Breathing exercises for adults with asthma.

Background: Breathing exercises have been widely used worldwide as a non-pharmacological therapy to treat people with asthma. Breathing exercises aim to control the symptoms of asthma and can be performed as the Papworth Method, the Buteyko breathing technique, yogic breathing, deep diaphragmatic breathing or any other similar intervention that manipulates the breathing pattern. The training of breathing usually focuses on tidal and minute volume and encourages relaxation, exercise at home, the modification of breathing pattern, nasal breathing, holding of breath, lower rib cage and abdominal breathing.

Interventions to promote patient utilisation of cardiac rehabilitation.

Background: International clinical practice guidelines routinely recommend that cardiac patients participate in rehabilitation programmes for comprehensive secondary prevention. However, data show that only a small proportion of these patients utilise rehabilitation.

Objectives: First, to assess interventions provided to increase patient enrolment in, adherence to, and completion of cardiac rehabilitation.

Chest physiotherapy for pneumonia in children.

Background: Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes more deaths in children aged under five years than any other single cause. Chest physiotherapy is widely used as adjuvant treatment for pneumonia. Physiotherapy is thought to help remove inflammatory exudates, tracheobronchial secretions, and airway obstructions, and reduce airway resistance to improve breathing and enhance gas exchange.

Standard (head-down tilt) versus modified (without head-down tilt) postural drainage in infants and young children with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Postural drainage is used primarily in infants with cystic fibrosis from diagnosis up to the moment when they are mature enough to actively participate in self-administered treatments. However, there is a risk of gastroesophageal reflux associated with this technique.This is an update of a review published in 2015.

Relationships between self-reported and performance-based measures of functional capacity in individuals with chronic stroke.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between self-reported and valid performance-based measures of functional capacity in individuals with chronic stroke. [Subjects and Methods] Self-reported measures of functional capacity of 31 individuals with chronic stroke were assessed by the Duke Activity Status Index scores, whereas performance-based measures were assessed by the distance covered (in meters) and oxygen consumption (relative oxygen consumption, in ml·kg(-1)·min(-1) ) during the six-minute walking test. [Results] The subjects had a mean age of 58.