Relief Of Anxiety Research Articles

Cultural identity on students’ anxiety disorders in English language and literature teaching

BackgroundWith the deepening of international cultural exchanges, the issue of cultural identity anxiety caused by it has also become a research hotspot. In the context of China, where foreign language education predominantly revolves around the teaching of English, a singular approach has led to an intensified experience of cultural identity anxiety among students throughout their learning journey.Subjects and MethodsTo explore the impact of cultural identity on students’ anxiety disorders in English language and literature teaching, this study randomly selected 120 students from a certain university to conduct a questionnaire survey on cultural identity anxiety. Then, a cultural identity module was added to the English language and literature teaching of these 120 students, and the experiment lasted for two months. After the experiment, a questionnaire survey was conducted again on cultural identity anxiety among 120 experimental students. Analyze the anxiety relief of students based on the survey results.ResultsThe experimental results showed that before the experiment, 33 out of 120 students had mild cultural identity anxiety, 53 had moderate anxiety, 17 had severe anxiety, and 17 had no anxiety. After teaching on cultural identity, the number of students who did not experience anxiety about cultural identity increased to 41 out of 120, with 65, 12, and 2 students experiencing mild, moderate, and severe anxiety, respectively. After receiving cultural identity education, students’ anxiety in learning English language and literature has been alleviated.ConclusionsCultural identity education in English language and literature teaching can alleviate students’ anxiety.

Improvement of the rural grassroots community work mechanism and its role in alleviating farmers’ psychological anxiety

BackgroundWith the development of modern rural areas, farmers have developed anxiety, which is a reflection of the imperfect grassroots construction in rural areas. By establishing innovative and perfect grassroots systems, psychological anxiety relief is implemented for farmers. This study investigates the role of improving and innovating the working mechanism of rural grassroots communities in alleviating farmers’ psychological anxiety.Subjects and MethodsA total of 60 farmers from a certain village were selected and randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group, with 30 cases in each group. The intervention group received comprehensive psychological intervention and anxiety counseling, while the control group did not receive any treatment. The anxiety self-assessment scale scores were evaluated before and after the intervention. The results were tested using SPSS16.0 statistical software.ResultsBefore intervention, there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) between the two groups of subjects in the scores of the Self Rating Anxiety Scale, indicating no statistical significance; The score of the anxiety self-assessment scale in the intervention group decreased significantly before and after intervention (P<0.05), while there was no statistical difference in the score of the anxiety self-assessment scale in the control group before and after intervention (P>0.05).ConclusionsThe improvement and innovation of rural grassroots community work mechanisms have a good development for psychological intervention, which can effectively reduce farmers’ anxiety levels, improve patients’ quality of life, and have a good effect on farmers’ enthusiasm for life and mental health. It is worth further promoting.

Optimizing the teaching system of geotechnical engineering majors on students’ psychological anxiety

BackgroundExcessive anxiety among students may lead to both psychological and physical symptoms, including significant emotional fluctuations, lack of concentration in memory, withdrawn personality, social difficulties, decreased sleep quality, decreased appetite, wild thoughts, numbness in limbs, restlessness in sitting and standing, etc.Subjects and MethodsTo study the impact of optimizing the teaching system of geotechnical engineering majors in vocational colleges on students’ psychological anxiety from the perspective of educational psychology, an experiment was conducted on 50 students majoring in geotechnical engineering with psychological anxiety. The students were randomly divided into two groups, with 25 in the control group and 25 in the experimental group. The control group students received routine psychological counseling treatment, while the experimental group students received education system optimization treatment on this basis, with a treatment period of 3 months. Before and after treatment, the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) was used for testing.ResultsThere was no significant difference in the SAS scores before treatment between the control group and the experimental group, indicating homogeneity between the two groups of students. After treatment, the SAS scores of the control group students decreased by 11 points, while the SAS scores of the experimental group students decreased by 20 points, significantly higher than the control group.ConclusionsThe anxiety relief effect of students with psychological anxiety varies under different treatment methods, while the effect of conventional treatment is relatively average. From the perspective of educational psychology, optimizing the teaching system of geotechnical engineering in vocational colleges can further reduce the psychological anxiety of students in this major.

The Physiological Effects of ASMR on Anxiety

Purpose: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response is a novel phenomenon that is very popular these days on Youtube and Reddit to its anti-anxiety effects. As the name suggests, ASMR is a relaxing warm sensation that begins on the scalp and spreads throughout the body. This technique is also known as "brain massage," and it relies on soothing sights and sounds, like whispers and slow movements. Investigating these videos is primarily motivated by the desire to determine their scientific origins, which can be derived from a variety of approaches.
 Materials and Methods: In this paper, we intended to examine the physiological changes such as Heart Rate (HR) as well as Galvanic Skin Conductance (GSC) levels before and after watching a single session ASMR video.
 Results: The dependent t-test statistical analysis by SPSS results with P-value <=0.01 indicated that after a single session of ASMR watching, the heart rate decreased significantly comparing the baseline data. In addition, the skin conductance was slightly reduced as well, but not significantly.
 Conclusion: These physiological findings prove that ASMR could be an affordable, portable, and immediate anxiety relief for those struggling with anxiety-based disorders, especially for patients who do not respond well to medication or seek alternatives to anti-anxiety medications due to the wide range of side effects or would like to try it for better results along with the prescribed drugs.

Anxiety Change After Dopamine Therapy in Parkinson Disease is Independent of Motor Improvement

Several anxiety syndromes have been associated with Parkinson disease (PD), but their interactions with dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) and motor function dynamics are not completely understood. We sought to delineate how DRT impacts anxiety phenomenology in PD and whether these changes are dissociable from improved motoric function. We compared anxiety responses to DRT in two cohorts: 1) a study of 200 PD participants who completed neuropsychiatric assessments before and after taking their dopaminergic medications ("On-Off"); 2) participants in the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) de novo PD cohort who completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) at the time of DRT initiation and a subsequent study visit (n=113, mean 8-month interval). Among On-Off participants transitioning acutely to the On-state, scores on the Hamilton anxiety rating scale decreased by 37% (t=14.8, df=199, p <0.0001). Among PPMI participants, STAI-state scores decreased by 10.4% following DRT initiation (t=4.5, df=112, p <0.0001). Item-level anxiety changes exhibited weak and nonsignificant correlations (Spearman ρ: -0.24 to 0.33) with objective MDS-UPDRS motor improvements in both immediate and sustained dopamine replacement contexts. Dopamine repletion effected immediate relief of anxiety in an On-Off state comparison. A similar benefit was observed in the longitudinal PPMI cohort by comparing anxiety before and after DRT initiation, suggesting DRT confers sustained anxiolytic effects in early PD. The weak correlations between improvements to anxiety and motor function on both timescales support the view that these changes are not mediated by improved motor function.

Can companions share anxiety? The effect of travel companions on tourist anxiety during crisis situations

ABSTRACT Relieving tourist anxiety is critical to tourism crisis management. This study analyzes the effect of travel companions on tourist anxiety during crisis situations through three scenario-based experiments based on the cognitive appraisal theory of emotion (CATE). The results indicate that (1) travel companions can relieve tourist anxiety during crisis situations; (2) perceived risk and learned helplessness mediate this process; and (3) a good destination reputation weakens the effect of travel companions. This study reveals the pathways and intervention mechanisms for tourist anxiety relief during crisis situations. Moreover, it provides practical guidance for tourism crisis response and management.

Ketamine metabolite alleviates morphine withdrawal-induced anxiety via modulating nucleus accumbens parvalbumin neurons in male mice

Opioid withdrawal generates extremely unpleasant physical symptoms and negative affective states. A rapid relief of opioid withdrawal-induced anxiety has obvious clinical relevance but has been rarely reported. We have shown that injection of ketamine metabolite (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine (HNK) leads to a rapid alleviation of anxiety-like behaviors in male mice undergoing chronic morphine withdrawal. Here we investigated the contribution of nucleus accumbens shell (sNAc) parvalbumin (PV)-neurons to this process. Chronic morphine withdrawal was associated with higher intrinsic excitability of sNAc PV-neurons via reduced voltage-dependent potassium currents. Chemogenetic inhibition of sNAc PV-neurons reversed the enhanced excitability of PV-neurons and anxiety-like behaviors in these morphine withdrawal male mice, while activation of sNAc PV-neurons induced anxiety-like behaviors in naive male mice. (2R,6R)-HNK reversed the altered potassium currents and intrinsic excitability of sNAc PV-neurons. Our findings demonstrate an important contribution of sNAc PV-neurons to modulating morphine withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behaviors and rapid relief of anxiety-like behaviors by (2R,6R)-HNK, this newly identified target may have therapeutic potentials in treating opioid addiction and anxiety disorders.

Clinical efficacy and safety of folic acid and vitamin B12 for the adjuvant treatment of schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Given the different effects of folate and vitamin B12 on the ad-juvant treatment of schizophrenia (SCH), their efficacy and safety as adjuvant therapies for SCH were systematically evaluated by evidence-based medicine. Publication retrieval was performed using authoritative databases such as the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science to screen randomized con-trolled trials (RCTs). After the quality evaluation and data extraction of includ-ed studies, eligible RCTs were systematically reviewed using Review Manager 5.2 software. In total, 14 RCTs were included. The results of the meta-analysis revealed that as the adjuvant therapy for SCH, vitamin B12 differed significantly from folate in terms of anxiety relief rate [odds ratio (OR)=1.28, 95% con-fidence interval (CI) (1.02, 1.61), p=0.03, I2 =0%, Z=2.13]. However, there were no significant differences in the incidence rate of mania [OR=1.13, 95% CI (0.78,1.65), p=0.65, I2=36%, Z=0.65], total efficacy [OR=1.06, 95% CI (0.72, 1.56), p=0.77, I2=0%, Z=0.30] and incidence rate of adverse reactions [OR=1.15, 95% CI (0.88, 1.49), p=0.31, I2=0%, Z=1.03]. Although folate and vitamin B12 exhibit no significant differences in the adjuvant treatment of SCH, vitamin B12 exerts markedly fewer side effects than folate drugs, and it is of de-terminant significance for the clinical adjuvant medication of SCH.

ED95 of remimazolam in nasal administration for attenuating preoperative anxiety in children.

Preoperative anxiety often prevails in children at higher levels than adults, which is a common impediment for surgeons and anesthesiologists. It is of great necessity to explore an appropriate medication to improve this situation. Remimazolam, a type of benzodiazepine drug, has been indicated for the induction and maintenance of procedural sedation in adults since 2020. To date, rare studies were reported to investigate the effect of remimazolam on children. In this study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of intranasal drops of remimazolam and tried to determine the 95% effective dose (ED95) of remimazolam in single intranasal administration in attenuating preoperative anxiety in children. In this study, 114 children were enrolled who underwent laparoscopic high-level inguinal hernia ligation between January 2021 and December 2022 and were divided into an early childhood children group and a pre-school children group. The biased coin design (BCD) was used to determine the target doses. A positive response was defined as the effective relief of preoperative anxiety (modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale, mYPAS < 30). The initial nasal dose of remimazolam was 0.5 mg·kg-1 in the two groups. An increment or decrement of 0.1 mg·kg-1 was applied depending on the sedative responses. Isotonic regression and bootstrapping methods were used to calculate the ED95 and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), respectively. A total of 80 children completed the study, including 40 in the early childhood group and 40 in the pre-school children group. As statistical analysis indicated, the ED95 of a single intranasal infusion of remimazolam for the relief of preoperative anxiety is 1.57 mg·kg-1 (95% CI: 1.45-1.59 mg·kg-1) in early childhood children and 1.09 mg·kg-1 (95% CI: 0.99-1.11 mg·kg-1) in pre-school children, and the CIs did not overlap each other. Remimazolam is an effective medication to relieve preoperative anxiety in children. Moreover, the ED95 of single nasal administration of remimazolam for effective relief of preoperative anxiety was 1.57 and 1.09 mg·kg-1 in early childhood children and pre-school children, respectively.

Understanding Health Fraud Offenders in China: An Emotional Labour Perspective

AbstractExisting literature has highlighted the importance of recognizing health fraud offenders’ intentional manipulations of victims’ vulnerabilities. However, the manipulation tactics of health fraud have received little attention. This study aims to extend the current understanding of health fraud by incorporating the concept of emotional labour. Nested in the Chinese context, which owns the most populous ageing population, three sets of qualitative data were collected, including 13 semi-structured interviews, 233 judicial documents, and 197 media reports. The findings suggest that health fraud offenders utilized three types of emotional labour as means of committing crime: including the labour of anxiety relief, the labour of filial piety, and the labour of social networking. This article not only provides novel insights into understanding health fraud, but also contributes to introducing the concept of emotional labour in criminological and socio-legal studies.

Profile of Adult Users Seeking Mental Health Apps for the Relief of Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental health disorders. In various settings, patients are using apps for the relief of their symptoms. Digital applications are recommended by international guidelines, but most apps available are not scientifically validated. Little is known about the profile of adult users searching for mental health apps, in the general population. In this study, we propose to identify the user profile of real-world users searching for mental health apps to reduce anxiety. We used the app TUYB Ansiedade® for this study and divided the users in three groups: health professional referral, social network and search engine. We got 453 completed first assessments, indicating that the users that found the app through Social Networks have higher values of anxiety, depression and lower perceived quality of life and resilience. Our results support the conclusion that users searching and engaging with apps in social networks have a lower mental well-being profile and this should inform app developers, guidelines on app use for mental health and policy makers. The policies regarding Social Networks and app developers should be improved to account for the mental health of their users.

Comparative Evaluation of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine Spray Versus Intranasal Normal Saline Spray in Patients Undergoing Transalveolar Extractions for Anxiety Reduction: A Randomized Control Study.

Dexmedetomidine has dose-dependent selectivity for alpha 2 adrenoceptors. It is a good sedative with analgesic characteristics and good haemodynamic stability. Intranasal sedation is a non-invasive medication delivery method that is both safe and well accepted by both children and adults. One of the most common procedures in maxillofacial surgery is transalveolar extraction. In minor oral surgery, a painless transalveolar extraction with little post-operative pain would be ideal. To examine the effectiveness of intranasal dexmedetomidine spray against intranasal normal saline spray in patients undergoing transalveolar extractions for anxiety relief. We compared sedation effect by Ramsay sedation scale, analgesia by visual analogue scale, monitored BP and pulse rate for anxiety, and spo2 levels for any complication in this prospective double-blinded randomized control study for two groups, A group with intranasal dexmedetomidine spray and the B group of intranasal NS spray for placebo effect at 0min, 15min, 30min, and 45min until transalveolar extraction. As a result of the intranasal spray of dexmedetomidine, there were no related problems such as respiratory depression. There was a substantial difference in sedation and analgesia between group A and the placebo group, as well as a significant decrease in pulse rate and hypotension in the dexmedetomidine group to reduce anxiety. Intranasal injection of atomized dexmedetomidine (1.5mcg/kg) for patient sedation having transalveolar extractions or other minor surgical operations in oral and maxillofacial surgery is clinically effective, convenient, lowers anxiety, and safe.Clinical Trial Registration: No. CTRI/2021/07/035181.

Effect of the Presence of Nuchal Cords on Vaginal Breech Labor.

Breech delivery has been reported to be associated with a high incidence of abnormal fetal heart rate pattern leading to neonatal asphyxia. In this study, we examined the effect of the presence of nuchal cords on perinatal outcomes of vaginal breech labor. We reviewed the obstetric records of all singleton breech labor cases at the Japanese Red Cross Katsushika Maternity Hospital between 1999 and 2011. Of the 266 breech labor cases in singleton pregnancies, the presence of nuchal cords was recognized in 50 cases (18.8%) on neonatal findings at birth. We compared the clinical characteristics and perinatal outcomes between the breech labor cases with and without nuchal cords. A chi-square test was used for categorical data, and a p-value <0.05 was considered significant. It was found that the incidence of fetal heart rate abnormality during breech labor or neonatal asphyxia in the deliveries with nuchal cords was not significantly different from that in those without nuchal cords. Also,there was no significant difference in the rate of emergent caesarean delivery between the two labors with and without nuchal cords. The current results suggest that the presence of nuchal cords may not be associated withperinatal outcomes. Our results may become one of several pieces of evidence leading to the alleviation of anxiety in pregnant women with breech presentation and fetal nuchal cords.

Treatment of patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression using an enhanced recovery after surgery program.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to introduce a new medical, pathway based on the concept of "enhanced recovery after surgery" (ERAS) for patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC), and to test whether the ERAS program could improve clinical metrics among such patients. Methods: Data from patients with MESCC (n = 98), collected between December 2016 and December 2019 (Non-ERAS cohort), and from 86 patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression collected between January 2020 and December 2022 (ERAS cohort), were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were treated by decompressive surgery combined with transpedicular screw implantation and internal fixation. Patient baseline clinical characteristics were collected and compared between the two cohorts. Surgical outcomes analyzed included operation time; intraoperative blood loss; postoperative length of hospital stay; time to ambulation, regular diet, urinary catheter removal, and radiation therapy; perioperative complications; anxiety; depression; and satisfaction with treatment. Results: No significant differences in clinical characteristics were found between the non-ERAS and enhanced recovery after surgery cohorts (all p > 0.050), indicating that the two cohorts were comparable. Regarding surgical outcomes, the enhanced recovery after surgery cohort had significantly less intraoperative blood loss (p < 0.001); shorter length of postoperative hospital stay (p < 0.001); shorter time to ambulation (p < 0.001), regular diet (p < 0.001), urinary catheter removal (p < 0.001), radiation administration (p < 0.001), and systemic internal therapy (p < 0.001); lower perioperative complication rate (p = 0.024); less postoperative anxiety (p = 0.041); and higher score for satisfaction with treatment (p < 0.001); whereas operation time (p = 0.524) and postoperative depression (p = 0.415) were similar between the two cohorts. Compliance analysis demonstrated that ERAS interventions were successfully conducted in the vast majority of patients. Conclusion: The enhanced recovery after surgery intervention is beneficial to patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression, according to data on intraoperative blood loss; length of hospital stay; time to ambulation, regular diet, urinary catheter removal, radiation exposure, and systemic internal therapy; perioperative complication; alleviation of anxiety; and improvement of satisfaction. However, clinical trials to investigate the effect of enhanced recovery after surgery are needed in the future.

The Use of Virtual Reality During Extraamniotic Balloon Insertion for Pain and Anxiety Relief: A Randomized Controlled Trial [ID: 1376399

INTRODUCTION: Induction of labor (IOL) with extraamniotic balloon (EAB) catheter is a procedure commonly associated with maternal discomfort, pain, and anxiety. We aimed to investigate the distractive effect of virtual reality (VR) technology on pain and anxiety in pregnant women who undergo IOL with EAB. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, pregnant women intended for IOL with EAB at term, were recruited, signed a consent form, and randomized into two groups. The control group received the institutional standard care for EAB insertion, while women in the VR group were exposed to a VR clip during the procedure. Pain scores (expressed by Visual Analog Scale [VAS]) were obtained before, during, and after EAB insertion. Anxiety levels (expressed by validated State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory Scale [STAI-S]) were obtained before and after the procedure. Maternal satisfaction was also recorded. The primary outcome was the VAS score during EAB insertion. RESULTS: Total of 145 women were recruited 1:1 ratio. There were no differences between groups in terms of age, body mass index, gestational age at enrollment, indication for IOL, or preprocedural VAS score and anxiety levels. VAS score during the procedure was significantly lower in the VR group compared to the control group (4.62±2.89 versus 5.95±3.18, P=.04). In addition, the VR group benefited from a higher rate of anxiety relief expressed by the difference between preprocedure and postprocedure STAI score (7.09±10.45 versus 2.84±8.65, P=.039). Women in the VR group reported an overall very high (93%) satisfaction score. CONCLUSION: In this randomized controlled trial, we demonstrated that the use of VR technology in women undergoing IOL with EAB was associated with lower VAS scores during the procedure, with significant anxiety reduction, and a higher satisfaction score, compared to women who received standard care.

Trait and symptom change in group cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety and depression.

Personality traits underlying both anxiety disorders and depression are more malleable than previously presumed. This study examined associations between changes in personality traits (i.e. negative affectivity and detachment) and alleviation of anxiety and depression symptoms following cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). We hypothesized that decreases in negative affectivity would predict alleviation of depression and anxiety symptoms and decreases in detachment would predict decreases in depression and, to a lesser degree, anxiety symptoms. Data (N = 156) were collected in a randomized controlled trial comparing transdiagnostic and diagnosis-specific group CBT for patients with major depressive disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder or agoraphobia. We assessed personality traits using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) and symptoms with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25-item scale (SCL). Prediction was based on regression analyses. We found that decreases in negative affectivity predicted lower levels of depression and anxiety symptoms while decreases in detachment only predicted lower levels of depression symptoms. The findings substantiate current efforts to explicate the dynamic interplay between personality traits and symptoms and support the existing focus on targeting negative affectivity and detachment in therapy for anxiety disorders and depression. The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (ID NCT02954731).

Effect of massage made with aromatherapy oil after mastectomy on acute arm pain and anxiety: a randomized controlled study protocol

Background: This article summarizes the study protocol currently used to evaluate the efficacy of aromatherapy massage for the relief of post-mastectomy anxiety and acute arm pain. Methods: It is a prospective interventional type three-group, randomized controlled, drug-free clinical trial. Eligible patients will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. The population of the study will consist of 90 patients who have undergone simple mastectomy (SM) and modified radical mastectomy (MRM) in the general surgery ward of a training and research hospital in Turkey. After the operation, the arm on the operated side will be massaged with sesame oil in the first group (n=30), sesame-lavender oil in the second group (n=30), and paraffin oil in the third group (n=30). Conclusions: The primary outcome is the level of acute arm pain and the level of state anxiety. The secondary outcome is vital signs and analgesic use status. Trial registration: International standard randomized controlled trial number NCT05658367.

E066 Using social network platforms to evaluate patient perceptions of CBD products in the UK, US, and Canada

Abstract Background/Aims The number of patients using CBD products have become increasingly popular for the treatment of several conditions including rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. Cannabidiol (CBD) products often claim numerous benefits to health, however there is limited scientific data relating to why patients take these products, their safety and efficacy since these products are not regulated. Social media provides a valuable platform for patients to discuss their positive/negative medication experiences and seek peer support. The aim of this study was to harnesses the benefits of using social media for research by evaluating patient perceptions of CBD products within the UK, US and Canada. Methods HealthUnlocked is one of the most popular social platforms for health across Europe with over 1.5 million users in 500 communities, covering over 250 health conditions. Over 250,000 HealthUnlocked posts between the 1st of March 2020 to 17th of September 2021 were extracted and anonymized. Posts only from users who consented to share their anonymised data for research were included. CBD specific terms were then used to filter related posts from the UK, US, and Canada for manual thematic analysis following removal of duplicates. Analysis was performed focusing on the following themes: indications of CBD products, potential benefits and limitations including patient reported side-effects associated with CBD, and concomitant treatments with CBD products. Results were then compared between country where possible. Results For this study, 339 CBD-related posts from HealthUnlocked met eligibility criteria. The most common indications for CBD products in the UK were fibromyalgia/chronic pain (29.1%), restless leg syndrome (8.5%) and rheumatoid arthritis (7.5%). In the US, the most common were anxiety/stress (23.0%), cancer (15.9%) and chronic pain (11.1%). Of all posts that discussed benefits of CBD (31.5%), these included helping with pain (47.6%), anxiety (41.1%), and insomnia relief (22.4%). Most common limitations included CBD inefficacy (41.3%) and potential drug-drug interactions (24%) including warfarin, levothyroxine and prednisolone. Patient-reported side effects included drowsiness, diarrhoea, tachycardia and possible hallucinations. Opioid analgesics were the top mentioned concomitant treatment with CBD products (14.3%), followed by antidepressants (12.8%), NSAIDs (11.2%) and corticosteroids (11.2%) across all countries. Conclusion There were differences in the indications of CBD usage between countries. UK patients reported CBD being used more in fibromyalgia/chronic pain and rheumatoid arthritis, whereas US patients used them for anxiety/depression and cancer. CBD inefficacy, drug-drug interactions and side-effects were frequently discussed. Narrative patient experiences from social media can provide new insights about unregulated products such as CBD and provide opportunities to generate new research questions that are important to patients. Disclosure S. Minhas: None. M. Jani: None.

The effect of water sound level in virtual reality: A study of restorative benefits in young adults through immersive natural environments

Virtual Reality (VR) can bring a person to a restorative natural environment—an immersive experience containing elements from blue and green space that help reduce stress and anxiety. However, the effect of different water sound levels on psychological and physiological health remains unclear. This study used a VR natural environment—combining forest scene and waterfall sounds—to compare the low and high water sound levels' effects on individuals' psychological (affective quality of place and state anxiety relief) and physiological benefits (heart rate variability). We focused on two comparisons in each of the two dimensions: (1) a before-and-after comparison that analyzes the effectiveness of the water sounds, and (2) a low-and-high comparison that investigates the differences between the two sound levels. A total of 45 university students (aged between 19 and 23) participated in the experiment. The results show that both low- and high-decibel levels improved in psychological dimension, and decrease individuals’ heart rates from anxiety status. More importantly, while the high-decibel served to awaken emotions, the low-decibel was more effective at calming emotions and relieving anxiety. Overall, we found that natural waterscape sounds relieve transient anxiety states and promote healthy autonomic nervous activity. This study provides evidence for the planning of healthy environmental interaction patterns and the design of urban soundscapes.

Results of the observational program “NOSTALGIA” (new strategies for the treatment of algic syndromes in the lower back in patients with post-COVID syndrome)

Introduction. Allergic syndromes occur in 85.7% of COVID-19 survivors, according to recent statistics. However, there is no clear understanding of the pathogenesis of post-COVID pain syndrome and no therapy algorithms have been developed.Aim. To study the efficacy and safety of Alflutop (the bioactive concentrate from small sea fish (BCSSF)) in COVID-19 survivors with pain syndromes in the lower back (lumbosacral dorsopathy (LSD)) and osteoarthritis (OA)), who were previously treated with other chondroitin sulphate (CS) drugs.Materials and methods. The study group included 50 patients with persistent pain in the lower back according to VAS scale (6.6 ± 1.5 scores) without chronic diseases, pain lasted for more than 1 month. The average age was 55.7 ± 3.5 years, 30 men and 20 women, who had mild or moderate COVID-19 in the period of 40 to 90 days before the study. Some patients had been previously diagnosed with LSD before they contracted COVID-19 and had exacerbations 1-2 times a year. Most of the patients also suffered from large-joint OA. Of all patients, 10 were primary patients (before COVID-19 was diagnosed) and received therapy with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and CS prior to enrolment in the study. The clinical examination provided to all patients included recording of complaints, medical history, a standard examination of the neurological status at visit 1, 2 (day 14–15), 3 (completion of therapy, 30 days after initiation of therapy) and 4 (2 months after visit 1). The pain was assessed according to VAS, and depression symptoms were measured according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. At visit 3, the patients were assessed according to the Clinical Global Impression scale. The standard laboratory test results were analysed.Results. After administration of BCSSF, a pronounced relief of pain and high anxiety was observed in all patients by Day 14. 80% of patients had no pain syndrome without changes in laboratory test results by visit 4. The majority of patients evaluated their condition as good according to the Clinical Global Impression scale.Conclusions. Early administration of BCSSF is topical in the therapy of post-COVID allergic syndromes.