scholarly journals The Effect of Aromatherapy Alone or in Combination with Massage on Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Author(s):  
Mona Najaf Najafi ◽  
Neshat Najaf Najafi ◽  
Farzaneh Rashidi Fakari ◽  
Somayeh Moeindarbary ◽  
Fatemeh Abdi ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The aim of the present systematic review meta-analysis is to assess the effect of olfactory stimulation on reducing dysmenorrhea. Methods Systematic search was conducted in several databases, such as PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus, to identify relevant research up to October 26, 2019. The identified studies were evaluated based on a modified Jadad scale. The intervention involves aromatherapy alone or in combination with essential oils. There was no restriction for the control group such as a placebo group or other common treatments. The Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2 (Bio stat, Englewood, NJ, USA) was used for meta-analysis. Cochran's Q and I2 tests were utilized. Results The findings of our meta-analysis, which contained 13 trials (15 data), showed that dysmenorrhea decreased significantly in the group receiving aromatherapy with herbal compared with the control group (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.795; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.922 to- 0.667; 17 trials O < 0.001); heterogeneity; I2 = 19.47%; p = 0.236). In addition, four studies with insufficient data were not included in our meta-analysis. The results of all studies suggested that aromatherapy with herbal medicine group compared with control group is effective. Conclusion Aromatherapy with herbal medicine decreased dysmenorrhea. This treatment was particularly effective when aroma oil was combined with massage or when a mixture of aroma oil was used for the treatment of dysmenorrhea.

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-161
Author(s):  
Saeed Mohammadi ◽  
◽  
Komeil Zahedi Tajrishi ◽  
Mojtaba Tashkeh ◽  
◽  
...  

Objectives: Despite the studies that examined the effect of exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety, no meta-analysis has proved this effect so far. Also, the effect of these factors is unknown in terms of gender and aerobic exercise. This meta-analysis addressed these gaps. Methods: Major electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase, were searched until July 2019. Studies addressing the effect of exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety were found. Q-test and I2 statistic investigated the heterogeneity across the studies. The probability of publication bias was explored using Begg's and Egger's tests. The results were expressed as the Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval using a random-effects model. Results: We identified a total of 10015 references and 51 studies involving 3594 participants. Compared with the control group, the SMD estimate of anxiety was -0.7 (-1.20, -0.19) for meditation, -0.9 (-1.24, -0.57) for aerobic, and -1.07 (-1.67, -0.46) for other exercises. Also, the SMD estimate of depression was-0.84 (-1.26, -0.42) for meditation, -0.44 (-0.72, -0.17) for aerobic, and -1.10 (-1.55, -0.65) for other exercises. Conclusion: Exercise and meditation had a significant effect on depression and anxiety. Furthermore, there was an effect of the exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety regarding the female gender and aerobic exercise.


Author(s):  
Saeed Mohammadi ◽  
◽  
Komeil Zahedi ◽  
Mojtaba Tashkeh ◽  
◽  
...  

Objectives: Despite the existence of studies that associated effect of exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety, there was no meta-analysis to date, that can prove this effect definitely. Also, the effect of these factors by gender and aerobic exercise are unknown. This gap was addressed by this meta-analysis. Methods: Major electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched until July 2019. Studies addressing the effect of exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety were enrolled. The heterogeneity across studies was investigated by Q-test and I2 statistic. The probability of publication bias was explored using Beggchr('39')s and Eggerchr('39')s tests. The results were expressed as the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random-effects model. Results: We identified a total of 10,015 references and included 51 studies involving 3,594 participants. Compared control group, the SMD estimate of anxiety was -0.7 (-1.20, -0.19) for meditation, -0.9 (-1.24, -0.57) for aerobic, -1.07 (-1.67, -0.46) for other exercise, and the SMD estimate of depression was-0.84 (-1.26, -0.42) for meditation, -0.44 (-0.72, -0.17) for aerobic, and -1.10 (-1.55, -0.65) for other exercise. Conclusions: Exercise and meditation had a significant effect on depression and anxiety. Furthermore, there was an effect of the exercise and meditation on depression and anxiety by female gender and aerobic exercise.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anisodowleh Nankali ◽  
Mohsen Kazeminia ◽  
Parnian Kord Jamshidi ◽  
Shamarina Shohaimi ◽  
Nader Salari ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Endometriosis is one of the most common causes of infertility. The causes of the disease and its definitive treatments are still unclear. Moreover, Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) is a glycoprotein dimer that is a member of the transient growth factors family. This research work aimed to identify the effect of unilateral and bilateral laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis on AMH levels after 3 months, and 6 months, using meta-analysis. Methods In this study, the articles published in national and international databases of SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Cochrane, Embase, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (ISI) were searched to find electronically published studies between 2010 and 2019. The heterogeneous index between studies was determined using the I2 index. Results In this meta-analysis and systematic review, 19 articles were eligible for inclusion in the study. The standardized mean difference was obtained in examining of unilateral laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis (before intervention 2.8 ± 0.11, and after 3 months 2.05 ± 0.13; and before intervention 3.1 ± 0.46 and after 6 months 2.08 ± 0.31), and in examining bilateral laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis examination (before intervention 2.0 ± 08.08, and after 3 months 1.1 ± 0.1; and before intervention 2.9 ± 0.23 and after 6 months 1.4 ± 0.19). Conclusion The results of this study demonstrate that unilateral and bilateral laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis is effective on AMH levels, and the level decreases in both comparisons.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 230-237
Author(s):  
Masomeh Adeli Gargari ◽  
Khalil Esmailpour ◽  
Mojgan Mirghafourvand ◽  
Roghaiyeh Nourizadeh ◽  
Esmat Mehrabi

Objectives: Phobia of natural childbirth is one of the most important and influencing factors leading women to request cesarean sections. The present study aimed to prepare a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the type of interventions related to fear of childbirth (FOC). Materials and Methods: The data collection was based on an extensive search of articles related to clinical trials (1990-2019) posted on Google Scholar, Cochran, SID, Magiran, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed electronic databases. In general, 109 abstracts were selected after eliminating similar publications. As a result of the qualitative evaluations of these articles, 11 studies were kept for investigation. Results: The studies were categorized into three groups including prenatal education with childbirth counseling, yoga courses, and psychoeducational-based interventions. Based on the meta-analysis, psychoeducational interventions have a significant effect on childbirth fears and anxiety in comparison with the control group (mean difference: 0.85, 95% CI: -1.20–0.45, P < 0.0001, I2 = 82%). Conclusions: Psychologically-based interventions, can creatively play an essential role in reducing the FOC during pregnancy and even childbirth. It can also create a pleasant and traumatic-free experience which is essential for encouraging women to have a natural childbirth.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
MM Gao-hong Wu ◽  
MB Ping Jiang ◽  
MB Huan Yuan ◽  
Shi ◽  
Zhu

Abstract To evaluate the efficacy of N95 respirators and medical masks for protection against respiratory infectious diseases, including COVID-19. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies evaluating the use of N95 respirators and medical masks for protection against respiratory infectious diseases. We retrieved relevant articles published from January 1994 to January 2020 by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases. The study quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool with RevMan 5.3 software. Eleven RCTs adjusted for clustering were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, N95 respirators or medical masks conferred significant protection against respiratory infectious diseases (odds ratio (OR) = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.29–0.84). Compared to medical masks, N95 respirators conferred significant protection against respiratory infectious diseases (OR = 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57–0.99). Meta-analysis of 10 observational studies adjusting for clustering also suggested that N95 respirators and medical masks are effective for protection against respiratory infectious diseases (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.42–0.82). However, only one case report showed the effectiveness of medical masks for preventing COVID-19. Although medical masks and N95 respirators may confer significant protection against respiratory infectious diseases, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that these types of personal protective equipment offer similar protection against COVID-19. Therefore, in the absence of sufficient resources during an epidemic, medical masks and N95 respirators should be reserved for high-risk, aerosol-generating producing procedures.


2022 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Congrong Shi ◽  
Steven Taylor ◽  
Michael Witthöft ◽  
Xiayu Du ◽  
Tao Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Attentional bias toward health-threat may theoretically contribute to the development and maintenance of health anxiety, but the empirical findings have been controversial. This study aimed to synthesize and explore the heterogeneity in a health-threat related attentional bias of health-anxious individuals, and to determine the theoretical model that better represents the pattern of attentional bias in health anxiety. Four databases (Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus) were searched for relevant studies, with 17 articles (N = 1546) included for a qualitative review and 16 articles (18 studies) for a three-level meta-analysis (N = 1490). The meta-analytic results indicated that the health anxiety group, compared to the control group, showed significantly greater attentional bias toward health-threat (g = 0.256). Further analyses revealed that attentional bias type, paradigm, and stimuli type were significant moderators. Additionally, compared to the controls, health-anxious individuals displayed significantly greater attention maintenance (g = 0.327) but nonsignificant attention vigilance to health-threat (g = −0.116). Our results provide evidence for the attention maintenance model in health-anxious individuals. The implications for further research and treatment of elevated health anxiety in the context of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) were also discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 919-928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolong Qi ◽  
Jiayao Fan ◽  
Jiahao Zhu ◽  
Yuxiao Ling ◽  
Shuai Mi ◽  
...  

Aim: Circulating chemerin level has been reported to be higher in patients with various types of cancer. However, the conclusions obtained are not unified. The aim of present study is to draw an evidence-based conclusion on the relationship between circulating chemerin and risk of cancer. Materials & methods: A systematic search was carried out in PubMed and Web of Science up to 30 June 2019. The random-effects model was applied to calculate summary standardized mean differences with 95% CIs. Results: The meta-analysis included a total of 12 separate studies, 876 cases and 739 healthy controls. The results showed that the expression level of circulating chemerin was significantly higher in cancer patients than that in control group (pooled standardized mean difference = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.03–1.90). Conclusion: This meta-analysis concludes that a high level of circulating chemerin is strongly associated with cancer risk.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Mirmosayyeb ◽  
Narges Ebrahimi ◽  
Mahdi Barzegar ◽  
Alireza Afshari-Safavi ◽  
Sara Bagherieh ◽  
...  

Objectives: Olfactory dysfunction is a major comorbidity observed in patients with multiple sclerosis, yet different prevalence rates are reported for it. Therefore, we have designed this systematic review to estimate the pooled prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in patients with MS. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in MS patients. Method: We searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, ProQuest, and gray literature including references from the identified studies, review studies, and conference abstracts which were published up to January 2021. Articles that were relevant to our topic and could provide information regarding the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction, or the scores of smell threshold, discrimination, or identification (TDI scores) among MS patients and healthy individuals were included; however, articles published before 1990 and after the end of 2020 were excluded. Results: The literature search found 1630 articles. After eliminating duplicates, 897 articles remained. two abstract conference papers were included for final analysis. A total of 1099 MS cases and 299 MS patients with olfactory dysfunction were included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in the included studies was 27.2%. (95% CI: [19.7%, 35.4%]) Also, the overall TDI score in MS patients was lower than that in the control group (SMD=-1.00; 95% CI: [-1.44, -0.56]), and the level of Threshold (SMD= -0.47; 95% CI: [-0.75, -0.19]), Discrimination (SMD=-0.53; 95% CI: [-0.96, -0.10]), and Identification (SMD=-1.02; 95% CI: [-1.36, -0.68]) per se were lower in MS compared with control respectively. Conclusion: The results of this systematic review shows that the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in MS patients is high and more attention needs to be drawn to this aspect of MS.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Dick Fleming ◽  
Ramona Ritzmann ◽  
Christoph Centner

Abstract Background The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) plays a major role in knee proprioception and is thus responsible for maintaining knee joint stability and functionality. The available evidence suggests that ACL reconstruction diminishes somatosensory feedback and proprioceptive functioning, which are vital for adequate joint positioning and movement control. Objective The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of an ACL rupture on knee proprioception after arthroscopic ACL repair surgery or conservative treatment. Methods A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Guidelines for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The literature search was performed in the following databases from inception to 10th October 2020: PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library and Scopus. Randomized and non-randomized studies that evaluated proprioception using the joint position sense (JPS) and threshold to detection of passive motion (TTDPM) techniques at 15°–30° knee flexion with an external healthy control group in a time period between 6 and 24 months post injury or operation were included in the analysis. Results In total, 4857 studies were identified, from which 11 were included in the final quantitative analysis. The results demonstrated that proprioception after arthroscopic ACL repair surgery was significantly lower than in the healthy control group (JPS: standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27–0.87, p < 0.01, n = 6 studies; TTDPM: SMD 0.77, 95% CI 0.20–1.34, p < 0.01, n = 4 studies). There were no significant differences in proprioception between the conservative treatment group and the healthy control group (JPS: SMD 0.57, 95% CI − 0.69 to 1.84, p = 0.37, n = 4 studies; TTDPM: SMD 0.82, 95% CI − 0.02 to 1.65, p = 0.05, n = 2 studies), although measures for TTDPM were close to statistical significance. Conclusion The findings of the present systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that knee proprioception is persistently compromised 6–24 months following surgical treatment of ACL tears compared with healthy controls. The reduced kinesthetic awareness after ACL surgery is of high relevance for optimizing individual treatment plans in these patients. As the current literature is still scarce about the exact underlying mechanisms, further research is needed. Trial Registration The present systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021198617).


Muscles ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Irismar G. A. Encarnação ◽  
Ricardo B. Viana ◽  
Saulo R. S. Soares ◽  
Eduardo D. S. Freitas ◽  
Claudio A. B. de Lira ◽  
...  

A detraining period after resistance training causes a significant decrease in trained-induced muscular adaptations. However, it is unclear how long muscle strength and hypertrophy gains last after different detraining periods. Thus, the present systematic review with meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the chronic effects of detraining on muscle strength and hypertrophy induced by resistance training. Searches were conducted on PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Web of Science. The difference in means and pooled standard deviations of outcomes were converted into Hedges’ g effect sizes (g). Twenty randomized and non-randomized trials (high and moderate risks of bias, respectively, and fair quality) were included for qualitative analysis of muscle strength and hypertrophy, while only two studies were included in the meta-analysis for maximum muscle strength. The resistance training group presented a significant increase in one-repetition maximum (1RM) chest press (g: 4.43 [3.65; 5.22], p < 0.001) and 1RM leg press strength (g: 4.47 [2.12; 6.82], p < 0.001) after training. The strength gains observed in the resistance training group were also maintained after 16–24 weeks of detraining (g: 1.99 [0.62; 3.36], p = 0.004; and g: 3.16 [0.82; 5.50], p = 0.008; respectively), when compared to the non-exercise control group. However, 1RM chest press and leg press strength level was similar between groups after 32 (g: 1.81 [−0.59; 4.21], p = 0.139; and g: 2.34 [−0.48; 5.16], p = 0.104; respectively) and 48 weeks of detraining (g: 1.01 [−0.76; 2.79], p = 0.263; and g: 1.16 [−1.09; 3.42], p = 0.311; respectively). There was not enough data to conduct a meta-analysis on muscular hypertrophy. In conclusion, the present systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that, when taking random error into account, there is no sufficient high-quality evidence to make any unbiased claim about how long changes in muscle strength induced by RT last after a DT period. Moreover, the effect of different DT periods on muscle hypertrophy induced by RT remains unknown since there was not enough data to conduct a meta-analysis with this variable.


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