Effects of Reflexology on Anorexia and Sleep Quality in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Cancer and associated treatment methods present numerous complications, including anorexia and disturbances in sleep patterns. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of reflexology on the symptoms of anorexia and sleep quality among individuals afflicted with cancer. Materials and Methods: In this double-blinded randomized clinical trial, a total of 60 patients undergoing chemotherapy at Khansari Hospital, Arak, Iran, were selected using convenience sampling and then assigned to two groups of control and experimental using blocked randomization (30 patients in each group). The sample intervention group received reflexology in an exceedingly 4-week amount (two sessions a week), By contrast, the control group was administered a placebo treatment without exerting any pressure on the reflex points during the same time frame. Sleep quality and anorexia in patients were measured using a Pittsburgh questionnaire and visual analog scale before and right after the intervention. Eventually, the data were analyzed, and we used the tests of central tendency, dispersion, independent- and paired-samples t-tests, and Chi-square. Results: The findings of the study revealed a significant improvement in sleep quality and reduction in anorexia symptoms among patients who received reflexology treatment scores (p < 0.001). Conversely, there was no significant difference in the control group before and after the intervention (without pressure effect on the foot points) (p > 0.05). Conclusions: According to the positive effects on sleep quality and the reduction of anorexia symptoms, it is recommended to incorporate this therapeutic modality along with conventional medication for the treatment of individuals with cancer.

Effects of acupressure on sleep quality and anxiety of patients with second- or third-degree burns: a randomized sham-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Although acupressure is proposed to boost sleep quality and alleviate anxiety in various disorders, no trials have yet documented these consequences in burn victims. Considering the high importance of managing sleep quality and anxiety among burn patients utilizing adjunctive non-pharmacological measures, this study sought to investigate the impacts of acupressure on sleep quality and anxiety among a population of Iranian patients with burn injuries. METHODS: This trial was performed on 72 patients with second- or third-degree burns, who were divided into two equal arms to receive routine care plus 10-minute acupressure on either real acupoints (i.e., Yintang and Shen men) or sham points for three consecutive nights. Sleep quality and anxiety were investigated at baseline (T1) and on the fourth day (T2) by using St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire (SMHSQ) and Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for State Anxiety (STAI-S), respectively. RESULTS: The mean scores of SMHSQ and STAI-S were significantly lower in the real acupressure arm at T2 (P < 0.001 in two cases), implying better sleep quality improvement and higher anxiety alleviation. Also, the reduction in mean changes of SMHSQ and STAI-S scores from T1 to T2 was significantly more in the real acupressure arm (P < 0.001 in two cases). CONCLUSION: Acupressure, as a low-cost complementary method, could be potentially helpful in enhancing sleep quality and decreasing the anxiety of burn patients. Additional long-term trials are required to identify the sustainability of the findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NO: IRCT20130424013110N13 (Registration date: 19/03/2021, https://www.irct.ir/trial/55076 ).

The effects of acupressure on post-dressing pain in burn patients: A clinical randomized trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Burns often cause severe pain, especially during dressing changes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure on pain during dressing changes in burn patients. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 76 burn patients. The eligible patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups after obtaining informed consent. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups by blocking. The study was conducted over two days using the same method. Before entering the dressing room, acupressure was performed in the intervention group for 10 min in acupressure points and the control group in other points. Pain intensity was measured in two groups 30 min before entering the dressing room and 15 and 30 min after leaving the dressing room using VAS. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software 25th edition. RESULTS: Pain scores were similar for the two groups before the dressing change. The results of this study revealed a significant decrease in the patient's pain intensity mean in the test group following acupressure compared to the control group on day one which remained on day two (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Considering the experience of severe pain in burn patients, acupressure is recommended as a complementary method along with modern medicine to reduce these patients' pains.

The effect of Shiatsu massage on agitation in mechanically ventilated patients: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients admitted to the intensive care units encounter many complications due to the nature of the disease and invasive medical procedures such as intubation and mechanical ventilation. Among these complications, agitation is a frequently-observed and serious problem. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Shiatsu massage on agitation in mechanically ventilated patients. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 68 mechanically ventilated patients were selected and then randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. Patients in the intervention group received three 5-minute periods of Shiatsu massage with a 2-minute break between them, while patients in the control group only received a touch on the area considered for the message. Data were collected before and after the intervention using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) and then analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA). RESULTS: The results showed that the level of agitation significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group (p=.001). CONCLUSION: Application of shiatsu massage seems to be effective in managing agitation in mechanically ventilated patients. Further studies with greater sample size and longer follow-up period are needed to confirm the current findings.

Application of additive hazards models for analyzing survival of breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Survival rates for breast cancer (BC) are often based on the outcomes of this disease. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of three survival models, namely Cox regression, Aalen's, and Lin and Ying's additive hazards (AH) models for identifying the prognostic factors regarding the survival time of BC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a historical cohort study which used 1025 females' medical records that underwent modified radical mastectomy or breast saving. These patients were admitted to Besat and Chamran Hospitals, Tehran, Iran, during 2010-2015 and followed until 2017. The Aalen's and Lin and Ying's AH models and also traditional Cox model were applied for analysis of time to death of BC patients using R 3.5.1 software. RESULTS: In Aalen's and also Lin and Ying's AH models, age at diagnosis, history of disease, number of lymph nodes, metastasis, hormonal therapy, and evacuation lymph nodes were prognostic factors for the survival of BC patients (P < 0.05). In addition, in the Lin and Ying's AH model tumor size (P = 0.048) was also identified as a significant factor. According to Aalen's plot, metastasis, age at diagnosis, and number of lymph nodes had a time-varying effect on survival time. These variables had a different slope as the times go on. CONCLUSION: AH model may yield new insights in prognostic studies of survival time of patients with BC over time. Because of the positive slope of estimated cumulative regression function in Aalen's plot, metastasis, higher age at diagnosis, and high number of lymph nodes are important factors in reducing the survival BC, and then based on these factors, the therapists should consider a special therapeutic protocol for BC patients.

Anaphylaxis as a Rare Side Effect of Ketorolac; a Case Report.

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening systemic allergic hypersensitivity reaction that may potentially be triggered after the administration of any drug. Our case was a 51-year-old man with the history of mild pain in his flanks since the night before he was admitted to our hospital. The patient was diagnosed with urolithiasis and admitted to the emergency department. He developed anaphylaxis after intravenous injection of 30 mg ketorolac. Allergic reactions to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ketorolac are rare; nonetheless, they can be life-threatening and should be carefully monitored.

Application of Multi-State Model in Analyzing of Breast Cancer Data.

BACKGROUND: The multistate model is used generally to fit the longitudinal data. This model can determine the natural trend of disease progress in different states of treatment, recuperate, metastasis and finally death. We aimed to use multistate models in order to analyzing breast cancer (BC) data. STUDY DESIGN: A historical cohort study. METHODS: In this historical cohort study, 573 women with BC were studied. These patients were referred to Isfahan Sayed-o-Shohada Hospital during 1999-2006 and followed up to Apr 2017. The corresponding provided data were gathered by Isfahan Cancer Prevention Center. Then data analyzed by multistate models in R 3.4.1 software. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of women age were 47.19±10.77 years. The transition probability from state of first treatment to recuperate state was 71%, to metastasis state 2% and to death was 16%. The sojourn time in different states of disease was 2.39 yr for first treatment, 6.93 yr for recuperate and 0.16 yr for death. CONCLUSION: This model is able to predict the transition probabilities in different state of disease, so its results are useful for clinical researches. In addition, with transition probabilities and also survival mean in each state in hand, the physicians will be able to suggest suitable treatment plans for patients.