Objectives: This study aims to examine the effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) therapy + home-based exercise (HBE) therapy; physical therapy modalities (PTMs)+HBE; and WBV+PTM+HBE on pain severity, physical performance, and functional status in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Patients and methods: This single-center, single-blind, three-armed, prospective, randomized-controlled study included a total of 65 patients (3 males, 62 females; mean age: 56.0±6.3 years; range, 45 to 70 years) who were diagnosed with knee OA between February 2014 and July 2014. The participants were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 (n=22) received WBV+HBE, Group 2 (n=22) received WBV+PTM+HBE, and Group 3 (n=21) received PTM+HBE alone. The primary outcome measure was functional physical performance, while the secondary outcome measures were pain intensity and functional status. All the measurements were evaluated by a single blinded investigator before and after treatment. Results: All the functional physical performance tests (p<0.01), pain intensity (p<0.01), and functional status (p0.05). We observed statistically and clinically significant improvement in all of the functional physical performance tests, pain, and functional status for Group 2. There was a statistically and clinically significant improvement only in the functional physical performance tests for Group 1. In Group 3, no clinical or statistical significance was achieved in any outcome measurements. Conclusion: Treatment program consisting of WBV+PTM+HBE can yield clinically and statistically favorable results by improving all of the pain, functional status and physical performance parameters of the patients with knee OA, while WBV+HBE can be clinically and statistically effective only in the physical performance parameters of the patients.

Background: Cognitive impairments in Parkinson’s disease (PD) commonly affect executive function, attention, and visuospatial abilities. These deficits may precede motor symptoms and are often undetected by screening tools such as the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE). The utility of the Dynamic Lowenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment–Geriatric Version (DLOTCA-G) has not been evaluated in older adults with PD. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of DLOTCA-G in detecting cognitive deficits in PD patients with and without cognitive impairment. Methods: In this prospective controlled study, 90 participants aged 65 and above were recruited: 30 PD patients with cognitive impairment (PD-CI), 30 PD patients without cognitive impairment (PD-NCI), and 30 healthy controls. All participants underwent cognitive assessment using SMMSE and DLOTCA-G. The total SMMSE score and eight subscales of the DLOTCA-G were analyzed. Results: Except for the spatial perception score, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in all DLOTCA-G subscales. The PD-CI group had significantly lower awareness and visuomotor construction scores than the PD-NCI and healthy groups ( p < 0.01). The PD-NCI group showed significantly lower awareness and visuomotor construction scores than the healthy group ( p < 0.01). Total SMMSE scores showed a moderate positive correlation with orientation, praxis, visuomotor construction, and thinking operations ( p < 0.01). In the Parkinson’s group ( n = 60), SMMSE Orientation correlated strongly with DLOTCA-G Orientation, Visuomotor Construction, and Awareness ( p < 0.001). SMMSE Attention/Calculation and Language showed moderate associations with praxis and visuomotor domains ( p ≤ 0.001; Table 4). Conclusion: The results indicate that DLOTCA-G subscales associated with executive function are impaired in individuals with PD, even in the absence of cognitive impairment. These findings suggest that DLOTCA-G may offer a more differentiated cognitive profile than SMMSE across multiple domains, although its comparative sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy require further validation in studies using comprehensive neuropsychological references. Trial registration: The study was retrospectively registered (registration number NCT06131619), prospective registration prior to participant enrollment was not completed due to logistical reasons. Protocol adherence was maintained throughout the study.

During the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, dozens of cases of acute transverse myelitis have been reported, either related to the disease itself or to various types of vaccines. However, rare cases of longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) with relatively good prognosis have been reported, particularly after other COVID-19 vaccines, such as adenovirus vector vaccine (Oxford™, AstraZeneca), messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine (BioNTech™, Pfizer) and protein subunit vaccine (Corbevax™, Dynavax). This case report presents the third, worst prognosis and youngest case of LETM documented in the literature in association with an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. A 39-year-old female patient developed sudden-onset severe cervical and thoracic predominantly paresthesia which rapidly progressed to tetraplegia, widespread sensory loss, bowel and bladder dysfunction two weeks after the second dose of Sinovac™ (Sinovac Biotech) vaccine. Spine magnetic resonance imaging showed LETM from C3 to T3 spinal cord segments. The outcome of this Sinovac™-induced LETM patient, who was inadequately treated with corticosteroids in the acute phase, showed a poor prognosis despite months of neurorehabilitation.