Middle East Journal of Rehabilitation and Health Studies
Volume:7 Issue: 4, Oct 2020

 Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral cancer. In recent decades, numerous studies have focused on the effects of new herbal and natural bioactive substances or pharmaceutical products on different cancer types. Some investigations have shown that anthocyanins can inhibit carcinogenesis in various ways, and some others focused on the effects of anthocyanins on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

 An electronic search of the literature was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases using the keywords “anthocyanins” and “oral cancer” or “oral squamous cell carcinoma”. Articles relevant to our topic (except for review articles) were included in this study.

 The reviewed articles showed the inhibitory and suppressive effects of anthocyanins on OSCC, which were exerted by inhibiting NF-κB, p-Akt/PI3k, and JAK/STAT3 pathways, the induction of caspase-1 and caspase-3 overexpression, pyroptosis, mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, and reduction of expression and production of matrix metalloproteinases and urokinase-type plasminogen activator.

 Based on the results, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of anthocyanins on OSCC were dominant. Their antimetastatic effect was also reported. Therefore, anthocyanins seem to be promising natural compounds for the prevention and treatment of OSCC. In vivo studies and clinical trials are recommended to further confirm these results.

 Oropharyngeal dysphagia harms all aspects of a person’s life, including behaviors, activities, and social situations. Quality of life is a multidimensional concept. The dysphagia handicap index (DHI) is a patient-reported outcomes tool that evaluates the different dimensions of quality of life in three physical, emotional, and functional factors in English-speaking countries. The validity of the Persian version of the dysphagia handicap index (DHI) has been evaluated in a study, but the reliability and factor analysis of the Persian version has not been investigated in any study.

 This study aimed to investigate the factor structure analysis and reliability of the Persian version of the dysphagia handicap index (P-DHI).

 In this cross-sectional study, 100 patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia (mean age 55.69 ± 15.04, 53 women) completed the dysphagia handicap index (DHI). The severity of dysphagia was defined as follows: 1 for no dysphagia (normal), 2 and 3 for mild, 4, and 5 for moderate and 6 and 7for severe. Construct validity was examined by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were performed to evaluate the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the P-DHI, respectively.

 The results of CFA provided support for a second-order three-factor model of P-DHI (χ2 = 484.61, df = 273, (P = 0.0001), χ2/df = 1.77; CFI = 0.901; RMSEA = 0.088 and SRMR = 0.010). The Cronbach’s alpha for physical, functional, and emotional subscales and total score were 0.751, 0.836, 0.773, and 0.900, respectively. The test-retest reliability of the P-DHI for the total score and subscales was high (ICC: 0.952 - 0.988). Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between the P-DHI total score and self-reported severity of dysphagia (P = 0.0001), while there were no relationships between P-DHI total score and age (P = 0.223), sex (P = 0.936), level of education (P = 0.113), disease duration (P = 0.126).

 The P-DHI is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the disabling effects of swallowing disorders on the one’s Quality of Life in Iranian patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia due to a variety of diseases. Also, the CFA findings provide support for the tree-factor structure of the P-DHI and the use of the subscales as distinct variables.

 Pain after surgery is highly inevitable, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been reported with side effects.

 This study evaluated the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on pain intensity and disability of patients who underwent hip arthroplasty.

 A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 56 subjects that underwent hip arthroplasty. They were randomly allocated to the TENS group (TG) and control group (CG) equally. The subjects in the TG group were treated with conventional TENS twice a day for three weeks, but the CG group was treated with normal drugs only. Pain intensity and hip disability were measured in both groups with the Visual Analogue scale (VAS) and Oxford hip score before the treatment and after the intervention, respectively.

 The results showed that there was a significant reduction between the pre-treatment and post-treatment pain intensity (t = 3.83, P = 0.003) and hip disability (t = -4.45, P < 0.001) in the TG group. A significant reduction was also observed in pain intensity (t = 3.16, P = 0.01) and hip disability (t = -6.71, P = 0.000) between the pre-treatment and post-treatment periods in the CG group. There was a significant reduction in post-treatment pain intensity (t = 10, P = 0.000) and hip disability (t = -3.51, P = 0.006) when the TG group was compared with the CG group.

 TENS was effective in the management of acute post-surgical pain and disability of patients with hip arthroplasty.

 Despite the great need and significance for documentation of knowledge, attitudes, and practice of speech and language pathologists (SLPs) about evidence-based practice (EBP), few studies have been performed in this field among SLPs, especially Iranian SLPs.

 The present study aimed at investigating the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Iranian SLPs toward EBP.

 This cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2019, in Iran. A valid and reliable self-administrated questionnaire (The Speech and Language Pathology Evidence-Based Practice questionnaire (SLP-EBPQ)) was used to evaluate the attitude, knowledge, and the use of evidence sections of SLP-EBPQ among 600 Iranian SLPs.

 Four hundred twenty-two out of 600 questionnaires were returned. The mean figure of the knowledge score of the SLPs was 3.85 (± 2.8), while SLPs with postgraduate degrees scored higher in the knowledge section than those with an undergraduate degree (P < 0.001). The mean figure of the attitude score of the SLPs was 46.97 (± 4.55).

 The findings of the present study showed that SLPs in Iran have positive and favorable attitudes toward EBP with an effective application. Our findings also showed that EBP knowledge is not very comprehensive among SLPs; however, the postgraduate SLPs presented a higher EBP compared with the undergraduate SLPs.

 Adolescence is the most critical period of human life when transitioning occurs from childhood to adulthood. Malnutrition is one of the major global health problems faced by many developing countries across the globe.

 This study aimed to investigate the nutritional status of adolescent girls in a selected secondary school in Nigeria.

 A cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 adolescent girls who were available during the study period. A nutrition expert, together with an epidemiologist, gathered anthropometric information and measured the height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) of the participants. The BMI was calculated, and the dietary habits of the participants were reported based on their usual food habits. It is part of our limitations and has been addressed under the limitations. Data were collected using a self-administered and semi-structured questionnaire.

 The mean age of the adolescent girls was 15.9 ± 0.9 years, and more than half (53.2%) were students of senior secondary class 1 (SS-1). More than half (54.4%) of the adolescent girls had average body weight, 36.0% were underweight, and only 9.6% were overweight. The following socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with the BMI of adolescent girls: Age, class of the students, monthly family income, mothers’ educational status, and area of residence. Close to four-fifths (78.4%) of the participants consumed rice more than twice in a week; more than eight-tenths (88.8%) of the participants consumed milk/milk products at least ≤ 2 in a week. About 84.4% of the participants took red meat at least ≤ 2 in a week; more than half (55.2%) of the participants consumed vegetables and fruits more than twice a week. Most (84.8%) of the participants took lunch regularly, and 91.6% of the adolescent girls took breakfast regularly.

 The study revealed that nearly one-third of the adolescent girls were underweight, indicating a severe public health concern. Early nutritional screening and interventions are recommended to improve the nutritional status of the adolescent girl school in Nigeria.
 

 Poor balance ability will increase falling incidence. This study evaluated an acute improvement of postural steadiness through a neuromuscular and proprioceptive training (NPT) program in sedentary older females.

 Forty-eight sedentary females over the age of 65, who came to the Ukrainian center for sports medicine (Kiev) in the winter of 2018, volunteered for participation in this quasi-experimental study. Participants, who were derived from a convenience sample, were assigned at random to the NPT exercise group (n = 24; age = 70.1 ± 4.6; BMI = 22.34 kg/m2) and the seated rest group (n = 24; age = 69.3 ± 6.8; BMI = 22.47 kg/m2). The NPT exercise group held a modified NPT session for one hour and then finished it by cooling down for 5 minutes, while the seated rest group at the same time, stayed in a sitting position. The center of pressure (COP) in the static state in barefoot conditions was recorded with different visual conditions before and after the study from both groups in the two planes using a force platform. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to compare groups in addition to differences over time.

 Significant interaction influences were found in the total mean velocity of COP swings (P = 0.004) and the mean velocity of COP swings in the mediolateral plane (P = 0.003) in the NTP exercise group when eyes were closed.

 A modified NPT program session improves the ability to balance age changes. This program has an acute positive effect on COP velocity swings in sedentary elderly females.

Exposure of the athlete to stressful situations in addition to physiological effects will cause the person to feel excited in response to those situations and these changes may have dangerous consequences.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the mindfulness-based intervention on cognitive-emotional regulation strategies and salivary cortisol levels in endurance runners with a three-month follow-up.

The research method was experimental with a pretest-posttest follow up design with a control group. The study population consisted of all beginner endurance runners with age range 16-18 who were voluntarily invited to participate in this research. Twenty-four male beginner runners (mean aged 17.08 ± 0.64 years and athletic background 7.7 ± 1.6 month) were divided into two groups of Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) and control. The intervention protocol of the experimental group consisted of six sessions of mindfulness training and daily homework assignments that were performed under the researcher's supervision and with the help of a qualified clinical psychologist. Salivary Cortisol Kit (SCK) with sensitivity 0.05 μg/dl was used to measure stress and the Gross and John Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was used to assess cognitive-emotional regulation strategies.

The results showed a significant difference in cortisol levels, suppression, and reappraisal, between the MBI and control groups in posttest and follow-up steps. The findings showed that salivary cortisol concentration in the MBI group was reduced from pretest (1.09 ± 0.16) to posttest (0.76 ± 0.15) and follow-up (0.72 ± 0.07). Also, the suppression component in the MBI group was reduced from pretest (21.40 ± 1.64) to posttest (15.10 ± 1) and follow-up (16 ± 1.15) and increased the reappraisal component from pretest (22.40 ± 1.17) to posttest (29.10 ± 2.37) and follow up (27.70 ± 2.21) (P value = 0.0001).

The findings showed that MBI reduced salivary cortisol concentration and suppression component, while increased the reappraisal component of emotion regulation. The findings suggest that MBI can be used as a new promising method on cognitive emotion regulation strategies and salivary cortisol levels in endurance runners.

 Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a common problem in stroke survivors. Dysphagia and its complications have negative effects on quality of life in stroke survivors.

 This study aimed to investigate the impacts of dysphagia on quality of life in Iranian stroke survivors and to determine potential relationships between demographic variables and the domains of quality of life.

 Sixty stroke survivors (aged 60 - 75 years old) with a diagnosis of dysphagia participated in this cross-sectional study. The swallowing function of patients was evaluated by Mann Assessment Swallowing Ability (MASA). The Persian version of the Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) was used to determine the impacts of swallowing disorder on the quality of life.

 The mean total and SD of DHI was 73.03 ± 10.16. There was no statistically significant relationship between sex; age, time post-onset of stroke, and DHI total score as well as its subscales (P > 0.05), whereas there was a relationship between the functional subscale of the DHI and the level of education (r = 0.27, P = 0.037) and also with severity of dysphagia on the base of MASA scores (r = 0.267, P = 0.039). Besides, the severity of dysphagia was positively correlated with DHI’s total scores (r = 0.312, P = 0.017); this means that the higher the severity of dysphagia, resulting in even greater the DHI total scores, which indicates a further reduction in the patient’s quality of life.

 Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that dysphagia in stroke survivors has negative impacts on the quality of life. The relationship between clinical measures of dysphagia severity and quality of life also indicates that the higher the dysphagia severity the lower the quality of life. Dysphagia’s negative impact on the quality of life does not depend on age and gender.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disorder. The progressive and unpredictable nature of MS indicates the patients’ need for long-term care as well as the increased burden of their primary caregivers’ care and occupational challenges that emerge in their daily life activities.

The current study aimed to explore the occupational challenges caused by engaging in the care process for the caregivers of people with MS

This qualitative study was conducted on 21 caregivers of MS patients using a content analysis approach. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews.

Three main themes emerged: Time limitations in occupation implementation, care needs in occupation implementation, and emotional reactions affecting occupations.

According to the results, the caregivers of people with MS were faced with a variety of occupational challenges. The time limitations for performing routine occupations and desired activities, unmet patient care-facilitating needs, and the occurrence of psychosocial reactions and behaviors were contributed to these challenges and their exacerbation. Identifying these challenges is both useful for designing interventional programs and to help caregivers to successfully perform their desired occupations in spite of challenges in the care process.