Evaluation instruments for physical therapy using virtual reality in stroke patients: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Physiotherapeutic rehabilitation is essential to improve functional mobility, muscular strength, balance and quality of life of stroke patients, but conventional techniques using repeated physical activities can soon become monotonous. The use of virtual reality (VR) in rehabilitation offers a possible alternative to the traditional methods of promoting improvements in muscle strength and balance. However, there is not yet consensus about which instruments should be used to assess the effectiveness of VR in stroke rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review to identify the types of evaluation tools used for different VR interventions to rehabilitate stroke patients, considering balance, strength, function, quality of life, cognition and motivation. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive literature search using MEDLINE-PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs and IEEE Xplore was undertaken. STUDY SELECTION: Studies on stroke patients who had undergone VR therapy and an assessment of its effectiveness using evaluative instruments. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: Data were extracted by a single reviewer using standardised forms, and were checked by a second reviewer. The extracted information included study design, number of participants, type of stroke, items that were evaluated (balance, muscle strength, functional evaluation), console used, number of rehabilitation sessions, results and conclusions. RESULTS: In total, 1836 articles were identified; of these, 29 were included in this review after consideration of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected articles rated one or more of the following factors: balance (n=12), grip strength (with or without devices for direct measurement) (n=8), functionality (n=12) and quality of life (n=12). LIMITATIONS: The full text of one article was not available, despite a request to the authors to send it via email. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS: The Berg Balance Scale, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment and the Stroke Impact Scale were the instruments used most frequently to assess balance, function and quality of life, respectively, in stroke patients who underwent rehabilitation using VR. Systematic review registration PROSPERO number: 87546.

Pharmacological Effects of Carvacrol in In vitro Studies: A Review.

Carvacrol has a high therapeutic potential, with in vitro studies showing promising results in different cellular models using a variety of methodological designs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review to analyze the pharmacological effects of carvacrol in in vitro studies. A comprehensive search of the literature was made using four databases: Science Direct, Scopus, MEDLINE-PubMed, and Web of Science using different combinations of the following keywords: carvacrol, drug therapy, therapeutic uses, in vitro study. The search of the databases was for studies conducted in the period up to and including September 2016. A total of 3,269 studies were initially identified, with only 31 meeting the inclusion criteria. The included studies contained a variety of in vitro models able to determine the properties of Carvacrol. The following properties of Carvacrol were identified: antimicrobial (7 studies), bactericidal (4), bactericidal and antifungal (1), antiinflammatory (4), anticancer (4), mutagenic (4), antioxidant (3), antifungal (3), antidepressant (1), as a modulator of nerve impulses (1) and an immunological modulator (1). The In vitro studies with Carvacrol included in this review showed a diversity of models and confirmed the therapeutic potential of this product in relation to several diseases.

Natural and synthetic products used for the treatment of smoke inhalation: a patent review.

INTRODUCTION: Inhalation injury is the leading cause of death in burn patients and is usually caused by the uninhibited absorption of smoke, which has an extremely toxic effect on the respiratory system. The physiopathology of inhalation injury covers multiple factors and the injured respiratory system may present deterioration in a few hours. Areas covered: In this present review, we analyzed patents based on both natural and synthetic products developed for the treatment of smoke inhalation. We found 14 patents in Espacenet, 25 in WIPO and none in the USPTO data search. Expert opinion: Several previous reports on treatments used for smoke inhalation are discussed. Although there are a number of research based products for this injury, there has been no review of the patents dealing with treatments for smoke inhalation. The development of novel natural or synthetic products are discussed in detail in the review.

Inflammatory Mediators and Oxidative Stress in Animals Subjected to Smoke Inhalation: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: The inhalation injury is usually initiated by uninhibited absorption of smoke, favoring the release of cytokines and other lipid mediators from inflammatory cells in lung airways and parenchyma. OBJECTIVES: To systematically review, examine, and synthesize the main inflammatory mediators analyzed in published studies in animals subjected to smoke inhalation, as well as oxidative stress. SEARCH STRATEGY: A comprehensive literature search was conducted through MEDLINE-PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies with animals subjected to lung damage from smoke inhalation that evaluated the presence and the action of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress. RESULTS: A total of 1332 studies were initially identified, with only 31 meeting the inclusion criteria. The inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress markers studied and presented in the articles described herein were varied; however, the most cited ones were tumor necrosis factor-alpha (6), IL-8 and IL-6 (both studied in five articles), IL-1ß and nuclear factor kappa ß (both studied in 4 articles), malondialdehyde (11 studies), and myeloperoxidase (7). It is worth noting that most studies evaluated more than one inflammatory mediator and oxidative stress marker. CONCLUSION: Based on this review, we could observe that the main inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress markers analyzed were TNF-α, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1ß, nuclear factor kappa ß, MDA, and MPO. However, it is necessary to increase the rigor of study design and data, in order to have studies that are more homogeneous and with appropriate methodological quality.