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Background: The concomitant rise in the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and frailty among the elderly population has been linked to an increase in mortality rates. Despite continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) being the gold standard treatment for OSA, its impact on incident frailty remains inadequately explored. Methods: In this cohort study, we analyzed data from 1290 patients diagnosed with OSA, aged 60 years and older. A subset of 71 patients who demonstrated high adherence to CPAP therapy were categorized as the CPAP group. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed at a 1:4 ratio, matching for variables such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and sleep apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), to establish a non-CPAP group for comparison. The FRAIL scale was utilized to evaluate the frailty status of participants. Logistic regression analysis examined the relationship between CPAP therapy and incident frailty, as well as its individual components, in elderly patients with OSA. Results: During a median follow-up period of 52 months, incident frailty was observed in 70 patients (19.7%). Patients with OSA receiving CPAP therapy exhibited a lower incidence of frailty compared to those not receiving CPAP (11.26% vs 21.83%, P=0.045). In the multivariate model, CPAP therapy was significantly correlated with a reduced risk of incident frailty (OR = 0.36, 95% CI, 0.15– 0.88; P =  0.025). Subcomponent analyses revealed that CPAP was associated with a lower risk of fatigue (OR=0.35, 95% CI, 0.19– 0.63; P < 0.001), resistance (OR = 0.32, 95% CI, 0.14– 0.74; P=0.008), and weight loss (OR = 0.38, 95% CI, 0.19– 0.75; P = 0.007). Conclusion: CPAP therapy was associated with a reduced risk of incident frailty among elderly patients with OSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the effect of radiant shock wave therapy (RSWT) on postherpetic neuralgia. Methods Twenty-six cases of postherpetic neuralgia were treated with RSWT around the pain point. Before and after the treatment, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS) were used to assess the therapeutic efficacy. Results Twenty-two cases completed RSWT. Two patients who were inconvenient to the clinic and another 2 patients attributed to poor curative effect were transfered to other treatments. After one course of treatment, 22 patients all presented obvious pain relief. The VAS and NPS scores reduced from 8.41 ± 1.11 and 1.88 ± 0.59 to 6.15 ± 1.23 and 1.38 ± 0.60 respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (P = 0.000, for all). After completing two courses of treatment, VAS score reduced to 3.57 ± 1.30 and NPS score reduced to 1.04 ± 0.31 in comparison with pre-treatment, and both of the differences were statistically significant (P = 0.000, for all). Conclusion Radiant shock wave therapy may alleviate the pain of patients with postherpetic neuralgia, which is a valuable method for conservative treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]