فصلنامه طب مکمل
سال چهاردهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 52، پاییز 1403)

Physical inactivity is related to systemic inflammation and increased risk of chronic diseases. In this regard, the aim of this research was to investigate the interactive effect of six weeks of Total Body Resistance Exercise (TRX) training and oral consumption of aqueous mango tree leaf extract on interleukin-1β and anthropometric indices of overweight male students with weight and obesity who were inactive.

In this semi-experimental research, 48 overweight and inactive obese male students within an age range of 20-25 years were purposefully selected and randomly divided into four groups of 12, namely control, extract, exercise, and exercise + extract. For six weeks (three sessions per week), they performed TRX exercises and took 500 mg capsules containing mango leaf extract twice a day before lunch and dinner. Blood samples were taken 24 h before and 48 h after the last training session. Interleukin-1 beta serum level was measured by ELISA method using the human kit. Data were analyzed using the dependent t-test and one-way analysis of variance in SPSS software (version 25). A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

A significant difference was observed in the levels of interleukin-1b in the exercise, exercise + extract, and extract groups, compared to the pre-test stage (P=0.001). The pre- and post-test differences between the groups using one-way analysis of variance on weight, fat percentage, body mass index, and interleukin-1b levels showed a significant difference among the research groups (P<0.05 between groups).

Six weeks of TRX training and consumption of mango leaf extract may have a positive effect on weight loss, fat percentage, body mass index, and interleukin-1 beta serum levels. Moreover, one of the ways to control inflammation is to do TRX exercises accompanied by the consumption of mango leaf extract.

Poor sleep quality can result in poor academic performance and damage to students’ physical or mental health; this research aimed to examine the effects of the Salvia officinalis tea bag on the sleep quality of students.

This study was a clinical trial that was conducted on 128 students living in the dormitory using a convenient sampling method. After obtaining informed consent, the participants were randomly divided into two groups containing 64 people. Data collection instruments included a demographic questionnaire and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Scale. The intervention group used a Salvia officinalis tea bag, and the control group received a sugar tea bag before and after the intervention. In addition, sleep quality was assessed using the same questionnaire. The data were analyzed by Kolmogorov Smirnov, independent t, Mann-Whitney, and Wilcoxon tests using the SPSS (version 20) software.

A total of 57% (n=73) and 43% (n=55) of the participants were females and males, respectively. The average ages were 21.21±2.41 years and 21.43±3.44 years in the test and control groups, in respective order. The Mann-Whitney statistical test did not show a statistically significant difference between the average overall sleep quality score of the test and control groups before the intervention (P>0.05). However, after the intervention, this difference became significant (P<0.05). Wilcoxon statistical test demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference between the average score of sleep quality in the test and control groups before and after the intervention (P<0.05). Moreover, the Mann-Whitney test indicated that all components of sleep quality, except morning performance, improved between the test group and the control group after the intervention (P<0.05).

Salvia officinalis can be effective on all components of sleep quality except morning performance.

Postoperative ileus is a temporary disturbance in gastrointestinal motility that usually occurs after surgeries. This study aimed to investigate the effects of chewing gum and drinking coffee on increasing intestinal motility after surgery.

This clinical trial was conducted on three groups of primiparous women admitted to Alavi Hospital in Ardabil, Iran in 2023. Group 1 (n=50) chewed two pieces of turpentine gum with sugar-free sweetener. Group 2 (n=50) drank 100 ml of coffee containing 2 g (1 teaspoon) of decaffeinated coffee without milk and sugar, and the control group (n=50) received the usual care. Subsequently, the time of feeling bowel movements and the duration of the passage of the first gas and excretion between the groups were recorded and compared. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 21) using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance.

There was no significant difference between the average time of the first gas passage and the first stool passage among the three groups. However, the average time of the first bowel sound in the coffee group was higher than that of the chewing gum group and lower than that of the control group. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the three groups (P=0.048).

It can be concluded that chewing turpentine gum after surgery until defecation accelerates the recovery of bowel function after cesarean section.

Nurses are at a greater risk of contracting the coronavirus and experiencing psychological disorders due to their high contact with patients. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of acupressure on depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep of nurses working in COVID-19 wards of teaching hospitals affiliated with Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in 2022.

In this quasi-experimental study, nurses were randomly assigned to either the intervention (34 people) or control (33 people) group based on the inclusion criteria and after obtaining written consent. In the intervention group, the nurses were taught how to perform acupressure on the Shen Man point and Pericardium 6 (P6) of the hand, and they were asked to perform acupressure on the determined points twice a day for 4 weeks. Data collection tools included a demographic information form, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and the Insomnia Severity Index. SPSS version 25 software and Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, t-test, and variance analysis with repeated measures were used for data analysis.

The mean scores of depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia intensity were 12.63±4.30, 12.63±4.69, 14.73±2.51, 17.83±3.67, respectively, in the intervention group before the intervention, while they were 12.73±3.80, 12.50±5.68, 14.80±4.68, 17.26±3.89 in the control group. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups (P>0.05). Two weeks after the intervention, the mean values of depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia severity were 11.67±4.19, 12.16±3.86, 10.50±2.51, 12.63±2.98, respectively, in the intervention group, whereas these values were 13.86±4.32, 13.60±4.88, 15.96±7.81, 16.18±3.15 in the control group. Four weeks after the intervention, these scores were 11.10±3.30, 11.00±2.91, 9.90±3.23, 11.96±2.84 in the intervention group, and 14.46±4.74, 13.46±2.91, 13.23±4.12, 18.50±2.63 in the control group, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of depression (P=0.005), stress (P=0.006), and insomnia intensity (P=0.0001). In terms of the anxiety variable (P=0.078) after the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.

The findings of the present study showed that performing acupressure reduces stress, depression, and insomnia in nurses. Therefore, it is suggested that nursing managers teach acupressure skills in continuing education programs to help manage the psychological problems of nurses working in Coronavirus wards.

Considering the variety of nutritional supplements, choosing a suitable and available supplement for improving sports performance is important. Spinach is one such dietary supplement that contains inorganic nitrate/nitrite that appears to enhance vascular function, cognition, and physical performance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of short-term consumption of spinach powder on the aerobic and anaerobic performance of active young individuals.

After specifying the criteria for entering the research, 14 healthy and active men and women (age: 22.71±1.81 years, body mass index: 22.70±2.57 kg/m2) participated in this research. Once the subjects provided written consent, they were randomly assigned to two groups: supplement (50 g per day of spinach powder) and placebo (50 g per day of rice flour+green food powder). Both groups followed this regimen for 14 days. Before and 48 hours after the last dose of the supplement,  the aerobic and anaerobic performance of the individuals' upper and lower bodies was evaluated using the Astrand ergometer test, Bruce treadmill test, 30-second Wingate cycling test, and 30-second hand crank test. To analyze the data, a 2×2 ANOVA test and Bonferroni pairwise comparisons were used in SPSS software version 26.

The results of this study indicated that 14 days of spinach powder consumption had no significant effect on maximum oxygen consumption in maximal tests (P=0.59) and sub-maximal tests (P=0.08), as well as on peak (P=0.12), average (P=0.46), and minimum (P=0.63) anaerobic power, maximum pedal speed (P=0.55) and maximum speed retention time in the upper body (P=0.12) and lower body (P=0.97).

The results of this research showed that short-term consumption of spinach failed to improve the aerobic and anaerobic performance of active individuals. Therefore, the results do not support the use of spinach for enhancing athletic performance indicators.

Exercise and stem cell therapy have promising effects on the management of osteoarthritis. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP13) are two important factors related to joint inflammation and cartilage destruction. The present study examines the effects of aerobic training and stem cell injection on the expression of the TNFα gene and MMP13 protein in knee cartilage tissue in male rats with osteoarthritis.

In the present experimental study, 25 rats were randomly divided into healthy, osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis-exercise, osteoarthritis-stem cell, and osteoarthritis-stem cell-exercise groups and received interventions based on the group name. Endurance training was performed for eight weeks (5 sessions/week, 30-50 minutes/session, and at a speed of 16 meters/minute) on a non-inclined treadmill. Mesenchymal stem cells (1x106 cells/kg) were injected once to the respective groups. Forty-eight hours after the last training session, cartilage tissue was removed and sent to the laboratory. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test were used to determine the difference between groups. All calculations were done with SPSS software, and the significance level was considered as P≤0.05.

TNFα gene expression was higher in the osteoarthritis group than in the healthy group (P=0.027). There was no other significant difference in TNFα gene expression between the groups. MMP13 protein expression was higher in osteoarthritis (P=0.001), osteoarthritis-exercise (P=0.003), osteoarthritis-stem cell (P=0.011), and osteoarthritis-stem cell-exercise (P=0.001) groups than in the healthy group. MMP13 protein expression in osteoarthritis-exercise (P=0.001), osteoarthritis-stem cell (P=0.001), and osteoarthritis-stem cell-exercise (P=0.001) groups was lower than the osteoarthritis group. There was no other significant difference in the expression of MMP13 protein between the groups.

Endurance training and stem cell therapy have a positive role in modulating MMP13 protein expression, which supports the potential of these two interventions to improve osteoarthritis.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common viruses transmitted sexually and found among men and women in both developing and developed countries. Alternative treatment options, such as the use of medicinal plants and complementary medicine, have been welcomed by researchers due to their low side effects. The present study was conducted with the aim of reviewing and comparing complementary medicine methods for HPV infection and cancer.

A systematic review was conducted on English and Farsi documents published during the years 2004 to 2024 in PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. The screening process was performed by two independent authors, and the selected articles were reviewed for inclusion and exclusion criteria.

In total, 210 relevant studies were searched in 2004–2024, and after evaluating full texts of articles, 25 articles were opted in accordance with the eligibility criteria with keywords “complementary medicine, medicinal plants, HPV infection and cancer,” and finally, 20 full‑text articles were reviewed systematically. Green tea, enriched with polyphenols and sinecatechins, and therapeutic compounds from Shiitake and Ganoderma mushrooms, represent among the most effective substances utilized in complementary medicine for the treatment and prevention of genital warts. The synergistic effects of these bioactive components have demonstrated significant potential in reducing the incidence and recurrence of this condition, highlighting their relevance in integrative therapeutic approaches.

Complementary medicine can have a positive effect on infections and cancers caused by HPV. These drugs can be effective in preventing cancer caused by inhibiting abnormal growth and stabilizing the genome of cells. However, there is a need for more research and clinical trials to confirm these effects and prove the effectiveness of complementary medicines in this field.

The COVID-19 pandemic can have significant implications for the physical, mental, and overall quality of life aspects of healthcare professionals, particularly intensive care nurses who have been at the forefront of patient care during this crisis. This study aimed to investigate the impact of yoga-based breathing-physical exercises on fatigue levels and quality of life among intensive care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2021. After obtaining informed consent form, 60 intensive care nurses working at Amir al-Momenin Hospital in Arak, Iran, were selected through an available sampling method. They were randomly divided into two groups: the intervention group (n=30) and the control group (n=30). Yoga-based breathing-physical exercises were performed on the intervention group three times a week for four weeks, each session lasting 35 min. Data were collected using the Nurses' Fatigue Intensity Questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire, which were completed by both groups before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, independent t-tests and paired t-tests in SPSS software (version 19).

The results of this study indicated that there was no significant difference in the mean scores of fatigue intensity and quality of life between the intervention and control groups at the beginning of the study. However, the mean fatigue intensity score in the intervention group decreased significantly from 60.33 ± 13.91 to 56.91 ± 94.12  after the intervention (P<0.01). No significant difference was observed in the mean quality of life score in the intervention group between pre-intervention (78.29±10.09) and post-intervention (78.08±9.44) stages (P=0.57).

While yoga-based breathing-physical exercises can reduce the fatigue levels of intensive care nurses, they do not have a significant impact on their quality of life. It is recommended to implement yoga-based breathing-physical exercises to reduce fatigue among intensive care nurses.