Design and Development of a Sensorized Wireless Toy for Measuring Infants’ Manual Actions.

Design and Development of a Sensorized Wireless Toy for Measuring Infants’ Manual Actions.

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2013 Apr 3;
Serio S, Cecchi F, Assaf T, Laschi C, Dario P

The development of grasping is an important milestone that infants encounter during the first months of life. Novel approaches for measuring infants’ manual actions are based on sensorized platform usable in natural settings, such as instrumented wireless toys that could be exploited for diagnosis and rehabilitation purposes. A new sensorized wireless toy has been designed and developed with embedded pressure sensors and audio-visual feedback. The fulfillment of clinical specifications has been proved through mechanical and electrical characterization. Infants showed a good grade of acceptance to such kind of tools, as confirmed by the results of preliminary tests that involved 9 healthy infants: the dimensions fulfill infants’ anthropometrics, the device is robust and safe, the acquired signals are in the expected range and the wireless communication is stable. Although achieved only through preliminary tests, such results confirm the hypothesis that this typology of instrumented toys could be useful for quantitative monitoring and measuring infants’ motor development and ready to be evaluated for assessing motor skills through appropriate clinical trials. HubMed – rehab

Symptoms Associated With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion: The Role of Bother.

J Neurosci Nurs. 2013 Apr 3;
Bergman K, Given B, Fabiano R, Schutte D, von Eye A, Davidson S

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects 1.4 million Americans annually, and mild TBI (MTBI) accounts for approximately 75% of those injured. For those with mild injury who seek treatment in an emergency department, there is inconsistency in the management and follow-up recommendations. Approximately, 38% of patients treated in the emergency department for MTBI are discharged with no recommendations for follow-up. In addition, there are an unknown number of persons with MTBI who do not seek healthcare after their injury. Persons with MTBI are, for the most part, managing their concussion symptoms on their own. The purpose of this study was to describe the symptom experience for persons with mild TBI and identify whether there was an association between being bothered by symptoms and self-management of symptoms. The sample for this study included 30 persons with MTBI and a 30-person comparison group. Results indicate that persons within 3 months of their MTBI report an average of 19 symptoms, whereas the comparison group reported six symptoms, and that the most frequently reported symptoms are not always the symptoms rated as most severe or most bothersome. Persons with MTBI reported their most common symptoms to be headache (n = 25, 83%), feeling tired (n = 24, 80%), difficulty thinking and being irritable (each n = 22, 73%), dizziness, trouble remembering, and being forgetful (each n = 21, 70%). There is a significant relationship between overall reports of being bothered by symptoms and the use of symptom management strategies (F = 8.322, p = .008). Persons are more likely to use symptom management strategies when they are bothered by the symptoms. Nurses can assist with symptom self-management by providing simple symptom management strategies to assist with the symptom management process. Early symptom management for the MTBI population may improve the outcomes such as return to work and role functions, for this population. HubMed – rehab

Corpus Callosum Integrity and Neuropsychological Performance After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2013 Apr 3;
Arenth PM, Russell KC, Scanlon JM, Kessler LJ, Ricker JH

OBJECTIVES:: (1) Detailed analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters (fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity) to evaluate white matter integrity in the corpus callosum (CC), and (2) examine correlations between DTI data and performance on multiple measures of cognitive functioning. PARTICIPANTS:: Twelve individuals with a history of complicated mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) who were an average of 1.7 years postinjury and 12 control participants. MAIN MEASURES:: Standardized and experimental neuropsychological tests; detailed analysis of DTI parameters. RESULTS:: The TBI group demonstrated DTI values suggesting decreased white matter integrity and correlations with severity of injury. Both groups showed correlations between DTI parameters and cognitive measures, with more significant correlations observed for the TBI group. White matter changes in the CC were evident chronically and were related to severity of injury. CONCLUSIONS:: Diffusion tensor imaging parameters suggesting disruptions in white matter in the CC may be implicated in impaired performance, both in terms of cognitive tasks and reaction time, after TBI. HubMed – rehab

Platelet-rich plasma limits the nerve injury caused by 10% dextrose in the rabbit median nerve.

Muscle Nerve. 2013 Apr 5;
Park GY, Kwon DR

Introduction: We evaluated the effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in a rabbit model of dextrose-induced median nerve injury. Methods: New Zealand white rabbits (n = 15) were randomly divided into 3 groups. Three different regimens (Group 1: 0.1 mL saline; Group 2: 10% dextrose with PRP; Group 3: 10% dextrose with saline) were injected within the carpal tunnel. Electrophysiological and histological findings were evaluated at 12 weeks after the injection. Results: The mean median motor latency in group 3 was significantly longer than that in groups 1 and 2. The cross sectional area of the median nerve and subsynovial connective tissue thickness in group 3 were significantly larger than those in groups 1 and 2. Conclusion: PRP injection may be effective in controlling median nerve injury, as demonstrated by improvement in electrophysiological and histological findings at 12 weeks after the dextrose injection. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. HubMed – rehab

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