Investigating the Effect of Leap Motion on Upper Extremity Rehabilitation in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

In this randomized clinical trial, we look for the following questions' answer: How does the integration of LMC affect (1) upper extremity (UE) function, (2) grip strength, and (3) lateral and palmar pinch strength in children with cerebral palsy (CP), in comparison with conventional rehabilitation methods? Twenty patients were randomly assigned to LMC (case) or conventional (control) groups. The grip, lateral and palmar pinch forces increased in case group patients more than control group both at the end of intervention (P < .001 for all three), and at 20 weeks' follow-up (P values 0.035, 0.002, and 0.002). The Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) score changes were similar between two groups, except for grasp score at the end of step 2 and 3 (P = .04 and 0.01, respectively). The addition of LMC to the rehabilitation program of patients with CP may improve the UE motor function outcomes.

Clinimetrics of the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire for Parkinson Disease During the "off" State.

INTRODUCTION: Freezing of gait, a common PD motor symptom, could increase the risk of falling. This study aimed to investigate the clinimetric attributes of the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOGQ) for people with Parkinson disease in the "off" state. METHODS: A total of 115 patients with Parkinson disease (PD; mean age, 60.25 years) were included. Acceptability, internal consistency (by the Cronbach alpha, and test-retest by Intraclass Correlation [ICC]), and reliability of the Persian-translated version of the FOGQ were examined. Dimensionality was estimated by Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Fall efficacy scale-international, unified Parkinson disease rating scale-II, Berg balance scale, functional reach test, and Parkinson disease questionnaire-39 were applied to determine the convergent validity. Diagnostic accuracy for obtaining optimal cutoff point, separating faller and non-faller groups, was analyzed by Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis and Area Under the Curve (AUC). All tests were carried out in an "off" state. RESULTS: The Cronbach alpha was high (α=0.92). The test-retest showed high reliability (ICC=0.89). The FOGQ was unidimensional according to the EFA and had acceptable convergent validity with moderate to high correlation with other clinical scales. The optimal cutoff point to discriminate fallers from non-fallers during the "off" state was 9/10, with an AUC of 0.92. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the FOGQ has appropriate reliability, validity, and discriminative ability for measuring FOG in patients with PD during the "off" state.