The effect of antenatal hypnosis training on pharmacological analgesia use during labour and birth: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The use of hypnosis as a means of pain management during labour is becoming increasingly popular. While recent reviews have reported on pain perception, relaxation and other psychological benefits the impact of hypnosis on the use of pharmacological analgesia use has not been specifically examined. QUESTION: For women in labour at term, does antenatal hypnosis instruction compared to no instruction result in decreased use of pharmacological analgesia and influence maternal and infant birth outcomes. METHODS: Databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Embase were searched with dates ranging from 1947-2024. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared antenatal hypnosis training to no hypnosis control groups, published in English and reported on pharmacological analgesia use. The Cochrane's Risk of Bias 2 for RCTs was used to assess design quality. Study selection, quality assessment, data extraction and analysis were undertaken by two independent researchers. FINDINGS: Six RCTs met the inclusion criteria (n=2937). The use of hypnosis did not result in a significant reduction in the risk of epidural use (RR. 0.79 95% CI 0.39-1.61) or other forms of pharmacological analgesia. Factors such as blinding of care providers to the participants allocated group may have reduced the chances of successful use of hypnosis. Variations in the presentation of hypnosis between studies may also impact on outcomes. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This review reports no effect on the use of pharmacological analgesia in women trained in hypnosis antenatally compared with those who were not. Our review does highlight several RCT design characteristics that could impact on the measurement and analysis of the use and efficacy of hypnosis.

The Effects of 10-Day Exogenous Ketone Consumption on Repeated Time Trial Running Performances: A Randomized-Control Trial.

INTRODUCTION: The effects of ketone salt supplementation on repeated short-distance running time trial (TT) performance in well-trained subjects remain unknown. PURPOSE: To determine the effects of 10-day exogenous ketone salt supplementation on two consecutive 800 m running TTs in endurance-trained subjects. METHODS: Male and female subjects were randomly allocated to one of the following groups: Ketone (KET) (n = 16) or placebo (CON) (n = 16) (8 m, 8f per group). Subjects underwent two consecutive 800 m TTs before and after a 10-day treatment on a self-propelled treadmill. Time-to-completion of the first (TT1) and second (TT2) TT, the average time-to-completion (TTAVG), and blood lactate response during each TT was measured pre-post-treatment. Changes in blood ketone levels in response to a single dosing were measured pre- and post-treatment. Data was analyzed with a mixed factorial ANOVA with significance set to p < 0.05. RESULTS: KET demonstrated a faster TTAVG from pre- to post-treatment (-6.1 ± 8.9 s; p = 0.02) while CON showed no change. At pre- and post-treatment, CON showed no acute changes in blood ketones after a single-dosing while KET demonstrated a significant increases (Pretreatment = +0.4 ± 0.3 mmol/L; p < 0.001; Post-Treatment = +0.4 ± 0.4 mmol/L; p < 0.001). These acute single-dosing responses in blood ketone levels for KET did not change between pre- and post-treatment. There were no interactions for blood lactate response to exercise or fatigue index. CONCLUSIONS: In trained subjects, 10 days of ketone salt supplementation does not affect performance in an initial bout of short-distance running, such as during TT1. However, ergogenic effects may be observed under fatigue conditions for example during a repeated running bout.

Human tear proteome dataset in response to daily wear of water gradient contact lens using SWATH-MS approach.

Water Gradient Contact Lens (WGCL) is a new generation material that combines the benefits of Silicone hydrogel (SiHy) and traditional hydrogel contact lenses by modifying the materials between the core and the surface. However, its impact on tear proteome has not been explored. Tears were collected on healthy young adults using Schirmer's strip at baseline, 1-week, and 1-month of WGCL lens wear (n=15) and age-matched untouched controls (n=10). Equal amounts of tears samples from individuals of WGCL and control groups were randomly pooled to form representative equal parts at each condition (n=3 for WGCL wear and age-matched untouched control group) at each condition (baseline, 1-week, and 1-month). Tears were prepared using the S-Trap sample preparation followed by the analysis of a TripleTOF 6600 mass spectrometer. Using Information-dependent acquisition (IDA), a total of 725 tear proteins (6760 distinct peptides) were identified in the constructed spectral library at 1% FDR. Using data-independent acquisition (SWATH-MS), data were analyzed and processed using PeakView (v2.2, SCIEX), with the top differentially expressed proteins at each time point (baseline, 1-week, and 1-month) presented. All acquired raw data (IDA and SWATH-MS) were submitted and published on the Peptide Atlas public repository (http://www.peptideatlas.org/) for general release (Data ID PASS01589).

Age-associated changes in the mechanical properties of human cadaveric pelvic floor muscles.

Proper function of the female pelvic floor requires intact pelvic floor muscles (PFMs). The prevalence of pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) increases substantially with age, in part due to clinically identified deterioration of PFM function with age. However, the etiology of this decline remains largely unknown. We previously demonstrated that PFMs undergo age-related fibrotic changes. This study sought to determine whether aging also impacts PFMs' passive mechanical properties that are largely determined by the intramuscular extracellular matrix. Biopsies from younger (≤52y) and older (>52y) female cadaveric donors were procured from PFMs, specifically coccygeus (C) and two portions of the levator ani - iliococcygeus (IC) and pubovisceralis (PV), and the appendicular muscles - obturator internus (OI) and vastus lateralis (VL). Muscle bundles were subjected to a passive loading protocol, and stress-sarcomere length (Ls) relationships calculated. Muscle stiffness was compared between groups using 2-way ANOVA and Sidak pairwise comparisons, α < 0.05. The mean age was 43.4 ±â€¯11.6y and 74.9 ±â€¯11.9y in younger (N = 5) and older (N = 10) donors, respectively. In all PFMs, the quadratic coefficient of parabolic regression of the stress-Ls curve, a measure of stiffness, was lower in the younger versus older group: C: 33.7 ±â€¯13.9 vs 87.2 ±â€¯10.7, P = 0.02; IC: 38.3 ±â€¯12.7 vs 84.5 ±â€¯13.9, P = 0.04; PV: 24.7 ±â€¯8.8 vs 74.6 ±â€¯9.6, P = 0.04. In contrast, non-PFM stiffness was not affected by aging: OI: 14.5 ±â€¯4.7 vs 32.9 ±â€¯6.2, P = 0.8 and VL: 13.6 ±â€¯5.7 vs 30.1 ±â€¯5.3, P = 0.9. Age-associated increase in PFM stiffness is predicted to negatively impact PFM function by diminishing muscle load-bearing, excursional, contractile, and regenerative capacity, thus predisposing older women to PFDs.

Preliminary study on the occurrence of pten and PIK3CA gene mutations in endometrial cancer among Malaysian women

Genetic mutations in endometrial cancer (EC) have been extensively studied in the Western population but not much in Asian cohorts. This study has demonstrated that PTEN and PIK3CA mutations are commonly found in EC among Malaysian women. Following RNA extraction from 20 cancerous and 18 non-cancerous tissues, the presence of mutations in 9 exons of PTEN and 3 exons of PIK3CA genes were detected using realtime PCR, accompanied by High Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis. Sequencing confirmed specificity of each PCR product. The mutations for both genes were detected in the samples with varying frequencies. Notably, all samples expressed mutation of PTEN at exon 7 but none in exon 4. Further analysis demonstrated that strong concurrent mutations occurred between exons 7 of PTEN with exon 20 region 1 of PIK3CA gene (90%). Our data showed mutations are present in EC and not the non-cancerous tissues. Larger samples are being collected to validate this observation.

Study of the mechanisms by which Sambucus williamsii HANCE extract exert protective effects against ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in vivo.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this study is to investigate the dose-dependent effects of SWH on bone properties and the mechanism involved in mediating the osteoprotective actions of SWH. The results indicated that SWH could improve bone properties by inhibiting the process of bone resorption and stimulating the process of bone formation. INTRODUCTION: Our previous study showed that Sambucus williamsii HANCE (SWH) improved trabecular bone mass and cortical bone strength in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dose-dependent effects of SWH on bone properties and the mechanism involved in mediating the osteoprotective actions of SWH. METHODS: Three-month-old C57BL/6J mice were fed a phytoestrogen-free diet and subjected to either ovariectomy or sham operation. OVX mice were treated with genistein (50 mg/kg), or a low (200 mg/kg), medium (500 mg/kg), or high (1,000 mg/kg) dose of SWH extract. RESULTS: SWH could dose-dependently decrease urinary Ca excretion and increase serum Ca level in OVX mice. It could increase tibial bone mineral density and exert beneficial effects on the microarchitecture of trabecular bone in the OVX mice. SWH suppressed the ovariectomy-induced expression of Cbfa1 mRNA and cathepsin K mRNA and enhanced the ratio of OPG/RANKL mRNA expression in the tibia. In vitro study showed that SWH dramatically reduced the number of TRAP-positive cells in RANKL-induced RAW 264.7 cells. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that SWH could improve bone properties by inhibiting the process of bone resorption and stimulating the process of bone formation.

7th SOSORT consensus paper: conservative treatment of idiopathic & Scheuermann's kyphosis.

UNLABELLED: : Thoracic hyperkyphosis is a frequent problem and can impact greatly on patient's quality of life during adolescence. This condition can be idiopathic or secondary to Scheuermann disease, a disease disturbing vertebral growth. To date, there is no sound scientific data available on the management of this condition. Some studies discuss the effects of bracing, however no guidelines, protocols or indication's of treatment for this condition were found. The aim of this paper was to develop and verify the consensus on managing thoracic hyperkyphosis patients treated with braces and/or physiotherapy. METHODS: The Delphi process was utilised in four steps gradually modified according to the results of a set of recommendations: we involved the SOSORT Board twice, then all SOSORT members twice, with a Pre-Meeting Questionnaire (PMQ), and during a Consensus Session at the SOSORT Lyon Meeting with a Meeting Questionnaire (MQ). RESULTS: There was an unanimous agreement on the general efficacy of bracing and physiotherapy for this condition. Most experts suggested the use of 4-5 point bracing systems, however there was some controversy with regards to physiotherapeutic aims and modalities. CONCLUSION: The SOSORT panel of experts suggest the use of rigid braces and physiotherapy to correct thoracic hyperkyphosis during adolescence. The evaluation of specific braces and physiotherapy techniques has been recommended.

Differential protein expression induced by a lipid extract of Perna canaliculus in splenocytes of rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis.

The lipid extract of Perna canaliculus (Lyprinol) has known anti-inflammatory effects. However, the only information on mechanisms is regulation of cytokine secretion. Therefore, we conducted a proteomic study exploring the effects of Lyprinol on protein expression in splenocytes collected from AIA rats. Splenocytes from AIA rats fed with Lyprinol had increased protein expression of malate dehydrogenase (MDH). Lyprinol also decreased the expressions of 5 other proteins: protein-o-mannosyl- transferase 2 (PMT-2), Tdrd 7, telethonin, dynactin 2 and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI or glucose-regulated protein (GRP)). Besides MDH, PMT- 2, titin-cap protein and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) are known to be related to metabolism. However, it is currently unknown if Lyprinol administration decreases metabolic glucose in the body and alleviates symptoms of inflammation and arthritis. Further experiments are required to correlate levels of citric acid intermediates and glucose to the severity of inflammation and pain in AIA rats fed Lyprinol.

Soy isoflavones and their bone protective effects.

Several observational studies have suggested that populations with a high dietary soy intake have a lower incidence of osteoporosis-related fractures when compared to Western populations. However, there has not been consistent data to show that soy isoflavones protect against or lessen bone loss. Studies in our laboratory showed that genistein, the major soy isoflavone, could stimulate osteoblastic functions as well as human breast cancer cell growth. These studies raised the concern of whether it would be safe for women who have a prior history of breast cancer to consume soy isoflavone for management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. As increasing the purity of genistein is known to increase its ability to induce human breast cancer cell growth, current effort in our laboratory is to determine if the in vivo bone protective effects will be affected by the complexity of the soy isoflavones extract in ovariectomized mice.

Improvement of Ca balance by Fructus Ligustri Lucidi extract in aged female rats.

UNLABELLED: This study aimed to demonstrate and delineate the mechanism of action of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) involved in improving Ca balance in aged female rats. FLL could enhance the apparent Ca absorption rate and reduce Ca excretion, via its actions on modulating the levels of calciotropic hormones and CaBPs expression. INTRODUCTION: Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) is a herb classically used for the treatment of age-related symptoms in China. The present study aimed to determine if FLL could improve calcium balance in aged female rats and delineate its mechanism of action in vivo. METHODS: Aged Sprague-Dawley rats (11 months of age) were orally administered with ethanol extract of FLL or its vehicle and fed with diets containing different levels of Ca (low Ca diet, LCD, 0.1% Ca; medium Ca diet, MCD, 0.6% Ca; high Ca diet, HCD, 1.2% Ca) for 12 weeks. Serum, urine and feces were collected for biochemical markers and Ca balance determination. mRNA expressions of calcium binding proteins (CaBPs) were determined by real time RT-PCR. The effects of diets and herb were analyzed by both one-way and two-way ANOVA. RESULTS: FLL significantly reduced fecal Ca excretion and induced apparent Ca absorption rate in rats fed with MCD and HCD. FLL increased serum 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) level and duodenal CaBP-9k mRNA expressions in all rats. Renal CaBP-28k mRNA expressions were induced in rats fed with MCD and HCD upon FLL treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that FLL improved Ca balance in aged female rats by increasing serum 1,25 (OH)(2)D(3) level and vitamin D-dependent CaBPs expression.