Effects of walking training on risk markers of cardiovascular disease in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of an 8-week walking training program on glycemic control, lipid profile, and inflammatory markers in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: A pilot, single-group, pretest-posttest study. SETTING: A neuromuscular research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Eleven participants with chronic SCI. INTERVENTION: An 8-week walking training program using a treadmill, a body weight-supported system, and an assistive gait training device. OUTCOME MEASURES: Levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 were assessed before and after the walking training. RESULTS: Following the walking training, there was a statistically significant decrease in HbA1c level (P<0.01) of uncertain clinical significance. The lipid profile improved after training, as shown by a statistically and clinically significant increase in HDL-C level (P<0.01) and a statistically significant decrease in LDL-C level (P<0.1) of no clinical significance. The ratio of LDL-C to HDL-C was significantly reduced (P<0.01). In regard to inflammatory markers, concentrations of IL-6 showed a significant reduction after training (P=0.05) of unknown clinical significance, while those of CRP trended to decrease (P=0.13). CONCLUSION: The findings of this pilot study suggest that an 8-week walking training program may produce favorable changes in risk markers of cardiovascular disease in individuals with chronic SCI as shown by clinically meaningful improvements in HDL-C, and small changes in the right direction, but uncertain clinical significance, in HbA1c, LDL-C and IL-6. A randomized controlled trial is needed to compare the effects of walking training on these outcome measures with those of other exercise modalities suitable for this population, and to see if more prolonged exercise exposure leads to favorable parameters of significant size to justify the exercise modality.

Can Qigong improve non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease - A pilot randomized controlled trial?

Non-motor symptoms (NMS) including sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and cognitive decline can significantly impact quality of life in people with PD. Qigong exercise is a mind-body exercise that shows a wide range of benefits in various medical conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Qigong exercise on NMS with a focus on sleep quality. Seventeen participants completed a 12-week intervention of Qigong (n = 8) or sham Qigong (n = 9). Disease severity, anxiety and depression levels, fatigue, cognition, quality of life, and other NMS of the participants were evaluated prior to the intervention and at the end of the 12-week intervention. After the intervention, both Qigong and sham-Qigong group showed significant improvement in sleep quality (p < 0.05) and overall NMS (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found between groups. Qigong exercise has the potential as a rehabilitation method for people with PD, specifically alleviating NMS in PD. However, this finding needs to be carefully considered due to the small sample size and potentially low intervention fidelity of this study.

The therapeutic efficacy of Qigong exercise on the main symptoms of fibromyalgia: A pilot randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Some of the most debilitating symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM) include widespread chronic pain, sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Yet, there is a lack of effective self-management exercise interventions capable of alleviating FM symptoms. The objective of this study is to examine the efficacy of a 10-week daily Qigong, a mind-body intervention program, on FM symptoms. METHODS: 20 participants with FM were randomly assigned to Qigong (experimental) or sham-Qigong (control) groups, with participants blinded to the intervention allocation. The Qigong group practiced mild body movements synchronized with deep diaphragmatic breathing and meditation. The sham-Qigong group practiced only mild body movements. Both groups practiced the interventions two times per day at home, plus one weekly group practice session with a Qigong instructor. Primary outcomes were: pain changes measured by the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, a visual analog scale for pain, pressure pain threshold measured by a dolorimeter. Secondary outcomes were: the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Quality of Life Scale. RESULTS: The experimental group experienced greater clinical improvements when compared to the control group on the mean score differences of pain, sleep quality, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, and fibromyalgia impact, all being statistically significant at p < 0.05. CONCLUSION: Daily practice of Qigong appears to have a positive impact on the main fibromyalgia symptoms that is beyond group interaction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03441997.

Opioid prescription patterns among patients with fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate opioid prescribing patterns among patients with fibromyalgia (FM) in terms of age, gender, race, type of opioids, and to examine changes in opioid prescription over the past 8 years compared to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved FM medications. DESIGN: Retrospective review of data using the Healthcare Enterprise Repository for Ontological Narration database. The collected data were analyzed descriptively and a chi-square test for trend was used to analyze a possible linear relationship between the proportions of opioid and non-opioid users along the time. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with a diagnosis of FM who had received opioid prescriptions from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017, and FM patients who had received prescriptions of FDA-approved FM medications in the same period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Trends in opioid and non-opioid prescriptions in patients with FM. RESULTS: The opioid medications were prescribed more frequently in 2010 (40 percent) and 2011 (42 percent), but the percentages have decreased since 2012 and reached the lowest numbers in 2016 (27 percent). The chi-square test for trend shows that from 2010 to 2017 the prescriptions of opioids had a statistically significant (p < 0.0001) decrease. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the frequency of prescribed opioids in FM patients has decreased since 2012. This decline could be attributed to (1) FDA monitoring programs, (2) national efforts to increase awareness of the addictive and harmful effects of opioids, and (3) the growing research on the efficacy of non-opioid therapies to treat chronic pain conditions including FM.

Effects of Qigong Exercise on Non-Motor Symptoms and Inflammatory Status in Parkinson's Disease: A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Non-motor symptoms such as sleep disturbance, cognitive decline, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in Parkinson's disease (PD) impact quality of life. Increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in individuals with PD have been reported, which may contribute to non-motor symptoms. A mind-body exercise, Qigong, has demonstrated benefits across different medical conditions. However, a lack of evidence causes clinicians and patients to be uncertain about the effects of Qigong in individuals with PD. This study will examine the effects of Qigong on non-motor symptoms and inflammatory status in individuals with PD. Methods: Sixty individuals with PD will be recruited. Qigong and sham Qigong group (n = 30 for each) will receive a 12-week intervention. Participants will practice their assigned exercise at home (2×/day) and attend routinely group exercise meetings. Results: Clinical questionnaires and neuropsychological tests will measure non-motor symptoms including sleep quality (primary outcome). Biomarker assays will measure inflammatory status. A two-way mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be utilized. Conclusions: This study may generate evidence for the benefits of Qigong on non-motor symptoms of PD and the effect on inflammatory status. Findings may lead to the development of a novel, safe, and cost-effective rehabilitation approach for individuals with PD.