Role of virtual reality in examining the effect of fear of falling (FOF) on postural stability in individuals without and with Parkinson's disease in Egypt: a mixed-methods feasibility study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Falls are common in older people and individuals with neurological conditions. Parkinson's disease (PD) is known for postural instability causing mobility disabilities, falls and reduced quality of life. The fear of falling (FOF), a natural response to unstable balance, can worsen postural control problems. Evaluating FOF relies largely on affected persons' subjective accounts due to limited objective assessment methods available. The aim of this mixed-methods feasibility study is to develop an assessment method for FOF while in motion and walking within virtual environments. This study will assess a range of FOF-related responses, including cognitive factors, neuromuscular response and postural stability. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This feasibility study will consist of four phases: the first two phases will include people without PD, while the other two will include people diagnosed with PD. Participants will be assessed for direct and indirect responses to real life, as well as virtual environment walking scenarios that may induce FOF. Data from questionnaires, different neurophysiological assessments, movement and gait parameters, alongside evaluations of usability and acceptability, will be collected. Semistructured interviews involving both participants and research assistants shall take place to elicit their experiences throughout different phases of the assessments undertaken. Demographic data, the scores of assessment scales, as well as feasibility, usability and acceptability of the measurement methods, will be illustrated via descriptive statistics. Movement and gait outcomes, together with neurophysiological data, will be extracted and calculated. Exploring relationships between different factors in the study will be achieved using a regression model. Thematic analysis will be the approach used to manage qualitative data. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This feasibility study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Physical Therapy, Kafr El Sheikh University, Egypt (number: P.T/NEUR/3/2023/46). The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT05931692).

Racial Impact on Inpatient Stroke Quality of Care in Two Community Hospitals.

INTRODUCTION: This analysis was conducted as a part of a quality improvement project aiming at identifying racial disparity in inpatient stroke quality of care. METHODS: The Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) database was used to identify all patients discharged with any stroke diagnosis between January and December 2021. An additional chart review was conducted to ensure the accuracy of racial/ethnic categorization. The sample was dichotomized into white vs. non-white groups and compared with univariate analysis. RESULTS: The study sample comprised 1408 encounters (1347 patients) with Mean age of 71 ± 15 years, 51% women, 82% white patients, 15% non-white patients, 72% acute ischemic stroke (AIS); 15% transient ischemic attack (TIA), 9% intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), 3% subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and 1% stroke not otherwise specified. Non-white patients were younger and had fewer concomitant diagnoses, a lower proportion of TIA, and a higher proportion of ICH (p = 0.004). In the AIS cohort, compared to white patients, non-white patients had less frequent ambulance (p = 0.009), arrived at the hospital later than white patients (7.7 h longer; p < 0.001), had more severe strokes, and had less frequent IV thrombolysis utilization (7% vs. 13%; p = 0.042). Similarly, in the TIA cohort, non-white patients' utilization of EMS was lower than that of white patients, and their hospital arrival was delayed. In the ICH cohort, non-white patients were younger and had a lower frequency of atrial fibrillation and a non-significant trend toward higher disease severity. The SAH cohort had only eight non-white patients, six of whom were transferred to a higher level of hospital care within a few hours of arrival. Importantly, the hospital-based quality metrics, such as door-to-CT time, door-to-needle time, and the Joint Commission stroke quality metrics, were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is a racial disparity in the pre-hospital phase of the stroke chain of survival of non-white patients, impacting IV thrombolysis utilization. The younger age and worse lipid profile and hemoglobin A1c of non-white patients suggest the need for better preventative care starting at a young age.

Lateralized readiness potentials can identify hemisphere of recovery in stroke patients.

BACKGROUND: Event related cortical potentials related to motor action are referred to as movement related cortical potentials. The late component of which is the readiness potential (RP) and its polarity is more negative in the hemisphere responsible for planning of motor action. This lateralized nature of RP during unilateral hand movement is studied as lateralized readiness potential (LRP) by calculating the contralateral-minus-ipsilateral difference wave for each hand. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to identify the hemisphere contributing to motor recovery in acute and chronic stroke patients through recording LRPs. METHODS: Twenty-nine cases with cerebrovascular stroke (15 acute and 14 chronic) were included in the study. EEG was recorded in response to self-cued button presses by the paretic side to obtain the averaged LRP amplitude. The hemisphere with greater negativity was considered the side of recovery. Functional recovery was assessed by Fugl Meyer test. RESULTS: In acute cases, recovery was more related to LRP activity in the contralesional hemisphere (73%), whereas lateralization was equal in chronic cases; 50% in either group. LRP amplitude was higher in the contralesional hemisphere (p = 0.02). Functional recovery assessed by the Fugl Meyer test (FM) was similar whether recovery was ipsi- or contralesional. CONCLUSIONS: Early after stroke, motor recovery is more likely to involve compensatory activity in the contralesional hemisphere, while in the chronic phase, the ipsilesional hemisphere may recover its function and become more active. Further research is needed to verify if the technique mentioned in our study could be used to guide customized NIBS protocols tailoring the optimal site and parameters for each patient.

Peripheral magnetic theta burst stimulation to muscles can effectively reduce spasticity: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Spasticity is a common complication of many neurological diseases and despite contributing much disability; the available therapeutic options are limited. Peripheral magnetic stimulation is one promising option. In this study, we investigated whether peripheral intermittent theta burst stimulation (piTBS) will reduce spasticity when applied directly on spastic muscles. METHODS: In this sham-controlled study, eight successive sessions of piTBS were applied directly to spastic muscles with supra threshold intensity. Assessment was done by modified Ashworth scale (mAS) and estimated Botulinum toxin dose (eBTD) at baseline and after the 8th session in both active and sham groups. RESULTS: A total of 120 spastic muscles of 36 patients were included in the analysis. Significant reduction of mAS and eBTD was found in the active compared to sham group (p < 0.001). The difference in mAS was also significant when tested in upper limb and lower limb subgroups. The degree of reduction in mAS was positively correlated with the baseline scores in the active group. CONCLUSION: piTBS could be a promising method to reduce spasticity and eBTD. It consumes less time than standard high frequency protocols without compromising treatment efficacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial registry number: PACTR202009622405087. Retrospectively Registered 14th September, 2020.

Design of a Data Glove for Assessment of Hand Performance Using Supervised Machine Learning.

The large number of poststroke recovery patients poses a burden on rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and physiotherapists. The advent of rehabilitation robotics and automated assessment systems can ease this burden by assisting in the rehabilitation of patients with a high level of recovery. This assistance will enable medical professionals to either better provide for patients with severe injuries or treat more patients. It also translates into financial assistance as well in the long run. This paper demonstrated an automated assessment system for in-home rehabilitation utilizing a data glove, a mobile application, and machine learning algorithms. The system can be used by poststroke patients with a high level of recovery to assess their performance. Furthermore, this assessment can be sent to a medical professional for supervision. Additionally, a comparison between two machine learning classifiers was performed on their assessment of physical exercises. The proposed system has an accuracy of 85% (±5.1%) with careful feature and classifier selection.

Borderzone Infarction and Small Vessel Disease in a Sample of Egyptian Stroke Patients: Differences and Similarities.

BACKGROUND: The anatomical location of white matter hyperintense lesions in small vessel disease are apparently similar to those of borderzone infarction. The objective of this study is to find clinical and radiological points of differentiation between the two vascular disorders in a sample of Egyptian patients which might have an impact on primary and secondary prevention. METHODS: Ischemic stroke patients with white matter lesions were categorized into two groups: small vessel disease and borderzone infarctions. NIHSS was done on admission. Risk factor profile was reported, and investigations done including: HbA1C, lipid profile, CRP, ECG, echocardiography, carotid duplex, brain MRI, MRA and MR perfusion study. RESULTS: 46 patients completed the study, 29 with SVD and 17 with BZI. Smoking, hypertension and recurrent stroke were more common in borderzone infarctions, but only diabetes was significantly higher (p = 0.047). Limb shaking was more observed in borderzone infarctions (p = 0.049). Radiologically: lacunar pattern was observed more in small vessel disease, while rosary pattern was more in borderzone infarctions (p = 0.04). FLAIR symmetrical lesions and microbleeds were more significant in small vessel disease (p = <0.001; 0.048, respectively). Perfusion study time to peak denoted evidence of significant hypoperfusion in all regions of interest in borderzone infarctions. CONCLUSION: Limb shaking, retinal claudication or syncope, with MRI showing rosary pattern of white matter hyperintensity, few microbleeds and markedly impaired perfusion favor the diagnosis of borderzone infarctions. On the other hand, presence of lacunae, FLAIR showing symmetrical WMH and microbleeds with minimal or no perfusion deficit suggests the diagnosis of small vessel disease.

Navigated perilesional transcranial magnetic stimulation can improve post-stroke visual field defect: A double-blind sham-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Visual field defects (VFD) usually do not show improvement beyond 12 weeks from their onset. It has been shown that repetitive presentation of a stimulus to areas of residual vision in cases of visual field defect can improve vision. The counterpart of these areas in the brain are the partially damaged brain regions at the perilesional areas where plasticity can be enhanced. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study the effect of navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to perilesional areas on the recovery of patients with cortical VFD. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with cortical VFD secondary to stroke of more than 3 months duration received 16 sessions of either active or sham high frequency navigated perilesional rTMS. Automated perimetry and visual functioning questionnaire (VFQ-25) were performed at baseline and after completion of the sessions. RESULTS: The active group showed significant improvement after intervention, compared to the sham group, in both mean deviation (MD), visual field index (VFI) and in the VFQ-25 scores. CONCLUSIONS: Navigated rTMS is a new treatment option for post-stroke VFD as it can selectively stimulate areas of residual vision around the infarcted tissue, improving the threshold of visual stimulus detection which could be used alone or in combination with existing therapies.

Clinical Characteristics of Borderzone Infarction in Egyptian Population.

OBJECTIVES: In this research we wanted to highlight the importance of defining Borderzone infarctions (BZI) as a separate subtype in stroke classifications. We thus studied cases of isolated BZI, small vessel disease (SVD), and large vessel disease (LVD), to identify their points of similarities and difference in a sample of Egyptian patients. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional (observational) study. Consecutive 637 acute ischemic stroke patients were recruited over a 2 year period, from 2 stroke units of Ain Shams University hospitals in Egypt. Medical history and laboratory investigations were done to identify risk factors. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was performed on admission, and modified Rankin scale (mRS) on admission, and after 3 months. MRI brain was done to identify stroke subtype; MRA and carotid duplex were used to define vascular status. RESULTS: Among the studied group of patients, 72 (11.3%) had BZI, 145 (22.8%) had SVD, 165 (26%) had LVD, and 255 were excluded as they had either undetermined, or mixed etiology. BZI showed significantly older age, early confluent lesions, more disease severity by NIHSS, and worst outcome by mRS (P < 0.05). SVD had more microbleeds than BZI and LVD. LVD showed lower prevalence of hypertension and lower high-density lipoprotein levels. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated BZI, SVD, and LVD infarctions have characteristic risk factors and clinical patterns. Further studies are needed to identify if they are different from cases with mixed pathology. This could have an impact on the selection of primary and secondary preventive measures appropriate to each type.

Egyptian experience in increasing utilization of reperfusion therapies in acute ischemic stroke.

Background The rate of alteplase (tPA) thrombolysis utilization in acute stroke in Egypt is <1%. We report on the causes of this low rate of reperfusion therapies and take corrective action to improve it. Methods Two prospective observational studies were conducted at Ain Shams University hospitals. The first included 269 acute stroke patients admitted to the hospital over a six-month period. Obstacles to reperfusion therapy were identified, and based on the results, a corrective action plan was implemented including making alteplase(tPA) available, training, and establishing a standardized local protocol for reperfusion therapy. A second study was then conducted that included 284 acute ischemic stroke patients over another six-month period. Results In the first study, 53/269 patients (19.7%) arrived at hospital within 4.5 h and were eligible for reperfusion therapy. Of those, seven (13.2%) received alteplase(tPA), representing 2.6% of the total ischemic stroke patients admitted. The main causes for not giving thrombolytic therapy was unavailability of alteplase(tPA) (56.5%), wrong treatment decision (17.4%), missed window while performing brain imaging (15%), and unavailability of intermediate care bed (10.9%). The second study showed that out of 284 cases admitted with acute ischemic stroke, 37 were eligible for thrombolysis and 35 received alteplase(tPA) (94.3%), representing 12.3% of the total ischemic stroke admissions. Conclusion A comprehensive action plan that centers around making the drug available and training resulted in a significant improvement of reperfusion therapy utilization in Egypt.