Muscle Tonicity of Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy: How Effective Is Swedish Massage?

ObjectiveMassage therapy is one of the most widely used complementary and alternative medicine therapies for children. This study was conducted to determine the effect of Swedish massage on the muscle tonicity of children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP).Materials & MethodsThis study was a single blind clinical trial conducted on forty children with spastic CP, recruited from clinics of the University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences. They were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Routine occupational therapy techniques were performed during a 3 monthperiod in both groups, while the intervention group also received Swedish massage for 30 minutes before every rehabilitation session. Muscle tonicity was evaluated at the  beginning of the study and 3 months later using the Modified Ashworth Scale.ResultsThe average ages of children in the intervention (n=13) and control (n=14) groups were 49.5 and 42.1 months respectively. Although after intervention, tonicity of upper and lower limbs, trunk and neck in the intervention group in comparison with controls had no significant differences, there were statistically significant differences in reduction rate of tonicity in upper limbs and trunk between the two groups (P <0.05).ConclusionMassage therapy is not a panacea for improvement of spasticity in children with CP but the encouraging results of other studies on children with CP indicate that further studies are needed for more definite results

Fiscal consolidation in a low inflation environment: pay cuts versus lost jobs

We construct a model of a monetary union to study fiscal consolidation in the Periphery of the euro area, through cuts in public sector wages or hiring when the nominal interest rate is constrained at its lower bound. Consolidation induces a positive wealth effect that increases demand, as well as a reallocation of workers towards the private sector, which together boost private activity. However, in a low inflation environment, demand is suppressed and the private sector is not able to absorb the additional workers. Comparing the two instruments, cuts in public hiring increase unemployment persistently in this environment, while wage cuts reduce it. Regions with higher mobility of labour between the two sectors are able to consolidate more effectively. Price flexibility is also key at the zero lower bound: for a higher degree of price rigidity in the Periphery, consolidation becomes harder to achieve. Consolidations can be self-defeating when the public good is productive, or a complement to private consumption

Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) on Reducing Symptoms of Depression in Women

زمینه و هدف: درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور یکی از انواع درمان‌های متداول در کاهش مشکلات روانشناختی از جمله افسردگی در بین درمانگران و مشاوران خانواده است. پژوهش حاضر با هدف بررسی اثر بخشی درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور بر کاهش نشانگان افسردگی زنان طراحی شد. روش بررسی: پژوهش حاضر از نوع نیمه تجربی و از روش پیش آزمون- پس آزمون و پیگیری با گروه کنترل بهره گرفته شده است. جامعه این پژوهش شامل کلیه زنانی بودند که با مشکل افسردگی به مرکز همیاران سلامت روان شهر بجنورد تحت نظارت سازمان بهزیستی خراسان شمالی در سال 1392 مراجعه نموده اند و بر اساس مصاحبه بالینی و تشخیصی، افسردگی در مورد آنها تشخیص داده شده بود. با استفاده از نمونه گیری در دسترس، 20 نفر از زنان بعنوان نمونه انتخاب شدند و با گمارش تصادفی در دو گروه آزمایش و کنترل قرار گرفتند. ابزار پژوهش پرسشنامه افسردگی بک (Beck) بود که توسط آزمودنی‌ها در مراحل پیش آزمون، پس آزمون و پیگیری تکمیل گردید. درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور در 6 جلسه 5/1 ساعته برای آزمودنی‌های گروه آزمایش برگزار شد اما برای گروه کنترل مداخله‌ای ارایه نگردید. داده‌ها با بهره‌گیری از نرم افزار SPSS و به روش تحلیل کوواریانس تک متغیره مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرارگرفتند. یافته‌ها: نتایج کاهش معنادار نمرات افسردگی زنان گروه آزمایش را در مراحل پس آزمون و پیگیری نسبت به گروه کنترل نشان داد. یافته ها حاکی از آن بود که درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور باعث کاهش علایم افسردگی زنان گروه مداخله شده و نتایج در دوره پیگیری نیز از ثبات لازم برخوردار بوده است (001/0 >P). نتیجه گیری: درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور بر کاهش افسردگی موثر است. مشاوران و روان درمانگران می‌توانند از این رویکرد درمانی موثر و کارآمد جهت حل مشکلات روانشناختی مراجعان بهره ببرند

Biochemical responses of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars subjected to NaCl salinity stress

This investigation was conducted to determine NaCl salinity effects on antioxidant enzyme s activities, reducing sugar contents and lipid peroxidation in two alfalfa cultivars. Plants grown in solution cultures were subjected to 0, 100, 150 and 200 mM solutions of sodium chloride. Yazdi and Diabolourde alfalfa were used as tolerant and sensitive cultivars, respectively, in a germination experiment under similar conditions. Results show that the amount of reducing sugars and the activities of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes increased with the increase in salt concentration. However, SOD activities decreased at high salt concentrations. The increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes in response to salt treatments was higher in the tolerant cultivar. The results also show that salt treatment provoked an oxidative stress in both cultivars, as shown by the increase in lipid peroxidation. However, the level of lipid peroxidation was higher in the sensitive cultivar. The increase in antioxidant activities could also be a response to the cellular damage induced by NaCl. It seems that the tolerant cultivar has a better mechanism to cope with the deleterious effects ROS produced under salt stress.Key words: Alfalfa, antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde, salt stress

Physiological and biochemical responses of Damask rose (Rosa damascena Miller) to potassium silicate application under water deficit stress

In this field experiment, the effect of potassium silicate (PS) on the physiological and biochemical responses of Damask rose was investigated under the water deficit stress. The treatments were four levels of irrigation water application including 100, 75, 50 and 25% plant water requirement (PWR) and potassium silicate at three rates (0, i.e., just pure water, 0.2 and 0.4%), once (in spring or summer) or twice (once in spring and once in summer) during the plant growth. The results showed that with irrigation of 75% of plant water requirement significantly reduced the concentration of chlorophyll a (Chl a, 170%), chlorophyll b (Chl b, 163%) and carotenoids (91%), the leaf relative water content (RWC, 14.8%) and the total flower yield (20%) as compared to control. The elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) content and ion leakage, as two indicators of oxidative damage, were observed in the plants subjected to the water deficit stress. In response to oxidative stress induced by water deficit stress, the leaf catalase (CAT, 59.5%) activity and concentration of proline (64.8%) as compared to control increased. The foliar-applied Si at two rates of 0.2 and 0.4% in spring and summer resulted in a higher concentration of Chl a (57.3% and 61.7%), Chl b (31% and 24.6%) and carotenoid content as compared to control, respectively. The increased concentration of proline and higher activity of CAT in the plants supplied with Si led to the higher leaf RWC and less intensity of oxidative damage, namely ion leakage and MDA content. According to the results, with the potassium silicate spraying in 0.2 or 0.4% both in spring and summer at the irrigation level equal to 50% of the PWR, the optimum flower yield was achieved

Fiscal consolidation with tax evasion and corruption

Cross-country evidence highlights the importance of tax evasion and corruption in determining the size of fiscal multipliers. We introduce these two features in a New Keynesian model and revisit the effects of fiscal consolidations. VAR evidence for Italy suggests that spending cuts reduce tax evasion, while tax hikes increase it. In the model, spending cuts induce a reallocation of production towards the formal sector, thus reducing tax evasion. Tax hikes increase the incentives to produce in the less productive shadow sector, implying higher output and unemployment losses. Corruption further amplifies these losses by requiring larger hikes in taxes to reduce debt. We use the model to assess the recent fiscal consolidation plans in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Our results corroborate the evidence of increasing levels of tax evasion during these consolidations and point to significant output and welfare losses, which could be reduced substantially by combating tax evasion and corruption. •We show that tax evasion and corruption matter for the size of fiscal multipliers.•Evidence suggests that spending cuts reduce tax evasion, and tax hikes increase it.•We replicate these findings in a DSGE model with tax evasion and corruption.•We assess the recent fiscal consolidation plans in Southern European countries.•Our simulations show a rise in tax evasion, and large output and welfare losses

Swedish massage and abnormal reflexes of children with spastic cerebral palsy

Objectives: Massage therapy is one of the most widely used complementary and alternative medicine therapies for children. This study was conducted to determine the effect of wedish massage on abnormal reflexes in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Material and Methods: This study was a single blind clinical trial conducted on forty children with spastic CP who were recruited from clinics of the University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences. They were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The routine occupational therapy (OT) techniques were performed during a 3 month-period in both groups. The intervention group also received Swedish massage for 30 minutes before every OT session. Primary, spinal, brain stem, midbrain, cortical and automatic reflexes were evaluated at the beginning of the study and 3 months later. The data analysis was done by parametric and nonparametric tests. Results: Finally, thirteen subjects in the intervention group and 14 subjects in the control group were remained and studied. The average ages in the intervention and control groups were 49.5 and 42.1 months respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in abnormal reflexes in the intervention group in comparison to the control (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Adding Swedish massage to traditional OT techniques had no significant effects on abnormal reflexes in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Evidently more research is required in order to completely reject the effects of Swedish massage on abnormal reflexes of children with CP

Motor Developmental Delay in 7500 Iranian Infants: Prevalence and Risk Factors

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and the most common risk factors of motor developmental delay in infants.Materials & MethodsFollowing ethical approval, a study was carried out on the prevalence and risk factors of infants with motor developmental delay. The first stage was conducted through a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of motor developmental delay on 7500 infants and the second stage was an analytic case - control survey to identify the most common risk factors on 140 infants, aged one month to three years with motor developmental delay. Data was collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status questionnaire, the Denver Developmental Screening Test II, a neurological assessment form, and the movement and tone assessment form.ResultsThe prevalence of motor developmental delay in 7500 infants was 18.7/1000. The most common risk factors in infants with motor developmental delay were prematurity (25.6%), low birth weight (19.2%), neonatal seizures (7.5%), hyaline membrane disease (6.7%), systemic infections of mothers during pregnancy (5.9%), severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (5%) in sequence. Motor developmental delay was significantly correlated with consanguinity of parents (p=0.001), prematurity (p=0.046), abnormal head circumference at birth (p=0.038), and low birth weight (p=0.026).ConclusionThe prevalence of motor developmental delay appears to be high and further studies should focus on different preventive strategies, controlling the most common risk factors and emphasizing on early detection and treatment of high risk infants.

Pre-clinical characterisation of E2814, a high-affinity antibody targeting the microtubule-binding repeat domain of tau for passive immunotherapy in Alzheimer's disease

Tau deposition in the brain is a pathological hallmark of many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). During the course of these tauopathies, tau spreads throughout the brain via synaptically-connected pathways. Such propagation of pathology is thought to be mediated by tau species (“seeds”) containing the microtubule binding region (MTBR) composed of either three repeat (3R) or four repeat (4R) isoforms. The tau MTBR also forms the core of the neuropathological filaments identified in AD brain and other tauopathies. Multiple approaches are being taken to limit tau pathology, including immunotherapy with anti-tau antibodies. Given its key structural role within fibrils, specifically targetting the MTBR with a therapeutic antibody to inhibit tau seeding and aggregation may be a promising strategy to provide disease-modifying treatment for AD and other tauopathies. Therefore, a monoclonal antibody generating campaign was initiated with focus on the MTBR. Herein we describe the pre-clinical generation and characterisation of E2814, a humanised, high affinity, IgG1 antibody recognising the tau MTBR. E2814 and its murine precursor, 7G6, as revealed by epitope mapping, are antibodies bi-epitopic for 4R and mono-epitopic for 3R tau isoforms because they bind to sequence motif HVPGG. Functionally, both antibodies inhibited tau aggregation in vitro. They also immunodepleted a variety of MTBR-containing tau protein species. In an in vivo model of tau seeding and transmission, attenuation of deposition of sarkosyl-insoluble tau in brain could also be observed in response to antibody treatment. In AD brain, E2814 bound different types of tau filaments as shown by immunogold labelling and recognised pathological tau structures by immunohistochemical staining. Tau fragments containing HVPGG epitopes were also found to be elevated in AD brain compared to PSP or control. Taken together, the data reported here have led to E2814 being proposed for clinical developmen

Consensus Middle East and North Africa Registry on Inborn Errors of Immunity

Background: Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) are a heterogeneous group of genetic defects of immunity, which cause high rates of morbidity and mortality mainly among children due to infectious and non-infectious complications. The IEI burden has been critically underestimated in countries from middle- and low-income regions and the majority of patients with IEI in these regions lack a molecular diagnosis. Methods: We analyzed the clinical, immunologic, and genetic data of IEI patients from 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The data was collected from national registries and diverse databases such as the Asian Pacific Society for Immunodeficiencies (APSID) registry, African Society for Immunodeficiencies (ASID) registry, Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF) registry, J Project centers, and International Consortium on Immune Deficiency (ICID) centers. Results: We identified 17,120 patients with IEI, among which females represented 39.4%. Parental consanguinity was present in 60.5% of cases and 27.3% of the patients were from families with a confirmed previous family history of IEI. The median age of patients at the onset of disease was 36 months and the median delay in diagnosis was 41 months. The rate of registered IEI patients ranges between 0.02 and 7.58 per 100,000 population, and the lowest rates were in countries with the highest rates of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) and death rates for children. Predominantly antibody deficiencies were the most frequent IEI entities diagnosed in 41.2% of the cohort. Among 5871 patients genetically evaluated, the diagnostic yield was 83% with the majority (65.2%) having autosomal recessive defects. The mortality rate was the highest in patients with non-syndromic combined immunodeficiency (51.7%, median age: 3.5 years) and particularly in patients with mutations in specific genes associated with this phenotype (RFXANK, RAG1, and IL2RG). Conclusions: This comprehensive registry highlights the importance of a detailed investigation of IEI patients in the MENA region. The high yield of genetic diagnosis of IEI in this region has important implications for prevention, prognosis, treatment, and resource allocation