Effects of balance training on cognitive function and activities of daily living in older adult patients with heart failure: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The potential of the effect of balance training on improving cognitive functions and functional activities in vulnerable groups, including the older adults with heart failure (HF), is unknown. AIM: The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of a simple balance training supervised by nurses on cognitive functions and activities of daily living (ADLs) of the older adults with HF. METHODS: In this clinical trial study, 75 older adults with HF were allocated to two groups of balance training (BT) and usual care (UC) using stratified block randomization. The intervention consisted of a set of dynamic and static BT, 4 times/session per week, each session lasting 30 min, for 8 weeks, which was performed at the participant's home under the supervision of a nurse. For the control group, UC was provided. The outcomes of the study, including cognitive function, basic ADLs, and instrumental ADLs (IADLs), were measured by the Montreal cognitive assessment-basic (MoCA-B), Barthel index-ADL, and Lawton scale-IADL before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The between-group analysis showed, in two groups, a statistically significant difference between the changes in the mean scores: all subscales of cognitive function and MoCA-B total score (P < 0.001), as well as basic ADLs and IADLs (P < 0.001), before and after the intervention. Compared with the control group/UC, the cognitive function, basic ADL, and IADL of the intervention group/BT were improved significantly at 8 weeks. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that home-based balance training led by nurse can improve global cognitive function and basic ADL and IADL in the older adults with HF. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trials registration number IRCT20150919024080N18.

Investigation of JAK2V617F Mutation Prevalence in Patients with Beta Thalassemia Major.

BACKGROUND: Beta (ß)-thalassemia major is a genetic disorder with anemia and an increased level of erythropoietin by Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway. JAK plays an important role in cell signaling, and the common mutation in the JAK2 gene in myeloid disorders is called JAK2V617F. METHODS: A total of 75 patients with beta (ß)-thalassemia major patients, including 34 males (45%) and 41 females (55%), were enrolled in this study. The presence of the JAK2V617F mutation was assessed using the amplification-refractory mutation-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) technique. RESULTS: Among the 75 patients, 14 patients (19%) tested positive and 61 patients (81%) tested negative for JAK2V617F mutation. We observed no statistically significant difference in sex, age, genotype, and JAK2V617F mutation among patients (P> .05). However, a significant difference between blood-transfusion frequency and JAK2V617F mutation was observed (P <.05). CONCLUSION: Due to the low prevalence of JAK2V617F mutation in thalassemia, using a larger population of the patients to investigate this mutation in ineffective erythropoiesis can be useful.

Safety survey of Iran's mines and comparison to some other countries.

The increasing development of mining activities in Iran makes it necessary to have a closer look at the safety issues. Analysis of different incidents and damages in mines can be helpful for the adoption of suitable approaches to prevent the incidents. In this study, safety statistics of Iran's mines in 2011 and 2012 were assessed and important incidents and injuries happening to employees for 12 different groups of minerals were evaluated and eventually compared to the situation of some other countries. According to the obtained results, the average incidence probability in Iran's mines was calculated to be 0.18 for 2011 and the incidence probability of coal, copper and iron ore mines was greater than others. The injury rate of Iran's mines was 106 and 164 out of 10,000 persons for 2011 and 2012, respectively, and the maximum values of injury rate belonged to coal, dimension stone and aggregate mines. Also, it turned out that the fatal rate per 100 tons of production had the highest values in chromite and coal mines. Besides, comparison of injury rate and the fatal rate in Iran and some countries showed that the safety situation in Iran's mines was in a fair condition.

Elevated expression of NLRP1 and IPAF are related to oral pemphigus vulgaris pathogenesis.

Oral pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a rare blistering disorder of the skin and mucous membranes in the mouth. Inflammasome serves as a molecular platform that mediates the autoactivation of caspase-1, which cleaves the pro-forms of IL-1ß and IL-18 to active forms. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to evaluate the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of NOD-like receptor-related protein (NLRP)1, NLRP3, and IPAF in the PBMCs of PV patients to determine their effect in PV pathogenesis. This study was designed as a cross-sectional study. We studied mRNA levels of three types of inflammasomes including NLRP1, NLRP3, and IPAF in 43 oral PV patients and 40 healthy controls by real-time PCR technique. Results were analyzed by SPSS software package version 18. Here, we showed that the mRNA levels of NLRP1 and IPAF in patients with active PV remarkably increased compared to those in healthy controls. However, the mRNA level of NLRP3 in PBMC of PV patients was similar to that of the control group. We showed important and emerging relationship of NLRP1 and IPAF mRNAs with PV disease progression. We hypothesize that NLRP1 and IPAF with cytokine activity of IL-1ß are involved in the inflammation in PV patients.