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Introduction: Plantar fasciitis is one of the common complications in adults. It can be treated by surgical and nonsurgical interventions. Nonsurgical treatments (functional foot orthosis, heel pad, night splint and wedge) are emphasized as the main option in management of plantar fasciitis. Wedge can be used effectively because of its low weight, low price, easy making and availability to the patient. In this study the effect of medial heel wedge on managing pain in patients suffering from plantar fasciitis was examined. Materials and Methods: In this before and after clinical trial, 15 patients with plantar fasciitis including 6 male and 9 female with 18 involved extremities were selected by non probability sampling.Variables including pain, ADL, sport and recreational activity, quality of life, stride length and step length were measured in three stages: once before intervention and then two and four weeks after intervension. For evaluating the variables, FAOS questionnaire was used. Data was analyzed using ANOVA. Results: The improvement of variables such as pain, ADL, quality of life, sport and recreational activity, step length and stride length was significant (p=0.05). Conclusion: Medial heel wedge reduced pain by shifing the center of force into lateral border of heel in addition to reduce the tension of plantar fascia.

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Background: This study was designed to investigate on efficacy of metacognitive–behavioral therapy (MCBT) on panic beliefs of panic female patients. Materials and Methods: This is a clinical- trial study. The participants, who were 24 panic female patients diagnosed with panic disorder, were selected from 76 panic patients referring to psychiatric clinics. The participants were randomly assigned in to two experimental and control groups. The data were gathered using the panic belief questionnaire which was completed in pretest, posttest and follow-up stages by the participants. MCBT was conducted in 8 sessions on the experimental group while the control group, in addition to the reception of common medical treatments, was laid in waiting list for psychological therapy. Results: According to the results of covariance analysis, the mean of panic beliefs scores obtained in the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Panic female patients who attended in MCBT acquired lower scores in panic belief than the control group. Therefore, the results demonstrate that MCBT approach causes to keduce panic beliefs in panic female patients.

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Background: Old, obese, and sedentary individuals are at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Exercise improves metabolic anomalies associated with such diseases, but the effects of caloric restriction in coupled with exercise on such high- risk groups are not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a 12 week lifestyle modification program on C- reactive protein and metabolic syndrome parameters in middle-aged obese/overweight men. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study with pretest – posttest design, 21 sedentary men were randomly assigned to 12- week caloric restriction (CR) [~500kcal] (age: 45.59± 4.90, BMI: 30.02± 1.73, CR, n=10) or exercise+caloric restriction group (EX+CR) [~500kcal] (age: 45.23± 5.6, BMI: 29.84± 1.60, EX+CR, n=11). Body composition, cardiovascular risk markers, and C- reactive protein were measured pre and post intervention. Results: After 12 weeks of intervention, significant reduction in body weight, abdominal fat (visceral, subcutaneous), insulin resistance, blood lipid profile, and C- reactive protein were observed in EX+CR group (P>0.05), Whereas, in CR group only significant improvement were observed in body weight and insulin resistance index (P>0.05). Conclusion: Lifestyle interventions incorporating diet to exercise improve insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and other cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged obese/overweight men.

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Background: Aquatic ecosystems pollution with heavy metals, especially mercury, has always been a major concern for aquatic organisms health. Hence this study not only described an innovative method for analyzing organic mercury compound, but also evaluated total and organic mercury concentrations in great cormorant and compared them with world health standards. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 18 great cormorants were randomly captured in March, 2009. Total and organic mercury of muscle, kidney, and liver tissues were analyzed by an advanced mercury analyzer made in the United States (Model Leco, AMA 254), and statistical analysis was done by Mann-Whitney U, and Kolmogrove-Smirnov tests. Results: Mean accumulated total mercury in liver, kidney, and muscle tissues were 5.67, 3.59, and 2.26 mg kg -1 w.w., respectively and organic mercury formed 82, 79, and 58 % of the total mercury. Conclusion: The levels of accumulated mercury in all tissues of great cormorant were more than the established limits by WHO, FAO, and EPA. These results can be a serious warning for consumers of these birds, especially vulnerable people.

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Background: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder in children which is characterized by one or a combination of three factors including hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsiveness. The purpose of present study was to investigate the effectiveness of ball and non-ball games on improvement of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the 9-11 year old male students in Arak. Materials and Methods: In this pre/post-test designed clinical trial 60 male students with ADHD disorder, were randomly divided into three equal groups including ball games, non-ball games and control group. Practice groups had 12 weeks games therapy (3 sessions per week and 30-45 min per session). The symptoms of ADHD and Hyperactivity were evaluated through Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) questionnaire before and after the 12-week practice programs. Results: The results of the present study revealed that after 12 weeks play therapy, both experimental groups had a significant decrease in ADHD symptoms in comparison with pre-test situation (p<0.05), but no significant difference was seen between ball games and non-ball games groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Based on the obtained findings of the study it can be concluded that ball/ non-ball games, have a positive effect in improving and reduction of symptoms of ADHD.

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Background: Deaths due to cancer have been increasing in many countries in recent years. Probiotics are live microorganisms that have beneficial effects on consumer’s health. The aim of this study was to investigate antimutagenic and anticancer effects of Lactobacilli strains isolated from Tarkhineh in order to select potential probiotic strains. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 25 strains of Lactobacillus that had previously been isolated from Tarkhineh were used. Antimutagenicity test was performed based on proposed method of Ames. The results of the test were individuated after comparison between samples (suspensions of Lactobacilli) and positive (sodium azide) and negative (distilled water) controls. SPSS version 16 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Antimutagenic activity was observed only in four strains of Lactobacilli. The inhibitory percentage in the four strains of Lactobacilli, in its highest level was equal to 60.38 and in its lowest percentage equal to 39.37%. Also, the inhibitory percentage of mutation among the four strains in the presence of microsome were significantly different (P<0.05) than the absence of microsome. Adding the microsome of rat liver (S9) proved the anticancer effects of four Lactobacilli strains. Conclusion: Of the 25 strains of Lactobacilli, 4 strains which had the highest antimutagenicity effects were chosen as the potential probiotic strains.

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Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex hormonal disorder affecting the reproductive and metabolic systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 8-week pilates training on anti-mullerian hormone level and cardiometabolic parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study with pretest–posttest design, twenty PCOS patients (aged 28.16±4.29 y) were randomly assigned to pilates training or non-exercising control groups. The training group took part in an eight-week progressive pilates exercise program, three times weekly while the control group were instructed to maintain their normal daily activities throughout the eight-week experimental period. Serum levels of anti-mullerian hormone, body composition and metabolic parameters were assessed before and after the training period.

Results: After an 8 week pilates training, insulin resistance index, total cholesterol, LDL- cholesterol, triglycerides and abdominal fat were significantly decreased (p<0.05). Furthermore, anti-mullerian hormone concentrations decreased significantly in response to pilates training (p<0.05).

Conclusion: These results suggest that pilates training can have beneficial effects on metabolic indices and ovarian reserve in women with polycystic ovary syndrome over a two-month period.

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Background: The efflux pumps are one of the main mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics in E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains. The aim of this study is to study the association between genes coding efflux pumps AcrAB and Qep A and ciprofloxacin resistance among E. coli and K. pneumoniae clinical strains

Materials and Methods: This study was done on 100 strains of E. coli isolated from Taleghani and Labbafinejad Hospitals and 100 strains of K. pneumoniae isolated from Taleghani and Mofid Children Hospitals. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by disk diffusion method based on CLSI guidelines. Identification of genes encoding efflux pumps Acr AB and Qep A was done by PCR technique.

Results: In this study, fosfomycin and imipenem had the best effect against E. coli clinical isolates and fosfomycin and tigecycline had the best effect against K. pneumoniae clinical isolates. PCR assay demonstrated that the prevalence of AcrA, AcrB and QepA genes among E. coli isolates were 92%, 84% and 0%, respectively and among K. pneumoniae isolates were 94%, 87% and 4%, respectively.

Conclusion: The prevalence of genes encoding efflux pumps in E. coli and K. pneumoniae clinical strains, which causes resistance to fluoroquinolones, is cause for concern. Therefore, controlling infection and preventing the spread of drug-resistant bacteria needs to manage medication carefully and identify resistant isolates.

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Abstract

Background: Poor air quality has a lot of damage on the environment and humans. Awareness of the air quality situation reduces health effects of air pollution. This study was performed with the aim of the comparative investigation of Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) and its application in seven major cities of Iran in 2011.

Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive–analytic one. First, the required data of four criteria pollutants were taken from Department of Environment in seven major cities of Iran. The data were validated by the World Health Organization criteria. The air quality health index was measured based on the instructions and classified into low, medium, high and very high degrees according to the air quality standard tables.

Results: The results demonstrate that according to air quality health index, the level of air pollution in seven major cities of Iran has been undesirable and air quality has exceeded the standard level in Ahvaz 85%, Arak73%, Tehran70%, Esfahan60%, Shiraz 47%, Tabriz 43% and, Mashhad 29% of days.

Conclusion: Due to poor air quality and health consequences resulting from it, importance of Air Quality Health Index is explored in planning to control and reduce air pollution and awareness of peoples from daily status of air quality and its health effects.

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Background and Aim: In addition to free radicals such as Nitric Oxide (NO), inflammation is one of the most important pathophysiological causes of peritonitis. Over thousands of years, Nigella Sativa (NS) and Silybum Marianum (SM) are two plants known for their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of its compound is unclear. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of NS and SM extracts and their combination on inflammatory diseases like thioglycollate peritoneal.
Methods & Materials: Alcoholic extracts of SM and NS were obtained by the soxhlet method. Male Balb/C mice were divided into 5 groups and gavage orally for 14 days with SM, NS, the mixture of extracts of these two, DMSO 30% as the control group, and dexamethasone as the positive control group. The safety profile and acute toxicity in mice were assessed. On day 10, acute peritonitis was induced by thioglycollate 3%. Finally, the total anti-oxidant power and NO concentration were measured by FRAP and Griess method, respectively, in the serum of treated mice.
Ethical Considerations: All experimental process was performed following the guidelines according to the Animal Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences (IR.ARAKMU.REC.1397.359).
Results: Acute toxicity test showed no significant changes in weight and physical appearance of the mice. However, the extract and their mixture decreased NO level significantly (P=0.000) in serum. Also, the mixture significantly increased total anti-oxidant power (P=0.015).
Conclusion: Results showed that the SM and NS extract mixture demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting inflammatory mediators such as NO and increasing anti-oxidant power, thus supporting its therapeutic potential in slowing down inflammatory processes in inflammation disorders.

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Background and Aim Physical activity has multiple health benefits, but its association with fertility in women is still unknown. Considering the critical effects of lifestyle on reproductive health, this study aims to compare the physical activity and body composition of fertile and infertile women.
Methods & Materials This is a case-control study that was performed on 100 fertile and 100 infertile women aged 20-40 years referred to the infertility treatment centers in Arak, Iran. they completed self-reported questionnaires surveying sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) assessing physical activity and sedentary behavior. Anthropometric characteristics and body composition were also measured. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association of fertility with physical activity level, sedentary behavior, and body composition.
Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Arak University of Medical Sciences  (Code: IR.ARAKMU.REC.1400.050).
Results The level of physical activity (P=0.001) was lower and the body mass index (P=0.03) was higher in infertile women than in fertile women. In women with moderate level of physical activity, the risk of infertility was lower (OR=4.42, 95% CI: 1.60-12.99, P=0.004). Women who spent the time sitting for more than 300 minutes a day were 2.07 times more likely to have fertility than women who were physically active (OR=2.07, 95% CI: 1.36-3.14, P=0.001).
Conclusion Low physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and obesity are independent risk factors of infertility. To prevent infertility, more attention should be paid to the lifestyle of women.

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Introduction: Today, the increasing prevalence of diabetes and its complications in the elderly is one of the most challenging problems in the health sector. One of the most important strategies for managing diabetes in the elderly is teaching self-care behaviors, which requires competent nurses in the field of diabetes education. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of empowering nurses on self-care and HbA1c control of elderly people with type 2 diabetes living in nursing homes.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted as a single group on 32 nurses and 30 elderly people with type 2 diabetes residing in nursing homes by convenience sampling. Nurses participated in a one-day empowerment workshop on type 2 diabetes. Data collection tools were a researcher-made questionnaire of workshop content to measure nurses' empowerment, Tobert and Glasgow self-care questionnaire and laboratory index HbA1c for the elderly. Data were analyzed using Spss version 20 at the 0.05 level. The present research has been registered with the ethics code IR.IAU.KHUISF.REC.1398.190 in the Ethics Committee of Islamic Azad University - Isfahan Branch (Khorasgan).
Results: Based on the findings, there was a significant difference between nurses' empowerment after the workshop compared to before (P=0.001). The mean scores of elderly before and three months after nurses' empowerment were significant in terms of self-care behaviors (P=0.000) and HbA1c index (P=0.000).
Conclusions: The results showed that the empowerment of nurses has desirable potential to change the outcomes of self-care in elderly people with type 2 diabetes resident in nursing homes, and by focusing on the approach of empowering nurses, positive steps can be taken in the management of diabetes and HbA1c of this group.
 

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Abstract
Background and aim: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is very common in athletes. This study aims to investigate the impact of transcranial electrical stimulation of alternating current on response inhibition and selective attention in athletes with ADHD.
 Materials and methods: The present study was quasi-experimental with a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design with the control group. The statistical population was 160 elite athletes with ADHD aged 9 to 11 years (60 girls and 100 boys). Of these, 120 athletes with ADHD were randomly selected and assigned to three groups of 40: control, sham, and tACS. First, a pretest was done, and then all subjects in the sham and experimental groups received F3(Anodal) and F4(Cathodic) fake and real stimulations, respectively, with a current of 1 mA (10 Hz) for 15 minutes in 10 sessions. The control group did not receive any intervention, then each group was re-examined. A follow-up test was done after two weeks. The Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and Stroop were used in this study. For data analysis, Mixed Anova, one-way ANOVA, and Benferroni's post hoc test were used with using Spss version 21 statistical software (p≤0.05).
Ethical considerations: This study is approved sport sciences Reserch Institute with ethical registration code IR.SSRI.REC.1401.1361.Parents gave written informed consent form.
Results: The results showed that tACS was effective in the response inhibition and selective attention of athletes with ADHD and led to the improvement of response inhibition and selective attention of these subjects.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, the tACS protocol of 1 mA can be used as an effective treatment to improve inhibition and selective attention of athletes with ADHD.
 

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Introduction: The Symptoms of Omicron are still unknown. Primary data show that the Omicron symptoms are mainly related to the respiratory system, including runny nose, sore throat, headache, fatigue, and sneezing. Based on the need for more evidence about Omicron symptoms, this study was conducted to investigate the symptoms of this COVID serotype.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed for 6 months in Arak city on 160 definitively diagnosed patients with Omicron. For all patients who entered the study, the information evaluation checklist, including demographics and symptoms (24 symptoms), was completed. Disease diagnosis was done by PCR.
Results: The disease of 55% of people was mild, 35% moderate, and 10% severe. Fifty-one people (31.9%) mentioned a history of previous infection with COVID-19. Pulmonary involvement, the type of drug used, and anxiety at the time of infection were related to the severity of the disease (P < 0.05). The five most common symptoms of Omicron (%) were sore throat (86.3), cough (82.5), weakness and lethargy (76.3), headache (72.5) and dry mouth (62.5). There was also a relationship between old age with dry mouth and headache, underlying disease with sneezing, anxiety during illness with joint pain and chest pain, and smoking with abdominal pain (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The most common symptoms included sore throat, cough, weakness and lethargy, headache, and musculoskeletal pain. However, reduced smell and taste, night sweats, fever, and joint pain, common in the previous serotypes, were among the less frequent symptoms of Omicron.