The Reliability of Standing Sagittal Measurements of Spinal Curvature and Range of Motion in Older Women With and Without Hyperkyphosis Using a Skin-Surface Device.

OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to investigate the intrarater reliability of a skin-surface instrument (Spinal Mouse, Idiag, Voletswil, Switzerland) in measuring standing sagittal curvature and global mobility of the spine in older women with and without hyperkyphosis. METHODS:Measurements were made in 19 women with hyperkyphosis (thoracic kyphosis angle ≥50°), mean age 67 ± 5 years, and 14 women without hyperkyphosis (thoracic kyphosis angle <50°), mean age 63 ± 6 years. Sagittal thoracic and lumbar curvature and mobility of the spine were assessed with the Spinal Mouse during neutral standing, full spinal flexion, and full spinal extension. Tests were performed by the same examiner on 2 days with a 72-hour interval. The intrarater reliability of the measurements was analyzed using the intraclass correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change. RESULTS:Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.89 to 0.99 in both groups. The standard errors of measurement ranged from 1.02° to 2.06° in the hyperkyphosis group and from 1.15° to 2.22° in the normal group. The minimal detectable change ranged from 2.85° to 5.73° in the hyperkyphosis group and from 3.20° to 6.17° in the normal group. CONCLUSIONS:Our results indicated that the Spinal Mouse has excellent intrarater reliability for the measurement of sagittal thoracic and lumbar curvature and mobility of the spine in older women

The reliability and validity of a designed setup for the assessment of static back extensor force and endurance in older women with and without hyperkyphosis.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the intra-rater reliability and validity of a designed load cell setup for the measurement of back extensor muscle force and endurance.ParticipantsThe study sample included 19 older women with hyperkyphosis, mean age 67.0 ± 5.0 years, and 14 older women without hyperkyphosis, mean age 63.0 ± 6.0 years.MethodsMaximum back extensor force and endurance were measured in a sitting position with a designed load cell setup. Tests were performed by the same examiner on two separate days within a 72-hour interval. The intra-rater reliability of the measurements was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard errors of measurement (SEM), and minimal detectable change (MDC). The validity of the setup was determined using Pearson correlation analysis and independent t-test.ResultsUsing our designed load cell, the values of ICC indicated very high reliability of force measurement (hyperkyphosis group: 0.96, normal group: 0.97) and high reliability of endurance measurement (hyperkyphosis group: 0.82, normal group: 0.89). For all tests, the values of SEM and MDC were low in both groups. A significant correlation between two documented forces (load cell force and target force) and significant differences in the muscle force and endurance among the two groups were found.ConclusionThe measurements of static back muscle force and endurance are reliable and valid with our designed setup in older women with and without hyperkyphosis

Postural and Musculoskeletal Disorders in Women with Urinary Incontinence: A Research Report

Introduction: To investigate and compare the prevalence of some postural and musculoskeletal disorders in women with and without Urinary Incontinence (UI). Urinary Incontinence (UI) is one of the most important social and health problems in women. Limited studies have shown that UI prevalence is around 35%-55% in Iran. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, there is no exact and reliable data reported in the literature on the prevalence of musculoskeletal, postural, or other related disorders in UI patients in Iran. Methods and Materials: The current study was conducted based on the data obtained from 166 incontinent and 90 continent women attending Vali-e-Asr University Hospital between 2010 and 2012. After collecting participants’ demographic information, postural status was assessed. In addition, we measured values for pelvic inclination and lumbar lordosis angles. Finally, vaginal tone and pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance were evaluated. Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) goodness-of-fit, Independent t, X2, and Pearson correlation tests were used for the purposes of data analysis. Results: The prevalence of low back pain, chronic pelvic pain, and pelvic asymmetry were significantly higher in incontinent women compared with that in continent women (p<0.05). It was found that lumbar lordosis was significantly different between the two groups (P=0.021); however, no significant difference was observed regarding pelvic inclination (P=0.20). Conclusion: The present study confirms the hypothesis that incontinent women have higher prevalence of low back and pelvic pain and pelvic asymmetry. It is recommented that further epidemiologic and comprehensive etiologic investigations be conducted on these findings.Keywords: Urinary Incontinence, Posture, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Wome

Reliability of Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging In Measuring Thickness of Levator Scapula Muscle in Asymptomatic Women

Introduction: Levator Scapula Muscle (LSM) is one of the stabilizers of the scapulae. Shortening of this muscle disrupts shoulder biomechanics and results in shoulder pain. Rehabilitative Ultrasound imaging (RUSI) has been introduced as a non-invasive method to measure muscle thickness. The present study aimed to determine the intra-rater reliability of RUSI to measure thickness of LSM in a group of asymptomatic women. Materials and method: Images of LSM were taken using RUSI at the level of the forth cervical vertebra in sitting position in 20 asymptomatic women aged 20-36 years. Images were obtained by one examiner on two separate days and muscle thickness was measured using RUSI. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), Standard Error of Measurement (SEM), Smallest Detectable Difference (SDD), and Bland-Altman plot were used for the assessment of reliability. Results: The results of ICC (0.9), SEM (0.26 mm), and SDD (0.72 mm) values revealed an excellent intra-rater reliability and accuracy of RUSI to measure LSM thickness in asymptomatic women. Conclusion: The method of RUSI used in the current study is recommended to measure LSM thickness. It can be used to measure thickness of LSM in patients with shoulder pain where the thickness of the muscle varies according to the level of pain and spasm.Keywords: Levator Scapula; Ultrasonography; Muscle; Reliability; Shoulde

Cupping: a reasonable choice for attenuating morphine withdrawal symptoms in Wistar rats

Background: Nowadays, the sedative drugs are the main treatments to attenuate the opioid withdrawal symptoms. However, physical therapies are found a safe alternative treatment without any serious adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cupping treatment on the morphine withdrawal symptoms in rats.Methods: Eighty rats were divided into two main groups; treated with morphine or saline, and each group was also divided to cupping and sham cupping subgroups (with single or daily treatment). Injection of morphine and saline were done in the morphine and saline groups twice a day for nine days. On the ninth day, the naloxone was administered and the withdrawal symptoms including jumping, rearing, body grooming, abdominal writing, and wet-dog shaking were recorded for 60 minutes. Cupping or sham cupping was applied on the GV14 once before or daily after withdrawal induction in each group.Results: The results revealed that a single cupping before the withdrawal induction significantly attenuated the withdrawal symptoms in the morphine group (p<0.01).But, the daily cupping failed to decrease the withdrawal symptoms in this group. The results also indicated that the daily cupping in the saline group increased the naloxone-induced withdrawal symptoms significantly (p<0.01).Conclusions: Single session cupping before the withdrawal induction could decreased the withdrawal symptoms. This finding might be related to the modulation of GABAergic system

Lower Cytoplasmic Expression of DDIT4 Is Associated With Poor Prognosis in Gastric Cancer Patients

INTRODUCTION: DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4), also known as Redd1, Dig2, and RTP801 was identified to be upregulated in response to a variety of cellular stresses, including DNA damage, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and energy stress. Several studies have discovered that dysregulation of DDIT4 involved in various cancers with paradoxical expression and roles. Hence, this study was designed to investigate the clinical significance and prognostic value of DDIT4 in different subtypes of gastric cancer (GC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate the expression pattern of DDIT4 in GC tissues as well as adjacent normal tissue, we utilized immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray (TMA) slides. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that nuclear expression of DDIT4 was higher in GC tissues than in non-malignant samples. Also, the cytoplasmic and membranous expression of DDIT4 were significantly lower in tumor samples (P = 0.007 and P = 0.002, respectively). The results indicated that there was a statistically significant association between low cytoplasmic and membranous expression of DDIT4 and advanced histological grade (P = 0.001 and P = 0.016). The survival analysis revealed that lowered cytoplasmic expression of DDIT4 is significantly associated with worse DSS (P = 0.038). CONCLUSION: Lower cytoplasmic expression of DDIT4 could serve as a promising prognostic biomarker in GC

Electrical Stimulation for Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) is highly prevalent in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who suffer from some degrees of voiding dysfunction and/or urinary incontinence (UI), six to eight years after the initial diagnosis of MS. Electrostimulation is an established therapeutic option for neurogenic LUTD. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of various types of electrical stimulation (ES) used for LUTD in MS patients. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of English-language articles was carried out in PEDro, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases between 1980 and 2017 using the following keywords: multiple sclerosis, electrical stimulation, LUTD, and neurogenic bladder. All the titles and abstracts were checked. Thereafter, full-text copies were obtained in cases where the studies had possible relevance. We carried out a background search by examining reference lists of all obtained articles. Ten treatment studies were identified in the search process. Results: Out of 10 articles, four were about the effects of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) on LUTD. In three studies, neuromuscular ES, and in one study, interferential current was used. One study surveyed the effect of ES on the dorsal penile or clitoral nerve, and another studied the effect of ES on sacral dermatomes with regard to urinary symptoms. Also, three studies surveyed the effect of ES and its combination with pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training. Conclusion: This review showed that various types of non-invasive ES used for neurogenic LUTD in patients with MS for suppressing detrusor overactivity have also improved bladder compliance. Patients with MS require daily home stimulation treatments. Also, a combination of ES with PFM training is effective in reducing the symptoms of LUTD in MS patients.Keywords: Electrical Neuromodulation, Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction, Multiple Sclerosis, Neurogenic Bladde

The Impact of Body Mass Index on Quality of Life in Women with Osteoporosis

Background: Improving the quality of life in osteoporotic women is one of the crucial goals of health systems. Hence, recognizing the factors affecting the quality of life in such patients is an important issue. The body mass index (BMI) seems to be capable of affecting quality of life. Besides, BMI is a quantitative index simple to measure. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of BMI on quality of life in a group of osteoporotic women. Methods: One hundred osteoporotic women aged 50 - 60 participated in this descriptive-analytical study. These women were referring to the internal clinic of Mousavi Hospital of Zanjan. The body mass index was calculated after measuring both height and weight. Based on the BMI, the patients were divided into three groups: BMI &lt; 18.5 underweight, 18.5 ≤ BMI &lt; 25 normal and BMI ≥ 25 overweight. The short form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was employed for measuring the quality of life. Given the normal distribution of data, one-way-ANOVA and Independent t-test were utilized to compare the means of the three groups. In all tests, P &lt; 0.05 was accepted as a significant level. Results: Comparison groups using the one-way ANOVA test on SF-36 subscale and total QOL scores showed in all components of QOL; underweight, overweight and normal groups were significantly different (P &lt; 0.05). Considering the Independent t-test, osteoporotic women in overweight group reported a poor quality of life as measured by the SF-36. Yet, the quality of life score in the normal group and the underweight group did not have a significant difference. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that increased BMI negatively affects quality of life. Therefore, it can be avowed that keeping the BMI low and controlling it are effective in raising the quality of life in osteoporotic women. Thus, so as to improve the quality of life in those patients, therapists ought to take greater heed of their BMI and its changes.</jats:p