Search Results (6)

Objective: To explore the feasibility and acceptability of using an evidence-based Tai Chi intervention to manage the fatigue–sleep disturbance–depression symptom cluster (FSDSC) in female breast cancer patients. Methods: This study reported the feasibility outcomes of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), along with a nested qualitative process evaluation. Seventy-two female breast cancer patients experiencing the FSDSC were randomized into either a Tai Chi group or a control group. The Tai Chi group received an eight-week Tai Chi intervention consisting of two one-hour sessions per week, along with routine care, while the control group received routine care only. The feasibility and acceptability of the study procedure and Tai Chi intervention protocol were assessed by measuring recruitment, referral, retention and drop-out rates, questionnaire completion rates (including the Brief Fatigue Inventory [BFI], Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI], Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression [HADS-D], and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast [FACT-B]), intervention adherence, and safety outcomes. The nested qualitative process evaluation consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted among 22 participants to further explore their experiences of participating in this study and practicing Tai Chi. Descriptive data analysis was employed to present the feasibility and acceptability outcomes. Content analysis was employed to analyze the data from the qualitative process evaluation. Results: A total of 72 breast cancer patients were successfully recruited over six months, with a recruitment rate of 79.1%, retention rate of 95.8%, and dropout rate of 4.2%. No missing data was found in the BFI, PSQI, or HADS-D. However, a notable number of missing values were found in the FACT-B, particularly for items related to sexual satisfaction. The Tai Chi intervention demonstrated a high level of feasibility, with an average adherence rate of 86.8%. Only eight participants reported minor discomforts, such as minor musculoskeletal discomfort and dizziness, but they were transient and manageable after stopping Tai Chi practice. Semi-structured interviews with 22 participants highlighted that Tai Chi was experienced to be generally convenient, energy-saving, and low intensity for FSDSC management. Participants also felt that the study questionnaires were comprehensible and straightforward. Many interviewees from the Tai Chi group reported perceiving favorable effects on FSDSC management, as well as overall functional health and well-being. Conclusions: The evidence-based Tai Chi intervention proved feasible, safe, and convenient as a non-pharmacological intervention for managing FSDSC in breast cancer patients. Future large-scale studies are needed to evaluate Tai Chi’s definite effects on improving FSDSC among breast cancer patients. Full article

Background: “Ricominciare” is a single-center, prospective, pre-/post-intervention pilot study aimed at verifying the feasibility and safety of the ARC Intellicare (ARC) system (an artificial intelligence-powered and inertial motion unit-based mobile platform) in the home rehabilitation of people with disabilities due to respiratory or neurological diseases. Methods. People with Parkinson’s disease (pwPD) or post-COVID-19 condition (COV19) and an indication for exercise or home rehabilitation to optimize motor and respiratory function were enrolled. They underwent training for ARC usage and received an ARC unit to be used independently at home for 4 weeks, for 45 min 5 days/week sessions of respiratory and motor patient-tailored rehabilitation. ARC allows for exercise monitoring thanks to data from five IMU sensors, processed by an AI proprietary library to provide (i) patients with real-time feedback and (ii) therapists with information on patient adherence to the prescribed therapy. Usability (System Usability Scale, SUS), adherence, and adverse events were primary study outcomes. Modified Barthel Index (mBI), Barthel Dyspnea Index (BaDI), 2-Minute Walking Test (2MWT), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Beck Depression or Anxiety Inventory (BDI, BAI), and quality of life (EQ-5D) were also monitored pre- and post-treatment. Results. A total of 21 out of 23 eligible patients were enrolled and completed the study: 11 COV19 and 10 pwPD. The mean total SUS score was 77/100. The median patients’ adherence to exercise prescriptions was 80%. Clinical outcome measures (BaDI, 2MWT distance, BFI; BAI, BDI, and EQ-5D) improved significantly; no side effects were reported. Conclusion. ARC is usable and safe for home rehabilitation. Preliminary data suggest promising results on the effectiveness in subjects with post-COVID condition or Parkinson’s disease. Full article

Cancer-related fatigue is a highly prevalent and distressing symptom that negatively affects the quality of life of patients in all stages of cancer, including survivors. The Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) is a 15-item multidimensional instrument with the potential to enhance comprehension of fatigue. This study aimed to translate the original English version of the CFS into Korean and establish the validity and reliability of the translated version. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to translate and validate the CFS in Korean. Factor analyses were performed to understand and establish construct and convergent validity with the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACT-F), and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). The CFS demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all 15 items = 0.806); the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy was found to be 0.897, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (p < 0.001). Moderate correlations were found between BFI, FACT-F, and EROTC QLQ-C30, indicating moderate validity. However, there were differences in factorial validity between the original scale and the Korean version, demonstrating a need for further testing in a homogenous population of cancer patients. The findings of this validation and reliability study showed that the Korean version of the CFS is a concise, reliable, feasible, and practical tool for evaluating the multidimensional aspects of cancer-related fatigue in patients with cancer. Full article

Although there have been many published reports on fatigue and pain in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is considered that these symptoms are seldom, if ever, asked about during consultations in Japanese clinical practice. To bridge this gap between the literature and daily clinical experience, the authors attempted to gain a better understanding of fatigue and pain in Japanese subjects with COPD. The Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) to analyse and quantify the degree of fatigue, the revised Short–Form McGill Pain Questionnaire 2 (SF-MPQ-2) for measuring pain and the Kihon Checklist to judge whether a participant is frail and elderly were administered to 89 subjects with stable COPD. The median BFI and SF-MPQ-2 Total scores were 1.00 [IQR: 0.11–2.78] and 0.00 [IQR: 0.00–0.27], respectively. They were all skewed toward the milder end of the respective scales. A floor effect was noted in around a quarter on the BFI and over half on the SF-MPQ-2. The BFI scores were significantly different between groups regarding frailty determined by the Kihon Checklist but not between groups classified by the severity of airflow limitation. Compared to the literature, neither fatigue nor pain are considered to be frequent, important problems in a real-world Japanese clinical setting, especially among subjects with mild to moderate COPD. In addition, our results might suggest that fatigue is more closely related to frailty than COPD. Full article

The severity of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is developed by multifactorial factors. Falls can worsen disease severity. We previously found that frontal assessment battery (FAB) score was associated with a higher risk of future falls. This eight-year follow-up study aimed to verify whether factors including low FAB score can be the risk of PD progression based on the Hoehn and Yahr scale. In total, 95 patients were initially enrolled in this research and 45 were included in the final follow-up. Then, the cohort was classified into patients with and without disease progression, defined by upgrade of Hoehn-Yahr stage. Differences in clinical characteristics between patients with disease progression and those without were evaluated using the Mann–Whitney U test. Eighteen independent variables were evaluated via a univariate logistic regression analysis. Of the 45 patients enrolled, 32 had disease progression and 13 had no progression. Age (p = 0.033), BFI score (p = 0.003), Zung self-rating depression (p = 0.011), and anxiety scale (p = 0.026) were significantly increased in patients who had disease progression than those with no disease progression. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, brief fatigue inventory (BFI) score (OR = 1.048, p = 0.045, 95% CI = 1.001–1.098) was significantly related to disease progression. All BFI subscores related to general fatigue. Fatigue could predict the progression of motor dysfunction severity over a longitudinal duration in patients with PD with disease progression, having declining physical and mental fatigue. Full article

The diagnosis of intracranial meningiomas as incidental findings is increasing by growing availability of MRI diagnostics. However, the psychological distress of patients with incidental meningiomas under a wait-and-watch strategy is unknown. Therefore, we aimed to compare the psychosocial situation of meningioma patients under wait-and-watch to patients after complete resection to bridge this gap. The inclusion criteria for the prospective monocenter study were either an incidental meningioma under a wait-and-watch strategy or no neurologic deficits after complete resection. Sociodemographic, clinical, and health-related quality of life and clinical data were assessed. Psychosocial factors were measured by the Distress Thermometer (DT), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), and the Short Form (SF-36). A total of 62 patients were included (n = 51 female, mean age 61 (SD 13) years). According to HADS, the prevalence of anxiety was 45% in the postoperative and 42% in the wait-and-watch group (p = 0.60), and depression was 61% and 87%, respectively (p = 0.005). In total, 43% of patients under wait-and-watch and 37% of patients in the postoperative group scored ≥6 on the DT scale. SF-36 scores were similar in all categories except general health (p = 0.005) and physical component aggregate score (43.7 (13.6) vs. 50.5 (9.5), (p = 0.03), both lower in the wait-and-watch group. Multivariate analysis revealed the wait-and-watch strategy was associated with a 4.26-fold higher risk of a pathological depression score based on HADS (p = 0.03). This study demonstrates a high prevalence of psychological distress in meningioma patients. Further evaluation is necessary to identify the patients in need of psychooncological support. Full article