Assessment of a designed exercise program on physical capacity using six-minute walking test (6MWT) in hemodialysis patients

Background & Aim: Hemodialysis patients have reduced physical capacity for various reasons resulting in increased dependence on others. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a designed exercise program on physical capacity using the Six-Minute Walking Test (6MWT) in hemodialysis patients. Methods & Materials: In a quasi-experimental design, 25 hemodialysis patients were selected conveniently from three hospitals of Tehran. The patients in the experimental group (n=12) followed a designed exercise program three days per week, which lasted for 8 weeks. The participants in the experimental group had to exercise for 20 minutes immediately after dialysis sessions followed by a 10-minute bed rest and deep slow breaths, with their eyes closed. The control group (n=13) did not receive any treatment. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied for data analysis using SPSS-18. Results: The difference in the means of the 6MWT was not statistically significant at the start and end of the fourth and eighth weeks of the exercise program in both groups. However, comparison of these values in the experimental group before and after the intervention was clinically significant, although not statistically significant. Conclusion: In this study, physical capacity increased after performing the exercise in the experimental group, but this value was not statistically significant. Further studies are recommended in the field

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Self-Management Scale for a Sample of Iranian Patients With Epilepsy

Background: Despite the importance of self-management in epileptics, no instrument has been developed or validated in Iran. Since self-management is a multi-dimensional construct, having a valid and reliable instrument for measuring this compound construct is crucial. Objectives: This study aims to validate the Persian version of the self-management scale and provide a valid and reliable tool to measure self-management of patients with epilepsy. Patients and Methods: This is a methodological psychometric study. Construct , face and content validity was calculated on 200 samples after translation. Tool reliability was examined by using two methods: internal consistency and test-retest. Finally, the modified model was presented using exploratory factor analysis for the Iranian version of the tool. Results: The validity of all items was above 0.63 and their content validity indexes (0.81-1) were appropriate. Construct validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed all the dimensions except for some safety and pharmacotherapy items. The overall tool reliability with internal consistency had alpha of 0.77. Conclusions: Persian version of the self-management scale for patients with epilepsy is valid and reliable to measure the dimensions of self-management in Iranian patients and it can be used to measure epileptics’ self-management. Further research on the safety of this tool is recommended

Impact of occupational lead exposure on industrial workers health condition in Tehran-Iran

The continual occurrence of occupational lead exposure remains a serious problem worldwide despite awareness of its adverse health effect. Blood lead Level (BLL) in a group of 31 male non smoking industrial workers was determined. Then possible relationships between BLL and health condition of workers , employment years, and fatigue and chronic bone pain symptom were investigated. Workers Blood lead level (BLL) were determined by GTA-AA-220 and hematology parameters were determined by Sysmex-K1000. The workers age mean and employment years mean were 38± 8 years and 12±7.0 years respectively and BLL ranged from 15.50 ?g/dL to 59.99 ug/dL with mean=34.80±12.90 μg/dL. The pearson product moment test indicated no correlations between BLL and Hgb (r =-0.09 & p=0.62 ) and BLL & Hct ( r = -0.14 & p=0.46 ). However, BLL & employment years correlated (r = 0.37 & p= 0.04). To investigate the effect of BLL on fatigue and bone pain, we used independent t-sample test and results indicated 23/31 workers with fatigue and bone pain had higher BLL than those (8/31) without the symptoms ( mean= 38.41μg/dL vs mean= 20.44μg/dL, t= 6.06,p=0.00). Furthermore, they had many years of employment (mean=13.4 years vs mean=8.8 years , t= 2.07, p=0.04 ). In our study 74 of the exposed workers complained of fatigue and chronic bone pain with BLL ( mean=38.41 μg/dL) and employment ( mean=13.4 years). We conclude that occurrence of fatigue and chronic bone pain symptom may associate with high blood lead level and thus complementary to routine BLL measurement and screening, bone lead measurement can be an important tool in the study of chronic lead exposure among non-smoker and industrially lead exposed workers as well

The Effect of Increasing Blood Flow Rate on Severity of Uremic Pruritus in Hemodialysis Patients: A Single Clinical Trial

Background: Although the prevalence of uremic pruritus has decreased compared to the past, the problem still remains as a matter of health and a major challenge of research in medical field, and has no effective treatment at present. This study aimed to investigate the effect of increasing blood flow rate on severity of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients in Iran. Methods: This clinical trial was performed on 60 hemodialysis patients that referred to hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences and these patients were selected through the convenience method and were treated for four weeks. They were divided into two groups of experimental and control as random allocation block, and studied for 4 weeks. Information on pruritus severity was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire in three steps of before intervention and two and four weeks after start of intervention. The rate of blood flow was increased in the first two weeks and the second two weeks by 25 and 50 rounds per minute (rpm) compared to the mean rate of blood flow of hemodialysis device in the last two sessions before intervention. Data were analyzed using the tests Mann�Whitney, Fisher, and t-test. Results: Analysis of data from 50 persons in both groups who completed the study revealed a significant difference between the groups in the severity of pruritus between the two sessions of hemodialysis (pruritus at home) at the end of the first two weeks of the intervention (<0.05) and the number of cases of pruritus (<0.05) at the end of the study. Conclusions: Increasing blood flow for hemodialysis machine can induce significant statistical and clinical reduction in the severity and the frequency of pruritus in hemodialysis patients and can be help to be improve the quality of life of these persons by increased the blood flow rate. © 2017 National Medical Associatio

Trace elements classification in human nutrition

Background: A trace element is a dietary mineral that is needed in very minute quantities for the proper growth, maintaining and recovering the health status of the organism. Based on nutritional significance 19 trace elements have been indentified (WHO classification): 1- Essential elements such as copper etc. 2- Probable essential elements such as manganese etc. 3- Potentially toxic elements such as lead, & etc. Materials and Methods: For this review article links such as http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/601406/trace-element http://www.tree.com/health/supplements-trace-elements.aspx were used. Results: Essential trace elements are required by man in amounts ranging from 50 ug to 18 mg per day. They act as catalyzers or are structural components of larger molecules. The 6 essential trace elements are Chromium, Copper, Zinc, Molybdenum, Selenium, and Iodine. Very little is known about the probable essential elements and they are thought unlikely to have a beneficial function in the life process of humans. They include manganese, silicon, nickel, boron, and vanadium. Potentially toxic elements, if present in excessive concentrations may be hazardous to health. However, there may be some possibility with essential functions for these elements. In this category fluoride, lead, cadmium, lithium, aluminum, arsenic, tin and mercury are included. Conclusion: The role of small amounts of certain elements alone or in compound on living organisms has long been known. Although the principal elements regarded as essential for organisms are comparatively few, most are recognized poisonous. Further investigations are essential to complete important gaps in our knowledge on trace elements role in health and controlling diseases