Psychometric Properties of a New Instrument for Assessing Irrational Thoughts in Burn Victims (Scale of Irrational Thoughts After Burn Injuries).

The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a scale for assessing irrational thoughts among burned patients. The present study was mixed (qualitative-methodologic) which was performed in several stages such as investigating similar or related scales, interviewing with patients and psychologists. Content validity was calculated by modified KAPPA basis on relevance and clarity. The reliability of the scale was measured using internal consistency and the test-retest method. To determine the construct validity, exploratory factor analysis approach using maximum likelihood extraction with varimax rotation was conducted. A total of 329 burned patients were recruited from Tehran, Tabriz, and Kermanshah provinces of Iran. Modified kappa scores were 0.80 and 0.91 for relevance and clarity of the items included in scale. The Cronbach alpha for overall scale, subscale 1, and subscale 2 were 0.89, 0.88, and 0.8, respectively. Test-retest reliability was also acceptable (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.80). The best solution from the maximum likelihood analysis of the 39 items of the scale revealed two factors corresponding to the two subscales with 14 items that subscale 1 (self-acceptance) consisted of 10 statements accounting for 60% of the variance (eigenvalue = 5.04) and subscale 2 (distastefulness and pity) consisted of four statements accounting for 40% of the variance (eigenvalue = 1.53). The scale reflects acceptable levels of validity and reliability in assessing the irrational thoughts among Iranian patients. Moreover, the testing populations of both patients with burned faces and patients with other burned body parts indicates that the scale may also be applicable for patients' burn disfigurements on any part of their bodies.

Low-level laser therapy for management of TMJ osteoarthritis.

AIMS: This study investigated the efficacy of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for the management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis. METHODOLOGY: In a double-blind clinical trial, 20 patients with TMJ osteoarthritis were randomly divided into laser and placebo groups. The patients in the laser group received irradiation from an 810 nm low-level laser (Peak power 80 W, average power 50 mW, 1500 Hz, 1 micro s pulse width, 120 seconds, 6 J, 3.4 J/cm(2) per point), which was applied on four points around the TMJs and on painful muscles three times a week for 4 weeks. In the placebo group, the treatment was the same as that in the laser group, but with laser simulation. The patients were evaluated before laser therapy (T1), after 6 (T2) and 12 (T3) laser applications and 1 month after the last application (T4), and the amount of mouth opening and the pain intensity were recorded. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in mouth opening either between the study groups or between the different evaluation times in each group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in pain symptoms of the masticatory muscles and TMJ between the laser and the placebo groups (P>0.05), but some significant within-group improvements were present for Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores of the body of the masseter and TMJ in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: LLLT using the present laser parameters was no more effective than the placebo treatment for reducing pain and improving mouth opening in patients with TMJ osteoarthritis.