Evaluation of the quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease: using two measuring assessment tools

Background: Coronary heart diseases (CHD) are considered to be as a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) test and assessment is considered as a major an important measuring tool of the disease effects results and other variables related to the patient’s life.Objectives: The purpose of this observational study is to assess and compare the quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted at Al-shaab Teaching Hospital, where 100 patients with definite diagnosis of CHD were responded. The data was collected using two quality of life assessment tools: the Seattle angina questionnaire (SAQ) (disease specific measuring tool) and the SF-36 questionnaire (generic measuring tool).Results: Based on the 1) SAQ, out of the 50 patients who were recruited, the patients physical functioning in terms of activities performed 58% said “not limited” and 42% said “limited” in case of chest pain 26% noted “much more often” while 10% “much less often” Based on the 2) SF-36, out of the 50 patients who were recruited, the patients physical functioning in terms of activates performed 26% said “no, not limited” and 74% said “limited”. 34% had felt full of life “all the time” while 10% “none of the time”.Conclusion: HRQL measurement gives health care providers an additional tool for the assessment of the impact of specific clinical decisions on the health status of patients. Of the SAQ and SF-36, the SAQ offers more reliable assessment of quality of life.Keywords: Coronary heart Disease, measuring assessment tool

Effects of pitch and musical sounds on body-representations when moving with sound

The effects of music on bodily movement and feelings, such as when people are dancing or engaged in physical activity, are well-documented—people may move in response to the sound cues, feel powerful, less tired. How sounds and bodily movements relate to create such effects? Here we deconstruct the problem and investigate how different auditory features affect people’s body-representation and feelings even when paired with the same movement. In three experiments, participants executed a simple arm raise synchronised with changing pitch in simple tones (Experiment 1), rich musical sounds (Experiment 2) and within different frequency ranges (Experiment 3), while we recorded indirect and direct measures on their movement, body-representations and feelings. Changes in pitch influenced people’s general emotional state as well as the various bodily dimensions investigated—movement, proprioceptive awareness and feelings about one’s body and movement. Adding harmonic content amplified the differences between ascending and descending sounds, while shifting the absolute frequency range had a general effect on movement amplitude, bodily feelings and emotional state. These results provide new insights in the role of auditory and musical features in dance and exercise, and have implications for the design of sound-based applications supporting movement expression, physical activity, or rehabilitation

Measurement of tibial nerve excursion during ankle joint dorsiflexion in a weight-bearing position with ultrasound imaging

The ability of peripheral nerves to stretch and slide is thought to be of paramount importance to maintain ideal neural function. Excursion in peripheral nerves such as the tibial can be measured by analysis of ultrasound images. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of longitudinal tibial nerve excursion as the ankle moved from plantar flexion to dorsiflexion in a standardised weight-bearing position. The reliability of ultrasound imaging to measure tibial nerve excursion was also quantified

Hibiscus sabdariffa extract inhibits in vitro biofilm formation capacity of Candida albicans isolated from recurrent urinary tract infections

Objective: To explore the prevention of recurrent candiduria using natural based approaches and to study the antimicrobial effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa (H. sabdariffa) extract and the biofilm forming capacity of Candida albicans strains in the present of the H. sabdariffa extract. Methods: In this particular study, six strains of fluconazole resistant Candida albicans isolated from recurrent candiduria were used. The susceptibility of fungal isolates, time-kill curves and biofilm forming capacity in the present of the H. sabdariffa extract were determined. Results: Various levels minimum inhibitory concentration of the extract were observed against all the isolates. Minimum inhibitory concentration values ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/mL. Time-kill experiment demonstrated that the effect was fungistatic. The biofilm inhibition assay results showed that H. sabdariffa extract inhibited biofilm production of all the isolates. Conclusions: The results of the study support the potential effect of H. sabdariffa extract for preventing recurrent candiduria and emphasize the significance of the plant extract approach as a potential antifungal agent

Strain in the tibial and plantar nerves with foot and ankle movements and the influence of adjacent joint positions

We studied the influence of different positions in neighboring joints on strain in the tibial and plantar nerves during ankle and toe movements. Tibial nerve strain at the ankle was measured during ankle dorsiflexion in ten cadavers; plantar nerve strain was measured during toe extension. Tibial nerve strain increased with ankle dorsiflexion (mean increase: 3.9%) and strain was higher when the nervous system was pretensioned by either knee extension or hip flexion (

Silicone Oil Utilized in Pars Plana Vitrectomy for Patients with Advanced Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: Physico-Chemical and Optical Properties

Rami Al-Dwairi,1 Ahmad A Ahmad,2 Abdelwahab Aleshawi,1 Areen A Bani-Salameh,2 Ihsan A Aljarrah,2 Qais M Al-Bataineh,2,3 Seren Al Beiruti,1 Ali Omar Alshami,1 Edina Rusen,4 Gabriela Toader5 1Department of Special Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan; 2Department of Physics, Thin Films and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Art, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan; 3Leibniz Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften‐ISAS‐e.V., Dortmund, 44139, Germany; 4Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Bucharest, 011061, Romania; 5Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”, Bucharest, 050141, RomaniaCorrespondence: Rami Al-Dwairi, Department of Special Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science & Technology, P. O. Box: 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan, Tel +962799273019, Fax +962 2 7201064, Email [email protected]: Silicone oils have the role in maintaining the attachment of the retina in conditions where the risk of retinal re-detachment is high. However, silicone oils have the tendency to emulsify with subsequent complications. In this work, analyses have been performed to understand changes that occurred to the optical, and physical characteristics of the oil after removal from the vitreous cavity of patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for fibrovascular membranes/tractional retinal detachment (FVM/TRD).Methods: Four samples of silicone oil were allocated from patients who underwent PPV for FVM/TRD. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, micro-viscometry, and ultraviolet-visible spectrometer analyses were utilized to determine the changes in its chemical bondings, viscosity, absorbance, transmittance, buoyance, and specific gravity.Results: The mean age of the patients was 49.0 years. The mean duration of silicone oil implantation was 18.9 months. FTIR analysis showed significant breaking in the chemical bonding that was related to the lens status during the primary PPV, the presence of significant retinal hemorrhages, the duration of silicone oil implantation, and the degree of silicone oil filling. Similarly, viscosity and contact angle analyses revealed a reduction in the viscosity with similar factors to the FTIR analysis. Moreover, absorbance and transmittance were largely affected by the aggressiveness of FVM/TRD.Conclusion: This study revealed that certain factors such as the age of the patient, duration of silicone oil implantation, lens status, and the presence of retinal hemorrhages, the degree of silicone oil filling and aggressiveness of FVM/TRD may contribute to the emulsification process.Keywords: silicone oil, tractional retinal detachment, emulsification, viscosit