Archives of Allied Health Sciences

Post-exercise blood pressure responses and cardiac stress after inspiratory muscle training in COPD patients: a pilot study

2024-06-09T20:43:35+07:00

Acute responses following a single bout of exercise have been shown to predict blood pressure regulation and cardiovascular adaptations. Inspiratory muscle exercise (IMT) has been utilised in pulmonary rehabilitation programmes for COPD patients, but little is known about the immediate effects of IMT exercise on post-exercise blood pressure and cardiac responses. The current study aimed to investigate acute post-exercise blood pressure, cardiac autonomic, and myocardial oxygen demand responses to a single session of IMT among COPD individuals. Ten male COPD patients, with an average age of 65.44 ± 4.38 years, volunteered for the study. Subjects underwent the IMT protocol at 60% maximal inspiratory pressure as an inspiratory load (6 breaths/set, 1-minute rest between sets, 5 sets), while the control group subjects performed breathing without inspiratory load. Blood pressure and heart rate variability were measured before and immediately, 5, 15 and 30 min after the exercise. Systolic blood pressure in the IMT group was significantly higher than in the control group immediately after exercise. Sympathetic cardiac autonomic modulation and sympathovagal balance also showed similar responses to systolic blood pressure. The rate pressure product index of myocardial oxygen demand and heart rate significantly increased from baseline compared to immediate post-IMT exercise. However, all variables returned to the baseline values within 15 min following exercise, and no adverse effects were reported after the IMT programme. Our data suggest that single bouts of IMT sessions neither elicit post-exercise hypotension nor a high cardiac autonomic response in patients with COPD. Thus, moderate-intensity IMT exercise with a short duration appears to be safe for this population.

Assessing the acceptability of an Automated Health Records Information System in the universities: a technology acceptance model approach

2024-07-15T14:50:28+07:00

This research assessed the acceptability of the Automated Health Records Information System in a state university clinic located in Cebu, Philippines, and aimed to enhance healthcare management in the digital era. Employing the Technology Acceptance Model, the study examined user perceptions and satisfaction with the software, providing insights into its effectiveness in improving workflow efficiency and patient care. The study employed a weighted mean utilizing a five-point Likert scale to evaluate the acceptability of the software and a four-point scale for expert validation. A descriptive correlational method was utilized, applying Pearson r to analyze the degree of correlation. The study revealed that the software was highly acceptable based on perceived usefulness, ease of use, intention to use, and actual use, as rated by the respondents. Moreover, the technical requirements of the software, including design, features, and program content, were also positively rated. The null hypotheses were not rejected as there were no significant interrelationships among the four acceptability variables, indicating that other factors, such as the type of institutional support, user’s characteristics, experiences, and skills, may influence the inter-correlation acceptability of variables. Respondents highlighted challenges in software navigation and expressed the need for comprehensive training. Despite these challenges, the study strongly recommended the acceptability and adoption of the Automated Health Records Information System to enhance healthcare delivery within university clinics, emphasizing its role in seamlessly managing health records for all university personnel and students, in alignment with broader institutional objectives aimed at improving overall well-being and organizational efficiency.

Concurrent validity of two-dimensional motion analysis using Kinovea for measuring spatiotemporal gait parameters in healthy individuals

2024-08-13T14:36:36+07:00

Spatiotemporal gait parameters are usually used as crucial indicators for quantifying rehabilitation effectiveness and several clinical outcomes such as gait and balance ability, and risk of falls of many individuals. Kinovea is an open software for analyzing captured images. The validity of this software has been extensively studied for joint angle measurement, but it is unclear for the measurement of spatiotemporal parameters, which limits its application. Thus, the study explored the concurrent validity and agreement of Kinovea to detect spatiotemporal gait parameters as compared to a criterion measure. Fifty-one healthy participants (age range from 18 to 59 years) were instructed to walk along a 10-m walkway for three trials. Stride length, cadence, gait symmetry and walking speed were assessed using Kinovea and APDM® Mobility Lab (APDM) system. Pearson's correlation coefficients, concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) and Bland–Altman plot were utilized to explore the concurrent validity and agreement of the Kinovea findings and standard measures. Excellent validity and agreement were found for Kinovea in calculating spatiotemporal parameters (r > 0.95: CCC > 0.85, p-value < 0.001). Moreover, the Bland–Altman plot data were uniformly-scattered around the horizontal axis and under the limit of agreement. The findings conclusively confirm the validity of Kinovea for spatiotemporal parameters as verified using a standard measure. Thus, this software can be used as an alternative assessment for clinicians in various clinical-based and community-based settings.

Ability of five times sit-to-stand to determine functional limitation in people with knee osteoarthritis

2024-09-10T11:31:12+07:00

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), the most common form of arthritis, affects the ability to fully use the lower extremities due to pain, muscle weakness, and deformity. With the ability of the five times sit-to-stand test (FTSST) to reflect functional lower limb strength, the researchers hypothesized that outcomes of the test could detect functional limitation in these individuals. Thus, this study explored the ability of the FTSST to determine functional limitation in individuals with KOA. Ninety-three participants with KOA were cross-sectionally assessed for their health status, KOA information, FTSST, and functional limitation using a standard measure, namely the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaire. The findings indicated that 64 participants were those with non-functional limitation, and the rest of them (n = 29) were those with functional limitation according to the data of WOMAC. Furthermore, outcomes of the FTSST ≥ 15 seconds could excellently determine those with functional limitation (sensitivity=79%, specificity=71%, and area under the curve=0.838). As being a practical measure of the FTSST, the present findings offer an alternative strategy to detect and monitor individuals with KOA who have functional limitation, as well as indicate treatment effectiveness for these individuals.

Inhibitory effects of methanolic extracts of Shorea roxburghii flowers on gastrointestinal cancer and their antioxidant properties

2024-08-30T22:11:39+07:00

Natural plants contain distinctive secondary metabolites valuable in developing functional foods, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals for preventing and treating various diseases. Many parts of Shorea roxburghii, a Southeast Asian plant, contain various bioactive compounds, which have garnered attention for their medicinal properties. This study aimed to extract S. roxburghii flowers using methanol as a solvent and to assess their phenolic and flavonoid contents, as well as their antioxidant activity through FRAP and DPPH assays. Additionally, the potential anticancer activities on gastrointestinal cancer were investigated using cytotoxicity and apoptosis assays. The flower extract's phenolic content was determined to be 161.20 ± 0.66 μg GAE/mg, with a flavonoid content of 51.93 ± 5.16 μg QE/mg. The extract exhibited moderate antioxidant activity with 57.31 ± 4.29 μg AAE/mg of FRAP value and an EC50 value of 528.10 μg/ml for DPPH scavenging activity. The methanolic extract of S. roxburghii showed cytotoxic effects on AGS and KKU-100 gastrointestinal cancer cell lines, with IC50 values of 57.81 μg/ml and 122.5 μg/ml, respectively. Methanolic extract inhibited cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis, suggesting its potential as an anti-cancer agent. This study highlights the medicinal potential of S. roxburghii flowers, emphasizing their rich phenolic content and significant antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.