Sleep problems among university students are common; however, the association between many sleep-related factors and sleep behaviors is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to examine different sleep behaviors and sleep-related factors influencing such behaviors in university students. A descriptive survey was conducted on 400 university students in Hong Kong. The instruments for data collection consisted of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a sleep hygiene practice questionnaire, demographic data, and other sleep-related factors. The results reveal that 57.5% of the 400 university students are poor sleepers. Sex, year of study, sleep hygiene practice, and perceived adequate sleep in the past month all demonstrate significant associations with poor sleepers. A high prevalence of sleep-related problems among college students is confirmed and associated factors are identified. Students should be encouraged to follow sleep hygiene practice, adequate time management for academic and social activities, and suitable stress-relieving measures.

These data could serve as a basis for re-educating nursing staff on the subject. Staff with more clinical experience could give appropriate guidance to other members of staff on decisions to apply restraints. More effective alternative interventions to restraining clients should be explored. Once the gaps in knowledge are closed, more positive attitudes among staff towards the use of restraints can be cultivated, thus leading to a higher standard of nursing practice.

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Tai chi Qigong promoted health outcomes with respect to clients' perception of their respiratory symptoms. Moreover, TCQ decreased disturbances to their physical activities.

Objective. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of auricular therapy by including a sham therapy control group. Methods. Relevant, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were identified by searching medical related databases from, depending on journal, 1900 (at the earliest) to 1994 (at the latest) through May 2013. The outcome measure was a pain intensity score. Results. Twenty-two RCTs were identified and 13 RCTs were included for meta-analysis. In these studies, auricular therapy provided significant pain relief when compared to a sham or control group. The overall standardized mean differences (SMD) was 1.59 (95% CI [−2.36, −0.82]) (13 trials, total subject numbers = 806), indicating that, on average, the mean decrease in pain score for auricular therapy group was 1.59 standard deviations greater than the mean decrease for the sham control. In terms of the efficacy of the different treatment methods, auricular acupressure boasts the largest strength of evidence for pain relief, followed by auricular acupuncture. Electroacupuncture stimulation did not show significant evidence for efficacy, which may be due to the small sample size (i.e., only 19 subjects were included). Conclusion. Further large-scale RCTs are needed to determine the efficacy of auricular therapy for pain.

Tai chi Qigong has sustaining effects in improving the physiological health and is a useful and appropriate exercise for COPD patients.

Objectives. This prospective, randomized clinical trial (RCT) was designed to investigate the feasibility and effects of a 4-week auricular point acupressure (APA) for chronic low back pain (CLBP). Methods. Participants were randomized to either true APA (true acupoints with taped seeds on the designated ear points for CLBP) or sham APA (sham acupoints with taped seeds but on different locations than those designated for CLBP). The duration of treatment was four weeks. Participants were assessed before treatment, weekly during treatment, and 1 month following treatment. Results. Participants in the true APA group who completed the 4-week APA treatment had a 70% reduction in worst pain intensity, a 75% reduction in overall pain intensity, and a 42% improvement in disability due to back pain from baseline assessment. The reductions of worst pain and overall pain intensity in the true APA group were statistically greater than participants in the sham group (P < 0.01) at the completion of a 4-week APA and 1 month followup. Discussion. The preliminary findings of this feasibility study showed a reduction in pain intensity and improvement in physical function suggesting that APA may be a promising treatment for patients with CLBP.

Sleep disturbances are a particularly common problem in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of auricular therapy on sleep behaviors in the elderly. One hundred and twenty participants of 60 years old or above and who were suffering from sleep disturbances were invited to participate in this study. Eligible participants were randomly allocated to receive auricular therapy using Junci Medulla (Group A = 30), Semen Vaccariae (Group B = 30) or magnetic pearls (Group C = 60). Groups A and B were the control groups, while Group C was the experimental group. Seven auricular points which are thought to have an effect on promoting sleep were selected. The total treatment course lasted for three weeks. Objective measurement using actigraphic monitoring was performed before the therapy commenced, in the middle period of the therapy, and within one week after the therapy had been completed. After the therapy, there were significant differences among the three groups in terms of the nocturnal sleep time (NST) (F(2,117) = 6.84, p < 0.05) and sleep efficiency (SE) (F(2,117) = 7.69, p < 0.05). Significant improvement in the sleep behaviors was observed in the experimental group using magnetic pearls. In a backward multiple regression, the effect of auricular therapy on SE after allowing for age in female participants is of high statistical significance (F(3,106) = 9.04, p < 0.001). The paper concludes that auricular therapy using magnetic pearls is an effective means of improving the quantity and quality of sleep in the elderly.