Background. This study aims to describe prevalence and clinical features of the sural myofascial pain syndrome (SMPS) in a population affected by plantar fasciitis and to investigate if a shock wave treatment extended to the gastrocnemius-soleus trigger points is more effective in speeding up the improvement of heel pain and sural myofascial pain than a standard treatment exclusively targeted at the plantar fascia. Methods. Among 81 subjects affected by plantar fasciitis, 55 showed concomitant SMPS and were randomized to receive focused shock wave therapy for the plantar fascia and for gastrocnemius-soleus trigger points or for the plantar fascia only. We monitored heel pain (FFI-A) and foot function (FFI-B) using the Foot Function Index. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) and Delta-PPT of the gastrocnemius-soleus trigger points was assessed with a digital algometer. Outcome measures were monitored in a follow-up four weeks after the treatment. Results. The prevalence of SMPS resulted to be 67.9%. At the follow-up, no statistical significance in the comparisons between groups was found for FFI-A and FFI-B total score and also for PPT and Delta-PPT values, despite comparisons within the study group (follow-up versus baseline) showed a significant reduction of FFI-A total score (p < 0.001), FFI-B total score (p = 0.029) and Delta-PPT values (p = 0.018), with a consensual increase of PPT values (p = 0.017). Conclusions. We pointed out a high prevalence of sural trigger points in subjects affected by plantar fasciitis. In a short-term perspective, the extension of a focused shock wave treatment to the gastrocnemius-soleus trigger points resulted to be a safe but ineffective option in reducing heel pain and sural myofascial pain, if compared to a standard treatment.
Os manipuladores de alimentos podem ser transmissores de agentes patogênicos, pois suas mãos entram em contato direto com os alimentos. Em hospitais, a contaminação por Staphylococcus aureus e Escherichia coli apresentam risco biológico maior devido à resistência aos antibióticos. Este trabalho objetivou quantificar S.aureus e E.coli nas mãos de manipuladores de alimentos de UAN hospitalares em dois municípios do litoral catarinense, bem como verificar se apresentavam os mecanismos de resistência do tipo Staphylococcus aureus Resistente a Meticilina (MRSA) e Enterobactérias Resistentes aos Carbapenêmicos (ERC). Tratou-se de uma pesquisa observacional transversal. Amostras das mãos de trinta manipuladores foram coletadas em três unidades hospitalares denominadas em A, B e C. Foi utilizado o método de contagem em superfície e identificação através de meios cromogênicos para os mecanismos de resistência. Os resultados demonstraram contaminação por S.aureus em duas amostras (6,66%) enquanto que nenhuma amostra foi identificada E.coli. Quanto à resistência, uma amostra (3,33%) apresentou MRSA e duas amostras (6,66%) demonstraram a presença de ERC. Das unidades avaliadas, a C não apresentou crescimento dos micro-organismos analisados. A unidade A apresentou crescimento exclusivamente de ERC (10%) e a unidade B revelou contaminação por S.aureus (20%), MRSA (10%) e ERC (10%). Conclui-se que a contaminação encontrada nas mãos dos manipuladores de alimentos e os mecanismos de resistências demonstraram a necessidade de maior frequência e competência na higienização das mãos, sendo de extrema relevância a necessidade de supervisão e conscientização destes profissionais quanto a higiene pessoal.
Smart textiles (ST) can be defined as materials capable of detecting an external stimulus, responding, and adapting its behavior according to the stimulus obtained. The field of study and development of these materials is extensive, and ST can be seen in areas such as health, transport, security, civil construction, and sports. Piezoelectric textiles are part of the ST category and are characterized due the ability to generate electrical energy from mechanical stimulus, and vice versa. Therefore, the main objective of this review is to present the current research on piezoelectric ST. In addition, the study highlights the process of obtaining materials with piezoelectric properties and the challenges and limitations, seeking to understand the contribution of the development of these materials in the field of wearable electronic devices. Thus, the main challenge in developing piezoelectric textiles is in the ability to supply energy to electronic devices to be applied in various fields such as motion detection, acoustics, impact absorption, among others. Moreover, piezoelectric ST is remarkably promising for the development of wearable electronic textiles (e-textiles) that consequently impact the creation of new functional materials that enable renewable sources to offer a positive contribution in the daily society.
Background. A novel lumbar support device to be used by people with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNLBP) was designed, developed and tested in this trial. The study investigated the immediate effects of the novel lumbar support device on pain modulation and core muscle function in comparison to the traditional lumbar support among people with CNLBP. Methods. This study was a single-blinded, repeated measures, randomized controlled trial with four parallel groups design. A total of 80 patients with CNLBP were randomly allocated using stratified block randomization by pain severity to one of the four groups: traditional lumbar support (TLS) as a control group (N = 20), novel lumbar support with hot pack (NLSD + HP) (N = 20), novel lumbar support with biofeedback device (NLSD + BO) (N = 20), and finally the novel lumbar support with an in-built hot pack and biofeedback device (NLSD + HP with BO) as an experimental intervention group (N = 20). Pain intensity (PI), tissue blood flow (TBF), cold pain threshold (CPT), hot pain threshold (HPT), thickness of transversus abdominis muscle (TrA), and lumbopelvic stability (LPS) were assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention by a blinded assessor. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA with post-hoc analysis was used to analyze the data. Results. All 80 participants across the 4 groups had similar outcome measures at baseline (p > 0.05). Among the participants in the NLSD + HP with BO (Group 4), a significant interaction was noticed in all of the primary outcomes including PI (p < 0.001), TBF (p < 0.001), CPT (p < 0.001), HPT (p < 0.001), PPT (p < 0.001), TrA thickness (p < 0.001) and as well as on the secondary outcome lumbopelvic stability (p < 0.001). Post hoc analysis showed that the results from the NLSD + HP with BO (Group 4) was superior than the TLS group in all of the primary and secondary outcomes (p < 0.05). Conclusions. The immediate effects of the NLSD + HP with BO demonstrated potential beneficial outcomes on PI, PPT, CPT, HPT, TrA and LPS in comparison to TLS among participants with CNLBP. Further clinical trial evaluating the long-term clinical effects of the novel lumbar support device is needed to understand the overall benefits of the device and its usefulness for people with CNLBP.
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