{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T05:05:54Z","timestamp":1784264754035,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784246400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Infrared irradiation could improve local blood circulation, regulate muscle metabolism and enhance neuromuscular excitability in stroke patients. This study aimed to investigate the effects of infrared irradiation at predefined acupoints (IPA) combined with task-oriented training (TOT) on neurological function, limb motor recovery, electromyographic activity, daily living ability, and quality of life in cerebral infarction patients with hemiplegia.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 208 patients with cerebral infarction with hemiplegia were included. Patients were randomly allocated to the IPA\u202f+\u202fTOT group (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f105) or TOT-only group (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f103) according to their rehabilitation method. Neurological impairment (NIHSS), limb motor function (FMA), electromyographic parameters (iEMG, RMS), activities of daily living (Barthel Index), and quality of life (SS-QOL) were evaluated at baseline and week 3 (W3).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      At W3, the IPA\u202f+\u202fTOT group presented greater improvements in the Barthel index (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.002), FMA-upper limb score (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.025) and FMA-lower limb score (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.003) than did the TOT-alone group. Electromyographic activity increased notably in the triceps brachii (iEMG:\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.035; RMS:\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.001) and tibialis anterior (iEMG:\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.037; RMS:\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.022) regions. The quality of life measured by the SS-QOL was also greater in the IPA\u202f+\u202fTOT group (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.012). The NIHSS score was not significantly different between the groups.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>IPA combined with TOT is associated with improvements in motor function, muscle activation, daily living ability, and quality of life, supporting its potential as an effective complementary rehabilitation strategy for cerebral infarction patients with hemiplegia. However, further studies with longer follow-up periods and more rigorous study designs are required to confirm its long-term efficacy and clinical value.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2026.1777129","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T04:23:12Z","timestamp":1784262192000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Efficacy of infrared irradiation at predefined acupoints combined with task-oriented training as a rehabilitation strategy in cerebral infarction patients with hemiplegia"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Yinyue","family":"Gu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pudong Gongli Hospital, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhenwen","family":"Liang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Min","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pudong Gongli Hospital, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jingwen","family":"Shao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pudong Gongli Hospital, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1653934","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2025.1653934","article-title":"Retrospective analysis of 11 patients with ipsilateral hemiplegia caused by acute cerebral infarction","volume":"16","author":"Huang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Neurol"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1555990","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2025.1555990","article-title":"Advances in hemiplegia rehabilitation: modern therapeutic interventions to enhance activities of daily living","volume":"16","author":"Xiong","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Neurol"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"404","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci15040404","article-title":"The assessment of the motor and non-motor aspects of anosognosia for hemiplegia: a historical 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