Robot-assisted gait training for improved gait independence in individuals with acute hemiparetic stroke: study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Background: Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) has proven effective in addressing gait disorders in patients with stroke. However, its efficacy in patients with acute stroke has not yet been demonstrated. This pilot study is designed to evaluate the following: (1) feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial on RAGT for enhancing gait postacute stroke and (2) to obtain preliminary estimates regarding the potential efficacy of RAGT for achieving gait independence during the acute phase.

Medical staff's perspectives on patients' anxieties and interventions in a rehabilitation ward: A qualitative study.

Background: Anxiety and depression in rehabilitation patients can adversely impact clinical outcomes. They may have anxieties about the differences in their physical conditions and living environments compared to before hospitalization. Although medical staff address patients' anxieties, the content of anxieties and the type of intervention have not been clarified.

The proportion and clinical characteristics of patients with stroke who returned to work six months after discharge from a convalescent rehabilitation ward: a descriptive study.

Background: The economic burden on individuals with stroke is a major concern, and measures to mitigate the negative effects of stroke on labor productivity are imperative. However, few studies have explored the return to work (RTW) of individuals with stroke after their discharge from rehabilitation wards. We therefore aimed to explore the proportion of patients with stroke who returned to work after discharge from a convalescent rehabilitation ward and to explore the characteristics of patients with stroke who achieve RTW compared to those who do not.

Single Camera-Based Gait Analysis Using Pose Estimation for Ankle-Foot Orthosis Stiffness Adjustment on Individuals With Stroke.

Introduction: Stroke is one of the most common causes of impaired gait. The use of an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) is one of the recommended methods to improve gait function in stroke patients. Although the stiffness of the AFO is adjusted for each stroke patient, the effect of stiffness adjustment remains unclear due to the difficulty in measuring the gait parameters in a clinical setting.

Time course for acquiring toileting independence in patients with subacute stroke: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: To determine the time course of longitudinal changes in the independence level of toileting-related subtasks in post-stroke patients.

Design: Single-institution, prospective cohort study.

Subjects/patients: A total of 101 consecutive patients with stroke admitted to subacute rehabilitation wards who urinated/defecated in bathrooms using wheelchairs upon admission.

Effects of robot-assisted gait training within 1 week after stroke onset on degree of gait independence in individuals with hemiparesis: a propensity score-matched analysis in a single-center cohort study.

Background: Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) is an effective method for treating gait disorders in individuals with stroke. However, no previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of RAGT in individuals with acute stroke. This study aimed to investigate the effects of RAGT initiation within 1 week after onset on degree of gait independence in individuals with hemiparetic stroke.

Sustainable synthesis of fine chemicals and polymers using industrial chlorine chemistry.

To achieve sustainable resource circulation, preparation of reactive species from stable compounds is unavoidable. Chlorine chemistry is an eco-friendly methodology to address this demand. Chlorine is industrially produced from sodium chloride (NaCl), an abundant natural resource in oceans.

Time-course for acquiring transfer independence in patients with subacute stroke: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: To clarify the time-course of longitudinal changes in the independence level of subtasks composing bed-wheelchair transfer among patients with stroke.

Design: Single-institution prospective cohort study.

Patients: A total of 137 consecutive post-stroke patients using wheelchair on admission to the subacute rehabilitation wards.

Efficacy of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for Cognition in Patients with Vascular Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

The efficacy of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) in patients with vascular cognitive impairment has not been explored, and no studies investigating CST in the convalescent rehabilitation phase have been reported. This study examined the effect of CST on the cognitive function of patients with vascular cognitive impairment. A randomized controlled, assessor-blinded, single-centered trial with two parallel groups was conducted in a convalescent rehabilitation hospital.

Prediction of Oral Intake at Discharge with Early Assessment of Swallowing Function within 24 h after Admission: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Dysphagia is one of the most common symptoms of stroke and can lead to other complications such as pneumonia, dehydration, and malnutrition. This retrospective cohort study evaluated the predictive value of a comprehensive swallowing assessment tool, the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA), in the acute phase of stroke for oral intake status at discharge. Among 1,133 consecutive patients with acute stroke, 512 patients whose swallowing function was assessed using the MASA within 24 h of admission were included.

Blind Spots in Hospital Fall Prevention: Falls in Stroke Patients Occurred Not Only in Those at a High Risk of Falling.

Objectives: Although the standard falls prevention strategy is to identify and respond to patients with high-risk conditions, it remains unclear whether falls in patients with high fall risk account for most observed falls. In this study, fall risk and number of falls were calculated based on patients' motor and cognitive abilities, and the relationship between the two was examined.

Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study.

Differences in the difficulty of subtasks comprising the toileting task among patients with subacute stroke: A cohort study.

Introduction: Toileting comprises multiple subtasks, and the difficulty of each is critical to determining the target and priority of intervention. The study aimed to examine the difficulty of subtasks that comprise toileting upon admission and the reacquisition of skills of subtasks during hospitalization.

Materials And Methods: This was a single-center prospective cohort study.

Difficulty of the subtasks comprising bed-wheelchair transfer in patients with subacute strokes: A cohort study.

Objective: Bed-wheelchair transfer comprises multiple subtasks; hence, it is important to know the difficulty of each subtask to identify and prioritize subtasks that must be practiced. This study aimed to investigate the difficulty of the subtasks that comprise bed-wheelchair transfer upon admission and reacquiring subtask skills during hospitalization.

Materials And Methods: This was a single-center prospective cohort study.

Rehabilitation in Acute COVID-19 Patients: A Japanese Retrospective, Observational, Multi-Institutional Survey.

Objective: To investigate the changes in activities of daily living (ADLs) and the conditions of rehabilitation for acute COVID-19 patients in Japan.

Design: Retrospective, observational survey.

Setting: Four tertiary hospitals with intensive care units and one secondary hospital in Japan.

Factors associated with cognitive improvement in subacute stroke survivors.

Objective: To elucidate the characteristics of subacute stroke survivors with post-stroke cognitive impairment, and examine the factors associated with cognitive recovery.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Participants: A total of 218 consecutive stroke survivors, who were admitted to a rehabilitation hospital between April 2014 and March 2015, were included.

Light-Driven Crystal-Polymer Hybrid Actuators.

Recently, soft robots, which are made of soft and light organic materials, have attracted much attention because of improved safety for daily interactions with humans. Mechanically responsive materials that can move macroscopically by external stimuli, such as light and heat, have been studied extensively over the past two decades, and they are expected to be applicable to soft robots. Among them, mechanically responsive crystals are attractive in terms of a larger Young's modulus and faster response speed compared with polymers and gels.

Poststroke Fatigue at Admission is Associated With Independence Levels of Activities of Daily Living at Discharge From Subacute Rehabilitation Wards.

Objective: To determine whether poststroke fatigue at admission is associated with the degree of independence in activities of daily living in patients with stroke at discharge from subacute rehabilitation wards.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Subacute rehabilitation hospital.

High-current density and high-asymmetry MIIM diode based on oxygen-non-stoichiometry controlled homointerface structure for optical rectenna.

Optical rectennas are expected to be applied as power sources for energy harvesting because they can convert a wide range of electromagnetic waves, from visible light to infrared. The critical element in these systems is a diode, which can respond to the changes in electrical polarity in the optical frequency. By considering trade-off relationship between current density and asymmetry of IV characteristic, we reveal the efficiency limitations of MIM diodes for the optical rectenna and suggest a novel tunnel diode using a double insulator with an oxygen-non-stoichiometry controlled homointerface structure (MO/MO).

Prevalence, Effect on Functional Outcome, and Treatment of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Patients With Subacute Stroke.

Study Objectives: We aimed to elucidate the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), effect of SDB severity on the functional outcome, and feasibility of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in patients with subacute stroke.

Methods: We recruited 433 consecutive patients (mean age: 66.5 years, 271 men) admitted to our rehabilitation wards for subacute stroke (8 to 90 days after onset) from August 2011-November 2013, who had undergone at least one successful sleep study within 4 weeks after admission to the wards.

Direct Formylation of Fluorine-Containing Aromatics with Dichloromethyl Alkyl Ethers.

Formylations of fluorine-containing aromatic compounds with dichloromethyl alkyl ethers have been investigated. Dichloromethyl propyl ether and dichloromethyl butyl ether have been applied for the formylation of fluorine-containing anisoles to give the corresponding aldehydes in good yields. Application of these ethers is preferable to that of methyl ether, which is prepared from volatile methyl formate.

Allergic contact dermatitis caused by isobornyl acrylate when using the FreeStyle Libre.

We present the case of an 8-year-old girl with type 1 diabetes who developed severe allergic contact dermatitis by using FreeStyle Libre. A patch test was carried out using a piece of the adhesive part of the sensor of the FreeStyle Libre, and subsequently by using the potential contact allergens in the sensor, isobornyl acrylate. She reacted positively to the adhesive part of the sensor, and also reacted positively to isobornyl acrylate with three different concentrations, 0.

Young's Modulus of Fullerene C-C Alloy Crystalline Nanowhiskers.

Crystalline nanowhiskers (NWs) composed of fullerene C60 and C70 molecules, i.e., alloy NWs, were synthesized by a liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation method.

Inhibitory Effects of Polyacetylene Compounds from Panax ginseng on Neurotrophin Receptor-Mediated Hair Growth.

Neurotrophins play an important role in the control of the hair growth cycle. Therefore, neurotrophin receptor antagonists have therapeutic potential for the treatment of hair growth disorders. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of Panax ginseng, a medicinal plant commonly used to treat alopecia, on the binding of neurotrophins to their receptors.