Abstract
Introduction: Objective measures of symptom response to integrated complementary approaches in pediatrics are evolving. The purpose of this study was to document the concentration range of salivary neuropeptides in healthy controls and in children with cancer, to explore correlations between serum and salivary measurements for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and to determine whether there is a change in these salivary neuropeptide levels in response to integrated mind-body therapies. Methods: A non-randomized pragmatic study with three phases: Phase 1-healthy control saliva-10 healthy controls provided saliva samples; Phase 2-cancer diagnosis serum-saliva-16 mixed-type cancer patients provided blood and saliva samples; Phase 3-acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) saliva intervention-12 patients with ALL provided pre- and post-complementary intervention saliva samples. Interventions: 20. min of structured touch or scripted relaxation breathing were administered to patients in Phase 3; Phase 1 and 2 patients did not receive this intervention. Outcome Measures: cortisol, CGRP, VIP, Sate-Trait Anxiety Inventory, visual analogue scale, vital signs. Results: Salivary CGRP and VIP were similar for children in Phases 1 and 2. There was a correlation between serum and salivary VIP in the mixed cancer group, though not between serum and salivary CGRP. In Phase 3 children, following a complementary intervention, salivary CGRP, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure decreased. Conclusions: These data provide evidence of a decrease in sympathetic output after integrative/complementary therapy intervention in children with cancer. The study underscores the potential role of salivary neuropeptides as non-invasive biomarkers for integrated therapies in pediatrics.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 372-377 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | European Journal of Integrative Medicine |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 1 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the Primary Children’s Medical Center Foundation and the Department of Pediatrics Early Career Development Research Grant, the University of Utah Study Design and Biostatistics Center, with funding in part from the Public Health Services research grant numbers UL1-RR025764 and C06-RR11234 from the National Center for Research Resources.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier GmbH.
Keywords
- Autonomic nervous system
- Biomarker
- Complementary therapy
- Integrated therapy
- Salivary neuropeptide