Trial of a new pain assessment tool in patients with low education: the full cup test.

AIMS AND SCOPE: Pain is subjective and pain assessment depends on the patient's self-report. The measurement of pain needs simple tools, especially in patients with low education. There are limited reports about pain assessment in this type of patient. The aims of the present study were to develop a pain scale that is easy for patients with low education to understand and to evaluate its usefulness in these patients. METHODS: A total of 128 adult non-demented patients presenting with headaches or rheumatologic pain were included in this study. The first phase of the study involved 114 patients and aimed to estimate the usefulness of the full cup test (FCT) compared with the visual analogue scale (VAS). The second phase of the study involved 23 patients with headaches selected randomly from the 114 patients and assessed the usefulness of the FCT for detecting changes in pain levels. The third phase of the study involved 14 patients with low education suffering from headaches and examined the usefulness of the FCT in these patients. RESULTS: The mean VAS and FCT scores were statistically correlated and reliable and did not differ significantly. Patients with low education understood the FCT more easily than the VAS. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the FCT is useful for both assessing and differentiating changes in pain, and is suitable for assessing pain in patients with low education.

Cardiovascular responses to head-down-body-up postural exercise (Sarvangasana).

Sarvangasana (SVGN) is a head-down-body-up postural exercise in a 'negative g' condition. Though highly recommended as one of the three best of all the asanas it has not yet been studied for its very obvious effects on the cardiovascular (CV) functions. This paper reports the results of the first systematic investigation on SVGN employing echocardiographic analysis in eight healthy male subjects before and after a practice of this asana twice daily for two weeks. The resting heart rate (HR) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) were significantly reduced (P < 0.02, P < 0.01 respectively) after practising this asana. A tendency toward a mild regression of the left ventricular mass was noticed, though it was not statistically significant. The CV responses to acute 45 degrees head-down tilt (HDT) in a tilt table was not altered after practising this asana. Also there was no orthostatic intolerance during the 3-5 min period of 70 degrees head-up tilt (HUT). These results strongly indicate that further studies of this asana performed for a longer period is most likely to yield very significant observations of applied value.

Effect of indoor air pollution on the respiratory system of women using different fuels for cooking in an urban slum of Pondicherry.

BACKGROUND: Some of the highest exposures to air pollutants in developing countries occur inside homes where biofuels are used for daily cooking. Inhalation of these pollutants may cause deleterious effects on health. We studied the effects of exposure to indoor air pollution from the use of cooking fuels on lung functions and respiratory symptoms in women aged 15-60 years. METHODS: The study was conducted in Kuruchikuppam, an urban slum in Pondicherry. The study participants were 105 women using biofuels, 105 using kerosene and 105 using liquid petroleum gas (LPG), selected from among 1117 women aged 15-60 years, by a stratified random sampling technique. These women were interviewed at home to collect information about exposure to fuel smoke and presence of respiratory symptoms. Lung functions were assessed by measuring forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). Occurrence of respiratory symptoms over six months was noted by making monthly follow up visits. RESULTS: Women using biofuels experienced more respiratory symptoms (23%) than those using kerosene (13%;p > 0.05) or LPG (8%; p < 0.05). Lung functions-FVC, FEV1, FEV1% and PEFR-were significantly lower in biofuel users compared with both kerosene (p < 0.01) and LPG users (p < 0.001). Lung functions in kerosene users also were significantly poorer when compared with LPG users (p < 0.01). Predicted pulmonary functions using multiple regression equations, derived from the data set of the present study, indicated that women using biofuels were more liable to have reduced pulmonary functions than women using kerosene or LPG. CONCLUSION: Women exposed to biofuel smoke suffer more from respiratory illnesses and have decreased pulmonary functions compared with women exposed to kerosene or LPG smoke. To reduce pollutant exposures we recommend the use of smokeless chullas or cleaner fuels such as charcoal, biogas and kerosene.

The spasmodic upper-body squeeze: a characteristic behavior in Smith-Magenis syndrome.

The authors have observed a hand- and arm-squeezing behavior that seems to be highly characteristic of Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS). This behavior serves as a useful diagnostic marker for SMS, a disorder in which the physical phenotype is often subtle. The squeezing behavior appears to be part of a complex upper-body tic which is exacerbated by happiness, excitement or overstimulation. The tic most often manifests as a 'self-hug', and is frequently associated with facial grimacing. Fleeting arm- and hand-squeezing movements may be repeated hundreds of times over the course of a day, but they do not significantly interfere with other hand functions. The excitable self-hugging in people with SMS may be one of the more benign and appealing aspects of their behavioral phenotype.

Effect of garlic oil in experimental cholesterol atherosclerosis.

Addition of cholesterol in the diet of male albino rabbits produced hypercholesterolaemia, increased tissue cholesterol, and atheromatous changes in the aorta. Supplementation of garlic oil along with cholesterol significantly inhibited the hypercholesterolaemia, decreased tissue cholesterol and minimised the atheromatous changes in the aorta. These results show that the active constituent(s) in garlic responsible for its anti-atherogenic action is present in the oily fraction of garlic.