Articles: chronic.
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Sixteen experienced and 15 inexperienced observers watched videotapes showing participants of a back school program perform simple tasks to assess the functional adequacy of their posture. They had received basis or more extensive observer training. Intraclass correlation coefficients were computed as a measure of intra-and interobserver reliability. ⋯ By selecting the most reliable items two alternative measures of overall posture were constructured whose reliability coefficients ranged fromr=0.89 to 0.93 for the group of experienced observers. The reliability of the judgments by the more extensively trained inexperienced observers was also satisfactory. The observation method presented here can thus be regarded as a reliable and potentially valid instrument for assessing the outcome of back school programs.
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Up to 70% of cancer patients in the terminal phase of their disease complain of moderate or severe pain. Pain therapy in these patients follows the analgesic ladder of the WHO. Many cancer patients will need a strong opioid to get sufficient pain relief. ⋯ The transdermal application of a strong opioid may be an alternative, especially for patients with cancer of the head and neck or in the gastrointestinal tract. Because of the pharmacokinetic laziness of the system the use of Fentanyl-TTS should be limited to patients with stable tumor pain. In these patients Fentanyl-TTS might be valuabe on step III of the analgesic ladder of the WHO or as an alternative to invasive methods when it is impossible to administer oral opioids.
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PCAO (patient-controlled analgesia in outpatients) is a new treatment concept designed to overcome chronic or acute pain of cancer patients. From 1989 to 1992, a total of with tumour pain 204 patients were treated in the pain clinics of Fürth in cooperation with the Department of Radiation at the University Hospital in Regensburg. In 90 of these patients adequate oral medication was impossible because of problems in swallowing or blockage of the gastrointestinal tract, and subcutaneous opioid infusion over 24 h was therefore instituted. ⋯ PCAO for treatment of cancer patients at home yields freedom from of pain around the clock, independence, and quality of life with active personal involvement. The most important thing is that the patient can sleep during the night, as can the doctor, the nurse and relatives, as they do not need to give injections during the night. This new method of treating the pain of cancer patients at home in advanced disease is also well accepted by social security authorities, as it reduces the costs dramatically.
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The period of late exteroceptive suppression (ES 2) of the temporalis muscle is often shortened in patients with chronic tension-type headache. The present study was conducted to find out whether the ES 2 is influenced by muscle relaxation training and whether it is rather a state or a trait marker. ⋯ The duration of ES 2 was modified by a muscle relaxation training in patients with chronic tension-type headache. Therefore, ES 2 is a state marker and is probably influenced by limbic structures. Measurement of ES 2 may not be only a diagnostic tool, but could also be useful in monitoring results of therapy in patients with tension-type headache.
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An increasing number of papers deal with immunological factors in headache syndromes such as migraine and cluster headache. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the factors that have been measured and to assess their reliability and relevance for the pathogenesis of these headaches. Most of the studies are handicapped by methodological problems, especially the different classifications of headaches, the lack of adequate controls and methodological problems with the measurement of certain immune parameters. ⋯ Although the immunological changes have been shown to be valid, their pathogenesis in these headaches is unclear. With the increasing recognition of the existence of a neuroimmunologic network, alterations in each system should always be considered to be associated with changes in an other. Acute or chronic pain seems to trigger immunological abnormalities.