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Aims: To compare between the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation versus Acupressure on post-operative nausea and vomiting in women scheduled for abdominal hysterectomy.

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BackgroundThe most common vasomotor symptoms (VMS) are hot flashes and night sweats, which occur in as many as 68.5% of women as a result of menopause. Symptoms caused by fluctuating levels of estrogen may be alleviated by hormone therapy (HT), but a marked global decline in its use has resulted from concerns about the risks and benefits of HT. Consequently, many women in the postmenopausal period search for alternative natural treatment options to manage menopause. As large numbers of women are choosing not to take HT, it is increasingly important to identify evidence-based foot reflexology with paced respiration that has the potential to reduce vasomotor menopausal symptoms. Aim To examine the combined effect of foot reflexology with paced respiration versus paced respiration on VMS in symptomatic menopausal women. Patients and methods A total of 50 women of menopausal age, 45-55 years were studied; their BMI was less than 30 kg/m 2 . They were allocated randomly to two groups with equal numbers of participants (A and B). The participants in group A received foot reflexology in addition to paced respiration, whereas the participants in group B received the paced respiration training only. The treatment program was conducted three times per week for 8 weeks. Assessment of all participants in both groups (A and B) was carried out before and after the treatment program throughout by determining blood cortisol level in addition to the use of the menopause rating scale (MRS). ResultsBoth groups (A and B) showed a significant reduction in their blood cortisol and MRS values after the end of the 8 weeks of the training program. The mean values of blood cortisol after treatment were 15.40±1.47, 16.32±1.70 in both groups A and B, respectively. The mean values of total MRS were 8.12±2.19, 12.56±2.96 in both groups A and B, respectively. However, the participants who received foot reflexology plus paced respiration, group A, showed a greater reduction in the blood cortisol value and total MRS (P<0.001 and <0.001), respectively. ConclusionIt could be concluded that foot reflexology in addition to paced respiration are more effective than paced respiration only in decreasing blood cortisol level as well as VMS in symptomatic menopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease affects about 0.5–1% of adults. Sexuality is an integral part of human quality of life and responsible for our individual welfare, study the association between them is highly important as many studies revealed that sexuality is greatly affected in RA patients. AIM: This study aims to determine the possible different risk factors for sexual dysfunction (SD) in RA and to study the magnitude of SD among RA male patients. METHODS: This is a case–control study carried on 60 males – aged between 18–45 years – attending Family Medicine and Rheumatology Clinic in Kasr Alainy, Cairo University, Egypt. Participants were divided into case and control groups, both groups were matched regarding socioeconomic status. All participants were evaluated for sexual function using international index of erectile function (IIEF), psychological state using patient health questionnaire (PHQ9), disease-related disability using health assessment questionnaire, disease severity using disease activity score 28, and serum testosterone level was assessed. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between both groups regarding IIEF (OR o’s SD among patients were 1.66), PHQ9, and serum testosterone (p = 0.005). There was highly statistically significant negative correlation between sexual problems and depression, disease caused disability, RA duration and there was highly statistically significant positive correlation between sexual problems and serum hormonal level. CONCLUSION: Sexual problems are a prominent problem in males who suffer from RA. Sexual function was significant associated with disease activity, depression, quality of life, and with lower levels of total and free testosterone.