Journal of Health Sciences
Not a member yet
475 research outputs found
Sort by
The efficiency of the conventional physical treatment of the shoulder pain compared to conventional treatment plus the Mulligan\u27s joint mobilization technique and acupuncture
Get PDFIntroduction: Shoulder pain is the most common form of extra-articular rheumatism. We aimed to determine the efficiency of the conventional physical treatment of the shoulder pain compared to the conventional treatment plus the Mulligan\u27s joint mobilization technique and acupuncture.
Methods: We included a total of 277 patients with the shoulder pain caused by adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), calcific tendinitis, rotator cuff syndrome, or the tendinitis of the biceps muscle. We used clinical and radiological diagnostic criteria to make the diagnosis. Patients were assigned into group treated with conventional physiotherapy treatment during the ten days (CP)(n=148), and the group treated with conventional physiotherapy treatment plus the Mulligan joint mobilization and acupuncture (CP+MA)(n=128). Treatment efficiency was evaluated by assessing the status of the patients before and after the treatment with the Work Abilities and Activities of Daily Living (WAADL) scale as well as the Treatment Success scale.
Results: Mean treatment duration was 13.36±5.83 and 10.86±4.55 days in CP and CP+MA group, respectively (p<0.05). Mean WAADL scores after the treatment were 3.98±1.04 and 4.61±1.10 in CP and CP+MA group, respectively (p<0.05). Mean Treatment success score was 3.16±0.74 and 4.35±0.78 in CP and CP+MA group, respectively (p< 0.05).
Conclusions: Conventional physical therapy plus the Mulligan\u27s joint mobilization technique and acupuncture resulted in shorter treatment duration and higher WAADL and Treatment success scores in patients with shoulder pain
Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory and Antimicrobial Activities of the Leaf Extracts of Luffa cylindrica
Get PDFIntroduction: Luffa cylindrica have been used traditionally in the treatment and management of several disease conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of leaf extracts of the plant, and identifying some of its phytoconstituents.
Methods: The crude ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts were evaluated for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities using the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and paw-fluid displacement methods, respectively. The extracts were tested for antimicrobial activity using the agar well diffusion and agar dilution methods. The ethyl acetate leaf extract of the plant was further subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) analysis for the identification of the bioactive compounds.
Results: The ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of L. cylindrica showed average antioxidant properties at 100 µg/mL, with inhibitions of 53.31% and 54.73% respectively. The ethanol extract displayed significant anti-inflammatory activity at 50 mg/Kg with an inhibition of 31.1% compared to 39.7% recorded for the control (diclofenac). The ethyl acetate extract produced an inhibition of 15%. In the antimicrobial evaluation, the ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts showed moderate antibacterial activity against S. aureus, S. Typhi and B. subtilis. The ethyl acetate extract exhibited considerable antimicrobial activity against the test isolates compared to the ethanol extract. HPLC-DAD analysis of the ethyl acetate extract suggested the presence of two flavonoid compounds - luteolin and apigenin as key components of the leaf extract of L. cylindrica. These compounds are known to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.
Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the leaf extracts of L. cylindrica possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties
Post-influenza neuromuscular complications
Get PDFAccording to the data of the World Health Organization, every year influenza develops in up to 1.575 billion people, and 1 million of them die. Although influenza viruses are the leading cause of the upper respiratory tract infections, severe neuromuscular complications occur as well, frequently leading to disability or even death. Children under five years of age and elderly people are at the highest risk of complications and mortality. The article discusses the selected neuromuscular complications of influenza, bringing particular attention to their etiology, symptomatology, diagnostics, and therapy
Expected professional and personal characteristics of clinical mentors: Differences between physiotherapy and social gerontology students
Get PDFBackground: Clinical mentors play an important role in the development of knowledge and the acquisition of competencies of different health professionals. The success of the entire mentoring process also depends on the professional and personal characteristics of the clinical mentor. The purpose of this study was to identify which professional and personal characteristics of clinical mentors are relevant to physiotherapy (PHT) and social gerontology (SG) students.
Methods: The web survey was performed between January 20 and May 15, 2018, using the adapted version of the nursing clinical teacher effectiveness inventory. The final sample consisted of 100 PHT and SG students from one of the Slovenian Universities.
Results: The competencies “explains clearly” (p ˂ 0.001) and “takes responsibility of own actions” (p = 0.023) were statistically significantly more relevant to PHT students than to the SG students. The competencies “explains clearly” (p ˂ 0.001), “demonstrates clinical skill and judgment” (p = 0.033), “takes responsibility of own actions” (p = 0.023), and “is self-critical” (p = 0.023), were statistically significantly more relevant to PHT than to the SG students, while the statements “discusses current development in his/her field” (p = 0.002), “communicates expectations of students” (p = 0.029), “demonstrates empathy” (p = 0.037), “demonstrates enthusiasm” (p = 0.005), and “has a good sense of humor” (p = 0.005) were statistically significantly more relevant to SG students.
Conclusion: The contrast in responses reflects the differences in the nature of both professions: The predominantly instrumental nature of PHT and the predominantly expressive nature of SG
Frequency and type of eyelid neoplasia in Tuzla region, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Get PDFIntroduction: Benign and malignant tumors can arise from each of the eyelid layers. Our aim was to investigate the frequency and distribution of the eyelid tumors in tertiary health institution in Tuzla Region in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods: We analyzed medical records for all the patients treated for eyelid malignancies in University Clinical Center Tuzla, from January 2012 to December 2016. Demographic, clinical and pathological data were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 89 patients were treated during the 5 year period. Forty seven of the patients were male (52 %) and 42 (48 %) were female. Patient age ranged from 11 to 92 years, with the mean age of 66.6 years. The most common eyelid malignancy was basal cell carcinoma (80.95%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (14.29%), merkel cell carcinoma (3.17%) and melanoma (1.59%).
Conclusion: The annual incidence of eyelid tumors in Tuzla region is about 3.73/100 000 population. Majority of the malignant tumors were basal cell carcinoma, while melanoma was the least frequent. Most frequent benign lesions were seborrheic keratosis and benign nevi
Surgery versus conservative management for lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFIntroduction: Lumbar Disk Herniation with Radiculopathy (LDHR) appears to be a large and costly problem. The paradigm regarding the best treatment for LDHR has being between surgery and conservative management. The aim of this study was to compare and summarize evidence regarding the effectiveness of surgery and conservative treatment for individuals with sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation.
Methods: This study reviewed all literatures published on individuals with LDHR, who were managed either via surgery or conservative method. Pain and functional disability were the main outcome measures analyzed. A comprehensive search of PubMed, TRIP, PEDro and CINAHL was conducted from October, 2011 to June 2017. Two independent researchers selected the studies, and extracted the data. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. Meta-analysis was carried out where suitable.
Results: Eight studies involving (n=1,507) were included in the review. Meta-analysis was conducted for only 4 studies (n=784). The meta-analysis showed significant benefit for early surgery than conservative care -8.01(95% CI, -9.27 to -6.72) in the short-term effect -0.49 (95% CI, -0.7 to -0.28). However, the result for long-term effect did not show any significant difference between surgery and conservative care 1.60 (95% CI, -6.85 to 10.05).
Conclusion: This current evidence suggest that early surgery for individuals with lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy is better than conservative care in the short-term without any long-term difference. The results of this review should be interpreted with caution as the populations of the included studies were largely heterogeneous
New Topical Treatment of Symptomatic Internal Haemorrhoids in a General Practice Setting
Get PDFIntroduction: Oral usage of flavonoid-based drugs can be successfully applied in the conservative treatment of internal haemorrhoids; however, its efficiency in a form of topical preparations has not been demonstrated yet. The aim of the present study was to determine the efficiency of ointment with propolis extract (containing minimally 115 mg/kg of flavonoid galangin) in relief and suppression of the symptomatic internal haemorrhoids grade 1 and 2 (bleeding, prolapse, pain, and itching).
Methods: This prospective cohort epidemiological study that included 46 participants of both genders, mean age 53.6±14.3 years, was conducted in the general practice setting in Osijek, Croatia and lasted for three months. A specially designed questionnaire was used to collect demographic data and data concerning the haemorrhoid disease symptoms and to evaluate the intensity of the latter data according to the scale defined in the research protocol.
Results: The study showed statistically significant improvements in the intensity of all the symptoms connected with the internal haemorrhoids grade 1 and 2 (p<0.001) during the follow up period, as well as statistically significant differences in proportions of participants with and without of the each of the analysed symptoms before and after the therapy (p<0.001). After three months of therapy with ointment containing propolis extract 82.7% patients (38/46) had none of the analysed symptoms.
Conclusions: Ointment with propolis extract efficiently affected all the analysed symptoms of the haemorrhoid disease thus having a very significant place within the conservative treatment of haemorrhoids
Government and school community member perception on childhood obesity prevention in the primary school settings of Brunei Darussalam
Get PDFIntroduction: Childhood obesity is increasing in the Southeast Asian region, including in the nation of Brunei Darussalam. Within the public health focus on obesity prevention, specific settings, including primary schools, have been singled out as suitable sites for action. Recognizing that stakeholders are, in their various roles, producers of policy or implementers of practice, the purpose of this study in Brunei was to establish a baseline for interventions as well as to establish strengths and limitations in the current practice.
Methods: Semi-structured interview with government and school community stakeholders was conducted, and transcriptions were thematically analyzed.
Results: Three themes emerged from the data. The first theme was “children’s eating habits today = healthy adult population tomorrow;” many of the stakeholders believed that, if healthy eating is not practiced from an early stage, this can lead to the development of harmful diet-related diseases in the future. The second theme was “barriers to effectively addressing the issue of childhood obesity;” all were able to identify barriers such as workforce issues to address obesity prevention and health promotion activities. The third theme was “parental responsibility for children’s diet and physical activity habits.” The majority of respondents believed that parents are responsible for the rise in childhood obesity in Brunei.
Conclusions: The widespread ethos of personal responsibility for health behaviors has resulted in policies having a heavy emphasis on individual health behavior management and blame for the problem being directed primarily at parents. This individualization of the problem of childhood obesity is a barrier to the planning and implementation of ecological interventions
Correlation of serum lipid profile and glycemic control parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Get PDFIntroduction: Diabetes mellitus type 2 has become a global health-care problem of modern society due to a pronounced increase of prevalence to pandemic proportions and vascular complications. At present, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is widely accepted as a measure of glycemic control in established diabetes. The aim of this study was to analyze the lipid profile in serum of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2, and its relationship with HbA1c levels.
Methods: The observational cross-sectional study included 60 diabetic patients, 30 men, and 30 women, age 32–94 years. Patients were assigned into two groups based on HbA1c values; Group 1: HbA1c ≤ 7% (good glycemic control) and Group 2: HbA1c > 7% (poor glycemic control). We analyzed the concentration of glucose, HbA1c, and lipid profile including total cholesterol levels, triglycerides (TAG), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).
Results: Significantly lower values of glucose concentration, TAG and the ratio TAG/HDLc were obtained in the group of patients with good glycemic control. (p < 0.0005) Patients with good glycemic control had lower values of Castelli 1 and Castelli 2 index, and atherogenic index of plasma, compared to patients with poor glycemic control, but this difference was not significant. (p > 0.005) Our study revealed a significant positive correlation between HbA1c and triglyceride level (r = 0.375; p = 0.003) and HbA1c and ratio triglyceride/HDLc (r = 0.335; p = 0.009).
Conclusion: HbA1c can also be used as a predictor of dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetics in addition to as a glycemic control parameter
Assessment of risk factors for hypertension in Dormaa municipality in Ghana using the World Health Organization STEPS approach
Get PDFIntroduction: Hypertension (HPT) is a significant public health challenge worldwide and is the single most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. As life expectancy rates improve in Ghana and the prevalence of risk factors increase, the burden of non-communicable diseases such as HPT is also expected to increase. However, little is known about the specific factors that predispose of Ghanaians to a higher risk of HPT.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Dormaa Municipality in Ghana using the World Health Organization STEPwise approach to investigate risk factors for HPT. Study participants were recruited by probability proportional sampling technique. In all, 202 males and 198 females participated in this study.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 50.06 years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 48.46–51.66). In all, 40% of all participants in this study had elevated blood pressure (BP) (BP ≥140/90 mmHg). Further, the rate of isolated systolic HPT was 11.2% among the study population (12.9% in males and 9.6% in females). Risk factors as measured in the population were advancing age >45 years (odds ratio [OR] = 2.745, CI 1.20–6.30, p = 0.017), gender (44.6% males versus 35.4% females with elevated BP, male OR = 0.492, CI 0.28–0.86, p = 0.012), and tobacco use (OR = 2.66, CI 1.41–5.04, p = 0.003). Males reported higher mean portions of fruits (p = 0.036) and vegetable servings than females (p = 0.009) and spent more time each day on physical activities compared to females (p = 0.000).
Conclusion: The results of the present study provide useful data on HPT prevalence and associated risk factors in the Dormaa Municipality and the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana. To be able to control HPT in the municipality, health practitioners and policymakers should focus on these modifiable risk factors