CSMed® wound dressing for prophylaxis and management of radiation dermatitis in breast and head-neck cancer patients: a single hospital prospective clinical trial.

PURPOSE: CSMed® wound dressing, a dressing with various herb extracts, was tested for its therapeutic effect in radiation dermatitis of breast and head-and-neck cancer patients. METHODS: This study included 20 breast cancer patients and 10 head-and-neck cancer patients. Half of the irradiated area was covered with CSMed® and the other half was under routine treatment. The severity of radiation dermatitis was evaluated with radiation therapy oncology group (RTOG) grade throughout the treatment and the follow-up period. The RTOG grade between the dressed and undressed area were compared to illustrate the therapeutic effect of CSMed® dressing. RESULTS: The results showed that CSMed® dressed area had significant lower RTOG score at 3-7 weeks and final record during the treatment, and 1-3 weeks during follow-up than undressed area. CONCLUSIONS: This indicated that CSMed® can delay the onset, reduce the severity, and enhance healing of radiation dermatitis. CSMed® can be used for prophylaxis and management of radiation dermatitis.

Impact of background music listening on anxiety in cancer patients undergoing initial radiation therapy: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT) often experience anxiety, which may jeopardize the treatment success. The efficacy of music interventions in reducing anxiety remains contentious. This randomized trial aimed to evaluate the impact of music listening on anxiety symptoms in patients undergoing initial RT. METHODS: First-time RT patients were randomly allocated to experimental and control groups. The Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5), Distress Thermometer (DT), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI-C) were administered pre- and post-RT. Changes in physiological anxiety symptoms were monitored over 10 consecutive days starting from the first day of RT. The experimental group received music during RT; the control group did not. The generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate the pre-post difference in the BSRS-5, DT, and BAI-C scores between the music intervention and control group. RESULTS: This study included 50 patients each in the experimental and control groups. BSRS-5 and DT scores were significantly reduced in the experimental group post-RT (p = 0.0114 and p = 0.0023, respectively). When music listening was discontinued, these scores rebounded. While the posttest BAI-C score was significantly lower in the experimental group (p < 0.0001), the pre-post difference between the two groups was not significant (p = 0.0619). On cessation of music listening, the BAI-C score also rebounded. CONCLUSIONS: For cancer patients undergoing initial RT, music listening intervention significantly reduced anxiety symptoms measured using the BSRS-5, DT, and BAI-C scores after two weeks. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of music listening intervention in reducing anxiety symptoms, thereby potentially improving the quality of life of cancer patients undergoing RT.

Effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations in non-diabetic Taiwanese individuals based on the waist-hip ratio.

BACKGROUND: Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) reflects the average blood sugar over the past eight to twelve weeks. Several demographic and lifestyle factors are known to affect HbA1c levels. We evaluated the association of HbA1c with aerobic and resistance exercise in non-diabetic Taiwanese adults based on the waist-hip ratio (WHR). METHODS: We conducted this study based on TWB data collected from 90,958 individuals between 2008 and 2019. We estimated the Beta (ß) coefficient and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for HbA1c using multivariate regression models. RESULTS: Based on the multivariate analysis, lower HbA1c levels were associated with both resistance exercise (ß-coefficient = -0.027, 95% CI -0.037 to -0.017) and aerobic exercise (ß-coefficient = 0.018, 95% CI, -0.023 to -0.013). Higher HbA1c levels were associated with abnormal WHR compared to normal WHR (ß-coefficient = 0.091, 95% CI, 0.086 to 0.096). We detected an interaction between exercise and WHR (p for interaction = 0.0181). To determine the magnitude of the interaction, we performed additional analyses (with the reference group being 'abnormal WHR with no exercise') and observed substantial decreases in HbA1c regardless of the WHR and exercise category. However, the largest reduction occurred in the 'normal WHR and resistance exercise' group (ß = -0.121, 95% CI, -0.132 to -0.109). CONCLUSIONS: We found that normal resistance exercise, coupled with a normal WHR was significantly associated with lower HbA1c levels among non-diabetic individuals in Taiwan.