Internal Medicine Today
Volume:26 Issue: 3, 2020

 Muscular pain is a common complication of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of massage with lavender gel and piroxicam gel on exercise-induced muscle pain in male students of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences.

This semi-experimental study was performed on 75 male students of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences in 2018. The Samples were randomly divided into three groups of 25, including a lavender gel massage group, a piroxicam gel massage group, and a placebo gel massage group. The specimens were randomly divided into three groups of 25, including a lavender gel massage group, a piroxicam gel massage group, and a placebo gel massage group. The training program lasted for 45 minutes, including 10 minutes of warming up and doing stretching exercises, 30 minutes of exercises and the main exercises and 5 minutes for cooling. The research instrument was a checklist for the demographic characteristics of the samples and the Thalog malformation questionnaire. Samples completed the Thalog pain questionnaire after completing the exercise and also after the massage. The Mean±SD were used for descriptive statistics. Normaly distributed data were analyticaly analyzed by paired t-test and ANOVA and non-normaly distributed data were analyticaly analyzed by Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

 The results showed that muscle pain induced by exercise in all three groups after massage was significantly reduced compared to before massage (P<0.001). The results of Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the difference in muscle pain before and after massage with the three gels used 
(P=0.002) was statistically significant. Massage with lavender gel compared to piroxicam and placebo groups was able to reduce more the muscle pain.

 Massage with lavender gel compared to the piroxicam gel and placebo gel can be a better way to reduce muscle pain after exercise.

 Fertility is an important factor for population growth and its proportion. Regarding the overall decrease in the total fertility rate in Iran and reaching below the replacement rate, this study aimed at determining the effect of the education based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on women’s fertility intention.

This interventional study was conducted on 100 pregnant women of reproductive age covered by the Gonabad community health centers. The subjects were selected through two-stage cluster sampling and randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups (n=50 per group). Data were analyzed using SPSS V. 20 and Independent t-test, paired t-test, and Chi-square test.

 There was no significant difference between the demographic characteristics of the subjects in the experimental and control groups. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the mean score of the theoretical constructs between the two groups. After the intervention, the mean score of attitude (P=0.014), perceived behavioral control (P=0.042), and behavioral intention (P=0.005) were significantly different between the two groups.

 The results showed that the educational intervention based on TPB could positively affect the fertility intention of single-child women. Hence, it is suggested to use this model in educational programs related to population growth policy and to plan interventions encouraging couples to have another child.

 Obesity is one of the greatest health challenges in the world and can lead to kidney disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise with and without Bunium persicum (Boiss.) consumption on kidney function and the number of trace elements in the blood sample in obese menopausal women.

In this experimental study, 29 obese menopausal women were randomly divided into 3 groups: exercise, supplement, and exercise+supplement with the mean body mass index of 28.3±3.2, 30.4±4.14, and 31.67±4.93 kg/m2, respectively. Eight weeks of exercise was performed in three 45-min sessions per week at 65-75% of the maximum heart rate. The supplement group received two meals of B. persicum for 8 weeks. Before and after the intervention, creatinine, urea, uric acid, iron, zinc, sodium, and magnesium were measured. Data were analyzed by SPSS at the significance level of P≤0.05.

 The results showed that none of the renal function factors in the groups changed significantly. Intra-group changes in zinc significantly increased in the exercise and exercise + supplementation groups (P=0.041 and P=0.010, respectively). Intra-group changes in iron showed a significant decrease and increase in the exercise and supplement groups, respectively (P=0.001 and P=0.001, respectively). The inter-group variation of the iron was also significant (P=0.001).

 Eight weeks of aerobic exercises in water alone and in combination with B. persicum consumption did not affect renal function in obese and menopausal women, while aerobic exercise in water and B. persicum consumption alone led to some changes in trace elements.

 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders. Almost about five million Americans are identified with OCD every year. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and paradoxical time table therapy technique on OCD patients. 

This experimental study was an extension of the multi-group pre-test post-test design. The statistical population of the study consisted of all OCD patients referred to private clinics and psychotherapy centers in Tehran in 2018, of whom 45 cases were selected through available sampling randomly assigned to three groups of 15. Patients in the first group received ERP (8 sessions) and patients in the second group received a paradoxical time table technique (4 sessions) individually. In the present study, the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (1997) was used. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) using SPSS software. 

 The results showed the significant effectiveness of ERP and the paradoxical time table technique on the reduction of OCD (P<0.001).

 Paradoxical time table therapy, as an alternative treatment of response prevention technique, can eliminate maladaptive thinking strategies about anxiety as well as uncompromising threat monitoring in OCD patients.

 Myostatin and Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2C (MEF2C) are involved in muscle changes associated with bone problems. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of three therapeutic methods of exercise, ozone, and stem cells on MEF-2C gene expression and myostatin levels of femoral muscle tissue in osteoarthritis rats.

This experimental study was done on 63 male rats (mean age of 8-12 weeks and weight of 250-300 g). They were randomly divided into nine groups: the healthy control and osteoarthritis group and seven intervention groups of osteoarthritis rats, including , saline, exercise, ozone therapy, MSCs, MSCs+ozone therapy, exercise+ozone therapy, and exercise+MSCs. Osteoarthritis was induced in rats by surgery. The training program consisted of 30 min of running on a non-slip treadmill at a speed of 16 m/min. Rats in the MSCs group received 1×106 cells/kg. The ozone was injected into the articular line of the knee tibiofemoral at a concentration of 20 μg/mL. Tissue levels of myostatin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits and MEF2C gene expression was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction method. 

 Cell+exercise, exercise+ozone, and cell+ozone groups showed a significant increase in MEF2C gene expression and a significant decrease in myostatin levels compared with the cell, exercise, and ozone groups (P<0.05). In the exercise+cell group, these changes were greater.

 The results showed that the combination of exercise and MSCs with an increase in MEF2C gene expression and a decrease in myostatin levels, can possibly have beneficial effects on the stimulatory and inhibitory factors of interactions between muscle and bone in the osteoarthritis rats, and ultimately reduce the risks of muscle weakness due to osteoarthritis complications.

 One of the most essential causes of mortality in the world is cardiovascular disease. Biological backgrounds and physical risk factors, types of stress and distress, ineffective interaction strategies, stressful life events, as well as low levels resiliency contribute to the start and severity of the disease are some features of this disease. The present research tends to compare the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Guided Mental Imagery (GSI) on the resiliency in cardiovascular patients referring to cardiac rehabilitation ward through 2018-2019. 

This study is a quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and follow-up with control group. The research samples were 45 participants selected using available method and completed the Conner-Davidson Resiliency Scale (CD-RIS). Interventions consisted of 8 sessions of 60 minutes each (ACT group) and 10 sessions of 45 minutes each (GSI group). Data analysis was performed using repeated measurement covariance analysis and Bonferroni test in SPSS v. 22 software. 

The research findings showed the effectiveness of the two treatments of ACT and GSI on the increase in resiliency of cardiovascular patients. In other words, the results of Bonferroni test indicate the more effectiveness of ACT than GSI in increasing resiliency is in cardiovascular patients (P<0.005). Therefore, it can be concluded that ACT, by focusing on psychological flexibility, is more effective than GSI on Resilience.

 According to the results of this study, the ACT with the main acceptance factor, may expand the concept of acceptance by believing in lack of control over life in cardiovascular patients, and increase their resiliency. A one-month follow-up of the results showed its sustainability and strength.

 Few studies have examined the effects of various models of aerobic training on electrocardiogram (ECG). The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of continuous and interval aerobic training on ECG of active young girls. 

The research method was quasi-experimental and 30 active young girls were selected from among physical education students (age=17.0±0.4 y) and were randomly asPned to three groups of continuous aerobic training, interval aerobic training and control (each group was 10). The protocol of the trainings (eight weeks, three sessions per week) included 20-35 minutes of running per session, with an intensity of 60%-75% of the maximum heart rate. Before and after the training, general characteristics of subjects were measured and their ECGs were recorded. To analyze the data, analysis of variance with repeated measurements was used at the Pnificant level of P<0.05. 

Eight-week continuous and interval aerobic training had no Pnificant effect on amplitudes of P, R, and T waves, PR interval and duration of ST segment (P>0.05), whereas both types of training similarly increased QT interval (continuous: P=0.001, interval: P=0.027) and reduced heart rate (continuous: P=0.002, interval: P=0.013). Only in the interval training group RR interval showed a Pnificant increase (continuous: P=0.079, interval: P=0.007).

 Eight weeks of continuous and interval aerobic training appears to similarly decrease heart rate and increase QT interval in active young girls, whereas only interval aerobic training results in increased RR interval.