Objective: Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) experienced prolonged interruption of their rehabilitation palliative care routines due to restrictive COVID-19 pandemic public health measures. This study assesses the effects of before and after the lockdown on functionality rates and quality of life (QoL) in patients with ALS.Methods: A longitudinal observational study was conducted. Participants were assessed three times — early January (T0), before mandatory lockdown (T1), and during lockdown (T2) — using the ALS Functional Rating Scale-revised (ALSFRS-R), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and the ALS-Specific Quality of Life-Short Form (ALSSQOL-SF). The paired-sample t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used.Results: Thirty-two patients were included with a mean age of 56.9 (SD 14.2) years and mean symptoms onset of 27.1 (SD 14.3) months. ALSFRS-R mean scores decayed significantly over time when comparing T0–T1 (0.26 ± 0.38) and T1–T2 (1.36 ± 1.43) slopes (p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed between T1 and T2 for ALSSQOL-SF scores (115.31 ± 17.06 vs. 104.31 ± 20.65), especially in four specific domains, and FSS scores (34.06 ± 16.84 vs. 40.09 ± 17.63). Negative correlations between negative emotions and physical symptoms assessed by ALSSQOL-SF and FSS were found.Significance of the results: Rehabilitation treatment routines in palliative care, such as physiotherapy and speech therapy, appear to mitigate the ALSFRS-R slope. Prolonged interruption of rehabilitation during the lockdown may have accelerated the functional decline in ALS patients’ motor skills with as measured after 2 months by the ALSFRS-R in the limb and bulbar subscores, but not respiratory subscore. Other short-term effects, increased fatigue and negative impact on QoL, were also verified.

Objective: The use of gamification can promote health-related behavior. This article is the first attempt to provide a historical overview of the use of games in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty. Materials and Methods: We conducted a scoping review to map and characterize the games used for the person undergoing hip arthroplasty. To perform this review, the respective descriptors were identified using search syntax appropriate to each of the databases: MEDLINE_ (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), CINAHL_ (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), SPORTDiscus, in the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, SCOPUS, SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), and PEDRo (Physiotherapy Evidence Database). Results: An initial 968 articles were identified, of which 7 articles were included. The domains of the games under analysis essentially focus on aspects of rehabilitation (n = 5), or related (n = 2), and mostly exergames (n = 6). However, the instruments, characteristics, and procedures used to evaluate the games in the included studies have little depth and large variability. Conclusion: Few games exist that support people who have undergone hip arthroplasty. Most of the games under review were exergames to support rehabilitation. Consequently, we recommend developing another type of game with a focus on monitoring, counseling, and/or social support for selfmanagement training in persons undergoing hip arthroplasty.

It is essential to explore alternative methods to motivate stroke survivors throughout their lengthy rehabilitation journey. Exergames have emerged as promising tools for rehabilitating this demographic. We aimed to synthesize the combined evidence from meta-analyses that assessed the effects of exergames in the rehabilitation of stroke survivors. The umbrella review was conducted utilizing several databases, including MEDLINE® (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), CINAHL® (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, SPORTDiscus®, and Scopus®. It included studies published until December 2023 without any restrictions based on publication date. The analysis included 11 meta-analyses involving approximately 9,615 patients, reflecting a growing adoption of exergames in post-stroke rehabilitation since 2015, focusing on using Nintendo Wii. The analyzed studies varied widely in intervention duration (from 1 to 16 weeks) and were applied across different phases of post-stroke rehabilitation, from the acute to the chronic phase. Significant improvements were observed in balance and upper limb functionality, although there was notable methodological heterogeneity and variability in the results. This study highlights the value of exergames in the rehabilitation of stroke survivors and recommends future research that adopts rigorous methodological designs with clearly specified intervention stages. It underscores the importance of additional qualitative studies to explore the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals regarding exergames, aiming to refine rehabilitation strategies and enhance the clinical benefits achieved.

We tested whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are impaired in visuospatial working memory or in the use of the semantic system, in particular in categorization processes at the service of working memory. The performance of high-functioning individuals with ASD (N = 21) in a visual same–different task adapted from Lachmann and van Leeuwen [e.g., Lachmann, T., & van Leeuwen, C. (2010). Representational economy, not processing speed, determines preferred processing strategy of visual patterns. Acta Psychologica, 134(3), 290–298] was compared to those of typically developed controls (N = 25). In a categorical identity task, two successive patterns had to be judged as the same if they belonged to the same equivalence set (cf. Garner, W. R., & Clement, D. E. (1963). Goodness of pattern and pattern uncertainty. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 2, 446–452), including all possible rotation and reflection transformations (R&R category), and as different otherwise. In a physical identity task, only patterns that matched in both shape and orientation had to be responded to as the same; all others, including category matches, had to be classified as different. Equivalence sets had different sizes (ESS). Earlier studies showed an increase in reaction time (RT) with increasing ESS and, for the physical identity task, a response conflict for category matching. Both of these effects were interpreted as evidence for a categorical code by which individual patterns are mentally represented. Assuming that categorization processes are deficient in individuals with ASD, we expected no ESS effects and, in the physical identity task, absence of a response conflict for these individuals. In contrast, we found individuals with ASD to be generally as sensitive to ESS as controls, and they showed a response conflict in the physical identity task. Thus, categorical processing seems to be intact in ASD. However, a strong overall group effect was found in RTs: Individuals with ASD are considerably slower than controls.

Background: There are few studies evaluating the role of spirituality and the role of spiritually integrated interventions in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (PALS) and their caregivers.Objectives: A scoping review was conducted to examine the nature and breadth of peer-reviewed literature on the role of spirituality, interventions integrating spirituality, and outcomes for PALS and their caregivers.Methods: A literature review was performed, following the methods from the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers, based on all articles published between January 2006 and April 2022, identified in the CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, MedicLatina, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and SPORTDiscus with full-text databases using key terms. Extracted data included research aims, study design, population and characteristics, theme description, and measures or type of intervention.Results: A total of 18 articles were included in this study: 14 qualitative, 3 quantitative, and 1 protocol of a quantitative study. Eight studies were based in Europe. The search identified different main themes related to spirituality for caregivers and patients, 2 spiritual measure scales, and one intervention. However, many studies were limited in sample size, generalizability, and transferability and used less sophisticated research designs.Significance of the results: This scoping review illustrates the importance given to spirituality by caregivers and PALS and reveals a very heterogeneous response. Thus, experimental studies in the area of spirituality are needed to systematically explore the impact of spiritual interventions, and the results of these studies could advance practice and policy by enhancing the quality of life for PALS and their caregivers.

Malnutrition is a common phenomenon in people with cancer and can occur at all stages of the disease trajectory. Prevention, early identification of patients at risk of malnutrition, nutritional diagnosis, and personalized intervention, monitoring and follow-up are essential measures to minimize the occurrence of malnutrition and its consequences. This study aims to evaluate if current institutional practices regarding nutritional intervention guarantees nutritional/dietary care for cancer patients. adescriptive, analytical and longitudinal study was carried out, lasting five months, in a hospital inpatient surgical oncology unit. All patients admitted to the unit in the period between 1 March and 31 July 2022, who underwent nutritional screening at the time of admission to the service, were included. During hospitalization, they were subjected to periodic assessments of weight, body mass index and nutritional screening every 7 days until discharge. a total of 659 patients were admitted to the inpatient unit. The highest prevalence of malnutrition was observed in Head and Neck (37.6%), Genitourinary (30.8%) and Digestive (27.7%) cancers. Weight loss was especially significant in digestive, skin and sarcoma cancers, as well as genitourinary cancers, but not in breast cancer patients. During the hospitalization period, 14.0% of the hospitalized patients received nutrition-related nursing intervention, and 21.5% were referred for clinical dietetic intervention (by a registered dietitian). this work reinforces the high prevalence of malnutrition in oncological patients and the need to systematically track cancer patients throughout their disease/treatment trajectory, from admission to the hospital, to the day of admission to inpatient unit, and subsequent follow-up. We also propose expedited referrals to different specialized centres in nutritional support for cancer patients from the first day of hospitalization. Assessment of patients should always be accompanied by active referral capacity to a specialized and duly trained nutritional care team that is quick, proactive, and responsive.