Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for treating primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized controlled trial

Analysis of the influence of emotional factors on the efficacy and prognosis of endoscopic treatment of functional abdominal pain in children

This study aimed to explore the influence of emotional factors on the efficacy and prognosis of endoscopic treatment in children with functional abdominal pain (FAP), and to identify related risk factors. A total of 66 children with FAP treated with endoscopy from January 2018 to June 2024 were evaluated using the Child Depression Scale, Child Anxiety Scale, Quality of Life Scale, and visual analog scoring. Patients' demographics, clinical symptoms, treatment methods, and outcomes were recorded. Symptom remission, recurrence rates, and quality of life changes were compared after 6 months. Pearson correlation and logistic regression analyses were conducted. High-anxiety (35 cases) and low-anxiety (31 cases) groups had mean pain scores of 4.85 ± 1.21 and 2.10 ± 0.85, respectively (P = .001). Recurrence rates were 34.3% and 9.7%, respectively (P = .012). Good-mood (20 cases) and bad-mood (46 cases) groups had quality of life scores of 85.50 ± 5.50 and 63.50 ± 7.00 (P < .05). High-depression (25 cases) and low-depression (41 cases) groups had mean pain scores of 5.10 ± 1.10 and 2.40 ± 0.75 (P < .05), with recurrence rates of 36.0% and 14.6%, respectively (P = .009). Anxiety and depression were positively correlated with pain scores (r = 0.60, r = 0.58, P < .05) and negatively correlated with quality of life (r = -0.56, r = -0.54, P < .05). Anxiety (OR = 3.20, P = .003) and depression (OR = 2.80, P = .007) were independent risk factors for recurrence. Emotional factors significantly affect the efficacy and prognosis of endoscopic treatment in children with FAP. Negative emotions increase recurrence risk and reduce treatment efficacy and quality of life. Psychological intervention should be considered to improve outcomes.

Impact of Probiotic Supplementation and High-Intensity Interval Training on Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating Inflammation and Hormonal Modulation

Background: Dysmenorrhea, categorized as primary (PD) or secondary (SD), significantly affects females during their reproductive years, impairing quality of life, performance, and social relationships. Alongside medical treatment, exercise and probiotics are complementary measures for managing PD and promoting health. This study examined the impact of probiotic supplementation and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on PD severity, physiological modulation, and physical fitness. Methods: Participants, recruited according to the primary dysmenorrhea criteria, were divided into non-PD (control) and PD groups, with the PD group further classified into dysmenorrhea (Dysmen), dysmenorrhea with probiotics (DysmenPro), dysmenorrhea with exercise (DysmenEx), and dysmenorrhea with both (DysmenExPro). Interventions included 10 weeks of HIIT and probiotics. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included questionnaires on premenstrual and menstrual symptoms, physical fitness evaluations, and blood sample analyses for biochemical, hormonal, and prostaglandin levels. Results: HIIT significantly reduced premenstrual symptoms, menstrual distress, and pain severity, likely due to hormone (estradiol, prolactin, progesterone, cortisol) modulation and decreased inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, PGE2, PGF2α). Cardiovascular endurance and explosive strength showed improvement through high-intensity interval training (HIIT), whereas probiotics had no significant effect on these aspects of physical fitness. While probiotics reduced premenstrual and menstrual distress symptoms, they had no notable impact on pain, inflammation, or hormone levels. Dysmenorrhea-related discomforts were correlated significantly with inflammation and hormones. Conclusions: The intervention strategy involving probiotics and HIIT exercise may be utilized as an alternative and complementary treatment to alleviate PD symptoms. Furthermore, this strategy could also be incorporated into educational health plans to promote women's health and potentially prevent gynecological disorders in the adolescent population.

Global trends in research on extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) from 2000 to 2021

BACKGROUND

This study intended to analyze the application of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in medicine and to evaluate the quality of related literature.

METHODS

All publications were extracted from 2000 to 2021 from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). The literature characteristics were depicted by VOSviewer (version 1.6.15) and the online bibliometric website ( http://bibliometric.com/ ). The future trends and hotspots were conducted by Bibliographic Item Co-occurrence Matrix Builder (version 2.0) and gCLUTO software.

RESULTS

We analyzed 1774 articles corresponding to the criteria for ESWT publications from 2000 to 2021. Most studies were conducted within the United States and China which besides have the most cooperation. The most published research institutions are Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and Kaohsiung Medical University. Six research hotspots were identified by keyword clustering analysis: Cluster0: The effects of ESWT on muscle spasticity; Cluster1: The application of ESWT in osteoarthritis (OA); Cluster2: Therapeutic effect of ESWT on tendon diseases; Cluster3: Early application of ESWT/ESWL in urolithiasis; Cluster4: The Role of angiogenesis in ESWT and the efficiency of ESWT for penile disease; Cluster5: The Special value of radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT).

CONCLUSIONS

A comprehensive and systematic bibliometric analysis of ESWT was conducted in our study. We identified six ESWT-related research hotspots and predicted future research trends. With the gradual increase of research on ESWT, we find that ESWT is used more and more extensively, such in musculoskeletal disease, bone delay union, neurological injury, andrology disorders, lymphedema, and so on. In addition, the mechanism is not destructive damage, as initially thought, but a restorative treatment. Furthermore, delayed union, cellulite, burn, and diabetic foot ulcers may be the future direction of scientific study.

The Sprint-Interval Exercise Using a Spinning Bike Improves Physical Fitness and Ameliorates Primary Dysmenorrhea Symptoms Through Hormone and Inflammation Modulations: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Dysmenorrhea with high prevalence has been categorized as primary dysmenorrhea (PD) and secondary dysmenorrhea due to differences in pathogenesis. A significant number of reproductive females suffering from monthly menstruation have to deal with negative impacts on their quality of life, work/study productivity, activities, and social relationships. In addition to medical treatment, exercise has been recognized as a complementary and alternative strategy for disease prevention, alleviation, and rehabilitation. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of exercise on the severity of primary dysmenorrhea, physiological modulation, and physical fitness. Participants consisted of university students who were enrolled in the study and divided into a non-PD (Control) and a PD group based on recruiting criteria, the latter being randomly assigned to either an untreated dysmenorrhea group or a dysmenorrhea group that underwent 10 weeks of high intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise (Dysmen and DysmenHIIT, respectively). The DysmenHIIT group used spinning bikes and the training intensity was validated by heart rate monitors and BORG rating of perceived exertion. Forms containing participant information (premenstrual symptoms, menstrual distress, and a Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire) as well as physical fitness, biochemical variables, hormone and prostaglandin (PGE2 and PGF2α) levels were assessed before and after the exercise intervention. After intervention, premenstrual symptoms (anger, anxiety, depression, activity level, fatigue, etc.), menstrual distress symptoms (cramps, aches, swelling, etc.), and pain severity were shown to be significantly mitigated, possibly through hormone (estradiol, prolactin, progesterone, and cortisol) modulation. Furthermore, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP), PGE2 and PGF2α levels were also down-regulated, resulting in the amelioration of uterine contraction and inflammation. Participants' physical fitness, including cardiovascular endurance and explosive force, was significantly improved after HIIT. The 10-week HIIT spinning bike exercise used in this study could be employed as a potential and complementary treatment for PD symptoms alleviation and considered as part of an educational health plan for promoting women's health. However, the effects of HIIT utilizing different exercise methods and accounting for different age populations and secondary PD warrant further investigation.