scholarly journals The Effect of Animal-Assisted Therapy on the State of Patients’ Health After a Stroke: A Pilot Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristýna Machová ◽  
Radka Procházková ◽  
Michal Říha ◽  
Ivona Svobodová
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Barthel Index ◽  
Animal Assisted Therapy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Physical Constraints ◽  
Significant Aspect ◽  
Experimental Group

A stroke is a condition that can give rise to consequences such as cognitive and physical constraints, which sometimes manifest in the psychological condition of the patient. Such patients commence rehabilitation as soon as is possible, which involves a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment. One aspect of complementary rehabilitation could be animal-assisted therapy (AAT). A total of 15 individuals were split into an experimental group comprising 6 patients (2 males, 4 females), and a control group of 9 patients (3 males, 6 females). The participants in the control group were aged from 43 to 87 years and the experimental group featured participants aged from 45 to 76 years. Both groups received standard physiotherapy and occupational therapy. In addition, the experimental group was supplemented with AAT, with the animal in question being a dog. The tools primarily applied to measure the outcomes were the Barthel index, blood pressure, and heart rate measurements, whereas the Likert scale was employed to discern the mood of the patients. The results showed that changes in the values for heart rate and blood pressure were insignificant. However, a statistically significant aspect of the research pertained to the patients confirming that they felt better after the AAT sessions. Hence, AAT could potentially bolster the effectiveness of other therapies.

scholarly journals Effect of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Patients in the Department of Long-Term Care: A Pilot Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristýna Machová ◽  
Radka Procházková ◽  
Petra Eretová ◽  
Ivona Svobodová ◽  
Ilja Kotík
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Barthel Index ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Animal Assisted Therapy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Experimental Group

Long-term hospital stays might have a negative psychosocial impact on our patients. One way to positively activate hospitalized patients is to introduce animal-assisted therapy (AAT). A total of 72 individuals participated in this research. The experimental group comprised 33 patients (8 males, 25 females), while the control group contained 39 patients (11 men, 28 women). The participants in the control group were aged from 58 to 100 years and the experimental group featured participants aged from 51 to 95, for whom AAT was included alongside standard care. Blood pressure, heart rate, Barthel index, and general mood were measured in both groups. Results did not reveal any changes in blood pressure, heart rate, or Barthel index in comparison between groups. A great influence was noted in assessment of the mood of the patients. The inclusion of AAT did not affect physiological parameters, but it exerted a significant effect on the psychological well-being of the patients.

scholarly journals Does Oxygen Uptake Before Physical Exercise Affect Tear Osmolarity?

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 297-304
Author(s):  
Adam Wylęgała ◽  
Jan Pilch ◽  
Bartłomiej Bolek ◽  
Bogumiła Sędziak-Marcinek ◽  
Edward Wylęgała
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Exhaustive Exercise ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Plasma Osmolarity ◽  
Exercise Protocol ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Rate Of Recovery ◽  
Experimental Group

AbstractRecently, it has been reported that tear osmolarity (Tosm) is correlated with plasma osmolarity and will increase during exertion. We aimed to assess whether inhaling oxygen-enriched air between exercises could significantly change the Tosm value. Thirty men aged 24.9 years were included in the study. A cycloergometer was used to perform the exercise protocol. We recorded the participants’ Tosm (mOsm/L), heart rate (HR, beats/minute), oxygen saturation, and blood pressure values. After the first exhaustive exercise (T1), participants inhaled oxygen in the experimental group and a placebo in the control group. After the second exercise (T2), another set of measurements was obtained. The Tosm value before exercise was 297.4 ± 1.21 and 296.53 ± 1.11 mOsm/L (p = 0.61718) and the HR was 72.6 ± 2.59 and 73 ± 2.59 beats/minute (p = 0.39949) in the study and the control group, respectively. At T1, Tosm was 303.67 ± 1.25 and 302.2 ± 1.25 mOsm/L (p = 0.41286) and the HR reached 178.04 ± 2.60 and 176.4 ± 2.60 beats/minute (p = 0.65832), respectively. At T2, Tosm in the study group reached 305.73 ± 0.86 mOsm/L (correlation with the use of oxygen: r = −0.3818), and in the control group, it was 308.4 ± 0.86 mOsm/L (p = 0.0373), while the HR reached 172.20 ± 2.53 beats/minute in the study group and 178.2 ± 2.53 beats/minute in the control group (p = 0.057). It was concluded that inhaling oxygen before and after exercise could increase the rate of recovery after exhaustive exercise.

scholarly journals Effect of Yoganidra on Blood Pressure, Hs-CRP, and Lipid Profile of Hypertensive Subjects: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
J. P. Devraj ◽  
B. Santosh Kumar ◽  
M. Raja Sriswan ◽  
B. Jagdish ◽  
B. S. Priya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Lipid Profile ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Pharmacological Therapy ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Psychological Disturbances ◽  
Group A ◽  
Hs Crp ◽  
Experimental Group

Background. Yoganidra is a systematic method of promoting a state of complete physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. It is a safe, inexpensive, and very effective method of management of hypertension when used along with standard pharmacological therapy. This study aims to assess the effect of yoganidra on blood pressure (both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)), Hs-CRP, and lipid profile of hypertensive subjects at the time of enrollment (subjects that are hypertensive at the time of enrollment). Methods. Both treated and untreated subjects (n = 74) with hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg) and age between 35 and 70 years were included in this study after obtaining ICMR-NIN-IEC approval and written informed consent from all subjects. Subjects with critical illness and/or psychological disturbances were excluded from this study. The subjects in the experimental group (n = 31) practiced yoganidra for 45 minutes daily for 12 weeks under strict supervision. There was no intervention in the control group (n = 43). Weekly blood pressure was recorded in the experimental group, whereas it was performed at baseline and at endpoint for control groups. Hs-CRP and lipid profile were estimated at baseline and endpoint for both the groups. Results. A significant reduction in mean SBP from 142.9 mm Hg (SD ± 16.46) to 118.68 mm Hg (SD ± 9.21; p value 0.0001) and DBP from 89.84 mm Hg (SD ± 10.42) to 77.03 mm Hg (SD ± 6.47: p value 0.0001) was observed among the experimental group after 12 weeks of yoganidra practice when compared with the control group. A significant reduction in mean Hs-CRP (2.21 ± 1.49 to 1.06 ± 0.82 mg/L, p  < 0.001 ∗ ∗ ∗ ) was observed among the experimental group. There were no significant differences between triglycerides and total cholesterol levels, whereas LDL-C and HDL-C showed a trend of improvement in the experimental group after intervention. Conclusions. In this pilot study, we observed a significant reduction in blood pressure and Hs-CRP in the yoganidra group compared with the control group. There were no significant side effects observed in the intervention group during the study period.

scholarly journals EFFECTIVENESS OF INTRA OPERATIVE HAND HOLDING ON ANXIETY AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AMONG PATIENTS UNDERGOING CATARACT SURGERY

2014 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. 027-033
Author(s):  
Anuja B. S. ◽  
Elsa Sanatombi Devi ◽  
Leena Sequira ◽  
Lavanya Rao ◽  
Vijaya Pai H.
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cataract Surgery ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Purposive Sample ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract: Introduction: Patients who are undergoing cataract surgery under local anaesthesia may be more stressed than those having general anaesthesia as they are awake during the surgical procedure. Therefore, psychological comfort in the preoperative phase and compliance during operation are very important for postoperative prognosis. This study explored the pre operative anxiety level of patients undergoing cataract surgery and the effectiveness of intra operative hand holding on anxiety and its related physiological parameters. Methods: A quasi experimental pre-test post-test control group design was used to collect data from a purposive sample of 54 patients who were underwent cataract surgery at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. Results: Most of the patients in the experimental group perceived intra operative hand holding as a measure to reduce their anxiety even though there was no significant statistical difference in the immediate post operative anxiety score between the groups. It was also found that hand holding was effective in reducing blood pressure and heart rate except the respiratory rate of patients undergoing cataract surgery. Conclusion: The following conclusions were drawn on the basis of the findings of the present study that is, Intra operative hand holding was effective in reducing the physiological parameters such as heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Also most of the patients perceived intra operative hand holding as beneficial in relieving anxiety.

scholarly journals Effect of Dog Presence on Stress Levels in Students under Psychological Strain: A Pilot Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 2286
Author(s):  
Kristýna Machová ◽  
Radka Procházková ◽  
Mariana Vadroňová ◽  
Michaela Součková ◽  
Eliška Prouzová
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Pressure Gauge ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Psychological Strain ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Physiological Values

As university students face many stressful situations, especially during the examination period, this study focused on the use of animal-assisted activities (AAAs) with a dog as a means of relieving students’ stress before a final exam. The aim was to determine whether a 10-min interaction with a dog affected subjectively evaluated stress and mood, objective blood pressure, and heart rate. Ninety-three female students (mean age = 22.5 years; standard deviation = 3.8 years) were divided into three groups according to their preference. The first group underwent AAAs (n = 26), the second group chose a relaxation technique (n = 28), and the last one was a control group (n = 39). Physiological values were measured using a pressure gauge and the subjective feelings of stress and mood were evaluated by the Likert scale 1–5. The AAA group showed significant improvement after 10 min of interaction in both mood and stress, with no change in heart rate and blood pressure. The remaining groups showed a significant decrease in blood pressure, but not in heart rate, with different evaluations of mood and stress. AAAs with a dog appear to be effective in improving students’ mood and stress without affecting their physiological parameters.

scholarly journals Effects of Auricular Acupressure on Blood Pressure and Stress Responses in Adults with Prehypertension

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-185
Author(s):  
Shinae Lee ◽  
Hyojung Park
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Nursing Intervention ◽  
T Test ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Bulletin Board ◽  
Auricular Acupressure ◽  
Experimental Group

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of auricular acupressure (AA) on blood pressure (BP) and stress responses in adults with prehypertension.Methods: This single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted from September 2019 to February 2020. Participants were recruited through bulletin board notices in D city. The experimental group (n=27) received 8 weeks of AA intervention on specific acupoints (shenmen, kidney, heart, occiput, adrenal gland) to reduce blood pressure and stress, whereas the control group (n=25) received AA unspecific acupoints (helix 1-5). The outcomes were measured using BP, perceived stress scale (PSS), cortisol, and heart rate variability (HRV). Collected data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test, chi-square, Shapiro-Wilk normality test, paired t-test, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, repeated measures ANOVA and Friedman test with the SPSS/WIN 24.0.Results: Statistical differences were found between the groups for systolic BP (x2=85.64, p<.001), diastolic BP (x2=27.76, p=.001), PSS (F=9.439, p=.003), low frequency (F=5.22, p=.027), heart rate (F=3.208, p=.045), and HRV index (F=3.579, p=.035). Cortisol did not differ significantly between the experimental group and control group.Conclusion: The findings show that AA leads to improvements in BP and stress responses in adults with prehypertension. Therefore, AA can be used as an alternative nursing intervention for hypertension prevention and stress management.

scholarly journals mHealth App for Patient Self-Management of Chronic Kidney Disease Improves Renal Outcome: Pilot Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuyong Chen ◽  
Shasha Xie ◽  
Xiaojuan Yu ◽  
Zhibin Chen ◽  
Min Zhuo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Kidney Disease ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Physician Patient ◽  
Experimental Group

BACKGROUND The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is approximately 850 million worldwide and 120 million in China. Approximately 2% of the CKD population will progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring renal replacement therapy or transplantation. The total health care expenditure on dialysis for the entire ESRD population in China is estimated to be 240 billion RMB per year. Using mobile health information technologies to conduct low-cost, large-scale, and personalized populational health interventions show a great promise. OBJECTIVE In this pilot study, we assessed the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of a mobile application designed to improve patient's self-management of chronic kidney disease over a 3-month intervention with a pre-post design and a quasi-trial design. METHODS Patients with CKD stage 1-3 and uncontrolled proteinuria (proteinuria>1g per day) were recruited. Eligible patients who were waitlisted served as the control. Patients in the experiment group were invited to install a mobile application known as Shen Shang Xian (Chinese pinyin for kidney online) for CKD self-management. The enrollment included a questionnaire for medical history and self-reported objective physical parameters and laboratory values. Each participant was assigned to one nephrologist who communicated with the patient on an ad-hoc basis. Blood pressure and laboratory test results were entered by the patients on a regular basis. The application has a built-in clinical decision algorithm to generate health recommendations to users based on one's data-entry. The application also sends various alerts to patient's nephrologist for timely interventions. Blood pressure, proteinuria, serum creatinine and eGFR were measured before and after the management period. RESULTS Fifty-three patients were enrolled in the experimental group and 11 patients were in the control group. The average daily usage in minutes was 11.2 (25%-75% quartile [7.5, 16]) and the average of total physician-patient conversation was 116 (25%-75% quartile [51, 274]). There is a significant correlation between average daily usage and physician-patient conversation (R2=0.30, P<.001). The starting eGFR was 102 ml/1.73cm2 (95% CI 92-105]) in the experimental group and 118 ml/1.73cm2 (95% CI 100-134]) in the control group (P=.04). The body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and proteinuria had no statistical significance. At the end of the study, the mean change of proteinuria was -1.39 g (95% CI -2.07 to -0.72]) in the experimental group and 0.37 g (95% CI -2.11-2.85]) in the control group (P=.14). After adjusted for ACEi/ARB use, the mean change of proteinuria was -1.46 vs 0.47 in the experimental group vs the control group respectively (P=.16). The eGFR was not changed at the end of the study. There was no correlation between the average daily use and change of proteinuria. CONCLUSIONS Participants used the mobile app on a daily basis and communicated with the nephrologists for their CKD management. Patients who used the CKD self-management app exhibited a non-statistically significant trend of proteinuria reduction after 3 months. This pilot study was underpowered and the follow-up period was short. A larger retrospective controlled trial is needed to confirm the effectiveness of mHealth app in CKD self-management.

Relaxation Effects of Musically Guided Resonance Breathing: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Fuchs ◽  
Thomas K Hillecke ◽  
Marco Warth
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Relaxation Effects ◽  
Experimental Group

Recent evidence shows that both music therapy and resonance breathing (breathing at about 0.1 Hz) may be effective in treating stress-related symptoms and promoting relaxation. However, no study has yet explored the potential of integrating the working mechanisms into a combined approach using live played music to guide respiration. Therefore, the objective of the present pilot study was to evaluate the psychophysiological effects of a combined intervention. A total of 60 healthy adults were randomized to either the experimental group or the control group (where participants listened to prerecorded relaxation music). Heart rate and heart rate variability were extracted for the following 5-minute segments: Resting baseline, stress task, intervention, resting post-intervention. Additionally, self-evaluation scores for relaxation and general well-being were assessed with visual analogue scales. Significant time × group interaction effects were found for general well-being (p = .028) and heart rate variability as measured by RMSSD (p < .001), indicative of increased parasympathetic outflow in the experimental group. In conclusion, the combination of music therapy and resonance breathing seems to be a well-received and effective way to induce relaxation and well-being in healthy adults.  

scholarly journals PO-060 Changes of Cardiovascular Function during Exercise Tolerance Testing in Sedentary Postmenopausal Women after Exercise Intervention

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peizhen Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Postmenopausal Women ◽  
Exercise Tolerance ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Cardiovascular Function ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Exercise Tolerance Testing ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Tolerance Testing

Objective Previous studies suggested that being postmenopausal could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease(CVD). If we can master the change characteristics of postmenopausal women’ cardiovascular function when they doing exercise, we may prevent or reduce the risk of CVD which induced by exercise. To get a more accurate tolerant judgment of the intensity of exercise, we discussed the change of cardiovascular function in sedentary postmenopausal women during exercise tolerance testing after exercise intervention, wish to provide more reliable theory basis in preventing exercise emergence and make an appropriate exercise prescription. Methods Thirty postmenopausal women participated the study. PAR-Q questionnaires and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Forms were used to screen participants. They were randomly divided into control group(n=15) and experimental group (n=15). The experimental group had an exercise intervention with 3 months walking while the control group lived as usual. Using an exercise tolerance testing by cycle ergometer, let participants do one-time maximal graded exercise test to exhaustion, get the indicators of heart rate, blood pressure, VO2max, then analyzed the changes of cardiovascular function indexes before and after exercise intervention in experimental group, compared with control group in the same age categories, explored the similarities and differences between index variation. Results (1) After 3 months of exercise intervention, the rest systolic blood pressure in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05). (2) With the increase of exercise intensity, heart rate tend to rise in both two groups (P<0.05). After 3 months of exercise intervention, the amplitude of heart rate variation between two intensities got smaller in the experimental group. (3) With the enlargement of exercise intensity, systolic blood pressure tend to increase in both two groups (P<0.05). After 3 months of exercise intervention, the amplitude of systolic blood pressure variation between two grades got smaller in the experimental group. (4) The exercise intervention can effectively improve the cardiac functional capacity of postmenopausal women (P<0.05). Conclusions Exercise for 3 month can efficiently increase the ability of postmenopausal women’s cardiovascular system in the quiet state, increase the reaction and adaptability of intensity stimulation of heart.

The Effects of a Caffeine Placebo and Experimenter Expectation on Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Well-Being, and Cognitive Performance

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Walach ◽  
Stefan Schmidt ◽  
Yvonne-Michelle Bihr ◽  
Susanne Wiesch
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Being There ◽  
To Receive

We studied the effect of experimenter expectations and different instructions in a balanced placebo design. 157 subjects were randomized into a 2 × 4 factorial design. Two experimenters were led to expect placebos either to produce physiological effects or not (pro- vs. antiplacebo). All subjects except a control group received a caffeine placebo. They were either made to expect coffee, no coffee, or were in a double-blind condition. Dependent measures were blood pressure, heart rate, well-being, and a cognitive task. There was one main effect on the instruction factor (p = 0.03) with the group “told no caffeine” reporting significantly better well-being. There was one main effect on the experimenter factor with subjects instructed by experimenter “proplacebo” having higher systolic blood pressure (p = 0.008). There was one interaction with subjects instructed by experimenter “proplacebo” to receive coffee doing worse in the cognitive task than the rest. Subjects instructed by experimenter “antiplacebo” were significantly less likely to believe the experimental instruction, and that mostly if they had been instructed to receive coffee. Contrary to the literature we could not show an effect of instruction, but there was an effect of experimenters. It is likely, however, that these experimenter effects were not due to experimental manipulations, but to the difference in personalities.

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