Effect of comprehensive nursing on the quality of life and swallowing function in individuals diagnosed with ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND Ischemic stroke(IS)is a widely recognized disease characterized by high preva-lence,mortality,morbidity,disability,and recurrence rates.It ranks prominently in terms of mortality,constituting 60%-80%of stroke cases.AIM To explore the impact of comprehensive nursing care on the quality of life and swallowing function in individuals diagnosed with IS.METHODS This study comprised 172 patients with IS admitted to our hospital between February 2018 to March 2021.The participants were divided into two groups,namely the control group(n=80)receiving routine care and the research group(n=92)receiving comprehensive care.Various assessment scales,including the standard swallowing function assessment scale(SSA),National Institutes of Health Stroke scale(NIHSS),European stroke scale(ESS),self-rating anxiety scale(SAS),self-rating depression scale(SDS),Barthel index(BI),and the motor func-tion assessment scale(MAS),were employed to evaluate the improvement in swallowing function,neurological deficits,clinical outcomes,anxiety,depression,daily living activities,and motor function before and after care.Furthermore,the study compared the occurrence of adverse reactions during the nursing period,life quality before and after the intervention,rehabilitation compliance,and nursing satisfaction between the two groups.RESULTS After the nursing intervention,the research group exhibited significantly improved SSA and NIHSS scores compared to the control group(P<0.05).Moreover,both groups demonstrated significant reductions in SAS and SDS scores(P<0.05),with the research group showing more obvious advantages(P<0.05).Compared to the control group,the research group displayed significantly better ESS,BI,and MAS scores(P<0.05),coupled with a lower incidence of adverse reactions(P<0.05).Additionally,the research group demonstrated markedly higher levels of life quality,rehabilitation compliance,and nursing satisfaction compared to the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Comprehensive nursing effectively improved swallowing function,quality of life,and patient satisfaction,high-lighting its clinical significance.

Non-concomitant cortical structural and functional alterations in sensorimotor areas following incomplete spinal cord injury

Brain plasticity, including anatomical changes and functional reorganization, is the physiological basis of functional recovery after spinal cord injury(SCI). The correlation between brain anatomical changes and functional reorganization after SCI is unclear. This study aimed to explore whether alterations of cortical structure and network function are concomitant in sensorimotor areas after incomplete SCI. Eighteen patients with incomplete SCI(mean age 40.94 ± 14.10 years old; male:female, 7:11) and 18 healthy subjects(37.33 ± 11.79 years old; male:female, 7:11) were studied by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Gray matter volume(GMV) and functional connectivity were used to evaluate cortical structure and network function, respectively. There was no significant alteration of GMV in sensorimotor areas in patients with incomplete SCI compared with healthy subjects. Intra-hemispheric functional connectivity between left primary somatosensory cortex(BA1) and left primary motor cortex(BA4), and left BA1 and left somatosensory association cortex(BA5) was decreased, as well as inter-hemispheric functional connectivity between left BA1 and right BA4, left BA1 and right BA5, and left BA4 and right BA5 in patients with SCI. Functional connectivity between both BA4 areas was also decreased. The decreased functional connectivity between the left BA1 and the right BA4 positively correlated with American Spinal Injury Association sensory score in SCI patients. The results indicate that alterations of cortical anatomical structure and network functional connectivity in sensorimotor areas were non-concomitant in patients with incomplete SCI, indicating the network functional changes in sensorimotor areas may not be dependent on anatomic structure. The strength of functional connectivity within sensorimotor areas could serve as a potential imaging biomarker for assessment and prediction of sensory function in patients with incomplete SCI. This trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration number: Chi CTR-ROC-17013566).