Williforddyer6308

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to extract important patient questionnaire items by creating random forest models for predicting pattern diagnosis considering an interaction between deficiency-excess and cold-heat patterns. DESIGN A multi-centre prospective observational study. SETTING Participants visiting six Kampo speciality clinics in Japan from 2012 to 2015. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Deficiency-excess pattern diagnosis made by board-certified Kampo experts. METHODS We used 153 items as independent variables including, age, sex, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and 148 subjective symptoms recorded through a questionnaire. We sampled training data with an equal number of the different patterns from a 2 × 2 factorial combination of deficiency-excess and cold-heat patterns. We constructed the prediction models of deficiency-excess and cold-heat patterns using the random forest algorithm, extracted the top 10 essential items, and calculated the discriminant ratio using this prediction model. RESULTS BMI and blood pressure, and subjective symptoms of cold or heat sensations were the most important items in the prediction models of deficiency-excess pattern and of cold-heat patterns, respectively. The discriminant ratio was not inferior compared with the result ignoring the interaction between the diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS We revised deficiency-excess and cold-heat pattern prediction models, based on balanced training sample data obtained from six Kampo speciality clinics in Japan. The revised important items for diagnosing a deficiency-excess pattern and cold-heat pattern were compatible with the definition in the 11th version of international classification of diseases. OBJECTIVES To study healthcare quality improvement through Eurhythmy Therapy (EYT) relative to treatment as usual without EYT. DESIGN Pre/post-follow-up analysis with a comparison group. SETTING Patients of 13 eurhythmy therapists and people with similar physical or psychological health complaints. Respondents' mean age was 60 years (SD = 13.83). INTERVENTION EYT-sessions for the complaint versus treatment as usual. OUTCOME MEASURES Self-determination (BPNSFS); health complaint (1 item); sleeping problems (SCL-90); psychological symptoms and work/study dysfunction (SQ-48) at pre-measure (t0), post-measure (t1) and one-month follow-up (t2). RESULTS A small positive effect of EYT on self-determination (eta2 = .08) and a medium negative effect of EYT on health complaints at t1 and t2 (η2p = .24 and .22). The effect of EYT was n.s. on sleeping problems, n.s. on psychological symptoms and medium negative n.s. on work/study dysfunction, the last within a small sample size (n less then 30; eta2 = .13). CONCLUSIONS EYT-participants (n = 38) improved more on self-determination, health complaints and probably also on work/study dysfunction than the comparison group (n = 42), but not on sleeping problems and psychological symptoms. Results should be treated with caution, because the comparison group is not comparable to the EYT-group in the motivation to engage in EYT and the sample size was small. OBJECTIVES Yoga demonstrates beneficial effects in many populations, yet our understanding of how yoga brings about these effects is quite limited. Among the proposed mechanisms of yoga are increasing psychological resources (mindfulness, body consciousness, self-transcendence, spiritual peace, and social connectedness) that may bring about salutary effects on emotional wellbeing. Further, yoga is a complex practice comprising meditation, active and restorative postures, and breathwork; however little is known about how different components may affect mechanisms. We aimed to determine how an acute session of yoga (and its specific components) related to pre- to post- session changes in proposed mechanisms (psychological resources) and whether those changes were associated with positive changes in emotions. DESIGN 144 regular yoga practitioners completed measures of mindfulness, body consciousness, self-transcendence, social connectedness, spiritual peace, and exercise-induced emotions (positive engagement, revitalization, tranquility, exhaustion) immediately before and after a yoga session (N = 11 sessions, each a different type of yoga). Perceived properties of each yoga session, exercise exertion and engagement with the yoga teacher were assessed immediately following the session. RESULTS Pre-to post- yoga, levels of positive emotions (engagement, tranquility and revitalization) increased while exhaustion decreased. Further, all psychological resources increased and closely tracked improved emotions. Additionally, aspects of the yoga session correlated with changes in psychological resources (mechanisms) and emotions. CONCLUSIONS Yoga may influence multiple psychological mechanisms that influence emotional well-being. Further, different types of yoga may affect different mechanisms. Results can inform yoga interventions aiming to optimize effects through specific mechanisms such as mindfulness or spirituality. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the additional effects of acupuncture treatment on motor function in patients with subacute hemorrhagic stroke. DESIGN One hundred and thirty-four patients with subacute hemorrhagic stroke were randomized to receive acupuncture treatment plus conventional treatment (treatment group) or conventional treatment only (control group). TrichostatinA Acupuncture treatments were given in 24 sessions over 4 weeks, with 3-month follow-up period. Blinded evaluation was based on Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Barthel Index with an intention-to-treat analysis. For those patients who were able to walk, a three-dimensional gait analysis system was employed to objectively record spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters. RESULTS Compared with control group, the treatment group showed a significantly greater over-time improvement in total Fugl-Meyer, lower-limb Fugl-Meyer, but not in upper-limb Fugl-Meyer and Barthel Index. The spatiotemporal parameters of velocity, step length, cadence, step width all showed significant difference between the 2 groups. The velocity in treatment group decreased unexpectedly at day 14, then increased sharply and overcame control group at day 28. The treatment group also showed a significantly greater increase in peak circumduction, peak hip hiking, hip range of motion, knee range of motion and a tendency for the ankle range of motion. CONCLUSIONS Acupuncture may promote the motor function recovery of hemorrhagic stroke patients in subacute phase mainly by enhancing the lower limb ability. It probably diminishes the compensation strategies earlier to correct the abnormal gait pattern. Although this adjustment may result in a compromise in the improvement of gait velocity temporarily, patients would benefit from it in a long run. BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized as a neurodevelopmental disorder with stereotyped and repetitive behaviors. Dance practice can elicit esthesia to stimulate the communication process through the notion of the phenomenal body that is recognized in an expressive and symbolic space. OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review to identify how dance promotes positive benefits for the negative symptoms in ASD. METHOD We formulated the research question based on PICO "What is the influence of dance on negative symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder?". Databases were searched in March 2019 and included PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, PsycInfo and Web of Science. RESULTS We identified 9,350 studies of which five were selected for our review (a total of 266 individuals). All included studies showed an influence of dance on negative symptoms, including empathy, emotional expression, body awareness, behavior, and psychological wellbeing that impact on social reciprocity, and consequently the communication process, in ASD. CONCLUSIONS Dance practice may contribute to body awareness and social involvement using techniques that provide mirroring, synchronization, rhythm, and reciprocity in adults with normal to high-functioning ASD. PURPOSE Given the infancy and evolving complexity of medicinal marijuana, an evolving political landscape, and the growing frequency of its use in cancer care, it is important for oncologists to be actively engaged in developing and successfully implementing clinical trials focusing on medical marijuana. The purpose of this study was to analyze and evaluate trends in clinical trials focused on medical marijuana in oncology. PATIENTS AND METHODS Using 3 web-based registries, Clinicaltrials.gov, European Union Clinical Trials Register (EU-CTR), and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), we queried for search terms related to marijuana and oncology. This search identified approximately 48 oncology clinical trials involving medical marijuana. We restricted our selection to clinical trials registered between January 2002 and May 2019. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were represented as frequency and percentage. RESULTS A oncology, there is growing interest in clinical research in the use of medical marijuana. BACKGROUND Complementary medicines (CM) are widely consumed by Australians. However, CM is not included in policy and planning of patient-centred models of healthcare. This study aimed to explore how patients themselves manage to integrate CM with mainstream healthcare. METHODS An online survey was distributed through snowball sampling via professional networks and targeted advertising in social media to Australian consumers of CM. Data were managed in Excel and analysed using descriptive statistics in IBM SPSS v23 and Stata v13. RESULTS A total of 379 consumers of CM therapies or products completed the survey. The mean age was 51 years, 83% were female and 34% reported having a chronic disease. CM consumers consulted a wide range of healthcare providers. Almost all (97%) had seen a general medical practitioner (GP) within the past year. Overwhelmingly, participants (95%) reported that they themselves were the primary managers of their own healthcare, either on their own (60%) or in collaboration with a CM prrecognise the totality of influences on patient health, including the range of CM practitioners and products used by some healthcare consumers. OBJECTIVES The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of alpha-tocopherol supplementation on biomarkers of endothelial function (Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 and Vascular Cell Adhesion Protein 1) and inflammatory markers (Interleukin 6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) among the hemodialysis patients. METHODS To conduct this randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled clinical trial, 49 hemodialysis patients, aged 20-60 years, were recruited and randomly divided into the intervention and control groups. The intervention group (n = 25) received 600 IU alpha-tocopherol soft gels (200 IU three times daily), while the controls (n = 24) consumed the identical placebo soft gels for 10 weeks. At the baseline and end of the study, 7 ml pre-dialysis blood samples were taken from all participants to measure their serum concentrations of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, IL-6, and hs-CRP. RESULTS Alpha-tocopherol supplementation reduced the serum levels of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 significantly (-140.67 ± 57.25 ng/ml vs.