Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Post-stroke Non-fluent Aphasia in Relation with Broca's Area.

This study investigated the differences in the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) between patients with and without the involvement of Broca's area (IBA). The medical records of 20 stroke patients treated with rTMS for non-fluent aphasia were reviewed. Patients completed the Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery (K-WAB) pre- and post-rTMS. Magnetic resonance T1-weighted images of the brain were analyzed using SPM12 software. Montreal Neurological Institute templates and Talairach coordinates were used to determine Broca's area involvement and segregate patients into 2 groups: IBA and non-IBA (NBA) groups. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software. Twenty subjects were included in the study. The K-WAB scores revealed improvements in the total subjects and IBA and NBA groups. There were no statistical differences between the IBA and NBA groups in the ΔK-WAB scores of aphasia quotient, fluency, comprehension, repetition, and naming. The rTMS was positive for non-fluent aphasia patients, but there was no significant difference in effectiveness depending on the IBA. Further research with a larger number of patients is needed to identify the differences in the effect of rTMS on the IBA.

Segmental Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis of the Body Composition of Affected and Unaffected Limbs After Hemiparetic Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyze differences in body composition between affected and unaffected limbs using segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis in hemiparetic stroke patients. DESIGN: The segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis results and body composition of 213 hospitalized hemiparetic stroke patients were retrospectively reviewed. Subjects were divided into acute, subacute, and chronic groups according to the period after the onset of stroke. Segmental lean mass and segmental body water values were compared between affected and unaffected upper and lower limbs in all subjects and in subgroups. The mean differences of body compositions between the affected and unaffected limbs between the three groups were also compared. RESULTS: No significant differences in segmental lean mass and segmental body water values were observed between the affected and unaffected upper and lower limbs in total and in three subgroups. The mean differences in segmental lean mass and segmental body water values between the affected and unaffected upper limbs in the chronic group were larger than those in the acute and subacute groups. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in body composition between affected and unaffected limbs in patients with hemiparetic stroke. The differences in body composition in the affected and unaffected upper limbs in chronic stroke patients were larger than those in acute and subacute stroke patients. Further longitudinal studies are needed.

Effects of micro- and subtle-expression reading skill training in medical students: A randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the effectiveness of the Micro Expression Training Tool (METT) and the Subtle Expression Training Tool (SETT) to help improve the non-verbal communication skills of medical students. METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial, all participants were randomly allocated to either a training (n=41) or control group (n=41) and were pre-tested before education with METT and SETT at baseline. Then, training students took second tests after a 1-h class about interpreting micro and subtle expressions and control students took the second tests without the class. RESULTS: METT pre-test scores were positively related with female gender, agreeableness, whereas SETT pre-test scores were negatively related with age and positively related with female gender. Mean METT score increases of 29.3% and mean SETT score increases of 36.2% were observed after training, whereas the control group achieved only a mean METT score increase of 11.0% at second testing. Increases in both test scores in the training group were significantly higher than in the control group. CONCLUSION: METT and SETT are effective, simple tools for improving the micro- and subtle-expression reading skills of medical students. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: METT and SETT can be effective for improving the non-verbal communication skills of medical students.