Sharif Digital Repository

Background: A few clinical trials have examined the effect of treatment interventions on postural control in patients with chronic low back pain, all of which have exclusively evaluated postural stability using traditional linear measures of postural sway. However, postural control improvement cannot be determined by exclusively relying on linear measurements, because these parameters provide no information on underlying motor control mechanisms. Objective: This study aimed to compare the effect of using lumbosacral orthoses (LSO) together with routine physical therapy, compared to routine physical therapy alone on postural control, using nonlinear analysis techniques. Methods: Forty-four... 

An Al-5 wt% Ti composite was fabricated via powder metallurgy technique and hot extrusion. The produced composite samples were heat-treated subsequently at 600 °C for various time durations of 0, 4 and 10 h to achieve different volume fractions of the intermetallic Al3Ti phase. Pure aluminum sample was produced as a benchmark specimen to be compared to the composite samples. SEM studies were used to investigate the microstructure of the composite samples, and it was revealed that core-shell structured particles were formed in the composite heat-treated for 4 h. Triple point bending test was performed on the single edge notched beam specimens of the heat-treated Al-5 wt% Ti composite and the... 

Background: Warts are the most common clinical manifestation of the human papilloma-virus infection in the skin and mucous membranes. In spite of the various therapeutic modalities for nongenital skin warts, there is still no single method to be used as an approved treatment. In this study, we compared the efficacy of immunotherapy and cryotherapy on wart lesions. Methods: Sixty patients with verruca vulgaris and plantar warts were randomly divided into two groups. One group received intralesional injection of candida antigen repeated every 3 weeks until complete improvement of all warts or for a maximum of three sessions. The second group was treated by cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen for... 

In this study, the influence of vascular bed comprising terminal arterial branches on heat transfer in a liver tumor exposed to high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is studied numerically. Also, the effect of vascular density on temperature distribution is investigated. A coupled set of acoustics, thermal, and fluid models is used to calculate the temperature distribution in the liver. The numerical model is established based on the Westervelt and bioheat equations along with the Navier-Stokes equations. Moreover, the acoustic streaming effect is included with Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow assumptions. It is found that in a vascular bed comprising terminal arterial branches, the... 

Background/Objectives: Curcumin, a natural polyphenol compound in the spice turmeric, has been found to have potent anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activity. Curcumin may treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through its beneficial effects on biomarkers of oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation, which are considered as two feature of this disease. However, the effects of curcumin on NAFLD have been remained poorly understood. This investigation evaluated the effects of administrating curcumin on metabolic status in NAFLD patients. Subjects/Methods: Fifty-eight NAFLD patients participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel design of study. The subjects... 

Background: Balance training improves postural control in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, a systematic approach for the development of individualized, optimal training programs is still lacking, as the learning dynamics of the postural control in PD, over a training program, are poorly understood. Objectives: We investigated the learning dynamics of the postural control in PD, during a balance-training program, in terms of the clinical, posturographic, and novel model-based measures. Methods: Twenty patients with PD participated in a balance-training program, 3 days a week, for 6 weeks. Clinical tests assessed functional balance and mobility pre-training, mid-training, and post-training.... 

Background: Numerous studies have described the neuroprotective effect of lithium in spinal cord injury in addition to its ameliorative impact on pain sensation. In the present study, we aim to examine the efficacy of 85 mg/kg as well as 50 mg/kg dosage of the lithium chloride (LiCl) through oral consumption in spinal cord injured rats and their effect on gene expression of three candidate genes, corresponding to the hyper-sensitization. Methods: Adult Wistar (male) rats were divided into four experimental groups: control; oral administration of LiCl with 85 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg dosage; and 10 % sucrose receiver as the vehicle. BBB and heat plantar tests were performed weekly throughout four...