symptomatic ICH(12.50％)and 2 patients died(6.90％ of HT).Logistic regression analysis showed that history of atrial fibrillation(OR =1.293,95％ CI 1.224-1.589,P =0.001),CT density changes with mass effect or edema(OR =2.452,95％ CI 1.132-3.309,P =0.034),diastolic blood pressure ≥ 100 mm Hg before thrombolytic therapy(1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa,OR =9.265,95％ CI 1.435-59.836,P =0.019),blood glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/L(OR =3.037,95％ CI 0.252-57.593,P =0.047),NIHSS score ＞ 15 points (OR =8.752,95％ CI 1.035-30.285,P =0.023)and thrombolysis time ＞ 3 h(OR =98.74,95％ CI 5.067-186.120,P =0.002)are independent risk factors for HT; among these factors,baseline blood glucose(OR =3.265,95 ％ CI 0.435-59.863,P =0.045),NIHSS score(OR =10.453,95 ％ CI 5.647-38.185,P =0.003)and thrombolysis time(OR =2.541,95％ CI 1.098-51.086,P =0.017)also are prediction factors of the prognosis of HT.Conclusion Risk factors associated with HT are diastolic blood pressure before thrombolysis,glucose level,degree of neurological deficits,CT early changes,atrial fibrillation and thrombolytic time.Glucose level,neurological deficits and thrombolysis time affects the prognosis of patients.
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Objective To study the effects of motor imagery therapy combined with electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback on upper limb function in hemiplegic patients.Methods Sixty hemiplegic stroke patients were recruited and divided into a control group (n=20),an electrical stimulation group (n=20) and a combination group (n=20).All groups received basic medication and routine rehabilitation training once daily for 4 weeks.The electrical stimulation group was also treated with EMG biofeedback,and the combination group with motor imagery therapy plus EMG biofeedback.The Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA),the modified Barthel index (MBI) and EMG parameters were assessed before and after 2 courses of treatment.Results After 8 weeks of treatment all groups had significantly higher FMA scores and MBI scores,and better integrated EMG values,but the effects in the combination group were significantly better than those in the other two groups.Conclusions Motor imagery therapy combined with EMG biofeedback can more effectively promote recovery of upper limb function in hemiplegic stroke patients.
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Objective To explore factors related to the development of segmental instabilities in lumbar spine. Methods Fifty-seven patients with lumbar segment instabilities at L 4～5 were selected as illness group, 22 patients with facetectomy at L 4～5 as post-operation control group, and 19 healthy subjects as normal control. X-ray plain films were taken in sagittal,flexion and extension positions. Computed tomographic scans were taken to define the axial morphology of the facet joint. Magnetic resonance scans were taken to describe disc degeneration of 36 patients in illness group. Results The facet joint was oriented sagittally in the forward translation patients in flexion. The disc degeneration was slight in the rotational instability patients. The patients with total facetectomy exited forward translation in flexion. Conclusion A more sagittally oriented facet and disc degeneration are associated with forward translation in flexion and may be the cause of degenerative spondylolisthesis, whereas ligament failure is associated with rotational instability.