scholarly journals Electromechanical and Robotic Devices for Gait and Balance Rehabilitation of Children with Neurological Disability: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 12061
Author(s):  
Nicola Valè ◽  
Marialuisa Gandolfi ◽  
Laura Vignoli ◽  
Anita Botticelli ◽  
Federico Posteraro ◽  
...  

In the last two decades, a growing interest has been focused on gait and balance robot-assisted rehabilitation in children with neurological disabilities. Robotic devices allow the implementation of intensive, task-specific training fostering functional recovery and neuroplasticity phenomena. However, limited attention has been paid to the protocols used in this research framework. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on robotic systems for the rehabilitation of gait and balance in children with neurological disabilities and their rehabilitation applications. The literature search was carried out independently and synchronously by three authors on the following databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PeDro, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The data collected included three subsections referring to clinical, technical, and regulatory aspects. Thirty-one articles out of 81 found on the primary literature search were included in the systematic review. Most studies involved children with cerebral palsy. Only one-third of the studies were randomized controlled trials. Overall, 17 devices (nine end-effector systems and eight exoskeletons) were investigated, among which only 4 (24%) were bore the CE mark. Studies differ on rehabilitation protocols duration, intensity, and outcome measures. Future research should improve both rehabilitation protocols’ and devices’ descriptions.

2020 ◽  
pp. 030089162097586
Author(s):  
Pratik Tripathi ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Yaqi Shen ◽  
Xuemei Hu ◽  
Daoyu Hu

Background: The impact of magnetic resonance imaging–detected extramural vascular invasion (mrEMVI) in distant metastasis is well known but its correlation with prevalence of lymph node metastasis is less studied. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the prevalence of nodal disease in mrEMVI–positive and negative cases in rectal cancer. Methods: Following guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, a systematic literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBase was carried out to identify relevant studies published up to May 2019. Results: Our literature search generated 10 studies (863 and 1212 mrEMVI–positive and negative patients, respectively). The two groups (mrEMVI–positive and negative) were significantly different in terms of nodal disease status (odds ratio [OR] 3.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.12–4.67; p < 0.001). The prevalence of nodal disease was 75.90% vs 52.56% in the positive mrEMVI vs negative mrEMVI group, respectively ( p < 0.001). The prevalence of positive lymph node in positive mrEMVI patients treated with neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT/CRT) (OR 2.47; 95% CI 1.65–3.69; p < 0.001) was less compared with the patients who underwent surgery alone (OR 6.25; 95% CI 3.74–10.44; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The probability of positive lymph nodes in cases of positive mrEMVI is distinctly greater compared with negative cases in rectal cancer. Positive mrEMVI indicates risk of nodal disease prevalence increased by threefold in rectal cancer.


2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-466
Author(s):  
Matteo Amoroso ◽  
Peter Apelgren ◽  
Anna Elander ◽  
Karin Säljö ◽  
Lars Kölby

BACKGROUND: Acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) has been proposed as a microsurgical technique to improve blood flow in free flaps. OBJECTIVE: Here, we present the first systematic review of clinical and experimental studies on the effect of ANH. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search of PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov using search strategies and a review process in agreement with the PRISMA statement and the Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. PICO criteria were defined before bibliometric processing of the retrieved articles, which were analyzed with the SYRCLE RoB tool for risk of bias and the GRADE scale for level of evidence. RESULTS: We retrieved 74 articles from the literature search, and after processing according to PICO criteria, only four articles remained, all of which were experimental. The rating for risk of bias was uncertain according to SYRCLE RoB results, and the level of evidence was low according to GRADE evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: There is no clinical evidence for the effect of ANH on microcirculation in free flaps, and experimental studies provide weak evidence supporting the use of hemodilution in reconstructive microsurgery.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roshaslina Rosli ◽  
Maw Pin Tan ◽  
William Keith Gray ◽  
Pathmawathi Subramanian ◽  
Ai-Vyrn Chin

ABSTRACTBackground:The prevalence of dementia is increasing in Asia than in any other continent. However, the applicability of the existing cognitive assessment tools is limited by differences in educational and cultural factors in this setting. We conducted a systematic review of published studies on cognitive assessments tools in Asia. We aimed to rationalize the results of available studies which evaluated the validity of cognitive tools for the detection of cognitive impairment and to identify the issues surrounding the available cognitive impairment screening tools in Asia.Methods:Five electronic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct) were searched using the keywords dementia Or Alzheimer Or cognitive impairment And screen Or measure Or test Or tool Or instrument Or assessment, and 2,381 articles were obtained.Results:Thirty-eight articles, evaluating 28 tools in seven Asian languages, were included. Twenty-nine (76%) of the studies had been conducted in East Asia with only four studies conducted in South Asia and no study from northern, western, or central Asia or Indochina. Local language translations of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were assessed in 15 and six studies respectively. Only three tools (the Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire, the Picture-based Memory Intelligence Scale, and the revised Hasegawa Dementia Screen) were derivedde novofrom Asian populations. These tools were assessed in five studies. Highly variable cut-offs were reported for the MMSE (17–29/30) and MoCA (21–26/30), with 13/19 (68%) of studies reporting educational bias.Conclusions:Few cognitive assessment tools have been validated in Asia, with no published validation studies for many Asian nations and languages. In addition, many available tools display educational bias. Future research should include concerted efforts to develop culturally appropriate tools with minimal educational bias.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 2780-2788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaela O’Connor ◽  
Anas A. Minkara ◽  
Robert W. Westermann ◽  
James Rosneck ◽  
T. Sean Lynch

Background: The use of arthroscopic treatment for intra-articular hip pathology has demonstrated improved patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with a lower rate of complications, reoperation, and patient morbidity as compared with traditional methods. Although the use of this minimally invasive approach has increased in prevalence, no evidence-based return-to-play (RTP) criteria have been developed to ensure an athlete’s preparedness for sporting activities. Purpose: To determine if there exists sufficient evidence in the literature to support an RTP protocol and functional assessment after hip arthroscopy, as well as to assess the mean rate and duration of RTP. Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: The search terms “hip arthroscopy,” “return to play,” and 10 related terms were searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science, yielding 263 articles. After screening, 22 articles were included. RTP timeline, rehabilitation protocols, and conditional criteria measures were assessed with previously established criteria. Pooled estimates were calculated for RTP rate and duration, and weighted mean scores were determined for PROs. Results: A total of 1296 patients with 1442 total hips were identified. Although 54.5% (12 of 22) of studies did not provide a guideline for RTP duration after hip arthroscopy, 36.4% (8 of 22) recommended a duration of 4 months, while 9.1% (2 of 22) recommended 3 months. The most frequently described postoperative rehabilitation protocols were weightbearing guidelines (15 studies) and passive motion exercises (9 studies). Only 2 studies satisfied the criteria for a sufficient RTP protocol, and 3 provided a specific replicable test for RTP. The mean RTP duration was 7.4 months (95% CI, 6.1-8.8 months), and the return rate was 84.6% (95% CI, 80.4%-88.8%; P = .008) at a mean ± SD follow-up of 25.8 ± 2.4 months. Mean modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) improved from 63.1 to 84.1 postoperatively (+33.3%), while Non-arthritic Hip Score improved from 61.7 to 86.8 (+40.7%). A lower preoperative mHHS was significantly associated with a higher postoperative improvement ( r = −0.95, P = .0003). Conclusion: Significant variability exists in RTP protocols among institutions owing to a lack of standardization. Despite a high overall rate of RTP and improvement in PROs after hip arthroscopy, the majority of rehabilitation protocols are not evidence based and rely on expert opinion. No validated functional test currently exists to assess RTP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Rita ◽  
E Pinto ◽  
L Pomba ◽  
F Tolin ◽  
G Mattara ◽  
...  

Abstract   Oesophagectomy is associated with high morbidity. One of the postoperative complication observed after esophageal resection is Post Operative Delirium (POD), a psychiatric disease caused by major surgical stress and pharmacological treatments. POD can jeopardize patient healing-process since patients are not collaborative to perioperative care but also because they can harm themselves. Thus the aim of this systematic review was to identify POD factors and its effective management in patients undergone oesophagectomy for oesophageal/oesophagogastric-junction cancer. Methods A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, psycINFO and psycARTICLES in order to identify all articles published until January 2020. The following combinations of terms were used for the search strategy: neoplasm; esophagus; gastro-esophageal junction; oesophagectomy; delirium. The following inclusion criteria were set: full article published in English; patients with esophageal cancer undergone oesophagectomy; POD observed. Two researchers independently selected studies matching the inclusion criteria. Duplicate studies, non-relevant topic, data from abstracts or unpublished were excluded. Any disagreements between the researchers’ evaluation concerning inclusion of studies were resolved by consensus. Results Of 235 studies yielded by systematic literature search, 21 met inclusion criteria. POD incidence was observed between 3 and 38% of patients and was precursor of other complications in 1/3 of POD patients. Preoperative risk factors were older age, cerebrovascular disease and pulmonary disfunction. Anxiety and depression resulted predisposing factors. Perioperative risk factors were duration of surgery, ICU length of stay, colloids infusion and blood transfusion. Open-surgery seemed to influence POD more than minimally-invasive and robotic surgery. Interventions identified to treat POD were pharmacological (prophylactic haloperidol, insomnia treatment) and behavioral (patient reorientation by family involvement, bright-light therapy, early mobilization). Conclusion This systematic review identified preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative risk factors of POD after oesophagectomy. No standardized prevention nor treatment of POD was identified. POD impacts patients’ ability in perceiving postoperative symptoms. The difficulty in communicating with health professionals may lead to delay the diagnosis of others complications and prolong hospital stay. Therefore further trials are required to assess efficacy of different POD treatments aimed to enhance postoperative management.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter K Edwards ◽  
Jay R Ebert ◽  
Chris Littlewood ◽  
Tim Ackland ◽  
Allan Wang

Background Physical therapy is considered routine practice following total shoulder arthroplasty. To date, current regimens are based on clinical opinion, with evidence-based recommendations. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of total shoulder arthroplasty physical therapy programmes with a view to inform current clinical practice, as well as to develop a platform upon which future research might be conducted. Methods An electronic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Library to March 2018 was complemented by hand and citation-searching. Studies were selected in relation to pre-defined criteria. A narrative synthesis was undertaken. Results A total of 506 papers were identified in the electronic database search, with only one study showing moderate evidence of early physical therapy promoting a more rapid return of short-term improvement in function and pain. No studies evaluated the effectiveness of physical therapy programmes in reverse total shoulder arthroplasty procedures. Discussion Restoring range of motion and strength following total shoulder arthroplasty is considered important for patients to obtain a good outcome post-surgery and, when applied early, may offer more rapid recovery. Given the rising incidence of total shoulder arthroplasties, especially reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, there is an urgent need for high-quality, adequately powered randomised controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes following these surgeries.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Pregernig ◽  
Mattia Müller ◽  
Ulrike Held ◽  
Beatrice Beck-Schimmer

Abstract Background Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and 2 (Ang-2), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), soluble receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (sRAGE), soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (sTREM1), and soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) have shown promising results for predicting all-cause mortality in critical care patients. The aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the prognostic value of these biomarkers for mortality in adult patients with sepsis. Methods A systematic literature search of the MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases, for articles in English published from 01.01.1990 onwards, was conducted. The systematic review focused exclusively on observational studies of adult patients with sepsis, any randomized trials were excluded. For the meta-analysis, only studies which provide biomarker concentrations within 24 h of admission in sepsis survivors and nonsurvivors were included. Results are presented as pooled mean differences (MD) between nonsurvivors and survivors with 95% confidence interval for each of the six biomarkers. Studies not included in the quantitative analysis were narratively summarized. The risk of bias was assessed in all included studies using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. Results The systematic literature search retrieved 2285 articles. In total, we included 44 studies in the qualitative analysis, of which 28 were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled mean differences in biomarker concentration (nonsurvivors − survivors), measured at onset of sepsis, are listed as follows: (1) Ang-1: − 2.9 ng/ml (95% CI − 4.1 to − 1.7, p < 0.01); (2) Ang-2: 4.9 ng/ml (95% CI 2.6 to 7.1, p < 0.01); (3) HMGB1: 1.2 ng/ml (95% CI 0.0 to 2.4, p = 0.05); (4) sRAGE: 1003 pg/ml (95% CI 628 to 1377, p < 0.01); (5) sTREM-1: 87 pg/ml (95% CI 2 to 171, p = 0.04); (6) suPAR: 5.2 ng/ml (95% CI 4.5 to 6.0, p < 0.01). Conclusions Ang-1, Ang-2, and suPAR provide beneficial prognostic information about mortality in adult patients with sepsis. The further development of standardized assays and the assessment of their performance when included in panels with other biomarkers may be recommended. Trial registration This study was recorded on PROSPERO, prospective register of systematic reviews, under the registration ID: CRD42018081226


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-23
Author(s):  
S. Thapaliya ◽  
K.D. Upadhyaya ◽  
R. Borschmann ◽  
P.P. Kuppili

Introduction: Mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) have emerged as effective interventions for various psychiatric conditions including depression and anxiety. Asia being home to Buddhist tradition, it will be interesting to explore the trend and efficacy of MBIs in Asian population in Asian settings. The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review of mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) for management of depression and anxiety (disorders or symptoms) in Asian population. Material And Method: Two researchers independently searched for literature published between January 2007 to December 2018 in Medline, Google Scholar, PsychInfo and Cochrane library using the search terms - ‘Mindfulness/Vipassana’ combined with ‘meditation’, ‘intervention’ ‘therapy’, ‘depression', ‘anxiety’ ‘Asia’ etc. Further, publications were also identified from the references recited in the retrieved articles. After screening 185 articles and applying the eligibility criteria, 40 articles were finally selected for the systematic review. Results: Out of 40 selected articles, 33 articles were controlled trials and 7 had a pre-post test design without any control group. Most of the published studies have evaluated MBCT and MBSR for depressive and anxiety symptoms in different settings. Some of the studies have tested traditional Buddhist meditation and modified models. Overall, MBCT and MBSR seem to be efficacious over ‘routine treatment’ or ‘no treatment’ control for reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms at the end of the treatment. Studies which have modified MBIs based on MBCT/MBSR models have also demonstrated their feasibility and short term efficacy in specific populations like medical professionals with evidence for short term efficacy. Conclusion: Overall, there is emerging evidence of MBIs for depression and anxiety across diverse settings in Asia. Future research should address methodological limitations of current research to strengthen the evidence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damiana Scuteri ◽  
Elisa Mantovani ◽  
Stefano Tamburin ◽  
Giorgio Sandrini ◽  
Maria Tiziana Corasaniti ◽  
...  

Background: Post-stroke pain is one of the most common sequelae of stroke, which stands among the leading causes of death and adult-acquired disability worldwide. The role and clinical efficacy of opioids in post-stroke pain syndromes is still debated.Objectives: Due to the important gap in knowledge on the management of post-stroke pain, this systematic review aimed at assessing the efficacy of opioids in post-stroke pain syndromes.Methods: A literature search was conducted on databases relevant for medical scientific literature, i.e. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases from databases inception until August 31st, 2020 for clinical trials assessing the effects of opioids and opioid antagonists on pain reduction and pain related symptoms in patients with post-stroke pain syndromes. Studies assessing the effects of other medications (e.g., tricyclic antidepressant, pregabalin) or non - pharmacological management strategies (e.g., neurostimulation techniques) were excluded. The selected studies have been subjected to examination of the risk of bias.Results: The literature search retrieved 83,435 results. After duplicates removal, 34,285 articles were title and abstract screened. 25 full texts were assessed and 8 articles were identified to be eligible for inclusion in the qualitative summary and narrative analysis, of which three were placebo-controlled and two were dose-response. Among placebo-controlled studies, two evaluated the analgesic effect of morphine and one assessed the effects of the opioid antagonist naloxone on patients with central post-stroke pain. With regard to dose-response studies, both were on patients with central post-stroke pain, one assessing the efficacy of levorphanol, and the other on naloxone. Seven out of eight included studies showed an overall slight analgesic effect of opioids, with less consistent effects on other pain-related symptoms (e.g., mood, quality of life). The randomized controlled trials were subjected to meta-analysis and rating of the quality of evidence for the two outcomes considered according to GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) system. The overall results are inconclusive because of the small number of studies and of patients.Conclusions: The limited number of the included studies and their heterogeneity in terms of study design do not support the efficacy of opioids in post-stroke pain and in pain-related outcomes. Large double-blind randomized clinical trials with objective assessment of pain and related symptoms are needed to further investigate this topic.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e054308
Author(s):  
Michelle Iris Jakobsen ◽  
Ole Jakob Storebø ◽  
Stephen Fitzgerald Austin ◽  
Jimmi Nielsen ◽  
Erik Simonsen

IntroductionThe atypical antipsychotic clozapine has shown superior efficacy compared with other antipsychotics and is the gold standard for treating otherwise treatment resistant schizophrenia. However, multiple studies have found that clozapine is underutilised in most parts of the world. A few reviews of literature addressing barriers to clozapine prescribing have been conducted. While there is some variation in the literature included in these reviews, a common feature of the studies included is that they primarily focus on clinical staff’s attitudes and perceived barriers for prescribing. Studies of patient perspectives are only sparsely included. A preliminary literature search revealed though, that additional literature on the subject exists, including literature on patient perspectives. It is therefore difficult to conclude if the formerly synthesised literature is representative of current evidence or if the topic has been adequately investigated to inform clinical practice. A scoping review is warranted in order to map and synthesise primary literature on patients’ and psychiatrists’ perspectives on clozapine treatment, and to identify gaps for future research.Methods and analysisThe electronic databases Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, Psychinfo, MEDLINE and EMBASE will be searched for relevant publications, supplied with searches of Google scholar, The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations and OpenGrey. Citation tracking of selected studies will furthermore be undertaken. Two researchers will independently screen and extract data. Data will be collated to provide a descriptive summary of the literature, along with a qualitative content analysis of key findings. Identified gaps in research will be accompanied by recommendations for future investigations.Ethics and disseminationFindings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal and conference presentations. The scoping review does not require ethics approval.


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