Far-infrared ray patches relieve pain and improve skin sensitivity in myofascial pain syndrome: A double-blind randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common disorder characterized by muscle pain if myofascial trigger points (MTrP) are stimulated. This study evaluated the effectiveness of far-infrared ray (FIR) patches in reducing the severity of pain in patients with MPS. METHODS: A double-blind, randomized controlled study involving 125 patients with MPS and 201 MTrPs located in the trapezius muscle. A FIR patch was applied to 98 MTrPs for 24h in the intervention group (61 patients) and a placebo patch was applied to 91 MTrPs in the control group (57 patients) at the end. Pain intensity was measured using the visual analogue scale (V) while pressure pain threshold (P) and maximal pain tolerance (T) were measured using an algometer before and after treatment. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 37.16 years old and 67% were female. There was a positive correlation between P and T (p<0.001). Older Age was associated with higher P and T due to poor skin sensitivity (p<0.001). V improved significantly in both groups to a similar extent, but only in the intervention group, P and T decreased significantly (which implied better skin sensitivity) (p<0.05). P and T decreased the most in the female group aged over 35, probably due to thinner skin in this subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: FIR and placebo patches were equally effective at relieving pain (with decreased V), but P and T dropped only in the intervention group with FIR patches. This probably resulted from FIR penetrated only to the skin layer and improved skin sensitivity with more blood circulation, but the muscle remained unaffected. Further studies should investigate the effect of longer exposure or higher energy applications.

The Effects of Upper Limb Exercise Through Yoga on Limb Swelling in Chinese Breast Cancer Survivors - A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of yoga on lymphedema in breast cancer survivors. DESIGN: Repeated measures before and after the intervention. We enrolled 15 women with breast cancer who had not previously worn elastic clothing to treat lymphedema. METHODS: The program was led by a certified trainer and consisted of 60-minute sessions, three times a week for 12 weeks. The volumes of the affected and normal limbs were measured. A self-assessed edema score was also recorded. FINDINGS: Fifteen patients completed the program, none of whom suffered from complications related to exercise. There was no significant edema after exercise. No significant differences were noted in subgroup analysis by age or the affected arm. CONCLUSIONS: Yoga does not induce lymphedema. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Lymphedema is usually treated with uncomfortable elastic clothing, and high-resistance exercise may induce edema. Yoga may be suitable for these patients.

Health needs of older Aboriginal people in Taiwan: a community-based assessment using a multidimensional instrument.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore the health needs of older Aboriginal people, using a multidimensional instrument. The gender differences related to their health needs were also addressed. BACKGROUND: Health status and life expectancy between Aborigines and non-Aborigines have been shown to differ. The investigation of the health needs of Aboriginal people is however scarce, particularly among the older adult population. There is a need to address unmet health needs and improve information on the health needs assessment of the older Aboriginal population. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used. METHODS: Aboriginal people aged 65 and over were randomly sampled to take part in the present study. A multidimensional instrument consisting of eight domains and three cross-domain categories was used to assess their health needs. RESULTS: A group of older Aboriginal people was recruited (n = 90, mean age = 73·5). The top three identified needs were 'mental health and well-being', 'staying healthy' and 'social participation'. The female participants had statistically significant higher scores for the 'mental health and well-being', 'getting around' domains and in the 'risk of falls' than the male ones. A regression model demonstrated that the health need of 'looking after oneself' was associated with all cross-domain categories of health need, which are 'independence', 'risk of breakdown in care' and 'risk of falls'. CONCLUSIONS: The present study has revealed major health needs among older Aboriginal people and found that older female Aborigines have more health needs than older male Aborigines. Further study to identify effective approaches to address these needs among this group is warranted. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The findings can be used to identify effective approaches to addressing health needs among older Aboriginal people with a consideration of gender. Only then can resources be allocated and prioritised in a culturally sensitive and gender-specific manner nationally and globally.

Paeonol inhibited TNFα-induced GM-CSF expression in fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

OBJECTIVES: Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has been proved to be among the most important chemokines, playing a key role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of GM-CSF has not been established clearly yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of paeonol in the expression of GM-CSF in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). METHODS: The expression of GM-CSF was detected both at protein and mRNA levels in FLS after the stimulation of TNF-α at diverse concentrations and times. And then GM-CSF was detected again after pre-treatment with paeonol. Phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt and expression of NF-κB and p-I-κB-αwere detected with western blot. Meanwhile, inhibitors of the pathways were used to investigate the mechanism of regulation of GM-CSF. RESULTS: Recombinant TNF-α up-regulated GM-CSF in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in FLS, which was significantly suppressed by paeonol. Paeonol also exerted its ability to suppress the promoting effects of TNF-α on the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt and activation of NF-κB pathway. Administration of the inhibitors LY294002, perifosine, BAY11-7082, and SC-514 confirmed the roles of PI3K/Akt and NF-κB on the production of GM-CSF. Furthermore, TNF-α induced proliferation, while paeonol suppressed proliferation of FLS. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that paeonol suppressed TNF-α-induced GM-CSF production via the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway.