Daniele Dragone

Predatory Open Access in Rehabilitation

Increasingly scholars and researchers are being solicited by predatory open access journals seeking manuscript submissions and abusing the author-pays model by charging authors with publishing fees without any or proper peer review. Such questionable editorial practices are threatening the reputation and credibility of scholarly publishing. To date, no investigation has been conducted on this phenomenon in the field of rehabilitation. This study attempts to identify specific predatory journals operating in this field to quantify the phenomenon and its geographic distribution. Bealls List has been used to this end which, although not perfect, is a comprehensive and up-to-date report of predatory publishers. Of the 1113 publishers on the list, 59 journals were identified, for a total of 5610 published articles. The median number of articles published by each journal was 21, and the median amount of article processing charges was

Cross-education of muscular strength following unilateral resistance training: a meta-analysis

499. Only 1 out of 59 journals was included in the Directory of Open Access Journals, whereas 7 (12%) were indexed by PubMed. Most of the publishers were based in India (36%) followed by the United States (25%) and Pakistan (5%), and 25% were without a verifiable address. The data indicate that the threat of predatory publishing in rehabilitation is real. Physiatrists, physiotherapists, researchers, and academics operating in this field are advised to use the tools available to recognize predatory practices before considering publishing in open access journals.

A comprehensive assessment of the cross-training effect in ankle dorsiflexors of healthy subjects: A randomized controlled study

PurposeCross-education (CE) of strength is a well-known phenomenon whereby exercise of one limb can induce strength gains in the contralateral untrained limb. The only available meta-analyses on CE, which date back to a decade ago, estimated a modest 7.8% increase in contralateral strength following unilateral training. However, in recent years new evidences have outlined larger contralateral gains, which deserve to be systematically evaluated. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to appraise current data on CE and determine its overall magnitude of effect.MethodsFive databases were searched from inception to December 2016. All randomized controlled trials focusing on unilateral resistance training were carefully checked by two reviewers who also assessed the eligibility of the identified trials and extracted data independently. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool.ResultsThirty-one studies entered the meta-analysis. Data from 785 subjects were pooled and subgroup analyses by body region (upper/lower limb) and type of training (isometric/concentric/eccentric/isotonic–dynamic) were performed. The pooled estimate of CE was a significant 11.9% contralateral increase (95% CI 9.1–14.8; p < 0.00001; upper limb: + 9.4%, p < 0.00001; lower limb: + 16.4%, p < 0.00001). Significant CE effects were induced by isometric (8.2%; p = 0.0003), concentric (11.3%; p < 0.00001), eccentric (17.7%; p = 0.003) and isotonic–dynamic training (15.9%; p < 0.00001), although a high risk of bias was detected across the studies.ConclusionsUnilateral resistance training induces significant contraction type-dependent gains in the contralateral untrained limb. Methodological issues in the included studies are outlined to provide guidance for a reliable quantification of CE in future studies.

Effect of Contralateral Strength Training on Muscle Weakness in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Proof-of-Concept Case Series

PURPOSE To investigate the cross-training effect, induced on ankle dorsiflexors (AD) by unilateral strength-training of the contralateral muscles, as transfer of peak torque (PT) and muscle work (MW) and their relative contributions to muscle performance. METHODS Thirty healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to a training or control group. The trained group sustained a 4-week maximal isokinetic training of the stronger AD at 90 and 45°/s. At both angular velocities, PT, MW and MW/PT ratio were measured from both legs at baseline and after intervention (trained group) or no-intervention (controls). The familiarization/learning-effect was calculated and subtracted by PT and MW measures to obtain their net changes. RESULTS Net PT increased in both legs (untrained: +27.5% at 90°/s and +17.9% at 45°/s; trained: +15% at 90°/s and +16.3% at 45°/s). Similarly, net MW increased in both the untrained (90°/s: +29.6%; 45°/s: +37%) and trained (90°/s: +23.4%; 45°/s: +18.3%) legs. PT and MW gains were larger in the untrained than trained AD (p<0.0005), with MW improving more than PT at 45°/s (p=0.04). The MW/PT ratio increased bilaterally only in the trained group (p<0.05), depending on the angular velocity. CONCLUSIONS The cross-training effect occurred in AD muscles in terms of both PT and MW, with MW adding valuable information to PT-analysis in describing muscle performance. Moreover, the MW/PT ratio allowed estimating the contributions of these parameters to muscle capability and may represent a novel index in isokinetic testing. The greater improvements in the untrained than trained limb raises interesting clinical implications in asymmetric conditions.

Isokinetic testing of muscle performance: New concepts for strength assessment

Background The contralateral strength training (CST) effect is a transfer of muscle performance to the untrained limb following training of the contralateral side. Objective The aim of this study was to explore, in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) presenting marked lower limb strength asymmetry, the effectiveness of CST on management of muscle weakness of the more-affected limb following training of the less-affected limb. Design A single-subject research design was used. Methods Eight individuals with MS underwent 16 to 18 high-intensity training sessions of the less-affected ankle dorsiflexor muscles. The primary outcome measure of this single-system case series was maximal strength expressed as peak moment and maximal work. Secondary outcome measures were: Six-Minute-Walk Test, Timed “Up & Go” Test, 10-Meter Timed Walk Test, and Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life–54 questionnaire. Results After the 6-week intervention, the contralateral more affected (untrained) limb showed a 22% to 24% increase in maximal strength. From pretest-posttest measurements, participants also performed significantly better on the clinical and functional secondary outcome measures. At the 12-week follow-up, the strength levels of the weaker untrained limb remained significantly superior to baseline levels in the majority (5 out of 8) of the outcome parameters. Limitations Considering the design used, the absence of a control group, and the sample size, these findings should be cautiously generalized and will need confirmation in a properly planned randomized controlled trial. Conclusions The present proof-of-concept study shows, for the first time, the occurrence of the CST effect on muscle performance of ankle dorsiflexor muscles in people with MS. These preliminary findings reveal new potential implications for CST as a promising rehabilitation approach to those conditions where unilateral muscle weakness does not allow or makes difficult performing conventional strength training of the weaker limb.

Nordic Walking for the Management of People With Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Peak torque (PT) is considered the most representative parameter of muscle performance in isokinetic dynamometry while other computable parameters such as mean peak torque (MPT), maximal work (maxW) and mean work (meanW) are generally neglected. OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study reassessed whether PT is the only necessary parameter in isokinetic testing and weighed the contribution of each variable to muscle performance. METHODS: Thirty apparently healthy volunteers underwent isokinetic assessment of the ankle dorsiflexors of both legs at 45 and 90 ◦ /s. Bivariate relationships and multivariate associations between PT, MPT, maxW and meanW were examined employing Pearson’s analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), respectively. RESULTS: At both velocities, Pearson’s coefficients were very high between PT and MPT as well as between maxW and meanW ( r> 0.9; p< 0.0001) and fair-to-good (r = 0.65–0.73; p< 0.0001) between torque and work measures. At 90 ◦ /s the PT and MPT mostly contributed to muscle performance while at 45 ◦ /s, MPT and meanW exhibited the highest component loadings, whereas PT performed poorly. CONCLUSIONS: Isokinetic variables contributed with different loadings to muscle performance of ankle dorsiflexors, depending on the angular velocity employed. In particular, work measures may usefully complement the conventional PT-only analysis, especially in rehabilitative settings where low speeds are recommended.

Reply to comment on: “Nordic Walking for the Management of People with Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review”

It is well known that physical exercise is the main therapeutic element of rehabilitation programs for people with Parkinson disease (PD). As traditional forms of exercise can guarantee significant health benefits, the emergence of nonconventional physical activities, such as Nordic walking (NW), may add positive effects.

The surge of predatory open-access in neurosciences and neurology

L.C. Disclosure: nothing to disclose P.S. Disclosure: nothing to disclose C.S. Disclosure: nothing to disclose M.M. Disclosure: nothing to disclose G.M. Disclosure: nothing to disclose A.M. Disclosure: nothing to disclose D.D. Disclosure: nothing to disclose F.D. Disclosure: nothing to disclose disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mov Disord 2008; 23:631-640. 5. Tillerson JL, Caudle WM, Reverón ME, Miller GW. Exercise induces behavioral recovery and attenuates neurochemical deficits in rodent models of Parkinson’s disease. Neuroscience 2003;119:899-911.