The pharmacological activities in bioactive plant extracts play an increasing role in sustainable resources for valorization and biomedical applications. Bioactive phytochemicals, including natural compounds, secondary metabolites and their derivatives, have attracted significant attention for use in both medicinal products and cosmetic products. Our review highlights the pharmacological mode-of-action and current biomedical applications of key bioactive compounds applied as anti-inflammatory, bactericidal with antibiotics effects, and pain relief purposes in controlled clinical studies or preclinical studies. In this systematic review, the availability of bioactive compounds from several salt-tolerant plant species, mainly focusing on the three promising species Aster tripolium, Crithmum maritimum and Salicornia europaea, are summarized and discussed. All three of them have been widely used in natural folk medicines and are now in the focus for future nutraceutical and pharmacological applications.

Background Heart failure is one of the world’s most frequently diagnosed cardiovascular diseases. An important element of heart failure management is cardiac rehabilitation, the goal of which is to improve patients’ recovery, functional capacity, psychosocial well-being, and health-related quality of life. Patients in cardiac rehabilitation may lack sufficient motivation or may feel that the rehabilitation process does not meet their individual needs. One solution to these challenges is the use of telerehabilitation. Although telerehabilitation has been available for several years, it has only recently begun to be utilized in heart failure studies. Especially within the past 5 years, we now have several studies focusing on the effectiveness of telerehabilitation for heart failure management, all with varying results. Based on a review of these studies, this paper offers an assessment of the effectiveness of telerehabilitation as applied to heart failure management. Objective The aim of this scoping review was to assess the effects of telerehabilitation in the management of heart failure by systematically reviewing the available scientific literature within the period from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2020. Methods The literature search was carried out using PubMed and EMBASE. After duplicates were removed, 77 articles were screened and 12 articles were subsequently reviewed. The review followed the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for scoping reviews) guidelines. As measures of the effectiveness of telerehabilitation, the following outcomes were used: patients’ quality of life, physical capacity, depression or anxiety, and adherence to the intervention. Results A total of 12 articles were included in this review. In reviewing the effects of telerehabilitation for patients with heart failure, it was found that 4 out of 6 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), a single prospective study, and 4 out of 5 reviews reported increased quality of life for patients. For physical capacity, 4 RCTs and 3 systematic reviews revealed increased physical capacity. Depression or depressive symptoms were reported as being reduced in 1 of the 6 RCTs and in 2 of the 5 reviews. Anxiety or anxiety-related symptoms were reported as reduced in only 1 review. High adherence to the telerehabilitation program was reported in 4 RCTs and 4 reviews. It should be mentioned that some of the reviewed articles described the same studies although they employed different outcome measures. Conclusions It was found that there is a tendency toward improvement in patients’ quality of life and physical capacity when telerehabilitation was used in heart failure management. The outcome measures of depression, anxiety, and adherence to the intervention were found to be positive. Additional research is needed to determine more precise and robust effects of telerehabilitation.

Background More than 37 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with heart failure, which is a growing burden on the health sector. Cardiac rehabilitation aims to improve patients’ recovery, functional capacity, psychosocial well-being, and health-related quality of life. However, cardiac rehabilitation programs have poor compliance and adherence. Telerehabilitation may be a solution to overcome some of these challenges to cardiac rehabilitation by making it more individualized. As part of the Future Patient Telerehabilitation program, a digital toolbox aimed at enabling patients with heart failure to monitor and evaluate their own current status has been developed and tested using data from a patient-reported outcome questionnaire that the patient filled in every alternate week for 1 year. Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the changes in quality of life and well-being among patients with heart failure, who are participants in the Future Patient Telerehabilitation program over the course of 1 year. Methods In total, 140 patients were enrolled in the Future Patient Telerehabilitation program and randomized into either the telerehabilitation group (n=70) or the control group (n=70). Of the 70 patients in the telerehabilitation group, 56 (80.0%) answered the patient-reported outcome questionnaire and completed the program, and these 56 patients comprised the study population. The patient-reported outcomes consisted of three components: (1) questions regarding the patients’ sleep patterns assessed using the Spiegel Sleep Questionnaire; (2) measurements of physical limitations, symptoms, self-efficacy, social interaction, and quality of life assessed using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire in 10 dimensions; and (3) 5 additional questions regarding psychological well-being that were developed by the research group. Results The changes in scores during 1 year of the study were examined using 1-sample Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. There were significant differences in the scores for most of the slopes of the scores from the dimensions of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (P<.05). Conclusions There was a significant increase in clinical and social well-being and quality of life during the 1-year period of participating in a telerehabilitation program. These results suggest that patient-reported outcome questionnaires may be used as a tool for patients in a telerehabilitation program that can both monitor and guide patients in mastering their own symptoms. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03388918; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03388918

BACKGROUND More than 37 million people throughout the world are diagnosed with heart failure that is a growing burden on the health sector. Cardiac rehabilitation aims to improve patients’ recovery, functional capacity, psychosocial well-being, and health-related quality of life. However, cardiac rehabilitation programs have poor compliance and adherence. Telerehabilitation may be a solution to overcome some of these challenges to cardiac rehabilitation and making it more individualized. As part of the Future Patient Telerehabilitation program, a digital toolbox with the aim of enabling HF patients to monitor and evaluate their own current status has been developed and tested via data from a questionnaire (patient reported outcomes) that the patient has answered every other week (patient -reported outcomes) for one year. OBJECTIVE The aim of this sub-study is to evaluate the changes in quality of life and well-being for heart failure patients participating in the FPT Program over the course of one year. METHODS In total, 140 patients were enrolled in the Future Patient Telerehabilitation program and randomized into either the telerehabilitation group (n=70) or the control group (n=70). The patients in the telerehabilitation group answered patient reported outcomes that consisted of three components: Questions regarding the patients’ sleep patterns using the Spiegel Sleep Questionnaire. Measurements of physical limitations, symptoms, self-efficacy, social interaction and quality of life were assessed using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). In addition, five additional questions regarding psychological well-being were developed by the research group. Of the 70 patients in the TR group, 56 answered the PRO questionnaire and completed the program, and it is these 56 patients who constitute the population for this study. RESULTS The changes in scores during one year of the study were examined using one-sample Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with a hypothesized median being 0. There were statistically significant differences in the scores in most of the slopes and intersections of the scores from the dimensions from the KCCQ and in the slopes of the patients’ overall well-being (p < 0.05). Only one dimension, the symptom stability, showed a decrease in scores over a one-year period. CONCLUSIONS The overall well-being of heart failure patients increased during one year of participating in a telerehabilitation program. There was a statistically significant increase in clinical and social well-being and quality of life during the one-year intervention period. The increase in the scores over time may indicate that the patients became more aware of their own symptoms and became better equipped to cope with disease in their everyday lives. These results suggest that patient-reported-outcome questionnaires may be used as a tool for patients in a telerehabilitation program that can both monitor and guide the patients in mastering their own symptoms CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03388918; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03388918

Background Each year, an estimated 20 million people worldwide are in need of palliative care. The main diagnosis of people needing palliative care is cancer, followed by cardiovascular disease and chronical obstructive lung disease. The web-based telepalliation program and digital platform (offering video consultation, treatment planning, patient-reported outcomes, chat forum, and information on palliation) was developed through a participatory design process involving patients, their relatives, health care professionals, and researchers. Objective This study aimed to pilot-test the telepalliation program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The case study is used as the overall method for the study. The theoretical framework is the Antonovsky “Sense of Coherence” theory. A triangulation of data collection techniques was used: documents (home pages and documents on palliative care) were studied; participant observation was carried out in patients’ homes (n=16 hours); and semistructured qualitative interviews were carried out with 3 women (ages 46-73 years) and 3 men (aged 64-80 years). Of the 6 patients, 4 were diagnosed with cancer and 2 with cardiovascular diseases. The interviews were recorded and analyzed. We followed 7 subjects and conducted 6 interviews; 1 patient dropped out due fatigue. Results Patients participating in the telepalliation program articulated their experiences in terms of the following themes: a sense of security; a sense of coherence; a feeling that the telepalliation platform facilitates continuity and better communication with health care professionals across sectors; a sense of easier access to the palliative team; and a feeling that their spouse and family were more integrated into the care process, because they could participate in difficult dialogues with the palliative team via video link. Conclusions Preliminary findings indicate that patients participating in a telepalliation program experience a sense of security, coherence in their care process, and integrated care across sectors for the individual patients. Further research is needed on the potential benefits and drawbacks of telepalliation.

BACKGROUND Heart failure is one of the world’s most frequently diagnosed cardiovascular diseases. An important element of heart failure management is cardiac rehabilitation, which aims to improve patients’ recovery, functional capacity, psychosocial well-being, and health-related quality of life. Patients in cardiac rehabilitation may lack sufficient motivation or feel that the rehabilitation process does not meet their individual needs. One solution to these challenges is the use of telerehabilitation. Although telerehabilitation has been available for several years, it is only in recent years that it has been utilized in heart failure studies. Especially within the past five years, we now have several studies focusing on the effectiveness of telerehabilitation for heart failure management, and the studies show varying results. Based on these studies, this paper provides a review and assessment of the general effectiveness of telerehabilitation as applied to heart failure management. OBJECTIVE The aim of this scoping review is to assess the effects of telerehabilitation in the management of heart failure by systematically reviewing the available scientific literature within the period from January 1st 2015 to December 31st 2020. METHODS The literature search was performed using PubMed and EMBASE. After duplicates were removed, 77 articles were screened and reviewed, of which 12 articles were included in this review. As measures of the effectiveness of telerehabilitation, the following outcomes were used: patient’s quality of life, physical capacity, depression/anxiety, and adherence to the intervention. RESULTS In reviewing the effects of telerehabilitation for heart failure patients, it was found that, 4 out of 6 randomized control trials, the single prospective study, and 4 out of 5 reviews reported increased quality of life for patients. For physical capacity, 4 randomized control trials and 3 systematic reviews revealed increased physical capacity. Depression or depressive symptoms was reported as reduced in 1 of the 6 randomized control trials and in 2 of the 5 reviews. Anxiety or anxiety-related symptoms was only reported as reduced in only 1 review. High adherence to the telerehabilitation program was reported in 4 randomized control trials and 4 reviews. It should be mentioned that some of the reviewed articles described the same studies although they used different outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS Telerehabilitation is still a relatively new approach to heart failure patients. It was found that there is a tendency toward improvement in patients’ quality of life and physical capacity. The outcome measures of depression, anxiety and adherence to the intervention were found to be positive. More research is needed to determine more precise and robust effects on the respective outcomes in telerehabilitation.

BACKGROUND Each year, an estimated 20 million people worldwide are in need of palliative care. The main diagnosis of people needing palliative care is cancer, followed by cardiovascular disease and chronical obstructive lung disease. The web-based telepalliation program and digital platform (offering video consultation, treatment planning, patient-reported outcomes, chat forum, and information on palliation) was developed through a participatory design process involving patients, their relatives, health care professionals, and researchers. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to pilot-test the telepalliation program during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS The case study is used as the overall method for the study. The theoretical framework is the Antonovsky “Sense of Coherence” theory. A triangulation of data collection techniques was used: documents (home pages and documents on palliative care) were studied; participant observation was carried out in patients’ homes (n=16 hours); and semistructured qualitative interviews were carried out with 3 women (ages 46-73 years) and 3 men (aged 64-80 years). Of the 6 patients, 4 were diagnosed with cancer and 2 with cardiovascular diseases. The interviews were recorded and analyzed. We followed 7 subjects and conducted 6 interviews; 1 patient dropped out due fatigue. RESULTS Patients participating in the telepalliation program articulated their experiences in terms of the following themes: a sense of security; a sense of coherence; a feeling that the telepalliation platform facilitates continuity and better communication with health care professionals across sectors; a sense of easier access to the palliative team; and a feeling that their spouse and family were more integrated into the care process, because they could participate in difficult dialogues with the palliative team via video link. CONCLUSIONS Preliminary findings indicate that patients participating in a telepalliation program experience a sense of security, coherence in their care process, and integrated care across sectors for the individual patients. Further research is needed on the potential benefits and drawbacks of telepalliation.