Effects of therapeutic horseback riding on post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans

Background:Large numbers of post-deployment U.S.veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)and/or traumatic brain injury(TBI),leading to an urgent need for effective interventions to reduce symptoms and increase veterans’coping.PTSD includes anxiety,flashbacks,and emotional numbing.The symptoms increase health care costs for stress-related illnesses and can make veterans’civilian life difficult.Methods:We used a randomized wait-list controlled design with repeated measures of U.S.military veterans to address our specific aim to test the efficacy of a 6-week therapeutic horseback riding(THR)program for decreasing PTSD symptoms and increasing coping self-efficacy,emotion regulation,social and emotional loneliness.Fiftyseven participants were recruited and 29 enrolled in the randomized trial.They were randomly assigned to either the horse riding group(n=15)or a wait-list control group(n=14).The wait-list control group experienced a 6-week waiting period,while the horse riding group began THR.The wait-list control group began riding after 6 weeks of participating in the control group.Demographic and health history information was obtained from all the participants.PTSD symptoms were measured using the standardized PTSD Checklist-Military Version(PCL-M).The PCL-M as well as other instruments including,The Coping Self Efficacy Scale(CSES),The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale(DERS)and The Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults-short version(SELSA)were used to access different aspects of individual well-being and the PTSD symptoms.Results:Participants had a statistically significant decrease in PTSD scores after 3 weeks of THR(P≤0.01)as well as a statistically and clinically significant decrease after 6 weeks of THR(P≤0.01).Logistic regression showed that participants had a 66.7%likelihood of having lower PTSD scores at 3 weeks and 87.5%likelihood at 6 weeks.Under the generalized linear model(GLM),our ANOVA findings for the coping self-efficacy,emotion regulation,and social and emotional loneliness did not reach statistical significance.The results for coping self-efficacy and emotion regulation trended in the predicted direction.Results for emotional loneliness were opposite the predicted direction.Logistic regression provided validation that outcome effects were caused by riding longer.Conclusion:The findings suggest that THR may be a clinically effective intervention for alleviating PTSD symptoms in military veterans.

Utilizing Water Treatment Residuals to Reduce Phosphorus Runoff from Biosolids

Approximately 40% of biosolids （sewage sludge） produced in the U.S. are incinerated or landfilled rather than land applied due to concern over non-point source P （phosphorus） runoff. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of chemical amendments on WEP （water-extractable phosphorus） in applied treatments and DRP （dissolved reactive phosphorus） in runoff from biosolids-amended soils. Rainfall simulations were conducted in 2006 on field plots fertilized with biosolids that had been treated with alum [（A12804）3＂ 14H20], ferric chloride （FeC13） or an alum-based WTR （water treatment residual） at a rate of 20% （wt/wt） to reduce DRP in runoff. In 2007, rainfall simulations were conducted using WTR/biosolid blends of 15% and 30% （wt/wt） that were allowed to incubate for three weeks prior to application. Cumulative DRP runoff load observed for the 20% WTR treatment was not significantly different from other chemical treatments and resulted in a 45% reduction in DRP runoff as compared to the untreated biosolids application. Cumulative DRP runoff load in 2007 for the 15% and 30% WTR treatments resulted in significantly lower DRP loads compared to untreated biosolids and led to DRP runoff load reductions of 78% and 85% （compared to the untreated biosolids application）, respectively.

Heat Shock Protein and Innate Immunity

In addition to serving as molecular chaperones,heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been implicated in autoimmune diseases,antigen presentation and tumor immunity.Extensive work in the last 10 years has also suggested that HSPs such as Hsp60,Hsp70,Hsp90 and gp96,may be potent activators of the innate immune system capable of inducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by the monocyte-macrophage system, and the activation and maturation of dendritic cells via the Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 signal transduction pathways.However,recent evidence suggests that the reported cytokine effects of HSPs may be a result of the contaminating bacterial cell-wall products.This concise review summarizes the current controversy over the role of HSPs in innate immunity.Cellular & Molecular Immunology.2004;1(4):274-279.

Colon May Provide New Therapeutic Targets for Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease with Chinese Medicine

Chronic kidney disease （CKD） has become a worldwide health and social problem. Retarding its progression to end-stage renal disease is beneficial both to the patients and the healthcare system. Plenty of clinical trials have indicated that enema with Chinese medicine could effectively prevent chronic renal failure, and was widely used in the clinical practice. However, studies on mechanism were still nearly blank, which may prevent further improvement of therapeutic efficacy. Recent studies had discovered that colon was an important organ where uremic toxins were generated. The uremic toxins involved could not only promote CKD progression, but also was closely correlated with CKD mortality. Reducing production and promoting excretion of toxins were confirmed to reduce renal tubule interstitial fibrosis and delay renal progression. On the basis of the theory of gut-kidney axis above, we had conducted pilot clinical researches to evaluate the effect of enema with Chinese medicine on the intestinal flora, gut barrier, enterogenous uremic toxins and renal protection. The preliminary results revealed that rheum enema through colon could accelerate intestinal dynamics, improve intestinal barrier function, regulate intestinal flora and reduce production and absorption of intestine-derived uremic toxins such as indoxyl sulfate, which may reduce renal fibrosis and delay renal progression. Further studies could provide more evidence for colon as a new therapeutic target for the treatment of CKD with Chinese medicine.