Understanding Female and Male Insights in Psychology: Who Thinks What?

Evolutionary psychology is the study of human psychological behavior. During childhood, men and women behave similarly; however, as a child approaches puberty, new physical and behavioral changes emerge. Behavioral psychology focuses on understanding the functioning and thought processes of the human mind. The general population lacks knowledge of basic behavioral differences between men and women, leaving them unaware of their role, limitations, societal responsibilities, resulting in an underestimation of their own natural talents and biology. Thus, people tend to follow societal norms rather than exploring and utilizing their natural talents. The current review was designed and conducted to enforce compression on behavioral psychology in both genders as well as to identify variations in hormonal activity and sexual preferences.

Evading Musculoskeletal Conditions Using Qigong as a Rescue Technique.

Classically, Qigong is a Chinese technique that has been practiced in China for the past 3,000 years for healing the inner self. Qigong, wherein "Qi" means body energy and "Gong" denotes cultivation, regulates the energy flow in the body. The Qigong technique comprises a package of deep breathing training, gentle and rhythmic movement, and muscle-strengthening exercises that heal the body to activate one's internal soul energy. It has demonstrated its efficacy by inducing relaxation, building up stamina, strengthening immunity, appreciating muscle conditioning, and minimizing anxiety and depression. Furthermore, it has been beneficial in improving awareness of joint and movement senses. Specifically, Qigong brings healing by regulating energy flow in the whole-body systems. Moreover, it has exhibited a variety of regenerating effects by inducing emotional and mental relaxation. In today's world, Qigong exercises are being used for treating musculoskeletal disorders that are work- and stress-related by nature. Qigong is practiced globally as deep breathing exercises, and meditation is practiced for peace of mind and spirituality, whereas vigorous practice includes martial arts.

Effect of dynamic taping on neck pain, disability, and quality of life in patients with chronic non-specific neck pain: a randomized sham-control trial.

Background: In 2020, 203 million people experienced neck pain, with a higher prevalence in women. By 2050, it is predicted that neck pain will affect 269 million people, representing a 32.5% increase. Physical rehabilitation is often employed for the treatment of chronic non-specific neck pain (CNSNP) and the associated functional loss. Taping is frequently used as an adjunct treatment alongside primary physical rehabilitation. Unlike kinesio tape (KT), the therapeutic benefits of dynamic tape (DT) have not been thoroughly explored and documented in non-athletic conditions. Therefore, the aim of this trial was to determine the effects of DT on pain, disability, and overall well-being in individuals experiencing CNSNP. Methods: A prospective parallel-group active controlled trial was conducted at a single center, involving 136 patients with CNSNP, randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio. The sham taping group (STC) received standard physiotherapy care (n = 67) alongside DT without tension, while the dynamic taping group (DTC) (n = 69) underwent standard cervical offloading technique with appropriate tension in addition to standard physiotherapy care. Demographic information and three patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), namely the Neck Disability Index (NDI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), were collected for each participant at three time points (baseline, four weeks post-taping, and four weeks follow-up). Results: At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the STC and DTC for any outcome measure. Notably, all three PROMs exhibited a significant improvement from baseline to four weeks post-intervention, with moderate to small effect sizes (NDI ηp2 = 0.21, VAS ηp2 = 0.23, and WHO-55 ηp2 = 0.05). The WHO-5 scores for both groups demonstrated improvement from baseline through follow-up (p < 0.001). The NDI and VAS scores ameliorated from baseline to the four weeks post-taping period, with marginal improvements observed during the four weeks follow-up. Conclusion: The incorporation of DT as an adjunct to standard physiotherapy care yielded enhancements in pain levels, functional disability, and well-being among patients with CNSNP when compared to the sham group. However, the sustainability of these improvements beyond the taping period lacks statistical significance and warrants further validation.

Role of Yoga in Minimizing Stress and Anxiety in Women Experiencing Dysmenorrhea.

Primary dysmenorrhea is characterized by recurring, crampy lower abdominal pain occurring during menstruation in the absence of pelvic pathology. It is the most common gynaecological complaint among adolescents. According to the literature, young females with primary dysmenorrhea experience stress, anxiety, lower-back pain, and depression. Yoga is widely practiced to improve health and promote relaxation. It includes breath regulation, simple meditation, and practicing particular body postures. Regular Yoga practice can serve as an adjunct to the primary treatment of dysmenorrhea symptoms. This study focuses on the impacts and benefits of yoga in young females with dysmenorrhea and associated physiological changes.

Dietary and Physical Exercise Facilitation for Cardiovascular Health in Indian Subcontinent.

The advent of industrialization and outburst of urbanization significantly influences the lifestyle of people. Further, the incidence of noncommunicable diseases, such as chronic lung conditions, cancer, cardiovascular diseases (including conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels), diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, has increased. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in India in 2016 was reported to be 54.5 million. One out of four deaths was associated with cardiovascular diseases. With time, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is exerting more impact on the younger Indian population aged 20-29 years. The foremost risk factors for disability-adjusted life-years include poor dietary habits, tobacco use, and low physical activity. A healthy diet and an optimum physical activity level should be projected as primary interventions for noncommunicable diseases in the Indian subcontinent. Government health organizations and associations should concentrate and prioritize the current situation and scale up cost-effective policies and innovative techniques with interventional research and funding, especially on diet and exercise facilitation, as comprehensive management toward minimizing cardiovascular diseases to safeguard Indian economy's future.

Effect of neural mobilisation in Bell's palsy: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: Neural mobilisation technique is effective in spinal nerve rehabilitation. However, no study has reported the effect of facial nerve mobilisation in acute Bell's palsy. Objectives: The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of facial neural mobilisation over conventional therapy in improving facial symmetry in patients with acute Bell's palsy. Methods: A randomised controlled trial was conducted in the physical therapy department for 62 patients with acute Bell's palsy. The intervention included 10 days of drug therapy including 3 weeks of conventional therapy to the experimental and the control group. However, the experimental group received additional nerve mobilisation technique aimed at mobilising the facial nerve at the origin of external auditory meatus. All participants were assessed at baseline and after three weeks using the Sunnybrook facial grading system (SBS) and Kinovea Movement Analysis Software (KMAS). Results: For primary outcome, analysis of covariance with baseline data as covariate showed a significant difference between groups for the post-test mean scores of SBS after 3 weeks (between-group difference, 9.2 [95% CI, 5.1-13.3], p=0.001. Importantly, the effect size calculated by partial η2 for neural mobilisation was 0.258 (small effect size). For secondary outcomes, independent sample t-test showed a significant difference between groups for the scores on KMAS after 3 weeks for zygomatic muscle (between-group difference, -27.2 [95% CI, -31 to -22.6], p=0.001), frontalis muscle -16.7 [95% CI, -9.9 to -23.4], p=0.001, and orbicularis oris muscle -15.0 [95% CI, -11.1 to -18.8], p=0.001. Conclusion: Facial neural mobilisation is likely to be an effective adjunctive intervention in addition to conventional therapy in improving facial symmetry in acute Bell's palsy.

Dietary Administration of Engineered Nano-selenium and Vitamin C Ameliorates Immune Response, Nutritional Physiology, Oxidative Stress, and Resistance Against Aeromonas hydrophila in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Functional trace elements and vitamins can boost immunity and anti-oxidative response in aquatic animals with effects on nutritional physiology. Nano-selenium (nano-Se) and vitamin C (VC) have been used as immunomodulators and antioxidants in fish feed. The present work was performed to determine the protective effects of diets supplemented with different combinations of nano-Se and VC on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Triplicate groups of 20 fish/tank (13.87 ± 0.10 g) were reared and fed with basal diet (control-T1) (without supplementation of nano-Se and VC) and three experimental diets as T2, T3, and T4 (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg VC respectively) with a pre-determined dose of nano-Se (1.0 mg/kg) for 90 days. Different immune indices, haemato-biochemical, and antioxidant activities were measured at the end of the first, second, and third months of feeding. The findings depicted that significantly (p < 0.05) higher growth was observed in T4. Red blood cells, white blood cells, and haemoglobin were found significantly (p < 0.05) higher in T4 for the third month. Serum biochemical-immunological indices (alkaline phosphatase, glucose, cholesterol, lysozyme, myeloperoxidase, total protein, albumin and globulin) followed the same trend. Furthermore, antioxidant assays such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and malondialdehyde were significantly (p < 0.05) improved in T4 for the third month. Significantly (p < 0.05) least cumulative mortality against Aeromonas hydrophila was obtained in the fish-fed diets incorporated with nano-Se and VC. Therefore, dietary supplementation with nano-Se and VC is noteworthy for improving growth, serum biochemical status, immune response, antioxidant status, and disease resistance.

Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Augmented with Motor Imagery and Upper-Limb Functional Training for Upper-Limb Stroke Rehabilitation: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with other therapies is reported to produce promising results in patients with stroke. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of combining tDCS with motor imagery (MI) and upper-limb functional training for upper-limb rehabilitation among patients with chronic stroke. METHODS: A single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted among 64 patients with chronic stroke. The control group received sham tDCS with MI, while the experimental group received real tDCS with MI. Both groups performed five different upper-limb functional training exercises coupled with tDCS for 30 min, five times per week for two weeks. Fugl-Meyer's scale (FMA) and the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) were used to measure the outcome measures at baseline and after the completion of the 10th session. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance showed significant improvements in the post-test mean scores for FMA (F (414.4) = 35.79, p < 0.001; η2 = 0.37) and ARAT (F (440.09) = 37.46, p < 0.001; η2 = 0.38) in the experimental group compared to the control group while controlling for baseline scores. CONCLUSIONS: Anodal tDCS stimulation over the affected primary motor cortex coupled with MI and upper-limb functional training reduces impairment and disability of the upper limbs among patients with chronic stroke.

Effectiveness of 20 years of conservation investments in protecting orangutans.

Conservation strategies are rarely systematically evaluated, which reduces transparency, hinders the cost-effective deployment of resources, and hides what works best in different contexts. Using data on the iconic and critically endangered orangutan (Pongo spp.), we developed a novel spatiotemporal framework for evaluating conservation investments. We show that around USD 1 billion was invested between 2000 and 2019 into orangutan conservation by governments, nongovernmental organizations, companies, and communities. Broken down by allocation to different conservation strategies, we find that habitat protection, patrolling, and public outreach had the greatest return on investment for maintaining orangutan populations. Given the variability in threats, land-use opportunity costs, and baseline remunerations in different regions, there were differential benefits per dollar invested across conservation activities and regions. We show that although challenging from a data and analysis perspective, it is possible to fully understand the relationships between conservation investments and outcomes and the external factors that influence these outcomes. Such analyses can provide improved guidance toward a more effective biodiversity conservation. Insights into the spatiotemporal interplays between the costs and benefits driving effectiveness can inform decisions about the most suitable orangutan conservation strategies for halting population declines. Although our study focuses on the three extant orangutan species of Sumatra and Borneo, our findings have broad application for evidence-based conservation science and practice worldwide.

Prevalence of non-specific chronic low-back pain and risk factors among male soldiers in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) is the most common musculoskeletal disorder affecting health and work among the military population. NSCLBP is a complex disorder with several risk factors contributing to its occurrence. Therefore, the objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence and contribution of risk factors towards NSCLBP among male soldiers in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to January 2021 among the military personnel at Hafar Al-Batin military base, Saudi Arabia. The entire population (n = 62, 000) at the military base were invited to participate in the study. The participants were invited to participate in the study either through direct referral from in-patient and out-patient departments of the military hospital or by invitation through pamphlets, email, and advertisement across the offices and residential areas. Soldiers reporting lower back pain for at least 12 weeks were screened for inclusion criteria at the physical therapy department of the military hospital. Inclusion criteria included pain or discomfort originating from the lower back without any known spinal diseases. Participants with a systemic inflammatory disorder, trauma, neurological symptoms, and recent spinal surgery were excluded. All eligible participants were assessed for demographic variables and risk factors and complete the Rolland Morris Disability Questionnaire and WHO-Five Well-Being Index. RESULTS: This study identified a 46.3% prevalence of pain originating from the spine with a 2.7% prevalence of NSCLBP. Spearman's rho correlation between the severity of disability due to NSCLBP was strongly associated with age (rs = 0.834, p < 0.01), quality of sleep (rs = 0.790, p < 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (rs = 0.617, p < 0.01), smoking (rs = 0.520, p < 0.01), co-morbidity (rs = 0.357, p < 0.01), but not with the level of physical activity (rs = 0.044, p = 0.07). CONCLUSION: There was a high prevalence of pain originating from the spine among male Saudi soldiers with a relatively low prevalence of NSCLBP. However, the prevalence of disability due to NSCLBP was strongly associated with age, sleep quality, BMI, smoking habit, and co-morbidity.