Lavender aromatherapy: a systematic review from essential oil extraction and administration to cognitive enhancing effects.

Modern society is reviving the practice of aromatherapy, and lavender is reported to be the most worldwide purchased plant for essential oils (EO) extraction. Since odors can modulate cognitive functions acting through specific neuroanatomical pathways, lavender EO inhalation can enhance cognition. Taking into account EO quality and diffusion devices, we conducted a systematic review on the effects of lavender EO inhalation on arousal, attention and memory in healthy subjects. Starting from this new multidisciplinary perspective, cognitive effects were revised to link outcomes to effective and reproducible aromatherapy protocols. A systematic search on MEDLINE database using Cognitive Atlas and plant authenticity-related keywords was performed. Among the 806 articles yielded, 11 articles met eligibility criteria. Subjects administered with lavender EO displayed arousal decrease and sustained attention increase. Puzzling results were obtained regarding memory. Lack of EO quality assessment and high heterogeneity in inhalation protocols did not allow assessing whether different EO composition differently modulates cognition and whether placebo or expectancy effect can be discerned from EO effect itself. However, GABAergic pathway modulation exerted by linalool, a major lavender EO constituent, explains arousal reduction and sustained attention enhancement. In conclusion, aromatherapy can be an innovative, practical and non-invasive tool to prevent cognitive lapses.

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Salivary markers of stress and physical activities: a systematic review

Revista Andaluza de Medicina del Deporte ◽

10.33155/j.ramd.2019.09.002 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Isabelle Vasconcellos de Souza ◽

Luiz Claudio Pereira Ribeiro ◽

Estélio Henrique Martin Dantas

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Salivary Cortisol ◽

Chromogranin A ◽

Physical Activities ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Salivary Alpha Amylase ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Stress Markers ◽

Different Types ◽

Response To Stress

In recent years, stress levels during exercise are measured using different salivary markers. The aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review of the main salivary stress markers related to physical exercise and their effects on health of MEDLINE, LILACS, IBECS, BVS and SciELO databases between 2011 and 2018. The descriptors used in the search were “Biochemical” and “Marker”; “Stress” and “Physical” and “Exercise”; “Salivary chromogranin-A”; “Salivary Alpha-Amylase”; “Salivary IgA”; and “Salivary cortisol”, in three languages. After assessment of eligibility criteria, of the 13,405 studies identified, 12 were included in the final review and, although saliva has clear advantages over blood by easy to collect and non-invasive, the use of these markers in the response to stress remains incomplete due to the different effects observed, considering that the information available in the literature involves different types of participants as study subjects and a range of protocols.

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Rationale and prognosis of repurposed drugs with risk stratification of COVID-19 patients requiring Oxygen supplementation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

10.1101/2020.10.04.20206516 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Esther Jebarani Elangovan ◽

Vanitha Shyamili Kumar ◽

Adhithyan Kathiravan ◽

Raghav Mallampalli ◽

Tiju Thomas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Lung Disease ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Comorbid Condition ◽

Marginal Effect ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Clinical Benefits ◽

Meta Regression

AbstractBackgroundThe rising number of trials on repurposed dugs in COVID-19 has led to duplication and a need for curation of available outcomes from treatments that have been followed across the world. We have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis that focus on evaluating the clinical outcomes of repurposed interventions against COVID-19.MethodsRandom effects model was adopted to estimate overall treatment effect and heterogeneity. Meta- regression was performed to study the correlation between comorbid conditions and non- invasive or invasive ventilation requirement.ResultsTwenty-nine articles met our eligibility criteria. In subgroup analysis, Tocilizumab was highly significant with lower mortality rate (OR 27.50; 95%CI [5.39-140.24]) of severe COVID-19 patients. Hydroxychloroquine and Lopinavir-ritonavir was found to be inefficacious in severe patients (OR 0.64; 95%CI [0.47-0.86] and 1.40 [0.71-2.76]). Dexamethasone had marginal effect on overall mortality rate (OR 1.19; 95%CI [1.05-1.35]). The meta-regression shows a positive correlation between prevalence of patients on Tocilizumab in non invasive support and hypertension condition (P = 0.02), whereas a negative correlation was identified with patients having lung disease (P = 0.03).ConclusionOverall, our study confirmed that tocilizumab may probably reduce the mortality rate (<10%) of severe COVID-19 patients than other interventions. Further, reduce the risk of requiring non- invasive ventilator support in patients with comorbid condition of lung disease. Hydroxychloroquine and Lopinavir-ritonavir has no clinical benefits in severe COVID-19. A high quality evidence is required to evaluate the usage of Serpin + Favipiravir combination in severe or critical COVID-19.

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The Effect of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) on Executive Functioning, Attention and Memory in Rehabilitation Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Brain Stimulation ◽

10.1016/j.brs.2021.10.422 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 1716-1717

Author(s):

Takatoshi Hara ◽

Aturan Shanmugalingam ◽

Amanda McIntyre ◽

Amer Burhan

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Attention And Memory ◽

Non Invasive

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The Effect of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) on Attention and Memory Function in Stroke Rehabilitation Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics11020227 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 227

Author(s):

Takatoshi Hara ◽

Aturan Shanmugalingam ◽

Amanda McIntyre ◽

Amer M. Burhan

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Attention And Memory ◽

Post Stroke ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Stimulation Parameters ◽

Global Cognition ◽

Attention Memory

Background: In recent years, the potential of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) for therapeutic effects on cognitive functions has been explored for populations with stroke. There are various NIBS methods depending on the stimulation site and stimulation parameters. However, there is no systematic NIBS review of post-stroke cognitive impairment with a focus on stimulation sites and stimulation parameters. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on effectiveness and safety of NIBS for cognitive impairment after a stroke to obtain new insights. This study was prospectively registered with the PROSPERO database of systematic reviews (CRD42020183298). Methods: All English articles from MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL were searched from inception up to 31 December 2020. Randomized and prospective controlled trials were included for the analysis. Studies with at least five individuals post-stroke, whereby at least five sessions of NIBS were provided and using standardized neuropsychological measurement of cognition, were included. We assessed the methodological quality of selected studies as described in the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scoring system. Results: A total of 10 studies met eligibility criteria. Six studies used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and four studies used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The pooled sample size was 221 and 196 individuals who received rTMS and tDCS respectively. Eight studies combined general rehabilitation, cognitive training, or additional therapy with NIBS. In rTMS studies, target symptoms included global cognition (n = 4), attention (n = 3), memory (n = 4), working memory (WM) (n = 3), and executive function (n = 2). Five studies selected the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DPLFC) as the stimulation target. One rTMS study selected the right DLPFC as the inhibitory stimulation target. Four of six studies showed significant improvement. In tDCS studies, target symptoms included global cognition (n = 2), attention (n = 4), memory (n = 2) and WM (n = 2). Three studies selected the frontal area as the stimulation target. All studies showed significant improvement. In the meta-analysis, rTMS showed a significant effect on attention, memory, WM and global cognition classified by neuropsychological tests. On the other hand, tDCS had no significant effect. Conclusions: In post-stroke patients with deficits in cognitive function, including attention, memory, and WM, NIBS shows promising positive effects. However, this effect is limited, suggesting that further studies are needed with more precision in stimulation sites and stimulation parameters. Future studies using advanced neurophysiological and neuroimaging tools to allow for a network-based approach to treat cognitive symptoms post-stroke with NIBS are warranted.

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The Effect of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) on Executive Functioning, Attention and Memory in Rehabilitation Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics11040627 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 627

Author(s):

Takatoshi Hara ◽

Aturan Shanmugalingam ◽

Amanda McIntyre ◽

Amer M. Burhan

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Executive Function ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Control Group ◽

Attention And Memory ◽

Stimulation Site ◽

Non Invasive

In recent years, the potential of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) for therapeutic effects on cognitive functions has been explored for populations with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, there is no systematic NIBS review of TBI cognitive impairment with a focus on stimulation sites and stimulation parameters. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review examining the effectiveness and safety of NIBS for cognitive impairment after a TBI. This study was prospectively registered with the PROSPERO database of systematic reviews (CRD42020183298). All English articles from the following databases were searched from inception up to 31 December 2020: Pubmed/MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO and CENTRAL. Randomized and prospective controlled trials, including cross-over studies, were included for analysis. Studies with at least five individuals with TBI, whereby at least five sessions of NIBS were provided and used standardized neuropsychological measurement of cognition, were included. A total of five studies met eligibility criteria. Two studies used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and three studies used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The pooled sample size was 44 individuals for rTMS and 91 for tDCS. Three of five studies combined cognitive training or additional therapy (computer assisted) with NIBS. Regarding rTMS, target symptoms included attention (n = 2), memory (n = 1), and executive function (n = 2); only one study showing significant improvement compared than control group with respect to attention. In tDCS studies, target symptoms included cognition (n = 2), attention (n = 3), memory (n = 3), working memory (WM) (n = 3), and executive function (n = 1); two of three studies showed significant improvement compared to the control group with respect to attention and memory. The evidence for NIBS effectiveness in rehabilitation of cognitive function in TBI is still in its infancy, more studies are needed. In all studies, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was selected as the stimulation site, along with the stimulation pattern promoting the activation of the left DLPFC. In some studies, there was a significant improvement compared to the control group, but neither rTMS nor tDCS had sufficient evidence of effectiveness. To the establishment of evidence we need the evaluation of brain activity at the stimulation site and related areas using neuroimaging on how NIBS acts on the neural network.

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What’s new in airway secretions clearance for adults? A systematic review

European Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine ◽

10.15584/ejcem.2021.2.7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 162-169

Author(s):

Magdalena Kołodziej ◽

◽

Maciej Kochman ◽

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Pulmonary Rehabilitation ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Daily Routine ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Mucus Clearance ◽

Airway Clearance ◽

Non Invasive Ventilation ◽

Respiratory Physiotherapy

Introduction. Airway clearance techniques are an essential part of routine respiratory physiotherapy, enabling bronchial secretion clearance—the mucus overproduction and retaining results in lung function deterioration and disrupts effective pulmonary rehabilitation. Several mucus clearance methods are included in the physiotherapy daily routine of patients with chronic lung conditions; nevertheless, new techniques and approaches are continuously developed. Aim. Thus, this systematic review summarizes novel airway clearance techniques applied in patients with chronic pulmonary conditions. Material and methods. The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and PEDro databases were searched from 2010 to 2021, and studies were selected based on eligibility criteria. Analysis of the literature. 101 patients from five studies describing four different techniques were included. Novel techniques were non-invasive ventilation, intrapulmonary percussive ventilation, trachea vibration, and PEP-sound wave combination. Significant improvements were noted for ventilation homogeneity (NIV), saturation (NIV), respiratory rate (IPV), and diffusion capacity (VL), whereas cardiovascular function and exercise endurance did not change significantly. Conclusion. The presented methods are considered to have similar effectiveness as well-known airway clearance techniques. However, the systematic use of presented methods in routine pulmonary rehabilitation must be preceded by in-depth investigation to provide no-bias results.

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