Investigation of the use of thermography for research and clinical applications in pregnant women

Background: The possibility of using thermal imaging, as a non-invasive method, in medicine may provide potential ability of advanced imaging. Objective: The conduction of a preliminary study in healthy non-pregnant females in order to investigate the imaging ability of thermography and its implementation; and to determine hot and cold areas in order to create a “map” of temperature distribution of the abdomen and the torso. Methods: Participants were 18–45 years old non-pregnant women (n = 10), who were measured at 4 different distances. Two thermal imaging cameras and their corresponding software were used to measure abdomen, low back, left and right side of the torso. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the mean values of the exported temperatures according the distance and the angle between the camera and the subject. The inferior part of the rectus abdominis muscle recorded the coldest zone and the umbilicus appeared as the most prominent hot spot. Conclusions: Thermography shows to be a potential non-invasive technique offering new options in the evaluation of pregnant and laboring women

The contribution of Prenatal Psychology to our understanding about prenatal dynamics and fetal behaviour

Research in the prenatal human experience has very clearly shown that whatever mother experiences all her life until conception and even more impact fully during conception and pregnancy passes down to the child she is pregnant with. Modern Biology has shown that environmental information and the perception that governs this environment gets encoded in the cell consciousness. A simple thought or act can upset or stabilize the whole planet or... fetal existence. Subtle differences in the motivation of our choices may have the power to bring about radically different conditions in the process of events. A simple thought of fear can lead to a trauma, a disease, a holocaust while a simple thought of compassion can take humanity out of the platonic cave into the healing light of creation. Is there anything we can do? Can we learn from what we already know about prenatal dynamics and move on to design and implement salutogenic processes for the benefit of all involved? The paper will attempt to show the most important findings about prenatal dynamics and fetal existence and how they are connected with our postnatal health and wellbeing from the times of Freud and especially his students who took psychoanalysis from the childhood to birth experience and then to pregnancy and conception and beyond

COVID-19 and maternal mental health: Are we getting the balance right?

This paper presents a rapid evidence review into the clinical and psychological impacts of COVID-19 on perinatal women and their infants. Literature search revealed that there is very little formal evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant, labouring and postnatal women or their babies. The clinical evidence to date suggests that pregnant and childbearing women, and their babies are not at increased risk of either getting infected, or of having severe symptoms or consequences than the population as a whole. There is no evidence on the short- and longer-term psychological impacts of restrictive practices or social and personal constraints for childbearing women during COVID-19 in particular, or infection pandemics in general. The potential for adverse mental health consequences of the pandemic should be recognised as a critical public health concern, together with appropriate care and support to prevent and ameliorate any negative impacts

Biomechanical evaluation of the push-up exercise of the upper extremities from various starting points

The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the push-up exercise of the upper extremities in respect of biomechanics, to compare the muscle function, while changing the position of performance and to examine the torso's inclination during the exercise. The result is that the activation of the muscles, apart from the triceps brachii muscle, does not differentiate significantly in any of the positions. Moreover, the elevating the hands above the feet position is not recommended in protocols where the aim is to improve the muscle force because it displays the lowest mean value of vertical force and a low RFD. On the other hand, the standard push-up position is considered to be the most appropriate when the aim is to improve the triceps brachii muscle's force because it displays the highest RFD and the highest activation of this muscle. Finally, the correct body position during this exercise prevents from incorrect and damaging inclinations of the torso. © JPES

Percutaneous Surgical Technique for Persistent Tennis Elbow: A Comparative Study

“Tennis Elbow” or Lateral Epicondylitis is a painful syndrome of the elbow which affects a large portion of the adult population, such as heavy labour workers and athletes. The aim of this comparative study is the investigation of the results of the percutaneous technique as a surgical treatment method compared to the conservative treatment for people suffering from this syndrome. Fourty-six patients with 52 suffering elbows constituted the group that was treated surgically and 51 patients with 59 suffering elbows constituted the group that was treated conservatively. The Verhaar et al. scoring system was used for the evaluation of the treatment results both preoperatively or before the beginning of the conservative treatment and 15 days and one, two, four and six months postoperatively. The Verhaar et al. scoring system was also used for the evaluation of the pain, the local sensitivity, the hand grip with the use of a dynamometer and the elbow’s and forearm’s range of motion (ROM) with the use of a goniometer. It has been demonstrated that the percutaneous technique is superior to the conservative treatment because it provides better results. In addition, the patients who were treated with the percutaneous technique developed a greater range of motion (ROM) in the elbow extension, the supination and mainly in the pronation of the forearm in the reevaluations compared to the conservatively treated group. In conclusion, the percutaneous release of the extensor tendons in the elbow, in cases of the “Tennis Elbow” syndrome, provides very good results. At the same time it is an easier and safer procedure compared to other surgical techniques

The face of salutogenesis: an interdisciplinary Swiss thermal imaging case report

Background. Health-oriented practice is advocated, since ‘too much medicine’ has led to increased health costs without an increase in health. Conversely, negative iatrogenic outcomes have been reported in both medicine and midwifery care. Recent research has described health-oriented midwifery practice, but little is known about how health-oriented practice can be measured. Aim. This pilot study investigated whether infrared thermal imaging is able to distinguish between health-oriented and clinically-oriented practice. Building upon previous studies that distinguished specific thermal imaging patterns related to specific emotional states, this study attempted to record the specific thermal signatures relating to health-oriented and clinically oriented practice. Thus it aimed to provide a quantitative definition of health-oriented practice in midwifery consulting sessions. This single case study is the first attempt to assess professionals’ health orientation in maternity care. Methods. For this initial purpose two midwives with differing professional orientations were required to enroll in the study. Following consent for participation, the consulting session of a health-oriented midwife was compared to the consulting session of a midwife with a clinical orientation. Both sessions were assessed using thermal imaging and voice recording. Results. Two distinct profiles emerged from the descriptive analysis of the thermal images. While the health-oriented midwife showed significant changes in facial, neck and hand temperature, there were almost no changes in the thermal images taken of the clinically-oriented midwife, both in terms of temperature values and temperature diffusion. Discussion/conclusion. These differences are assumed to be related to the professional orientation of the midwives. To examine these assumptions, further studies on larger samples are needed

Is the ASA Score in Geriatric Hip Fractures a Predictive Factor for Complications and Readmission?

Hip fractures are the second cause of hospitalization in geriatric patients and the treatment cost increases annually. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification scheme was created to establish a scoring system for the evaluation of the patients’ health and comorbidities before an operative procedure. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ASA score is a predictive factor for perioperative and postoperative complication sand a cause for readmission of geriatric patients with hip fractures.The study included 198 elderly patients. The age, the gender, the medical comorbidities, the ASA score, the type of operation, the perioperative and postoperative complications and the dates of admission, operation and hospital discharge were reviewed. Seventy-six cases were classified as ASA II, 91 cases were classified as ASA III and 31 cases were classified as ASA IV. The average waiting time for surgery was 2.3±1.2 days for the patients with ASA II, 5.2±1.1 days for the patients with ASA III and 8.4±2.9 days for the patients with ASA IV. The mean values of the days of hospitalization were 6.4±2.1, 10.4±3.4 and 13.5±4.4 respectively. The patients with ASA II exhibited minor complications, while patients with ASA III presented cutaneous ulcer and respiratory dysfunction. Moreover, five patients with ASA IV had pulmonary embolism, two patients had myocardial infarction and three patients died. The ASA score seems to have direct correlation with multiple factors, such as the days of hospitalization, the severity of the complications and the total hospitalization costs. The treatment of geriatrics hip fractures in patients with a high ASA score requires a multidisciplinary approach and a special assessment in order to decreasepostoperative morbidity and mortality and offer optimal functionality

The Treatment of Morton’s Neuroma, a Significant Cause of Metatarsalgia for People Who Exercise

Morton’s Neuroma is a common metatarsalgia in athletes created due to the entrapment of the inter-digital nerve inside the transverse inter-metatarsal ligament. The purpose of the present study is to draw the necessary conclusions from the use of a particular surgical treatment to release the digital nerve, accompanied by neurolysis in adults who exercise. On the whole, twenty five patients with twenty-five suffering extremities were treated. Five of them simultaneously had a Hallux Valgus type deformity and that supports the belief of the mechanical induce of this condition. Both ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) were used for the clinical evaluation of this condition. The pain was estimated via the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The patients were re-examined after three (1st postoperative), twelve (2nd postoperative) and twenty-four (3rd postoperative) months. A significant improvement (p < 0.0001) was noticed from the correlation between the pain before the surgery and the pain after the surgery via the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Most patients (15/25) did not display any discomfort or sensory disorder after surgery. The correct clinical evaluation as well as the correct and effective surgical intervention with the simultaneous repair of all the mechanical deformities of the foot provided better post-surgery progress in patients and increased the percentage of their rehabilitation of their previous activities

Sagittal and frontal plane evaluation of the whole-spine and clinical outcomes after vertebral fractures

Although it is known that a change in any level of the spine alters biomechanics, there aren’t many studies to evaluate the spine as a whole both in sagittal and frontal planes. This prospective cohort study evaluates the morphology and mobility of the entire spine in patients with vertebral fractures. The treatment group consisted of 43 patients who underwent percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty or percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty plus fixation. The Control Group consisted of 39 healthy subjects. Spinal mouse was used for the assessment of the curvatures and the mobility of the spine. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by Visual-Analogue Scale and Oswestry Disability Index. The measurements were recorded at 15 days, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Regarding the curvatures and mobility in sagittal plane, a statistically significant increase appeared early at 3 months, for lumbar curve, spinopelvic angulation and overall trunk inclination. In the frontal plane, most of the improvements were recorded after 6 months. Patients with osteoporotic fracture showed statistically significant lower mean value than patients with traumatic fracture. Pain and disability index showed early improvements. This study provides a comprehensive and complete picture of the functionality of the spine in patients treated with percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty