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BACKGROUND: To evaluate the relative and absolute reliability of reaction time measuring methods during different conditions in participants with and without patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). METHODS: 30 patients with PFPS and 30 healthy controls were recruited in the present study. The upper extremity reaction time, upper extremity error rate, involved and non-involved lower extremity braking reaction times, and involved and non-involved knee extension reaction times were measured. Each condition was repeated three times, 2 sessions with a 5-7 days interval. The intra-session reliability was evaluated in three-trial (A), second- and third-trial (B) modes. In addition, the inter-session reliability was evaluated in mode A, mode B, and best score (C) mode. RESULTS: The result of inter-session reliability of mode A showed that all measurements except upper extremity reaction time in PFPS group showed high to very high relative reliability (ICC: 0.74-0.94). In mode B, all measurements except non-involved knee extension reaction time in PFPS group showed high to very high relative reliability (ICC: 0.71-0.93). In mode C, all measurements showed high to very high relative reliability (ICC: 0.70-0.94) except upper extremity error rate and non-involved knee extension reaction time in PFPS group. The result of intra-session reliability showed that all measurements had high to very high relative reliability (ICC: 0.78-0.94) in mode A. In mode B, all measurements showed high to very high relative reliability (0.78-0.94). CONCLUSION: The braking time seems more reliable than other reaction time tasks. In addition, the results showed that mode A is more reliable than other modes. The newly designed package is a reliable tool to measure the knee extension reaction time in patients with knee musculoskeletal disorders.
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BACKGROUND: Abdominal adhesions are common and often develop after abdominal surgery. There are currently no useful targeted pharmacotherapies for adhesive disease. Saffron and its active constituents, Crocin and Crocetin, are wildly used in traditional medicine for alleviating the severity of inflammatory or malignant disease. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of the pharmacological active component of saffron in attenuating the formation of post-operative adhesion bands using different administration methods in a murine model. MATERIAL METHOD: saffron extract (100 mg/kg), Crocin (100 mg/kg), and Crocetin (100 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally and by gavage in various groups of male Wistar rat post-surgery. Also three groups were first treated intra-peritoneally by saffron extract, Crocin, and Crocetin (100 mg/kg) for 10 days and then had surgery. At the end of the experiments, animals sacrificed for biological assessment. RESULT: A hydro-alcoholic extract of saffron and crocin but not crocetin potently reduced the adhesion band frequency in treatment and pre-treatment groups in the mice given intra-peritoneal (i.p) injections. Following the saffron or crocin administration, histological evaluation and quantitative analysis represented less inflammatory cell infiltration and less collagen composition, compared to control group. Moreover, the oxidative stress was significantly reduced in treatment groups. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a hydro-alcoholic extract of saffron or its active compound, crocin, is a potentially novel therapeutic strategy for the prevention of adhesions formation and might be used as beneficial anti-inflammatory or anti-fibrosis agents in clinical trials. TAXONOMY: Abdominal surgeries/post-surgical adhesions.
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BACKGROUND: Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable groups of road accident victims, who are prone to a growing mortality rate due to the constant rise in the number of accidents. This study was performed to investigate the injury patterns among motorcyclist trauma patients admitted to Kamyab Hospital, the largest trauma center affiliated with Mashhad Univercity of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, due to an accident. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on motorcyclists referred to our hospital due to accidents from August 23, 2014 to August 22, 2016 to receive treatment. After the accurate examination of the collected data and correction of the potential errors, they were subjected to analysis. The gathered data included the demographic variables, injury pattern, accident time, and accident type. Data analysis was performed in Stata Software, version 12. RESULTS: A total of 4,205 motorcycle accident cases were hospitalized (14% of all cases were hospitalized during the two-year study period). The mean age of the patients was 30 years, and 88% of them were male (a male to female ratio of 7.3). Car- and pedestrian-motorcycle collisions were the most common causes of injury that accounted for 68% and 22% of the cases, respectively. The head was the most commonly injured site of the body; in this regard, 59.7% of the admitted patients and 85.4% of total death cases had a head injury. In addition, 67% of the target population received trauma in more than two parts of their body. The elbow, arm, and hip were the least regions involved. CONCLUSION: Motorcycle accidents cause severe physical injuries to the patients' body. Head injury was the most common type of trauma, leading to a wide range of disabilities. Therefore, the use of crash helmets and avoidance of dangerous driving behaviors will remarkably decrease such trauma.