Effects of Virtual Reality with Motor Imagery Techniques in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kashif ◽  
Ashfaq Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Ali Mohseni Bandpei ◽  
Syed Amir Gillani ◽  
Asif Hanif ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurological disorders, of insidious onset, with major motor symptomatology including bradykinesia, rest tremor, rigidity, and postural disturbances. Virtual reality (VR) and motor imagery (MI) are among the more innovative techniques for the rehabilitation of patients with PD which promote motor learning both through explicit and implicit processes. This study is unique in that it will examine the combined effects of VR and MI on motor function, balance and activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with PD. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of VR with MI techniques in addition to routine physical therapy on motor function, balance, and ADLs in patients with PD. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This is a two-armed parallel design, single-blinded (assessor blinded), single-centered, randomized controlled trial, and the study protocol is based on SPIRIT guidelines. Thirty-four patients with PD (Modified Hoehn and Yahr stages I–III) will be randomly allocated with a 1:1 ratio into Group A (control group) and Group B (treatment group). Group A will be given routine physical therapy in 40-min sessions and 20 min of walking and cycling with a short period of rest, every alternate day (3 days per week) for 12 weeks, while for Group B routine physical therapy protocols along with VR and MI will be used in 60-min sessions, every alternate day (3 days per week) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome measures are as follows: (i) the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS; part III), (ii) the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC). The secondary outcome measure is the UPDRS (part II). Assessments will be recorded at baseline, the sixth and twelfth weeks of therapy, and 1 month after the discontinuation of therapy. <b><i>Clinical Study Registration:</i></b> This randomized controlled prospective study was registered with the Iranian Registry of clinical trials (IRCT20200221046567N1) on April 1, 2020 (https://www.irct.ir/trial/46073).

Author(s):  
Saumya Srivastava ◽  
K. Sukanya ◽  
Harramb Mittal

Background: Adhesive capsulitis is one of the common pathologies of the Shoulder. The prevalence of adhesive capsulitis is estimated to be 2% to 5% of the general population. Several treatment techniques are existing for the improvement of adhesive capsulitis and Cyriax deep friction massage is a technique designed to improve adhesive capsulitis. Objective: To compare between the effects of Cyriax deep friction massage and conventional physical therapy with Cryotherapy and conventional physical therapy in stage 1 &2 of adhesive capsulitis. Methods/ Design: The study is a randomized controlled trial which included 34 subjects of the age group 40-85 years and were randomly assigned into two groups: group A (n=17) and group B (n=17). The Group A was given Cyriax deep friction massage with conventional physical therapy while group B was given Cryotherapy therapy with conventional physical therapy. Outcome measure were taken at baseline, and then taken on last day of sixth session by using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Range of Motion (ROM), and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). The treatment was given for 6 sessions over a period of two weeks. Results: Group A showed greater improvement after 2 weeks of intervention with a statistical significance value for SPADI, VAS and ROM. Conclusion: Cyriax deep friction massage with conventional physical therapy has significant effect on pain, range of motion and functional activity in patients with adhesive capsulitis. Trial registration: prospectively registered in the clinical trial registry-India in the registration number of CTRI/2019/09/021375.


Author(s):  
Mohit Kishore Srivastava ◽  
Anil Kumar Gupta ◽  
Sudhir R. Mishra ◽  
Dileep Kumar ◽  
Bal Krishna Ojha ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) is an important cause of pain and disability among the elderly and common indication for spinal surgery. However, due to age-related comorbidities, it becomes difficult for elderly patients of DLSS to immediately go for operative treatment. Caudal epidural steroid injection (CESI) can be an effective procedure for a selected group of patients who have chronic function-limiting lower back and lower extremity pain secondary to DLSS. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of CESI with physical therapy in patients afflicted with DLSS. Materials and Methods It is a single center, open-label randomized controlled trial conducted in department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at a tertiary care center of northern India from January 2016 to August 2017 among DLSS patients. Trial was registered under the clinical trial registry of India. Patients were randomized in two groups–32 in intervention group A (CESI with local anesthetic and physical therapy) and 32 in control group B (physical therapy alone). Outcome measures were numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), and mean claudication distance (MCD) at 3, 6, 12, and 24 weeks. Results NPRS and ODI showed significant improvement at 3, 6, 12, and 24 weeks (group A >> group B). Improvement in MCD was seen at each follow-up from baseline (group A >> group B). Conclusion Caudal epidural steroid administration can ameliorate pain, disability and claudication distance in DLSS patients, which provides them a window period for further definitive management.


Vascular ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 170853812110100
Author(s):  
Mohamed Shukri Abdelgawad ◽  
Amr M El-Shafei ◽  
Hesham A Sharaf El-Din ◽  
Ehab M Saad ◽  
Tamer A Khafagy ◽  
...  

Background Venus ulcers developed mainly due to reflux of incompetent venous valves in perforating veins. Patients and methods In this randomized controlled trial, 119 patients recruited over two years, with post-phelebtic venous leg ulcers, were randomly assigned into one of two groups: either to receive radiofrequency ablation of markedly incompetent perforators (Group A, n = 62 patients) or to receive conventional compression therapy (Group B, n = 57 patients). Follow-up duration required for ulcer healing continued for 24 months post randomization. Results Statistically significant shorter time to healing (ulcer complete healing or satisfactory clinical improvement) between both groups (56 patients, 90.3% of cases in Group A versus 44 patients 77.2% of cases in Group B) over the follow-up period of 24 months was attained ( p  = 0.001). Also, significantly different ulcer recurrence was recorded between both groups, 8 patients (12.9%) in Group A versus 19 patients (33.3%) in Group B ( p = 0.004). Conclusion In absence of deep venous obstruction, the monopolar radiofrequency ablation for incompetent perforators is a feasible and effective method that surpasses the traditional compression protocol for incompetent perforator-induced venous ulcers in terms of time required for healing even in the presence of unresolved deep venous valvular reflux.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelina Isabella Mellentin ◽  
W. Miles Cox ◽  
Javad S. Fadardi ◽  
Laila Martinussen ◽  
Nicolaj Mistarz ◽  
...  

Background: There is consistent evidence that community and clinical samples of individuals with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) have attentional biases toward alcohol cues. The alcohol attentional control training program (AACTP) has shown promise for retraining these biases and decreasing alcohol consumption in community samples of excessive drinkers. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of ACTP in clinical AUD samples. The main aim of the present study is to investigate whether primary pharmacological and psychological, evidence-based alcohol treatment can be enhanced by the addition of a gamified AACTP smartphone application for patients with an AUD.Design and Methods: The study will be implemented as a randomized controlled trial. A total of 317 consecutively enrolled patients with AUD will be recruited from alcohol outpatient clinics in Denmark. Patients will be randomized to one of three groups upon initiation of primary alcohol treatment: Group A: a gamified AACTP smartphone application + treatment as usual (TAU); Group B: a gamified AACTP sham-control application + TAU; or Group C: only TAU. Treatment outcomes will be assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Repeated measures MANOVA will be used to compare the trajectories of the groups over time on alcohol attentional bias, alcohol craving, and drinking reductions. It is hypothesized that Group A will achieve better treatment outcomes than either Group B or Group C.Perspectives: Because attentional bias for alcohol cues is proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed, and these biases are not addressed within current evidence-based treatment programs, this study is expected to provide new evidence regarding the effectiveness of the gamified AACTP in a clinical population. Furthermore, due to promising results found using AACTP in community samples of excessive drinkers, there is a high probability that the AACTP treatment in this study will also be effective, thereby allowing AACTP to be readily implemented in clinical settings. Finally, we expect that this study will increase the effectiveness of evidence-based AUD treatment and introduce a new, low-cost gamified treatment targeting patients with an AUD. Overall, this study is likely to have an impact at the scientific, clinical, and societal levels.Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05102942?term=NCT05102942&amp;draw=2&amp;rank=1, identifier: NCT05102942.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 2025
Author(s):  
Mariam A. Alameri ◽  
Syed A. Syed Sulaiman ◽  
Abdullah M. Ashour ◽  
Ma’ad F. Al-Saati

Background: Total knee replacement (TKR) is a major orthopedic surgery that is considered high risk for the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical outcomes that resulted from the use of a new proposed VTE risk stratification protocol for selecting a suitable extended VTE prophylaxis for post TKR surgery patients administered in conjunction with patient education programs. Method: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in two medical centers in Saudi Arabia. A total of 242 patients were enrolled in the study, 121 patients in each group. The experimental group (A) was assessed by using the proposed VTE risk stratification protocol and also took part in patient education programs about TKR and its complications. The control group (B) was assessed by using the 2005 Caprini risk assessment tool and no education programs were given to this group. Both groups were followed for 35 days post operation. Results: The mean age of the participants was 65.86 (SD 8.67) and the majority of them were female 137 (56.6%). The mean body mass index of the study sample was 32.46 (SD 5.51). There were no significant differences between the two groups except for surgery type; the proportion of bilateral TKR in group A was higher than in group B (69/121 (28.5%) vs. 40/121(16.5%), p˂0.05). There were no confirmed pulmonary embolism cases in the study sample and diagnosis of deep-vein thrombosis was confirmed in 12/242 (5.0%) of patients: 1/121 (0.8%) in group A and 11/121 (9.1%) in group B (p˂0.05). The readmission rate for all patients was 2.5% (6/242), all of whom were in group B (p˂0.05). Conclusion: The proposed VTE risk stratification protocol that was applied in conjunction with patient education programs reduced VTE complications and readmission events, post TKR surgery. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04031859.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuchong Zhao ◽  
Yilei Yang ◽  
Aruna ◽  
Jun Xiao ◽  
Jun Song ◽  
...  

Background: Whether probiotics helped the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication was still highly controversial. The non-bacterial Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) has demonstrated its efficacy in the treatment of antibiotic-associated and infectious diarrhea. We aimed to evaluate the effects of S. boulardii combined with quadruple therapy for H. pylori eradication and associated side effects.Methods: Three hundred and sixty H. pylori-infected patients were recruited in this multicenter, randomized controlled trial. The patients who underwent H. pylori eradication treatment were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 into two separate groups that received standard quadruple therapy (Group A) and quadruple therapy plus S. boulardii sachets (Group B) for 14 days. The everyday medication and side-effect records were collected for compliance and adverse effect analysis. All patients accepted 13C/14C-urea breath tests 4 weeks after the therapy completion.Results:Saccharomyces boulardii and quadruple therapy-combined intervention significantly reduced the incidences of overall side effects (27.8 vs. 38.5%, p = 0.034) and diarrhea (11.2 vs. 21.2%, p = 0.012) in Group B compared with quadruple therapy alone in Group A, especially reduced the diarrhea duration (5.0 days vs. 7.7 days, p = 0.032) and incidence of severe diarrhea (4.7 vs. 10.1%, p = 0.040). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and per-protocol (PP) analysis both indicated no statistical differences of eradication rate between Groups A and B (ITT: 82.7 vs. 85.8%, p = 0.426; PP: 89.7 vs. 94.2%, p = 0.146). The joint use of S. boulardii and quadruple therapy markedly improved the overall pre-eradication alimentary symptoms (hazard ratio (HR): 2.507, 95% CI: 1.449–4.338) recovery.Conclusion:Saccharomyces boulardii ameliorated H. pylori eradication-induced antibiotic-associated side effects especially reduced the incidence of severe diarrhea and the duration of diarrhea. However, there was no significant effect of S. boulardii on the rate of H. pylori eradication.Trial Registration: The protocol had retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrails.gov, Unique identifier: NCT03688828, date of registration: September 27, 2018; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03688828


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Vincent ◽  
Elise Deluche ◽  
Joelle Bonis ◽  
Sophie Leobon ◽  
Marie-Thérèse Antonini ◽  
...  

Abstract ObjectivesAdapted physical activity (APA) program is recommended for breast cancer care. However, their modalities have not been defined. The aim of this study was to determine the best time to begin APA. This randomized controlled trial evaluated at 12 months the effect of home-based APA performed during and/or after treatment on cardiorespiratory fitness. The primary endpoint was peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) compared at 12 months (group A vs C and B vs C). Secondary endpoints included the 6-min walking test (6MWT), assessment of muscular strength, fatigue, quality of life, anxiety, and depression, and a questionnaire of PA levels. All tests were evaluated at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.MethodA total of 94 patients with breast cancer were randomized to three different groups: group A, performing 6 months of APA during adjuvant care; group B, 6 months of APA after adjuvant care; and group C, 12 months of APA during and after specific care. The program combined one resistance session and two aerobic sessions per week. Analysis of variance was used for repeated measures, Student’s t-test or the Mann–Whitney U-test for continuous variables, and χ2 test for binary or categorical variables.Results A total of 81 participants were assessed at 6 months and 73 participants at 12 months. The majority of patients completed more than 85% of the exercise sessions. The baseline for VO2peak and secondary outcomes did not differ among the groups. VO2peak increased during the exercise period and decreased during the chemotherapy period without APA, but at 12 months no significant difference was observed. The same variations were observed in the 6MWT, with a significance at 6 months between A+C vs. B (p=0.04), but no difference among the groups at 12 months. In the three groups, no decrease in other studied parameters were noted, except at 6 months in group B without APA. ConclusionsHome-based APA in breast cancer survivors can decrease some of the negative side effects of cancer treatment and has a positive effect on physical function with no differences based on the timing of this program.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gouv.fr (NCT01795612). Registered 20 February 2013,https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01795612?term=APAC&draw=2&rank=3


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (07) ◽  
pp. 1069-1072
Author(s):  
Mohsin Riaz Askri ◽  
Shumyala Maqbool ◽  
Muhammad Afzal Mirza ◽  
Muhammad Rauf

Objectives: To compare the mean duration of pain relief using caudal bupivacainewith and without neostigmine for postoperative analgesia in children undergoing infra-umbilicalsurgery. Study design: Randomized Controlled trial. Settings: Department of AnaesthsiaChildren Hospital/Institute of child health Faisalabad& Independent university hospitalFaisalabad. Duration of Study: Six months from July 2017 to December 2017. Methods: 60patients (30 in each group) were included in this study. Group-A given 1ml/kg of 0.25% caudalbupivacaine and Group-B given 1ml/kg of 0.25% caudal bupivacaine and 2μg/kg neostigmine.Results: Mean age was 4.20±1.09 and 4.13±1.07 years in group-A and B, respectively. Sexdistribution shows, 22 patients (73.3%) in group-A and 9 (30.0%) in group-B were male while 8patients (26.7%) of group-A and 11 patients (36.7%) of group-B were female. Mean duration ofrelief of pain (hours) in group-A was 6.70±2.12 hours and in group-B was 11.97±3.80 hours.Difference between group-A and group-B was considered statistically significant (P<0.001).Conclusion: Neostigmine with bupivacaine caudally in paediatric patients increases theduration of analgesia. However, neostigmine may be used for prolongation of caudal analgesia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihua Chu ◽  
Xiaolin Zhang ◽  
Yaping Lu ◽  
Guohao Xie ◽  
Shengwen Song ◽  
...  

Despite being less invasive, patients who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) suffered considerable postoperative pain. Paravertebral block (PVB) was proven to provide effective analgesia in patients with VATS; however, there is no difference in pain relief between preoperative PVB and postoperative PVB. This study was aimed to investigate the analgesic efficacy of combination of preoperative and postoperative PVB on the same patient undergoing VATS. In this prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 44 patients undergoing VATS were enrolled, and they received patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with sufentanil plus preoperative PVB (Group A, n = 15) or postoperative PVB (Group B, n = 15), or combination of preoperative and postoperative PVB (Group C, n = 14). The primary outcome was sufentanil consumption and PCIA press times in the first 24 hours postoperatively. Also, data of postoperative use of PCIA and visual analogue scale (VAS) were collected. In the first 24 hours postoperatively, median sufentanil consumption in Group C was 0 (0–34.75) μg, which was much less than that in Group A (45.00 (33.00–47.00) μg, p=0.005) and Group B (36 (20.00–50.00) μg, p=0.023). Patients in Group C pressed less times of PCIA (0 (0–0) times) than patients in Group A (2 (1–6) times, p<0.001) and Group B (2 (1–3) times, p=0.009). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed patients with combination of preoperative and postoperative PVB had a higher PCIA-free rate than patients with either technique alone (p=0.003). The VAS among the three groups was comparable postoperatively. The combination of both preoperative and postoperative PVB provides better analgesic efficacy during the early postoperative period and may be an alternative option for pain control after VATS. This trial is registered with ChiCTR1800017102.


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