The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation for attention deficits in focal seizures: a randomized controlled study

PURPOSE: Cognitive deficits are one of the major limiting factors in the everyday life functioning of patients with focal seizures. Although cognitive rehabilitation methods have been successfully applied to patients with other central nervous system (CNS) lesions, these methods have not yet been evaluated in cognitively impaired patients with epilepsy. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of two commonly used methods for attention deficits: (a) the Retraining Method, aimed at retraining impaired cognitive functions; and (b) the Compensation Method, aimed at teaching compensatory strategies while taking neuronal loss for granted. METHODS: Fifty adult outpatients with focal seizures and attention impairments receiving carbamazepine (CBZ) monotherapy were randomly assigned to the Retraining Method, the Compensation Method, or to a waiting-list control group. Established and self-reported neuropsychological outcomes and self-reported quality of life of these groups were evaluated at pretraining, posttraining, and at a 6-month follow-up measurement point and were completed by 44 patients. RESULTS: Neuropsychological outcomes related to training, self-reported neuropsychological outcomes, and quality of life at the 6-month follow-up measurement point improved both in the Retraining Method group (n = 19) and the Compensation Method group (n = 17) relative to the waiting-list control group (n = 8). The Compensation Method was more effective in improving self-reported neuropsychological outcomes and quality of life, especially for patients with less education. The patients with active epilepsy benefited more from both methods than did the seizure-free patients. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that cognitive rehabilitation programs are effective for patients with focal seizures and attention deficits and should, therefore, be incorporated into comprehensive care programs.     

Guideline-based early rehabilitation after myocardial infarction. A pragmatic randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of individualised educational behavioural treatment delivered by cardiac nurses in hospital compared to usual care for patients following acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: One hundred and fourteen consecutive patients were randomised to receive the intervention or usual care. Outcome assessment was by self-report questionnaire (the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Dartmouth COOP Health Status), interview at 1 month, and self-report at 3 and 12 months. The primary outcome was improvement in the Dartmouth COOP total score from baseline to 3 months. RESULTS: Four patients needed to be treated to give an additional patient with improvement in health status at 3 months (number needed to treat [NNT] 4, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 3 to 12). The intervention group were more confident about returning to activities 1 month after discharge from hospital. Treated patients had fewer further treatment needs. CONCLUSIONS: An individualised educational behavioural treatment delivered by cardiac nurses in hospital may have substantial benefits. A large-scale pragmatic RCT is needed.     

Evaluating Function and Health Related Quality of Life in Patients Treated for Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Objective To evaluate how functional disability impacts on health related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS) at 1 year post-surgery.Design and setting Survey of extremity STS patients pre-surgery and one-year post-treatment.Participants: 100 participants who were treated for extremity STS between 2001 and 2003 at four Canadian hospitals. Patients were over 16 years, non-metastatic at diagnosis, and had limb salvage surgery.Outcome measures Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Rating Scale (MSTS), a measure of impairment; Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS), a measure of activity limitations; Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNL), a measure of participation restrictions; and EQ-VAS, a measure of HRQOL.Results After adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, impairment explained 54%, activity limitations explained 48%, and participation restrictions explained 61% of the variation in HRQOL. After adjustment, when all three functional measures were included in the model, only participation restrictions had a significant impact on HRQOL explaining 63% of the variation.Conclusion Impairment and activity limitations affect the daily activities a patient can perform, but it is the restriction in participation of life roles and situations that has the greatest effect on patient’s HRQOL.     

Eating together is important: using a dining room in an acute elderly medical ward increases energy intake

AIM: To investigate the effect of eating in a supervised dining room, on nutritional intake and weight, for elderly patients on an acute medicine for the elderly ward. METHOD: Patients on the intervention ward were encouraged to attend a dining room every lunch time by a trained nursing assistant as part of the rehabilitation process. The patients on the control ward ate only by their bedside. Food intake and weight data were collected over the study period on each patient. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients participated in the study. At the lunch time meal studied the dining room group had higher intakes of energy compared with the controls [489 kcal (95% CI: 438-554) versus 360 kcal (95% CI: 289-448), P < 0.013]. There was no difference in protein intake between the groups [18.9 g (95% CI: 16.6-21.2) versus 17.7 g (95% CI: 13.2-22.2), P=0.63]. No significant difference in weight gain between the two groups was seen (P=0.6). However, there was a trend towards weight gain in the dining room group. CONCLUSION: Food intake can be improved by using a supervised dining room, and this will potentially lead to weight gain and corresponding improvements in nutritional status and rehabilitation.     

早期康复治疗对急性脑卒中患者吞咽和肢体运动功能的影响

目的探讨早期康复对急性脑卒中患者吞咽、上下肢运动功能及日常生活能力的影响。方法选择急性脑卒中患者96例，随机分为康复组和对照组（每组48例）。用前瞻性研究方法对两组进行比较分析。两组在给予临床药物＋针灸治疗的同时，康复组进行正规的康复训练，对照组进行未经指导的自我锻炼。分别于入选治疗前24h及治疗后4周进行测评。吞咽功能、运动功能、日常生活能力、神经功能缺损分别采用日本洼田咽水试验、Fugl—Meyer运动积分法（FMA）、Barthel指数（BI）、神经功能缺损程度评分标准（1995）进行评定。结果经过4周的治疗，两组吞咽功能、肢体运动功能均有一定程度改善，日常生活能力提高，康复组改善幅度明显高于对照组（P〈0．01或P〈0．05）。结论急性脑卒中患者进行早期康复治疗，能明显改善吞咽功能、肢体运动功能，提高日常生活能力，提高患者的生活质量。     

脑卒中偏瘫早期床边肢体康复训练

目的:探讨早期床边肢体康复训练对脑卒中病人的影响。方法:120例脑卒中偏瘫病人随机分为康 复组合对照组各60例,两组病人均接受神经内科常规治疗,对康复组病人同时进行康复训练。结果:康复训练后, 康复组病人肢体肌力恢复提高明显(P<0．05)。结论:在脑卒中病人生命体征稳定后,及早、正确地实行早期床边 肢体康复训练对肢体恢复有重要意义。     

Integrating Vocational Services on Case Management Teams: Outcomes from a Research Demonstration Project

Recent innovations to improve employment rates among persons with psychiatric disabilities include hybrid case management/employment services. Project WINS was a research/demonstration project which integrated specialized vocational services into case management teams. In this report, client outcomes of WINS involvement are evaluated, using a quasiexperimental, longitudinal design. On almost all the work-related variables, participants in the immediate and delayed treatment conditions displayed better outcomes than those in the control condition, as did individuals receiving moderate or substantial service versus no/minimal services. To address possible selection bias due to the quasiexperimental nature of the design, further analyses used baseline differences across conditions and participation levels as covariates. Results of multivariate analyses showed some anomalous findings regarding significant positive effects for the delayed, but not the immediate treatment condition versus the no-treatment control group. However, in similar analyses involving participation level as the independent variable, a moderate or substantial amount of service increased the odds of working by almost five times and also positively affected three other work-related variables. While limitations of this quasiexperimental design are noted, the results appear promising enough to support replications of WINS.     

听力障碍儿童17例听力检测结果分析

目的探讨完善的听力学评估在听力障碍(听障)儿童听力检测及康复中的重要性。方法对17例既往诊断为听障的儿童进行常规声导抗测试、行为测听、耳声发射等综合听力学评估。结果听障儿童17例中3例听力正常,14例感音神经性听力损失,其中仅1例配戴助听器。结论听障儿童的听力学诊断应建立在完善的听力学评估的基础上。对听障儿童应进行长期听力学随访,直到获得可靠的双耳行为听阈、作出明确的听力学诊断为止。     

生脉注射液改善缓解期慢性肺源性心脏病患者心肺功能

目的评价生脉注射液对慢性阻塞性肺疾病合并慢性肺源性心脏病患者心肺功能的影响。方法慢性阻塞性肺疾病稳定期合并慢性肺源性心脏病代偿期患者106例,随机分为生脉组(50例)和对照组(56例),对照组按常规进行康复治疗同时加强营养支持,生脉组在常规康复治疗的基础上予生脉注射液60 ml加入5%葡萄糖注射液500 ml中静脉滴注,1次/d,共28 d。在治疗前后对患者进行肺通气功能、血气分析、超声心动图检查,并测试患者6 min步行距离(6MWD)。结果在治疗前两组患者的FEV1、FEV1/FVC、PaO2、SaO2、PaCO2无显著性差异,治疗后两组患者FEV1、FEV1/FVC、PaO2、SaO2、6MWD等指标均有不同程度改善(P<0.05),生脉组的改善程度优于对照组(P<0.05)。生脉组部分患者治疗后右心室流出道和右心室内径增宽有所改善,而对照组治疗前后右心室流出道和右心室内径无显著变化。结论生脉注射液能够改善慢性阻塞性肺疾病合并慢性肺源性心脏病患者的心肺功能,提高患者的运动耐受能力。     

老年人韧带损伤致关节功能障碍的康复疗效分析

目的 探索老年入踝、膝、肘关节韧带损伤致功能障碍的康复治疗效果。方法 用分米波疗法、音频电疗法和运动疗法对124例患者进行康复治疗。用触压痛、活动痛、日常活动受限程度和关节活动度进行康复评定。结果 110例患者完成了康复治疗。损伤关节韧带的触压痛和关节活动或行走时疼痛程度明显减轻（P〈0．01），损伤关节的日常活动功能明显得到改善（P〈0．01），患者的踝、膝、肘关节的关节活动度也明显改善（P〈0．001）。结论 分米波疗法、音频电疗法和运动疗法的综合康复治疗方法，能显著地减轻关节周围韧带损伤引起的疼痛症状，并能有效地恢复受损关节及敦组织的活动功能。