Effectiveness of Acupuncture in The Treatment of Migraine

Aim:Migraine is an important cause of disability characterized by recurrent headache, frequently affecting the young productive population. It decreases quality of life in association with frequency of acute attack. pharmacological or non-pharmacogical therapies are used in the treatment. The aim of this study was to asses effectiveness of acupuncture as a non-pharmacogical therapy in patients with migraine.Materials and Methods:35 patients diagnosed as having migraine (mean age, 38.9±11.0 years) were included in the study. The acupuncture was performed one session in a week, lasting 30 minutes, sum of 10 session. Visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, MIDAS (Migraine Disability Assessment Scale), SF-36 (Short Form-36), BDI (Beck Depression Inventory), and count of intake medication for acute pain relief was assessed at the baseline and 3rd months.Results:VAS pain scores decreased significantly at 3rd months after acupuncture treatment (4.4±1.3) compared to baseline (8.2±1.3) (p=0.005). In addition, count of intake medications for acute pain relief was significantly decreased (before treatment, 8.7±6.4; after treatment 2.1±1.7; p 0.001). The significant improvement for MIDAS and BDI scores were found after the treatment (for both p 0.001). Significant increase was shown in SF-36 parameters (p 0.05). No severe adverse effect was detected.Conclusion:Acupuncture may have positive effects on pain, count of intake medication, disability, depression and quality of life in migraine. Acupuncture as an effective modality with low side effect profile may be considered among nonpharmacogical options in the treatment of migraine

Impact of Neuropathic Pain on Health-Related Quality of Life and Disability in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

Objective:Low back pain (LBP) is the most common chronic pain disorder worldwide. Chronic LBP is a mixed pain syndrome associated with nociceptive and neuropathic pain mechanisms. Investigation and early treatment of neuropathic pain is important in the management of chronic LBP. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of neuropathic pain and determine its impact on health-related quality of life and disability in patients with chronic LBP.Materials and Methods:A total of 120 patients with chronic LBP participated in the study. The presence of neuropathic pain was assessed using Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs pain scale. 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, Oswestry Disability index (ODI) and short form-36 (SF-36) measurements were performed. Predictors for the presence of neuropathic pain were also investigated.Results:Neuropathic pain was detected in 49 (40.8%) of the patients with chronic LBP. ODI score and VAS pain score in patients with neuropathic pain were higher than that in those without neuropathic pain (p<0.001 and p=0.035, respectively). Physical function, body pain, general health and physical component subscales of SF-36 were lower in patients with neuropathic pain (p=0.043, p<0.001, p=0.012, p<0.001, respectively). Advanced age and radicular LBP were found as predictors for neuropathic pain (p=0.016 and p<0.001, respectively).Conclusion:The presence of neuropathic pain in chronic LBP was found relevant with poor health-related quality of life and disability. Advanced age and presence of radicular pain were associated with neuropathic involvement

Working Across Time Zones in Cross-Cultural Student Teams

The ability to collaborate with fellow workers from different cultures on international projects is a key asset in today's job market. International projects add new dimensions to student teamwork. These types of projects give students the opportunity to participate in collaboration that is remote, cross-cultural, and linguistically challenging. This proposal examines an international term project completed by the computing students of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Bilkent University

Use of Intuitive Tools to Enhance Student Learning and User Experience

Most user interfaces today present system functions by use of verbal or iconic symbols on static 2D menu pages organized in a hierarchical system. This is unnatural to all human beings and must be learned, thus being a barrier between the full use and understanding of computer systems. With this problem in mind we set out to build a website and collaborative application for International Children's Center (ICC) which could be used not only across languages but across ages as well. This effort was tested on a daily basis by a multinational team consisting of students from the United States and Turkey as well as children from the respective countries. This attention to usability will not only lead to an intuitive tool for the client but also teach the students in the course how to build intuitive user interfaces