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Abstract Background Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder defined as pain and soreness, muscle tension, or stiffness in the lumbosacral area of the spine which does not have a specific cause. Low back pain results in high health costs and incapacity to work causing an economic burden to society. The optimal management of non-specific low back pain appears to be undecided. Recently published guidelines support the use of acupuncture for treating non-specific low back pain and it has become a popular alternative treatment modality for patients with low back pain. Methods A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted through Medline using Ovid and Medical Subject Headings for randomized controlled trials published in the last 10 years. The outcomes scored were subjective pain scores and functional outcome scores. Results Eighty two randomized studies were identified, of which 7 met our inclusion criteria. Three studies found a significant difference in pain scores when comparing acupuncture, or sham acupuncture, with conventional therapy or no care. Two studies demonstrated a significant difference between acupuncture treatment and no treatment or routine care at 8 weeks and 3 months. Three studies demonstrated no significant difference between acupuncture and minimal/sham acupuncture with no difference in pain relief or function over 6 to 12 months. Conclusions This review provides some evidence to support acupuncture as more effective than no treatment, but no conclusions can be drawn about its effectiveness over other treatment modalities as the evidence is conflicting.

Melanoma is the most common cancer among young Australians. Despite school-based programs such as ' Sun Smart ' leading to increased knowledge among children of the harmful effects of sun exposure, many young adults continue to desire a darker skin tone because of a general perception among their peers that tanned skin is attractive. This ' tanned-ideal ' may be challenged through exposure to material posted on social media. This study aimed to investigate the impact of two online interventions on knowledge of skin cancer and intentions to engage in sun tanning and protective behaviours, as assessed by survey. In addition, the likelihood that the intervention would be 'shared' on social media was explored by interview during an intervention session. Eighteen women aged 18–24 years participated in this pilot, mixed-methods intervention study. Participants completed surveys 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after attending an intervention session in which they viewed a video and completed a face-aging activity, with the order of completion balanced within the sample. Two weeks after the intervention, there was a significant increase in knowledge and intended sun protection behaviours and a significant decrease in intended future tanning hours. There was no effect of intervention order. Interview data indicated that younger participants would share the ageing application with peers because it was fun; older participants reported that they would share the video because it was educational. Factors that encourage sharing on social media include being realistic, instructive or personally meaningful, and short in duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the potential mediating roles of mindfulness and body awareness in the relationship between exercise and eating behavior. Female exercisers (N = 159) recruited from fitness centers, yoga centers, and the community completed a questionnaire incorporating measures of exercise behavior, body awareness, trait mindfulness, mindful eating, dietary intake, and disordered eating symptoms. Participation in yoga was associated with significantly lower disordered eating (mediated by body awareness), whereas the amount of time spent participating in cardio-based exercise was associated with greater eating disturbance. The relationships between amount of exercise and actual food intake were not mediated by trait mindfulness or body awareness. The differential findings for dietary intake and disordered eating indicate that the body awareness cultivated in different forms of exercise may be more beneficial for clinical populations or those at risk for eating disorders than for modifying actual dietary intake in the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinical and preclinical exploration of the therapeutic properties of vitamin D have significantly increased in the past decade, owing to the growing associative evidence suggesting vitamin D is neuroprotective. However, whether depletion of vitamin D contributes to the onset of neurological disorders or is a symptom of neurological disease has yet to be defined. Much remains unclear about the causal role of vitamin D and the method of use and forms of vitamin D. Objectives: We sought to quantitatively assess if neuroprotective benefits from vitamin D in neurodegenerative diseases are dependent on route of administration: comparing the effect of endogenously sourced vitamin D from UV exposure to exogenously derived vitamin D through synthetic supplementation. Design: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo databases which included both pre-clinical and clinical studies investigating vitamin D in neurodegenerative diseases. Articles were subject to strict inclusion criteria and objectively assessed for quality. Additionally, Medline data was analysed to identify trends in topic publications and linguistic characteristics of papers. Results: From a total of 231 screened articles, we identified 73 appropriate for review based on inclusion criteria: original studies that investigated vitamin D levels or levels of vitamin D supplementation in neurodegenerative diseases or investigated past/present sun exposure in disease cohorts. Results indicate there is insufficient evidence to comprehensively reflect on a potential neuroprotective role for vitamin D and if this was dependent on route of administration. The majority of current data supporting neuroprotective benefits from vitamin D are based on pre-clinical and observational studies. Solid evidence is lacking to support the current hypothesis that the beneficial effect of UV exposure results from the synthesis of vitamin D. Sun exposure, independent of vitamin D production, may be protective against multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Yet, further research is required to elucidate the beneficial mechanism of actions of UV exposure. The literature of vitamin D and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was limited, and no conclusions were drawn. Therefore, in cases where UV-derived vitamin D was hypothesized to be the beneficial mediator in the neuroprotective effects of sun exposure, we propose results are based only on associative evidence. Conclusion: On the basis of this systematic review, strong recommendations regarding therapeutic benefits of vitamin D in neurodegenerative disease cannot be made. It is unclear if vitamin D mediates a protective benefit in neurodegenerative disease or whether it is an associative marker of UV exposure, which may contribute to as of yet unidentified neuroprotective factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A growing number of children and adolescents are experiencing and surviving cancer. This review aims to identify the demographic, medical, and psychosocial correlates of perceived post-traumatic growth in individuals of any age who were affected by paediatric cancer. Findings will highlight protective factors that may facilitate post-traumatic growth, allowing for directed social support, intervention, and follow-up care.Methods: A systematic search based on the key concepts "post-traumatic growth," "neoplasms," and "paediatric" retrieved 905 records from online databases: Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, PILOTS: Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Eligible studies were appraised as excellent quality with a high level of interrater reliability. The results of 18 studies were synthesised.Results: After the removal of outliers, post-traumatic growth shared small, negative associations with time since diagnosis (r = -0.14) and time since treatment completion (r = -0.19), and small, positive associations with age at diagnosis (r = 0.20), age at survey (r = 0.17), post-traumatic stress symptoms (r = 0.11), and social support (r = 0.25). Post-traumatic growth was positively and moderately associated with optimism (r = 0.31).Conclusions: Several findings were consistent with a comparable meta-analysis in adult oncology populations. Targeted social support, clinical intervention, and education may facilitate post-traumatic growth. Longitudinal research in individuals affected by childhood and adolescent cancer would allow an examination of the effects of predictive variables on post-traumatic growth over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]