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 299 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2018Tape measure-based real-time feedback during the abdominal draw-in maneuver facilitates isolated transverse abdominal contraction.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy men, wrapping a tape measure around the waist while drawing the lower abdomen in increased transverse abdominal muscle thickness more than doing the maneuver without feedback. The oblique muscles did not change, so this tested muscle thickness, not pain or function.
• PTOther2018Comparison of posturographic parameters between young taekwondo and tennis athletes.Journal of physical therapy scienceYoung taekwondo athletes had less standing sway than tennis athletes. The groups differed in height and weight, and training was not assigned, so this is an association, not proof taekwondo improves balance.
• OTSystematic Review2018Evidence-Based Clinical Algorithm for Hypotonia Assessment: To Pardon the Errs.Occupational therapy internationalAn evidence-based algorithm was developed to guide clinicians assessing children suspected of having hypotonia. It was revised after clinician feedback, but no patient outcomes were tested, so it is not evidence that the algorithm improves care.
• OTSurvey2018Role Participation: A Comparison across Age Groups in a Norwegian General Population Sample.Occupational therapy internationalHome maintainer was the most common current role in a Norwegian general population sample, and religious participant was the least common. People aged 65 and over reported fewer current roles than younger age groups.
• SLPCohort2018Language development in deaf or hard-of-hearing children with additional disabilities: type matters!Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRFrom 3 to 5 years, overall average language scores were steady, but children with autism, cerebral palsy, or developmental delay had score drops while children with other disabilities improved. Oral-only early communication was linked to better vocabulary.
• PTOTRCT2018Error-augmented bimanual therapy for stroke survivors.NeuroRehabilitationIn chronic stroke, error-augmented bimanual robot practice did not improve primary arm motor scores more than sham practice. Both groups gained, and after excluding one control participant, the error-augmented group showed a small follow-up gain.
• PTOTCohort2018Recovery of kinematic arm function in well-performing people with subacute stroke: a longitudinal cohort study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationArm movement quality did not improve over follow-up in high-functioning stroke patients. Elbow speed and trunk or shoulder compensation remained different from healthy controls.
• PTRCT2018Effects of task-specific movement patterns during resistance exercise on the respiratory functions and thickness of abdominal muscles of children with cerebral palsy: randomized placebo-controlled double-blinded clinical trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceChildren with cerebral palsy who did task-specific movements wearing weighted vests improved breathing measures and abdominal muscle thickness more than children who did the same movements without added weight. Both groups also improved, and the study was small.
• PTOther2018Predictive value of the pendulum test for assessing knee extensor spasticity.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 131 knees from 93 adults with a neurological condition or injury, pendulum test measurements could help identify knee extensor spasticity, especially first flexion amplitude plus resting angle. They did not reliably separate low from high spasticity.
• SLPCohort2018White matter properties associated with pre-reading skills in 6-year-old children born preterm and at term.Developmental medicine and child neurologyWhite matter tract measures of a left language pathway tracked phonological awareness in both preterm and term 6-year-olds. A right brain tract linked to language tracked language scores only in term children. Preterm children had lower language scores.
• SLPNarrative Review2018Best Practices and Advice for Using Pupillometry to Measure Listening Effort: An Introduction for Those Who Want to Get Started.Trends in hearingNo clinical finding to act on. This is a methods guidance review, not an original study.
• SLPOther2018Hearing, Emotion, Amplification, Research, and Training Workshop: Current Understanding of Hearing Loss and Emotion Perception and Priorities for Future Research.Trends in hearingNo tested outcomes here: a consensus workshop article on hearing loss and emotion perception lists concepts, methods, and counseling ideas, not evidence to change practice.
• PTOther2018Muscle activation pattern during self-propelled treadmill walking.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy young adults walking on a short, inclined self-propelled treadmill took shorter steps and showed greater activity in some knee and hip muscles at heel-strike than over-ground walking. Preferred treadmill speed was slower.
• SLPNarrative Review2018An Integrative Model Accounting for the Symptom Cluster Triggered After an Acoustic Shock.Trends in hearingNo clinical finding is reported. The paper proposes a model of acoustic shock symptoms, so it does not change Monday practice.
• SLPRCT2018Identification of urinary metabolites that correlate with clinical improvements in children with autism treated with sulforaphane from broccoli.Molecular autismAfter 12 weeks of a broccoli-derived supplement, 15 children with autism had parent-rated social functioning scores that improved, while general behavior scores did not change clearly. Without a control group, this cannot prove the supplement helped.
• SLPCase-Control2018Abnormal coherence and sleep composition in children with Angelman syndrome: a retrospective EEG study.Molecular autismChildren with Angelman syndrome had stronger brain-wave links between distant electrodes during wakefulness and sleep, plus fewer and shorter sleep spindles, brief brain bursts in non-REM sleep. These exploratory markers may guide future trials, not Monday therapy.
• OTSurvey2018Health, work, social trust, and financial situation in persons with Usher syndrome type 1.Work (Reading, Mass.)Among adults with Usher syndrome type 1 who use sign language, not working was linked to worse health, daily activity problems, social trust, and money worries. Working was linked to more suicide thoughts and feeling offended.
• Other2018A comparison of PHQ-9 and TBI-QOL depression measures among individuals with traumatic brain injury.Rehabilitation psychologyIn 385 adults with TBI, the two depression screens agreed 82.9% to 84.7% at a common cutoff. Disagreement came mainly from PHQ-9 body symptom items. TBI-QOL alone is not ready for clinical use.
• PTOther2018Dynamic balance assessment using an unstable board in community-dwelling elderly people.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn high-functioning older adults, a portable unstable board measured front-to-back sway, and greater sway went with poorer performance on common balance tests. Side-to-side sway did not go with those tests.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2018Traumatic brain injury education for adult patients and families: a scoping review.Brain injuryEducation for brain injury varies widely. In mild cases, it can match intensive therapy for some symptoms. In moderate to severe cases, education alone rarely improves outcomes unless combined with problem-solving and support. Written materials are often ignored; patients need in-person explanation.
• SLPOther2018The Self-Assessed Békesy Procedure: Validation of a Method to Measure Intelligibility of Connected Discourse.Trends in hearingA self-rating adaptive test matched standard sentence thresholds for Matrix sentences, but not for context-rich LIST sentences. It also found stories were harder than sentences, especially with a competing talker.
• PTRCT2018The effect of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation on corticospinal excitability in chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.NeuroRehabilitationCathodal, anodal, and sham spinal electrical stimulation did not significantly change brain-to-leg muscle signals in people with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury. This small study found no change to act on.
• SLPCohort2018Prenatal mercury exposure and features of autism: a prospective population study.Molecular autismPrenatal mercury exposure was not associated with autism diagnosis or autistic traits in children. A possible adverse link appeared only among mothers who ate no fish.
• PTOTRCT2018Using an upper extremity exoskeleton for semi-autonomous exercise during inpatient neurological rehabilitation- a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSeverely affected stroke patients accepted extra upper-limb exoskeleton training without therapist support, but used about 55% of offered sessions. Some arm strength and movement improved, yet with no control group this cannot be credited to the device.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2018Association Between Subjective Tinnitus and Cervical Spine or Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review.Trends in hearingPeople with subjective tinnitus are significantly more likely to have temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and cervical spine disorders (CSD) than those without tinnitus. This association is bidirectional for TMD, meaning jaw problems also predict tinnitus presence.
• PTCase Report2018Non-operative correction of flat back syndrome using lumbar extension traction: a CBP® case series of two.Journal of physical therapy scienceTwo men with chronic low back pain and flexible flat back reported pain as 1/10 after 100 and 70 treatments. Lumbar manipulation and extension traction were given together, so neither can be credited alone.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2018Everyday Activities for Children with Mitochondrial Disorder: A Retrospective Chart Review.Occupational therapy internationalChildren with mitochondrial disorders across all functioning levels engaged in the same nine activity categories, from self-care to leisure. The difference was not what they did, but how: varying levels of assistance, adaptive devices, and energy management were required for participation.
• SLPOther2018Vowel Formant Dispersion Reflects Severity of Apraxia of Speech.AphasiologyAfter stroke, greater variability in vowel sounds and voiced stop timing during picture description went with more severe apraxia of speech, but acoustic measures alone were not accurate enough for diagnosis.
• SLPCohort2018Early gesture use in fragile X syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAfter nonverbal skills were considered, infants with fragile X syndrome did not show a clear difference in gesture count from high-risk siblings or low-risk infants. Before that, they used fewer gestures at 24 months; growth rates were similar.
• OTCohort2018Predictors of quality of life for autistic adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic adults reported lower quality of life than UK norms. A current mental health condition, higher social communication impairment, and being female were associated with lower physical, psychological, or environmental quality of life; employment, relationships, and support were associated with better.
• PTRCT2018Optimal intensity of PNF stretching: maintaining the efficacy of stretching while ensuring its safety.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn adults, PNF stretching at 100% of maximum voluntary isometric contraction increased hamstring range more than 40% or 10% but produced more pain. 70% gave range gain similar to 100% and pain levels closer to lower intensities.
• OTCase Report2018Pinnipeds and PTSD: An Analysis of a Human-Animal Interaction Case Study Program for a Veteran.Occupational therapy internationalOne veteran who completed a four-week program combining education, staff, contact, and training reported a 15-point drop on the 80-point PTSD checklist. With three others not attending all sessions and no control group, this is one person, not evidence seals treat PTSD.
• PTCase-Control2018Altered postural sway during quiet standing in women with clinical lumbar instability.Journal of physical therapy scienceWomen with clinical lumbar instability swayed more during a quiet eyes-closed standing test. They moved farther, faster, and over a larger area than healthy women.
• OTSurvey2018Awareness and Knowledge about Occupational Therapy in Jordan.Occupational therapy internationalIn Jordan, 48% of adults had poor or no knowledge of occupational therapy. Misconceptions were common, including that therapists are physiotherapists, work only with disability, or provide job recruitment.
• SLPOther2018Objective Binaural Loudness Balancing Based on 40-Hz Auditory Steady-State Responses. Part II: Asymmetric and Bimodal Hearing.Trends in hearingBrain responses roughly matched loudness balance in asymmetric hearing, but errors were common; in bimodal users they were closer at 500 Hz and less accurate at 2000 Hz.
• OTCohort2018Employment exit and entry among U.S. adults with and without arthritis during the Great Recession. A longitudinal study: 2007-2009, NHIS/MEPS.Work (Reading, Mass.)During the Great Recession, 27.0% of U.S. adults with arthritis stopped work versus 16.8% without; 24.8% started work versus 38.7%. After adjustment, the arthritis association with lower work entry was null.
• SLPOther2018Effects of Slow- and Fast-Acting Compression on Hearing-Impaired Listeners' Consonant-Vowel Identification in Interrupted Noise.Trends in hearingFast compression improved consonant recognition by 8% to 9% at 55 and 65 dB SPL in nine older hearing-impaired listeners, but not at 45 or 75 dB SPL. No clear harm appeared at higher levels.
• SLPOther2018Evaluation of Noise Reduction Algorithms in Hearing Aids for Multiple Signals From Equal or Different Directions.Trends in hearingActivating both noise reduction and directional microphone raised the measured speech-to-noise balance by about 6 dB in a hearing aid bench test. No human listening tests were done, so it does not show better speech understanding or less listening effort.
• OTQualitative2018Life-changing or trivial: Electricians' views about electrical accidents.Work (Reading, Mass.)Electricians described shocks as sometimes life-changing, with persistent fear, guilt and resentment, and said health care often ignored mental effects and follow-up. Workplace support and how the accident was handled mattered for work recovery.
• SLPCase-Control2018Speech Recognition in Noise by Children with and without Dyslexia: How is it Related to Reading?Research in developmental disabilitiesFlattened frequency speech did not explain hearing speech problems in children with dyslexia. They still recognized speech less accurately in noise and quiet than typical peers. Reading and listening in noise relied on different language skills.
• PTCase-Control2018Using machine learning to identify patterns of lifetime health problems in decedents with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchPeople with autism who died had more lifetime health problems, including epilepsy, long-term medication use and side effects, motor problems, choking, urinary, digestive and ear issues, but fewer records for alcohol abuse, hypertension and metastatic cancer. These are patterns, not treatment effects.
• PTOther2018Using principal component analysis to reduce complex datasets produced by robotic technology in healthy participants.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobotic upper-limb test scores can be grouped into a few readable patterns. In healthy right-handed adults, each task’s many metrics reduced to 3 or 5 patterns explaining most of the differences.
• OTRCT2018Effects of modified constraint-induced movement therapy on upper extremity function and occupational performance of stroke patients.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding modified constraint-induced movement therapy to standard rehab improved arm use and daily task performance in stroke patients. The standard rehab group alone showed little change. With only 14 participants, these results are preliminary and require confirmation in larger trials.
• PTOther2018The effect of different hip rotation angles on electromyography activity of the quadriceps muscle during closed kinetic chain tasks in healthy females.Journal of physical therapy scienceStanding on toes with hip rotation did not selectively increase vastus medialis oblique activity compared to vastus lateralis in healthy females. Vastus lateralis was consistently more active, meaning this position fails to target the medial stabilizer often needed for patellofemoral pain.
• SLPOther2018The Noise Exposure Structured Interview (NESI): An Instrument for the Comprehensive Estimation of Lifetime Noise Exposure.Trends in hearingThe NESI is a structured interview for estimating lifetime noise exposure. It asks about noisy activities, life periods, duration, level, hearing protection, and firearm noise. It is mainly for research, not a validated clinical test.
• SLPCohort2018Challenging behaviours at early adulthood in autism spectrum disorders: topography, risk factors and evolution.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRIn young adults with autism spectrum disorder, challenging behaviours mostly persisted from adolescence to early adulthood, except hyperactivity decreased. Greater autism severity and limited language were linked to more behaviours and self-injury; gastrointestinal problems were linked to stereotypy.
• PTOTOther2018An evaluation of the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of OccuPro's functional capacity evaluation.Work (Reading, Mass.)Trained examiners showed moderate to excellent agreement on OccuPro FCE subtests. Pinch agreement was moderate in injured upper-extremity patients, and material-handling agreement between different examiners was moderate to good in healthy students.
• OTOther2018Improving internal model strength and performance of prosthetic hands using augmented feedback.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAudio feedback added to a muscle-controlled prosthetic hand helped healthy users adapt more and complete more grasp-and-lift transfers without breaking the object. Speed did not change. It was a small lab test in able-bodied people, not amputees.
• SLPOther2018An mHealth Platform for Supporting Clinical Data Integration into Augmentative and Alternative Communication Service Delivery: User-Centered Design and Usability Evaluation.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesTen speech-language pathology participants rated a new AAC app and web portal 4.28 out of 5 for ease and efficiency, and 90% preferred it for clinical data collection. The study used simulated data, not patient outcomes.
• PTQualitative2018Meaning and potential of interview data in depiction of life stories: interviews of three mothers caring for children with severe disabilities.Journal of physical therapy scienceMothers of children with severe disabilities described moving from unhappiness and blaming others toward awareness and gratitude, with different final meanings.