ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of a brief Tai Chi Chuan Qigong ('Qigong') exercise intervention on individuals with traumatic brain injury. DESIGN: A single-centre randomized controlled trial pilot study. SETTING: A registered charity day centre in the community. SUBJECTS: Twenty individuals with traumatic brain injury. INTERVENTION: Intervention participants attended a Qigong exercise session for one hour per week over eight weeks. Control participants engaged in non-exercise-based social and leisure activities for the same intervention period. MEASURES: Outcome was assessed at baseline and post intervention using the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire and the Social Support for Exercise Habits Scale, to measure perceived mood, self-esteem, flexibility, coordination, physical activity and social support. RESULTS: Groups were comparable at baseline. After the intervention, mood was improved in the exercise group when compared with controls (U = 22.0, P =0.02). Improvements in self-esteem (Z = 2.397, P =0.01) and mood (Z = -2.032, P =0.04) across the study period were also evident in the exercise group only. There were no significant differences in physical functioning between groups. In view of the sample size, these findings are inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that a brief Qigong exercise intervention programme may improve mood and self-esteem for individuals with traumatic brain injury. This needs to be tested in a large-scale randomized trial.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries/rehabilitation , Exercise Therapy/methods , Tai Ji , Adult , Brain Injuries/complications , Brain Injuries/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mobility Limitation , Mood Disorders/diagnosis , Mood Disorders/etiology , Mood Disorders/therapy , Motor Activity , Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care , Pilot Projects , Self Concept , Social Behavior , Social Support , Tai Ji/psychology , Trauma Severity Indices , Young AdultABSTRACT
Of 1089 healthy blood donors screened for HTLV-1 using ABBOTTS HTLV-1 EIA: 18 (1.7%) were positive; and 16 (1.5%) were confirmed positive using HTLV-1/11 Cambridge Biothec Western Blot method. HTLV-1 antibodies were found amongst the major ethnic groups, viz. Africans, 11 cases (68.75%) and East Indians 4 cases (25%). The mean age of the donors who tested positive for HTLV-1 was 30.75 years; and the male to female ratio was 4.3:1.
Subject(s)
Blood Donors , HTLV-I Antibodies/blood , HTLV-I Infections/epidemiology , Adult , Africa/ethnology , Age Factors , Blotting, Western , Female , HTLV-I Infections/ethnology , Humans , Immunoenzyme Techniques , India/ethnology , Male , Prevalence , Prospective Studies , Retrospective Studies , Sex Factors , Trinidad and Tobago/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Of 1089 healthy blood donors screened for HTLV-I using ABBOTTS HTLV-I EIA: 18 (1.7 percent) were positive; and 16 (1.5 percent) were confirmed positive using HTLV-I/11 Cambridge Biothec Western Blot method. HTLV-I antibodies were found amongst the major ethnic groups, viz. Africans, 11 cases (68.75 percent) and East Indians 4 cases (25 percent). The mean age of the donors who tested positive for HTLV-I was 30.75 years; and the male to female ratio was 4.3:1. (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Adult , Male , Female , Blood Donors , HTLV-I Antibodies/blood , HTLV-I Infections/epidemiology , Africa/ethnology , Age Factors , Blotting, Western , HTLV-I Infections/ethnology , Immunoenzyme Techniques , India/ethnology , Prevalence , Prospective Studies , Retrospective Studies , Sex Factors , Trinidad and Tobago/epidemiologyABSTRACT
We present the case of a parturient with severe mitral stenosis and pulmonary hypertension who received general anaesthesia using alfentanil for urgent Caesarean section. Alfentanil promoted haemodynamic stability and allowed immediate postoperative extubation. Epidural morphine provided postoperative analgesia. This combination permitted early ambulation and prevention of thromboembolism. A disadvantage of this technique, neonatal respiratory depression, was promptly reversed with a single dose of naloxone. The anaesthetic management of mitral stenosis in pregnancy is discussed and the neonatal pharmacokinetics of maternally administered alfentanil are presented.
