Current Journal of Neurology
Volume:15 Issue: 4, Autumn 2016

As there is no standard aphasia screening tool for Azeri language yet, the aim of this study was to develop an aphasia screening test with acceptable validity and reliability.
The present study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, by literature search, the screening test was designed and to obtain validity it was peer reviewed by expert panel. After collecting experts’ ratings and comments, appropriate modifications were applied. For test-retest reliability in the second phase, edited test was administered in 32 patients with brain injuries, then the retest was performed two weeks later.
The developed test had eight subscales including: A) picture description, B) syntax, C) linguistic reasoning, D) descriptive naming, E) perception of minimal pairs, F) comprehensive vocabulary, G) expressive vocabulary, H) verbal fluency. Each section had five questions except verbal fluency which had 3 items. Content validity ratio (CVR) according to Lawshe’s approach, was 82% for the whole test. Intraclass correlation for all subscales were more than 0.8. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal reliability was 0.901.
This aphasia screening test seems to have acceptable psychometric properties. This test can probably be used in clinical setting by specialists.

Research has shown that in order for recovery from a stroke to occur, motivation for recovery has been essential component of rehabilitation. Researchers and clinicians have tended to categorize stroke survivors subjectively into two groups: those who have been motivated or unmotivated, perhaps due to the paucity of objective measures that distinguish the groups. Since classification of clients based on subjective inference would be prone to bias, this pilot study aimed to establish a regionally validated scale that was adequately standardized for measuring motivation of adult post-stroke survivors in Iran.
The Persian version of Hermans Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (PHAMQ) was identified as the best test for the purposes of this study. A multistep process was undertaken to create an adapted scale from the PHAMQ that focused on functional behaviors, often seen in the process of rehabilitation. Thus, the Adapted Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (AAMQ) was examined for reliability and validity. Cronbach’s alpha was used for measuring internal consistency and expert panel opinions were sought to analyze the content validity of AAMQ.
A convenience sample of 25 stroke subjects comprised of 10 males and 15 females participated in this study with the mean age [(± standard deviation (SD)] 58.3 ± 9.8 years and range of 35-72 years. Expert opinion regarding the relevance of AAMQ items led to provide compelling evidence for a 28-item AAMQ. Cronbach’s alpha of 0.946 showed a perfect internal consistency for test items.
This pilot study suggested that AAMQ could be utilized as a regionally validated scale for examining the motivational level of patients who have sustained strokes in Iran. Further research are recommended.

Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is the currently standard treatment of acute ischemic stroke within 4.5 hours of the onset of stroke. Recent studies have looked at the benefits of administration of intra-arterial (IA) rt-PA within 8 hours onset of symptoms. Our objective was to assess the outcome of stroke after administration of IA rt-PA in patients with acute ischemic stroke.
We recruited 10 consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients with onset of stroke from 4.5 hours to 6.5 hours. The present study was conducted at Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad, India, between January 2008 and December 2013. All patients underwent stroke subtyping and were administered rt-PA. We measured the thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) score after thrombolysis and functional outcomes at time of admission, after 24 hours, 30, 60, and 90 days.A good outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤ 2 after 90 days.
Out of 10 patients 9 were men, mean age 56.3 ± 1.8 years and age range from 35-68 years. On stroke subtyping, 6 (60%) patients had large artery atherosclerosis, 3 (30%) had a stroke of indeterminate etiology and 1 (10%) had a stroke of other etiologies. Mean time of recanalization was 6.2 ± 0.5 hours,7 (70%) patients showed major neurological improvement with a mRS score of ≤ 2 at 90 days and one patient was lost to follow-up.
Our study established good outcome at 90 days after administration of IA thrombolysis rt-PA in acute ischemic stroke.

To evaluate the patients with stroke by Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scale, at the times of admission to hospital, discharge, and six-month poststroke, and to determine the level of improvement in patients after rehabilitative procedures.
A total number of 108 patients with stroke entered the study who were admitted to neurology ward. They all received rehabilitation consultation, and occupational and physical therapies were prescribed for them. Finally, their functional status was evaluated by FIM scale.
The median (and range) of FIM scores were 86 (15-119), 102 (16-123) and 119 (17-126) at admission, discharge, and after six-month follow-up, respectively. Our observations showed a significant improvement in FIM scores (P The study showed that the FIM is a valid tool for evaluation of patients with stroke, their follow-up and tracking the disease course. Moreover, we concluded that patients with stroke make a significant improvement in their functional status overtime. The exact effect of rehabilitative procedures and comparison with no treatment, must be assessed in separate studies.

Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Some recent studies point to hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) may have prognostic value in nondiabetic and diabetic patients with ischemic stroke (IS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of HbA1c on mortality and morbidity in AIS patients with and without diabetic.
In this prospective observational study, 150 diabetic and nondiabetic patients with AIS were evaluated for serum HbA1c level, hypertension (HTN), hyperlipidemia, and smoking in the first 24 hours of admission to determine their value to predict mortality and mortality at 30 and 90 days. Morbidity was estimated by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and follow-up visits were scheduled 30 and 90 days after admission. Results were analyzed with independent t-test and logistic regression analysis.
In this study, 73 patients (48.7%) were female and the rest were men. At 30 days, the diabetic patients had a significantly higher mortality, but no significant difference was found between diabetics and morbidity. No significant statistical differences were seen between HbA1c and 30 and 90 days with mortality and morbidity among diabetic patients. Furthermore, no significant statistical difference was seen between HbA1c and 30 and 90 days morbidity and between HbA1c and 30 days mortality in nondiabetic patients. However, in nondiabetic patients, on multiple logistic regression analysis, a significant correlation was seen between 90 days month mortality and HbA1c (P = 0.002).
HbA1c can be as a predictive biomarker in nondiabetic patients with AIS.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether higher serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in the acute phase of ischemic stroke are associated with less severe strokes and better functional outcome in a period of 12-month follow-up.
From October 2014 to August 2015, patients with the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke admitted to the stroke unit of Firoozgar Hospital, Tehran, Iran, entered this prospective study. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) for stroke scores were used to measure the severity and outcomes of an acute ischemic stroke at the time of admission and 1 year after the stroke, respectively.
A total of 60 acute ischemic stroke patients (28 male, 32 female) with the mean age of 71.1 ± 9.0 years were evaluated for the serum level of IGF-I at the time of admission to the stroke unit of Firoozgar Hospital. There was seen a significant correlation between the IGF-I serum level and the MRS scores (P = 0.020; correlation coefficient = −0.32). IGF-I serum level had no significant correlation with NIHSS scores.
These results support that the higher serum levels of IGF-I at the time of stroke is associated with a significant better outcome in a 1-year period of follow-up. However, this hormone serum level seems not to have a predictable value for the ischemic stroke severity. Further studies are required to clarify the neuroprotective mechanisms of IGF-I in ischemic stroke process.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common movement disorder in children that is associated with life-long disability and multiple impairments. The clinical manifestations of CP vary among children. CP is accompanied by a wide range of problems and has a broad spectrum. Children with CP demonstrate poor fine and dross motor function due to psychomotor disturbances. Early rehabilitation programs are essential for children with CP and should be appropriate for the age and functional condition of the patients. Kinesio taping (KT) technique is a relatively new technique applied in rehabilitation programs of CP. This article reviews the effects of KT techniques on improving motor skills in children with CP. In this study, we used keywords "cerebral palsy, Kinesio Tape, KT and Taping" in the national and international electronic databases between 1999 and 2016. Out of the 43 articles obtained, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. There are several different applications about KT technique in children with CP. Review of the literature demonstrated that the impact of this technique on gross and fine motor function and dynamic activities is more effective than postural and static activities. Also this technique has more effectiveness in the child at higher developmental and motor stages. The majority of consistent findings showed that KT technique as part of a multimodal therapy program can be effective in the rehabilitation of children with CP to improve motor function and dynamic activities especially in higher developmental and motor stages.

This study aimed to investigate the pedicle dimension and angulation in cervicothoracic junction (CTJ) using the findings of computed tomographic (CT) to help accurate insertion of pedicular screw.
Forty three patients with high quality CT images of CTJ were evaluated. Pedicle width (PW), pedicle height (PH), pedicle axis length (PAL), transverse angle (TA) and sagittal angle (SA) were measured bilaterally from C6 to T2.
Mean PW was 5.3 mm at C6, 6.2 mm at C7, 8.1 mm at T1 and 6.5 mm at T2. Males had larger pedicles than females. PH was greater than PW in all vertebrae. SA was relatively constant and around 15 degrees to horizontal plane. There was high variability of vertebral characteristics especially in PAL and TA.
Small diameter screws must be used for pedicular fixation in CTJ. Because of high variability of pedicle morphometry, CT scan is recommended in all patients before instrumentation.

Providing a self-care program appropriate for patient needs in a supportive educative nursing system format could reduce migraine-induced disability. This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of Orem's self-care program on headache related disability in migraine patients.
In this randomized clinical trial, episodic migraine patients with or without aura who signed the informed consent were randomly assigned to two groups (44 patients each). The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire, an Orem cognition form, and a self-care checklist. The programs were held as four 30 to 45 minutes training sessions for experimental group. The MIDAS were filled out before and three months after program in two groups. Data were analyzed with SPSS statistical software, version 16 and using chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests.
There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic variables (P > 0.05). The mean total MIDAS score in the experimental group, before and after the intervention was 28.1 ± 17.5 and 6.03 ± 4.52, respectively (P = 0.001); and for the control group, it was 37.6 ± 16.4 and 55.6 ± 14.5, respectively (P Self-care program was suitable for needs assessment and provided basis for acquiring positive results in order to decrease disability and saved patient treatment costs.