Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the brief illness questionnaire in Iranian with non-specific chronic neck pain.

INTRODUCTION: The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) is an instrument for assessing the illness perception. Illness perception varies between individuals based on their health status. There is no study that assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of BIPQ in neck pain patients. The goal of this study was to evaluate the reliability, construct validity, and exploratory factor analysis of the Persian BIPQ in individuals with non-specific chronic neck pain. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study in which 123 individuals with non-specific chronic neck pain participated. 60 participants examined after 7 days for testing reliability. Reliability was assessed by intra-class correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change. For assessing construct validity and item-total correlation, correlation tests were used. Also, exploratory factor analysis was done to assess the factor structure of the BIPQ. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis' results showed that there were 2 factors with Eigenvalues >1. Factor 1 included "identity", "consequence", "timeline", and "emotional response". Factor 2 consisted of "coherence" and "treatment control". The intra-class correlation coefficient and the cronbach's alpha for the total score was 0.8 and 0.86 respectively. Results of correlation tests showed an acceptable construct validity except with SF-12 mental component. Item-total correlation tests demonstrated that the correlations were above 0.3 for all subscales except for "treatment control" and "coherence". CONCLUSION: BIPQ has an acceptable properties to assess illness perception in individuals with non-specific chronic neck pain. The results of exploratory factor analysis and item-total correlation confirmed that 2-subscale version is more acceptable.

The association between myofascial trigger points and the incidence of chronic functional constipation.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic functional constipation (CFC) is the most prevalent type of constipation. Considering the proven effect of pelvic floor muscles dysfunction in these patients' symptom and the fascial connection between pelvic floor and abdominal and lumbopelvic muscles, this study aimed to examine the possible relationship between this muscles and CFC. METHOD: We conveniently selected 100 patients with CFC and 100 healthy participants based on the Rome IV criteria. Two groups were asked to complete the international physical activity questionnaire and food frequency questionnaire. Then both groups were assessed for the presence of trigger points in more prevalent pain sites for each muscle by pressure algometer with 50% of their caught pressure pain threshold. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences between two groups in the intake of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, sugar, fiber, vegetables, and wheat products. Patients had a higher consumption of fat and dairy products. for the physical activity level, a statistical difference showed that patients were less physically active. The comparison of the presence and the number of trigger points for each muscle in patients and control groups indicated more than 50% impairment, and there was a significant difference between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that the relationship between myofascial trigger points of abdominal and lumbopelvic muscles and constipation. In addition to that, it seems that a sedentary life may influence CFC patients' condition. Moreover, it seems that the results of the dietary condition in patients could be because of conscious consumption of some certain foods.

The effect of tDCS on the fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials.

INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is one of the most common disabling symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) which is present in 75% of these patients and is usually associated with functional disabilities. According to the literature, there is no general agreement on the effectiveness of the existing treatments for fatigue in patients with MS. As transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a relatively new method in the treatment of fatigue symptoms in patients with MS, the purpose of this study was to systematically review published evidence conducted to assess the effects of tDCS on fatigue in patients with MS. MATERIAL & METHODS: A thorough literature search of published articles was conducted from 1996 to 2019 in different databases including PubMed, Science Direct, OVID, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest and web of science with keywords of "tDCS", "multiple Sclerosis" and "Fatigue". Results yielded 1017 studies, which after excluding articles based on duplication and title and abstract, 8 of them were selected for review in this study. RESULTS: The results from the literature revealed that six studies indicated positive effects of tDCS stimulation on fatigue reduction. In four studies stimulation was over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC); in three studies stimulation placed over the whole body's primary somatosensory cortex (S1); and in one study stimulation applied over the posterior parietal cortex. In most studies, no serious side effects were reported. CONCLUSION: Most studies revealed that tDCS can reduce the adverse effects of MS-related fatigue in particular cognitive type. As follow-ups were either absent or short period, as well as the application of treatment protocols and measurement instruments were different, it was very difficult to draw strong conclusion on the effects of tDCS in patients with MS. However, further large scale studies with long term follow-up are still recommended.