Each year, nearly 800,000 people suffer a stroke, according to estimates from the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention. And due to this arm mobility (as well as mobility in other
limbs) is seriously reduced in more than half of stroke survivors.

Hello n wc to MD, your daily dose of health and medical news.Im Dr. Nandita Mohan and
Today Im going to talk about a Computer tool that can track stroke rehabilitation to boost
recovery

Computer tool to track

stroke rehabilitation
to boost recovery

according to a new study, a sensor-equipped computer program can accurately identify and
count arm movements in people undergoing stroke rehabilitation, Now that it can do so, the next
step is to use the tool to define the intensity of movements that bring about the greatest recovery
in patients’ ability to move independently and take care of themselves after a stroke.

The study showed that the tool was 77% effective in identifying and counting the number of arm
motions prescribed during rehabilitation exercises for stroke patients. Sensors strapped to the
arms and back were used to track movements in three dimensions. The developers say they plan
further testing on more stroke patients to refine their computer model, cut down on the number
of sensors needed, and then develop a smaller prototype device that could be worn on the arm
and upper body.

Published in the journal PLOS Digital Health, this study recorded the upper body movements of
41 adult stroke patients while they performed routine rehabilitation exercises for regaining use in
the arms and hands. Exercises and arm movements involved patients feeding themselves with a
fork and grooming themselves with a comb.

More than 51,616 upper body movements were recorded from nine sensors, with the digital
recordings of each arm movement then matched to functional categories, such as whether the
movement involved reaching for an object or holding it still.
Artificial intelligence (machine learning) software was then programmed to detect patterns
within the data and tie these patterns to specific movements. The resulting PrimSeq tool was then
tested on a separate group of eight stroke patients who wore the sensors while performing
various exercises.

Hence it was observed that the program was successful in accurately assessing the majority of
movements in patients, all of whom had mild to moderate arm impairments from stroke.

As defined by NICE guidelines, Long COVID is when having new or ongoing symptoms for
four weeks or more after the start of disease. Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, loss
of concentration and joint pain. The symptoms can adversely affect day-to-day activities, and in
some cases can be severely limiting.

Hello n wc to MD, your daily dose of health and medical news.Im Dr. Nandita Mohan and
Today Im going to discuss the Long COVID risk during Omicron compared to Delta

Long COVID risk

Less during Omicron

compared to Delta

A new research published in The Lancet has revealed that The Omicron variant is less likely to
cause long COVID than the Delta variant. The findings are from the first peer-reviewed study to
report on long COVID risk and the Omicron variant.

Researchers found the odds of experiencing long COVID were between 20-50% less during the
Omicron period versus the Delta period, depending on age and time since vaccination.
The study identified 56,003 adults first testing positive between the period when the Omicron
was the dominant strain. Researchers compared these cases to 41,361 cases first testing positive
during the Delta variant.

The analysis shows 4.4% of Omicron cases were long COVID, compared to 10.8% of Delta
cases. However, the absolute number of people experiencing long COVID was in fact higher in
the Omicron period. This was because of the vast numbers of people infected with Omicron.

Therefore, the authors mentioned that the Omicron variant appears substantially less likely to
cause Long-COVID than previous variants but still 1 in 23 people who catch COVID-19 go on to
have symptoms for more than four weeks. Given the numbers of people affected it’s important
that all of us continue to support them at work and at home.

Kawasaki disease is the most common acquired heart disease in children. When untreated, one-
fourth of patients develop coronary artery aneurysms that can lead to heart attacks, congestive
heart failure or sudden death. Pediatric symptoms include fever, rash, bloodshot eyes and redness
of the mouth, throat, hands and feet.

Hello n wc to MD, your daily dose of health and medical news.Im Dr. Nandita Mohan and
Today Im going to talk about the drop in rates of Kawasaki disease during COVID-19 pandemic

Incidence of Kawasaki disease reduces

during COVID-19 pandemic

According to the study, published in JAMA Network Open Pediatrics, researchers found that
Kawasaki disease cases fell by 28 percent in 2020 and remained low during the peak pandemic
period.
The drop was associated with school closures, masking mandates, decreased ambient air
pollution and reduced circulation of respiratory viruses. Kawasaki disease cases rebounded in the
spring of 2021, coinciding with the lifting of masking mandates and the return of in-person
schooling.

While this condition affects less than 6,000 children each year, the disease continues to puzzle
pediatricians, as its exact trigger(s) and mode of entry into the body have yet to be identified.
Unlike COVID-19, Kawasaki disease is not contagious.
However, the discovery that precautions against coronavirus were effective in reducing
Kawasaki disease suggests its trigger(s) are similarly inhaled into the upper respiratory tract.

The results from the analysis showed that the rates of Kawasaki disease are typically higher in
male and Asian children, and these groups saw especially large drops in cases during the
pandemic.

Another group that saw a disproportionate decrease was children ages one through five. This was
notable when compared to infants, who saw no significant change in Kawasaki disease rates
during this time period. The reason is likely because infant behavior was not as significantly
impacted by the pandemic while typical activities and exposures for older children changed more
dramatically.

Therefore, the authors concluded that the patterns suggested that social behavior affects exposure
to the agent(s) that trigger KD, and are consistent with a respiratory portal of entry.
It is a known statement that incident atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of
dementia. But if I introduce a third parameter- smoking here. Then what? Data on the association
between smoking cessation after AF diagnosis and dementia risk are limited.

Hello n wc to MD, your daily dose of health and medical news. Im Dr. Nandita Mohan and today
Im going to talk about the risk of Dementia After Smoking Cessation in Patients With Newly
Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation.
Dementia risk decreases
after Smoking Cessation
in Atrial Fibrillation patients

According to a new study published in the Jama Network Open, smoking is associated with a
significantly higher risk of dementia in patients with new-onset AF while smoking cessation
after AF diagnosis was associated with a lower risk of dementia than among current smokers.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, with an increasing prevalence in
the elderly conferring a high risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes and health care costs.
Cognitive dysfunction is prominent among patients with AF.
This nationwide cohort study included a total of 126 252 patients who had a national health
checkup examination within 2 years before and after AF diagnosis. Based on their smoking
status, participants were classified as never smokers, ex-smokers, quit smokers, and current
smokers. Patients were followed up until dementia, death, or the study period ended whichever
occurred first.
The results of the study showed that 51.9% were non smokers, 27.5% were ex-smokers, 7.1%
quit smoking , and 13.5% were current smokers.
During a median of 3 years of follow-up, dementia occurred in 5925 patients. Hence, the
researchers concluded that although smoking is associated with a significantly higher risk of
dementia in patients with new-onset AF but Smoking cessation after AF diagnosis was
associated with a lower risk of dementia than among current smokers.
These findings may support promoting smoking cessation to reduce dementia risk in patients
with new-onset AF.