The aim of this study was to compare the body composition, including lean tissue mass, fat tissue mass, and bone mineral content, of the paretic leg with that of the nonaffected leg in patients with stroke and to evaluate the effects of time since stroke, spasticity, and motor recovery on the body composition specifically within the first year after stroke. Thirty-five stroke patients with mean age and standard deviation of 62.69+/-9.54 years were included in the study. A full physical examination including Brunnstrom motor recovery and modified Ashworth spasticity scale was performed. Fat tissue mass (grams), lean tissue mass (grams), and bone mineral content (grams) of both the paretic and nonaffected lower extremities were obtained from the total body scans determined by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Lunar DPX-PRO). Lean tissue mass and bone mineral content of the paretic side were found to be significantly lower than those of the nonaffected side (P<0.05). A significant correlation was found between the lean tissue mass and bone mineral content of both the paretic and nonaffected legs after adjusting for age and weight (P=0.000, r=0.679; P=0.000, r=0.634, respectively). Bone mineral content and lean tissue mass of both the paretic and nonaffected sides showed a significant negative correlation with time since stroke in patients with stroke for < or =1 year (P<0.05). A higher lean tissue mass and bone mineral content were found in patients with moderate to high spasticity in comparison with patients with low or no spasticity (P<0.05). Stroke causes loss of lean tissue mass and bone mineral content prominently in the paretic side. The loss increases with increasing time since stroke. Spasticity seems to help in preventing the loss of bone mineral content and lean tissue mass.

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Study Design An experimental design.Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the latencies of vibration-induced reflexes in individuals with and without spinal cord injury (SCI), and to compare these latencies to identify differences in reflex circuitries. SettingA tertiary rehabilitation centre in Istanbul Methods Seventeen individuals with chronic SCI (SCI group) and 23 participants without SCI (Control group) were included in this study. Latency of tonic vibration reflex (TVR), and whole body vibration-induced muscular reflex (WBV-IMR) of the left soleus muscle were tested for estimating the reflex origins. The local tendon vibration was applied at six different vibration frequencies (50, 85, 140, 185, 235 and 265 Hz), each lasting for 15 s with 3-s rest intervals. The whole body vibration was applied at six different vibration frequencies (35, 37, 39, 41, 43 and 45 Hz), each lasting for 15 s with 3-s rest intervals.Results Mean (SD) TVR latency was 39.7 (5.3) milliseconds in the SCI group and 35.9 (2.7) milliseconds in the Control group with a mean (95% CI) difference of -3.8 (-6.7 to -0.9) milliseconds. Mean (SD) WBV-IMR latency was 45.8 (7.4) milliseconds in the SCI group and 43.3 (3.0) milliseconds in the Control group with a mean (95% CI) difference of -2.5 (-6.5 to 1.4) milliseconds. There were significant differences between TVR latency and WBV-IMR latency in both the groups (mean (95% CI) difference; -6.2 (-9.3 to -3.0) milliseconds p = 0.0001 for SCI group and -7.4 (-9.3 to -5.6) milliseconds p = 0.011 for Control group). ConclusionsThe results suggests that the receptor of origin of TVR and WBV-IMR may be different.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity of Duruoz Hand Index (DHI) in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Patients and methods: A total of 55 patients (50 females, 5 males; mean age 51.0±10.2 years: range, 30 to 73 years) aged ≥18 years who were admitted to the outpatient clinic of a rehabilitation hospital between December 2010 and December 2012 with the diagnosis of CTS both clinically and electrophysiologically were included in this study. All patients completed DHI at baseline and repeated after a week interval. The Boston Questionnaire (BQ) and Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) were filled out at baseline. And the internal consistency reliability was tested using the Cronbach's alpha. For the test-retest reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. The correlations between the DHI and both BQ and HAQ-DI were investigated for the construct validity. Results: Of the patients, 41 (74.5%) were housewives. Carpal tunnel syndrome was bilateral in 29 patients (52.7%). The Mean Body Mass Index was 31.2±5.5 kg/m 2. The mean symptom duration was 22.8±23.7 months. The mean DHI scores for the first and second evaluations were 23.25±20.64 and 20.45±20.07, respectively. The mean BQ symptom severity and functional status scores were 2.87±0.80 and 2.72±1.03, respectively. The mean HAQ-DI score was 0.91±0.66. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.97 indicating excellent internal consistency reliability. There was a statistically significant correlation between the two measurements of DHI. The ICC value for total score was 0.88 indicating good reliability. There was a statistically significantly positive correlation between the DHI and BQ (r=0.638, p<0.001). Also, DHI was significantly correlated with the HAQ-DI (0.613, p<0.001). Conclusion: Our study results suggest that DHI is a reliable and valid test which can be used for evaluating hand functions in CTS patients.

Study design: Prospective cohort study. Objectives: To compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) who use the Internet versus those who don't and with a control group of able-bodied individuals. To investigate the frequency of Internet usage before and after injury. To evaluate the differences in terms of demographic features of both groups, analyze the variation in the Internet usage pattern of people with SCI before and after the injury. Setting: Istanbul, Turkey. Methods: A total of 60 people with SCI (38 Internet users, 22 nonusers) were included in the study. The control group consisted of 33 healthy persons of similar age and sex. The HRQoL was evaluated with the SF-36 Health Survey. Results: The scores of all the subscales of the SF-36, except vitality, were significantly lower in people with SCI than those of the controls'. The bodily pain subscale and physical component scores were found to be significantly higher in people with SCI using the Internet than the nonuser group with SCI (Po0.05). The Internet usage frequency increased significantly in people with SCI after injury (Po0.05). A significant correlation was found between time since injury and Internet use (r ¼ 0.365, P ¼ 0.007). Conclusion: Although HRQoL scores were lower in people with an SCI, the physical status component score was better in the Internet user SCI group. As there is a significant increase in the time spent online after injury, the Internet could be an effective modality to contact and educate people with an SCI.