Human body posture as a source of information about selected diseases

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirosława M. Długosz ◽  
Wojciech Kurzydło

AbstractThe aim of the study is to present the differences between the human body posture (HBP) of healthy people and those suffering from specific disorders – both those clearly connected with HBP (scoliosis, coxarthrosis) and those seemingly unrelated (e.g. depression). The study was conducted based on the results of photogrammetric measurements of patients standing in a relaxed posture, scanned with a PBE system (Photogrammetrical Body Explorer). Research was conducted over a group of 190 people. Patients were divided into six subgroups based on diagnosed disease entity: coxarthrosis, discopathy, scoliosis, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome. A control group constituted of 36 healthy volunteers aged 19–29 years, with no identified defects of body posture. To evaluate the differences between the HBP of healthy and sick people, an HBP model based on 29 parameters describing the HBP in three anatomical planes was created. The research showed significant differences in the HBP of healthy and sick people. The results of the analysis indicate that an objective assessment of the HBP can be a source of relevant information on the general health of the patient and may be a useful tool in the diagnosis of selected diseases.




2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1185-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMON HATCHER ◽  
ALLAN HOUSE

Background. The role of stress in the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome is unclear. Our objectives in this study were first, to determine the relation between the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome and stressful life events and difficulties. Secondly, we examined the role of a particular type of problem, dilemmas, in the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome.Method. We used a case–control design with 64 consecutive referrals from an Infectious Diseases/Liaison Psychiatry Fatigue clinic and 64 age- and sex-matched controls from a general practice population control group in Leeds. We had two main outcome measures; the odds ratios of the risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome after experiencing a severe life event, severe difficulties or both in the year and 3 months preceding onset; and the proportion of subjects in each group who experienced a dilemma prior to onset.Results. Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were more likely to experience severe events and difficulties in the 3 months (OR=9, 95% CI 3·2 to 25·1) and year (OR=4·3, 95% CI 1·8 to 10·2) prior to onset of their illness than population controls. In the 3 months prior to onset 19 of the 64 patients (30%) experienced a dilemma compared to none of the controls.Conclusions. Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with stressful events and difficulties prior to onset. Those events and difficulties characterized as being dilemmas seem to be particularly important.



1995 ◽  
Vol 237 (5) ◽  
pp. 499-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLINE M. A. SWANINK ◽  
JAN H. M. M. VERCOULEN ◽  
GIJS BLEIJENBERG ◽  
JAN F. M. FENNIS ◽  
JOEP M. D. GALAMA ◽  
...  


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Hughes ◽  
David Tuller

In this review, we consider the paper by Adamson et al., published in the October 2020 issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. The authors interpret their data as revealing significant improvements following cognitive behavioural therapy in a large sample of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic fatigue. Overall, the research is hampered by several fundamental methodological limitations that are not acknowledged sufficiently, or at all, by the authors. These include: (a) sampling ambiguity; (b) weak measurement; (c) survivor bias; (d) missing data; and (e) lack of a control group. In particular, the study is critically hampered by sample attrition, rendering the presentation of statements in the Abstract misleading with regard to points of fact, and, in our view, urgently requiring a formal published correction. In light of the fact that the paper was approved by multiple peer-reviewers and editors, we reflect on what its publication can teach us about the nature of contemporary scientific publication practices.



2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Jason ◽  
Tricia Jessen ◽  
Nicole Porter ◽  
Aaron Boulton ◽  
Mary Gloria-Njoku

Severe, persisting fatigue is a prominent symptom of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), but individuals with this illness frequently report the occurrence of unique fatigue states that might be different from conventional symptoms of fatigue. The present study attempted to assess a comprehensive set of fatigue symptoms that have been commonly reported among patients with ME/CFS. A 22-item fatigue questionnaire was developed and administered to 130 persons diagnosed with ME/CFS and 251 controls. Adequate scale reliability was found. Factor analyses revealed a five-factor structure for participants with ME/CFS but only a one factor solution for the control group. The new scale was also contrasted with other more traditional scales developed to measure fatigue. Findings suggest that individuals with ME/CFS experience different types of fatigue than what are reported in the general populations.



2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Jianyu You ◽  
Jing Ye ◽  
Haiyan Li ◽  
Wenguo Ye ◽  
Ensi Hong

Objective. This review aimed at systematically evaluating the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Methods. Relevant trials were searched in seven digital databases up to January 2021. After literature screening, data extraction, and literature quality evaluation, the included studies were meta-analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software. The evidence level was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Results. Fifteen studies involving 1030 CFS participants were included. Meta-analyses showed a favorable effect of moxibustion on the total effective rate compared with acupuncture (OR = 4.58, 95%CI = [2.85, 7.35], P < 0.00001 ) and drugs (OR = 6.36, 95%CI = [3.48, 11.59], P < 0.00001 ). Moxibustion also appeared to significantly reduce fatigue severity measured by fatigue scale-14 (FS-14) (WMD = −2.20, 95% CI = [−3.16, −1.24], P < 0.00001 ) and fatigue assessment instrument (FAI) (WMD = −16.36, 95% CI = [−26.58, −6.14], P = 0.002 ) compared with the control group. In addition, among the 15 included studies, only two studies reported adverse events related to moxibustion, and the symptoms were relatively mild. The quality of evidence based on the 15 included trials was assessed as moderate to very low. Conclusions. Based on limited evidence, moxibustion might be an effective and safe complementary therapy for CFS, which can be recommended to manage CFS. Because of the limited level of evidence in this review, further high-quality trials are still needed to confirm these findings.



Author(s):  
Andrew P. Smith ◽  
Marie Thomas

Background: Previous research has suggested that enteroviruses may be implicated in the development and persistence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). One method of investigating this topic has been to use a polio vaccination challenge, and a previous study showed that CFS patients had more shedding than healthy controls. There was no effect of the vaccination on the clinical condition or wellbeing of the CFS patients. Methods: In the previous study, the control group were more likely to have had a recent booster vaccination. This was controlled in the present study, where 18 CFS patients were randomly assigned to vaccination or placebo conditions. Nine healthy volunteers were also given the polio vaccination. Results: The results confirmed that vaccination had no negative effects on the CFS group. Although there was more virus shedding in the CFS polio group than in the control polio group, this difference was not significant. Conclusion: This study confirms that polio vaccination is not contraindicated in CFS patients but could not confirm that they are more susceptible to enterovirus infection.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasrin Bonakdari ◽  
Nadereh Mohammadi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Taghvizadeh Yazdi ◽  
Reza Norouzadeh ◽  
Mohammad Abbasinia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Nursing is considered a stressful profession, so nurses are at higher risk of physical and mental illness. Mindfulness is an important concept for nursing with practical implications for nurse well-being, development, and quality nursing care sustainability.Objectives: This study identified mindfulness sessions' effect on nurses' chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS) and job satisfaction )JS.(Methods: A randomized clinical trial design was conducted on 80 nurses to intervention and control groups. The intervention in the intervention group was eight mindfulness sessions training, and the control group had no intervention. Nurses' CFS and JS were assessed using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire and The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory.Results: After implementing a mindfulness-based stress reduction program, the intervention group nurses reported lower CFS and higher JS than the control group(p<0.005). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate the effectiveness of mindfulness programs on improving nurses' chronic fatigue and JS. Since CFS and job dissatisfaction are two disturbing elements for nurses' optimal performance in professional and personal life, this study can recommend the implementation of mindfulness exercises as a routine, operational and uncomplicated program in nurses.



2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiren Sweetman ◽  
Torsten Kleffmann ◽  
Christina Edgar ◽  
Michel de Lange ◽  
Rosamund Vallings ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a serious and complex physical illness that affects all body systems with a multiplicity of symptoms, but key hallmarks of the disease are pervasive fatigue and ‘post-exertional malaise’, exacerbation after physical and/or mental activity of the intrinsic fatigue and other symptoms that can be highly debilitating and last from days to months. Although the disease can vary widely between individuals, common symptoms also include pain, cognitive deficits, sleep dysfunction, as well as immune, neurological and autonomic symptoms. Typically, it is a very isolating illness socially, carrying a stigma because of the lack of understanding of the cause and pathophysiology.Methods: To gain insight into the pathophysiology of ME/CFS, we examined the proteomes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by SWATH-MS analysis in a small well-characterised group of patients and matched controls. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to stratify groups based on protein abundance patterns, which clearly segregated the majority of the ME/CFS patients (9/11) from the controls. This majority subgroup of ME/CFS patients was then further compared to the control group. Results: A total of 60 proteins in the ME/CFS patients were differentially expressed (P < 0.01, Log10 (Fold Change) > 0.2 and < -0.2). Comparison of the PCA selected subgroup of ME/CFS patients (9/11) with controls increased the number of proteins differentially expressed to 99. Of particular relevance to the core symptoms of fatigue and post-exertional malaise experienced in ME/CFS, a proportion of the identified proteins in the ME/CFS groups were involved in mitochondrial function, oxidative phosphorylation, electron transport chain complexes, and redox regulation. A significant number were also involved in previously implicated disturbances in ME/CFS, such as the immune inflammatory response, DNA methylation, apoptosis and proteasome activation. Conclusions: The results from this study support a model of deficient ATP production in ME/CFS, compensated for by upregulation of immediate pathways upstream of Complex V that would suggest an elevation of oxidative stress. This study and others have found evidence of a distinct pathology in ME/CFS that holds promise for developing diagnostic biomarkers.



Author(s):  
A. Lindvall ◽  
R. Hudecek

Corrosion and wear of dental amalgam may be associated with unexpectedly high levels of endogenous exposure to heavy metals. According to WHO, the resulting uptake of mercury exceeds that from all other sources in persons not occupationally exposed (WHO 1991) and a daily uptake level of 100 μg has been reported (Barregard et al. 1995). Due to the distribution patterns of mercury, standard blood and urine analyses give meager information on the response of the organism to this exposure. We here present data from nuclear microscopy analysis of neutrophil granulocytes (short-lived cells in the immune system cascade) in peripheral blood. Blood samples were drawn from patients suffering from possible side effects from dental amalgam. Their symptoms resembled those of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Fukuda 1994), and the onset or intensity of the symptoms were related to occasional increased exposure to dental amalgam e.g., unprotected placing/drilling of the material. Data showed profound derangement of several cellular trace elements in the patient group and in some cases the substitution of mercury for zinc in the nuclear area. This supports the contention that systemic side effects from dental amalgam may occur. Venous blood samples were drawn from a cohort of Caucasian patients (n = 25) with a chronic debilitating illness, possibly related to the exposure from dental amalgam, and cell preparations were done as previously described (Johansson 1984, Lindh 1997). The same procedure was performed on blood samples from an age- and sex-matched healthy control group (n = 22) with similar numbers of amalgam fillings. A freeze-dried monolayer preparation of neutrophil granulocytes from each subject was investigated by means of nuclear microscopy (Zidenberg-Cherr). Thirty cells from each subject were analyzed in a subsequent manner and means and variances of the elemental concentrations of calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and mercury (Hg) were calculated. In addition, the intracellular distribution of zinc and mercury was investigated in a few cells from both patients and controls by means of a nuclear microscopy elemental mapping technique. Cells with mercury levels above the detection limit (0.5 μg/kg dry weight) were investigated as well as cells with no detectable mercury.



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