The effect of combined exercise therapy on knee proprioception,pain intensity and quality of life in patients with hypermobility syndrome: A randomized clinical trial

Objective

Proprioception, the perception of limb movements and spatial orientation derived from body stimuli, plays a critical role in maintaining joint stability. This study aimed to investigate the effect of combined exercise therapy (closed kinetic chain exercises and proprioception exercises) on knee proprioception, pain intensity and quality of life in patients with hypermobility syndrome.

Genetic Factors Affecting Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Susceptibility

Alzheimer’s disease is considered a progressive brain disease in the older population. Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) as a multifactorial dementia has a polygenic inheritance. Age, environment, and lifestyle along with a growing number of genetic factors have been reported as risk factors for LOAD. Our aim was to present results of LOAD association studies that have been done in northwestern Iran, and we also explored possible interactions with apolipoprotein E (APOE) status. We re-evaluated the association of these markers in dominant, recessive, and additive models. In all, 160 LOAD and 163 healthy control subjects of Azeri Turkish ethnicity were studied. The Chi-square test with Yates’ correction and Fisher’s exact test were used for statistical analysis. A Bonferroni-corrected p value, based on the number of statistical tests, was considered significant. Our results confirmed that chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2), estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF α), APOE, bridging integrator 1 (BIN1), and phosphatidylinositol-binding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM) are LOAD susceptibility loci in Azeri Turk ancestry populations. Among them, variants of CCR2, ESR1, TNF α, and APOE revealed associations in three different genetic models. After adjusting for APOE, the association (both allelic and genotypic) with CCR2, BIN1, and ESRα (PvuII) was evident only among subjects without the APOE ε4, whereas the association with CCR5, without Bonferroni correction, was significant only among subjects carrying the APOE ε4 allele. This result is an evidence of a synergistic and antagonistic effect of APOE on variant associations with LOAD.     

A comparative study of antibody titers of blister fluid and serum in patients with subepidermal immunobullous diseases

BACKGROUND: Subepidermal autoimmune bullous diseases (SABD) comprise several disorders, such as bullous pemphigoid (BP), cicatricial pemphigoid (CP), epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA), herpes gestationis (HG), and linear immunoglobulin A (IgA) dermatosis (LAD), and are characterized by antibody production against the basement membrane structures of the skin and mucosa. Although indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on serum is a routine test for the detection of basement membrane zone antibodies, there have only been a few studies related to IIF on blister fluid. Aim To perform IIF on blister fluid and to compare the results with those of serum. METHODS: IIF on salt-split skin was performed on the serum and blister fluid of 35 patients with SABD (25 bp, three EBA, three HG, three LAD, and one bullous systemic lupus erythematosus) with conjugated IgG, IgA, and C3. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of the 35 patients showed IIF-positive blister fluid with a titer similar or less than that of serum. In 25 patients with BP, the most common disease in this study, 23 cases (92%) had positive IIF on serum, 23 cases (92%) on blister fluid, and 24 cases (96%) on either serum or blister fluid. Immunoreactant titers in BP blister fluid and serum did not show significant differences (P > 0.05). Epidermal binding of immunoreactants was the most prevalent staining pattern of IIF on salt-split skin (92%) in BP. CONCLUSIONS: From the findings of this study, the blister fluid of patients with SABD can be used for IIF. Although IIF sensitivity on blister fluid is no more than that on serum, the performance of this test on blister fluid in addition to serum may reduce the number of false negative results of IIF found using either of these two substrates alone.     

The effect of low dose human chorionic gonadotropin on follicular response and oocyte maturation in PCOS patients undergoing IVF cycles: a randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety

Purpose  

To compare the efficacy of two regimens of low dose human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on follicular response and oocyte maturation in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).     

The factors affecting the outcome of frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycle

ObjectiveTo determine the impact of the clinical and embryological factors on the pregnancy outcome of frozen–thawed embryo transfer.Materials and MethodsThe data of 247 frozen–thawed embryo transfer cycles were assessed at Royan Institute from March 2006 to March 2008. Appropriate statistical analysis was performed using Student t test and Chi-square or Fisher exact test. Forward logistic regression was done to predict the individual impact of factors on the success of frozen embryo transfer.ResultsAccording to our results, 1,523 frozen embryos were thawed with a survival rate of 79.8%. The overall chemical and clinical pregnancy rates per embryo transfer cycle were 28.1% and 26.3%, respectively. A total of 71 gestational sacs were implanted (7.9%). The pregnancy outcome was higher in women who were stimulated with the gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist long protocol, treated by a combination of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, who had endometrial thickness greater than or equal to 8 mm on the embryo transfer day, and who had positive fresh-cycle pregnancy test.ConclusionProtocol type, gonadotrophin preparations, fresh-cycle outcome, endometrial thickness and the numbers of obtained oocytes, embryos, and high-quality thawed embryos transferred are the factors affecting pregnancy outcome of frozen–thawed embryo transfer.     

Knowledge and Attitude of Iranian Medical University Students about Organ Donation and Transplantation: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundMedical professionals'' knowledge of and attitudes toward organ donation and transplantation have positive impact on donation rates. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitude of medical university students in Iran about organ donation and transplantation.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out on 1078 undergraduate students in Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran, from January to June 2019. All eligible students were recruited using convenient sampling. Data were gathered using knowledge and attitude toward organ donation and transplantation questionnaire. The higher scores of both subscales, the knowledge subscale (range from 0 to 13) and the attitude subscale (range from 13 to 65), indicate the better knowledge and attitude toward organ donation and transplantation.ResultsThe mean age of students was 22.24±5.16 years. Finding showed that the mean score of students'' knowledge and attitude toward organ donation and organ transplantation were 8.48±1.71 and 48.55±8.11 respectively. Also, the mean score of students'' knowledges in females (P<0.001), married (P=0.001) and who had organ donation card (P<0.001) was significantly higher. Nearly all of the students had heard about organ donation (98.3%) and organ transplantation (98.4%). Majority of them pointed that their source of information about organ donation and transplantation was television (TV) program (47.1%). Most of the students (73.8%) reported that they agree to donate their organs but most of them (67.5%) did not know how to obtain organ donation card and only 9.6% of them had the organ donor card as a volunteer donor.ConclusionAccording to finding, despite the awareness and favorable attitude about organ donation and transplantation among medical students, the number of registered donors was low. In addition to promoting college students'' awareness about organ donation for increasing registered donors, it is needed to aware and pursue lay people through social media.     

Combination of self-management theory with PRECEDE–PROCEED model to promote life quality in patients with hypertension

Journal of Public Health - Hypertension is a multifactorial medical condition that might cause functional changes in target organs such as heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels. This study was...     

Appropriate timing of uterine cavity length measurement positively affects assisted reproduction cycle outcome

An appropriate and easy embryo transfer has a direct impact on pregnancy rates. Proper evaluation of the uterocervical axis and uterine depth are necessary for suitable embryo transfer. The aim of this study was to assess the appropriate time for cervical axis evaluation and uterine measurement. A total of 124 patients undergoing IVF treatment were included in the study. They were divided equally into two groups. In group I (62 women), uterine cavity depth was measured and the uterocervical axis was determined on day 2 or 3 of the menstrual cycle, and in group II (62 women) at the time of oocyte retrieval. There was a statistically significant difference in clinical pregnancy rates between the two groups (P = 0.006). Thirty-four women became pregnant in group I (64.2%) versus 19 women in group II (35.8%). In conclusion, uterine cavity measurement is necessary for suitable embryo transfer. It seems that the time of measurement significantly affects clinical pregnancy rate in IVF cycles. The best time for uterine measurement is on day 2 or 3 of menstruation.