Background and Objective: The study of music therapy in labor is unknown. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy to manage pain and anxiety during labor. Materials and Methods: A search strategy was used with PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, Cochrane, TRIPDATABASE, and Google Scholar. The selection criteria were based on randomized clinical trials; quasi-experimental research on pain intensity and anxiety during labor was evaluated. The primary outcomes were measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). A meta-analysis of the fixed effects was performed using mean differences (MD). Twelve studies were included for the final analysis, six (778 women) of which were meta-analyzed. Results: Decreased VAS scores for pain intensity associated with music therapy were found in the latent (MD: −0.73; 95% CI −0.99; −0.48) and active (MD: −0.68; 95% CI −0.92; –0.44) phases of labor. VAS scores for anxiety decreased both in the latent (MD: −0.74; 95% CI −1.00; −0.48) and active (MD: −0.76; 95% CI −0.88; −0.64) phases. Conclusion: Music therapy seems to have beneficial effects on pain intensity and anxiety during labor, especially for women giving birth for the first time. However, the evidence is qualified as low.

Cyperus articulatus (CA) rhizomes have demonstrated different properties on nervous system. However, the leaves still have not studied to treat epilepsy. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of CA ethanolic extract on pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) induced seizures in mice as well as measuring its antioxidant activity in vivo and in vitro. Mice were divided into five groups: (1) control (PTZ 80 mg/kg; i.p.), (2) PTZ-Diazepam (1 mg/kg; i.p.), (3-5) PTZ-CA 50, PTZ-CA 150 and PTZ-CA 300 (50, 150 and 300 mg/kg of CA extract, 30 min prior to each PTZ injection). The PTZ-CA 150 group showed lower seizure scores (P < 0.01), latency (P < 0.01), frequency (P < 0.01) and duration (P < 0.01) than control group. The antioxidant activity of CA extract scavenged DPPH radical showed IC 50 = 16.9 ± 0.1 μg/mL and TEAC = 2.28 ± 0.08, mmol trolox/g of extract, the content of gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly high (P < 0.01) at dose of 150 mg/kg (82 ± 1.2 ng/g tissue; 1.0 ± 2.2 mol/g tissue, respectively). The present research demonstrated that CA extract possesses a potential effect to prevent PTZ induced seizures, antioxidant activity in addition to increase GABA levels.

Replica: Consideraciones metodológicas sobre el uso de terapias de medicina alternativa y complementaria en la provincia de Coronel Portillo, Ucayali, Perú