Advanced Biomedical Research
Volume:11 Issue: 3, Mar 2021

Sleep disorder is one of the most common problems in cancer patients involved in chemotherapy stages, which is caused by the side effects of anticancer drugs and the exacerbation of mental disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of sleep health education on sleep quality of cancer patients during chemotherapy stages.

In this clinical trial, 70 cancer patients were selected in the chemotherapy phase and divided into two groups of 35. In the intervention group, two 60‑min training sessions on sleep hygiene were educated, solutions of coping with the exacerbation of sleep disturbances were determined, and routine care was provided in the control group. Patients were evaluated for sleep disorders before and 1 and 3 weeks after the intervention by the Pittsburgh questionnaire and then the effect of this intervention compared between the two groups.

The mean score of sleep medication consumption in the intervention group was not significantly different between the three times (P = 0.59), but the mean score of total sleep quality disorder and its other dimensions was significantly different between the three time points (P < 0.05). Least significant difference post hoc test showed that the mean total score of sleep quality disorder and its dimensions except using sleep medication 1 week after the intervention was significantly less than before the intervention and 3 weeks after the intervention <1 week after the intervention in the intervention group (P < 0.05).

Sleep health education for cancer patients involved in chemotherapy can significantly have a positive effect on improving their sleep quality.

Shoulder pain is the third most common type of musculoskeletal disorder and rotator cuff (RC) tendinopathy is the most frequent diagnosis. Ultrasound is the most preferable guidance tool for diagnostic and interventional purposes. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of the prolotherapy injection with corticosteroid injection in patients with RC dysfunction.

Thirty to sixty‑five‑year‑old patients with chronic RC disease were divided into two groups. Ultrasound‑guided dextrose prolotherapy of supraspinatus tendon was done for one group and ultrasound‑guided corticosteroid injection in the subacromial bursa was done for the other groups. Visual analog scale (VAS) and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) were evaluated for both groups at baseline, 3 and 12 weeks after injections.

Thirty‑three patients were included in the result. Both the groups showed significant improvement in VAS and SPADI scores in 3 and 12 weeks after injections compared with preinjection times with no difference between two groups neither in 3 weeks nor in 12 weeks after injections.

Both ultrasound‑guided dextrose prolotherapy and CS injections are effective in the management of RC‑related shoulder pain in both short‑term and long‑term with neither being superior to the other. Therefore, prolotherapy may be a safe alternative therapy instead of corticosteroid injection due to lack of its side effects.