Middle East Journal of Rehabilitation and Health Studies
Volume:9 Issue: 3, Jul 2022

 The clinical outcomes of rotator cuff repair (RCR) surgeries vary because each method has its own advantages and limitations.

 This study aimed to compare the short-term outcomes of arthroscopic RCR (ARCR) and mini-open RCR (MRCR).

 In this study, we included 49 patients with a diagnosis of full rotator cuff tear who had undergone ARCR and MRCR at Poursina Hospital of Rasht and Akhtar Hospital of Tehran from 20 March 2017 to 20 March 2020. The patients were divided into ARCR (n = 24) and MRCR (n = 25) groups. The two surgical procedures were compared with each other before surgery and three and six months after surgery in terms of shoulder function based on UCLA, disability based on QUICKDASH, range of motion (ROM), and pain based on Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Data were analyzed by chi-square, independent t-test, and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

 There were no differences between the groups in terms of demographic details. The mean duration of surgery was significantly higher in the ARCR group compared to MRCR group (125.5 vs. 70.42 minutes). The short-term outcomes in the two groups on three measurement occasions showed a significant improvement in shoulder function, disability, and ROM in both groups along with a reduction in pain severity (P < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference between the two groups on any of the three occasions (P > 0.05).

 Shoulder function, disability, ROM, and pain were not different between the two groups, but duration of surgery was less in MRCR group. Therefore, under the same conditions, MRCR is a better choice than ARCR due to its short duration of surgery.

University professors are a group of professional voice users who report more voice problems than the general population, which may affect their quality of life. The World Health Organization defines health as a multidimensional concept: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) can assess university professors' vocal health even before having a voice problem.

We aimed to study the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) in Iranian rehabilitation professors with and without vocal complaints.

This cross-sectional online study enrolled 235 professors (100 men and 135 women) from Iranian rehabilitation colleges selected through stratified random sampling. The inclusion criterion was being a university professor. The assessment tools included VHI and a four-part questionnaire about vocal complaints. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test checked the normality of quantitative data. The Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests compared the two groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS21 at a significance level of 0.05.

The rate of voice problems was significantly more in professors with vocal complaints (29.12%) than in those without complaints (9%), according to VHI30 (P < 0.001). The mean VHI differences between the two groups, with and without vocal complaints, were significant in the scores of the total scale (P < 0.000) and its subtests physical (P < 0.000), emotional (P < 0.000), and functional (P < 0.002). Some information was also obtained about vocal complaints in professors, including the frequency of nine vocal complaints. The frequency of the complaints was 64.1% for vocal fatigue, 61.2% for hoarseness, 24.3% for pain, 16.5% for breathy voice, 15.5% for strain, 13.6% for monotone voice, 11.7% for pitch breaks, 5.8% for aphonia, 4.9% tremor in professors with vocal complaints, 78.64% for the effect of vocal complaints on communication, and 72.8% (acute) and 27.2% (chronic) for the duration of vocal complaints.

Iranian university professors of rehabilitation science with vocal complaints had higher VHI scores than those without vocal complaints, which shows they may be apt to voice problems. Vocal fatigue was the most common voice complaint, and voice tremor was the least. Also, most reported complaints were acute that affected professors' communication. In future research, it seems necessary to design comprehensive prevention and treatment programs focusing on the vocal health of professors in rehabilitation colleges.

Balance assessment is a very important part of rehabilitation for people with unilateral ankle sprain. Biodex balance analyzer is one of the devices used for assessing balance. Using oriented movements is a method of this device, thus we decided to compare these movements in both healthy and unhealthy feet.

This article was a cross sectional study. In this study 35 men and women aged from 19 - 34 with unilateral ankle sprain were participated. First they stood on one leg on the Biodex device with open eyes and were then asked to look at the screen in front of them and move the cursor to specific points on the screen and with due to attention to the time and overall points, the device allocated a number to each foot, which a shorter time and straighter path leaded to better results.

The results showed a significant difference between the healthy and injured legs of the participants in terms of the overall score of the stability index, especially, in the anterior, medial and lateral points (P < 0.05).

According to the results, that the goal-oriented movements in the anterior, medial, and lateral directions in the injured leg are significantly different from the healthy leg, it can be assumed that these directions are more affected in the injured leg. Therefore, it is recommended to pay attention to the injured directions in the retraining and rehabilitation programs of patients with lateral ankle sprains.

Legionella is an aquatic bacterium that causes Legionnaires' fever.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Legionella stopper pipes and fittings of George Fisher Company on controlling Legionella growth in indoor water supply systems.

Fifty-six samples of hot and cold-water systems were collected and characterized. The culture was performed in BCYE agar. Molecular detection was performed by PCR.

The mean residual chlorine was 0.73 to 0.88 mg/L. Culture results were positive in 58.8% of George Fischer samples and 23.5% of Ray Ho samples. Sixty percent of Taleghani hospital samples were positive. The PCR results based on 16sRNA in the George Fischer system, Ray Ho piping, and Taleghani hospital were positive in 35.2%, 45.4%, and 54.5%, respectively. Based on the mip gene, 82.3% of George Fischer samples, 54.5% of RayHo samples, and 20% of Taleghani hospital samples were positive.

GeorFischer's Legionella stopper pipes and fittings demonstrated appropriate antibacterial properties against Legionella pneumophila. Due to the growth inhibition of Legionella in the indoor water supply system, it can be a suitable option for plumbing systems.

Evaluation of balance disorders is necessary for treatment and rehabilitation. The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) has been shown to distinguish between different neurological populations. So far, no study has examined the validity of the subsystems of this test in comparison with objective evaluation.

This study aimed to investigate the validity of the BESTest in measuring balance through using the force plate in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

In this cross-sectional study, BESTest was performed. Then, objective measures of balance, including anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) and sensory orientation were assessed using a force plate. Moreover, we calculated the sway, velocity, and area of sway outcomes.

This study included 17 MS patients (42.64 ± 7.8 years old; score 1 - 5 on the Expanded Disability Status Scale) and 17 healthy controls (42.33 ± 8.65 years old). All the BESTest subsystems, except subsystem stability limits/verticality, showed a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.005). Significant correlations were found between the BESTest scores with anterior-posterior and medio-lateral sway, sway velocity in anterior-posterior direction, and the area of displacement in anterior-posterior direction (P < 0.005).

The results of this study showed a good correlation between BESTest test and objective tests. Also, according to the correlation between each subsystem and the information extracted from the force plate, the subsystems had a good sensitivity for measuring balance disorders.

This study aimed to examine the impact of the human development index (HDI) and other key macroeconomic variables on under-five mortality rates in the select Middle East and North African (MENA) countries from 2003 to 2019.

The study used a panel data method to examine the impact of macroeconomic ‎variables, such as HDI, gross national income per capita ‎‎(GNI), urbanization rate, government health expenditure as a percentage of gross ‎domestic product (GDP), and income distribution inequality index (Gini) on under-five mortality rates in the select MENA countries.

The HDI, GNI, urbanization rate, and government health expenditure share to GDP, have decreasing effects on the under-five mortality rate, while inequality in income distribution worsens health status and increases the under-five mortality rate.

By strengthening the HDI and increasing economic growth, employment rate, and per capita income, people in the community will have access to health services, thereby reducing under-five mortality.

Upper limb function can be correlated with the self-assessment of children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

This study aimed to determine the correlation between fine motor skills and occupational self-assessment in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

Fifty patients aged 8 - 13 with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, who had 1 of 3 levels (I to III) of hand skills based on the manual ability classification system (MACS), were selected. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) Questionnaire for the motor skills and Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA) Questionnaire were given to participants. The Spearman correlation coefficient at a significance level of 0.05 was used to determine the relationship between the variables.

The mean and SD of occupational self-assessment and its subscales (i.e., occupational value and competence) at different levels of hand dysfunction (I - III) were 115.68 ± 14.04, 54.70 ± 8.83, and 60.98 ± 5.69, respectively. The mean and SD of fine motor skills and its subscales (i.e., visual-motor control, response speed, and upper-limb speed) and dexterity at different levels of hand dysfunction were 70.44 ± 14.76, 4.04 ± 2.44, 33.70 ± 6.19, and 32.70 ± 7.07, respectively. The spearman correlation showed a significant relationship between fine motor skills of hand and its subscales with occupational self-assessment and its subscales (P < 0.05).

The findings showed that to improve occupational self-assessment of cerebral palsy children, special attention should be paid to progress the function of the upper extremity through occupational therapy interventions. It can lead to improved quality of life, strong sense of self-efficacy, and greater independence.

Nearly 850 million people suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD) worldwide, indicating its importance as a public health problem. Several studies have confirmed that quality of life is strongly associated with increased risks of morbidity and mortality in CKD patients, and hemodialysis patients have a lower level of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to the general population.

This study tries to investigate HRQoL and kidney disease quality of life (KDQoL) and explore their associated factors among hemodialysis patients in the Souss Massa region in Morocco.

Four hundred and forty-one hemodialysis patients were included in this cross-sectional study. The participants were at or above 18 years old, received at or above three months of hemodialysis, did not have serious changes in their lifestyle, and signed the consent form. Clients who were unable to respond or did not sign the consent form were excluded. Sociodemographic, clinical, and biological parameters were collected, and quality of life (QoL) (using KDQOL-SF-v1.3) was assessed. Through univariate and multivariate analysis, factors associated with HRQoL and kidney function could be determined.

The prevalence of poor QoL among hemodialysis patients in HRQoL and KDQoL was 29.5% and 21.3%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, the poor HRQoL was significantly associated with anemia (CI: 1.02 - 2.79; P = 0.037), frequency of dialysis sessions per week (CI:1.04 - 4.66; P = 0.030), and poor KDQoL was associated with age (CI: 0.24 - 0.79; P = 0.006), occupational status (CI: 1.48 - 8.53; P = 0.028), and support for medical costs (CI: 0.13 - 0.73; P = 0.007).

According to the results, hemodialysis patients have poor QoL. Factors with a significant association were age, anemia, occupational status, number of dialysis sessions, and medical coverage. Future directions for these patients should try to treat anemic patients, intensify dialysis sessions, and reduce or guarantee free medical costs.

Working memory is one of the cognitive aspects that may be damaged in patients suffering from a stroke. According to evidence, repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and cognitive interventions could affect cognitive function in healthy individuals or patients with neurological diseases.

This study aimed to evaluate the combined effect of high-frequency rTMS in the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) region of the brain and cognitive rehabilitation on the working memory of stroke patients.

In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial with a pretest-posttest design, 18 post-stroke chronic patients aged 55 to 75 years were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The working memory score was measured using the N-back test in the two groups before the interventions. Then, both groups participated in rTMS intervention sessions, except that in the control group, changing the coil angle prevented the waves from reaching the brain. The rTMS interventions were performed for each patient in 15 sessions of six minutes, three days a week. In addition, both groups received computer-based cognitive rehabilitation therapy immediately after each rTMS session for 30 to 40 minutes. These practices included working memory rehabilitation in Captain's Log software used at the adult level. Each level had 15 steps, and the difficulty of the exercises increased with increasing steps. Finally, the working memory was remeasured after the intervention sessions.

The use of rTMS on the left DLPFC region significantly improved the working memory of stroke people in the experimental group compared to the control group (P = 0.027). In addition, the difference before and after the interventions in both groups was significant for this variable (P < 0.001), which indicates the positive effect of cognitive rehabilitation on reducing cognitive problems.

Although cognitive rehabilitation using software is effective on working memory, using rTMS along with cognitive rehabilitation in the left DLPFC area has a more significant effect on improving working memory in people with chronic stroke.

 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a risk factor for long-term complications and mortality in people with diabetes. Diabetes self-management can prevent the adverse effects of COVID-19.

 This study aimed to investigate the association between COVID-19-related personal, familial, and psychological factors and diabetes self-management.

 The research was conducted using the simple non-probability sampling method at the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Iran University of Medical Sciences. A total of 102 people with type-2 diabetes participated in the study. Their inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of type-2 diabetes for at least one year, an age of 30 to 65 years, literacy, and no personal or family history of COVID-19 for the past two months. The Diabetes Self-management Questionnaire assessed the participants' self-management behaviors. Their personal and family data were recorded in a personal information form. The Diabetes Distress Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire measured diabetes distress and depressive symptoms, respectively. COVID-19-related psychological factors were evaluated using the COVID-19-related Psychological Distress Scale, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale.

 The Pearson correlation test showed that the number of times one or their family members were infected or hospitalized due to COVID-19, diabetes distress, and depressive symptoms were negatively related to diabetes self-management. Doses of COVID-19 vaccine injection were also positively related to self-management and negatively correlated with depressive symptoms and diabetes distress (P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed diabetes regimen and interpersonal distress, COVID-19-related psychological distress, and the number of one's family members with chronic disease as the predictors of diabetes self-management (adjusted R2 = 96%, P < 0.001).

 People with diabetes can improve their participation in self-management activities by taking care of themselves and their families against COVID-19 and controlling negative emotions. COVID-19 vaccination can reduce the depressive symptoms and diabetes distress in people with type-2 diabetes and facilitate their participation in self-management.