Early evaluation of the pyramidal tract using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a prerequisite to decide the optimal treatment or to assess appropriate rehabilitation. The early predictive value of DTI for assessing motor and functional recovery in ischemic stroke (IS) has yielded contradictory results. The purpose is to systematically review and summarize the current available literature on the value of Fractional Anisotropy (FA) parameter of the DTI in predicting upper limb motor recovery after sub-acute IS. MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar and Cochrane CENTRAL searches were conducted from January 1, 1950, to July 31, 2015, which was supplemented with relevant articles identified in the references. Correlation between FA and upper limb motor recovery measure was done. Heterogeneity was examined using Higgins I-squared, Tau-squared. Summary of correlation coefficient was determined using Random Effects model. Out of 166 citations, only eleven studies met the criteria for inclusion in the systematic review and six studies were included in the meta-analysis. A random effects model revealed that DTI parameter FA is a significant predictor for upper limb motor recovery after sub-acute IS [Correlation Coefficient=0.82; 95% Confidence Interval-0.66 to 0.90, P value<0.001]. Moderate heterogeneity was observed (Tau-squared=0.12, I-squared=62.14). The studies reported so far on correlation between DTI and upper limb motor recovery are few with small sample sizes. This meta-analysis suggests strong correlation between DTI parameter FA and upper limb motor recovery. Well-designed prospective trials embedded with larger sample size are required to establish these findings.

This study was designed to evaluate the outcome in 41 bilateral lower-limb amputees admitted to an inpatient unit for prosthetic rehabilitation. Outcome measures were obtained using a simple activities of daily living score, the Frenchay Activities Index, mobility grading, and assessment of home adaptations. Though excellent success rates were obtained after completion of physiotherapy, the majority of the above-knee amputees had abandoned their prostheses by the time of review. Bilateral below-knee amputees, however, continued to do well regarding their prosthetic mobility, and prosthesis users were more independent in their activities of daily living. We believe that inpatient rehabilitation programmes for bilateral amputees are likely to prove more satisfactory than prolonged outpatient physiotherapy.

Mobile phones emit electromagnetic radiations that are classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans. Evidence for increased risk for brain tumours accumulated in parallel by epidemiologic investigations remains controversial. This paper aims to investigate whether methodological quality of studies and source of funding can explain the variation in results. PubMed and Cochrane CENTRAL searches were conducted from 1966 to December 2016, which was supplemented with relevant articles identified in the references. Twenty-two case control studies were included for systematic review. Meta-analysis of 14 case-control studies showed practically no increase in risk of brain tumour [OR 1.03 (95% CI 0.92-1.14)]. However, for mobile phone use of 10 years or longer (or >1640 h), the overall result of the meta-analysis showed a significant 1.33 times increase in risk. The summary estimate of government funded as well as phone industry funded studies showed 1.07 times increase in odds which was not significant, while mixed funded studies did not show any increase in risk of brain tumour. Metaregression analysis indicated that the association was significantly associated with methodological study quality (p < 0.019, 95% CI 0.009-0.09). Relationship between source of funding and log OR for each study was not statistically significant (p < 0.32, 95% CI 0.036-0.010). We found evidence linking mobile phone use and risk of brain tumours especially in long-term users (≥10 years). Studies with higher quality showed a trend towards high risk of brain tumour, while lower quality showed a trend towards lower risk/protection.

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Introduction: An increase in the common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) is generally considered an early marker of atherosclerosis and is a well-established predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). An association between changes in CCA-IMT and risk of stroke has been reported but has conflicting findings. Objective: The present meta-analysis was aimed to clarify the association between CCA-IMT with the risk of stroke and its subtype by estimating pooled analysis of published literature. Methods: Comprehensive search for all published articles was performed in electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Trip Databases, Worldwide Science, CINAHL and Google Scholar from 01 January 1950 to 30 April 2020. Results: In our meta-analysis, a total of 19 studies, of which sixteen studies involving 3475 ischaemic stroke (IS) cases and 11 826 controls; six studies with 902 large vessel disease (LVD) and 548 small vessel disease (SVD) of IS subtypes; five studies with 228 intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and 1032 IS cases, were included. Our findings suggest a strong association between increased CCA-IMT with risk of IS as compared to control subjects [SMD = 1.46, 95% CI = 0.90-2.02]. However, there is an increased risk of LVD as compared to the SVD subtype of IS [SMD = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.19-0.52] and more chance of occurrence of IS rather than ICH [SMD = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.28-1.41]. Conclusions: Carotid intima thickness measurements are found to be associated with the risk of stroke along with its subtypes and may be used as a diagnostic marker for predicting the risk of stroke events.