Effectiveness of Aromatherapy Yoga in Stress Reduction and Sleep Quality Improvement among Chinese Female College Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

College students, particularly female students, often suffer from severe stress and poor sleep. Aromatherapy yoga has become a popular exercise in recent years and may help reduce stress and improve sleep quality, although empirical evidence is limited. We investigated the effectiveness of aromatherapy yoga intervention in reducing stress and improving sleep quality among Chinese female college students. A total of 89 participants-44 in the experimental group (aromatherapy yoga) and 45 in the control group (yoga)-with an average age of 19.88 ± 1.13 years, were enrolled in this quasi-experimental study. Interventions were performed in the respective groups once a week for 12 weeks, for 90 min each time. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U test (including effect size) were used to test the differences in stress reduction and sleep quality before and after the intervention. From the findings of the current research, both therapies did not help female students' stress levels or sleep hygiene significantly. However, aromatherapy yoga has the potential to improve sleep disturbances experienced by female college students. Additionally, there was no difference in the amount of stress or the quality of sleep between the aromatherapy yoga groups and the regular yoga groups before and after therapy.

Analyses and identification of ICD codes for dementias in the research based on the NHIRD: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Studies based on health claims data (HCD) have been increasingly adopted in medical research for their strengths in large sample size and abundant information, and the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) has been widely used in medical research across disciplines, including dementia. How the diagnostic codes are applied to define the diseases/conditions of interest is pivotal in HCD-related research, but the consensus on the issue that diagnostic codes most appropriately define dementias in the NHIRD is lacking. The objectives of this scoping review are (1) to investigate the relevant characteristics in the published reports targeting dementias based on the NHIRD, and (2) to address the diversity by a case study. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This scoping review protocol follows the methodological framework of the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual and the guidance of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews. The review will be performed between 1 March and 31 December 2022 in five stages, including identifying the relevant studies, developing search strategies, individually screening and selecting evidence, collecting and extracting data, and summarising and reporting the results. The electronic databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, Airiti Library Academic Database, the National Health Insurance Administration's repository, and Taiwan Government Research Bulletin will be searched. We will perform narrative syntheses of the results to address research questions and will analyse the prevalence across the included individual studies as a case study. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Our scoping review is a review of the published reports and ethical approval is not required. The results will provide a panorama of the dementia studies based on the NHIRD. We will disseminate our findings through peer-reviewed journals and conferences, and share with stakeholders by distributing the summaries in social media and emails.

Tenulin and isotenulin inhibit P-glycoprotein function and overcome multidrug resistance in cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer is one of the main obstacles in treatment with chemotherapy. Drug efflux through P-glycoprotein is the major mechanism involved in MDR. A potential strategy to provide the best possible clinical outcomes is to develop P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitors from natural products. PURPOSE: The present study investigated the effects of the natural sesquiterpene lactone tenulin and its derivative isotenulin on human P-gp; the mechanisms of kinetic interactions were also explored. METHODS: The human P-gp (ABCB1/Flp-In™-293) stable expression cells were established by using the Flp-In™ system. The effects of tenulin and isotenulin on cell viability were evaluated by SRB assays in established cell lines, sensitive cancer cell line (HeLaS3), and resistant cancer cell line (KB-vin). The transporter inhibition ability was evaluated by calcein-AM uptake assays. The P-gp inhibition kinetics of tenulin and isotenulin were evaluated by rhodamine123 and doxorubicin efflux assays. The ATPase activity was evaluated with the Pgp-Glo™ Assay System. RESULTS: Tenulin and isotenulin significantly inhibited the P-gp efflux function by stimulating P-gp ATPase activity. Tenulin and isotenulin interacted with the effluxes of rhodamine 123 and doxorubicin through a competitive and noncompetitive mechanism, respectively. The combinations of tenulin and isotenulin with chemotherapeutic drugs significantly resensitized MDR cancer cells. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that tenulin and isotenulin are potential candidates to be developed for synergistic treatment of MDR cancers.

Need-based nutritional intervention is effective in improving handgrip strength and Barthel Index scores of older people living in a nursing home: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional status is associated with physical functioning in older people. Protein-energy malnutrition can limit functional performance. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effectiveness of a "need-based intervention" on improving the physical functioning of older adults living in nursing homes. DESIGN: A 24-week randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. SETTINGS: A privately managed geriatric nursing home in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-two persons who were ≥65 years old, ≤25 kg/m(2), >1 month residence, non-bed-ridden, without acute infection, and able to self-feed or receive oral feeding. METHODS: Qualified participants were stratified by gender and then randomly assigned to either the control group (n=45) or the intervention group (n=47). Each participant in the intervention group would receive a 50 g/day soy-protein-based nutritional supplement when he/she was rated as undernourished, defined as Mini Nutritional Assessment score ≤24 and body mass index ≤24 kg/m(2). The supplement contained 9.5 g protein, 250 kcal energy, and all essential micronutrients. The supplementation would be suspended if either one of the two "at risk" conditions was not met at the next measurement (every 4 weeks). Handgrip strength and Barthel Index were measured at baseline, mid-point (week 12), and end-point (week 24) of the trial. Results were analyzed with Student's t-test and by the Generalized Estimating Equations controlled for nutritional status. RESULTS: The intervention significantly improved (a) handgrip strength of the older adults at weeks 12 and 24, and (b) the overall Barthel Index at week 24 (all p<0.05) according to the Generalized Estimating Equations. CONCLUSIONS: "Need-based intervention" can be an effective and useful strategy for improving the physical functioning of older adults living in nursing homes, without adverse effects. The results probably are the indirect results of the improved nutritional status. The study highlights the importance of routine screening and timely intervention in geriatric care. The applicability of this need-based strategy to community-living older adults is an important issue and should be evaluated. We can probably reap a greater benefit by eliminating the risk of malnutrition at the emerging stage.

Need-based intervention is an effective strategy for improving the nutritional status of older people living in a nursing home: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Nutrition is a key element in geriatric health. Protein-energy malnutrition is common in institutionalized persons. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effectiveness of a need-based "routine screening and timely intervention" strategy in improving the nutritional status of persons living in nursing homes. DESIGN: A 24-week randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. SETTING: A privately managed geriatric nursing home in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-two ≥65-year old persons who were ≤25kg/m(2), >1 month residence, able to self-feed or receive oral feeding, without acute infection and non-bed-ridden. METHODS: Prospective participants were stratified by gender and then randomly assigned to either the control group (n=45) or the intervention group (n=47). Each subject in the intervention group was given a 50g/day soy-protein-based nutritional supplement if he/she was rated as undernourished according to the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA, score ≤24) and BMI ≤24kg/m(2). The supplement contained 9.5g protein, 250kcal energy and all essential micro-nutrients. The supplementation would be suspended once either one of the "at risk" condition was corrected. Nutritional rating with the MNA took place at baseline and every 4 weeks during the trial. Biochemical indicators were measured at baseline, mid-point (week-12) and end-point (week-24). Results were analyzed with the two-sample t-test, and the generalized estimating equations (GEE) controlled for demographic and health-related variables. RESULTS: Of the 92 subjects, 82 completed the trial; 7 withdrew and 3 died during the trial. Results showed that the need-based intervention was an effective and appropriate strategy for improving the nutritional status of persons at risk of undernourishment. The intervention significantly improved body weight, BMI, mid-arm circumference, calf circumference, and serum albumin and cholesterol concentrations at all intervals (all p<0.05). However, the intervention did not significantly improve hematocrit, hemoglobin or lymphocyte count status. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the need-based nutritional intervention can be a practical and useful strategy for improving the nutritional status of persons living in nursing homes and save on healthcare cost. The potential application of this strategy deserves the attention of health planners.