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Background:The aim of this study was to explore the effects of action observation therapy on motor function of upper extremity, activities of daily living, and motion evoked potential in cerebral infarction patients.Method:Cerebral infarction survivors were randomly assigned to an experimental group (28 patients) or a control group (25 patients). The conventional rehabilitation treatments were applied in both groups, but the experimental group received an additional action observation therapy for 8 weeks (6 times per week, 20 minutes per time). Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and motor evoked potential (MEP) were used to evaluate the upper limb movement function and daily life activity.Results:There were no significant differences between experiment and control group in the indexes, including FMA, WMFT, and MBI scores, before the intervention. However, after 8 weeks treatments, these indexes were improved significantly. MEP latency and center-motion conduction time (CMCT) decreased from 23.82 ± 2.16 and 11.15 ± 1.68 to 22.69 ± 2.11 and 10.12 ± 1.46 ms. MEP amplitude increased from 0.61 ± 0.22 to 1.25 ± 0.38 mV. A remarkable relationship between the evaluations indexes of MEP and FMA was found.Conclusions:Combination of motion observation and traditional upper limb rehabilitation treatment technology can significantly elevate the movement function of cerebral infarction patients in subacute seizure phase with upper limb dysfunction, which expanded the application range of motion observation therapy and provided an effective therapy strategy for upper extremities hemiplegia in stroke patients.

Objective To investigate the effects of mirror neuron theory-based visual feedback therapy (VFT) on restoration of upper limb function of stroke patients and motor-related cortical function using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods Hemiplegic stroke patients were randomly divided into two groups: a VFT group and a control (CTL) group. Sixteen patients in the VFT group received conventional rehabilitation (CR) and VFT for 8 weeks, while 15 patients in the CTL group received only CR. The Barthel Index (BI) was used to assess the activities of daily living at baseline and the 8 th week of the recovery training period. The Fugl–Meyer assessment (FMA) scale, somatosensory evoked potential (SEP), and fMRI were used to evaluate the recovery effect of the training therapies. The latencies and amplitudes of N9 and N20 were measured. Before recovery training, fMRI was performed for all patients in the VFT and CTL groups. In addition, 17 patients (9 in the VFT group and 8 in the CTL group) underwent fMRI for follow-up 2 months after treatment. Qualitative data were analyzed using the χ 2 test. The independent sample t -test was used to compare normally distributed data among different groups, the paired sample t -test was used to compare data between groups, and the non-parametric test was used to comparing data without normal distribution among groups. Results There were no significant differences between the VFT and CTL group in all indexes. However, after 8 weeks of recovery training, these indexes were all significantly improved ( P < 0.05). As compared with the CTL group, the FMA scores, BI, and N9/N20 latencies and amplitudes of SEP in the VFT group were significantly improved ( P < 0.05). Two months after recovery training, fMRI showed that the degree of activation of the bilateral central anterior gyrus, parietal lobe, and auxiliary motor areas was significantly higher in the VFT group than the CTL group ( P < 0.05). Conclusions VFT based on mirror neuron theory is an effective approach to improve upper extremity motor function and daily activity performance of stroke patients. The therapeutic mechanism promotes motor relearning by activating the mirror neuron system and motor cortex. SEP amplitudes increased only for patients who participated in visual feedback. VFT promotes sensory-motor plasticity and behavioral changes in both the motor and sensory domains.

Paraffin therapy may be a kind of noninvasive, promising method to reduce spasticity of stroke patients.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious lung disease for individuals in middle age and especially in old people. The study was aimed to observe the curative effect of device-guided rehabilitation on respiratory functions in stable COPD patients. Methods: Sixty-seven stable COPD patients were enrolled and assigned to the experiment group (n = 36) and the control group (n = 31). The conventional pulmonary rehabilitation treatments, including pursed lips breathing (PLB) and abdominal breathing training, were applied in the control group. Respiratory muscle training of the experiment group was performed using the respiratory endurance training device combined with traditional techniques. Both groups were assessed by 6-minute walk test (6MWT), COPD assessment test (CAT), body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) index. Besides, the pulmonary function (FVC%, FEVl%) were measured at 6 months before and after treatment. Results: After treatment, the 6MWT, CAT, BODE index were significantly increased compared with pre-treatment in both groups ( P < .01), but not FVC% and FEVl%. Compared with the control group, the combination therapy in the experiment group could significantly improve the 6MWT ( P = .0094), CAT ( P = .0071) and BODE index ( P = .0064) as well as the changes of 6MWT ( P < .01), CAT ( P < .01), and BODE index ( P < .01) before and after treatment. Conclusions: The traditional respiratory training combined with device-guided pulmonary rehabilitation can improve the respiratory muscle function and athletic ability in stable COPD patients.