Introduction: Some elderly patients experience difficulty when attempting to use pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) due to reduced finger muscle strength. However, no studies have investigated the finger muscle strength required for pMDI actuation. Therefore, we created a modified pMDI pinch gauge and examined the finger muscle strength in elderly asthmatic patients with and without the use of a pMDI assist device to push the canister.
Methods: We measured the finger muscle strength (N) required to spray pMDI formulations (Adoair, Alvesco, Flutiform, and Breztri) using one hand in healthy individuals. We then similarly measured the finger muscle strength when using the modified pinch gauge in older adults aged 65 years or older with bronchial asthma who used pMDI formulations.
Results: The finger muscle strength required to actuate these devices was 29.4 N or more in healthy individuals. In the older patients with asthma, the finger muscle strength was 38.45 ± 5.80 N in men and 31.34 ± 9.94 N in women. The finger muscle strength was ≤ 29.4 N in 6.6% of men and 40.0% of women.
Conclusions: Finger muscle strength should be considered when selecting a device for older patients with asthma, and the use of a pMDI assist device to push the canister is recommended in patients with weaker finger muscles.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41030-021-00146-9 | DOI Listing |
J Hand Surg Eur Vol
January 2025
Hand and Reconstructive Unit, Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mitraphap Road, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
The study evaluates the forced small finger abduction test for assessing the strength of intrinsic muscles innervated by the ulnar nerve. The test was performed on healthy and ulnar neuropathy patients. Results demonstrate its ability to detect intrinsic weakness, which may enhance diagnosis of ulnar neuropathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExp Mol Med
January 2025
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
In response to extra- and intracellular stimuli that constantly challenge and disturb the proteome, cells rapidly change their proteolytic capacity to maintain proteostasis. Failure of such efforts often becomes a major cause of diseases or is associated with exacerbation. Increase in protein breakdown occurs at multiple steps in the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and the regulation of ubiquitination has been extensively studied.
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January 2025
Department of Plastic Surgery, Peking University 3rd Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China.
Background: Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) for transgender females developed relatively late and limited in China due to some reasons. To introduce GAS surgical experiences for Chinese transgender females is necessary.
Aims: To report surgical choices and experience including clitoral/urethral reconstruction, vaginoplasty, and vulvoplasty, and their outcomes.
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu
January 2025
College of TCM, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of TCM for Prevention and Treatment of Metabolic Diseases, Chongqing 410007, China.
Objective: To assess the impacts of electroacupuncture (EA) on the gait, oxidative stress, inflammatory reaction, and protein degradation in the rats of denervated skeletal muscle atrophy, and explore the potential mechanism of EA for alleviating denervated skeletal muscle atrophy.
Methods: Forty male SD rats, 8 weeks old, were randomly assigned to a sham-surgery group, a model group, an EA group, and a p38 MAPK inhibitor group, with 10 rats in each group. The right sciatic nerve was transected to establish a rat model of denervated skeletal muscle atrophy in the model group, the EA group and the p38 MAPK inhibitor group.
Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis
January 2025
The First Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahata-nishi, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan.
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) presents various clinical manifestations, including skin lesions, peripheral arthritis, axial involvement, enthesitis, nail involvement, dactylitis, and uveitis. In addition, it causes a high incidence of lifestyle-related diseases and an increase in cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. As the pathology of PsA has been clarified, molecular-targeted drugs targeting tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17A/F, IL-17 receptor, IL-12/23(p40), IL-23p19, Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte Antigen-4 (CTLA-4), Janus kinase, and phosphodiesterase-4 have been developed and are widely used in clinical practice.
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