SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Physical Functional Performance”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 811 records · Page 45Linked to original sources

PubMed2005

The clock drawing test is an independent predictor of incident use of 24-hour care in a retirement community.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear how early cognitive impairment affects future care needs. Furthermore, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a commonly used screening tool in the clinical setting, tends to have a ceiling effect for early cognitive decline. One of the earliest changes in cognitive function is executive impairment. We examined the relationship between executive function, measured with a clock drawing protocol (CLOX1) designed to capture executive impairment, and incident need for increased level of care and total mortality. METHODS: Residents (n = 230) in independent living at a continuing care retirement community were followed for incident need for 24-hour care (mean 2.5 years). Baseline assessment included health status and physical and cognitive function. Time to event analysis was performed to determine the association of the CLOX1 score with the outcomes. RESULTS: Forty percent of residents had a CLOX1 score <12, and 10% had an MMSE score <26. The event rate for a CLOX1 score <12 was 30 per 100 person-years (p-y) and 13 per 100 p-y for a score > or =12. Similarly, the event rate was 34 per 100 p-y versus 17 per 100 p-y for MMSE <26 and MMSE > or =26, respectively. A CLOX1 score <12 was associated with a twofold higher risk of incident use of 24-hour care (hazard ratio 2.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.5-3.4) and death (hazard ratio 2.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.1-4.8) even after controlling for age, sex, comorbidity, and MMSE scores. The MMSE score was not an independent predictor of incident use of 24-hour care or mortality. CONCLUSION: The clock drawing test, scored for executive impairment, but not the MMSE, predicted incident use of 24-hour care and mortality in this cohort of independent older adults.

Aged↗

PubMed1992

Hepatic encephalopathy mimicking stroke. A case report.

This case demonstrates focal neurologic deficit mimicking stroke with underlying hepatic encephalopathy. Unilateral weakness in patients with hepatic encephalopathy has not been previously described in the English language literature. A 46-yr-old white woman was admitted to an acute care hospital for left shoulder manipulation, underwent general anesthesia and appeared to have had a right cerebrovascular accident. At transfer to the rehabilitation hospital, in addition to the left hemiparesis, there were inconsistencies in the neurologic examination and signs of cognitive impairment and liver failure. The patient's response to an intensive, multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation program along with treatment of the liver dysfunction led to resolution of left-sided weakness and flapping tremor with independence in ambulation and activities of daily living. Relevant literature is reviewed. A thorough history and physical examination with liver function assessment should always be performed in patients with cerebrovascular accident and unusual recovery.

Brain↗

PubMed1986

Inapparent pulmonary vascular disease in an ex-heroin user.

A severe pulmonary vascular derangement, usually reported in drug addicts, was diagnosed in a 28-year-old asymptomatic ex-heroin user by means of fortuitously performed pulmonary perfusion imaging. Neither physical findings nor pulmonary function tests, aroused suspicion of the diagnosis. A search for asymptomatic pulmonary vascular disease probably should be undertaken in drug addicts.

Adult↗

PubMed2007

Speech understanding in background noise with the two-microphone adaptive beamformer BEAM in the Nucleus Freedom Cochlear Implant System.

OBJECTIVE: This paper evaluates the benefit of the two-microphone adaptive beamformer BEAM in the Nucleus Freedom cochlear implant (CI) system for speech understanding in background noise by CI users. DESIGN: A double-blind evaluation of the two-microphone adaptive beamformer BEAM and a hardware directional microphone was carried out with five adult Nucleus CI users. The test procedure consisted of a pre- and post-test in the lab and a 2-wk trial period at home. In the pre- and post-test, the speech reception threshold (SRT) with sentences and the percentage correct phoneme scores for CVC words were measured in quiet and background noise at different signal-to-noise ratios. Performance was assessed for two different noise configurations (with a single noise source and with three noise sources) and two different noise materials (stationary speech-weighted noise and multitalker babble). During the 2-wk trial period at home, the CI users evaluated the noise reduction performance in different listening conditions by means of the SSQ questionnaire. In addition to the perceptual evaluation, the noise reduction performance of the beamformer was measured physically as a function of the direction of the noise source. RESULTS: Significant improvements of both the SRT in noise (average improvement of 5-16 dB) and the percentage correct phoneme scores (average improvement of 10-41%) were observed with BEAM compared to the standard hardware directional microphone. In addition, the SSQ questionnaire and subjective evaluation in controlled and real-life scenarios suggested a possible preference for the beamformer in noisy environments. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation demonstrates that the adaptive noise reduction algorithm BEAM in the Nucleus Freedom CI-system may significantly increase the speech perception by cochlear implantees in noisy listening conditions. This is the first monolateral (adaptive) noise reduction strategy actually implemented in a mainstream commercial CI.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis: a prospective long-term study comparing fusion and pseudarthrosis.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, randomized study on patients who underwent posterior lumbar decompression with bilateral posterolateral arthrodesis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term influence of pseudarthrosis on the clinical outcome of patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spinal decompression and posterolateral arthrodesis have been shown to be beneficial in the surgical treatment of symptomatic spinal stenosis with concurrent spondylolisthesis. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with single-level symptomatic spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis were prospectively studied. Patients were treated with posterior decompression and bilateral posterolateral arthrodesis with autogenous bone graft. Radiographic evaluation was used to determine if fusion or pseudarthrosis was present. The solid fusion and pseudarthrosis groups were analyzed clinically, roentgenographically, and with a validated self-administered spinal stenosis questionnaire. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients were available for review at a range of follow-up from 5 to 14 years. Average follow-up was 7 years 8 months. Clinical outcome was excellent to good in 86% of patients with a solid arthrodesis and in 56% of patients with a pseudarthrosis (P = 0.01). Significant differences in residual back and lower limb pain was discovered between the two groups using a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 5 (severe pain). Preoperative back and lower limb pain scores were statistically similar between the two groups. The solid fusion group performed significantly better in the symptom severity and physical function categories on the self-administered questionnaire. The two groups had similar results in the patient satisfaction category of this questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing single-level decompression and posterolateral arthrodesis for spinal stenosis and concurrent spondylolisthesis, a solid fusion improves long-term clinical results. Benefits of a successful arthrodesis over pseudarthrosis were demonstrated with respect to back and lower limb symptomatology compared with prior shorter-term studies, which indicated no significant difference in clinical outcome between the two groups.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Medical cost for disability: a longitudinal observation of national health insurance beneficiaries in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To measure the impact of disability on the use of medical care and its costs. DESIGN: A 1-year prospective cohort study of National Health Insurance beneficiaries in a rural Japanese community. Their physical function was examined by the Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire at the end of 1994; medical care and its costs were then monitored for 1 year. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Participants were the 49,364 subjects, aged 40 to 79 years, who were beneficiaries of National Health Insurance and lived in the catchment area of Ohsaki Public Health Center, Miyagi, Japan. The subjects were mainly farmers, self-employed persons, housewives, or pensioners. MEASUREMENTS: Medical care utilization (number of outpatient visits and days of inpatient care) and the costs for each subject were obtained from National Health Insurance Claim History files. These measurements were collected from January to December 1995, and the relationship between physical functioning levels and medical costs was analyzed. RESULTS: The medical costs per capita increased with poorer physical function. Medical costs among those with limitations in performing self-care increased by 4 times in men and 3 times in women compared with those with no functional limitation. In this cohort, the 4.3% of the subjects who were dependent in self-care used 15% of the total inpatient days and 10% of the total medical costs. CONCLUSION: Treatment of patients with disability requires a huge amount of medical resources. There is an urgent need for cost-effective intervention programs for disability prevention, which could be offset against the cost for treating the disabled.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2007

Age-associated declines in complex walking task performance: the Walking InCHIANTI toolkit.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a set of complex walking tasks (CWTs) that can be used to evaluate mobility and to characterize age- and sex-specific performance on these tests. DESIGN: A population-based study of persons living in the Chianti geographic area (Tuscany, Italy). SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand two hundred twenty-seven persons (aged 20-95) selected from the city registries of Greve and Bagno a Ripoli (Tuscany, Italy). MEASUREMENTS: Gait velocity (m/s) was measured during 13 walking tests (Walking InCHIANTI Toolkit (WIT)) used to examine walking ability under a range of conditions and distances. Other measures included performance on the Short Physical Performance Battery and self-reported health and functional status, including disability in activities of daily living. RESULTS: Age-associated differences on the WIT were reflected in the number of older adults unable to complete CWTs and a decrease in gait velocity. For all tasks, decrements in walking speed with increasing age were significantly larger at aged 65 and older. Performance on CWTs was highly variable and could not be explained by usual gait speed measured under low-challenge conditions alone. CONCLUSION: CWTs may provide important insight into mobility function, particularly in persons with normal or near-normal usual gait speed. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific physiological mechanisms that contribute to declining performance on CWT with increasing age.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Chronic inflammation and the effect of IGF-I on muscle strength and power in older persons.

Deregulation of the inflammatory response plays a major role in the age-related decline of physical performance. The causal pathway leading from inflammation to disability has not been fully clarified, but several researches suggest that interleukin-6 (IL-6) causes a reduction of physical performance in elderly through its effect on muscle function. In vitro studies demonstrated that IL-6 inhibits the secretion of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and its biological activity, suggesting that the negative effect of IL-6 on muscle function might be mediated through IGF-I. We evaluated the joint effect of IGF-I and IL-6 on muscle function in a population-based sample of 526 persons with a wide age range (20-102 yr). After adjusting for potential confounders, such as age, sex, body mass index, IL-6 receptor, and IL-6 promoter polymorphism, IL-6, IGF-I, and their interaction were significant predictors of handgrip and muscle power. In analyses stratified by IL-6 tertiles, IGF-I was an independent predictor of muscle function only in subjects in the lowest IL-6 tertile, suggesting that the effect of IGF-I on muscle function depends on IL-6 levels. This mechanism may explain why IL-6 is a strong risk factor for disability.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Assessment of driving performance in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis by a driving simulator.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the driving performance using a driving simulator with physical and cognitive functions as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) in patients suffering from the relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis (RRMS). METHODS: 31 RRMS patients (18 women, 13 men, mean age 35.6 +/- 8.3 years, EDSS 2.8 +/- 1.4) were compared with 10 healthy controls (8 men, 2 woman, age 45.1 +/- 7.8 years). RESULTS: Compared with controls, the accident rate (5.3 +/- 3.8 vs. 1.3 +/- 1.5, p < 0.001) and concentration faults (21.1 +/- 15.5 vs. 7.1 +/- 2.6, p < 0.01) of RRMS patients using the driving simulator were increased. While there was no correlation with the EDSS score, the accident rate was correlated with the MSFC (r = -0.5, p < 0.05). Regarding the three dimensions of the MSFC, accidents were related to the number of correct answers and Z-score in the paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) as a measure for cognitive function (r = -0.33, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates the need to focus also on driving skills in MS patients. The risk of accidents should be evaluated after relapses in particular. However, there are great interindividual differences. In the MSFC, most deficits could be evaluated in the PASAT. As there was a significant correlation between the accident rate in the driving simulator and the PASAT results, accidents seem to be more influenced by cognitive decline than by physical impairment. This indicates that the MSFC is a broader, more dimensional scale than the EDSS and should be preferred in the case of driving assessment. At the present time, the driving simulator seems to be a useful instrument judging driving ability, especially in cases with ambiguous neuropsychological results.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Sudden death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a profile of 78 patients.

The clinical profile of 78 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who died suddenly (or experienced cardiac arrest and survived) was analyzed. At the time of cardiac catastrophe, 71% of the patients were younger than 30 years of age, 54% were without functional limitation and 61% were performing sedentary or minimal physical activity. Nineteen of the 78 patients (24%) were taking propranolol in apparently adequate dosages, indicating that this drug does not provide absolute protection against sudden death. No clinical or morphologic variable was particularly reliable in identifying patients at risk for sudden death. Forty-eight of 62 patients (77%) who died suddenly had a markedly increased ventricular septal thickness of 20 mm or more; however, mean septal thickness was similar in patients who died suddenly (25.2 +/- 0.9 mm) and in age- and sex-matched control patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who have survived (23.6 +/- 0.8 mm). An abnormal ECG was present as often in patients who died suddenly as in control patients who have survived, (51 or 53, 96%). In addition, no particular cardiac symptom or hemodynamic variable (such as the magnitude of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction under basal conditions or left ventricular end-diastolic pressure) was characteristic of the patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who died suddenly.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1983

Cardiovascular manifestations of mixed connective tissue disease in adults.

To assess the nature and distribution of cardiovascular abnormalities associated with mixed connective tissue disease, we studied 38 patients with overlapping clinical manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus, progressive systemic sclerosis and polymyositis, and circulating antibodies to nuclear ribonucleoprotein. The protocol included taking a medical history and a physical echocardiogram, and pulmonary function tests. Cardiac catheterization was performed on 17 patients. Postmortem examination was performed on four of the five patients who died during follow-up. Acute pericarditis and/or pericardial effusion was detected in 11 patients (29%) and mitral valve prolapse was identified in 10 patients (26%). Marked intimal hyperplasia of coronary arteries was observed in all four hearts that were autopsied and perivascular and myocardial leukocytic aggregates were present in two hearts. Pulmonary vascular resistance was elevated in 11 of the 17 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization. In summary, cardiovascular abnormalities associated with mixed connective tissue disease include acute pericarditis and/or effusion, mitral valve prolapse, intimal hyperplasia of coronary arteries, perivascular and myocardial leukocytic infiltrates, and pulmonary hypertension.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Quality of life as a therapeutic end-point. An analysis of therapeutic trials in hypertension.

The term 'quality of life' is finding increasing use in the popular press and the medical community. In both areas, its use often lacks precision: a comprehensive and universal definition probably does not exist. Indeed, the precise elements contributing probably vary from person to person and from time to time. There is broad agreement that 5 major areas always need assessment, including physical and emotional state, performance of social roles, intellectual function and general feelings of well-being or life satisfaction. A wide range of instruments has been employed in a large number of studies on the effects of antihypertensive agents on quality of life in the patient with hypertension. Hypertension represents a special problem in which the patient is thought to be free of related symptoms, and treatment designed to improve natural history brings with it the burden of adverse reactions. Although some insights have been gained on the relative influence of various therapeutic regimens on the quality of life of treated patients, in many of the studies too little consideration has been given to the use of instruments that have been validated in the patient population to be studied, to the power of the study and its design, to the contribution of confounding variables such as age and gender, and to evidence that short term trials (measured in weeks) can miss important changes that occur over months in a process where treatment is life-long. For these reasons, we believe, the literature on the subject is burdened by many reports that describe no difference among treatment regimens where important differences might exist. On the positive side, important advances have been made in our understanding of the elements that contribute to quality of life and in approaches to its assessment.

Humans↗

PubMed2001

Musculoskeletal fitness, health outcomes and quality of life.

The health benefits and quality-of-life outcomes of a fit musculoskeletal system (musculoskeletal fitness) are reviewed in this article. The World Health Organization suggests health is a state of complete physical, mental or social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Physical health includes such characteristics as body size and shape, sensory acuity, susceptibility to disease and disorders, body functioning, recuperative ability and the ability to perform certain tasks. One aspect of physical health is the musculoskeletal system, which consists of 3 components; muscular strength, endurance and flexibility. Muscular strength (dynamic) is defined as the maximum force a muscle or muscle group can generate at a specific velocity. Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated contractions against a load for an extended period of time. Flexibility has 2 components, dynamic or static, where dynamic flexibility is the opposition or resistance of a joint to motion, that is, the forces opposing movement rather than the range of movement itself. Static flexibility is the range of motion about ajoint, typically measured as the degree of arc at the end of joint movement. If strength, endurance and flexibility are not maintained, musculoskeletal fitness is then compromised which can significantly impact physical health and well-being. Many health benefits are associated with musculoskeletal fitness, such as reduced coronary risk factors, increased bone mineral density (reduced risk of osteoporosis), increased flexibility, improved glucose tolerance, and greater success in completion of activities of daily living (ADL). With aging, the performance of daily tasks can become a challenge. Additionally, falls, bone fractures and the need for institutional care indicate a musculoskeletal weakness as we age. The earlier in life an individual becomes physically active the greater the increase in positive health benefits; however, becoming physically active at any age will benefit overall health. Improved musculoskeletal fitness (for example, through resistance training combined with stretching) is associated with an enhanced health status. Thus, maintaining musculoskeletal fitness can increase overall quality of life.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

Diffuse FDG shoulder uptake on PET is associated with clinical findings of osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to examine the degree and pattern of (18)F-FDG uptake within the shoulder as a potential marker of joint inflammation or injury. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-four patients undergoing (18)F-FDG PET for clinical oncologic assessment completed questionnaires regarding history of shoulder disease, trauma, pain, and/or functional impairment. Thorough physical examination of the shoulder was performed. A clinical diagnosis of specific shoulder derangement or normal was established for each patient. PET scans were evaluated blindly by a nuclear medicine physician and a musculoskeletal radiologist qualitatively for location, distribution, and intensity of shoulder uptake. Standardized uptake values (SUV) were measured. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients had shoulder PET findings. Fourteen had clinical findings consistent with a specific diagnosis in the PET-positive shoulder. The remaining seven PET-positive patients were clinically normal. Three recognizable patterns of uptake were appreciable. Eight of 10 patients with diffuse uptake had findings of osteoarthritis (n = 7) or bursitis (n = 1). Two of four patients with focal greater tuberosity uptake had findings of rotator cuff injury. Two of four patients with focal glenoid uptake had findings of frozen shoulder. SUV showed a positive correlation with subject age (p < 0.01), but no association with clinical findings was identified. CONCLUSION: The pattern of FDG uptake within the shoulder may point to specific clinical entities. While focal uptake is less reliably related to clinical findings, diffuse uptake is associated with signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis or bursitis.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

[Effect of exercise on chosen parameters of endothelium function in middle age health humans].

Physical effort is possible to perform by increasing blood flow in working muscles. The endothelial cells produce vasoactive factors that regulate vessel wall tension, among others endothelin 1 (ET1) a potent vasoconstrictor and adrenomedullin (AD1)--vasodilatatory peptide. It was investigated in volunteers whether the ET-1 and ADM concentration in plasma changes by exercise. Bicycle exercise test was performed in 28 healthy persons. There were used standard RIA kits to measure ADM and ELISA method to determine ET-1 concentration in plasma. Average ET-1 and ADM levels in plasma were different before and after the exercise, the standard exercise test significantly decrease ET-1 and ADM concentration in plasma. The investigation indicates that with the decrease of the vessel resistance under the physical exercise the concentration of ET-1 obtains lower level. The lack of stimulating ET-1 influence on secretion of ADM can be the effect of the decrease of ADM concentration.

Adrenomedullin↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cancer-related fatigue: evaluation and treatment.

Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common and disabling conditions referred by patients with neoplastic diseases. However, it is one of the symptoms related to cancer and its treatment, oncologists largely underestimate. The guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network on the diagnosis and treatment of this multifactorial pathology are illustrated. Attention is focused on the most recent evidences present in the literature about the therapeutic benefit of physical exercise and its effects on muscular function, cardiorespiratory performance and life quality of oncologic patients.

Exercise Therapy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Core Data Set and derivative "patient only" indices to assess rheumatoid arthritis.

Pooled indices of several measures have been developed to assess and monitor patients with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical trials and clinical care, as no single measure can serve as a "gold standard" in all individual patients. Early indices of disease activity include the Steinbrocker "therapeutic scorecard in rheumatoid arthritis," the Lansbury Index, and Paulus criteria. The most widely used indices at this time are the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Core Data Set and disease activity score (DAS). A simplified disease activity index (SDAI) and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) are derived from the DAS. The ACR Core Data Set includes 7 measures--swollen joint count, tender joint count, patient assessment of global status, an acute phase reactant [erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or C-reactive protein (CRP)], health professional assessment of global status, physical function, and pain; the first four of these measures are included on the DAS. Improvement criteria for the ACR Core Data Set are based on improvement of at least 20% in both tender and swollen joint counts, and three of the five additional measures (ACR 20), and corresponding "ACR 50," and "ACR 70." A pooled index which includes only the three patient self-report questionnaire measures from the Core Data Set, physical function, pain, and patient assessment of global status performs as well as ACR 20 or DAS to discriminate between efficacy of active versus placebo treatment in a clinical trial.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

PubMed1995

Resistance training modes: specificity and effectiveness.

There is considerable demand for information on the effectiveness of various resistance exercises for improving physical performance, and on how exercise programs must match functional activities to produce the greatest performance gains (training specificity). Evidence supports exercise-type specificity; the greatest training effects occur when the same exercise type is used for both testing and training. Range-of-motion (ROM) specificity is supported; strength improvements are greatest at the exercised joint angles, with enough carryover to strengthen ROMs precluded from direct training due to injury. Velocity specificity is supported; strength gains are consistently greatest at the training velocity, with some carryover. Some studies have produced a training effect only for velocities at and below the training velocity while others have produced effects around the training velocity. The little, mainly isokinetic, evidence comparing different exercise velocities for improving functional performance suggests that faster exercise best improves fast athletic movements. Yet isometric exercise can improve actions like the vertical jump, which begin slowly. The rate of force application may be more important in training than actual movement speed. More research is needed into the specificity and efficacy of resistance exercise. Test populations should include both males and females of various ages and rehabilitation patients.

Exercise↗