Effectiveness Of Group Intervention Research Articles

Efficacy and safety of Buzhongyiqi decoction combined with acupoint application for functional constipation in elderly people: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Buzhongyiqi decoction combined with acupoint application in the treatment of functional constipation in elderly people. (1) Four Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science Periodical Database, Chinese Citation Database, China Biology Medicine) and 4 foreign databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase) were searched, excluded, and included in randomized controlled trials of Buzhongyiqi decoction combined with acupoint application for the treatment of functional constipation in elderly people. (2) Systematic evaluation and meta-analysis using the RevMan 5.3 software. (3) Harbord linear regression and sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate publication bias using Stata 14.0. (4) Reliability of the conclusion assessment by sequential test analysis in TSA0.9 software. (5) Quality of evidence evaluation of outcome indicators was evaluated using Gradepro 3.6 software. Eight randomized controlled trials including 658 case sample sizes were included. Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed improved clinical cure rate and effective rate of functional constipation in elderly people, reduced recurrence rate, and efficacy regulated the levels of defecation-related indices and indices of gastrointestinal function. In addition, trial sequential analysis indicated that the total clinical efficacy rate was conclusive, which showed that the therapeutic efficacy of the intervention group was superior to that of the control group. However, the incidence of adverse effects in intervention group was comparable to that of control group, and trial sequential analysis suggests that this result needs to be supported by additional research. Buzhongyiqi decoction combined with acupoint application has potential value in the treatment of functional constipation in elderly people. Currently, there is insufficient clinical evidence to objectively evaluate safety grades for this combination therapy.

Blood pressure trajectory of inpatient stroke rehabilitation patients from the Determining Optimal Post-Stroke Exercise (DOSE) trial over the first 12 months post-stroke.

High blood pressure (BP) is the primary risk factor for recurrent strokes. Despite established clinical guidelines, some stroke survivors exhibit uncontrolled BP over the first 12 months post-stroke. Furthermore, research on BP trajectories in stroke survivors admitted to inpatient rehabilitation hospitals is limited. Exercise is recommended to reduce BP after stroke. However, the effect of high repetition gait training at aerobic intensities (>40% heart rate reserve; HRR) during inpatient rehabilitation on BP is unclear. We aimed to determine the effect of an aerobic gait training intervention on BP trajectory over the first 12 months post-stroke. This is a secondary analysis of the Determining Optimal Post-Stroke Exercise (DOSE) trial. Participants with stroke admitted to inpatient rehabilitation hospitals were recruited and randomized to usual care (n = 24), DOSE1 (n = 25; >2,000 steps, 40-60% HRR for >30 min/session, 20 sessions over 4 weeks), or DOSE2 (n = 25; additional DOSE1 session/day) groups. Resting BP [systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP)] was measured at baseline (inpatient rehabilitation admission), post-intervention (near inpatient discharge), 6- and 12-month post-stroke. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the effects of group and time (weeks post-stroke) on SBP, DBP and hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg; ≥130/80 mmHg, if diabetic), controlling for age, stroke type, and baseline history of hypertension. No effect of intervention group on SBP, DBP, or hypertension was observed. BP increased from baseline to 12-month post-stroke for SBP (from [mean ± standard deviation] 121.8 ± 15.0 to 131.8 ± 17.8 mmHg) and for DBP (74.4 ± 9.8 to 78.5 ± 10.1 mmHg). The proportion of hypertensive participants increased from 20.8% (n = 15/72) to 32.8% (n = 19/58). These increases in BP were statistically significant: an effect [estimation (95%CI), value of p] of time was observed on SBP [0.19 (0.12-0.26) mmHg/week, p < 0.001], DBP [0.09 (0.05-0.14) mmHg/week, p < 0.001], and hypertension [OR (95%CI): 1.03 (1.01-1.05), p = 0.010]. A baseline history of hypertension was associated with higher SBP by 13.45 (8.73-18.17) mmHg, higher DBP by 5.57 (2.02-9.12) mmHg, and 42.22 (6.60-270.08) times the odds of being hypertensive at each timepoint, compared to those without. Blood pressure increased after inpatient rehabilitation over the first 12 months post-stroke, especially among those with a history of hypertension. The 4-week aerobic gait training intervention did not influence this trajectory.

Effect of Repeated Bolus and Continuous Glucose Infusion on DNA Damage and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Healthy Male Volunteers.

Glucose variability (GV), which describes fluctuations in blood glucose levels within the day, is a phenomenon that is increasingly becoming the target of scientific attention when it comes to increased risk of coronary heart disease. Effects of GV may contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Hyperglycemia can lead to oxidative stress resulting in molecular damage due to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). To discover more about the immediate effects of GV, continuous vs. bolus intravenous glucose administration was applied to 10 healthy men aged 21-30 years over a time frame of 48 h. Whole blood and plasma were analyzed for DNA damage using a comet assay with 3 different treatments (lysis buffer, H2O2, and the lesion-specific enzyme formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (FPG)) as well as for the oxidative stress markers protein carbonyls (PC), unconjugated bilirubin (UCB), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). A significant time effect was found in the three DNA damage treatments as well as in PC and UCB possibly due to circadian changes on oxidative stress, but no intervention group effect was observed for any of the markers. In conclusion, bolus vs. continuous glucose administration had no significant acute effect on DNA damage and markers of oxidative stress in healthy men.

Unifying the analysis of continuous and categorical measures of weight loss and incorporating group effect: a secondary re-analysis of a large cluster randomized clinical trial using Bayesian approach

BackgroundAlthough frequentist paradigm has been the predominant approach to clinical studies for decades, some limitations associated with the frequentist null hypothesis significance testing have been recognized. Bayesian approaches can provide additional insights into data interpretation and inference by deriving posterior distributions of model parameters reflecting the clinical interest. In this article, we sought to demonstrate how Bayesian approaches can improve the data interpretation by reanalyzing the Rural Engagement in Primary Care for Optimizing Weight Reduction (REPOWER).MethodsREPOWER is a cluster randomized clinical trial comparing three care delivery models: in-clinic individual visits, in-clinic group visits, and phone-based group visits. The primary endpoint was weight loss at 24 months and the secondary endpoints included the proportions of achieving 5 and 10% weight loss at 24 months. We reanalyzed the data using a three-level Bayesian hierarchical model. The posterior distributions of weight loss at 24 months for each arm were obtained using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo. We then estimated the probability of having a higher weight loss and the probability of having greater proportion achieving 5 and 10% weight loss between groups. Additionally, a four-level hierarchical model was used to assess the partially nested intervention group effect which was not investigated in the original REPOWER analyses.ResultsThe Bayesian analyses estimated 99.5% probability that in-clinic group visits, compared with in-clinic individual visits, resulted in a higher percent weight loss (posterior mean difference: 1.8%[95% CrI: 0.5,3.2%]), a greater probability of achieving 5% threshold (posterior mean difference: 9.2% [95% CrI: 2.4, 16.0%]) and 10% threshold (posterior mean difference: 6.6% [95% CrI: 1.7, 11.5%]). The phone-based group visits had similar result. We also concluded that including intervention group did not impact model fit significantly.ConclusionsWe unified the analyses of continuous (the primary endpoint) and categorical measures (the secondary endpoints) of weight loss with one single Bayesian hierarchical model. This approach gained statistical power for the dichotomized endpoints by leveraging the information in the continuous data. Furthermore, the Bayesian analysis enabled additional insights into data interpretation and inference by providing posterior distributions for parameters of interest and posterior probabilities of different hypotheses that were not available with the frequentist approach.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02456636; date of registry: May 28, 2015.

Effect of 5 Years of Exercise Intervention at Different Intensities on Brain Structure in Older Adults from the General Population: A Generation 100 Substudy.

PurposeThe aim was to examine the effect of a 5-year exercise intervention at different intensities on brain structure in older adults from the general population partaking in the randomized controlled trial Generation 100 Study.Participants and MethodsGeneration 100 Study participants were invited to a longitudinal neuroimaging study before randomization. A total of 105 participants (52 women, 70–77 years) volunteered. Participants were randomized into supervised exercise twice a week performing high intensity interval training in 4×4 intervals at ~90% peak heart rate (HIIT, n = 33) or 50 minutes of moderate intensity continuous training at ~70% of peak heart rate (MICT, n = 24). The control group (n = 48) followed the national physical activity guidelines of ≥30 min physical activity daily. Brain MRI at 3T, clinical and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), measured as peak oxygen uptake, were collected at baseline, and after 1, 3, and 5 years of intervention. Brain volumes and cortical thickness were derived from T1 weighted 3D MRI data using FreeSurfer. The effect of HIIT or MICT on brain volumes over time was investigated with linear mixed models, while linear regressions examined the effect of baseline CRF on brain volumes at later time points.ResultsAdherence in each group was between 79 and 94% after 5 years. CRF increased significantly in all groups during the first year. Compared to controls, the HIIT group had significantly increased hippocampal atrophy located to CA1 and hippocampal body, though within normal range, and the MICT group greater thalamic atrophy. No other effects of intervention group were found. CRF across the intervention was not associated with brain structure, but CRF at baseline was positively associated with cortical volume at all later time points.ConclusionHigher baseline CRF reduced 5-year cortical atrophy rate in older adults, while following physical activity guidelines was associated with the lowest hippocampal and thalamic atrophy rates.

Sex Differences in Maternal Restrictive Feeding Practices in the Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories Study.

Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories tested an early life responsive parenting (RP) intervention designed for obesity prevention. Body mass index z-score at age 3 years was lower for the RP group versus controls with a larger effect for girls than boys. We sought to determine if child sex was associated with differing maternal feeding practices and whether sex moderated intervention effects on feeding. Mothers (N=279) completed the Infant Feeding Styles Questionnaire (IFSQ) at 28 weeks, the Structure and Control in Parent Feeding (SCPF) at 1, 2, and 3 years, and the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) at 3 years. Study aims were tested using 2-way analysis of variance and repeated measures. Mothers reported greater restriction (limiting food quantity) for boys at 28 weeks (IFSQ: 3.0 ± 1.1 vs 2.8 ± 1.0, P=.07) and across annual measurements from age 1 to 3 years (SCPF: P=.04). At age 3, the intervention group effect on restriction differed by sex (CFQ: P = .047) such that higher restriction was reported by RP group mothers of boys versus girls (3.4 ± 0.7 vs 3.0 ± 0.9, P=.002) with no control group sex difference (3.4 ± 0.8 vs 3.3 ± 0.9, P=.79). There were no sex differences or sex by intervention group interactions in other reported feeding practices at any assessment (ie, structure-based feeding, pressure). Mothers of boys used more restrictive feeding through age 3. These findings may be partially explained by previously reported better self-soothing and self-regulation abilities of participating girls.

Brief relaxation training effects on long-term endocrine therapy adherence among women with breast cancer.

12061 Background: Despite life-saving potential, many women struggle to adhere to adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) for their early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Prior research has demonstrated that emotional distress is a barrier to AET adherence. The current study aimed to test the long-term effects of two 5-week post-surgical group-based stress management interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and relaxation training (RT), versus an attention-matched health education (HE) control on AET adherence at long-term follow-up. Methods: We conducted long-term follow-up (median = 8 years, range = 7-11 years) of a cohort of women who enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of CBT vs. RT vs. HE shortly after surgery for stage 0-3 breast cancer.We measuredadherence with the Endocrine Therapy Medication Usage Questionnaire (ETMUQ) given at long-term follow-up. First, we established adherence factors on the ETMUQ via confirmatory factor analysis. We then used structural equation modeling to regress these factors on study arm, controlling for patient age, stage of disease, and treatments received (chemotherapy/radiation). Results: The sample was predominately middle-aged ( M= 54.81, SD= 10.19), White (41.5%) and Hispanic (42.2%), partnered (62.2%) with stage 1 (57.0%) or stage 2 (25.9%) disease. Of the women who completed long-term follow-up (N = 59, 44.7% of original sample); more than half (n = 30; 50.8%) reported having at least some problems with adherence. There was an effect of intervention group on adherence, such that women receiving RT (n = 15) had significantly better adherence than those receiving CBT (n = 20) on the factor measuring Forgetfulness/Inconsistency ( B(SE) =.57 (.34), p=.001), and marginally better adherence than those receiving CBT on the factor measuring Intentional Nonadherence ( B(SE) =.60 (.33), p =.062). There was no such effect when comparing RT or CBT to HE (n = 24). Conclusions: Women receiving RT were less likely to forget to take their AET and marginally less likely to intentionally miss doses of AET in the long-term compared to women receiving CBT. Future research could investigate the mechanism by which RT may improve adherence. For example, RT may reduce somatic symptoms related to AET or improve a patients’ self-efficacy to cope with these symptoms thereby reducing intentional non-adherence. In addition, RT may improve patients’ attention and awareness leading to less forgetfulness. Clinical trial information: NCT02103387.

Application effect of rubbing abdomen in improving functional dyspepsia of elderly in nursing homes

Objective To explore the clinical effect of rubbing abdomen on improving functional dyspepsia of elderly in nursing homes. Methods The 28 elderly patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into intervention group 1 and intervention group 2 with 14 cases each according to the floor occupied by the elderly.In the intervention group 1, the researcher applied abdominal massage, and in the intervention group 2, the elderly applied abdominal massage themselves, for a total of 28 days.TCM syndrome scores of the two groups were evaluated before intervention, 3 days after intervention, 7 days after intervention, 14 days after intervention and 28 days after intervention.The weight of the two groups before and after the intervention was recorded. Results The two groups were intervened by rubbing abdomen, and symptoms such as bloating, stomach pain, burning sensation, belching, noisy, early satiety after the meal fullness symptom syndrome score was significantly reduced, and there were significant differences in symptom score than before symptoms(P<0.05). And the clinical effect of intervention group 1 was better than that of intervention group 2(P<0.05). There were no significant differences in weight change between the two groups before and after intervention.(P<0.05). Conclusion Rubbing abdomen can alleviate the clinical symptoms of functional dyspepsia in the elderly. Carrying out health education on rubbing abdomen in the elderly can promote the health of gastrointestinal function and improve the quality of life of the elderly. Key words: Abdominal massage; Functional dyspepsia; Self-massage

The clinical effects of the overall nursing mode on patients of cholelithiasis during the perioperative period

Objective To study the importance of the comprehensive nursing during the operation for the postoperative rehabilitation of the patients cholelithiasis. Methods Totaled of 100 patients who had been diagnosed to suffer from cholelithiasis through B-ultrasound from January to November 2013 had been selected and divided into intervention group and control group. The patients of control group were treated with regular nursing, while the patients of intervention group were given the comprehensive nursing, including the preoperative psychological guidance, the preoperative and postoperative diet guidance and the postoperative pipeline nursingand so on.And the anal exhausting time, the treatment duration and the complications of the patients of the two groups were compared. Results The curative effects of intervention group were significantly better than those of control group.The anal exhausting time after operation and the hospitalization duration of the intervention group were significantly lower than those of control group.The incidence of anxiety, depression, fever and other complications were also reduced, (P<0.05). Conclusions A good overall nursing during the operation plays an important role in the success of the cholelithiasis operation and the postoperative rehabilitation. Key words: Cholelithiasis; Overall nursing; Effect

Optimizing preoperative expectations in cardiac surgery patients is moderated by level of disability: the successful development of a brief psychological intervention

Patients’ expectations have shown to be a major psychological predictor of health outcome in cardiac surgery patients. However, it is unclear whether patients’ expectations can be optimized prior to surgery. This study evaluates the development of a brief psychological intervention focusing on the optimization of expectations and its effect on change in patients’ expectations prior to cardiac surgery. Ninety patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft were randomly assigned to (1) standard medical care, (2) additional expectation manipulation intervention (EMI), and (3) additional attention control group. Therapists’ fidelity to intervention manuals and patients satisfaction with the intervention were assessed for both active intervention conditions. Patients’ expectations about post-surgical disability, treatment control, personal control, and disease duration were assessed before and after the psychological intervention. Demographical, medical, and psychosocial characteristics and disability were assessed at baseline. Treatment fidelity and patient satisfaction was very high in both intervention conditions. Only patients receiving EMI developed higher personal control expectations and longer (more realistic) expectations of disease duration. The effect of intervention group on patients’ disability expectations and patients’ personal control expectations was moderated by patient’s level of disability. EMI patients with low to moderate disability developed positive expectations whereas patients with high disability did not. This study shows the successful development of a short psychological intervention that was able to modify patients’ expectations, especially in those with low to moderate disability. Given the robust association of expectations and surgery outcome, such an intervention might offer the opportunity to enhance patients’ health following cardiac surgery.

Group Randomized Trial of a Novel Physical Education Program to Increase Physical Fitness and Motor Skills in Children

Group Randomized Trial of a Novel Physical Education Program to Increase Physical Fitness and Motor Skills in Children The aims of the present pilot study are three-fold, (a) to test the efficacy of the intervention by comparing schools allocated to the interventions vs. control school and (b) to investigate whether an elementary school based, structured physical education program could improve physical fitness and motor skill performance and decrease adiposity in children, (c) to examine the physiological health effects, and motor skill improvement, in an 8-week teacher lead novel school based physical activity intervention compared to a physical education specialist group. Methods: 8-week single blinded group randomized trial, 224 children (age 9.93 ± 2.09) were randomly assigned to 1) Control (C; n= 47); 2) Teacher Led (TL; n=76), or 3) Physical Education specialist led (PESL; n=94). TL and the PESL groups received 100 minutes of physical activity per week, and C received standard curriculum. Movement skills, physical Fitness, BMI percentiles and waist/hip circumference were measured pre and post intervention. ANCOVA with post-hoc pair wise comparisons assessed across intervention group effects. Results: A significant overall intervention effect was found for trunk lift (P<0.01), sit and reach (P<0.01), kick (P=0.008), ball bounce (P=0.007), leap (P=0.004), punt (P<0.001), and Two - hand strike (P=0.039). Conclusion: The program appears promising as a populationbased approach to increasing physical fitness and enhancing motor skills performance in children.

Increasing Middle School Students’ Life Satisfaction: Efficacy of a Positive Psychology Group Intervention

This study identified middle school students who were less than delighted with their lives (reported life satisfaction scores between 1 and 6 on a 7-point scale), and attempted to improve these students’ mental health via a 10-week group wellness-promotion intervention developed from prior applications of positive psychology research. Complete data at baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up was gathered from 55 sixth grade students who were randomly assigned to the intervention condition (n = 28) or wait-list control (n = 27). Repeated measures analyses of a propensity score matched sample of 40 participants indicated a significant group by time interaction for global life satisfaction from baseline to post-intervention. Specifically, life satisfaction of students in the intervention group increased significantly, while the control group declined during the same period (although this change was not statistically significant). The intervention group’s gains were maintained at follow-up, but were matched by similar gains for students in the control group. No effects of intervention group were identified in the indicators of affect or psychopathology. The improvements in life satisfaction evidenced by students in the intervention group during the first semester of middle school are important given the adjustment difficulties that often appear during this sensitive developmental period marked by biological and educational changes.

高血压患者实施阶段性强化健康教育效果评价研究

目的：探讨高血压患者实施阶段性强化健康教育的效果。方法：将120例高血压患者随机分为对照组和干预组各60例，对照组接受常规健康教育，干预组在此基础上采取阶段性强化健康教育，在健康教育前及教育后1、3、6个月时分别对两组患者知识、态度、行为及血压四项指标进行综合评价。结果：实施健康教育后两组患者各项指标达标状况均有所提高，且实施教育后l、3、6个月干预组综合效果明显优于对照组(P < 0.05)。结论：高血压患者实施阶段性强化健康教育对进一步提高其高血压知识知晓度、治疗依从性、行为改良率和血压控制率，保证疗效，降低病发病死率，减少并发症，提高其生存生活质量具有重要意义。 Objective: To explore the effect of stage strengthening health education on hypertensive patients. Method: 120 hypertensive patients were randomly divided into control group and intervention group with 60 each. The control group received routine health education, and the other was given periodically enhancing health education on this basis; A comprehensive evaluation on knowledge, attitude, behavior and blood pressure of the two groups was respectively given before health education and one, three, six months after health education. Result: Through health education, the four evaluation indexes of two groups were improved, and the effect of intervention group was significantly better than control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Stage enhancing health education on hypertensive patients shows a more significant effect.

A randomized controlled trial of different methods of alcohol screening and brief intervention in routine accident and emergency department care: 12-month outcomes

There is a wealth of evidence on the detrimental impact of excessive alcohol consumption on physical, psychological, and social health. There also exists a substantial evidence base for the efficacy of alcohol brief intervention (BI) aimed at reducing consumption across a range of settings. Research conducted in emergency departments (EDs) has reinforced the current evidence regarding the potential effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of BI. However, the majority of this research has been conducted in a single center, and there is little evidence of the generalizability of SBI implementation across EDs. This pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial randomized nine EDs to a combination of screening tools (the Modified Single Alcohol Screening Question [M-SASQ], the Fast Alcohol Screening Test [FAST], or the Screening and Intervention Program for Sensible Drinking modified Paddington Alcohol Test [SIPS-PAT]) and interventions (patient intervention leaflet [PIL], brief advice [BA], or brief lifestyle counseling [BLC]). The primary hypothesis was that BLC delivered by an alcohol health worker would be more effective than BA or PIL delivered by ED staff. Outcomes were assessed at six and 12 months. Overall, 5992 patients were screened for eligibility in 9 EDs; of these, 3737 (62%) were found eligible, and 1491 screened positive for an alcohol use disorder (40%). Of those who screened positive, 1204 (81%) consented to participate in the trial. The mean age of participants was 35 years, and the mean AUDIT score at baseline was 12.4. The majority of the sample was male (65%) and white (88%). At 12 months, 803 (67%) of participants were followed up. No significant differences in follow-up rates were observed between intervention groups. Overall, the proportion of participants positive for an alcohol use disorder reduced significantly by 16.3%. This reflected a significant decrease of 18.8% in the PIL group and 15.1% in both the BLC and BA groups. An adjusted logistic regression model found no significant effects of intervention group, screening approach, or baseline AUDIT score.

A randomized controlled trial of different methods of alcohol screening and brief intervention in routine probation settings: 12-month outcomes

A large number of randomized controlled trials in health settings have consistently reported positive effects of BI to reduce risky alcohol use. However, although alcohol misuse is common amongst offenders, there is limited evidence of alcohol BI in the criminal justice system. The Screening and Intervention Program for Sensible Drinking (SIPS) Criminal Justice System trial (SIPS-CJS), a prospective pragmatic cluster randomized control trial, was the first large multicenter trial of alcohol screening and BI in the CJS carried out in England. Offender managers (n = 227) from 20 probation offices were randomized to one of three conditions: patient intervention leaflet only [PIL], brief advice [BA], or brief lifestyle counseling [BLC]) and to one of two screening tools (the Modified Single Alcohol Screening Question [M-SASQ] or the Fast Alcohol Screening Test [FAST]). The primary hypothesis was that BLC delivered by an alcohol health worker would be more effective than BA or PIL delivered by CJS staff. Outcomes were assessed at six and 12 months. The mean age of participants was 31, and the mean Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score at baseline was 16.1. The majority of the sample were male (85%), white (76%), and current smokers (79%). Sixty-seven percent of participants were available for follow-up at six months post-intervention, and 59% were available at 12 months. No significant differences were found in follow-up rates between the intervention groups. At 12-month follow-up, ratings were high in all groups in terms of general satisfaction, communication, and interpersonal manner. At 12 months, the proportion of participants positive for AUDIT overall had been reduced by 15.6%. This reflected a decrease of 18.6% in the PIL group, 14.4% in the BA group, and 13.7% in the BLC group. An adjusted logistic regression model found no significant effects of intervention group, screening approach, or baseline AUDIT score.

The effects of intervention the early rehabilitation on motor function in acute cerebral infarction

Objective To investigate the effects of early rehabilitation on motor function and activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with acute cerebral infarction.Methods 80 patients randomly divided into intervention group and control group,all of them were treated with the same drugs,and patients in intervention group were added with rehabilitation (Boboth and Rood technique training) after their stable vital signs for 2～3 days.Rehabilitation evaluations were undertaken by Fugl-Meyer motion evaluation (FMA) and modified Barthel index (MBI).Results FMA and MBI were not significantly different between two groups before treatment (P＞ 0.05),but there were,significantly after treatment (P＜0.01),and curative effects in intervention group were better than those in control group (P＜0.05).Conclusions Early rehabilitation can improve the motor function and ADL,and curative effects in intervention group were better than those in control group. Key words: Early rehabilitation; Cerebral infarction; Motor function; Activities of daily living

Randomized Control Trial to Improve Adiposity and Insulin Resistance in Overweight Latino Adolescents

Few randomized trials attempt to improve insulin sensitivity and associated metabolic risks in overweight Latino youth. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a modified carbohydrate nutrition program combined with strength training on insulin sensitivity, adiposity, and other type 2 diabetes risk factors in overweight Latino adolescents. In a 16-week randomized trial, 54 overweight Latino adolescents (15.5 +/- 1.0 years) were randomly assigned to: (i) Control (C; n = 16), (ii) Nutrition (N; n = 21), or (iii) Nutrition + Strength training (N+ST; n = 17). The N group received modified carbohydrate nutrition classes (once per week), while the N+ST received the same nutrition classes plus strength training (twice per week). The following were measured at pre- and postintervention: strength by 1-repetition maximum, dietary intake by 3-day records, body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, glucose/insulin indices by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and intravenous glucose tolerance test with minimal modeling. Across intervention group effects were tested using analysis of covariance with post hoc pairwise comparisons. A significant overall intervention effect was found for improvement in bench press (P < 0.001) and reductions in energy (P = 0.05), carbohydrate (P = 0.04) and fat intake (P = 0.03). There were no significant intervention effects on insulin sensitivity, body composition, or most glucose/insulin indices with the exception of glucose incremental area under the curve (IAUC) (P = 0.05), which decreased in the N and N+ST group by 18 and 6.3% compared to a 32% increase in the C group. In conclusion, this intense, culturally tailored intervention resulted in no significant intervention effects on measured risk factors with the exception of a beneficial effect on glycemic response to oral glucose.

Students' counseling: studying a group intervention's effects

Assessment was based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative measures. The Johnson's Scale for the psychological maturity was used in order to estimate the psychological maturity's level of the control group and that of the twelve subjects'group, who participated in the intervention, which took place during a whole academic year. In addition, the 'Echelle Toulousaine de Coping' was used to measure the coping strategies of the two groups before and after the intervention.