Assessment of disability levels in patients with low back pain based on the type of lumbar spinal disorder

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is a common health condition and the leading cause of activity limitation and absenteeism in most parts of the world. One-fifth of patients with LBP develop chronic pain disability. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the disability levels in patients with different types of lumbar spinal disorders. METHODS: A total of 528 patients visiting spine clinics between June 2017 and February 2018 were enrolled in this study. A demographic checklist, the patients' medical records, the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire, and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were used to collect the data. RESULTS: Non-specific LBP (29.5) and discopathy (27) were the most common final diagnoses. The obtained Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was significantly higher in older patients, those with higher body mass index, more work experience, and smokers. Lower ODI was found in individuals with a history of regular exercise. Most individuals in all diagnostic groups were categorized into the high ODI group (p⩽ 0.001). CONCLUSION: In patients with lumbar spine lesions, ODI is significantly correlated with age, BMI, work experience, smoking, and the type of disorder (discopathy, spondylolysis, and spondylolisthesis). Regular exercise is associated with lower levels of disability

Assessment of Backpacks Parameters and Postural Structure Disturbances Association among Iranian Children

Background: Postural structure abnormalities have been highly prevalent among children in primary school children.The present study aimed to assess the relationship between the backpacks weight and method of carrying with postural structure disturbances in primary school children.   Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 472 primary school children in Karaj-Iran. Study investigators, assessed stature structure disturbances of head, neck, and spinal cord based on the New York scoring protocol. Ergonomic data of backpacks such as type of bag, weight of students' bags, the method of carrying bag, feeling pain when carrying the backpack, the mean time for carrying the backpack from school to home, was evaluated   Results: In this study 97.2% of students carried backpacks as the school bags and only 1.9% carried their bags correctly. The mean time for carrying backpacks was associated with the increased risk for posture disorder including forward head (

Coordination variability reduced for soccer players compared to non-athletes during the stance phase of gait

BACKGROUND: Soccer is a unilateral sports activity that may alter the spatiotemporal characteristics of gait. This may alter motor control of gait in the dominant leg in soccer players and lead to a sport-specific gait pattern, which has not yet been considered. We aimed to determine whether soccer players exhibit differences in the lower extremity coupling variability during gait compared to healthy non-athletes. METHODS: Hip, knee, and ankle joint angles from fourteen soccer players and sixteen controls were acquired during treadmill walking. Hip-knee coupling, knee-ankle coupling and coupling angle variability (CAV) of the right leg in the sagittal plane were assessed using a vector coding technique. RESULTS: Soccer players showed reduced hip-knee CAV during the mid-stance and terminal-stance phases of gait compared to the control group (Padj = 0.04 and P < 0.001, respectively). In addition, soccer players less often used an ankle coordination pattern, in which only the ankle joint but not the knee joint rotates (Padj = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, soccer players show altered gait dynamics during normal walking, possibly due to intense soccer training. These changes provide evidence of adaptive strategies of the motor control system to sports activities that can be used for gait rehabilitation. Clinicians should note that some sport, such as soccer, may result in sport-specific gait patterns However, further works are needed to confirm this finding

Quality of life of the mothers of children with autism

Background and Objective: Parents of children with autism have difficulty in their daily activities and social relationships and have a low quality of life. The negative effect of having a low intelligence or disabled child is more likely to cause tension and pressure on mother than the other family members. This study was conducted to determine the quality of life of mothers with autism children compared to mothers with normal children. Methods: This case-control study was performed on 36 mothers with autistic child and 114 mothers with healthy children in Gorgan (Iran) during 2015. Sampling was done randomly and the data gathering tool was SF-36 quality of life standard questionnaire. Results: The quality of life of mothers with autistic child had a significant reduction in comparison with the quality of life of mothers with healthy child (P<0.05). Also, items of quality of life including  general health, social function, and role limitation due to psychological, emotional and physical functioning in the group of mothers with autistic children were significantly lower than mothers with healthy ones (P<0.05). Conclusion: Mothers with autistic children had low quality of life. Therefore, it is recommended to design suitable programs for improving the health status and quality of life as a priority of health care plans

Whatman Paper (FTA Cards) for Storing and Transferring Leishmania DNA for PCR Examination

"nBackground: Diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is often made based on clinical manifesta­tion. Correct diagnosis and identification of the parasite are crucial for choosing the effective treat­ment and for epidemiological studies. On the other hand, determination of Leishmania species is nec­essary for designing appropriate control programs. Diagnosis by PCR is becoming a &apos;gold standard&apos;. For PCR preparation, storage and shipments of specimens are necessary. In this study, Whatman filter paper (FTA Card) was used to store and transfer samples for Leishmania identification using PCR. "nMethods: Among the patients who had CL lesion and referred to Parasitology Laboratory of Emam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, 44 consented cases with positive results in their direct smear were se­lected. An informed consent form and a questionnaire were completed and three different types of samples (direct smear, NNN culture, and spot on FTA card) were collected. DNA extraction and PCR were carried out on three different samples from each patient. "nResults: PCR results using Whatman paper samples revealed a significant difference (P<0.0001) compared to the culture method but no significant difference was seen between PCR results using samples stored on Whatman paper and direct smears. "nConclusion: The use of FTA cards is simple, rapid, and cost-effective, and can be readily employed for large-scale population screening, especially for regions where the specimens are to be transported from distant places to the laboratory