Comparison of an Iranian Traditional Massage (Fateh Method) with Physiotherapy and Acupuncture for Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Namiranian Parva,Karimi Mehrdad,Razavi Seyede Zahra Emami,Garoos Ahmad Fateh,Ayati Mohammad Hossein 사단법인약침학회 2022 Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies Vol.15 No.3

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is currently a major reason for disability worldwide. Therapeutic massage is one of the most popular non-pharmacological methods for managing chronic LBP (CLBP), and the Fateh method is a massage technique based on Iranian Traditional Medicine. Objectives: The current study aimed to compare the effects of Fateh massage with those of acupuncture and physiotherapy on relieving pain and disability in CLBP. Methods: Eighty-four patients with CLBP were categorized into groups that received Fateh massage, acupuncture, or physiotherapy. Each group included 28 randomly assigned patients who completed 10 sessions of therapy. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and Roland–Morris disability scores were evaluated at baseline, after intervention, and four weeks later. The findings were analyzed with SPSS software. Results: The baseline VAS and Roland–Morris scores of the three study groups did not indicate significant differences (p > 0.05). All three groups showed significant pre-post improvements in both scores (p < 0.05). At the end of the treatment sessions, the three groups showed no significant difference in the reductions in pain intensity and disability score (p ˃ 0.05). Improvements in disability and pain between the first and third time points were significant in all three groups (p < 0.05 for each group). In addition, the results of massage, physiotherapy, and acupuncture groups were not significantly different (p > 0.05). No adverse events occurred in the patients. Conclusion: The effects of Fateh massage were comparable to those of acupuncture and physiotherapy in reducing pain and disability in patients with CLBP.

Risk Factors of Breast Cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Namiranian, Nasim,Moradi-Lakeh, Maziar,Razavi-Ratki, Seid Kazem,Doayie, Mahdyie,Nojomi, Marzieh Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.21

Background: Identifying risk factors of breast cancer is a key point for preventive strategies to reduce the incidence. The aim of current study was to determine most important risk factors for breast cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) using a systematic review. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science till August 24, 2012 and the reference lists of all included studies were searched. Analytic studies which had reported odds ratios (OR), relative risk (RR) or required data to calculate them were included. A total of 343 studies were critically appraised and finally 30 studies were meta-analyzed. Heterogeneity between the studies was assessed by $I^2$ and Cochran's Q. Egger's test was used to assess publication bias. Results: Twenty five casecontrol studies, one nested case-control and four cohort studies were included. The largest ORs were obtained for history of no live birth (2.25; 95%CI: 1.58-3.18), body mass index (BMI) more than 30 (2.21; 95%CI: 1.71-2.36), age at first pregnancy more than 30 years old (1.52; 95%CI: 1.30-1.77) and meat consumption more than three times per week (1.39; 95%CI: 1.03-1.87). The other important predictors were higher education and smoking as risk factors, physical activity and ovulatory stimulating medication as protective factors. Conclusions: The most important predictors of breast cancer in EMR were history of no live birth, BMI more than 30, age at first pregnancy more than 30 years old, physical inactivity and smoking. Almost all these risk factors are consistent with known risk factors for this cancer in other parts of the world.

Impact of Multidisciplinary Spine Conferences on Surgical Planning and Perioperative Care in Elective Lumbar Spine Surgeries

Khodadad Namiranian,Edward John Norris,James Gregory Jolissaint,Jigar Bharat Patel,Celeste Marie Lombardi 대한척추외과학회 2018 Asian Spine Journal Vol.12 No.5

Study Design: Pre- and post-implementation analysis. Purpose: We examined the impact of implementing multidisciplinary spine conferences—“spine board” reviews—on the general utilization of elective lumbar spine surgeries in a tertiary medical institute. Overview of Literature: A multidisciplinary approach to spine care reportedly improves the appropriate utilization of surgical spine procedures. Methods: A multidisciplinary spine board was established to review candidates selected for elective lumbar spine surgery. The board comprised representatives from orthopedic spine surgery, neurosurgery, psychology, physical therapy, radiology, pharmacy, primary care, pain management, anesthesiology, and veteran advocacy. Two similar 6-month periods were selected to study the impact of this implementation: pre-implementing (June 1, 2015 to November 30, 2015) and post-implementation (June 1, 2016 to November 30, 2016) periods. Results: Between March 1, 2016 and December 30, 2016, the spine board discussed 11 patients. All patients underwent clinical examinations and radiological assessments findings that warranted elective lumbar surgery. The board recommended non-surgical interventions before proceeding with the planned surgeries in all cases. In the pre-implementation period, a total of 101 elective lumbar spine surgeries were performed. In the post-implementation period, a total of 51 elective lumbar spine surgeries were performed (p <0.05). The surgical plan for elective lumbar spine surgery in the post-implementation period was not directly influenced by the review of spine board because none of the cases were discussed in the conferences; however, the care occurred at a hospital where the spine board was implemented. There was no significant change in the number of cervical spine surgeries performed (66 preimplementation vs. 56 post-implementation). The average surgery duration was 52 minutes shorter in the post-implementation period compared with that in the pre-implementation period (p <0.05). Conclusions: Implementation of a multidisciplinary spine board was concurrent with an overall decrease in the utilization of lumbar spine surgeries for elective cases of low back pain in a tertiary medical center.

The Effect of Curcumin Supplementation and Aerobic Training on Anthropometric Indices, Serum Lipid Profiles, C-Reactive Protein and Insulin Resistance in Overweight Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Sepideh Dolati,Khoosheh Namiranian,Reyhaneh Amerian,Samane Mansouri,Sajad Arshadi,Mohammad Ali Azarbayjani 대한비만학회 2020 The Korean journal of obesity Vol.29 No.1

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin supplementation alone and in combination with aerobic training on body composition, glycemic variables, serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and lipid profiles in overweight women. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 40 healthy sedentary overweight females (aged 30–45 years with body mass index [BMI] of 25–30 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to four groups of 10 subjects each: curcumin supplementation (Cur), placebo (Pla), placebo+aerobic training (Pla+Tra), curcumin supplementation+aerobic training (Cur+Tra). Curcumin or placebo capsules (500 mg/day) were administered for 8 weeks. Results: During the intervention, Cur group showed significant reductions in weight, BMI and fasting blood glucose level; Cur+Tra group decreased waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, serum insulin level, low-density lipoprotein to high-density lipoprotein ratio, and total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein ratio and increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The between-groups analysis indicated increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the Cur and Cur+Tra groups compared to the Pla group. The estimated marginal means of serum CRP were significantly higher in Pla+Tra group than in the Cur and Cur+Tra groups. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the combination of curcumin supplementation with aerobic training more effectively improves glycemic and lipidemic statuses than curcumin supplementation or aerobic training alone.

Commercial tree products modeling case study in Gorazbon district, Kheyroud Forest, Iran

Shirin Varkouhi,Manoochehr Namiranian,Meghdad Joorgholami 한국산림과학회 2017 Forest Science And Technology Vol.13 No.2

Reliable yield predictions are essential for sustainable forest management, with the quality of forest management plans hinging on the reliability of growth and yield predictions. Due to lack of both efficient harvest plans and product models in Hyrcanian forests, these requirements have implications for model design, implementation, and use. This study aims to estimate the percentage of different industrial products for oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) at the Kheyroud Forest Research Station located in the Caspian forests of northern Iran. For this purpose at first enhancement in accuracy of district’s tariff tables were done by new clues from a new inventory. In order to determine the relation between product percentages and diameter at breast height (DBH), a set of models extracted to help forest managers predict when, where, and how much timber of hornbeam and oriental beech in each diameter class can be harvested. The results showed logs to be the most important output, reaching a peak at 100 and 115 cm diameter classes in both species, versus Bolt grade 1 & 2 reaching a minimum in these diameter classes behave conversely due to decay and harrow stems. The result of validation showed high accuracy of models in predicting commercial tree species products. In general the model is considered suitable for implementation in integrated forest sector modeling.

Evaluation of a DDB design method for bridges isolated with triple pendulum bearings

Gholamreza Ghodrati Amiri,Mahdi Mohammadian Shalmaee,Pejman Namiranian 국제구조공학회 2016 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.59 No.5

In this study a direct displacement-based design (DDBD) procedure for a continuous deck bridge isolated with triple friction pendulum bearings (TFPB) has been proposed and the seismic demands of the bridge such as isolator\'s displacement and drift of piers obtained from this procedure evaluated under two-directional near-field ground motions. The structural model used here are continuous, three-span, castin-place concrete box girder bridge with a 30-degree skew which are isolated with 9 different TFPBs. By comparing the results of DDBD method with those of nonlinear time history analysis (NTHA), it can be concluded that the proposed procedure is able to predict seismic demands of similar isolated bridges with acceptable accuracy. Results of NTHA shows that dispersion of peak resultant responses for a group of ground motions increases by increasing their average value of responses. It needs to be noted that the demands parameters calculated by the DDBD procedure are almost overestimated for stiffer soil condition, but there is some underestimation in results of this method for softer soil condition.

Ultrashort Echo Time MRI (UTE-MRI) Quantifications of Cortical Bone Varied Significantly at Body Temperature Compared with Room Temperature

Saeed Jerban,,Nikolaus Szeverenyi,Yajun Ma,Tan Guo,Behnam Namiranian,Sarah To,장형석,Eric Y. Chang,Jiang Du 대한자기공명의과학회 2019 Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Vol.23 No.3

Purpose: To investigate the temperature-based differences of cortical bone ultrashort echo time MRI (UTE-MRI) biomarkers between body and room temperatures. Investigations of ex vivo UTE-MRI techniques were performed mostly at room temperature however, it is noted that the MRI properties of cortical bone may differ in vivo due to the higher temperature which exists as a condition in the live body. Materials and Methods: Cortical bone specimens from fourteen donors (63 ± 21 years old, 6 females and 8 males) were scanned on a 3T clinical scanner at body and room temperatures to perform T1, T2*, inversion recovery UTE (IR-UTE) T2* measurements, and two-pool magnetization transfer (MT) modeling. Results: Single-component T2*, IR-T2*, short and long component T2*s from bicomponent analysis, and T1 showed significantly higher values while the noted macromolecular fraction (MMF) from MT modeling showed significantly lower values at body temperature, as compared with room temperature. However, it is noted that the short component fraction (Frac1) showed higher values at body temperature. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for careful consideration of the temperature effects on MRI measurements, before extending a conclusion from ex vivo studies on cortical bone specimens to clinical in vivo studies. It is noted that the increased relaxation times at higher temperature was most likely due to an increased molecular motion. The T1 increase for the studied human bone specimens was noted as being significantly higher than the previously reported values for bovine cortical bone. The prevailing discipline notes that the increased relaxation times of the bound water likely resulted in a lower signal loss during data acquisition, which led to the incidence of a higher Frac1 at body temperature.

Ultrashort Echo Time MRI (UTE-MRI) Quantifications of Cortical Bone Varied Significantly at Body Temperature Compared with Room Temperature

Jerban, Saeed,Szeverenyi, Nikolaus,Ma, Yajun,Guo, Tan,Namiranian, Behnam,To, Sarah,Jang, Hyungseok,Chang, Eric Y.,Du, Jiang Korean Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2019 Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Vol.23 No.3

Purpose: To investigate the temperature-based differences of cortical bone ultrashort echo time MRI (UTE-MRI) biomarkers between body and room temperatures. Investigations of ex vivo UTE-MRI techniques were performed mostly at room temperature however, it is noted that the MRI properties of cortical bone may differ in vivo due to the higher temperature which exists as a condition in the live body. Materials and Methods: Cortical bone specimens from fourteen donors ($63{\pm}21$ years old, 6 females and 8 males) were scanned on a 3T clinical scanner at body and room temperatures to perform T1, $T2^*$, inversion recovery UTE (IR-UTE) $T2^*$ measurements, and two-pool magnetization transfer (MT) modeling. Results: Single-component $T2^*$, $IR-T2^*$, short and long component $T2^*s$ from bi-component analysis, and T1 showed significantly higher values while the noted macromolecular fraction (MMF) from MT modeling showed significantly lower values at body temperature, as compared with room temperature. However, it is noted that the short component fraction (Frac1) showed higher values at body temperature. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for careful consideration of the temperature effects on MRI measurements, before extending a conclusion from ex vivo studies on cortical bone specimens to clinical in vivo studies. It is noted that the increased relaxation times at higher temperature was most likely due to an increased molecular motion. The T1 increase for the studied human bone specimens was noted as being significantly higher than the previously reported values for bovine cortical bone. The prevailing discipline notes that the increased relaxation times of the bound water likely resulted in a lower signal loss during data acquisition, which led to the incidence of a higher Frac1 at body temperature.

Assessment of Multi-leaf Collimator Positional Accuracy Using Radiochromic EBT3 Film and an Electronic Portal Imaging Device

Forough Nikeghbali,Abolfazl Nickfarjam,Fateme Shirani,Nouraddin Abdi Goushbolagh,Nasim Namiranian,Bagher Farhood,Masoud Shabani,Kazem Vakili 한국물리학회 2020 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.76 No.9

This study aimed to evaluate multi-leaf collimator (MLC) positional accuracy by using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) and radiochromic EBT3 film. Furthermore, the MLC's positional accuracy at different gantry and collimator angles of a Siemens ONCOR linear accelerator (linac) was evaluated. A picket fence test was performed to evaluate the MLC's positional accuracy at various gantry and collimator angles of the linac. The EPID and the EBT3 films were sequentially irradiated seven times at 2-cm intervals by making a rectangular field (0.3 × 19 cm2). The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of each band (field) was calculated for all leaves by using inhouse software. Then, variations between the actual and the planned leaf locations were obtained by using the EPID and the EBT3 film at various gantry and collimator angles. The mean FWHM, acquired using the EPID and the EBT3 film ranged from 2.331 - 3.647 mm and 2.059 - 4.001 mm, respectively. Variations between the actual and the planned leaf locations were found to be affected by changes in the collimator and the gantry angles. Moreover, a -0.060 - 1.588 mm difference we seen between the result obtained from the EBT3 film and that obtained from the EPID. The mean FWHM, at most angles, for the EBT3 film was larger than that for the EPID. The findings showed average deviations for the EPID (0.001 - 0.669 mm) and EBT3 film (0.007 - 1.001 mm); these values agreed within the tolerance level (±1 mm). Furthermore, good agreement was found between the results obtained from the EPID and the EBT3 film; these two dosimetric methods can be used interchangeably, but each must be chosen considering its advantages and disadvantages.