Complementary medicine

The relationship between molecular structure and water dynamics is a fundamental yet often neglected subject in the field of hydrogels for drug delivery, bioprinting, as well as biomaterial science and tissue engineering & regenerative medicine (TE&RM). Water is a fundamental constituent of hydrogel systems and engages via hydrogen bonding with the macromolecular network. The methods and techniques to measure and reveal the phenomena and dynamics of water within hydrogels are still limited. In this work, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used as a quantitative method to analyze freezable (including free and freezable bound) and non-freezable bound water within gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels...

AIMS: Social inequalities in mortality persist or even increase in high-income countries. Most evidence is based on a period approach to measuring mortality - that is, data from individuals born decades apart. A cohort approach, however, provides complementary insights using data from individuals who grow up and age under similar social and institutional arrangements. This study compares income inequalities in cohort life expectancy in two Swedish cohorts, one born before and one born after the expansion of the welfare state...

BACKGROUND: This systematic review and meta-analysis seeks to investigate the effectiveness and safety of manual therapy (MT) interventions compared to oral pain medication in the management of neck pain. METHODS: We searched from inception to March 2023, in Cochrane Central Register of Controller Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED) and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; EBSCO) for randomized controlled trials that examined the effect of manual therapy interventions for neck pain when compared to medication in adults with self-reported neck pain, irrespective of radicular findings, specific cause, and associated cervicogenic headaches...

BACKGROUND: Advanced cancer patients with good Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (score 0-1) are underrepresented in current qualitative reports compared with their dying counterparts. AIM: To explore the experiences and care needs of advanced cancer patients with good ECOG. DESIGN: A qualitative phenomenological approach using semi-structured interview was employed. Data was analyzed using the Colaizzi's method...

INTRODUCTION: Perimenopause is a critical transitional period in reproductive ageing. A set of physiological and psychological changes can affect perimenopausal women's quality of life and further threaten their older adult health conditions. In China, less than one-third of midlife women with menopausal symptoms have actively sought professional healthcare. Regarding the public health significance of comprehensive menopause management, the current study aims to investigate the effects of a therapeutic lifestyle modification (TLM) intervention on cardiometabolic health, sexual functioning and health-related quality of life among perimenopausal Chinese women...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to systematically review the psychometric properties of outcome measures that assess dysfunctional breathing (DB) in adults. METHODS: Studies on developing and evaluating measurement properties to assess DB were included. The study investigated the empirical research published between 1990 and February 2022, with an updated search in May 2023 in the Cochrane Library database of systematic reviews and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Ovid Medline (full), the Ovid Excerta Medica Database, the Ovid allied and complementary medicines database, the Ebscohost Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database...

OBJECTIVE: We expand on prior systematic reviews of Tai chi/Qigong (TCQ) practice on depression or anxiety symptoms in adults with cancer to estimate the mean effect of TCQ on depression and anxiety in randomized controlled trials. Additionally, we perform moderator analysis to examine whether effects vary based on patient features, TCQ stimuli properties, or characteristics of research design. METHODS: Guided by PRISMA guidelines, we located articles published before August 31, 2023 using a combination of electronic database search and a complementary manual search through reference lists of articles and published reviews...

BACKGROUND: Positron emission tomography (PET) is extensively employed for diagnosing and staging various tumors, including liver cancer, lung cancer, and lymphoma. Accurate subtype classification of tumors plays a crucial role in formulating effective treatment plans for patients. Notably, lymphoma comprises subtypes like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma, while lung cancer encompasses adenocarcinoma, small cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Similarly, liver cancer consists of subtypes such as cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma...

Ports are critical centers of international trade and global logistics now that economic globalization has taken hold. The efficiency performance of port logistics is crucial to building an emerging pattern of development in which domestic and foreign dual cycles are complementary for China. This paper examines the efficiency performance of 19 ports within five major economic circles in China. It explores how their efficiency is distributed, and the configurations of efficiency improvement during the new normal of China's economy...

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, the manufacture of prostheses is time-consuming and labor-intensive. One possible route to improving access and quality of these devices is the digitalizing of the fabrication process, which may reduce the burden of manual labor and bring the potential for automation that could help unblock access to assistive technologies globally. OBJECTIVES: To identify where there are gaps in the literature that are creating barriers to decision-making on either appropriate uptake by clinical teams or on the needed next steps in research that mean these technologies can continue on a pathway to maturity...

BACKGROUND: Due to its systemic toxicity, traditional chemotherapy of tumors is being taken into consideration. Herbal therapy, containing phytochemical polyphenol derivatives such as Curcumin (Cur), Ginger (Gin), Cloves (Clov) and Amygdaline (Amyg), is one of the numerous complementary and alternative approaches as an anti-cancer therapy and holds great promise for cancer chemo-prevention with fewer side effects. AIM: The current study was designated to assess anti-tumoral immunity and anti-cancer and chemo-preventive effectiveness of herbal extracts of Cur, Ginger, Clov and Amyg in Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC)-challenging mice...

BACKGROUND: The scope and number of disasters have increased over the years. This has called for more robust disaster preparedness training and plans. The use of virtual reality exercises in addition to tabletop exercises is considered a new approach to the preparation of disaster preparedness plans. Virtual reality exercises are being developed to either replace or complement current traditional approaches to disaster preparedness training. OBJECTIVES: To review and summarize the current existing literature regarding the effectiveness, advantages and limitations of using virtual reality exercises in disaster preparedness as a complementary/replacement mechanism for real-time drills and tabletop exercises...

BACKGROUND: Morocco faces a substantial public health challenge due to diabetes mellitus, affecting 12.4% of adults in 2023. The Moroccan population makes extensive use of phytotherapy and traditional medicine to address the difficulties this chronic condition poses. The aim of this study is to document the use of medicinal plants in traditional medicine for managing type 2 diabetes in the provinces of the Casablanca-Settat region. METHODS: The study employed a semi-structured questionnaire for data collection...

BACKGROUND: : During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, health care workers (HCWs) have faced a heightened risk of infection. Preventative measures are critical to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect HCWs. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been recommended to prevent and treat COVID-19 in China. We conducted this survey to investigate the use of infection control behaviors, preventative and therapeutic interventions, and outcomes among HCWs during the surge of Omicron variant infections to explore the association of preventative measures with outcomes and to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of TCM as a preventative measure...

As the U.S. population becomes more racially/ethnically diverse, the Hispanic American immigrant population has slowly grown in recent years. In the face of anti-immigrant policies, limited access to care, fear of deportation, discrimination, stigmatization, poverty, and other stressors, Hispanic American immigrants seek services from botánicas for religious, spiritual, medical, and psychosocial health reasons, including the accessibility and affordability of services from folk practitioners in these herbal dispensaries...

This case report describes an atypical small bowel obstruction in a 71- years old cannabis user and how point-of-care of ultrasound (PoCUS) helped to its management by further orientating the physician toward the bowel obstruction etiology, namely intussusception. Intussusception is the invagination of an intestinal segment into the adjacent segment. The acute clinical presentation of intussusception often has non-specific symptoms, and the diagnosis can be challenging. While the most common etiology is neoplasm, intussusception also occurs in bowel motility disorder such as after cannabis use...

INTRODUCTION: Trauma continues to be noted in studies as a risk factor for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Successful therapeutic interventions that support the reduction of numbing episodes associated with MS may include diet, stress reduction techniques, and biofield therapy. CASE DESCRIPTION: This case report highlights the successful reduction of numbing episodes, stress, and fatigue in an individual 38-year-old Caucasian female patient using nutrition and body-mind-spirit practices...

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The incidence of autoimmunity is growing rapidly worldwide. Many epidemiological studies have found environmental factors, such as toxic chemicals, to be a key factor in this rapid progression. Many mechanisms that can cause immune dysregulation and autoimmune reactivity from toxic chemical exposure to subsets of individuals with genetic susceptibility in immune regulatory genes have been identified. In susceptible genotypes, toxic chemicals can induce epigenetic expressions, bind to immune and endocrine receptors throughout the body and promote immune dysregulation, bind to nucleic acids and promote anti-nuclear autoimmunity, deplete antioxidant reserves, promote immune barrier degradation, induce lymphocyte dysregulation, and alter normal antigen presenting responses...

Chronic low-level exposure to arsenic has a dose-dependent relationship with many chronic diseases. However, the typical arsenic safety standards used by governmental entities and laboratories appear inconsistent with current research. This editorial reviews the research and suggests that the random first-morning-urine total arsenic threshold for increased disease risk should be 5.0 μg/g creatinine or lower.