Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences & Research

The Comparison of the Effect of Deep and Superficial Heat on Healthy Ankle Joint Position Sense

Farahnaz Ghaffarinejad; Farzaneh Moslemi Haghighi; Soraya Pirouzi; Shohreh Taghizadeh; Tahereh Motiallah; Nasrin Salehi

Volume 1, Issue 3 , September 2014, , Pages 63-66

Abstract

  Background: Heat therapy is one of the natural treatments that can affect the information transferred by the proprioceptive receptors. Heat has an effect on the conduction velocity ...  Read More Background: Heat therapy is one of the natural treatments that can affect the information transferred by the proprioceptive receptors. Heat has an effect on the conduction velocity of peripheral nerves, but the exact effect of two kinds of deep and superficial heat on the joint position sense is not known clearly. The present study aimed to compare the effect of deep and superficial heat on ankle joint position sense.Methods: Thirty healthy male students aged between 18 to 30 y/o participated in this study. Deep heat by short-wave diathermy and superficial heat by water of 42 ºC were applied for 15 minutes in two sessions for all participants. In all of the tests, active and passive ankle joint position sense in dorsiflexion and plantarflexion were measured by pedal goniometers prior to and after heat application. The Non-Parametric-Paired T-test Wilcoxon and Non-Parametric- Paired T-test Mann-Withney were used to analyze the data.Results: The superficial heat does not have any positive or negative effect on the ankle joint position sense. After the deep heat, the absolute angular error of active dorsiflexion was increased, but passive plantarflexion was decreased significantly. Comparing the two types of heat, the results revealed that the deep heat increased the absolute angular error of active dorsiflexion significantly more than superficial heat.Conclusion: According to the results, deep heat therapy improves passive ankle joint position sense in plantar flexion, but it worsens the active joint position sense of dorsiflexion. Therefore, it seems that after applying deep heat therapy on an ankle joint, exercise prescriptions need to be cautious.

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Translation and Adaptation of the Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life (ABEL) Questionnaire into Persian: A Pilot Study.

Majid Oryadi Zanjani; Suzanne C. Purdy; Maryam Vahab; Javad Rasouli; Mahla Vasfinia; Zohreh Lotf

Volume 2, Issue 3 , September 2015, , Pages 63-67

Abstract

  Background: Auditory rehabilitation isone of the important tasks of speech-language pathologists. So, it is necessary to know auditory behaviors in order to make some decisions about ...  Read More Background: Auditory rehabilitation isone of the important tasks of speech-language pathologists. So, it is necessary to know auditory behaviors in order to make some decisions about the children with hearing loss such as determining the effectiveness of the current rehabilitation programs and/or devices. The Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life (ABEL) questionnaire is a valid and reliable assessment tool in English which is developed by Purdy et al. (1995). The aim of this study was to translate and adapt ABEL questionnaire for Persian language.Methods:The ABEL consists of three factors ofauditory-oral, auditory awareness, and conversational/social skills. First, the questionnaire was translated and culturally adapted from English to Persian by an independent Iranian translator. The back translated version was compared with the original one in terms of the semantic/idiomatic equivalence. Then the questionnaire was completed two times by 43 mothers of 4-to-6 year old children with hearing loss who were using either hearing aids or cochlear implants. Finally, the results of the test-retest reliability were statistically compared in order to assess internal consistency. The statistical tests which were used include Cronbach’s Alpha, Spearman correlation, and Pearson correlation tests in significance level of 0.05.Results: There was a significant strength correlation among the items of the factor 1 (Alpha=0.94), factor 2 (Alpha=0.86), factor 3 (Alpha=0.82) and three factors (Alpha=0.96). There was a significant strength correlation at the 0.01 level between the scores of each factor in test-retest include auditory-oral (Spearman’s rho=0.94, P<0.001), auditory awareness (Spearman’s rho=0.92, P<0.001), and conversational/social skills (Spearman’s rho=0.82, P<0.001).Conclusion: The Persian version of ABEL questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of auditory performance development in Persian-speaking children wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants. So, the ABEL questionnaire can be applied by parents/caregivers, clinicians, and researchers in order to appraise children’s auditory behaviors in everyday living.

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The Effect of Twelve-Week Neurofeedback Training on Pain, Proprioception, Strength and Postural Balance in Men with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Double-Blind Randomized Control Trial

Mohamadreza Ahmadi; Ali Yalfani; Farzaneh Gandomi; Khosro Rashid

Volume 7, Issue 2 , June 2020, , Pages 66-74

Abstract

  Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) has been reported as one of the most common reasons for knee pain which accounts for about 25 % to 40% of all knee injuries. These group ...  Read More Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) has been reported as one of the most common reasons for knee pain which accounts for about 25 % to 40% of all knee injuries. These group of patients have Postural Balance disorder that can cause pain, dysfunction in proprioception and decreased muscle strength. We aimed to study a twelve-week neurofeedback training (NFT) on pain, proprioception, strength and Postural Balance in PFPS patients.   Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 32 patients with PFPS who were randomly allocated into experimental (n = 16) and control (n = 16) groups. The variables measured included pain, knee proprioception 20 and 60 degrees, muscular strength quadriceps and hip abductors and Postural Balance that were evaluated before and after intervention. The experimental group performed NFT during twelve weeks, three times per week and 30 min per session, while the control group did not receive any treatment during this time. Covariance statistical method was used for data analysis. Results: The results of data analysis showed that the experimental group had significant improvement in postural balance index anterior-posterior (p<0.004), overall stability (p<0.003), knee proprioception 20 degrees (p<0.004), knee proprioception 60 degrees (p<0.004), quadriceps muscle strength (p<0.007) and pain reduction (p<0.001). However, postural balance index medial-lateral (p>0.140) and hip abductor muscle strength (p>0.164) had no improvement after twelve weeks of NFT.   Conclusions: The NFT through thalamus inhibition led to reduced pain and improved sensory pathways, sensory integrity, increased attention and cognition. They also led to improved proprioception, Postural Balance, overall stability and quadriceps muscle strength. It is suggested that future studies examine the impact of long-term and short-term NFT on the variables of the present study.

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Comparison of Participation in Life Habits in 5–11-Year-Old Blind and Typical Children

Sahar Ghanbari; Fatemeh Ghasemi; Arezoo Evazzadeh; Razieh Tohidi; Alireza Jamali; Fariba Shayanpour

Volume 3, Issue 3 , September 2016, , Pages 67-71

Abstract

  Background: Participation is defined as involvement in life situations leading to skill development, experimentation, and socialization. Children with visual impairment seem to be at ...  Read More Background: Participation is defined as involvement in life situations leading to skill development, experimentation, and socialization. Children with visual impairment seem to be at risk because of their limitations when it comes to taking part in daily activities. This study aimed to compare the participation in life habits of children with blindness with their normal peers.Methods: This study is quantitative, cross-sectional, and comparative, and used convenience sampling for a pilot study. Eleven children with blindness and nine normal children were evaluated with a life-habit questionnaire. The data were analyzed by SPSS-21 software with the Mann-Whitney statistical test.Results: There are meaningful differences between these two groups in overall participation, nutrition, communication, participation at home, mobility, responsibility, interpersonal relationships, education, and recreation. No statistical differences in health, personal care, social life, and work were obtained.Conclusions: Blind children had lower participation in most areas of life habits compared to their normal peers. The differences can be attributed to differences in the necessary education and training, differences in the social contexts of both groups, and also hearing loss in some children, and improper items for activity according to the age of these children.

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More realistic dynamical modeling of a humanoid robotic arm to reduce control effort with uncertainty using self-impact joint constrained

Seyed Iman Hosseini; Yousef Bazargan Lari

Volume 6, Issue 2 , June 2019, , Pages 68-79

Abstract

  Background:The main challenge of modeling humanoid robots is establishing a compromise between the simplicity of the model and accuracy of the system. One of the realities of movement ...  Read More Background:The main challenge of modeling humanoid robots is establishing a compromise between the simplicity of the model and accuracy of the system. One of the realities of movement which is important about humans is moving their hands to keep balance and reduce energy consumption while they are walking. Methods: In this context, the role of elbow joint and the limitation that the joint exerts in terms of movement on the forearm and arm as self-impact joint constraint is undeniable. This paper deals with modeling and control of humanoid robot’s hand as double-pendulum will consider mentioned constraint while normal walking and also in throwing darts. Results: The presence of the self-impact joint constraint contributed to about a 26% saving in power consumption of robot motors within an impact range of 0.6346 to 0.6896 during normal human walking.  Since this control has a high power, 10 to 30% of the uncertainty was added to the length and mass parameters. As was observed, this controller routed the desired curves in the least possible time. Conclusion: As mentioned earlier, consideration of this constraint in elbow joint of the humanoid robot will help in approaching the reality of system in comparison with past models previously designed. As constraint causes addition of severe nonlinear terms to dynamic system equation, the control of systems with this type of constraint faces a great deal of complexity. For adaptive-neural controller to control of the system of humanoid robot’s hand will be used. Also, to display the ability of control system, the uncertainty of length and mass for this system will be considered. The existence of self-impact joint constraint will cause saving in consumption power of robot engines within the impact range.

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The effect of nonlinear and linear methods and inclusive education on self-esteem and motor proficiency of ordinary and overactive children

Behzad Mohammadi Orangi; Rasoul Yaali; Francis R Ackah-Jnr; Abbas Bahram; Farhad Ghadiri

Volume 8, Issue 2 , June 2021, , Pages 69-78

Abstract

  Background: This study highlights the effect of nonlinear and linear teaching methods and inclusive education on the self-esteem and motor proficiency of ordinary and overactive children. ...  Read More Background: This study highlights the effect of nonlinear and linear teaching methods and inclusive education on the self-esteem and motor proficiency of ordinary and overactive children. Methods: This quasi-experimental research involved two groups of girls who had a 9-week intervention. One group consisting of 14 ordinary children (M age= 6.53, SD age= 0.49) with one overactive and obese child (age =6 years, height=115 cm and weight =27 kg) were trained using nonlinear pedagogy. The other group comprising of 14 ordinary children (Mage= 6.58, SD age= 0.52) and one overactive obese child (age =6 years, height=117 cm and weight =28 kg) were trained using a linear method.  Quantitative and qualitative instruments were used to collect data. Results: The qualitative results showed control of violence and pleasure of the game, as well as family, educational and social relationships, improved in the obese and overactive child who practiced with the nonlinear pedagogy. Quantitative results indicated that general, family, social and school self-esteem, and motor proficiency increased, but BMI decreased in both children with ADHD. The result of the ANCOVA test indicates that self-esteem (P= 0.000, F=27.88) and motor proficiency (P= 0.001, F=15.7) improved in the nonlinear pedagogy compared to the linear method. Conclusion: Results emphasized the importance of applying nonlinear pedagogy for motor skills development and in inclusive education to enhance physical activity participation for children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Findings make a strong case for manipulating tasks and eliminating environmental constraints in inclusive settings to develop motor skills of all children.

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Comparison of Brain atrophic changes in dementia patients with and without swallowing dysfunction

Mansoureh Chegeni; Shiva Ebrahimian dehaghani; Mehrzad Lotfi; Zahra Salami

Volume 9, Issue 2 , June 2022, , Pages 72-78

Abstract

  Background: on the one hand, very limited studies were performed on identifying the active regions during swallowing among healthy individuals and those with dementia. On the other ...  Read More Background: on the one hand, very limited studies were performed on identifying the active regions during swallowing among healthy individuals and those with dementia. On the other hand, to the best of our knowledge, no research has yet compared the injured areas in the brain of patients with dementia with and without dysphagia, such that damage to specific regions in dementia causes dysphagia may be found using this approach. The present study was performed to evaluate the atrophic changes in the internal temporal lobe (hippocampus), frontal (anterior cingulate cortex), and parietal (posterior cingulate cortex), and insula cortex in these patients.Methods: the present study is a retrospective cross-sectional study. 54 patients with dementia were investigated. The data were collected using a checklist, including information related to the dysphagia, and the brain MRI findings to determine atrophy. The extent of atrophic changes was recorded in the checklist using the median temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) score, Koedem score scale, and the global cortical atrophy (GCA) scale. To present the results, descriptive statistics, and data comparison, chi-square tests were used.Results: The mean age of the examined patients was 72.01 with a standard deviation of 10.64 years, and range of 50-95 years. Out of them, 32 (59.3%) were male, and 22 (40.7%) were female. The degree atrophy of hippocampus (p=0.12), frontal lobe (P=0.46), parietal lobe (P=0.83), and insular cortex (P=0.91) in the patients with and without dysphagia did not show significant differences. The frequency distribution of the degree of atrophy based on the site of the development of atrophy was significant in the patients with dysphagia (P=0.033).Conclusion: In general, the findings showed that individuals with dementia who had dysphagia had more hippocampal and frontal lobe (and anterior cingulate) atrophy than dementia patients who did not have this impairment.

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Quality of Life in Acromegaly Disease Among Iranian Population:One Longitudinal Before-After Study

Arezoo Chouhdari; Farnaz Saberian; Omidvar Rezaei; Mohammad Samadian; Kaveh Ebrahimzadeh; Guive Sharifi; Zahra Davoudi

Volume 10, Issue 2 , June 2023, , Pages 75-80

Abstract

  Background: The current study aimed to determine the quality of life (QoL) scores before and after treatment in patients with acromegaly.Methods: In this longitudinal before-after study, ...  Read More Background: The current study aimed to determine the quality of life (QoL) scores before and after treatment in patients with acromegaly.Methods: In this longitudinal before-after study, the acromegaly quality of life (AcroQoL) questionnaire was used to assess the QoL. Demographics, clinical manifestations and co-morbidity data, pituitary axis involvement, biochemical and hormonal component tests, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and after treatment (endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery, medication, radiotherapy) were evaluated in patients over 18 years of age. To compare the mean of continuous data, the independent t and Mann–Whitney tests were used. To compare the mean QOL score before and after the study, the paired-t and Wilcoxon tests were performed. The significance level was set at p<0.05.Results: Among 80 patients with acromegaly who underwent trans-sphenoid surgery with or without radiotherapy or medication therapy with somatostatin analogs, 52 (65%) entered the remission phase within 6 months. Associations were found between the remission phase and female gender (p=0.004) and lower growth hormone (GH) (p=0.04) but not between remission and lower insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF1) after surgery (p=0.02) or gonadal axis disorder after treatment (p<0.001) statistically. Moreover, a significant association was found between not being in the remission phase and gonadal axis disorder before treatment (p=0.04). The QoL score in all dimensions of the AcroQoL questionnaire increased 6 months after treatment (p<0.001). Total AcroQoL score was higher after treatment in the remission group (p=0.03). The psychological scale had a significantly higher score both on the total scale (p<0.001) and on the two subscales of appearance (p<0.001) and personal relationship (p=0.003).Conclusion: Because of the importance of QoL in acromegaly patients, further studies in this field are recommended.

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Stability Analysis in Individuals with Complete and Incomplete Spinal cord Injury: Linear Versus Non-Linear Methods

Hamid Reza Kargar; Vahid Zolaktaf

Volume 4, Issue 3 , September 2017, , Pages 76-83

Abstract

  Background: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) lose their abilities tostand. The effectiveness of compensating strategies such as the use of variousorthosis is studied by stability ...  Read More Background: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) lose their abilities tostand. The effectiveness of compensating strategies such as the use of variousorthosis is studied by stability analysis. These kind of analyses are usuallystudied by linear method. In this study, the standing stability of complete andincomplete SCI individuals is evaluated by linear versus non-linear methods.Methods: Study groups consisted of 10 normal, 5 incomplete and 5 complete SCIindividuals. SCI participants stood with crutch and/or orthosis on a Kistler forceplate. The excursions of center of pressure (COP), velocity of COP, correlationdimension, and approximate entropy in the anteroposterior and mediolateralplanes were calculated in this study. Statistical analysis was done by one-wayANOVA and Post-hoc calculations by Tukey HSD.Results: Linear method revealed that the difference in “the mediolateral COP sway”and “anteroposterior COP velocity” was insignificant among the groups, whilstthe difference in “anteroposterior COP sway”, “mediolateral COP velocity” and“total velocity” was significant. In contrast, non-linear method revealed that thedifference in “mediolateral embedding diversion”, “anteroposterior embeddingdiversion”, “mediolateral correlationdimension” and “anteroposterior ApEn”was insignificant among the groups, whilst the difference in “anteroposteriorcorrelation dimension” and “mediolateral ApEn” was significant.Conclusion: Based on linear method, the stability of SCI subjects seems to belike normal subjects. However, non-linear analysis revealed that although SCIpatients knew how to put their body in a good posture to have a stable position,they had no abilities to control their posture.

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Comparison of lumbopelvic movement pattern in people with and without low back pain during stair descending task

Neda Namnik; Reza Salehi; Mohammad jafar Shaterzadeh-Yazdi; Fatemeh Esfandiarpour; Mohammad Mehravar; Neda Orakifar

Volume 5, Issue 3 , September 2018, , Pages 81-85

Abstract

  Background: Decreased lumbar spine control may be associated with early and/or excessive lumbopelvic motion with trunk and lower extremity movementsduring functional and daily activities. ...  Read More Background: Decreased lumbar spine control may be associated with early and/or excessive lumbopelvic motion with trunk and lower extremity movementsduring functional and daily activities. This study investigated differences inlumbopelvic movement patterns in people with and without low back pain(LBP) during a stair descending (SD) task.Methods: A total of 36 subjects, 18 females with non-specific chronic low backpain (NSCLBP) and 18 healthy females, participated in this study. A threedimensionalmotion capture system was used to record kinematics during theSD task.Results: The results showed that in the LBP group, the start-time of the lumbarmuscles occurred early in the movement (P=0.015). Additionally, subjects withLBP showed excessive lumbar spine and pelvic movement during the SD task(P<0.05).Conclusion: LBP patients make early and excessive lumbopelvic movementsduring a SD task, and this can be an important factor contributing to thedevelopment or persistence of their LBP problem. This finding should beconsidered by clinicians when evaluating functional tasks as part of movementbasedexaminations and rehabilitation programs for people with LBP.

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Phonological Working Memory in 4-8 Year-Old Persian Children who Stutter

Maryam Vahab; Karim Shojaei; Alireza Ahmadi; Mohammad Nasiri

Volume 1, Issue 4 , December 2014, , Pages 92-96

Abstract

  Background: One language-related area that has recently received more attention from researchers working in the field of stuttering is phonological working memory. This article aimed ...  Read More Background: One language-related area that has recently received more attention from researchers working in the field of stuttering is phonological working memory. This article aimed to identify phonological skills of working memory in children with stuttering in comparison with normal children, and to obtain the relationship between the increase in the number of syllables in non-words and the mean percentage of error in non-word repetition in both groups, then to compare them with each other. Methods: Thirty children participated in the study, 15 children who stutter and 15 normal children which were matched by age, gender and socio-economic status. Cases of this study were recruited by non random convenience sampling. The research data collection was based on non-word repetition test. The test included 40 non-words. Independent t-tests and linear regression were used for data analysis.Results: Results revealed that in all cases the mean percentage of error was higher in children who stutter than normal children, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>.05). Also the mean percentage error did not show a regular increase by increasing the number of syllables in the non-words. So that, in both groups of the study the highest mean percentage of error was related to single-syllable non-words then three-syllable and two-syllable ones.Conclusion: The results of the present research from previous researches support the view that children with stuttering may have some degree of delay and slow in phonological working memory abilities when compared to normal children. It is proposed that in future more researches could be done in more samples, in different age groups of children and adults who stutter.

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The Prevalence of Specific Language Impairment in 5-year-old Persian-Speaking Children in Shiraz City of Iran – 2015

Mohammad Majid Oryadi-Zanjani; Maryam Vahab; Javad Rasouli; Raziye Ashkbousi; Nesa Barpoosh

Volume 2, Issue 4 , December 2015, , Pages 93-96

Abstract

  Background: Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is one of the most common developmental problems resulting in referral to speech therapy clinics in the preschool years. A number of studies ...  Read More Background: Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is one of the most common developmental problems resulting in referral to speech therapy clinics in the preschool years. A number of studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence of SLI in different populations. However, the prevalence of childhood language disorders in Iranian population is unknown because of the limited epidemiologic studies in the field. The aim of this study was therefore, to estimate the prevalence of SLI in 5-year-old Persian-speaking children. Methods: This research was an epidemiological study which conducted in a three-month period in the spring of 2015 in Shiraz. The sample size was 180 children aged 5 years old including 95 boys and 85 girls whom recruited from 12 preschool centers of 9 urban areas in Shiraz by stratified sampling. The EpiSLI system was used to diagnose SLI. The Persian version of Test of language Development (TOLD-P: 3) was employed to evaluate the children’s oral language skills. A number of descriptive statistics were calculated. In addition, Chi-square test was used to analyze the correlation between the prevalence of SLI with sex and area. The significant level was set to 0.05.Results: The estimated prevalence of SLI in the population under study was estimated to be %3.3. In addition, the estimated prevalence of SLI in boys and girls was 4.2% and 2.4%, respectively. There were no significant correlation between the estimated prevalence of SLI with sex and area (P > 0.05). Conclusions: According to the findings of this study, it is important to employ screening system to find preschool children with SLI to prevent subsequent problems.

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Comparison of the immediate effects of modified and routine warm-ups on knee joint function and dynamic balance in athletes

Mohsen Razeghi; Elham Hamoule

Volume 3, Issue 4 , December 2016, , Pages 97-102

Abstract

  Background: Warm-up before a sport activity is the most common preventive measure to reduce the incidences and severity of injuries during sport activities. This study investigated ...  Read More Background: Warm-up before a sport activity is the most common preventive measure to reduce the incidences and severity of injuries during sport activities. This study investigated the effects of modified warm-up on balance and knee function as compared to those of routine warm-up in athletes.Methods: Twenty healthy athletes volunteered to participate in the study. At the beginning of the session, we evaluated the dynamic balance and the knee joint function variables by Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and hop tests, and then the subjects did either modified or routine warm-up. Immediately after doing the warm-up, the dynamic balance and the knee joint function variables were assessed again. Each subject underwent both interventions in two sessions separated by at least 48 hours.Results: Statistically significant improvements were measured for modified warm-up compared to routine warm-up in eight directions of SEBT and four hop tests. (A: p=0.0001, AL: p=0.005, L: p=0.002, PL: p=0.005, P: p=0.005, PM: p=0.0001, M: p=0.001, AM: p=0.001) (One-leg hop test for distance: p=0.007, triple hop test for distance: p=0.003, triple crossover hop for distance: p=0.004, and 6 meter timed hop test: p=0.0001(.Conclusion: Modified warm-up showed greater impact on improving dynamic balance and some indicators of knee joint function in athletes, and it thereby provides more appropriate conditions for physical activity and reduces incidences of sport injuries.

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Comparison of Phonemic Fluency Test Results Using Different Letters among Persian Speakers

Najme Mardani; Mohammad Hosein Rohani; Ramin Mahdipour; Kousar Baghban

Volume 4, Issue 4 , December 2017, , Pages 109-113

Abstract

  Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the results obtained from phonemic fluency test using “F”1, “A”2, “S”3 and “L”4, “T”5,”M”6 among Persian ...  Read More Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the results obtained from phonemic fluency test using “F”1, “A”2, “S”3 and “L”4, “T”5,”M”6 among Persian Speakers aged between 20 and 30 years.Methods: In this applied study, 76 subjects were randomly chosen. The data was analyzed separately for each subject according to the three letters: “F”, “A”, and “S” by using the routine phonemic fluency subtest of verbal fluency test and then phonemic fluency performance was gathered by using the three letters: “L”, “T” and “M” and after scoring according to Troyer method, the resultant numbers were reported after statistical analyses. For statistical analysis using SPSS 19, the distribution of data was firstly evaluated. Due to the fact that the data distribution was normal, Bonferroni test was used to compare the scores of the letters.Results: No significant gender and educational level effects were found and therefore, all further analyses were conducted without taking gender and educational level into account. Also, when the results of the three letters: “F”, “A” and “S” as a group for phonemic fluency performance and “L”, “T” and “M” letters as a different group, were integrated, a significant difference was found between the mean cluster size and switching between these two groups, while there was no significant difference between the average cluster size and cluster number.Conclusion: Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that the results of phonemic fluency test in each of the six letters are significantly different. Therefore, when using the special letters in the Persian language, it is necessary to examine all the letters for phonological sub-tests and use the simplest letters to study this function.

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The Effectiveness of Training Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Self-Regulation on Physical Activity Enjoyment among Obese and Overweight

Reza Nazeri; Hossein Lotf Abadi; Hossein Pourshahryar

Volume 5, Issue 4 , December 2018, , Pages 111-114

Abstract

  Background: Today, lifestyle-associated health problems are increasing, while healthy behaviors could reduce their consequences, e.g. mortality. The physical activity enjoyment (PAE) ...  Read More Background: Today, lifestyle-associated health problems are increasing, while healthy behaviors could reduce their consequences, e.g. mortality. The physical activity enjoyment (PAE) is one of the most important factors which might lead to enhanced physical activity, as a protective factor of chronic diseases and mental disorders. The main purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness of educating mindfulness, self-compassion and self-regulation on the PAE of obese and overweighed students. Methods: This is a semi-experimental pre-post study on the effects of educational interventions on the PAE among the high-school students. After informing all participants about the goals of the research, through a list generated based on block randomization methods with size 4 in each block, they were divided randomly into 4 training groups (17 students per group). To assess the PAE, the valid and reliable version of 18-items questionnaire made by Kendzerski and Decarlo (1991) was employed.Results: All participants were in grade 9 aging 14-16 years. Their BMI had a mean of 32.10±2.35 (ranged 26.22 to 37.28). All of the experimental groups had significantly higher levels of PAE than the control group.Conclusion: The educational methods had a significant effect on increasing PAE. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-regulation might be used as educational methods to increase the PAE.

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The Comparison of Knee Joint Muscles Flexibility between Women with and without Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis

Hedieh Moallem; Amir Hossein Barati; Elham Shirzad Araghi; Anoshirvan Kazemnejad

Volume 7, Issue 3 , September 2020, , Pages 118-123

Abstract

  Background: Approximately 60% of individuals above 50 years of age are affected by knee osteoarthritis (KOA). KOA is most commonly assessed through radiographic evaluation and classified ...  Read More Background: Approximately 60% of individuals above 50 years of age are affected by knee osteoarthritis (KOA). KOA is most commonly assessed through radiographic evaluation and classified using the Kellgren -Lawrence (KL) grading system with KL Grade 0 (KLG0) indicating a definite absence of radiographic KOA (RKOA) and KLG2 presenting a definite presence of RKOA. The current study compared knee joint muscle flexibility among three groups with KLG0, KLG2, and KLG3 RKOA. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 94 KLG0, KLG2, and KLG3 knees on 57 women aged ≥40 years were examined. The flexibility of the quadriceps, hamstring, iliotibial band, adductor, and gastrocnemius muscles was compared. Results: Iliotibial band flexibility was lower in subjects with KLG3 RKOA than those with KLG2 (p <0.05) or KLG0 (p ≤0.001) RKOA, with the latter two groups being statistically equivalent (p =0.075). In addition, quadriceps muscle flexibility was lower in subjects with KLG3 RKOA than those with KLG2 (p ≤0.001) or KLG0 (p ≤0.001) RKOA, with the latter two groups being statistically different (p ≤0.001). No significant differences were found between groups regarding other muscles (p >0.05). Conclusion: In patients with RKOA, the flexibility of the iliotibial band and quadriceps muscles may decrease as the disease progresses from KLG2 to KLG3. Moreover, quadriceps and iliotibial band flexibility may be lower in KLG3 compared to KLG0, with a lower likelihood of quadriceps flexibility in KLG2 compared to KLG0. These results suggest that quadriceps and iliotibial band stretching may be potentially important components of treatment.

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The Role of Stress of Covid-19 Infection during Work Shifts, and Nurses’ Emotional Exhaustion Under Covid-19 Conditions

Farshid Aslani; Akbar Bahmani

Volume 9, Issue 3 , September 2022, , Pages 118-122

Abstract

  Background: The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus has caused a waveof concern throughout society and among medical staff members. Consecutivepeaks, persistent stress, along with ...  Read More Background: The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus has caused a waveof concern throughout society and among medical staff members. Consecutivepeaks, persistent stress, along with disorders caused by work shifts lead to physicalweakness and psychological complications over time. the aim of the presentstudy was to investigate the effect of work shifts under Covid-19 conditions onthe emotional exhaustion of medical staff members with the mediating role ofstress of Covid-19 infection.Methods: This applied and descriptive field research was conducted crosssectionallyin 2020. The statistical population included 250 nurses fromImam Khomeini Hospital in Amol city, Iran. A total of 150 individuals wereselected using Morgan Table and simple random sampling methods. Astandard questionnaire with confirmed validity and reliability was used as thedata collection instrument. To perform data analysis, the structural equationmodeling method was used to measure the fit of the research model and test thehypotheses in SPSS ver. 22 and Amos ver. 22 software.Results: The results showed that disorders caused by work shifts had a significanteffect on the emotional exhaustion and stress of Covid-19 infection in nurses ona medical staff. Stress of Covid-19 infection had a significant effect on nurses’emotional fatigue. The mediating role of stress of Covid-19 infection in therelationship between work shifts and emotional exhaustion was also confirmed.Conclusion: The transmission rates of different types of Covid-19 mutationswith consecutive peaks have caused constant stress in nurses. Related disorderscaused by work shifts and the large number of patients and hospitalizations willlead to a lack of energy and of concentration in nurses, which in turn will leadto poor performance, reduced quality of life, and ultimately emotional fatigue.

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Comparison of the Rate of Verbal Oral Movements in Healthy Younger and Older Native Speakers of Persians

Shiva Ebrahimian dehaghani; Atefeh Hoseinzadeh Mofrad; Jalal Bakhtiyari

Volume 8, Issue 3 , September 2021, , Pages 121-125

Abstract

  Background: Normal aging is associated with many changes in speech-producing elements that can influence the articulators' ability to produce sounds quickly and precisely. To diagnose ...  Read More Background: Normal aging is associated with many changes in speech-producing elements that can influence the articulators' ability to produce sounds quickly and precisely. To diagnose any motor problems in the oral area, it is necessary to obtain numerical oral motor performance rates in normal individuals. According to previous studies, quantitative measures of Oral diadochokinesis (DDK) vary across different cultures, languages, and ages. However, little research has been conducted in Persian native speakers to evaluate normal DDK in different age groups. Therefore, this study aimed to determine and compare DDK indicators in healthy young and older Persian native speakers. Methods: The participants were 105 healthy young and older individuals (56 women and 49 men) with the age range18-40, 60-80, and >80 years. Each subject was asked to repetitively express the syllables 15 times, and the sequence /pataka/ 10 times. Mann–Whitney and independent-sample t-tests were applied to show the differences, respectively between and within age groups. Results: The significant difference was revealed between young and older groups in performance in all tasks (p=0.00). In younger participants, increasing age correlated significantly with increasing time needed to produce /ta/ (p=0.04) and /ka/ (p=0.01) syllables. Also, the rate variation decreased as the point of articulation moved backward in the vocal tract for /ta/ and /ka/ production in both the older (p=0.6) and younger group (p=0.4). Conclusion: The results of this study can also help clinicians to document differences in the articulation rate between older and younger people and diagnose abnormal oral motor rates.

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Assessment of balance recovery strategies during manipulation of somatosensory, vision, and vestibular system in healthy and blind Women

Asma Salari; Mansour Sahebozamani; Abdolhamid Daneshjoo; Fatemeh Karimi Afshar

Volume 6, Issue 3 , September 2019, , Pages 123-129

Abstract

  Background: Individuals with vision loss are at an increased risk of falls. Understanding what factors contribute to postural instability within this population is a necessary step ...  Read More Background: Individuals with vision loss are at an increased risk of falls. Understanding what factors contribute to postural instability within this population is a necessary step towards the development of training programs and rehabilitation targeted at reduction of falls in this population. The aim of this study was to assess the balance recovery during manipulation of somatosensory, vision, and vestibular system in healthy and blind persons. Methods: This causal-comparative study, thirty healthy (28.18±0.47 years) and blind (29.22±0.24 years) subjects were selected as samples. Balance recovery strategies in various situations were recorded by six high-speed cameras after sudden movement of a treadmill. Independent T-test test was used for data analysis. Results: The results of this study indicated that the mean of hip and ankle swings in different conditions was significantly higher in the blind group than in the healthy group, both in the anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior disturbances. There was also a significant difference between the ratio of hip/ankle ROM (the dominant strategy for balance recovery) in all situations (p <0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that both healthy and blind groups had different mechanisms and responses for balance recovery after anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior perturbation (the dominant strategy investigated in each position separately). Also, the results showed that blind individuals more resort to hip strategies to maintain their postural stability and prefer to rely on somatosensory information to restore balance as the dominant sensory system.

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The Effectiveness of a Timly Cognitive Intervention Package on the Cognitive and Academic Performance of Students with Specific Learning Disorders

Malahat Amani; Rogayeh AsadiGandomani; Abas Nesayan

Volume 10, Issue 3 , September 2023, , Pages 137-144

Abstract

  Background: Early detection and intervention can lead to successful future educational experiences for at-risk children and reduce the negative consequences of learning disorders. This ...  Read More Background: Early detection and intervention can lead to successful future educational experiences for at-risk children and reduce the negative consequences of learning disorders. This study was conducted to develop a timely intervention package for first-grade students with specific learning disorders and examine its effects on their cognitive performance.Methods: The method employed in this study was quasi-experimental, utilizing a post-test and pre-test design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of first-grade Bojnord students referred to specific learning disorder centers. Thirty-two first-grade students referred to specific learning disorder centers were selected using an available sampling method and then randomly divided into experimental and control groups. During the pre-test stage, both groups underwent the fourth version of the Wechsler IQ Scale, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, and researcher-made spelling, reading, and arithmetic abilities tests. Afterward, students in the experimental group received cognitive interventions over 16 sessions. After the intervention, post-tests were conducted for the control and experimental groups. Data obtained from the study were analyzed using analysis of covariance.Results: The results indicated that the experimental group obtained higher scores than the control group in the post-test reading, spelling, and mathematics evaluations. However, the experimental group had lower executive function scores than the control group.Conclusion: The results suggest that the designed cognitive package effectively reduces executive function problems and improves reading, spelling, and math performances.  

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Investigating the Relationship between Locus of Control, Emotional Intelligence, and Resilience among Young Male Opium Abusers in Shiraz

Bahareh Zeynalzadeh Ghoochani; Seyed Alireza Derakhshanrad; Mohammad Ahmadpour

Volume 9, Issue 4 , December 2022, , Pages 162-166

Abstract

  Background: Addiction destroys lifestyles and affects individuals, family,and society. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between resilience, locus of control, ...  Read More Background: Addiction destroys lifestyles and affects individuals, family,and society. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between resilience, locus of control, and emotional intelligence in opium addicts.Recognizing the weaknesses of this group helps them to recover and can provide preventive strategies for society.Methods: A total of 40 male opium addicts were selected by convenience sampling from Ibn-e-Sina Center in Shiraz. Rotter, Shrink, Connor-Davidson,and demographic questionnaires were used in this cross-sectional study, and Pearson’s test was used to obtain the correlation coefficient.Results: Less resilient people reported more relapses after quitting (r=-0.424,P=0.006). People with higher social awareness used psychological therapies to liberate themselves from addiction (r=0.337, P=0.033). Longer addiction was reported among people who consumed opium more frequently during the day (r=0.433, P=0.005). Greater frequency of daily consumption and more years of consumption had a positive relationship with increasing the number of quits and relapses (r=0.323, P=0.042; r=0.362, P=0.022).Conclusion: Addiction treatment centers should evaluate and improve the levels of resilience, emotional intelligence, and type of locus of control in addicts. Most of the participants started their addiction out of curiosity between the ages of 20 and 25 years. The media and policymakers are recommended to play a vital role in raising social awareness and clarifying the devastating consequences of opium addiction. Most of the participants were unemployed and needed money for more treatments. Therefore, it is advisable that rehabilitation centers use occupational therapists for pre-vocational and vocational rehabilitation programs in the treatment process.  

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Comparison of Head, Neck, and Upper Trunk Postures between Patients Who Have Undergone Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Healthy Subjects: A pilot study

Sara Abolahrari; zahra Rojhani-Shirazi; Ali Rezayi; Mohammad Ranjbar; Farahnaz Emami

Volume 7, Issue 4 , December 2020, , Pages 167-172

Abstract

  Background: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting is an effective treatment for reducing symptoms and mortality in coronary artery patients.Although patients experience post sternotomy complications ...  Read More Background: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting is an effective treatment for reducing symptoms and mortality in coronary artery patients.Although patients experience post sternotomy complications such as musculoskeletal disorders. So, the aim of this study was to compare the head, neck and upper trunk postures between patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and healthy individuals. Methods: In this cross-sectional case-control study, twenty-one men (56.38 ± 8.64 years) were randomly selected from among patients who had been referred to Al-Zahra Cardiac Rehabilitation Center in Shiraz and undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and the angles of forward head, thoracic kyphosis, and rounded shoulder were measured. Twenty healthy men (51.70 ± 10.40 years) were also evaluated and compared in terms of the above variables. This study was designed and conducted as a pilot. The angles of the forward head and rounded shoulder were assessed by placing reflective markers on the body and processing the images by Digimizer MedCalc software, version 4.6.1. Thoracic kyphosis angle was measured by a flexible ruler. The Persian version of the SF36 questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to verify the normal distribution of data. Independent sample t-test and Mann-Whitney test were used for between-group comparison for data with normal and non-normal distribution, respectively. Results: The comparison of the forward head, rounded shoulder, and thoracic kyphosis angles showed no significant difference between post-surgical and healthy subjects (P> 0.05). Patients' quality of life was significantly different from that of the control group in all aspects, except for general and mental-emotional health (p <0.05). Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the case and control groups in the angles of forward head, thoracic kyphosis, and rounded shoulder. Patients who underwent CABG, however, experienced a significant reduction in their quality of life compared to the control group. Therefore, it seems necessary to pay attention to patients and find solutions to manage and improve various aspects of life, such as physical and mental health.

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Lexical Effects on Spoken Word Recognition in Children with Hearing Impairment: Test-Retest Reliability of the Persian Lexical Neighborhood Tests

Mohammad Majid Oryadi-Zanjani; Maryam Vahab

Volume 8, Issue 4 , December 2021, , Pages 169-175

Abstract

  Background: The current study investigated lexical effects on the recognitionof spoken words in Persian-speaking children with hearing impairment usingPersian lexical neighborhood tests ...  Read More Background: The current study investigated lexical effects on the recognitionof spoken words in Persian-speaking children with hearing impairment usingPersian lexical neighborhood tests (PLNTs).Methods: The research was administered as a cross-sectional study. PLNTswere performed on thirty-three pediatric hearing aid (HAs) or cochlear implant(CIs) users by sound field under spectrally degraded conditions. Thirteen 7-to-13-year-old (8 boys and 5 girls) participants completed the experiments, whichwere administered in a 3 × 4-m acoustic room using a sound field. The order ofthe tests in each session was from the lowest to the highest signal-to-noise ratios(SNRs), ranging from − 2 to 4 dB. The experiments were repeated by the sameexaminers under the same conditions two months later with nine of the thirteenparticipants.Results: Pediatric users of HAs or CIs could not optimally recognize spokenwords in noise, specifically when they had to recognize words through anauditory-only modality. There was a significant difference in the participants’SWR performance on the PMLNT-easy versus the PMLNT-hard and the PDLNTeasyversus the PDLNT-hard based on independent samples T test (p <0.001).There was a significant difference in the participants’ SWR performance on thePMLNT-easy versus the PDLNT-easy and the PMLNT-hard versus the PDLNThardbased on the independent samples T test as well (p <0.001). Accordingly,word lexical difficulty (easy/hard words) and word length (monosyllabic/disyllabic words) were the most fundamental factors having significant effectson the recognition of spoken words in children with HAs or CIs in the test/retest phases.Conclusion: The PLNTs, as a valid assessment toolkit, can be reliably used tomeasure SWR performance under spectrally degraded conditions in Persianspeakingchildren with hearing impairment using HAs or CIs.

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Evaluation of Patients' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Secondary Complications in Spinal Cord Injury

Mohammad Amin Vafaei; Hamidreza Farpour; Payam Pourbasirat; Sima Farpour; Pardis Hemmat

Volume 10, Issue 4 , December 2023, , Pages 194-202

Abstract

  Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that imposes a significant socio-economic burden on patients and society. Secondary complications are one of the most ...  Read More Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that imposes a significant socio-economic burden on patients and society. Secondary complications are one of the most crucial issues that may arise in these patients and contribute to the overall disease burden. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients with SCI concerning secondary complications. Method: In this cross-sectional study, the authors evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of patients with spinal cord injury regarding secondary complications. Patients with SCI were identified through the hospital information system. Data were collected using a demographic and clinical information questionnaire and a three-part questionnaire covering knowledge, attitudes, and practices.Results: A total of 180 patients participated in this study. The findings revealed a moderate level of knowledge, attitude, and practice, with respective mean scores of 84.12, 13.62, and 21.5 in patients with SCI.Conclusion: The patients' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding potential complications of spinal cord injury was moderate. Significant relationships were found between education and knowledge, attitude, and practice. Additionally, a significant relationship was observed between knowledge and gender. While there was no significant relationship between age and knowledge or practice, a reverse relationship was identified between age and attitude. 

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Vestibular Migraine: from differential diagnosis and pathophysiology to treatment options

Farzaneh Zamiri Abdollahi; Afsaneh Doosti; Maryam Delphi

Volume 5, Issue 1 , March 2018, , Pages 1-4

Abstract

  Background: The occurrence of migraine and vertigo is common in the general population. Migraine vertigo is challenging and has several common symptoms with inner ear pathologies like ...  Read More Background: The occurrence of migraine and vertigo is common in the general population. Migraine vertigo is challenging and has several common symptoms with inner ear pathologies like Endolymphatic Hydropse. This paper presents a review of recent findings about symptoms, test results, pathophysiology and differential diagnosis. Methods: The present study is a review of 35 papers in the field of vestibular migraine. They were selected by searching the keywords vertigo, dizziness, migraine, treatment and rehabilitation in Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Google Scholar search engines. Only human studies were included. Results: Recent findings have proposed several common pathophysiologies between vestibular system and migraine including spreading depression in the basilar artery, vasospasm in the internal auditory artery, involvement of the connection with locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, disorder of multisensory integration and channelopathy. Conclusion: For the differential diagnosis of vestibular migraine, it appears that comprehensive case history as well as clinical testing and patient followup, are the best combination. In addition, it has been proven that vestibular rehabilitation is beneficial to patients with vestibular migraine.

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