Physical activity in chronic home-living and sub-acute hospitalized stroke patients using objective and self-reported measures

Background: Despite confirmed reduced physical activity (PA) after stroke in various stages of recovery, the type of activities stroke patients executed and the time spent at different activity levels have not been sufficiently verified with stroke-validated assessment tools.

Design: Observational study.

Objective: To determine PA of sub-acute stroke patients hospitalized in a rehabilitation centre (HOS) compared to chronic home-living stroke patients (HOM) using objective and self-reported measures during 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day.

Methods: Fifteen HOS and 15 HOM patients wore a Sense Wear Pro 2 accelerometer (METs*minutes/24 h) and a knee-worn pedometer Yamax Digi Walker SW 200 (steps) and filled in a coded activity diary (kcal/24 h; METs*minutes/24 h) during three consecutive days.

Results: In HOM significantly more steps (steps_{total HOM} = 18722.6 ± 10063.6; steps_{total HOS} = 7097.8 ± 5850.5) and higher energy expenditure (EE) levels (EE_{total HOM} = 7759.34 ± 2243.04; EE_{total HOS} = 5860.15 ± 1412.78) were measured. In this group less moderate activity (≥3–6 ≤ METs) was performed on a weekday (p_day1 = 0.006; p_day2 = 0.027) and in total (p = 0.037). Few therapy hours (physical, occupational and speech therapy, and psychological support) were provided in HOM compared to HOS (p < 0.001). Vigorous activities were only seen in HOM. In both groups few patients executed sport activities.

Conclusions: In HOM significantly more steps were performed and higher EE values were measured. However, participation in moderate activities and time spent on therapy were less in HOM. Evaluating PA with quantitative measures is feasible in both chronic home-living and sub-acute hospitalized patients with stroke.     

After-effects of pedaling exercise on spinal excitability and spinal reciprocal inhibition in patients with chronic stroke

Purpose of the study: To evaluate the after-effects of pedaling on spinal excitability and spinal reciprocal inhibition in patients with post-stroke spastic hemiparesis. Materials and methods: Twenty stroke patients with severe hemiparesis participated in this study and were instructed to perform 7 min of active pedaling and 7 min of passive pedaling with a recumbent ergometer at a comfortable speed. H reflexes and M waves of paretic soleus muscles were recorded at rest before, immediately after and 30 min after active and passive pedaling. The Hmax/Mmax ratio and H recruitment curve were measured. Reciprocal inhibition was assessed using the soleus H reflex conditioning test paradigm. Results: The Hmax/Mmax ratio was significantly decreased after active and passive pedaling exercise. The decreased Hmax/Mmax ratio after active pedaling lasted at least for 30 min. The H recruitment curve and reciprocal inhibition did not change significantly after active or passive pedaling exercise. Conclusions: Pedaling exercise decreased spinal excitability in patients with severe hemiparesis. Pedaling may be effective in rehabilitation following stroke.     

Corticospinal responses of quadriceps are abnormally coupled with hip adductors in chronic stroke survivors

Stroke survivors often lose the ability to move their joints independently, which results in abnormal movement patterns when attempting to perform an isolated motion. For instance, many stroke subjects exhibit unwanted secondary knee extension movement when performing hip adduction. This study aimed at characterizing whether the neural substrates mediating abnormal activation patterns after stroke are of cortical origin. We developed a novel transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol to evaluate the extent of abnormal across-joint coupling of corticospinal responses in chronic stroke survivors. In stroke survivors, we found that the magnitude of motor evoked potentials of the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis during isometric hip adduction were significantly higher than those recorded during knee extension at similar background activity (P=0.03 and P=0.01). Moreover, motor evoked potential coupling ratios of the quadriceps muscles were significantly different than those observed in healthy controls (P=0.005 to P=0.037). No differences in motor evoked potential coupling ratios were observed between the younger and older adults (P=0.474 to P=0.919). These findings provide evidence for the first time that stroke subjects exhibit abnormal excitability of the quadriceps muscle corticospinal neurons when performing isometric hip adduction. Importantly, the abnormal corticospinal responses observed in stroke subjects were not mediated by aging. The results of this study provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying loss of independent joint control after stroke and have meaningful implications for post-stroke interventions. Moreover, the proposed 'motor evoked potential coupling ratio' may serve as an effective probe to evaluate cortical contributions to abnormal muscle synergy after stroke.     

Disengagement and inhibition of visual-spatial attention are differently impaired in children with rolandic epilepsy and Panayiotopoulos syndrome

We assessed voluntary orientation and reorientation of visuospatial attention in 313 healthy 6- to 22-year-old participants, 30 children suffering from benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) and 13 children with Panayiotopoulos syndrome (PS). The developmental section highlights the late development of reorienting skills. Only children with BECTS-R showed a strong tendency toward a rightward bias in attentional orientation. Additionally, a unilateral deficit of disengagement characterizes the patients with BECTS-R and comorbid ADHD. Right rolandic spikes seem to aggravate subclinical reorienting difficulties. Finally, children with PS failed to diffuse inhibition, except in the nearest area outside the attentional focus. This deficit could be attributed to the typical occipital-to-frontal spreading of the spikes in PS. By showing distinct attentional deficiencies according to the epileptic syndrome and the epileptic focus lateralization in BECTS, the results provide new evidence for alterations of attentional mechanisms by interictal epileptic activity, which probably contribute to learning difficulties.     

Effects of treadmill training on translational balance perturbation responses in chronic hemiparetic stroke patients

Objectives: Individuals with chronic hemiparesis because of remote stroke are at greater risk for falls than healthy, age-matched controls. Despite this well documented risk, it is, nevertheless, generally assumed that limited or no improvements in dynamic balance responses are possible beyond a brief rehabilitative window after stroke. Consequently, little or no health care resources are available to treat balance disorders during the chronic phase of the disease. Design: We investigated the effects of 3 months of treadmill aerobic exercise training on dynamic responses to destabilizing horizontal balance perturbations in 11 chronic hemiparetic stroke patients. Measurements: Reaction time (RXT) was measured from perturbation onset to the initial loss of foot contact. Recovery time (RCT) was ascertained from perturbation onset to the recovery of stable foot contacts bilaterally. Movement time (MVT) was the calculated difference between RCT and RXT. Results: As a group, the RCTs did not improve with training. However, further analyses identified a subset of patients (n = 6) with markedly slower RCTs at baseline versus a subset (n = 5) with faster RCTs (1252.4 msec v 718.9 msec; P < .001). A secondary group × time analysis, using slow versus fast subgroups showed significant improvement in the slower group's RCTs post-training (↓ 300 msec, P < .05). Further analysis of RXTs and MVTs indicated that the global change in RCTs was attributable to improved MVTs in the slow group relative to the fast group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that progressive treadmill training may improve dynamic balance responses in selected patients, and that slow initial RCTs may predict positive responders. These results also suggest that treadmill training may help reduce the responders fall risk.     

Short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials in brain-dead patients

Ten adult brain-dead patients were evaluated for the presence of clearly defined median nerve short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs). All met clinical criteria recommended by the President's Commission report (1981), had positive apnea tests, and had electrocerebral silent EEGs. P13-P14 and N20 were absent in all scalp-scalp channels, although 3 patients showed P13-P14 in scalp-non-cephalic channels. Of 6 patients showing N13, 3 lacked P13-P14. Our data suggest a characteristic destruction of N20 and rostral P13-P14 generators, with variable rostral-caudal loss of lower generators. SSEPs can provide valuable information about brain-stem activity in the evaluation of suspected brain-dead patients.     

A subtle connection between crossed cerebellar diaschisis and supratentorial collateral circulation in subacute and chronic ischemic stroke

ObjectivesIt has not been reported whether collateral circulation, a factor closely related to the prognosis of patients with cerebral infarction, is related to the occurrence of crossed cerebellar diaschisis(CCD) or not. Our research attempts to verify the relationship between the collateral circulation grade and the occurrence of CCD, mainly by means of CTA and CTP.Materials and methodsA total of 47 patients were divided into a CCD-positive (Kim et al., 2019) or a CCD-negative group Furlanis et al. (2018) by calculating the asymmetry index (AI) value (<10%) of bilateral cerebellar cerebral blood flow (CBF). A 4-scale grading method was used to evaluate collateral circulation in the supratentorial infarct area, and the four perfusion parameters of the supratentorial and subtentorial brain regions were analyzed and compared between the two groups. The extent of vascular lesions was evaluated by MR sequences including DWI and MRA.ResultsAmong the four perfusion parameters, except for CBV, were significantly different between the bilateral cerebellum in the CCD-positive group, but only TTP in the supratentorial cerebral infarction area was statistically different in the two groups. Moreover, the collateral circulation sore in the CCD-positive group was significantly lower than that in the CCD-negative group. But no statistical difference was found in the comparison of DWI positive rates between the two groups.ConclusionThe collateral score in the supratentorial infarct area is correlated with the occurrence of CCD,which may be used to explain the effect of CCD on the prognosis of patients.     

Symmetry of cortical planning for initiating stepping in sub-acute stroke

Objective

This study examined motor planning for stepping when the paretic leg was either stepping or standing (to step with the non-paretic leg), to understand whether difficulty with balance and walking post-stroke could be attributed to poor motor planning.

Short-latency autogenic inhibition in patients with Parkinsonian rigidity

The spinal Ib interneuron efficacy has been compared in 11 control subjects and 19 patients with parkinsonian rigidity. In normal subjects, gastrocnemius medialis nerve stimulation induces an inhibition of the soleus H reflex for 3 to 8 msec with a peak at 5 msec of 83.72 +/- 7.28% of the control value of H reflex. In parkinsonian patients, inhibition is reduced or even replaced by facilitation, which also peaks at 5 msec. The departures from normal values correlate with rigidity intensity assessed by the Webster scale. Increase in rigidity is associated, first, with a reduction of inhibition and, from a score of 2 or more, with facilitation replacing the normal inhibition. In addition to providing an electrophysiological index of rigidity, reduction in autogenic inhibition might be one of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying rigidity. In association with the known hyperactivity of the Ia inhibitory interneuron in Parkinson's disease, reduction of activity of Ib interneuron could be explained by an increased activity in the reticularis gigantocellularis nucleus; its efferent tracts both inhibit Ib interneurons and activate Ia interneurons.     

Acute stroke patients are being underfed

Introduction: Patients with acute neurological illness may be hypercatabolic. The Harris-Benedict Equation (HBE) is used to estimate energy needs in acute stroke. A “stress factor” for stroke does not exist, and it is not known if the HBE accurately estimates the energy expenditure needs in acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. We sought to assess nitrogen balance in patients with acute stroke and to determine the variables associated with negative nitrogen balance. Materials and Methods: This was a case series, single-center study. Eligibility criteria included acute stroke requiring enteral nutrition, tolerating tube feedings at goal, normal urine output, and no underlying catabolic illness. Enteral feeding was adjusted to meet HBE requirements. After 24 hours of goal feeding, a 12-hour urine collection for nitrogen excretion was done. We determined if any of the following variables were associated with negative nitrogen balance: gender, glucose 6.6 mmol/L or more, age 80 years or older, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 20 or higher, mechanical ventilation, and diabetes mellitus. Results: We studied 27 patients (10 with intracranial hemorrhages and 17 with ischemic strokes) during an 18-month period. The median age was 80 (range: 48–90), and the median NIHSS was 19 (range: 4–38). The median time to feeding was 2 days (range: 1–8), the median time from onset to nitrogen balance was 5 days (range: 2–11), and the median interval between initiation of feeding and nitrogen collection was 2 days (range: 1–5) Negative nitrogen balance was seen in 12 of 27 (44%) patients. There was no relation between age, NIHSS, stroke type, admission glucose, history of diabetes, and mechanical ventilation use and nitrogen balance. Only 11 of 27 patients were anabolic. Conclusion: Critically ill stroke patients are being underfed using the current methods to estimate caloric needs. Hypercatabolism is common in acute stroke; clinical variables do not seem to allow prediction of this catabolic state.     

Fast responses to target changes are not impaired in children with spastic hemiplegia

Humans are able to correct an ongoing movement very quickly in response to a suddenly moving target. Such fast responses possibly bypass the motor cortex and if so, one would expect that damage to the motor cortex would not greatly affect them. A group of children with congenital spastic hemiplegia were asked to move to a target, which, in some trials, jumped to a new position. It was found that the congenital spastic hemiplegia group was not affected more by the target jumps than the typically developing children. The moving targets made adaptive movements faster instead of slower for the affected hand. It is concluded that fast-adjusting movements do not necessarily rely on the motor cortex in these children.     

脑卒中后糖尿病和糖调节异常的临床研究

目的调查脑卒中患者中糖尿病和糖调节异常的发病情况，探讨口服葡萄糖耐量试验（OGTT）的临床意义。方法对2004年1月-2006年6月收治入院的547例脑卒中患者进行空腹血糖、糖化血红蛋白（GHbAlc）等检测，登记患者的临床资料，对既往未诊断糖尿病而空腹血糖在5．6～6．9mmol／L的患者在适当时候进行OGTT，糖代谢分类采用2003年美国糖尿病学会建议标准。结果547例脑卒中患者住院前糖尿病的诊断率为13.9％，住院后检查发现糖尿病的患病率34．4％，糖调节异常26．5％；脑梗死、脑出血、蛛网膜下腔出血糖尿病的伴发率分别为45．1％、20．5％、13．2％，糖调节异常的伴发率分别30．2％、23．2％、16．2％；227例空腹血糖在5．6～6．9mmol／L的患者中，OGTT检查后发现，19．8％患者可诊断为糖尿病，42.3％提示糖耐量异常。结论脑卒中患者合并高比例的糖尿病和糖调节异常；缺血性卒中发病率高于出血性卒中：空腹血糖在5．6～6．9mmol／L的患者中，OGTT可以发现大量的糖尿病和糖耐量异常患者。     

Dynamic cerebral autoregulation and beat to beat blood pressure control are impaired in acute ischaemic stroke

OBJECTIVES: Hypertension and chronic cerebrovascular disease are known to alter static cerebral autoregulation (CA) but the effects of acute stroke on dynamic CA (dCA) have not been studied in detail. Those studies to date measuring dCA have used sympathetically induced blood pressure (BP) changes, which may themselves directly affect dCA. This study assessed whether dCA is compromised after acute stroke using spontaneous blood pressure (BP) changes as the stimulus for the dCA response. METHODS: 56 patients with ischaemic stroke (aged 70 (SD 9) years), studied within 72 hours of ictus were compared with 56 age, sex, and BP matched normal controls. Cerebral blood flow velocity was measured using transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) with non-invasive beat to beat arterial BP levels, surface ECG, and transcutaneous CO(2) levels and a dynamic autoregulatory index (dARI) calculated. RESULTS: Beat to beat BP, but not pulse interval variability was significantly increased and cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS) decreased in the patients with stroke. Dynamic CA was significantly reduced in patients with stroke compared with controls (strokes: ARI 3.8 (SD 2.2) and 3.2 (SD 2.0) for pressor and depressor stimuli respectively v controls: ARI 4.7 (SD 2.2) and 4.5 (SD 2.0) respectively (p<0.05 in all cases)). There was no difference between stroke and non-stroke hemispheres in ARI, which was also independent of severity of stroke, BP, BP variability, BRS, sex, and age. CONCLUSION: Dynamic cerebral autoregulation, as assessed using spontaneous transient pressor and depressor BP stimuli, is globally impaired after acute ischaemic stroke and may prove to be an important factor in predicting outcome.     

T-cells expressing natural killer (NK) receptors are altered in multiple sclerosis and responses to alpha-galactosylceramide are impaired

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder characterised by clinical relapse and remission and pathological demyelination with varying inflammation. Because it is suggested that T-cells expressing natural killer cell receptors (NKR) play important roles in regulating human autoimmune diseases, we have quantified populations of T-cells expressing the NKR CD56, CD161 and CD94 in the peripheral blood of MS patients, in healthy control subjects (HS) and in patients with other neurological diseases (OND). CD161(+) T-cells and CD94(+) T-cells were significantly decreased in MS patients with primary progressive disease and secondary progressive disease respectively whereas CD56(+) T-cell numbers were unchanged. In contrast NKT-cells that express the invariant Valpha24-Jalpha18(+) T-cell receptor identified here by specific receptor antibody and CD1d-tetrameric PBS57-loaded complexes, were increased in MS patients compared with HS. Reductions in CD161(+) T-cells and CD94(+) T-cells relative to HS were also observed in the OND group and this was particularly prominent in Parkinsonian patients. A striking functional finding was that while NKT-cells in unfractionated peripheral blood from healthy subjects expanded in number and produced IFN-gamma upon stimulation with alpha-galactosylceramide, NKT-cells from MS patients did not. Thus we have identified alterations in a number of potentially important lymphocyte sub-populations warranting further investigation in the immune response in MS.