Noninvasive neuromodulatory effect on cognition in individuals with traumatic brain injury: A single-blinded, two-arm parallel randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: The study aimed to compare the effect of cranial electrical stimulation (CES) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving cognition among individuals with mild traumatic brain injury. Patients and methods: The pretest-posttest randomized controlled study was conducted between November 2020 and March 2022. Seventy-two patients (64 males, 8 females; mean age: 40.5±9.5 years; range, 18 to 45 years) experiencing cognitive impairment within three months of traumatic brain injury were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups: Group 1 (CES with cognitive training, n=36) and Group 2 (tDCS with cognitive training, n=36). Participants were blinded in the study. Both groups received 30-min sessions of neuromodulation along with 30 min of cognitive training five days a week for four weeks. The patients were assessed at baseline and at the end of two and four weeks of intervention. The primary outcome measure was the Montreal Cognition Assessment (MoCA), and the secondary outcome measure was the Galveston Orientation Amnesia Test (GOAT). Results: Demographic and baseline characteristics depicted normal distribution for both groups (p>0.05). Within group analyses of both groups demonstrated significant differences for both outcome measures (MoCA: p=0.001; GOAT: p=0.001). Between group analyses of MoCA showed significant improvement with p-value of 0.001 while GOAT exhibited p-value of 0.002 showing significant difference between the two groups. Time group interaction effect and covariance analyses depicted significant improvement with p-value of 0.001 for both outcome measures with excellent effect size >0.80. Conclusion: Cranial electrical stimulation was a more effective noninvasive neuromodulatory device than tDCS in improving cognition among individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Effectiveness of immersive virtual reality training to improve sitting balance control among individuals with acute and sub-acute paraplegia: A randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disabling condition with physical, psychological, and financial consequences. The study's goal is to compare the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) training in balance among individuals with incomplete paraplegia to that of functional electrical stimulation (FES). DESIGN: Two groups, randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Neurological Physiotherapy Out Patient Department, Tertiary Care Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen people aged 18-60 years with incomplete SCI. INTERVENTIONS: VR training along with conventional physical therapy (CPT) and FES for Rectus Abdominis and Erector Spinae with CPT five times a week for 4 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measures were Modified Functional Reach Test (mFRT) and Function in Sitting Test (FIST) to assess sitting balance and Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM III) for the level of independence. Assessments were taken before initiating treatment and at the end of the 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. Within-group analyses for the mFRT values were performed using Repeated Measures ANOVA test, and between-group analyses were performed using the independent t-test test. Friedman and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used for analyzing FIST and SCIM III. RESULTS: All variables (mFRT and FIST) improved significantly in both groups (P < 0.05), with the VR + CPT group showing a more significant result than the FES + CPT group (P value < 0.05), except for SCIM III. CONCLUSION: VR as an adjunct to CPT demonstrated proved to be an effective treatment to improve balance among individuals with incomplete paraplegia.Trial registration: Clinical Trials Registry India identifier: CTRI/2020/03/024080.

Reabilitação funcional em unidades de terapia intensiva para pacientes pós-craniotomia: protocolo de estudo / Functional rehabilitation in intensive care units for post craniotomy patients: study protocol

INTRODUÇÃO: A craniotomia torna mais fácil a compreensão e abordagem do cérebro, mas acompanha as doenças. As unidades de terapia intensiva são equipadas com fisioterapeutas profissionais treinados para lidar com esses efeitos deletérios após este programa cirúrgico, mas falta um protocolo progressivo, definido e apoiado por evidências para esses pacientes. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a viabilidade do protocolo de neuro-reabilitação elaborado para pacientes pós-craniotomia durante sua internação em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) para melhorar seus resultados funcionais e reduzir seu tempo de internação (LOS). MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Será um ensaio de quase viabilidade pós-teste de pré-teste de grupo único. Quinze pacientes submetidos à craniotomia serão recrutados para o estudo e serão processados com protocolo de Neuro-reabilitação por 60 minutos do primeiro dia da cirurgia até o 15º dia da cirurgia. O resultado primário será a Escala de Habilidades Funcionais Precoces (EFA) para medição de resultados funcionais como nível de consciência, habilidades sensório-motoras, habilidades cognitivo-perceptuais e habilidades oromotoras de pacientes que serão avaliadas no primeiro dia após a craniotomia. Os resultados secundários incluirão Escala de Coma de Glasgow (GCS), Escala de Recuperação de Coma - Revisada (CRS-R), Técnica de Reabilitação de Avaliação de Modalidade Sensorial (SMART), Escala de Ashworth modificada modificada (mMAS), Pontuação de Avaliação Cognitiva de Montreal (MoCA) e Conselho de Pesquisa Médica Escala (MRC). As avaliações serão feitas no primeiro e no décimo quinto dia pós-operatório. PERSPECTIVAS: Espera-se que este protocolo melhore os resultados funcionais e reduza a incidência de ocorrência de comorbidades em pacientes após craniotomia em UTI.

INTRODUCTION: Craniotomy makes insight and approach towards the brain easier but accompanies ailments. Intensive care units are equipped with trained professional physical therapists working over these deleterious after-effects of this surgical program, but a progressive, defined, and evidence-supported protocol for such patients is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of a Neurorehabilitation protocol devised for post-craniotomy patients within their stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to improve their functional outcomes and reduce their length of stay (LOS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: It will be a single group pre-test post-test quasi feasibility trial. Fifteen patients undergoing craniotomy will be recruited for the trial and will be rendered with Neuro-rehabilitation protocol for 60 minutes from the first day of surgery up to 15 days of surgery. The primary outcome will be the Early Functional Abilities (EFA) Scale to measure functional outcomes like conscious level, sensorimotor abilities, cognitive-perceptual abilities, and oro-motor abilities of patients, which will be assessed first-day post craniotomy. Secondary outcomes will include Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), Sensory Modality Assessment Rehabilitation Technique (SMART), Modified Ashworth Scale (mMAS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment Score (MoCA), and Medical Research Council Scale (MRC). Assessments will be taken on the first and fifteenth days post-surgery. PERSPECTIVES: It is expected that this protocol might improve functional outcomes and may reduce the occurrence of comorbidities in patients after Craniotomy in ICUs.

Barriers to weight loss among community health center patients: qualitative insights from primary care providers.

BACKGROUND: Community Health Centers (CHCs) are important settings for obesity prevention and control. However, few studies have explored the barriers that CHC clinicians perceive their patients face in maintaining a healthy weight. METHODS: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with thirty physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners recruited from four Community Health Centers (CHCs), located in a rural, southwestern region of the state of Georgia, US. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Clinicians perceived that their patients face numerous individual, interpersonal, and community-level barriers to weight loss. Perceived individual-level barriers included interrelated aspects of poverty and limited motivation to lose weight. Perceived interpersonal barriers included social and cultural norms, such as positive associations with larger body sizes, negative associations with smaller body sizes, lack of awareness of obesity as a problem, and beliefs regarding hereditary or generational body types. Perceived community-level barriers included limited healthy food options and aspects of the local food culture in the Southern US. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians perceived that their patients face barriers to weight loss at multiple levels of the social ecology, including individual, social, and environmental factors. Results may partly explain limited provision of weight counseling in CHCs and suggest opportunities for intervention.