BACKGROUND Small studies of variable quality suggest that massage therapy may relieve pain and other symptoms. OBJECTIVE Evaluate efficacy of massage for decreasing pain and symptom distress and improving quality of life among persons with advanced cancer. DESIGN Multi-site randomized clinical trial. SETTING Population-based Palliative Care Research Network (PoPCRN). PATIENTS 380 adults with advanced cancer experiencing moderate-severe pain; 90% were enrolled in hospice. INTERVENTION Six 30-minute massage or simple touch sessions over two weeks. MEASUREMENTS Primary outcomes were immediate (Memorial Pain Assessment Card, MPAC, 0 – 10 scale) and sustained (Brief Pain Inventory, BPI, 0 – 10 scales) change in pain. Secondary outcomes were immediate change in mood (MPAC 0 – 10 scale) and 60-second heart and respiratory rates and sustained change in quality of life (McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire, MQOL, 0 – 10 scale), symptom distress (Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, MSAS, 0 – 4 scale), and analgesic medication use (parenteral morphine equivalents (milligrams/24 hours). Immediate outcomes were obtained just prior to and following each treatment session. Sustained outcomes were obtained at baseline and weekly for 3 weeks. RESULTS 298 were included in the immediate outcome analysis and 348 in the sustained outcome analysis. 82 did not receive any allocated study treatments (37 massage, 45 control). Both groups demonstrated immediate improvement in pain (massage -1.87 points (CI, -2.07, -1.67), control -0.97 points (CI, -1.18, -0.76)) and mood (massage 1.58 points (CI, 1.40, 1.76), control 0.97 points (CI, 0.78, 1.16)). Massage was superior for both pain and mood (mean difference 0.90 and 0.61 points, respectively, P<0.001). There were no between group mean differences over time in pain (BPI Mean 0.07 (CI, -0.23, 0.37), BPI Worst -0.14 (CI, -0.59, 0.31)), quality of life (MQOL Overall 0.08 (CI, -0.37, 0.53)), symptom distress (MSAS Global Distress Index -0.002 (CI, -0.12, 0.12)), or analgesic medication use (parenteral morphine equivalents -0.10 (CI, -0.25, 0.05). LIMITATIONS The immediate outcome measures were obtained by unblinded study therapists, possibly leading to reporting bias and the overestimation of beneficial effect. The generalizability to all advanced cancer patients is uncertain. The differential beneficial effect of massage therapy over simple touch is not conclusive in the absence of a “usual care” control arm. CONCLUSIONS Massage may have immediately beneficial effects on pain and mood among patients with advanced cancer. Given the lack of sustained effects and the observed improvements in both study arms, the potential benefits of attention and simple touch should also be considered in this population.

Genotyping Plasmodium falciparum parasites in longitudinal studies provides a robust approach to estimating force of infection (FOI) in the presence of superinfections. The molecular parameter mol FOI, defined as the number of new P. falciparum clones acquired over time, describes basic malaria epidemiology and is suitable for measuring outcomes of interventions. This study was designed to test whether mol FOI influenced the risk of clinical malaria episodes and how far mol FOI reflected environmental determinants of transmission, such as seasonality and small-scale geographical variation or effects of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Two hundred sixty-four children 1-3 y of age from Papua New Guinea were followed over 16 mo. Individual parasite clones were tracked longitudinally by genotyping. On average, children acquired 5.9 (SD 9.6) new P. falciparum infections per child per y. mol FOI showed a pronounced seasonality, was strongly reduced in children using ITNs (incidence rate ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval, [0.38, 0.61]), increased with age, and significantly varied within villages (P = 0.001). The acquisition of new parasite clones was the major factor determining the risk of clinical illness (incidence rate ratio, 2.12; 95% confidence interval, [1.93, 2.31]). Adjusting for individual differences in mol FOI completely explained spatial variation, age trends, and the effect of ITN use. This study highlights the suitability of mol FOI as a measure of individual exposure and its central role in malaria epidemiology. It has substantial advantages over entomological measures in studies of transmission patterns, and could be used in analyses of host variation in susceptibility, in field efficacy trials of novel interventions or vaccines, and for evaluating intervention effects.infection dynamics | cohort studies | molecular monitoring

ABSTRACT. Objective: Although soft tissue infections are common among injection drug users (IDUs), little is known about the health outcomes among those who seek care for these infections. Emergency department visits are an important point-of-health-care contact for IDUs. In this prospective cohort study, we aimed to determine the hospitalization and mortality rates and factors associated with hospitalization or death among IDUs seeking emergency care for soft tissue infection. Method: Participants were English-speaking IDUs, 18 years of age and older, who sought initial care for soft tissue infection in an urban emergency department. We conducted semistructured interviews, identifi ed hospitalizations from hospital records, and identifi ed deaths using the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to investigate associations between baseline characteristics and hospitalizations or death. Results: Of 211 eligible patients, 156 (74%) participated (mean age = 42 years). There were 255 subsequent hospitalizations over a mean of 3.9 years follow-up. The hospitalization rate was 42 hospitalizations per 100 person-years (95% confi dence interval [CI]: 38-48). The mortality rate was 2.0 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 1.1-3.7). Factors associated with increased risk for hospitalization or death included living on the street or in a shelter (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.10-2.79), being recently incarcerated (AOR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.05-3.44), and having insurance (AOR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.22-3.23). Conclusions: IDUs who sought care in the emergency department for soft tissue infections were at high risk for subsequent hospitalization and death. Visits for soft tissue infections represent missed opportunities for preventive care. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 69: [924][925][926][927][928][929][930][931][932] 2008)

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