Background and Objectives: This study aimed to examine the impact of postacute rehabilitation duration on the outcome of the functional recovery and patients’ quality of life after the stroke. Materials and Methods: One hundred patients (52 females, 48 males, mean age: 66.5 ± 7.3; range 53 to 79 years) who experienced a stroke (50 with ischemic stroke (IS) and 50 with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH)) took part in the study. Patients (treated with postacute rehabilitation measures for six months) were examined after one, three, and six months of postacute rehabilitation. Functional independence was measured using the functional independence measure (FIM) test, while the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Results: Patients with ICH had a slightly lower FIM score (FIM motor = 29.8 ± 11.8; FIM cognitive = 14.4 ± 4.6) on admission compared to patients with IS (FIM motor = 41.8 ± 18.8; FIM cognitive = 18.7 ± 6.3), but, after six months of postacute rehabilitation, patients with ICH reached an approximate level of functional independence (FIM motor = 53.8 ± 14.4; FIM cognitive = 25.8 ± 4.7), as did patients with IS (FIM motor = 67.6 ± 16.4; FIM cognitive = 29.2 ± 4.0). The motor and cognitive FIM, as well as quality of life, was statistically significantly increased at all four measurement points (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there is a statistically significant connection between functional independence and quality of life at all tested times. Conclusion: Patients achieved the highest degree of functional independence after six months. Furthermore, our findings point out that inpatient rehabilitation as well as outpatient rehabilitation are effective in functionality and quality of life improvement after a stroke; thus, both should be emphasized and regularly implemented.

Article: Evidence based position paper on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) practice for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 2021 Nov 17 - Minerva Medica - Journals

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate the Serbian version of the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) and to evaluate temporal stability for the purpose of its implementation in the evaluation of Serbian patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Materials and Methods: For the validation of the Serbian version of the BCTQ (BCTQ_SR), we tested 69 individuals with diagnosed CTS that were referred for a conservative treatment at the Institute for Rehabilitation. Neurophysiological tests were used for the electrophysiological grading (EG) of CTS severity in the study sample. The final version of the BCTQ_SR was given to the tested participants from the study on two occasions: test and retest, with a five-day period between the two measurements. Results: The mean value for the symptom severity subscale (SSS) of the BCTQ_SR was 3.01 ± 0.94; for the functional status subscale (FSS) of the BCTQ_SR it was 2.85 ± 1.00. Cronbach’s α for the SSS was 0.91 and 0.93 for the FSS. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) concerning the test–retest were significant (p < 0.001) and were 0.949 for the SSS and 0.959 for the FSS. Those with a higher EG grade had higher values of the SSS and FSS but without a statistical significance (p = 0.103 and p = 0.053, respectively). The intercorrelation of the BCTQ_SR subscales (SSS and FSS) on the test was significant (p < 0.001) with a correlation coefficient equal to 0.777. Conclusion: The Serbian version of the BCTQ (BCTQ_SR) was successfully culturally adopted. The BCTQ_SR was a valid and reliable instrument for the measurement of symptom severity and functional status in adults with CTS. Therefore, it can be used in clinical practice for patients with CTS.

Article: Evidence based position paper on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) practice for people with muscular dystrophies - European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 2021 Nov 26 - Minerva Medica - Journals

In this study, we evaluated and compared the morphogenetic variability and the degree of recessive homozygosity in patients with manifested ischemic stroke compared to healthy controls. We have evaluated 120 patients with manifested ischemic stroke, of which 64 did not have hypertension and 56 have hypertension. For comparison, we additionally tested 194 healthy individuals without manifested ischemic stroke (controls). For the estimation of the degree of recessive homozygosity, we have performed the homozygously recessive characteristics (HRC) test and tested 19 HRCs. There was a significant difference in the individual variations of 19 HRCs between the controls and patients with manifested ischemic stroke (∑χ² = 60.162, p < 0.01). The mean values of the tested HRCs significantly differed between the controls and group with manifested ischemic stroke (Controls − 5.71 ± 1.61, Ischemic stroke group − 6.25 ± 1.54, p = 0.012). For the tested individuals with hypertension, the mean values of HRCs did not significantly differ between the controls and those that had manifested ischemic stroke (Controls − 5.28 ± 1.75, Ischemic stroke group − 5.64 ± 1.48, p = 0.435). We found a significant difference in the frequencies of HRCs between those with and without hypertension for controls (p < 0.003) and for those with manifested ischemic stroke (p < 0.001). There are increased degrees of recessive homozygosity along with decreased variability in patients with manifested ischemic stroke compared to controls.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of morphogenetic variability in functional outcome of patients with ischemic stroke. The prospective study included 140 patients with acute ischemic stroke, all of whom were tested upon: admission; discharge; one month post-discharge; and three months post-discharge. The age was analyzed, as well. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) test and the Barthel Index (BI) were used for the evaluation of functional outcomes for the eligible participants. We analyzed the presence of 19 homozygous recessive characteristics (HRC) in the studied individuals. There was a significant change in FIM values at discharge (p = 0.033) and in BI values upon admission (p = 0.012) with regards to the presence of different HRCs. Age significantly negatively correlated for the FIM score and BI values at discharge for the group with 5 HRCs (p < 0.05), while for BI only, negative significant correlation was noticed for the group with 5 HRCs at three months post-discharge (p < 0.05), and for the group with 3 HRCs at one month post-discharge (p < 0.05) and three months post-discharge (p < 0.05). Morphogenetic variability might be one among potentially numerous factors that could have an impact on the response to defined treatment protocols for neurologically-impaired individuals who suffered an ischemic stroke.