THE INDEX

Every paper we have read

Each one summarised from the full article, not its abstract, and kept only if it speaks to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology or nursing. Newest first.

35,183 PAPERS · PAGE 296 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• Cohort2018Media Exposure in Low-Income Preschool-Aged Children Is Associated with Multiple Measures of Self-Regulatory Behavior.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPIn low-income preschoolers, more daily screen time and background TV were linked to shorter wait times in a delay-gratification task and higher parent-reported difficult temperament. No associations were found with teacher-reported adaptive behavior. Direction of cause is unknown.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2018Implementation of disability policy framework in Namibia: A qualitative study.The South African journal of physiotherapyKey implementers in Namibia said disability policies exist but are poorly applied: rehabilitation budgets, staffing, coordination, assistive devices, sign language and Braille were often missing. Patients may face these barriers even when policy says they have rights.
• PTRCT2018Trainer in a pocket - proof-of-concept of mobile, real-time, foot kinematics feedback for gait pattern normalization in individuals after stroke, incomplete spinal cord injury and elderly patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationShoe sensors gave verbal gait feedback to adults after stroke, incomplete spinal cord injury, or older age. The trained foot angle or timing moved toward normal during the training visits, but walking speed and Timed Up and Go did not improve.
• Cohort2018Race/Ethnicity and Retention in Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes Research: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationRetention in 1- and 2-year research follow-up was 85.2% for Hispanic participants, compared with 91.8% for white and 90.5% for black participants. Preinjury problem substance use altered the pattern, with no race/ethnicity differences among those with such a history.
• PTOTRCT2018A novel sensor-based assessment of lower limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn children with cerebral palsy, a sensor-based Modified Tardieu assessment gave more consistent knee and ankle spasticity measurements than the conventional clinician-rated method. It also measured clonus duration, but it did not test treatment outcomes.
• PTOther2018Mechanical lower back pain and sacroiliac joint dysfunction in golfers at two golf clubs in Durban, South Africa.The South African journal of physiotherapyIn 271 amateur golfers, 123 reported recent mechanical lower back pain and 62 had sacroiliac joint dysfunction on screening; 60 had both, and the two problems often occurred together. Consider checking the joint, but this is not proof that treating it relieves pain.
• PTQualitative2018Review of policy and legislative framework for disability services in Namibia.The South African journal of physiotherapyCommunity-based rehabilitation is Namibia's main route to disability services, but all policies except inclusive education lack monitoring, and the disability policy and council act are only partly aligned with the UN disability convention.
• Other2018Network-specific sex differentiation of intrinsic brain function in males with autism.Molecular autismResting brain scans in males with autism showed overlap with typical sex differences in two ways. Autism-related lower connectivity overlapped male-typical patterns in social-thinking networks and female-typical patterns in movement and hearing networks.
• PTSurvey2018Barriers to evidence-based physiotherapy practice for stroke survivors in Ghana.The South African journal of physiotherapyGhanaian physiotherapists treating stroke survivors reported organisational barriers as the biggest problem: no protected time, no current research access, and no mandate to use evidence. They still valued evidence-based practice but felt less confident interpreting research results.
• SLPOther2018Binaural Pitch Fusion: Effects of Amplitude Modulation.Trends in hearingSlow amplitude modulation made tones in the two ears fuse over wider frequency ranges in both normal-hearing and hearing aid users. When the modulation differed between the ears, the effect was smaller.
• RCT2018An Exploratory Trial of Transdermal Nicotine for Aggression and Irritability in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn adults with autism and aggression, one-week nicotine patches did not show a clear reduction in caregiver-rated irritability compared with placebo. The patches were tolerated, but this tiny pilot cannot show the treatment works.
• PTOther2018Biomechanics and energetics of walking in powered ankle exoskeletons using myoelectric control versus mechanically intrinsic control.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMetabolic work rate did not differ significantly between two powered ankle exoskeleton control methods in eight healthy adults. Both powered methods reduced metabolic work rate compared with unpowered exoskeleton walking. The main differences were calf muscle activity and ankle power.
• PTOTQualitative2018Suitability of 'Guidelines for Screening of Prosthetic Candidates: Lower Limb' for the Eastern Cape, South Africa: A qualitative study.The South African journal of physiotherapyEastern Cape clinicians generally found the prosthetic screening tool comprehensive and helpful for referral and backlog management. Some found it time-consuming and wanted changes. It is not evidence that using the tool improves patient outcomes.
• Other2018Cytotoxic Effects of Nonionic Iodinated Contrast Agent on Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationIn lab dishes, mixing stem cells with iodinated contrast killed them if left together for 4 or 48 hours. A brief 30-minute contact caused no significant cell death. Do not assume clinical safety; this is an in vitro study, not a patient trial.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2018Auditory and Cognitive Training for Cognition in Adults With Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Trends in hearingHome-based auditory training produced small but reliable improvements in overall cognition and working memory for adults with hearing loss. Cognitive training showed larger effects, but these were unstable and driven by one study. Neither intervention is proven to halt decline.
• PTOTOther2018Reference values of intrinsic muscle strength of the hand of adolescents and young adults.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsIn adolescents and young adults, intrinsic hand muscle strength differed by sex and hand dominance, but age alone did not appear to influence strength.
• Other2018Considering disability and health: Reflections on the Healthy People 2020 Midcourse Review.Disability and health journalThis commentary reviews national progress on Healthy People 2020 disability objectives, noting improvements in areas like primary care access and early intervention, but declining employment rates for people with disabilities. It reports no clinical interventions or patient outcomes.
• SLPCase-Control2018Maternal Exposures Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Jamaican Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMothers of autistic children in Jamaica reported significantly higher rates of fever, physical trauma, and oil-based paint exposure than mothers of typically developing children. These retrospective associations require confirmation in larger studies before guiding clinical practice.
• Other2018Mechanisms of electrical vasoconstriction.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn rats, low-voltage pulses constricted arteries through nerve pathways and recovered quickly, while high-voltage pulses constricted arteries and veins without nerve pathways and recovered slowly; the 20 V and 150 V vasoconstriction pulses did not damage vessel cells.
• OTOther2018Coactivation index of children with congenital upper limb reduction deficiencies before and after using a wrist-driven 3D printed partial hand prosthesis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationChildren with congenital partial hand reductions had higher wrist flexor coactivation on the affected side. After 6 months using a 3D printed wrist-driven prosthesis, flexor coactivation fell by 70% affected versus 30% non-affected; no clear strength gain was shown.
• SLPOther2018A Hearing-Model-Based Active-Learning Test for the Determination of Dead Regions.Trends in hearingSmart DRT estimated where a basal cochlear dead region starts in 5 to 8 minutes per ear. It agreed with other test methods in 13 of 14 cases, but one case was inconsistent and the sample was small.
• OTOther2017Developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration: Incidence, associations and co-morbidities.The British journal of occupational therapyParent reports showed 32% of children with DCD had definite sensory processing difficulties and 56% had some problems. Motor scores did not line up with sensory scores. Children with DCD plus ASD had more definite total sensory difficulties.
• PTOTSLPPilot2017Analyzing State Autism Private Insurance Mandates for Allied Health Services: A Pilot Study.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthState autism insurance laws vary widely in age caps and service limits, often restricting coverage for occupational therapy and other allied health services. Therapists must check specific state mandates for treatment caps and provider licensure requirements to understand what services private insurance will actually pay for.
• OTOther2017Identification of Sensory Processing and Integration Symptom Clusters: A Preliminary Study.Occupational therapy internationalChildren with sensory processing challenges formed three groups. All had overresponsivity. Groups with craving or underresponsivity alongside overresponsivity had more motor, discrimination, and behavior symptoms.
• OTSurvey2017Relationships between Caregiving Stress, Depression, and Self-Esteem in Family Caregivers of Adults with a Disability.Occupational therapy internationalFamily caregivers of adults with disability reported more stress when depression was higher, and lower self-esteem when financial or psychological stress was higher. Older spousal caregivers with no paid work and long caregiving hours reported more stress.
• SLPPilot2018Understanding Performance and Verbal-Communication of Children with ASD in a Collaborative Virtual Environment.Journal of autism and developmental disordersA 60-minute collaborative virtual puzzle session was feasible for children with and without autism: all completed it and reported high enjoyment. Some performance and communication measures improved pre-to-post. The authors did not test it as treatment.
• PTOTRCT2018Reliability, validity, and clinical feasibility of a rapid and objective assessment of post-stroke deficits in hand proprioception.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robot test of finger position sense took about 12.3 minutes and was repeatable on the stroke-affected hand, but it did not match bedside sensory tests and was not repeatable on the less affected hand.
• PTSurvey2018Happiness among South African private sector physiotherapists.The South African journal of physiotherapySouth African private physiotherapists reported moderate happiness, with life balance showing the strongest link to well-being. Social relations scored lowest, as 37% lacked work friends. Practice owners can support retention by scheduling social time and protecting work-life boundaries rather than micromanaging clinical tasks.
• SLPOther2018Assessing the efficacy of asynchronous telehealth-based hearing screening and diagnostic services using automated audiometry in a rural South African school.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsAutomated telehealth hearing screening in a rural school missed 8 ears with hearing loss, yielding 65.2% sensitivity. While specificity was perfect, the high false-negative rate means this screening method alone may miss children with mild or low-frequency loss.
• OTSLPCase-Control2018Convergent thinking and traumatic brain injury: an investigation of performance on the remote associate test.Brain injuryPeople with moderate-to-severe TBI were 2.45 times less likely to solve remote associate problems than healthy people. In the TBI group, poor problem-solving tracked with verbal memory and processing speed, but not executive function tests.
• SLPOther2018Towards the preferred stimulus parameters for distortion product otoacoustic emissions in adults: A preliminary study.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsIn normal-hearing adults, DPOAE levels were higher with 65/55 or 65/65 dB SPL stimulus levels and with frequency ratios of 1.18 to 1.22. No settings clearly gave more repeatable results, and 8003 Hz was less repeatable.
• PTOTNarrative Review2018Rehabilitation robots for the treatment of sensorimotor deficits: a neurophysiological perspective.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot-assisted therapy can increase repetitions and standardize training, and may help walking recovery, but many devices lack clinical evaluation and superiority over dose-matched conventional therapy is not established.
• PTRCT2018Randomized controlled trial of robot-assisted gait training with dorsiflexion assistance on chronic stroke patients wearing ankle-foot-orthosis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 19 chronic stroke patients with foot drop, powered ankle assistance during over-ground walking and stair training improved walking independence more than passive AFO training after 20 sessions. The advantage over passive AFO was not confirmed at 3 months.
• SLPOther2018Face Identity Recognition and the Social Difficulties Component of the Autism-Like Phenotype: Evidence for Phenotypic and Genetic Links.Journal of autism and developmental disordersWeaker face memory tracked more parent-reported social interaction difficulties in adolescent twins, and the link held when car memory was considered. The association appeared genetic, but this was not a clinical autism diagnosis.
• SLPCase-Control2018Plasma anandamide concentrations are lower in children with autism spectrum disorder.Molecular autismChildren with autism had lower plasma anandamide levels than controls. This was a blood biomarker difference, not a tested treatment, and medication use differed between groups.
• SLPSurvey2018Imaginary Companions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents reported imaginary companions in 16.2% of children with autism and 45.2% of typically developing children. When present in autism, companions were often a toy or stuffed animal, started later, and served social or comfort roles.
• PTOther2018Effect of altered carrying angle on the medial-to-lateral activation ratio in the biceps brachii and triceps brachii.Journal of physical therapy scienceStraightening the forearm during biceps and triceps dumbbell exercises did not show a difference in overall muscle activation in 35 healthy adults. The medial side showed greater activation than the lateral side in the resting and straight positions.
• PTPilot2018Exercise loading for cardiopulmonary assessment and evaluation of endurance in amputee football players.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 8 amputee football players, two-armed peak work rate was significantly higher than in healthy men, while peak heart rate, peak oxygen uptake and peak ventilation were not significantly different. In healthy participants, two-armed peak work rate was significantly higher than one-legged peak work rate.
• PTQualitative2018The perceived barriers and facilitators in completing a Master's degree in Physiotherapy.The South African journal of physiotherapyResearch environment and support were named by 10 physiotherapy master's graduates as either barriers or facilitators to completion. Those who completed within the stipulated period cited personal motivation and efficient logistics; those who took longer cited difficult data collection and poor supervisor relationships.
• Survey2018Perceived Toddler Sleep Problems, Co-sleeping, and Maternal Sleep and Mental Health.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPPerceived toddler sleep problems linked to poorer maternal mental health, but only via reduced sleep in co-sleeping mothers. Non-co-sleeping mothers showed no such link. All mothers averaged under 7 hours sleep, regardless of arrangement.
• PTOther2018Estimation of knee joint reaction force based on the plantar flexion resistance of an ankle-foot orthosis during gait.Journal of physical therapy scienceAn ankle-foot orthosis that resists downward foot movement increased estimated early-stance knee loading in 10 healthy men compared with no orthosis, and the stiffer setting also increased knee bending.
• SLPPilot2018A pilot study to determine the feasibility of a cluster randomised controlled trial of an intervention to change peer attitudes towards children who stutter.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsThe classroom stuttering programme did not show a clear overall change in peer attitudes at 1 or 6 months. One verbal interaction subscale showed a positive shift at 6 months. The pilot suggests a future trial may be feasible, not proof the programme works.
• PTOther2018The Increase in Overlap of Cortical Activity Preceding Static Elbow/Shoulder Motor Tasks Is Associated With Limb Synergies in Severe Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn severe chronic stroke, cortical activity for shoulder and elbow tasks became more overlapped before movement. That overlap was associated with lower upper-limb motor scores and greater elbow torque coupling.
• OTOther2018Examining Anosognosia of Neglect.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthStroke survivors with neglect frequently lack insight into their own deficits. Personal neglect, such as grooming or dressing, showed the highest rate of unawareness at up to 83.3%. Assessors rated neglect severity significantly higher than patients did, indicating a substantial gap in self-awareness.
• PTRCT2018Effect of respiratory exercise on pulmonary function, balance, and gait in patients with chronic stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding respiratory trainer exercises to standard neurodevelopmental treatment improved lung capacity, balance, and walking speed in chronic stroke patients. The trainer group gained 3.6 points on the Berg Balance Scale and walked 4.8 seconds faster over 10 meters compared to baseline.
• SLPOther2018A comparison between video otoscopy and standard tympanometry findings in adults living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in South Africa.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsVideo otoscopy and standard tympanometry often disagreed about middle ear problems in adults living with HIV. Video otoscopy found problems in 11% of ears and tympanometry in 8%, but agreement was poor.
• SLPCohort2018Behavioral Effects of Chronic Gray and White Matter Stroke Lesions in a Functionally Defined Connectome for Naming.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairNaming ability after chronic left hemisphere stroke depends on the integrity of specific white matter tracts, not just the gray matter regions activated in healthy people. Damage to these connections predicts poor word retrieval, while gray matter lesion volume alone does not.
• OTQualitative2017Enablers and challenges to occupational therapists' research engagement: A qualitative study.The British journal of occupational therapyOccupational therapists delivering dementia research found paperwork, videoing, recruitment and a new intervention overwhelming. Peer and management support, protected funded time, and positive attitudes helped them stay involved.
• OTQualitative2017Integrating Occupational Therapy Specific Assessments in Practice: Exploring Practitioner Experiences.Occupational therapy internationalTherapists in Sweden and Japan said occupation-based assessments made intervention planning clearer, but time, space, and team culture often pushed them to quicker, less occupation-focused tools.
• OTSurvey2017Further Validation of the Norwegian Self-Efficacy for Therapeutic Mode Use.Occupational therapy internationalAmong 111 occupational therapy students, confidence in concrete therapeutic behaviors tracked closely with confidence in named therapeutic modes. The N-SETMU scale may help assess students' confidence, but not proof of actual skill.