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Objectives: To examine the effects of acupuncture and therapeutic exercise alone and in combination on temporomandibular joint symptoms in tension-type headache and to evaluate the potential interaction of existing temporomandibular dysfunction on the success of headache treatment. Design: Pre-planned secondary analysis of a randomized controlled, non-blinded trial. Setting: Outpatient clinic of a German university hospital. Subjects: Ninety-six Participants with frequent episodic or chronic tension-type headache were randomized to one of four treatment groups. Interventions: Six weeks of acupuncture or therapeutic exercise either as monotherapies or in combination, or usual care. Follow-up at 3 and 6 months. Main measures: Subjective temporomandibular dysfunction symptoms were measured using the Functional Questionnaire Masticatory Organ, and the influence of this sum score and objective initial dental examination on the efficacy of headache treatment interventions was analyzed. Results: Temporomandibular dysfunction score improved in all intervention groups at 3-month follow-up (usual care: 0.05 [SD 1.435]; acupuncture: −5 [SD 1.436]; therapeutic exercise: −4 [SD 1.798]; combination: −3 [SD 1.504]; P = 0.03). After 6 months, only acupuncture (−6 [SD 1.736]) showed a significant improvement compared to the usual care group (P < 0.01). Subjective temporomandibular dysfunction symptoms had no overall influence on headache treatment. Conclusions: Only acupuncture had long-lasting positive effects on the symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction. Significant dental findings seem to inhibit the efficacy of acupuncture for tension-type headache. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the short- and long-term effects of lower-limb endurance training on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease outpatients. Design: Prospective quasi-experimental study. Setting: 1383-bed teaching hospital in Taiwan. Participants: Overall, 69 outpatients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were enrolled. A total of 60 patients completed the study. Intervention: Training group: Lower-limb endurance training; control group: Education only. Main measures: The modified medical research council score, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test score, pulmonary function test, and number of acute exacerbation within a year. Results: The training group showed significant improvement in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test total score, modified medical research council score (both P < 0.001) at third month sustaining to 12th month (P < 0.001) and presented less events of acute exacerbation (P = 0.011) at 12th month. The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test decreased by 8 points sustaining to 12th month. The training group presented significant post-training functional capacity improvements in 6-min walking distance, lowest oxygen saturation during 6-min walking test, peak workload, maximum inspiratory/ expiratory pressures, and calf circumference. Conclusions: The lower-limb endurance training improved perceived dyspnea in daily activity and health status after completion of training and sustaining for a year. The lower-limb endurance training alleviated disease impacted on reduced acute exacerbations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]