Smoking cessation can improve quality of life among COPD patients: Validation of the clinical COPD questionnaire into Greek

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major public health problem that affects the quality of life of patients, however smoking cessation may emeliorate the functional effects of COPD and alter patient quality of life.</p> <p>Objective-design</p> <p>The aim of this study was to validate the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) into Greek and with such to evaluate the quality of life in patients with different stages of COPD, as also assess their quality of life before and after smoking cessation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The internal validity of questionnaire was high (Cronbach's a = 0.92). The reliability of equivalent types in 16 stabilized patients also was high (ICC = 0.99). In general the domains within the CCQ were strongly correlated with each other, while each domain in separate was strongly correlated with the overall CCQ score (r²= 0.953, r²= 0.915 and r²= 0.842 in regards to the functional, symptomatic and mental domain, respectively). The CCQ scores were also correlated with FEV_1,(r²= -0.252, p < 0.001), FEV₁/FVC, (r²= -0.135, p < 0.001) as also with the quality of life questionnaire SF-12 (r²= -0.384, p < 0.001). Smoking cessation also lead to a significant reduction in CCQ score and increase in the SF-12 score.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The self administered CCQ indicates satisfactory validity, reliability and responsiveness and may be used in clinical practice to assess patient quality of life. Moreover the CCQ indicated the health related quality of life gains attributable to smoking cessation among COPD patients, projecting smoking cessation as a key target in COPD patient management.</p

Effects of chronic smoking on exercise tolerance and on heart rate-systolic blood pressure product in young healthy adults

Background Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Smoking-related deaths in Greece account for 23%, whereas 41 % of young Greeks are smokers, the highest percentage in Europe. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of chronic smoking on the rate-pressure product and exercise tolerance in young, healthy male smokers. Design and methods Forty-two smokers and 51 nonsmokers were selected from a population of 543 students based on their age, sex, body mass index, physical fitness, smoking habit and health status. All participants were tested with the standard Bruce treadmill protocol. The rate-pressure product was obtained at rest and during exercise at a given submaximal workload. The evaluation of exercise tolerance was based on peak workload achieved and maximal exercise test duration. Results The smokers had a higher rate-pressure product at rest (P &lt; 0.001) due to their higher resting heart rate (P &lt; 0.001). Resting values of blood pressure did not differ significantly between the two groups. During exercise, smokers had a greater rate-pressure product (P &lt; 0.001), mainly due to their significantly higher systolic blood pressure (P = 0.008). The smokers had a higher submaximal heart rate (P=0.005), but the differences in heart rate between groups were reduced for smokers during exercise when compared to rest The smokers’ exercise tolerance was impaired and their maximal exercise test duration time was significantly shorter (P &lt; 0.001). Conclusions Chronic smoking was found to affect young male smokers’ cardiovascular fitness, impairing the economy and decreasing the capacity of their circulatory system

Comparability of the Effectiveness of Different Types of Exercise in the Treatment of Achilles Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review

Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a common condition both in athletes and the general population. The purpose of this study is to highlight the most effective form of exercise in managing pain-related symptoms and functional capacity as well as in a return to life activities, ensuring the quality of life of patients with AT, and creating a protocol to be used in rehabilitation. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature in Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, and PEDro for Randomised Controlled Trials concerning interventions that were based exclusively on exercise and delivered in patients 18–65 years old, athletes and non-athletes. An amount of 5235 research articles generated from our search. Five met our inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Research evidence supports the effectiveness of a progressive loading eccentric exercise program based on Alfredson’s protocol, which could be modified in intensity and pace to fit the needs of each patient with AT. Future research may focus on the optimal dosage and load of exercise in eccentric training and confirm the effectiveness of other type of exercise, such as a combination of eccentric–concentric training or heavy slow resistance exercise. Pilates could be applied as an alternative, useful, and friendly tool in the rehabilitation of AT

Surgical and Perioperative Considerations for the Treatment of Cataract in Eyes with Glaucoma: A Literature Review

Cataract surgery in the presence of glaucoma poses certain challenges that need to be addressed to offer the maximum benefit without complications. In this paper, we are reviewing the preoperative assessment, surgical options, the planning, and postoperative care. Cataract surgery can help reduce the intraocular pressure alone or combined with MIGS. When performed in patients with glaucoma, it can transiently increase the intraocular pressure and later on decrease the IOP to levels lower than the postoperative. The preoperative IOP and biometric characteristics are the main predictors of the postoperative course of IOP. The combination of cataract surgery with trabeculectomy remains controversial, in terms of best timing of each operation

The effect of physiotherapy and acupuncture on psychocognitive, somatic, quality of life, and disability characteristics in TTH patients

Introduction Nonpharmacological therapies have been widely used to treat tension-type headache (TTH); however, limited evidence exists with regards to their effectiveness. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the combined effect of acupuncture, stretching, and physiotherapy (myofascial release techniques and microwave diathermy) on psychocognitive, somatic, quality of life, and disability characteristics in such patients. Subjects and methods Patients with TTH (n=44) performed either acupuncture or stretching (control group, n=20) or acupuncture, stretching, and physiotherapy (experimental group, n=24) during a 4-week intervention period including 10 treatment sessions. They were tested for the Greek version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Greek version of the Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire, the Greek version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Short Form Health Survey 12 9 (SF-12), and Pain Catastrophizing Scale at baseline after the fifth and tenth sessions. Results All measures were improved throughout the first to tenth session (0.05). Conclusion In summary, a significant beneficial role of acupuncture, stretching, and physiotherapy on cognitive, psychosomatic pain measures, disability index, quality of life, and catastrophizing in patients with TTH was observed

Ηand dexterities assessment in stroke patients based on augmented reality and machine learning through a box and block test

Abstract A popular and widely suggested measure for assessing unilateral hand motor skills in stroke patients is the box and block test (BBT). Our study aimed to create an augmented reality enhanced version of the BBT (AR-BBT) and evaluate its correlation to the original BBT for stroke patients. Following G-power analysis, clinical examination, and inclusion–exclusion criteria, 31 stroke patients were included in this study. AR-BBT was developed using the Open Source Computer Vision Library (OpenCV). The MediaPipe's hand tracking library uses a palm and a hand landmark machine learning model to detect and track hands. A computer and a depth camera were employed in the clinical evaluation of AR-BBT following the principles of traditional BBT. A strong correlation was achieved between the number of blocks moved in the BBT and the AR-BBT on the hemiplegic side (Pearson correlation = 0.918) and a positive statistically significant correlation (p = 0.000008). The conventional BBT is currently the preferred assessment method. However, our approach offers an advantage, as it suggests that an AR-BBT solution could remotely monitor the assessment of a home-based rehabilitation program and provide additional hand kinematic information for hand dexterities in AR environment conditions. Furthermore, it employs minimal hardware equipment