Excessive Facial Wrinkling Is Associated with COPD Occurrence-Does COPD Damage Skin Beauty and Quality?

The aim of this study was to investigate facial wrinkling in COPD patients, its relationship with lung function parameters, and the differences in wrinkling between COPD patients and smokers without COPD. The study included 56 patients with COPD with smoking history and 84 controls. Wrinkle intensity was measured and classified using Daniell's grading system, and the total length of wrinkles was also estimated. The predominant grades of Daniell's scale were IV-V for COPD patients (89.3% of current and 75.0% of former smokers), III-V for controls who currently smoke (89.2%), and II-III for former (92.9%) and never smokers (100%) controls. These distributions were statistically significantly different, but current and former smokers with COPD and COPD former smokers and control current smokers did not differ. In terms of the total length of wrinkles, the COPD patients possessed significantly longer wrinkles than the control subgroups (all p-values were <0.004). Negative correlations between wrinkle length and lung parameters were found. This phenomenon seems to be independent of smoking, but the length of wrinkles is related to lung function parameters. It seems that not only smoking but also COPD damages skin beauty and quality.

The possibility of the use of Kinesio Taping in internal, oncologic, and neurologic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to present the current body of knowledge on Kinesio Taping (KT) as a treatment method for patients with internal, oncologic, and neurologic diseases. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, MEDLINE, CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), EMBASE Excerpta Medica, and Google Scholar. STUDY SELECTION: The papers were identified through term searches in digital research databases. Based on the review of the available 152 research articles, 12 papers on internal, oncologic, and neurologic diseases were selected. Two of this review's authors, working independently, selected the papers to be included in the analyzed sample, performed a bias risk assessment and assessed the quality of the evidence for the main effects using the Internal Validity Score (IVS) (PEDro) approach. A simplified version of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEBM) system was used to evaluate the evidence. DATA EXTRACTION: The full text of each relevant study was read by two independent reviewers to extract data. The collected database was subjected to matrix processing. Variable vectors for individually analyzed categories were designated and used in the meta-analysis. DATA SYNTHESIS: There are few prospective, randomized controlled trials on KT that include a sufficiently large cohort. Only few of the reviewed papers which discuss the principles of KT met the criteria of scientifically rigorous research. CONCLUSIONS: We found some evidence to support the use of KT in clinical practice in patients with neurologic, oncologic, and internal diseases. However, there is a need for further clinical trials on the effectiveness of the use of the KT method.

Assessment of the effects of dysphagia therapy in patients in the early post-stroke period: a randomised controlled trial.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dysphagia therapy in patients in the early post-stroke period. CLINICAL RATIONALE: Dysphagia can be one of the consequences of stroke. This problem often leads to complications in the early stages of stroke, including aspiration pneumonia. Although individual reports on dysphagia exist in the literature, no comprehensive guidelines for dysphagia therapy are available. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This randomised controlled trial included 60 patients with swallowing difficulties after ischaemic stroke (30 each in the study and control groups; age range: 55-65 years) who were admitted to a hospital stroke subunit. Patient rehabilitation period covered 15 days (seven days a week), with therapy for the first 10 days provided during patient hospitalisation and then outpatient physiotherapy during the subsequent five days. The procedure, including providing education about safe food and liquid consumption to patients and their caregivers, was performed in both patient groups. An original dysphagia treatment method was employed in the study group. Statistical average, standard deviation, and statistical error before and after therapy were determined in the study and control groups. The significance of differences in results between the study and control groups was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The applied therapy for dysphagia improved the swallowing function and selected motor functions of patients after stroke. In the study group, ineffective (delayed) and absent swallowing reflex was observed in 13 patients (44%) before therapy and in one patient (3%) after therapy. The rate of effective swallowing reflex increased from 57% to 97%. Statistically significant differences in swallowing reflex were observed between the study and control groups after therapy (p = 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive therapy for dysphagia is effective and can reduce serious complications of swallowing disorders in clinical practice. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study could improve the clinical treatment of dysphagia.

Evaluation of applying Kinesio taping in children with urinary incontinence.

INTRODUCTION: Physiotherapeutic methods, used in patients with urinary incontinence, are recommended and acknowledged treatment methods. They include pelvic floor muscle exercises, electrical stimulation, magnetic field, acupuncture, and biofeedback. However, the influence of Kinesio taping (KT) applications is not known. The aim of this work was to assess the influence of the KT method on the number of incontinence incidents in children. Additionally, children included in the research were given a depression level test to assess their mental state and how it is influenced by incontinence. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 62 children (37 boys and 25 girls), aged 7-14 years, diagnosed as having night urinary incontinence and frequent daytime incontinence (daytime wetting). Study participants were randomly allocated to the research group, in which KT was applied, or the control group in which a placebo was used. The main outcome measure was the number of incontinence incidents. RESULT: The analysis of study results indicated that there was a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.001) in the number of incontinence incidents after KT was applied among children in the research group compared with those in the control group. After 4 days of KT application the number decreased by half within 24 h (Figure). DISCUSSION: As can be seen from the analysis of the literature on urinary incontinence therapy, several physiotherapeutic methods are described. They are not merely based on a single strategy but include combinations of methods. To our knowledge, the method described in our work is a pioneer method, previously not applied on its own. It is, however, limited by a relatively small number of research participants, although it took 29 months to gather the group for the research. Additionally, the research based on the principle that children with up to threw incontinence episodes per day were given KT applications every 3 days (72 h per session), whereas children with more frequent incontinence episodes were given KT applications every day (24 h per session). It seems that the principle should be that all children are given KT applications with the same frequency. Perhaps it could be interesting to compare the effects between groups with different frequency. Nevertheless, we believe that the results obtained in this research are of interest in the context of possibility to use KT for urinary incontinence in children. CONCLUSION: The KT method may serve as an effective complementary form of physiotherapy for children with urinary incontinence.

The Impact of the Use of Kinesio Taping Method on the Reduction of Swelling in Patients After Orthognathic Surgery: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND Orthognathic surgery (OGS) is associated with extensive surgical intervention within the soft and hard tissues of the facial region of the skull leading to inflammatory reactions. The presence of postoperative swelling indicates the accumulation of exudate or transudate; both these fluids occur in surgery. Massive swelling is a significant problem, because the tension of tissues intensifies pain sensations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the kinesio taping method (KT) in patients after orthognathic surgery in the area of the facial skull in terms of eliminating postoperative swelling. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study of the impact of kinesiology tape applied after orthognathic surgery to the craniofacial area on the elimination of swelling was performed in sixteen patients who suffered from this complication after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy. RESULTS The swelling was shown to be reduced after KT; within the same study the differences were statistically significant between the left and right sides and for the same side (p<0.05). The application of the lymphatic kinesio taping method led to the reduction of tension in the affected area and restoration of proper lymphatic circulation in the region covered by swelling. This allows for the improvement of the blood and lymph microcirculation and activation of self-healing processes. CONCLUSIONS The analysis of the impact of the practical use of the lymphatic KT on complications after orthognathic surgery revealed that it had a beneficial effect on the reduction of swelling. The use of the KT method seems promising because it is simple to carry out, not traumatic, economical and rarely causes undesirable allergies.

A study on nonlinear estimation of submaximal effort tolerance based on the generalized MET concept and the 6MWT in pulmonary rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is considered to be a simple and inexpensive tool for the assessment of functional tolerance of submaximal effort. The aim of this work was 1) to background the nonlinear nature of the energy expenditure process due to physical activity, 2) to compare the results/scores of the submaximal treadmill exercise test and those of 6MWT in pulmonary patients and 3) to develop nonlinear mathematical models relating the two. METHODS: The study group included patients with the COPD. All patients were subjected to a submaximal exercise test and a 6MWT. To develop an optimal mathematical solution and compare the results of the exercise test and the 6MWT, the least squares and genetic algorithms were employed to estimate parameters of polynomial expansion and piecewise linear models. RESULTS: Mathematical analysis enabled to construct nonlinear models for estimating the MET result of submaximal exercise test based on average walk velocity (or distance) in the 6MWT. CONCLUSIONS: Submaximal effort tolerance in COPD patients can be effectively estimated from new, rehabilitation-oriented, nonlinear models based on the generalized MET concept and the 6MWT.

The influence of Kinesio Taping on the effects of physiotherapy in patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Physiotherapy in patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CHL) is impeded by postoperative pain which causes a decline in patients' activity, reduces respiratory muscles' function, and affects patients' ability to look after themselves. The objective of this work was to assess the influence of Kinesio Taping (KT) on pain level and the increase in effort tolerance in patients after CHL. The research included 63 patients after CHL. Test group and control group included randomly selected volunteers. Control group consisted of 32 patients (26 females, 6 males), test group consisted of 31 patients (22 females, 9 males). Both groups were subjected to complex physiotherapy, and control group had additional KT applications. Before surgery, during and after physiotherapy, patients were given the following tests: 100-meter walk tests, subjective pain perception assessment, and pain relief medicines intake level assessment. The level of statistical significance for all tests was established at P < 0.05. Statistical analysis showed a significant decrease in the time required to cover a 100-meter distance and a decrease in pain perception presented by significantly lower painkillers' intake in the test group in comparison with the control group. The improvement in clinical condition observed in the research indicates the efficiency of KT as a method complementing physiotherapy in patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.