Avila Vaughan (pigplace0)

BACKGROUND Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor condition with a wide range of severity. Symptoms negatively affect sleep and quality of life. Pharmacologic options are not universally effective and side effects are common. Objective data regarding non-pharmacologic treatment is limited. The study objective was to evaluate the efficacy of the MMF07 foot massager and heat therapy on the severity of RLS symptoms. METHODS In this pilot randomized controlled trial, twenty-eight patients with diagnosed, bothersome RLS were randomized to four treatment arms no active intervention (n = 7), foot massager (n = 8), heat therapy (n = 6), and foot massager plus heat therapy (n = 7). Participants completed the RLS Severity Scale, RLS Quality of Life questionnaire, and the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep scale at the baseline visit and at the 4-week follow up visit. RESULTS Four weeks post randomization, participants in the massager group had significant improvement in the RLS severity score (average difference -9.0, 95% CI -16.3, -1.7, p = 0.017) and sleep scale (average difference -22.0, 95% CI -36.5, -7.5, p = 0.005) compared to the no intervention group. The heat alone group had a significant improvement in the sleep scale compared to the no-intervention group (average difference -17.4, 95% CI -32.5, -2.3, p = 0.026). Quality of life improved in the massage only group compared to control (average difference 25.3, 95% CI -2.4, 53.0, p = 0.072). CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that the MMF07 foot massage device and heat therapy may be feasible and effective treatment options to improve RSL symptoms.BACKGROUND In India, acute respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, are the leading cause of early childhood death. Emergency medical services are a critical component of India's public health infrastructure; however, literature on the prehospital care of pediatric patients in low- and middle-income countries is minimal. The aim of this study is to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with 30-day mortality among a cohort of pediatric patients transported via ambulance in India with an acute respiratory complaint. METHODS Pediatric patients less than 18 years of age using ambulance services in one of seven states in India, with a chief complaint of "shortness of breath", or a "fever" with associated "difficulty breathing" or "cough", were enrolled prospectively. Patients were excluded if evidence of choking, trauma or fire-related injury, patient was absent on ambulance arrival, or refused transport. Primary exposures included demographic, environmental, and clinical indicators, 30 days. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to detail prehospital predictors of death among pediatric patients with shortness of breath in LMICs. The risk of death is particularly high among neonates and those with documented mild hypoxemia, or respiratory distress. Early recognition of critically ill children, targeted prehospital interventions, and diversion to higher level of care may help to mitigate the mortality burden in this population.Oxidative stress is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of primary blast-related traumatic brain injury (bTBI). We evaluated the effects of ascorbic acid 2-glucoside (AA2G), a well-known antioxidant, to control oxidative stress in rat brain exposed to laser-induced shock waves (LISWs). The design consisted of a controlled animal study using male 10-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. The study was conducted at the University research laboratory. Low-impulse (54 Pa•s) LISWs were transcranially applied to rat brain. Rats were randomized to control group (anesthesia and head shaving, n = 10), LISW group (anesthesia, head shaving and LISW application, n = 10) or LISW + post AA2G group (AA2G administration after LISW application, n = 10) in the first study. In another study, rats were randomized to control group (n = 10), LISW group (n = 10) or LISW + pre and post AA2G group (AA2G administration