A comparative assessment of hand grip exercise and 6-minute walk test in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading disease often under-discussed and underdiagnosed causing persistent and chronic obstruction of upper airways. Patients not only suffer respiratory dysfunctions but also, peripheral muscle dysfunction and atrophy leading to muscle fatigue, reduced muscle strength, and endurance impacting exercise capacity, physical activity levels, and decreased ability to perform daily tasks. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines highlight the need to enhance functional status through assessments like Hand Grip Strength and a 6-minute walk test. The study aimed at a comparative assessment of these exercises in COPD patients along with spirometry for diagnosis, and grading and to find out their combined advantages in COPD management. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 110 patients at the Department of Physiology, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, using a questionnaire, and both tests were performed on COPD patients to determine the effectiveness depending on the severity and spirometry results. Results: The recruited patients were classified as per GOLD stages in 4 categories, as disease severity increased, functional and exercise capacity was reduced. There was a negative correlation between GOLD stages and 6-minute walk strength, maximum grip strength, and mean endurance time of COPD patients with r-values of -5.672, -6.874, and -5.879 respectively. Conclusion: COPD patients suffer from functional dysfunctions and exercise limitations, early diagnosis is crucial to limit the severity, and functional tests can play a significant role in determining the health outcomes and improving the quality of life

Lower bone mineral density at the hip and lumbar spine in people with psychosis versus controls: a comprehensive review and skeletal site-specific meta-analysis

It remains unclear if differences in bone mineral density (BMD) exist at different skeletal sites between people with schizophrenia and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Major databases were searched from inception until February 2016 for studies measuring BMD using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at any skeletal site in individuals with schizophrenia. Ten studies investigating 827 people with schizophrenia (55.4 % female, 33.8 ± 9.7 years) and 1379 HCs (58.7 % female, 34.7 ± 9.1 years) were included. People with schizophrenia had significantly reduced BMD at the lumbar spine (standardised mean difference adjusted for publication bias (SMD) = -0.950 (95 % CI = -1.23 to -0.66, fail-safe number = 825) and hip (SMD = -0.534, 95 % CI = -0.876 to -0.192, fail-safe number = 186). A higher proportion of hyperprolactinaemia (β = -0.0102, p < 0.0001) and smokers (β = -0.0099, p = 0.02) moderated a larger reduced BMD at the lumbar spine. Further research is required to investigate if low bone mass and fractures can be prevented in people with schizophrenia.status: publishe