Investigation of the effects of a short opponens splint and structured hand exercise program in computer engineers with wrist pain: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives. This study aimed to examine the effects of a short opponens splint and hand exercise program on pain, hand functionality, daily activities, and work efficacy in computer engineers with wrist pain. Methods. Forty-five engineers were randomized into three groups: group 1 (n = 15) utilized both splints and exercises, group 2 (n = 15) engaged in exercises only and group 3 (n = 15) received no treatment, across 8 weeks, thrice weekly. Only exercises were applied to group 2 (n = 15). No treatment was applied for group 3 (n = 15). The progress of subjects was controlled periodically each week. Outcome measurements including the Jamar hand dynamometer, pinchmeter, nine-hole peg test (9-NHPT), visual analog scale, Boston carpal tunnel syndrome questionnaire and Michigan hand outcome questionnaire (MHQ) were evaluated pre and post treatment during the study period. Results. Comparing the outcome measurements of the three groups showed a statistically significant difference between them except for the 9-NHPT and MHQ pain and esthetics (p < 0.05). According to post-hoc tests, groups 1 and 2 had more significant differences than group 3. Also, there was no statistically significant difference in any parameter between group 1 and group 2 (p > 0.017). Conclusion. Non-restrictive minimal orthosis or exercise programs are advisable for individuals with wrist pain.

Supercritical carbon dioxide application using hydantoin acrylamide for biocidal functionalization of polyester.

Biocidal functionalization in polyester fibers is a really tough challenge because of the lack of tethering groups. This study indicated supercritical carbon dioxide application using N-halamine would be an alternative solution for obtaining antibacterial function on the polyester surface. Firstly, N-(2-methyl-1-(4-methyl-2,5-dioxo-imidazolidin-4 yl)propan-2 yl)acrylamide was synthesized and applied to the polyester in supercritical carbon dioxide medium, at 120 °C, 30 MPa for different processing times. The addition of N-halamine on the surface significantly brought antibacterial activity against E. coli. The chlorine loadings showed that 6 -h exposure time was critical to obtain sufficient antibacterial activity. This treatment caused a reasonable and tolerable loss in color and mechanical properties. But, the durability to abrasion, stability, and rechargeability of oxidative chlorine, and the durability of N-halamine on the surface were remarkably good. Conclusively, it can be available to work on polyester surfaces with resource-efficient and eco-friendly supercritical carbon dioxide technique for getting more functionalization and modification.

Are idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients more anxious and depressive than patient's with other interstitial lung disease?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) with unknown etiology that occurs primarily in older adults with a median survival time of 2.5±3.5 years. Since there is no curative treatment for IPF, patients with IPF may have symptoms of depression and anxiety more than those of other interstitial lung diseases. There is a few studies about comparison of anxiety depression with other interstitial lung disease and IPF. In this study, we investigated whether anxiety depression in IPF was more frequent than other ILDs and its effect on quality of life. METHODS: The study was designed as a prospective study. Age, sex, smoking status, respiratory symptoms, comorbidities, pulmonary function tests, diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (TLCO), SF-36, and depression/anxiety levels, radiological findings, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), CRP level, blood gas analysis, complete blood count parameters were recorded. RESULTS: The mean age of 50 IPF and 42 non-IPF interstitial lung disease patients were 67.4±7.1 and 64.9±7.2, respectively. Compared with the non-IPF group, SF-36 total, SF-36 physical function and SF-36 physical role severity were significantly lower in the IPF group, while the GAP score was significantly higher. There was no significant difference between the two groups in HAM-Anxiety and HAM-depression for total scores. But mild anxiety was present in most of non-IPF group. No severe anxiety was observed in this group. Forty-nine of 50 patients with IPF patients had moderate-severe anxiety and the difference was statistically significant compared to non-IPF patients. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the first studies of anxiety and depression symptoms are also important in non IPF ILD like IPF. Patients with non-IPF ILD have similar anxiety depression with IPF patients in this study. This study led to the conclusion that anxiety depression should also be evaluated in non-IPF ILD patients.

PPARG and ADIPOQ gene polymorphisms increase type 2 diabetes mellitus risk in Asian Indian Sikhs: Pro12Ala still remains as the strongest predictor.

We have examined the association of 14 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) in peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma transcripts 1 and 2 (PPARG1 and 2) and 5 tagSNPs in adiponectin (ADIPOQ) genes for their effect on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) risk in Asian Indian Sikhs. A total of 554 T2D cases and 527 normoglycemic controls were examined for association with T2D and other subphenotypes of T2D. With the exception of a strong association of PPARG2/Pro12Ala with T2D (odds ratio, 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.56; P = .0007), no other tagSNP in the PPARG locus revealed any significant association with T2D in this population. Similarly, none of the tagSNPs in the ADIPOQ gene was associated with T2D susceptibility in single-site analysis. However, haplotype analysis provided strong evidence of association of these loci with T2D. Three-site haplotype analysis in the PPARG locus using the 2 marginally associated SNPs (P/rs11715073 and P/rs3892175) in combination with Pro12 Ala (P/rs1801282) revealed a strong association of 1 "risk" (CGC) (P = .003, permutation P = .015) and 1 "protective" (CAC) (P = .001, permutation P = .005) haplotype associated with T2D. However, the major effect still appears to be driven by Pro12Ala, as the association of these haplotypes did not remain significant when analyzed conditional upon Pro12Ala (P = .262). In addition, 2-site haplotype analysis in the ADIPOQ locus using only 2 marginally associated SNPs (AD/rs182052 and AD/rs7649121) revealed a significant protective association of the GA haplotype with T2D (P = .009, permutation P = .026). Multiple linear regression analysis also revealed significant association of an ADIPOQ variant (AD/rs12495941) with total body weight (P = .010), waist (P = .024), and hip (P = .021), although these associations were not significant after adjusting for multiple testing. Our new findings strongly suggest that the genetic variation in PPARG and ADIPOQ loci could contribute to the risk for the development of T2D in Indian Sikhs. Identification of causal SNPs in these important biological and positional candidate genes would help determine the true physiologic significance of these loci in T2D and obesity.