Middle East Journal of Rehabilitation and Health Studies
Volume:10 Issue: 4, Oct 2023

 Epithelial ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of death from gynecological cancers in the Western world. One of the important objectives of medical research is to determine predictors of an event. Regarding the interaction of risk factors, regression methods are unsuitable when the number of factors is high.

 Regarding frequency predictors of recurrence-free survival in epithelial ovarian cancer, our aim in this article is to determine predictors and time to first recurrence using a classification and regression tree model.

 This retrospective analysis used medical and chemotherapy records of 141 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer between 2007 and 2018. They were referred to Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran. Data were analyzed using classification and regression trees in Rver3.4.3.

 The regression tree results showed that the worst recurrence-free survival in metastatic patients was in grade II patients (15.03 ± 11 months), but in patients without metastases were in patients with CA125 tumor marker above 207 that used 3-week chemotherapy courses (14.53 ± 6.4 months). The classification tree also showed that the most probability of the first recurrence in metastatic patients was in patients with adjuvant chemotherapy (0.81), and patients without metastases were among those with stages 2, 3, and 4 with the maximum platelet count above 305,000 and less than 35 years old (0.75).

 The classification and regression tree models, without any assumptions, can estimate the probability of recurrence in different subgroups. These models can be used in deciding due to the ease of interpretation by physicians and paramedics.

 Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, there were considerable changes in healthcare delivery worldwide. A shift to remote healthcare delivery modalities was necessary due to the lockdown and related social distance requirements. However, the current and future use of telehealth will rapidly increase.

 This study aimed to evaluate the use, attitude and willingness, experience and confidence, and barriers to delivering healthcare via telehealth services among physical therapists (PTs) in Saudi Arabia.

 A cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to PTs. The questionnaire included items on demographic data, telehealth uses, experience and confidence, and attitudes and expectations. Descriptive statistics were used for the participants’ demographic data and responses.

 A total of 372 participants with an average age of 29 ± 5.5 years were enrolled in the study. Only 143 participants (38.4%) provided telehealth services, and the majority (n = 121; 84.6%) used telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the majority of the PTs had not received training in telehealth (n = 231; 62.1%). The most commonly rated platform used in telehealth for consultation was Zoom (38.1%). The participants (n = 224; 60.2%) believe that telehealth is an important and useful tool in physical therapy practice. Furthermore, the PTs showed a desire to learn more about telehealth practices (n = 266; 71.5%). They confirmed that they would like to use telehealth in the future (n = 211; 56.7%).

 The PTs showed a good experience with and use of telehealth. However, there is a need for training courses in this regard. These positive findings make telehealth practice feasible and acceptable in healthcare services in physical therapy interventions.

 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread across China and many countries worldwide, and healthcare workers at the front lines of disease control are under high physical and mental pressure.

 The present study aimed to examine the correlation between medical staff mental health and perceived social support during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran (2020).

 This is a descriptive correlational study. Our targeted population was all the healthcare, administrative, and non-administrative staff, which were involved in the treatment of the coronavirus patients, of the cities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. According to our investigational criteria, 320 samples were selected among our targeted population due to the purposive sampling method. General Health Questionnaire-28 Items (GHQ-28) and perceived social support questionnaire were information-collecting tools. The respondents completed and submitted the questionnaires online. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS software version 22, using descriptive statistics (i.e., mean, standard deviation (SD), and frequency percentage), and inferential statistics (i.e., correlation analysis and regression analysis).

 There was a significant relationship and negative correlation between perceived social support and mental health (R = -0.334, P ≤ 0.01). The least prevalent mental health problem was depression (mean ± SD = 31.10 ± 56.3), while the most prevalent mental health problem was social dysfunction (mean ± SD = 14.24 ± 06.3). The regression model significantly predicts mental health (F = 14.06, P < 0.0001).

 Overall, the medical staff experienced moderate mental health problems, with social dysfunction causing the greatest psychological disorders during the COVID-19 outbreak in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. More attention should be paid to the mental health and perceived social support of these workers, and their mental status should be regularly assessed. Therefore, perceived social support can significantly predict the mental health of healthcare workers, as it reduces the psychological problems of the medical staff.

 In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated hypoxemic acute respiratory failure (ARF) may require continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and having an appropriate criterion for early diagnosis and prediction of CPAP failure or success can significantly reduce the mortality of these patients.

 This study was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of heart rate, acidosis, consciousness, oxygenation, and respiratory rate (HACOR) score in predicting the success rate of CPAP in patients with COVID-19 induced hypoxemia.

 This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 adult patients aged 63.23 ± 16.23 years with mild to moderate acute respiratory failure (COVID-19), partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2) < 300 mmHg, and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (PaCO2) < 45 mmHg from March 21 to November 21, 2021. The patients were admitted to the respiratory intensive care unit (RICU) of Khatam Al-Anbia (PBUH) Hospital in Shoushtar (southwestern Iran) and were subjected to CPAP for respiratory support. The HACOR score was calculated one hour after the CPAP onset. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22) using Kolmogorov-Smirnov, t-test, pair t-tests, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value indices were used to determine the diagnostic performance of the method. The significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05.

 The mean HACOR score one hour after the onset of CPAP was 3.50 ± 1.57 (P < 0.001), with a mean of 153.84 ± 27.42 mmHg PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio (P < 0.001). The cut-off point for the HACOR score one hour after CPAP was 5, which had a sensitivity of 98.06% (94.45% - 99.60%) and a specificity of 83.33% (68.64% - 93.03%). Out of 200 patients, 157 patients (78.5%) had CPAP failure, and 43 patients (21.5%) underwent treatment. The diagnostic accuracy values of the HACOR score and PaO2/FiO2 ratio for predicting CPAP failure were 94.92% and 95.96%, respectively.

 Our findings support that although the HACOR score had a good diagnostic performance in predicting the success rate of CPAP in patients with COVID-19-induced hypoxemia, PaO2/FiO2 ratio was also shown to be a good predictor of success.

 Cervicogenic headaches that stem from musculoskeletal disorders of the upper cervical spine are among the most common types of chronic headaches. In recent years, physiotherapy has emerged as a potential treatment for this type of headache.

 Given the emphasis on educational methods such as pain neurophysiology education (PNE) for musculoskeletal pain, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of PNE in treating cervicogenic headaches.

 This study was a single-blind clinical trial. A sample of 30 participants with cervicogenic headache was divided into two groups using the block

An experimental group of 15 participants and a control group of 15 participants. Experienced physiotherapists provided conventional physiotherapy for 10 sessions, and the experimental group also received pain neurophysiology education for four additional sessions. Pain severity, disability, and pain catastrophizing information were collected using the visual analog scale, headache disability index, and pain catastrophizing scale, respectively, at the beginning of the study, after the study, and at the one-month follow-up. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software version 22, and the significance level was set at 0.05.

 A significant difference was observed in pain intensity assessment at different times (P < 0.001), headache disability index (P = 0.003), and pain catastrophizing (P < 0.001). The time-by-group interaction was significant for pain intensity (F = 49.051; P < 0.001; 2=0.637) and pain catastrophizing (F = 25.528; P < 0.001; 2=0.477); however, there was no significant difference in disability (F = 1.781; P = 0.178; 2=0.060).

 Pain neurophysiology education can have a positive effect on pain reduction, as well as the attitude and knowledge of individuals who experience pain in the short term.

 Ergonomic risk factors are among the critical risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in office workers.

 This study investigated the MSD prevalence and the ergonomic risk factors of staff workstations at Kashan University of Medical Sciences (KAUMS), Kashan, Iran.

 This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021. The samples were the office workers of KAUMS who had more than one year of work experience and worked with computers for at least 3 hours a day on average. The samples were selected using the stratified sampling method, and finally, 132 employees participated in the study. The data were collected using the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire and the rapid office strain assessment (ROSA) checklist. The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman’s correlation, and non-parametric regression tests by SPSS software (version 26).

 The mean age of the participants was 40.16 ± 7.79 years, and 62.9% of the subjects were female. Female subjects complained significantly more about MSDs than male subjects (P < 0.05). The most widely recognized MSDs were neck, lower back, and upper back pain. Disorders in the right-sided upper limb were essentially more frequent than in the left (P < 0.05). All chairs, 62.1% of the monitors-telephones, and 90.9% of the mouses-keyboards in workstations were in a warning or dangerous condition. The scores of MSDs in the vertebral column, shoulder girdle, forearm, lower back, and lower limbs were fundamentally related to the ROSA score in the monitor section.

 The most widely recognized MSDs among office workers were neck, lower back, and upper back pain, respectively. Female employees had more MSDs. All workstations (100%) were in an unsafe position, and the MSDs of the vertebral column, shoulder girdle, forearm, lower back, and lower organ were related to the position of the monitors. Accordingly, corrective interventions, particularly the adjustment of monitor placement in office workstations, are fundamental.

 Nurses' job stress can affect their physical and mental health. If sexual health is endangered, the sexual health of the sexual partner might be in trouble.

 This study aimed to investigate sexual dysfunction and related factors in hospital emergency male nurses and its relationship with their spouses' sexual function.

 This study was a descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study. Data collection tools were the International Men's Erectile Performance Questionnaire and Women's Sexual Performance Index Questionnaire. Male nurses and their spouses completed the questionnaires separately and mailed them.

 One hundred and ten people participated in this study. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in emergency male nurses and their spouses was 40% and 92.7%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between the sexual dysfunction of male nurses and the sexual dysfunction of their spouses (P = 0.324). There was a statistically significant relationship between the mean score of male nurses' sexual dysfunction and the number of children (P = 0.002) and between the spouses of emergency male nurses' mean scores of sexual dysfunction and their employment (P = 0.032).

 Being a male emergency nurse could not play a role in developing sexual dysfunction in their spouses. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in male nurses is almost equivalent in other men and their spouses higher than in other women in the community. While sexual dysfunction in the male emergency nurses was related to the number of children, their spouses' sexual dysfunction was related to their jobs.

 Abnormal head and neck postures play a significant role in developing cervical spine dysfunction. Forward head posture (FHP) is one of the most common findings in individuals who experience head and neck disorders.

 This study used a photographic method to analyze the head, upper neck, and lower neck postures in forward head posture in both static and quasi-static states. Since timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important in preventing further complications of this kinematic chain disorder, the postural variables of the head and neck were evaluated by focusing on their separate parts in both static and quasi-static states.

 This observational-analytical case-control study included 175 individuals with no history of neck pain in the past 6 months, 138 with FHP, and 37 with non-FHP. The postural angles, including the upper cervical, lower cervical, craniovertebral, head posture, and head tilt angles, were measured through photography in both the static state (with the head and neck in a neutral position) and the quasi-static state (while moving the head and neck in the sagittal plane) in a sitting position. The measurements were taken in two groups (FHP and non-FHP).

 In a static state, the upper cervical angle was higher in the FHP group than in the non-FHP group. The lower cervical measurements were higher in the non-FHP group than in the FHP group. In the quasi-static state, significant differences existed in the changes of the upper cervical, lower cervical, craniovertebral, head postural, and head tilt angles between the two groups (P-value < 0.05).

 During full flexion to full extension of the neck, subjects with FHP exhibited reduced mobility in the cervical spine, particularly in the lower cervical region. Additionally, the position of the head relative to the neck remained unchanged in this group.

 Hyperkyphosis of the thoracic spine and forward head posture are common alterations in teenagers and cause diverse symptomatology, but their association still remains obscure.

 This study aimed to evaluate the association between thoracic kyphosis and forward head posture in teenagers between 11 and 17 years of age.

 In this analytical cross-sectional study, 84 students between 11 and 17 participated. Those who suffered from previous traumatic injuries in the thoracic or cervical spine were excluded. A Stadler® flexible ruler and a SenseAid® bubble inclinometer were used to measure thoracic kyphosis. The measurement of forward head posture was conducted through the craniovertebral angle. An application denominated “Forward Head Posture©” was employed, and an ad hoc questionnaire was utilized. Information such as sex, age, and pain in the cervical and thoracic spine among the study population was collected from this questionnaire.

 A positive correlation and a statistically significant association (P < 0.05) were found between forward head posture and thoracic kyphosis. Age showed a significant association with forward head posture (a prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.15, P = 0.005), and students reporting backache had a lower prevalence of this forward head posture (aPR = 0.64, P = 0.025).

 There was a positive correlation and a statistically significant association between forward head posture and thoracic kyphosis in teenagers between 11 and 17 years of age.

 Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic mucocutaneous inflammatory condition characterized by white striations and plaques or erythematous /erosive lesions in the oral cavity. LP has affected about 0.5 -1% of world population. Apart from the potential of autoimmune origin, the WHO classified oral LP (OLP) as a premalignant condition, with an increased risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Patients with LP have exhibited a higher susceptibility to other autoimmune diseases (about 25%).

 A 51-year-old woman with a history of OLP and concurrent lupus erythematosus, transplanted Liver, and ulcerative colitis was referred to the Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine Department of Tehran Dental Faculty. A noteworthy point in this study, which was not commonly observed in previous reports, was the existence of OLP with three autoimmune diseases. The lichenoid oral ulcers of the patient were managed by modifying her drug regimen under consultation with a physician using systemic and topical corticosteroids, and, finally, cryotherapy.

 This case, not the first case of autoimmune diseases, illustrates the management of the challenges of an oral lesion accompanying other systemic diseases and highlights the importance of awareness of the oral manifestations of systemic diseases and their side effects. According to previous studies, the response of oral lesions to different treatments is unique, and the patient's lifestyle and his/her other systemic diseases influence the treatment success or failure. The patient's management protocol and its validity can be re-evaluated in future studies as clinical trial projects.