OBJECTIVES To compare the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the motor subscale of the functional independence measure (FIM), the original 10 item Barthel index (BI), and the 5 item short form BI (BI-5) in inpatients with stroke receiving rehabilitation. METHODS 118 inpatients with stroke at a rehabilitation unit participated in the study. The patients were tested with the FIM motor...

BACKGROUND Recent studies have suggested that inflammation may play an important role in aging and the development of disabilities, but knowledge about its importance in the development of muscle weakness and functional disabilities in very old people is limited. This study examined associations between inflammatory markers and physical performance among nonagenarians. METHODS The population-...

INTRODUCTION Mortality and disability following ischemic stroke (IS) remains unacceptably high with respect to the conventional therapies. This study tested the effect of erythropoietin (EPO) on long-term neurological outcome in patients after acute IS. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of two consecutive doses of EPO (5,000 IU/dose, subcutaneously administered at 48 hours an...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of repetitive locomotor training on an electromechanical gait trainer plus physiotherapy in subacute stroke patients. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Four German neurological rehabilitation centres. SUBJECTS One hundred and fifty-five non-ambulatory patients (first-time stroke <60 days). INTERVENTION Group A received 20 min locomotor training...

BACKGROUND Cardiopulmonary function can be adversely affected after a cerebrovascular accident in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) for stroke patients with CHF. METHODS A prospective randomized single-blind controlled trial was conducted in a single tertiary medical center i...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The heterogeneity of stroke makes outcome prediction difficult. Neuroimaging parameters may improve the predictive value of clinical measures such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). We investigated whether the volume of early ischemic brain lesions assessed with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was an independent predictor of functional outcome. ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Depression is highly prevalent after stroke and may influence recovery. We aimed to determine whether depressed mood acutely after stroke predicts subsequent disability and mortality. METHODS As part of the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study, a population-based incident stroke case follow-up study performed in a multiethnic urban population, participants were asked about d...