The effects of a 12-week combined motor control exercise and isolated lumbar extension intervention on lumbar multifidus muscle stiffness in individuals with chronic low back pain.

Introduction: Exercise therapy is the primary endorsed form of conservative treatment for chronic low back pain (LBP). However, there is still conflicting evidence on which exercise intervention is best. While motor control exercise can lead to morphological and functional improvements of lumbar multifidus muscle in individuals with chronic LBP, the effects of exercise prescription on multifidus stiffness assessed via shear wave elastography are still unknown.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Statin Therapy on Heart Transplantation.

Background: Most of the mortality after Heart Transplantation (HT) is attributed to severe cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and rejection.

Objectives: This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of postoperative statin therapy on outcomes (mortality, rejection, and CAV in HT patients).

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed on publications between 1980 and October 2023 in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Embase databases.

The assessment of paraspinal muscle epimuscular fat in participants with and without low back pain: A case-control study.

It remains unclear whether paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration in low back pain (LBP) is i) solely intramuscular, ii) is lying outside the epimysium between the muscle and fascial plane (epimuscular) or iii) or combination of both, as imaging studies often use different segmentation protocols that are not thoroughly described. Epimuscular fat possibly disturbs force generation of paraspinal muscles, but is seldomly explored. This project aimed to 1) compare epimuscular fat in participants with and without chronic LBP, and 2) determine whether epimuscular fat is different across lumbar spinal levels and associated with BMI, age, sex and LBP status, duration or intensity.

Scientometric Analysis and Mapping of Scientific Articles on Multiple Sclerosis-Related Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction.

Objective: Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently experience lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction, which significantly impacts their quality of life. This study's objective was to conduct a scientometric analysis of the literature on MS-induced neurogenic LUT dysfunction.

Methods: Using bibliometric methods, we examined the literature on neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) in MS patients without restricting it to prevalence studies or specific management methods.

The Effects of Combined Motor Control and Isolated Extensor Strengthening versus General Exercise on Paraspinal Muscle Morphology, Composition, and Function in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Low back pain (LBP), a globally widespread and persistent musculoskeletal disorder, benefits from exercise therapy. However, it remains unclear which type leads to greater changes in paraspinal muscle health. This study aimed to (1) compare the effects of a combined motor control and isolated lumbar extension exercise (MC+ILEX) versus a general exercise (GE) intervention on paraspinal muscle morphology, composition, and function, and (2) examine whether alterations in paraspinal muscle health were correlated with improvements in pain, function, and quality of life.

Cervical muscle morphometry and composition demonstrate prognostic value in degenerative cervical myelopathy outcomes.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine whether preoperative cervical muscle size, composition, and asymmetry from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can predict post-operative outcomes in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).

Methods: A total of 171 patients with DCM were included. Relative total cross-sectional area (RCSA), functional CSA (fat-free area, FCSA), ratio of FCSA/CSA (fatty infiltration) and asymmetry of the multifidus (MF) and semispinalis cervicis (SCer) together (MF + SCer), and cervical muscle as a group (MF, SCer, semispinalis capitis, and splenius capitis) were obtained from T2-weighted axial MR images at the mid-disk, at the level of maximum cord compression and the level below.

Comparison of paraspinal muscle composition measurements using IDEAL fat-water and T2-weighted MR images.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the agreement between paraspinal muscle composition measurements obtained from fat-water images using % fat-signal fraction (%FSF) in comparison to those obtained from T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) using a thresholding method.

Methods: A sample of 35 subjects (19 females, 16 males; 40.26 ± 11.

Perception of laypersons, orthodontists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons about the transverse occlusal plane.

Introduction: Transverse occlusal plane (TOP) should be parallel to the true horizontal lines of the face (ie, the interpupillary line [IP] and commissural line [CL]). This study aimed to investigate the opinions of laypersons, orthodontists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons about the impact of imbalanced IP and CL on facial attractiveness.

Methods: We used a symmetrical face image as the reference.

Protein Kinase C Involvement in Neuroprotective Effects of Thymol and Carvacrol Against Toxicity Induced by Amyloid-β in Rat Hippocampal Neurons.

Introduction: We have reported that thymol and carvacrol can improve cognitive abilities in Alzheimer Disease (AD) rat models. However, the mechanism of their action is not yet fully understood. Recently, our in vitro results suggested that PC12 cell death induced by Aβ25-35 can be protected by thymol and carvacrol via Protein Kinase C (PKC) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) pathways.

Morphological Changes of Deep Extensor Neck Muscles in Relation to the Maximum Level of Cord Compression and Canal Compromise in Patients With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between morphological changes of the deep extensor neck muscles in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and the level of maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC) and canal compromise (MCC). A secondary objective was to examine the relationship between muscle morphological changes with neck pain and functional scores related to neck pain and interference.

Is there any relationship between fixed orthodontic treatment and developmental indicators in children and adolescents? A prospective cohort study.

Background: Fixed orthodontic treatment may cause discomfort four to six weeks after the initiation of the treatment as it may change the type and amount of food consumed by children. This temporary change may have a long-term effect on the growth status of such children. This study aimed to detect the longitudinal relationship between fixed orthodontic treatment and developmental indicators in children and adolescents.

Neuroprotective effects of carvacrol against Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases: A review.

Objective: Neurodegenerative diseases are considered an important cause of cognitive deficit and morbidity in old ages. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of these disorders affecting about 40 million people in the world at the present time. Available drug therapy is mostly symptomatic and does not modify or stop disease progression.

Prediction accuracy of Dolphin software for soft-tissue profile in Class I patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment.

Background: Simulation and prediction can facilitate the decision between an extraction versus nonextraction treatment plan. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of Dolphin Imaging software in predicting profile changes in class I borderline cases.

Methods: In this retrospective study, class I borderline patients (i.

The significant impact of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on in-hospital mortality of elderly patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: A retrospective observational study.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the main causes of death and disability among the elderly patient population. This study aimed to assess the predictors of in-hospital mortality of elderly patients with moderate to severe TBI who presented during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: In this retrospective analytical study, all elderly patients with moderate to severe TBI who were referred to our center between March 2nd, 2020 to August 1st, 2020 were investigated and compared against the TBI patients receiving treatment during the same time period within the year 2019.

Lumbar Multifidus Muscle Morphology Changes in Patient with Different Degrees of Lumbar Disc Herniation: An Ultrasonographic Study.

: Previous studies demonstrated that the prevalence of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is relatively high. This investigation aimed to evaluate the size of lumbar multifidus (LM) muscle in patients with different degrees of LDH compared to healthy group, during rest and contraction, using ultrasonography. : In this non-experimental, analytic, and case control study, ultrasound imaging was used to assess cross-sectional area (CSA) and thickness of the LM muscle in 15 healthy subjects and 60 patients with different stages of LDH (bulging group = 15, protrusion group = 15, extrusion group = 15, sequestration group = 15).

Does a diluted chlorhexidine-based orthodontic mouthwash cause less discoloration compared to chlorhexidine mouthwash in fixed orthodontic patients? A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Chlorhexidine gluconate is currently the most effective oral antimicrobial agent against microorganisms, but discoloration of the teeth prevents its long-term use and can reduce patient cooperation. In this study, the effect of chlorhexidine and a diluted chlorhexidine-based, fluoride, cetylpyridinium and vitamin added mouth rinse (Orthokin) on stain index in fixed orthodontic patients was compared.

Materials And Methods: This study was performed as a double blind randomized controlled trial on 50 patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment in the age group of 14-30 years.

The effects of combined motor control and isolated extensor strengthening versus general exercise on paraspinal muscle morphology and function in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomised controlled trial protocol.

Background: Exercise is a common approach for the management of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (LBP). However, there is no clear mechanistic evidence or consensus on what type of exercise is more effective than others. While considerable evidence suggests a link between lumbar muscle health (e.

Exercise training ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in amyloid beta-injected rat model: possible mechanisms of Angiostatin/VEGF signaling.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) regulates angio/neurogenesis and also tightly links to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although exercise has a beneficial effect on neurovascular function and cognitive function, the direct effect of exercise on VEGF-related signaling and cognitive deficit in AD is incompletely understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect of exercise on angiostatin/VEGF cascade and cognitive function in AD model rats.

Reliability of B-mode ultrasonography to measure lumbar multifidus muscle dimensions in patients with unilateral lumbar disc herniation.

Objectives: To evaluate Ultrasound Imaging (USI) reliability for measurement of lumbar multifidus (LMF) muscle thickness and cross sectional area (CSA) at rest and during contraction in patients with unilateral lumbar disc herniation.

Setting: Laboratory.

Design: Reliability Study.

Overexpression of protein kinase Mζ in the hippocampal dentate gyrus rescues amyloid-β-induced synaptic dysfunction within entorhinal-hippocampal circuit.

Entorhinal cortex (EC) is one of the first cerebral regions affected in the early phase of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Soluble forms of amyloid beta (Aβ) impair synaptic transmission in experimental AD models. Protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) is an atypical persistently active protein kinase C, known to maintain long term synaptic plasticity and memory, but its role in AD has not yet been described.

The Effects of Physical Activity and Exergaming on Motor Skills and Executive Functions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This study aims at investigating the effects of two types of interventions, Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) and exergaming (Kinect), on motor skills (MS) and executive functions (EF) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sixty children, aged 6-10 years were randomly assigned to SPARK ( = 20), Kinect ( = 20), or a control group ( = 20). Children's MS and EF were assessed before and after the intervention.