Full-text articles are available at http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/09/46/9/contents.html

Newswise — Manuscripts featured in this issue include—

Improving sleep: Initial headache treatment in OIF/OEF veterans with blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury, pg. 1071 Findings suggest sleep hygiene counseling and oral prazosin at bedtime may be effective treatment for veterans with persistent, severe headaches and impaired sleep with nightmares due to mild traumatic brain injury. Sixty-two of the 74 Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) veterans who participated in the study and followed the treatment protocol experienced reduced headache pain and frequency and improved Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores.

Skin problems in individuals with lower-limb loss: Literature review and proposed classification system, pg. 1085

A standardized system of classification for skin care problems on residual limbs is proposed for use by healthcare providers to improve the assessment, diagnosis, and reporting of these problems appropriately and uniformly.

Relationship between depression and functional measures in overweight and obese persons with osteoarthritis of the knee, pg. 1091

This study examines the relationship between depression symptoms, perceived physical function, and physical performance of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee that are overweight and obese. Results show depression scores were closely linked to perceived physical function and not as strongly to measured physical performance tasks. Poorer function and younger age accounted for 29 percent of the variance in depressive symptoms.

Does upper-limb muscular demand differ between preferred and nonpreferred sitting pivot transfer directions in individuals with a spinal cord injury?, pg. 1099

Researchers investigated whether individuals with spinal cord injury use less upper-body strength performing a sitting pivot transfer in the preferred direction compared with that in the nonpreferred direction. Results show similar muscular demands between the preferred and nonpreferred transfer directions for all muscles, failing to explain direction preference expressed by individuals with spinal cord injury when transferring.

Effectiveness of resonance frequency in predicting orthopedic implant strength and stability in an in vitro osseointegration model, pg. 1109

A simple, noninvasive tool to measure implant attachment strength to bone and monitor implant stability over time is needed to optimize rehabilitation protocols following insertion of osseointegrated implants in patients with limb loss. This study examines implant strength and stability using resonance frequency a technique previously shown to effectively measure implant stability in dental implants but not yet evaluated with implants placed in other bones.

Reference equation for 6-minute walk in individuals with Parkinson disease, pg. 1121

The distance walked in 6 minutes is commonly used for assessing an individual’s functional exercise capacity. Considerable information is available describing how healthy adults perform this test, including equations that predict results based on factors such as age, sex, or weight. However, these equations do not apply to adults with Parkinson disease (PD), which suggests that unique aspects of PD influence walking and turning abilities. This study presents a prediction equation that is specific to adults with PD in order to better characterize their functional exercise capacity.

Comparison of two approaches to screen for dysphagia among acute ischemic stroke patients: Nursing admission screening tool versus National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, pg. 1127

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) outperformed the nursing admission questionnaire in a comparison test for screening dysphagia among veterans hospitalized with ischemic stroke. Study results show that the nursing admission dysphagia screening tool had relatively poor performance in terms of positive and negative predictive value. The ability of the NIHSS to predict dysphagia was somewhat higher, suggesting its potential as an early screening tool for dysphagia among stroke patients.

Effect of He-Ne laser radiation on healing of osteochondral defect in rabbit: A histological study, pg. 1135

Findings from this study suggest that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with a He-Ne laser can not significantly accelerate healing of large musculoskeletal system injuries such as to joints and articular cartilage.

JRRD is an open-access, international peer-reviewed rehabilitation journal published in English, with 10 regular issues published per year. The journal has been a leading research journal in the field of rehabilitation medicine and technology for 45 years. JRRD publishes original research articles, clinical studies, topical reviews, and editorials from U.S. and international researchers covering 31 rehabilitation disciplines. JRRD publishes both multi- and single-topic issues.

The journal is an official publication of VA’s Rehabilitation Research and Development Service. JRRD is available at no charge by request. International users, however, are encouraged to access the journal online at http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/jourindx.html. For more information about the journal, please visit http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/policy09.pdf.

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JRRD, Volume 46, Issue 9