Relief Of Anxiety Research Articles

Efficacy Evaluation of Neurofeedback-Based Anxiety Relief.

Anxiety disorder is a mental illness that involves extreme fear or worry, which can alter the balance of chemicals in the brain. This change and evaluation of anxiety state are accompanied by a comprehensive treatment procedure. It is well-known that the treatment of anxiety is chiefly based on psychotherapy and drug therapy, and there is no objective standard evaluation. In this paper, the proposed method focuses on examining neural changes to explore the effect of mindfulness regulation in accordance with neurofeedback in patients with anxiety. We designed a closed neurofeedback experiment that includes three stages to adjust the psychological state of the subjects. A total of 34 subjects, 17 with anxiety disorder and 17 healthy, participated in this experiment. Through the three stages of the experiment, electroencephalography (EEG) resting state signal and mindfulness-based EEG signal were recorded. Power spectral density was selected as the evaluation index through the regulation of neurofeedback mindfulness, and repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used for statistical analysis. The findings of this study reveal that the proposed method has a positive effect on both types of subjects. After mindfulness adjustment, the power map exhibited an upward trend. The increase in the average power of gamma wave indicates the relief of anxiety. The enhancement of the wave power represents an improvement in the subjects’ mindfulness ability. At the same time, the results of ANOVA showed that P < 0.05, i.e., the difference was significant. From the aspect of neurophysiological signals, we objectively evaluated the ability of our experiment to relieve anxiety. The neurofeedback mindfulness regulation can effect on the brain activity pattern of anxiety disorder patients.

Modern approach to the treatment of patients with androgen-dependent dermatopathies

Introduction. About 10–20% of patients among women of reproductive age suffer from signs and symptoms of androgen excess in hyperandrogenism. Its skin symptoms may include hirsutism, acne, seborrhea and alopecia.Aim. To assess the effect of cyproterone acetate on skin symptoms of hyperandrogenism and improvement in the patients’ quality of life after treatment.Materials and methods. The study included 120 patients with skin symptoms of hyperandrogenism. The patients ranged in age from 18 to 35 years. The inclusion criteria were the main complaints of the patients as follows: acne, hirsutism and alopecia. The patients underwent a comprehensive clinical and laboratory examination. The drug of choice for the treatment of androgendependent dermatopathies was cyproterone acetate at a dose of 50–100 mg daily.Results and discussion. All patients were divided into three groups: 44 (37%) patients with hirsutism, 55 (53%) with acne, 12 (10%) with alopecia. Moreover, 32 (27%) patients had a mix of symptoms at the same time. Such patients were assigned to one of the groups depending on the predominant complaint. All patients were prescribed cyproterone acetate at a dose of 50-100 mg once daily, depending on the severity of symptoms from day 1 to day 10 of the menstrual cycle, and 54 (52%) patients were prescribed cyproterone acetate 20 mg and ethinyl estradiol 35 mg from day 1 to day 21 of the menstrual cycle. The study showed stabilization of the psychoemotional state, relief of anxiety, depressive disorders, enhancement of self-esteem and sociability, and improvement of the quality of life in its various manifestations in the majority of patients after the treatment.Сonclusion. When assessed using the dermatology life quality index questionnaires, all patients reported the stabilization of the psychoemotional state and the improvement in the quality of life after the treatment. The anxiety and depressive disorders decreased in 109 (91%) patients, which favourably influenced various areas of quality of life, enhanced self-esteem and sociability with a positive effect on personal relationships.

Probiotics for the treatment of depression and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Probiotics in the gut have been suggested to have a beneficial effect on anxiety response and depressive disorder. Hence we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the effects of probiotics associated with or without pharmacological or psychological therapies in patients with depressive and/or anxiety symptoms or disorders. We conducted searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, LILACS, and Web of Science up to February 2020 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy of probiotics associated with or without pharmacological or psychological therapies for patient-important outcomes including relief of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, cognitive functions, adverse events and quality of life. We used the GRADE approach to rate the overall certainty of the evidence by outcome. The protocol of the systematic review was registered with PROPSERO and published under the number CRD4202016329. 16 RCTs including 1,125 patients proved eligible. Results suggested a significant improvement in using Beck Depression Index (MD,-3.20 [95% CI,-5.91 to-0.49], p=0.02; I2=21%, p=0.28) for depression symptoms and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (MD,-6.88 [95% CI,-12.35 to-1.41], p=0.01; I2=24%, p=0.25) for anxiety with overall certainty in evidence rated as moderate and low, respectively. However, Depression Scale (DASS-Depression) (MD, 2.01 [95% CI,-0.80 to 4.82], p=0.16; I2=0%, p=0.62), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRAS) (MD,-2,41 [95% CI,-10,55 to 5,72], p=0,56; I2=87%, p=0,006), Anxiety scale (DASS-Anxiety) (MD, 0.49 [95% CI,-4.05 to 5.02], p=0.83; I2=74%, p=0.05), and Stress Scale (DASS-Stress) (MD, 0.84 [95% CI,-2.64 to 4.33], p=0.64; I2=34%, p=0.22) showed no significant decrease in the relief of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms of probiotics compared to placebo with overall certainty in evidence rated as very low for all outcomes. We also found no differences in the Beck Anxiety Index (BAI) (MD,-3.21 [95% CI,-6.50 to 0.08], p=0.06; I2=0%, p=0.88) with overall certainty in evidence rated as low. Results suggested a non-statistically significantly effect of probiotics in the adverse events outcomes. The current review suggests that probiotics may improve symptoms of depression and anxiety in clinical patients. However, given the limitations in the included studies, RCTs with long-term follow-up and large sample sizes are needed.

Reminiscence therapy exhibits alleviation of anxiety and improvement of life quality in postoperative gastric cancer patients: A randomized, controlled study.

Although reminiscence therapy alleviates mental illness and improves quality of life in neurocognitive disorders patients, little study reports its clinical application in cancer patients. Thus, this study aimed to explore the effect of reminiscence therapy on anxiety, depression, quality of life, and survival profile in postoperative gastric cancer patients.One hundred sixty surgical gastric cancer patients were enrolled in this randomized, controlled study, then randomly assigned to Reminiscence therapy group (N = 80) and Control group (N = 80) as 1:1 ratio. The evaluation was carried at baseline (M0), month 3 (M3), month 6 (M6), month 9 (M9), and month 12 (M12) after intervention by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30). Furthermore, disease-free survival and overall survival were analyzed using follow-up data.Reminiscence therapy decreased HADS for anxiety score at M6, M9, and M12, decreased anxiety rate at M9 and M12 compared to control care; while it did not affect HADS for depression score or depression rate at any time-point. Also, reminiscence therapy raised QLQ-C30 global health status score at M12, reduced QLQ-C30 symptoms score at M6, while did not affect QLQ-C30 function score at any time-point compared to control care. Reminiscence therapy did not affect disease-free survival and overall survival, either. Further subgroup analyses (divided by age and gender) observed that the effect of reminiscence therapy seemed more obvious in patients with age ≤60 years and male patients.Reminiscence therapy exhibits alleviation of anxiety and improvement of quality of life in postoperative gastric cancer patients.

Anxiety Levels of Primary Caregivers of Children With Tracheostomy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We aim to evaluate the anxiety levels of caregivers of children with tracheostomy during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Caregivers of 31 children with tracheostomy and 105 healthy children (control group) were included. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was administered via teleconference in order to investigate how participants describe how they feel at a particular moment (State) and how they generally feel (Trait). The trait anxiety levels of caregivers of children with tracheostomy were significantly higher (P = .02). Their state anxiety levels were similar. The state and trait anxiety levels of caregivers of children with tracheostomy correlated (r = 0.70, P < .001). At the end of the teleconference, caregivers of children with tracheostomy experienced greater anxiety relief than controls (P < .001). Trait anxiety scores were higher among caregivers of children with tracheostomy, but their state anxiety levels were comparable to those of controls. Caregivers with high trait anxiety also exhibited high state anxiety. Informing caregivers of children with tracheostomy about COVID-19 via teleconference can reduce their anxiety during such stressful times.

The Application and Research of Humanistic Care in Operation Room

Objective — To conduct studies on the application effect of humanistic care in the operation room. Methods — A total of 90 patients who received surgical treatment in our hospital from January 2021 to May 2021 were selected and divided into experimental group and control group based on the order of admission, with 45 patients in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with routine surgical nursing, and the patients in the experimental group were treated with humanistic care on the basis of routine surgical nursing. Comparison was made in the application effect of the two groups. Results — The scores of Self-Rating Depression Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale in two groups demonstrated significant decreasing. The scores of the Self-Rating Depression Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale were significantly reduced in the two groups after psychological nursing intervention. Conclusions — Effective humanistic care can not only contributes to the relief of anxiety or depression and other unhealthy emotions of patients, but also serves as an important way to maintain a good doctor-patient relationship. Humanistic care has certain application value in clinical applications.

Symptoms, symptom relief and support in COVID-19 patients dying in hospitals during the first pandemic wave

BackgroundAt the time of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, little was known about how effective our regular end-of-life care strategies would be for patients dying from COVID-19 in hospitals. The aim of the study was to describe and evaluate end-of-life care for patients dying from COVID-19 in hospitals in Sweden up until up until 12 November 2020.MethodsData were collected from the Swedish Register of Palliative Care. Hospital deaths during 2020 for patients with COVID-19 were included and compared to a reference cohort of hospital patients who died during 2019. Logistic regression was used to compare the groups and to control for impact of sex, age and a diagnosis of dementia.ResultsThe COVID-19 group (1476 individuals) had a lower proportion of women and was older compared to the reference cohort (13,158 individuals), 81.8 versus 80.6 years (p < .001). Breathlessness was more commonly reported in the COVID-19 group compared to the reference cohort (72% vs 43%, p < .001). Furthermore, anxiety and delirium were more commonly and respiratory secretions, nausea and pain were less commonly reported during the last week in life in the COVID-19 group (p < .001 for all five symptoms). When present, complete relief of anxiety (p = .021), pain (p = .025) and respiratory secretions (p = .037) was more often achieved in the COVID-19 group. In the COVID-19 group, 57% had someone present at the time of death compared to 77% in the reference cohort (p < .001).ConclusionsThe standard medical strategies for symptom relief and end-of-life care in hospitals seemed to be acceptable. Symptoms in COVID-19 deaths in hospitals were relieved as much as or even to a higher degree than in hospitals in 2019. Importantly, though, as a result of closing the hospitals to relatives and visitors, patients dying from COVID-19 more frequently died alone, and healthcare providers were not able to substitute for absent relatives.

A Study on the Relationships between Plant Landscape, Landscape Preference and Anxiety Relief in Urban Parks Focusing on Busan Citizen Park

현대 사회의 신속한 발전은 사람들의 생활과 업무에 많은 편리함을 주는 반면 불안감, 우울감 등 엄중한 정신적인 문제들을 유발하고 있다. 도시공원은 도시의 가장 주요한 자연경관으로써 사람들이 휴식을 취하고 편안한 활동을 진행할 수 있는, 활용빈도가 비교적 높은 녹색공간이다. 도시공원의 가장 중요한 디자인 요소인 식물은 도시공원의 자연도를 나타내는 물질적 체재이다. 식물디자인을 통해 형성된 식물경관은 사람들의 정서안정, 신체 및 심리적 건강에 매우 유익하다. 본 연구는 환경심리학과 경관디자인학에 입각하여 도시공원의 가장 대표적인 디자인 요소인 식물을 둘러싸고 경관선호도 및 불안감 해소에 대한 식물경관의 자연도 영향관계에 대해 분석하는 것을 목적으로 하였다. 부산시민공원의 식물경관을 연구대상으로 하였고 설문조사를 진행하여 최종적으로 313부의 유효설문지를 회수하였다. SPSS 23.0 프로그램을 활용하여 회귀분석하였으며 그 결과는 다음과 같다. (1) 도시공원 식물경관의 자연도는 경관선호도의 응집성, 복잡성, 신비성, 가독성에 유의미한 정방향(+)의 영향을 미친다. (2) 도시공원 식물경관의 자연도는 불안감 해소에 유의미한 정방향(+)의 영향을 미친다. (3) 도시공원에서 경관선호도의 응집성, 복잡성, 신비성, 가독성은 불안감 해소에 유의미한 정방향(+)의 영향을 미친다. 이외에도 회귀계수 비교결과, 불안감 해소에 대해 경관선호도의 복잡성의 영향이 가장 큰 것으로 나타났고 그 다음으로 신비성, 가독성, 응집성의 순서로 나타났다. 연구결과를 기초로 하여 도시공원의 식물경관 디자인에 대해 제안하였으며 이를 통해 도시공원이 경관품질과 시각적 미감을 제고하고 불안감 해소에 현저한 효과를 이루는 도시공원 경관을 조성할 것을 기대한다. 본 연구는 도시공원 및 그 식물경관의 디자인 발전을 촉진할 뿐만 아니라 사람들의 불안감 해소, 신체 및 심리적 건강을 촉진하는데 이론적 참고를 제공할 수 있다. 특히 현재 COVID-19의 영향 아래 도시공원 및 그 식물경관은 사람들의 신체 및 심리적 건강을 회복하는데 매우 중요한 연구의의를 가진다.The rapid development of modern society brings a lot of convenience to people s life and work, but it also leads to more and more serious mental problems, such as anxiety and depression. Urban parks are not only the most important natural landscapes in the cities, but also green spaces with high frequency of recreation and relaxation activities. Plants are not only the most important design elements in urban parks, but also the material carriers that reflect the naturalness of urban parks. The plant landscapes designed by plants are very beneficial to people s emotional stability and mental health. On the basis of environmental psychology and landscape design, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of plant landscapes naturalness on landscape preference and anxiety relief through plants which are representative design elements in urban parks. Taking the plant landscapes of Busan Citizen Park as the research objects, a questionnaire survey was conducted, and 313 valid questionnaires were obtained. Using SPSS23.0 software for regression analysis, the results showed that: (1) The naturalness of plant landscapes in urban parks has a significant positive impact on the coherence, complexity, mystery and legibility of landscape preference. (2) The naturalness of plant landscapes in urban parks has a significant positive impact on anxiety relief. (3) The coherence, complexity, mystery and legibility of landscape preference in urban parks have significant positive impacts on anxiety relief. In addition, the comparison of the size of the regression coefficient showed that the complexity of landscape preference has the greatest impact on anxiety relief, followed by mystery, legibility and coherence. Based on the research results, this paper puts forward some suggestions on the design of the plant landscapes of urban parks, looking forward to improve the landscape quality and visual beauty of urban parks, and to create landscapes of urban parks with obvious effect on anxiety relief. This study can not only promote the development of the design of urban parks and their plant landscapes, but also provide theoretical references for people s anxiety relief and improve people s physical and mental health. Especially in the background of today s COVID-19 epidemic, urban parks and their plant landscapes are of great research significance to the recovery of human physical and mental health.

TikTok browsing for anxiety relief in the preoperative period: A randomized clinical trial

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the effect of browsing TikTok for 20 min on patients’ preoperative anxiety. MethodA randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Department of Anesthesiology of The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2021 to March 2021. The 80 patients were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group browsed TikTok for 20 min, but the control group did not. Preoperative anxiety was measured with the help of the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) and anxiety visual analog test (AVAT). Preoperative anxiety, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were checked before and after 20 min of TikTok browsing. Patient satisfaction with anesthesia was evaluated as the patient entered and exited the operating room. ResultsThe pretest APAIS scores, AVAT scores, vital signs and patient satisfaction were similar in both groups (p > 0.05). Compared with the control group, patient anxiety levels and systolic blood pressure decreased significantly after 20 min of TikTok browsing (p < 0.05), and patient satisfaction with anesthesia was significantly higher (p < 0.05). In the experimental group, after patients browsed TikTok for 20 min, all of the physiological and behavioral variables of anxiety were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). ConclusionsTikTok is a popular, simple, effective, noninvasive and inexpensive method for decreasing preoperative anxiety, and browsing TikTok can lower a patient's blood pressure and heart rate to some extent.

Association between pain, anxiety, and pain relief in patients receiving emergent endodontic treatment

The experience of pain relief is closely associated with the affective-cognitive processing of hedonic value. Higher pain relief plays a key role in patients' satisfaction with treatment and higher motivation to receive treatment. Previous studies focused on pain and anxiety of endodontic treatment. However, the association between pain relief, pain, and anxiety has not been investigated. We investigated 35 patients (20 females and 15 males, with mean age 46.3years old) with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis receiving emergent endodontic treatment. Pain-related experience, including pain relief, pain, and anxiety, was assessed before and after treatment, based on an 11-point numerical scale. We found that before treatment, the expected pain relief (median score = 8) that one anticipated was positively correlated with the degree of pain reduction perceived after treatment (two-tailed rho = 0.51, p = 0.002). Expected pain relief was also positively correlated with the post-treatment relief (two-tailed rho = 0.76, p < 0.001) and the relief recalled after 6weeks (two-tailed rho = 0.69, p < 0.001). Moreover, logistic regression models revealed that expected pain relief was a significant predictor of the subgroups of low vs. moderate scores of post-treatment pain (B = - 1.06, p = 0.017) and anxiety (B = - 1.60, p = 0.009), controlled for the condition of pre-treatment medication. The current findings highlight that for patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis who received emergent endodontic treatment, their expected pain relief before treatment is a critical factor associated with pain reduction and post-treatment pain/anxiety. Assessment of expected pain relief may be integrated into pre-treatment assessment for painful dental patients.

AAP Publications Reaffirmed or Retired

Clinical Report. Providing psychosocial support to children and families in the aftermath of disasters and crises. Pediatrics. 2015;136(4). Available at: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/136/4/e1120. Reaffirmed December 2020Policy statement. Firearm-related injuries affecting the pediatric population. Pediatrics. 2012;130(5):e1416–e1423. Available at: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/5/e1416. Reaffirmed January 2021Policy statement. Handoffs: Transitions of care for children in the emergency department. Pediatrics. 2016;138(5):e20162680. Available at: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/5/e20162680. Reaffirmed December 2020Clinical report. Relief of pain and anxiety in pediatric patients in emergency medical systems. Pediatrics. 2012;130(5):e1391–e1405. Available at: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/5/e1391. Reaffirmed December 2020Policy statement. Literacy promotion: an essential component of primary care pediatric practice. Pediatrics. 2014;134(2):404–409. Available at: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/134/2/404. Reaffirmed December 2020Clinical report. Promoting optimal development: screening for behavioral and emotional problems. Pediatrics. 2015;135(2):384–395. Available at: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/135/2/384. Reaffirmed December 2020Clinical report. The pediatrician's role in the prevention of missing children. Pediatrics. 2004;114(4):1100–1105. Available at: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/114/4/1100. Retired December 2020

Cannabidiol (CBD) use among cancer survivors.

12096 Background: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive component of cannabis touted for various therapeutic effects. The Federal Drug Agency has only approved one prescription CBD product for treatment of severe epilepsy. On December 17, 2020 the Federal Trade Commission announced legal consequences for deceptively marketed CBD products in the rapidly expanding market of various CBD products; the products’ unsupported claims included CBD as a cancer treatment. Little is known about survivors use of CBD. This study explores the prevalence and nature of CBD use by cancer survivors. Methods: A link to an anonymous, electronic survey was posted on the Levine Cancer Institute and SherryStrong (Martin Truex Jr. Foundation: philanthropy for ovarian cancer) Twitter and Facebook social media platforms. Data were managed in REDCap, a secure, web-based, electronic data capture tool. Survey responses were summarized and described with frequencies and compared using Fisher’s Exact tests; p &lt; 0.1 was considered statistically significant. Results: N = 295 self-selected respondents were White (95%), female (86%), middle aged (45-64 years) (58%) and in the US (95%). Ninety percent indicated current (85%) or past (15%) use of CBD product; a third of these participants (N = 102) identified as cancer survivors. Gynecologic (31%) and breast (30%) cancers were the most recorded malignancies, and 38% report active treatment. Most survivors indicated using CBD products daily (77%) for a year or less (79%) and spent @$30 a week on products (70%). Common uses for CBD were easing pain (66%), anxiety (50%), and sleep (50%)—14% reported treating or preventing cancer. 41% learned about CBD from family/friends, fewer learned from the Internet (21%) or local store (11%). Only 12% received information from a physician. Liquid drops (58%) and topicals (19%) were popular products and reported side effects were sparse—sedation and/or euphoria were indicated by 10% and 2%, respectively. Over 82% of cancer survivors indicated that CBD product helped their conditions. CBD use to ease anxiety and stress declined with age; 71% of young survivors (aged 18-44) sought anxiety relief versus 45% and 36% of middle age (aged 45-64) and seniors (aged 65+), respectively (p = 0.05), and 58% of young survivors pursued stress relief versus 39% of middle age and 21% of seniors (p = 0.08). More young (25%) and middle age (37%) survivors indicated spending over $30 on products weekly than seniors (7%) (p = 0.08). No differences were seen in CBD use between cancer survivors by gender or treatment status. Conclusions: Cancer survivors commonly use CBD, yet infrequently under the guidance of a physician. Survivors largely rely on word of mouth and internet information about CBD. Despite lack of standardization of production and labeling of CBD products, the majority of patients reported positive improvements in symptoms. Future research should explore strategies to educate cancer patients and providers in safe CBD use.

The effect of alpha-2A adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A) genetic polymorphisms on the depth of sedation of dexmedetomidine: a genetic observational pilot study

BackgroundThe genetic polymorphisms of the alpha-2A adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A), which plays a significant role in sedation, anxiety relief, and antinociception, particularly in dexmedetomidine, may differ in the degree of sedation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the genetic polymorphisms of ADRA2A (rs11195418, rs1800544, rs2484516, rs1800545, rs553668, rs3750625) on the sedative effects of dexmedetomidine. MethodsA total of 131 patients aged 50 years or more from May 2018 to August 2019 were included in this study. The ADRA2A gene variants were evaluated using the TaqMan Assay. Dexmedetomidine diluted in normal saline to a concentration of 4μg.mL-1 was infused at a dose of 2μg.kg-1 to achieve procedural sedation (modified Ramsay sedation scale 4 [mRSS 4]). ResultsA total of 131 patients were evaluated. The genetic polymorphisms (rs11195418) of the ADRA2A receptor gene demonstrated no variation in our participants. The ADRA2A receptor gene polymorphisms (rs1800544, rs2484516, rs1800545, rs553668, and rs3750625) exhibited no differences in total dexmedetomidine doses (p>0.217), bispectral index at mRSS 4 (p>0.620), and time to obtain mRSS 4 (p>0.349). ConclusionThis study suggested that the genetic polymorphisms of ADRA2A did not affect the sedative efficacy of dexmedetomidine.

HRV Features as Viable Physiological Markers for Stress Detection Using Wearable Devices.

Stress has been identified as one of the major causes of automobile crashes which then lead to high rates of fatalities and injuries each year. Stress can be measured via physiological measurements and in this study the focus will be based on the features that can be extracted by common wearable devices. Hence, the study will be mainly focusing on heart rate variability (HRV). This study is aimed at investigating the role of HRV-derived features as stress markers. This is achieved by developing a good predictive model that can accurately classify stress levels from ECG-derived HRV features, obtained from automobile drivers, by testing different machine learning methodologies such as K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Random Forest (RF) and Gradient Boosting (GB). Moreover, the models obtained with highest predictive power will be used as reference for the development of a machine learning model that would be used to classify stress from HRV features derived from heart rate measurements obtained from wearable devices. We demonstrate that HRV features constitute good markers for stress detection as the best machine learning model developed achieved a Recall of 80%. Furthermore, this study indicates that HRV metrics such as the Average of normal-to-normal (NN) intervals (AVNN), Standard deviation of the average NN intervals (SDNN) and the Root mean square differences of successive NN intervals (RMSSD) were important features for stress detection. The proposed method can be also used on all applications in which is important to monitor the stress levels in a non-invasive manner, e.g., in physical rehabilitation, anxiety relief or mental wellbeing.

A mental health paradox: Mental health was both a motivator and barrier to physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health, physical activity, and sedentary behavior of people worldwide. According to the Health Belief Model (HBM), health-related behavior is determined by perceived barriers and motivators. Using an online survey with 1669 respondents, we sought to understand why and how physical activity and sedentary behavior has changed by querying about perceived barriers and motivators to physical activity that changed because of the pandemic, and how those changes impacted mental health. The following results were statistically significant at p < .05. Consistent with prior reports, our respondents were less physically active (aerobic activity, -11%; strength-based activity, -30%) and more sedentary (+11%) during the pandemic as compared to 6-months before. The pandemic also increased psychological stress (+22%) and brought on moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression. Respondents’ whose mental health deteriorated the most were also the ones who were least active (depression r = -.21, anxiety r = -.12). The majority of respondents were unmotivated to exercise because they were too anxious (+8%,), lacked social support (+6%), or had limited access to equipment (+23%) or space (+41%). The respondents who were able to stay active reported feeling less motivated by physical health outcomes such as weight loss (-7%) or strength (-14%) and instead more motivated by mental health outcomes such as anxiety relief (+14%). Coupled with previous work demonstrating a direct relationship between mental health and physical activity, these results highlight the potential protective effect of physical activity on mental health and point to the need for psychological support to overcome perceived barriers so that people can continue to be physically active during stressful times like the pandemic.

The problem of postoperative respiratory depression.

Postsurgical recovery is influenced by multiple pre-, intra- and perioperative pharmacotherapeutic interventions, including the administration of medications that can induce respiratory depression postoperatively. We present a succinct overview of the topic, including the nature and magnitude of the problem, contributing factors, current limited options, and potential novel therapeutic approach. Pre-, intra- and perioperative medications are commonly administered for anxiety, anaesthesia, muscle relaxation and pain relief among other reasons. Several of the medications alone or in joint-action can be additive or synergistic producing respiratory depression. Given the large number of surgical procedures that are performed each year, even a small percentage of postoperative respiratory complications translates into a large number of affected patients. Due to the large number of surgeries performed each year, and the variety of medications used before, during, and after surgery, the occurrence of postoperative respiratory depression is surprisingly common. It is a significant medical problem and burden on hospital resources. There is a need for new strategies to prevent and treat the acute and collateral problems associated with postoperative respiratory depression.

Effect of Virtual Reality compared to Guided Visualization on Arteriovenous Fistula Cannulation pain and pain anxiety among hemodialysis children

Abstract Background: Children undergoing treatment with hemodialysis are exposed frequently to pain and anxiety which are caused by the insertion of large-gauge needles into an arteriovenous fistula. Non pharmacological pain management methods such as virtual reality and guided visualization are used to manage pain and pain related anxiety. Aim: to evaluate the effect of virtual reality compared to guided visualization on arteriovenous fistula cannulation pain and pain anxiety among hemodialysis children. Setting: the study was carried out at the Tanta Main University Hospital, Pediatric Medical Department, Dialysis Unit, Tanta City, Egypt. Sample: a convenience sampling of thirty children undergoing hemodialysis with arteriovenous fistula were included from the previously mentioned setting. Tools: there were three tools used: Tool I: Structured interview schedule, consisting of three components: sociodemographic characteristics of the children, data about the caregiver of the child and data related to the disease and fistula. Tool II: Wong–Baker faces pain rating scale for children. Tool III: Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale Short Form which was developed by McCracken (2002). Results: 53.33% and 33.33% of the studied children had moderate and severe pain anxiety symptoms pre-intervention respectively while 73.33%and 46.67%of them had mild pain anxiety symptoms during application of virtual reality and guided visualization respectively. Conclusion: visual reality was the preferred method which given the greater relief of pain and pain anxiety than guided visualization. Recommendations: visual reality should be used and disseminated to other hemodialysis centers as a strategy to reduce pain and pain anxiety among those children undergoing hemodialysis.

A Case Analysis of E-Learning-Based Practical Exercise Education for Fitness Improvement and Anxiety Relief: Focused on the Leader of the Sports Health College Admission

A Case Analysis of E-Learning-Based Practical Exercise Education for Fitness Improvement and Anxiety Relief: Focused on the Leader of the Sports Health College Admission

Human Laboratory Models of Cannabis Use: Applications for Clinical and Translational Psychiatry Research.

Cannabis is increasingly used by individuals with mental health diagnoses and often purported to treat anxiety and various other psychiatric symptoms. Yet support for using cannabis as a psychiatric treatment is currently limited by a lack of evidence from rigorous placebo-controlled studies. While regulatory hurdles and other barriers make clinical trials of cannabis challenging to conduct, addiction researchers have decades of experience studying cannabis use in human laboratory models. These include methods to control cannabis administration, to delineate clinical and mechanistic aspects of cannabis use, and to evaluate potential treatment applications for cannabis and its constituents. In this paper, we review these human laboratory procedures and describe how each can be applied to study cannabis use in patients with psychiatric disorders. Because anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric illnesses affecting American adults, and anxiety relief is also the most commonly-reported reason for medicinal cannabis use, we focus particularly on applying human laboratory models to study cannabis effects in individuals with anxiety and related disorders. Finally, we discuss how these methods can be integrated to study cannabis effects in other psychiatric conditions and guide future research in this area.

Effects of Orally Administered Preliminary Analgesic Therapy in Diagnostic Colposcopy Patients: A Prospective Questionnaire Study

Background: Colposcopy has a key role in the diagnostic work-up and management of abnormal cervical cytology, but it might generate negative feelings of mainly anxiety and pain to the patients undergoing such examination. These feelings are interrelated, with the anxiety fueling the painful sensations. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of preliminary administration in terms of pain and anxiety relief that the preliminary administration of paracetamol would have on patients undergoing diagnostic colposcopy. Materials &amp; Methods: We conducted a single center prospective study which enrolled 112 patients with diagnosed or suspected cervical pathology who were examined at the Outpatient Colposcopy Clinic of Patras University Hospital, over a 7-months period. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. The interventional group received 1gr of paracetamol (acematiminofen) in pill form, 30 to 60 minutes before colposcopic assessment; the control group received no medication. At the end of consultation, all participants completed a 2-page questionnaire. Results: More patients of the interventional arm did not experience any pain at all during colposcopy compared with the control group. However, this difference was statistically not significant, probably because of the small number of patients. Moreover, there were no differences in mild and moderate pain rates between the interventional and control groups. Severe pain was only experienced by patients in the control group. Further data analysis from the first time as and for repeat colposcopy patients showed similar findings regarding pain intensity rates in the interventional and control group. When considering anxiety levels, no differences were observed between the two groups. Conclusion: The preliminary administration of low dose paracetamol in a pilot sample of colposcopy patients did not illustrate significant benefits in terms of experienced pain and anxiety levels.