METHOD: 40 men with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) secondary to radical prostatectomy were randomly assigned to two groups (control = 20, treatment = 20). The treatment group received a novel multifaceted approach (including interferential therapy, a combination of exercise therapy approaches, and manual therapy) and the control group received sham electrotherapy. Both groups received 12 sessions of treatment in one month. Outcome measures include SF12 form to assess the quality of life and bladder diary to assess incontinence parameters including urination amount, fluid intake, urinary frequency, and incontinence frequency. RESULT: treatment group shows significant improvement in comparison with the control group in quality of life (control group from 29.6 ± 4.5 to 31.0 ± 4.9 and the treatment group from 30.6 ± 4.4 to 42.2 ± 2.4, P = 0.003), urinary frequency (control group from 10.1 ± 2.0 to 9.2 ± 1.8 and treatment group from 9.7 ± 1.91 to 7.1 ± 1.1, P = 0.038), and incontinence frequency (control group from 7.0 ± 2.2 to 6.4 ± 2.0 and treatment group from 7.8 ± 2.4 to 1.2 ± 1.1, P = 0.003). Also, urination amount (control group from 1621.50 ± 403.7 to 1507.2 ± 402.3 and treatment group from 1638.3 ± 356.1 to 1360.55 ± 360.9, P = 0.503) and fluid intake (control group from 2024.0 ± 595.5 to 1865.2 ± 596.5 and treatment group from 2184.4 ± 484.5 to 1724.2 ± 596.6, P = 0.987) showed no significant difference between the two groups after the treatment sessions. CONCLUSION: the multifaceted approach presented here, consists of electrotherapy (interferential therapy), exercise therapy, and manual therapy that can improve incontinence and quality of life in patients with stress incontinence secondary to prostatectomy. To determine the long-term efficacy of this approach, studies with long-term evaluation are required.
Urinary Incontinence, Stress , Urinary Incontinence , Male , Humans , Urinary Incontinence, Stress/etiology , Urinary Incontinence, Stress/therapy , Quality of Life , Pelvic Floor , Physical Therapy Modalities , Urinary Incontinence/therapy , Urinary Incontinence/rehabilitation , Exercise Therapy , Prostatectomy/adverse effects , Prostatectomy/rehabilitation , Treatment Outcome
Introduction: Understanding the molecular mechanism of chronic low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) effects on the human body is the subject of many research studies. Several aspects of cell function such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, and tumorigenesis are affected by LDIR. Detection of the main biological process that is targeted by LIDR via network analysis is the main aim of this study. Methods: GSE66720 consisting of gene expression profiles of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) (a suitable cell line to be investigated), including irradiated and control cells, was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined and analyzed via protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis to find the central individuals. The main cell function which was related to the central nodes was introduced. Results: Among 64 queried DEGs, 48 genes were recognized by the STRING database. C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1), Melanoma growth-stimulatory activity/growth-regulated protein α (CXCL1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and nerve growth factor (NGF) were introduced as hub nodes. Conclusion: Findings indicate that inflammation is the main initial target of LDIR at the cellular level which is associated with alteration in the other essential functions of the irradiated cells.
Introduction: Conventional fractionation (CF) and hypofractionation (HF) are two radiotherapy methods against cancer, which are applied in medicine. Understanding the efficacy and molecular mechanism of the two methods implies more investigations. In the present study, proteomic findings about the mentioned methods relative to the controls were analyzed via network analysis. Methods: The significant differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) of prostate cancer (PCa) cell line DU145 in response to CF and HF radiation therapy versus controls were extracted from the literature. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed via the STRING database via Cytoscape software. The networks were analyzed by "NetworkAnalyzer" to determine hub DEPs. Results: 126 and 63 significant DEPs were identified for treated DU145 with CF and HF radiation respectively. The PPI networks were constructed by the queried DEPs plus 100 first neighbors. ALB, CD44, THBS1, EPCAM, F2, KRT19, and MCAM were highlighted as common hubs. VTM, OCLN, HSPB1, FLNA, AHSG, and SERPINC1 appeared as the discriminator hub between the studied cells. Conclusion: 70% of the hubs were common between CF and HF conditions, and they induced radio-resistance activity in the survived cells. Six central proteins which discriminate the function of the two groups of the irradiated cells were introduced. On the basis of these findings, it seems that DU145-CF cells, relative to the DU145-UF cells, are more radio-resistant.
Introduction: Laser therapy has attracted experts' attention in medical sciences. Many benefits of laser therapy are presented besides some complications. In the present study, it is tried to present a new perspective of laser therapy in the various fields of medicine. Methods: Laser therapy-related articles which are combined with regenerative medicine, cosmetic, dentistry, neurodegenerative diseases, kidney, bone fracture, and vaginal function in the English language were searched through the google scholar search engine in the range of 2000-2021. After title screening, the abstracts were evaluated to access the full texts. Results: Basic concepts and various kinds of lasers which are applied in medicine were explained. Applications of laser therapy in various fields of medicine such as pain reduction, wound healing, regenerative medicine, dentistry, and several other body organs were highlighted and some complications were pointed. Conclusion: High potential of laser therapy for application in medicine implies a reconsideration of the laser properties and also styles of laser applications to improve the treatment and prevention of its side effects.
Molecular study of garlic as a popular food ingredient could better understand its health benefits such as immunological effects. For this aim, effects of garlic on the spleen and possible side effects including oxidative stress increment, the molecular mechanism is investigated through network analysis of differentially expressed genes in the treatment of garlic. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis of spleen gene expression profile of Mus musculus (8-week old male C57BL/6J mice) in garlic treatments from a microarray study with the code of GSE10344 was analyzed via GEO2R software. Furthermore, Cytoscape V 3.7.1 was applied to construct and analyze a network of up- and down-regulated genes. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed via the CluePedia plugin of Cytoscape to determine expression patterns. After the identification of central nodes, an action map was created. A total of 77 DEGs were achieved which were including 40 up-regulated and 37 Down-regulated. The centrality analysis of the network indicated that Vcan, Lamb1, and Ltbp1 are hubs and Glra1, Wdr17, Nefl, and Becn1 are bottlenecks. Mutual regulatory connections between hubs and Alb and App (as two non-queried hubs) were determined. The findings indicate that garlic effect on the spleen and its mechanism may be involved mostly with App dysregulation.
Background: Myofascial pain syndrome is one of the most common complaints in patients referring to orthopedic treatment centers. The present study aimed to examine the effects of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) and dry needling (DN) on active myofascial trigger points (AMTrP) of the upper trapezius muscle (UTM). Methods: The current study was designed as a randomized clinical trial and a total of 81 patients, aged 18-40 years, with active myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle were randomly divided into 3 groups: group 1 (n = 30) received DN treatment, group 2 (n = 26) received IASTM treatment, and group 3 (n = 25) was considered as the control group (no intervention). The numeric pain scale (NPS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), active cervical contra-lateral flexion (ACLF), neck disability index (NDI), and muscle thickness (MT), according to rehabilitative ultrasonic imaging (RUSI), were measured at baseline, immediately after the last session (session 4 in week 2), and 1 month after the last session. The statistical analysis was conducted at a 95% confidence level. The P values less than.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: Both techniques were effective in treating active trigger point of the upper trapezius (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the treatment groups in terms of any of the above variables except for ACLF (p>0.05) Conclusion: Both IASTM and DN were determined to improve NPS, PPT, ROM, and NDI in participants with active trigger points in the upper trapezius, although IASTM was more effective in increasing ACLF in these patients.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a combination of dry needling (DN) and muscle energy technique (MET) on pain intensity (PI), pressure pain threshold (PPT) and shoulder active range of motion (ROM) in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome and active trigger points in the infraspinatus muscle. METHODS: 39 patients, aged 20-50 participated in this study. All the cases were randomly assigned into three groups: group 1 (n = 13) received DN, group 2 (n = 13) received MET, and group 3 (n = 13) received DN & MET. The patients were treated for three sessions in a one-week period with at least a two-day break between sessions. RESULTS: The results showed a significant improvement in visual analog scale (VAS), PPT and shoulder ROM over time (P < 0.001) in all three groups. There were no significant differences BETWEEN VAS (P = 0.406) PPT (P = 0.293), external rotation(EXT.ROT) (0.476), internal rotation (INT.ROT)(P = 0.476) and extension(EXT) (P = 0.574) ROMs in the three groups; however, DN group was significantly more effective on abduction(ABD) (P = 0.003) and flexion(FLEX) (0.012) ROM compared with other two groups. CONCLUSION: In line with previous studies, the present study found that the application of DN, MET and combined of these treatment on active trigger points in the infraspinatus muscle of patients with shoulder impingement syndrome helps reduce pain, increase PPT and enhance the shoulder ROM. Both techniques are effective in the treatment of trigger points. Nevertheless, DN is more effective in enhancing the ROM of flexion & abduction.
Dry Needling , Manipulation, Osteopathic , Shoulder Impingement Syndrome , Humans , Rotator Cuff , Shoulder Impingement Syndrome/therapy , Trigger Points
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Considering the importance of non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) and its increasing spread, the need for instruments for the accurate diagnosis of back pain is evident in order to offer more effective treatment. One such instrument is the STarT Back Screening Tool (STarT) which is examined by numerous studies, while some of its psychometric dimensions still require attention. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the internal consistency and construct validity of this questionnaire to propose a modified version. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, the data of 295 patients with NSLBP were analyzed. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to assess construct validity. The Χ2/df, GFI, CFI, and RMSEA indices were also utilized as the goodness-of-fit criteria. Data analysis was performed in SPSS, AMOS, and EQS programs. RESULTS: Goodness-of-fit indicators were calculated for the original Persian version of the questionnaire, showing an improper fit (RMSEA = 0.162). According to the measures of sampling adequacy (MSA) of the questions, Questions 1 and 8 were deleted, resulting in an improved index (RMSEA = 0.062). All the regression coefficients in the CFA model were significant (p < 0.001for all 7 parameters). CONCLUSION: Based on the results, the modified Persian version of the STarT is simpler and more practical than the previous version, serving as a valid and reliable tool for assessing patients with low back pain. With respect to the goodness-of-fit indices, we recommend that more studies with larger samples be conducted on different populations.
Cross-Sectional Studies , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Humans , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Surveys and Questionnaires
BACKGROUND: The cervical flexion relaxation phenomenon (FRP) is a myoelectric silence of neck extensor muscles which occurs after a certain degree of flexion. Impaired flexion relaxation can impose the vertebral structures to excessive loading resulting from the persistence of muscular contraction. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the incidence or absence of FRP in cervical erector spinae (CES) and upper trapezius muscles in patients with chronic neck pain (CNP). METHODS: Twenty-five patients with CNP and 25 healthy volunteers were recruited. They accomplished cervical flexion and extension from a neutral position in four phases in the sitting position. The surface electromyography activity of both CES and upper trapezius muscles was recorded in each phase. Cervical flexion and extension movements were simultaneously measured using an electrogoniometer. RESULTS: FRP in CES was observed in 84% and 36% of healthy subjects and CNP patients, respectively. Flexion relaxation ratio (FRR) in CES was lower in CNP patients than in healthy subjects (mean diff = 1.33; 95% CI: 0.75-1.91) (P< 0.001). Only in CNP patients, FRR in right erector spinea was significantly higher than that in the left erector spinea (P= 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: FRP incidence in CNP patients was less than in healthy subjects. Moreover, this phenomenon begins later in CNP patients than in healthy subjects indicating prolonged activity of CES muscles during flexion in the CNP group. The difference between FRR in the right and left sides of erector spinea muscles can result in CNP.
Chronic Pain/physiopathology , Muscle Contraction/physiology , Neck Muscles/physiopathology , Neck Pain/physiopathology , Adult , Back Muscles/physiopathology , Electromyography , Female , Humans , Male , Movement/physiology , Posture/physiology , Range of Motion, Articular/physiology
Introduction: There are many documents about the significant role of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in different processes such as regenerator medicine and bone formation. The aim of this study is to assess the role of LLLT in blood hemostasis in rats via bioinformatic investigation. Methods: The differentially expressed plasma proteins of treated rats via LLLT from the literature and the added 50 first neighbors were investigated via network analysis to find the critical dysregulated proteins and biological processes by using Cytoscape software, the STRING database, and ClueGO. Results: A scale-free network including 55 nodes was constructed from queried and added first neighbor proteins. Fibrinogen gamma, fibrinogen alpha, and plasminogen were highlighted as the central genes of the analyzed network. Fibrinolysis was determined as the main group of biological processes that were affected by LLLT. Conclusion: Findings indicate that LLLT affects blood hemostasis which is an important point in approving the therapeutic application of LLLT and also in preventing its possible complication.
Introduction: One of the chemoradiotherapy (CRT) side effects is oral mucositis (OM). Since photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) is a public method for the repair process, in the present study the mechanism of PBMT in the prevention of OM is investigated via the bioinformatics approach. Methods: Six validated and significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with the prevention of OM in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients who had experienced CRT were extracted from the literature. After adding 50 neighbors from STRING, the network was constructed and analyzed. The results of the action map and network analysis were compared and discussed. Results: HLA gene family were identified as central nodes of the analyzed network. Based on action map finding, activation is prominent action and IRF9 was the potent activator. The role of the IRF gene family was highlighted by action map analysis. Conclusion: Regulation of the immune system by HLA and IRF genes family is a crucial factor in the prevention of OM in the studied patients.
Introduction: Radiotherapy as the first-line nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment provides different responses including radioresistant and radiosensitive states. In order to investigate the molecular basis of radioresistancy, protein-protein interaction network analysis of proteome data prior to therapy was performed. Methods: 20 dysregulated proteins of the patients who were radioresistant were extracted from the literature. Cytoscape and its plug-ins were used for the resistant network construction and its centrality analysis. Furthermore, ClueGO+ CluePedia application determined the most statistically significant biological processes (BP) related to the hubs. Results: Fourteen hubs were concluded and no differentially expressed protein (DEP) was among these agents. Among the hubs, albumin (ALB) and fibronectin (FN1) were the hub-bottlenecks, and the Serpin family was present. What is more, SERPIND1 was the highest degree-valued DEP in the network. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the central elements of the NPC network could be noteworthy for improving the radiotherapy outcome and overcoming its limitations. However, complementary studies are required for a better understanding of their major role.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to determine the short and medium effects of dry needling (DN) on myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in individuals with symptomatic hallux valgus (SHV). METHODS: A total of 30 female volunteers, aged 25-60, with hallux valgus (HV) were randomly divided into two groups: DN group (n = 15) and control group (n = 15) who received sham dry needling. The outcome measures were pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS), Foot Function Index (FFI), hallux valgus angle (HVA), and first metatarsophalangeal joint radiography. RESULTS: At the end of the intervention, the HVA showed a significant decrease in the case group (P < 0.001); however, statistically no significant difference was found in the pain intensity and foot function between the two groups (P > 0.05). These findings were maintained for a week and a month during follow-ups. CONCLUSION: According to the findings, dry needling can be recommended for improving first metatarsophalangeal joint alignment in the mild to moderate SHV individuals.
Dry Needling , Hallux Valgus , Metatarsophalangeal Joint , Adult , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Single-Blind Method , Treatment Outcome
BACKGROUND: The rate of death due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) is growing. Investigations about CVD that leading to introduce varieties of metabolites is available. The monitoring of these metabolites to find effective ones in the future of clinic applications is the main aim of this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Numbers of 34 metabolites for the CVD are extracted from literature and designated for interaction determinations by MetScape V 3.1.3. The compound-reaction-enzyme-gene network was constructed and the pathways were analyzed. Based on the presence of metabolites in the pathways the critical compounds were determined. RESULTS: Pathway analysis revealed 18 disturbed pathways related to the CVD. glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway including 27 compounds is related to the 9 queried metabolites. L-Serine which was communed between 5 pathways and also was presented in the largest pathway was identified as the critical compound. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that L-Serine is a proper biomarker candidate for CVD diagnosis and also patients follow up approaches.
Introduction: Laser therapy is known as an efficient approach in dermatology surgery. CO2 laser therapy is a gold standard treatment in skin surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the interferons change after CO2 laser surgery Methods: Significant differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) of arm skin after 7 days of treatment by the CO2 laser relative to the controls are downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and are included in the protein-protein interaction network via a STRING database (an application of Cytoscape software). The central DEGs were identified and enriched via gene ontology by using Clue GO software. Results: A network including 78 DEGs and 100 neighbors was constructed and STAT1, MX1, ISG15, OAS1, IFIT1, IRF8, OASL, OAS2, and RSAD2 as hubs and STAT1, PTPRC, MX1, IRF8, ISG15, IL6, RORC, SAMSN1, and IFIT1 as bottlenecks were introduced. The cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, interferon gamma signaling, hepatitis C, interferon alpha/beta signaling, and the type I interferon signaling pathway were identified as 5 clusters of biological terms which are related to the central nodes. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the cytokine-mediated signaling pathway is the major pathway that is dysregulated after laser application in the treated skin.
OBJECTIVE: Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) is a neuromuscular disorder which is incurable. In this research protein interaction network of most associated proteins with BMD to provide better clarification of disorder underlying mechanism was investigated. MATERIALS & METHODS: The related genes to BMD were retrieved via string database and conducted by Cytoscape and the related algorithms. The network centrality analysis was performed based on degree, betweenness, closeness, and stress parameters. Gene ontology and clustering were performed via ClueGO analysis. RESULTS: DMD as the super-hub as well as other central proteins including UTRN, TTN, DNM2, and RYR1 are important in BMD in terms of interactive features. The impairment of muscular contraction may be vital in BMD disease pathogenesis as it is the highlighted biological process term obtained by ClueGO analysis. CONCLUSION: DMD targeting may be the main concern for dystrophy clinical approaches. However, the other suggested proteins should be evaluated. Targeting these key proteins are required for treatment goals following extensive validation studies.
Introduction: The Mechanism of laser therapy and also its safety are 2 important features of the application of different types of lasers in medicine. This study aims to investigate the critically affected genes after the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma patients. Methods: The gene expression profiles of 4 squamous cell carcinoma patients that were treated via chemoradiotherapy (CRT) plus the laser and 3 similar patients without laser exposure from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were downloaded and were screened to find critical genes via network analysis. The STRING database, Cytoscape software, and the Clue GO plug-in of Cytoscape software were used. Results: The genes HSX70 and NCC27 were determined as neighbors and HSPA1B, CLIC1, RAB13, PPIF, and LCE3D as hub genes. The over-expression of LCE3D was interpreted as the side effect of laser therapy. Apoptosis and the cell cycle were the dominant biological processes regulated by the HSP molecules in the laser-treated patients. Conclusion: The laser affected the main biological processes and simultaneously issued side effects.
Introduction: In sports medicine, laser application has been well-established for the recovery of muscles. The mechanisms by which benefits of this kind of therapy can be studied is molecular research approach. Protein-protein interaction network analysis as one of the important complementary studies of proteomics can accelerate this goal by the identification of novel contributing markers. Methods: By the use of Cytoscape V3.7.1 and its applications, a network of differential expressed proteins (DEPs) from IR laser treatment samples were constructed and analyzed. Six hub-bottlenecks were determined, 4 of which were from differentially expressed proteins. Results: ClueGO discovered 4 biological processes related to these hub-bottlenecks that their function could alter due to IR laser therapy. Conclusion: In fact, by the expression changes of hub-bottlenecks including the up-regulation of HSP90s, one of the prominent biological processes in muscle recovery could be activated. This process is called nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activation that could be proposed as one of the underlying mechanisms of IR laser treatments in muscle recovery.
Introduction: Radiation therapy (RT) as a common method for cancer treatment could result in some side effects. The molecular investigation is one of the approaches that could assist in decrypting the molecular mechanisms of this incident. For this aim, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis as a complementary study of the proteome is conducted to explore the RT effect on brain cancer after the early stage of exposure prior to the appearance of the skin lesion. Methods: Cytoscape 3.7.2 and its plug-ins were used to analyze the network of differential expression of proteins (DEPs) in the treatment condition, and the centrality and pathway enrichment was conducted by the use of NetworkAnalyzer and ClueGO+CluePedia. Results: A network of 15 DEPs indicated that 6 nodes were key players in the network stability and SERPINC1 and F5 were from the query proteins. The pathways of post-translational protein phosphorylation, platelet degranulation, and complement and coagulation cascades were the most highlighted ones for the central nodes that could be affected in RT. Conclusion: The central proteins of the network of early-stage treatments could have additional importance in the mechanisms of radiotherapy response prior to skin lesions. Introduced biomarkers can be used for the patients' follow-up. These candidates are worth precise attention for this type of therapy after approving by validation studies.
BACKGROUND: Pronated foot is one of the most important factors that may lead to musculoskeletal injuries of the lower extremities. It is known that in a pronated foot, excessive mechanical loads are applied to the lower limb structures, which result in the altered foot biomechanics, including vertical ground reaction forces (VGRFs) and rate of loading (ROL). Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the changes in foot kinetic parameters in the pronated compared to the normal foot structures. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 15 individuals (mean age of 23.27 ± 3.28 years) with asymptomatic pronated feet and 15 normal subjects (mean age of 23.40 ± 3.11 years) were recruited from both genders by using a simple non-random sampling method. VGRF, ROL, and the resultant vector of time to stabilization (RVTTS) were evaluated during the forward jump landing task by using a force plate. RESULTS: The findings showed that the following parameters were significantly higher in the group of pronated feet than in the normal subjects: VGRF (3.30 ± 0.17 vs. 2.81 ± 0.15, p = .042), ROL (0.10 ± 0.01 vs. 0.07 ± 0.006, p = .020), and RVTTS (2592.80 ± 141.24 vs. 2114.00 ± 154.77, p = .030). CONCLUSION: All the measured foot kinetic parameters were higher in the pronated foot subjects than in the normal participants. An impaired movement control and greater forces imposed on the foot region of the pronated foot, compared to the normal foot individuals, were discovered indicating the former group's possible increase of susceptibility to various musculoskeletal injuries.
Foot/physiology , Movement , Muscle, Skeletal/physiology , Weight-Bearing , Adult , Biomechanical Phenomena , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Lower Extremity , Male , Stress, Mechanical , Young Adult
