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Background & objective: Low back pain is a common problem, especially in the young and middle-aged working people, and is often very resistant to the conventional management. We evaluated the impact of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), applied in conjunction with an exercise treatment program, on disability in chronic low back pain patients. Methodology: The study was conducted from June to October 2022. Twenty-two patients aged 42.18 ± 9.91 y, with Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) score 5.64 ± 1.09 and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) score 10 ± 4.670, were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group received only exercise therapy (EXC group, n = 11), and the intervention group received exercise and tVNS therapy (EXC + tVNS group, n = 11). The primary outcome was RMDQ, measured before and after the intervention. Result: The mean RMDQ was significantly improved in both groups. In the intervention group the improvement was from 9.45 ± 4.44 to 2.18 ± 2.71 (P = 0.000), in the control group it was from 10.55 ± 5.05 to 2.36 ± 2.06 (P = 0.001). Inter-group comparison showed no significant difference. The effect size of the control group (2.12) was similar with the intervention group (1.98). Conclusion: Addition of 2-weeks tVNS to exercise therapy did not show superior effect on disability improvement compared to exercise only in chronic low back pain. Exercise alone was sufficient to improve the mean RMDQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background & objective: Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness (ICU-AW) is a weakness found in critically ill patients, and this weakness can persist even after discharge from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Various rehabilitation medicine procedures have been shown to be effective in prevention as well as managing the established weakness in this cohort of the patients. We analyzed the effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) therapy on the global muscle strength, quadriceps femoris muscle, and creatine kinase examination in patients known to have ICU-AW. Methodology: The type of study used a pre-experimental one-group pre-posttest, and the study population consisted of 23 patients who experienced ICU-AW. Patients were given NMES therapy at the beginning of treatment in the ICU and then evaluated using the Medical Research Council Scale for Muscle Strength (MRC-SS), Manual Muscle Test (MMT), and creatine kinase levels. Results: NMES therapy provides significant results on increasing muscle strength on the fifth day with MRC-SS 42.78 (24-60) and MMT 3.57 (2-5) (P < 0.001), as well as a significant decrease in creatine kinase levels given therapy at the beginning of ICU admission. Conclusion: NMES therapy increases global muscle strength and quadriceps femoris muscle and decreases creatine kinase levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients often experience neurological complications. Mounting evidence suggests cognitive impairment associated with end-stage renal disease is likely related to vascular disruption in the brain, particularly in white matter integrity. Hemodialysis is an independent risk factor for mild cognitive decline (MCD) of ESRD patients and have serious implications for the quality of life. Intradialysis training is the most ideal choice for hemodialysis patients, because not requiring extra time and the patient is also under the supervision of a doctor when doing the exercises. Method. Eighteen patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were randomized into two groups: a treatment group and a control group, with 9 patients in each group. The treatment group participated in low-intensity aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer, consisting of two 30-minute sessions per week for 12 weeks. Both groups were instructed to continue their regular hemodialysis and medication regimen. MoCA-INA scores were measured before the intervention and again after 12 weeks for both groups. Comparisons of MoCA-INA scores were made within each group as well as between the two groups before and after the 12-week intervention. Results. In the treatment group, the MoCA-INA scores showed a significant improvement from baseline to after the intervention (p < 0.001; effect size = 1.88). In contrast, the control group did not exhibit a significant change in MoCA-INA scores (p = 0.468). Additionally, there was a significant difference in the change in MoCA-INA scores between the treatment and control groups after 12 weeks of intervention (p = 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective & Objective: Neuropathic pain (NP) is induced by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system. A lot of individuals seek an alternative form of treatment for their pain because it is typically chronic, severe, and worsens with the pharmacological therapy. Both acute and chronic pain have been successfully treated using wet cupping therapy (WCT). WCT is helpful in reducing many types of pain, although the mechanism by which it does so is still unclear. Recent research has demonstrated that NP and NMDA receptor NR1 (pNR1) change are related. The most popular of NP's animal models, chronic constriction injury (CCI) models, were used in our study to apply in WCT. By observing the rise in pNR1 and time withdrawal latency (TWL) in Rattus norvegicus with CCI, we looked at the association between WCT and pain relief. Methodology: Our study used a post-test only, randomized controlled trial design, overall with 21 male Rattus Norvegicus CCI models, who were 4 months old and weighed 220-250 g. Three groups, G1 as a sham CCI group, G2 as a CCI group, and G3 as a CCI group plus WCT, were created at random from these rats. In three weeks, each group received two times a week application of WCT to the paralumbar area (on both the left and right sides). Rats' TWL was measured and evaluated using a hot plate to determine their pain threshold and the number of pNR1-expressing glial cells in the spinal cord was computed. Results: According to this research, the mean and standard deviation of the TWL values for G1, G2, and G3 were: 8.8 ± 0.28, 1.44 ± 0.10, and 14.57 ± 0.45 respectively. While the minimum, maximum and median of pNR1 values for G1, G2, and G3 were, 4.2, 4.2, 4.2; 0.0, 0.9, 0.0; and 5.20, 8.00, 8.00 respectively. With P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0001, respectively, there were significant differences in the TWL by ANOVA test, and pNR1 by Kruskall Wallis test among the groups. P1-P2, P1-P3, and P2-P3 had significantly dissimilar TWLs, e.g., P = 0.0001, P = 0.0001, and P = 0.0001; while P1-P2, P1-P3, and P2-P3 had significantly dissimilar pNR1 increases (P = 0.0001, P = 0.0001, and P = 0.0001). Conclusion: We can draw the conclusion that WCT reduces pain in CCI rats by raising pNR1 and TWL (NP models). We suggest WCT as a technique that shows promise for reducing pain in peripheral NP models, although additional research is required to validate its mode of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]