Spinal Manipulation for Subacute and Chronic Lumbar Radiculopathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveWe evaluated the efficacy of spinal manipulation for the management of nonacute lumbar radiculopathy.MethodsIn a university hospital we performed a randomized controlled trial with 2 parallel arms. Patients (n = 44) with unilateral radicular low back pain lasting more than 4 weeks were randomly allocated to manipulation and control groups. The primary outcome was the intensity of the low back pain on a visual analog scale. The secondary outcome was the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire score. We also measured spinal ranges of motion. The assessments were carried out at the baseline, immediately after intervention, and at 3 months’ follow-up. All patients underwent physiotherapy. The manipulation group received three sessions of manipulation therapy 1 week apart. For manipulation, we used Robert Maigne's technique.ResultsBoth groups experienced a decrease in back and leg pain significantly (all P ≤ 0.003). However, only the manipulation group showed significantly favorable results in the Oswestry scores (P < 0.001), and the straight leg raise test (P = 0.001). All ranges of motion increased significantly with manipulation (all P < 0.001), but the control group showed favorable results only in right and left rotations and in extension (all P < 0.001). Between-group analyses showed significantly better outcomes for manipulation in all measurements (all P ≤ 0.009) with large effect sizes.ConclusionSpinal manipulation improves the results of physiotherapy over a period of 3 months for patients with subacute or chronic lumbar radiculopathy.     

The effect of Crocin on TFAM and PGC-1α expression and Catalase and Superoxide dismutase activities following cholestasis-induced neuroinflammation in the striatum of male Wistar rats

Metabolic Brain Disease - Bile secretion is a physiological function that is disrupted following Bile Duct Ligation (BDL) and induces cholestasis. Cholestasis is a bile flow reduction that induces...     

CO2 conversion into methanol under ambient conditions using efficient nanocomposite photocatalyst/solar-energy materials in aqueous medium

A promising route to solve the CO₂ issue is its photocatalytic back-conversion to H-based solar fuels/chemicals, particularly methanol – being widely used as a strategic material in chemical/energy-related industries. Herein, the authors address this globally interesting problem and demonstrate how through an effortless hydrothermal route and using earth-abundant elements, two efficient carbon nanotube (CNT)-based heterojunction photocatalyst/solar-energy materials, viz. CNT/NiO and CNT/NiO/Fe₂O₃ are synthesized and employed for methanol production. The investigations revealed that both binary and ternary composites could selectively (≥93%) produce methanol using CO₂ feed in aqueous medium. Moreover, a higher performance (energy efficiency: 1.81%) was witnessed for the ternary photocatalyst. From a catalytic standpoint, the superior activity of the CNT/NiO/Fe₂O₃ photocatalyst was discussed in detail in terms of its larger surface area, higher absorption of incident light, better charge separation/transfer, and generation of greater photo-voltage/current to effectually split the water medium and achieve the photoconversion process. A mechanistic scheme was finally proposed for the production of methanol and methane, as liquid and gas phase products, respectively.

CNT-based nanocomposite photocatalyst/solar-energy materials serving as in situ hydrogen generators for selective conversion [hydrogenation] of CO₂ into methanol: a mechanistic/photoelectrochemical outlook.     

Dietary patterns and anthropometric indices among Iranian women with major depressive disorder

Major depression is a common mental disorder among women. A number of studies have demonstrated the association between some nutrients and food items with depression, but the studies on the association of dietary patterns with depression, especially in the Middle East, are rare. Further, the literature examining the relationship between anthropometric status and depression are inconsistent. In this study, 45 women with major depression and 90 patients with no mental disorder participated. We collected dietary intakes by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and measured anthropometric indices (weight, height, waist and hip circumferences). Using factor analysis, two major dietary patterns were extracted: Healthy and Unhealthy. After adjusting for confounders, individuals who gained higher scores in healthy dietary pattern, had 84% lower odds of major depression; while the odds of major depression in participants who gained higher scores in unhealthy dietary pattern showed no significant association. No significant association was found between anthropometric indices and major depression. These results suggest that the healthy dietary pattern is significantly associated with lower odds of major depression in adult women. Further researches are needed to confirm these findings.     

Predictive performance of obesity indexes for the risk of high blood pressure in an adult population

Background and objectives

Comparisons of predictive performance of various anthropometric measures in high blood pressure have not been investigated. This study aimed at evaluating and comparing the predictive power of Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Adiposity index (BAI) and A Body Shape Index (ABSI) for predicting hypertension in adults.