Background: In addition to motor speech disorders, patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience language impairments. Given the importance of language in human communication and quality of life, this study aimed to examine high-level language skills in Persian-speaking patients with PD.Methods: Fourteen patients with PD and normal cognitive status and fourteen healthy controls matched for age, sex, and education level were administered a high-level language test. The test included the following subtests: repetition of long sentences, recreating sentences, making inferences, comprehension of logico-grammatical sentences, comprehension of lexical and syntactic ambiguities, comprehension of metaphors, and word definitions.Results: The results indicated that the mean scores of the patients with PD were consistently lower than those of the healthy control group. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in the repetition of long sentences, recreating sentences, and making inferences subtests, as well as in the total test score (P ≤ 0.005).Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that high-level language skills are impaired in patients with PD. These findings may help speech-language pathologists identify the linguistic difficulties these patients experience and develop targeted intervention plans to address the adverse effects of these language impairments.
Background: Aging is commonly associated with a progressive decline in neuromuscular function, which adversely affects balance control, gait stability, and overall mobility. Consequently, fall prevention has become a major concern in the elderly population. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a six-week total resistance exercise (TRX) training program on dynamic balance and gait kinematic parameters in healthy older women.Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 36 healthy older women aged 55–75 years, recruited through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group (18 participants per group). The experimental group participated in a TRX training program three times per week for six weeks, with each session lasting 30–40 minutes, whereas the control group received no structured exercise intervention. Both groups underwent pre- and post-tests assessing stride length, stride width, walking speed, and dynamic balance. Dynamic balance was evaluated using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. At the same time, gait kinematic parameters were assessed using the Plug-in Gait marker placement protocol and a three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis system. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS.Results: Compared with the control group, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in dynamic balance (F(1,33) = 25.31, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.43), stride length (F(1,33) = 9.71, p = 0.004, η2 = 0.22), stride width (F(1,33) = 29.87, p = 0.002, η2 = 0.47) and walking speed (F(1,33) = 10.83, p = 0.003, η2 = 0.24).Conclusion: A six-week TRX training program effectively improved dynamic balance and gait kinematic parameters in healthy older women. These findings highlight the value of functional suspension training in enhancing mobility and reducing fall risk among older adults. Accordingly, TRX training may be considered an effective component of rehabilitation and fall-prevention programs for older people.
Background: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders in both developed and developing countries and imposes a substantial socioeconomic burden on individuals and society. To date, few studies have investigated the clinically meaningful effects of chiropractic care on chronic LBP. Given the high prevalence of LBP and the limited effectiveness of current treatment approaches for chronic LBP, further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of chiropractic interventions.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted among patients with chronic LBP who were referred to private chiropractic clinics in Shiraz, Iran. Eligible participants had experienced LBP for more than three months and had no pathological abnormalities other than those involving the lumbosacral spine. Data were collected at two time points: baseline (the first visit) and eight weeks after treatment. Treatment outcomes were assessed using three instruments: the Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and the Global Rating of Change (GRC) self-assessment questionnaire.Results: A total of 141 patients with a mean age of 40.18 ± 10.42 years were included in the analysis. Of these, 40 (28.4%) were male. The mean differences in disability and pain intensity before and after the intervention were statistically significant (P < 0.001). The mean ± SD GRC score was 56.13 ± 33.03%. No significant differences in GRC scores were observed among patients with mild, moderate, or severe findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Conclusion: Overall, chiropractic care may serve as an appropriate adjunct to conventional treatments for improving disability and reducing pain intensity in patients with chronic LBP.
Background: Myopathies are a heterogeneous group of muscle disorders that affect more than 1.7 billion people worldwide and present significant therapeutic challenges because of their diverse etiologies, clinical manifestations, and varying degrees of disease severity.Methods: This narrative review examines current therapeutic approaches for myopathies, including herbal remedies, complementary therapies such as acupuncture and massage, physiotherapy, nutritional interventions, and emerging gene therapies. Herbal remedies and complementary therapies may provide symptomatic relief for some patients, whereas physiotherapy helps preserve muscle function and improve physical performance. Nutritional interventions support overall health and may contribute to disease management, while gene therapies offer promising strategies to target the underlying genetic defects in inherited myopathies. However, the effectiveness of these interventions varies, and robust clinical evidence supporting many of these approaches remains limited.Results: Herbal remedies and complementary therapies may provide symptomatic relief for some patients, whereas physiotherapy helps preserve muscle function and improve physical performance. Nutritional interventions support overall health and may contribute to disease management, while gene therapies offer promising strategies to target the underlying genetic defects in inherited myopathies. However, the effectiveness of these interventions varies, and robust clinical evidence supporting many of these approaches remains limited.Conclusion: This review highlights the need for future research to prioritize large-scale, high-quality clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of existing and emerging therapies, develop personalized treatment strategies tailored to individual patient characteristics, and improve access to innovative therapeutic options. Addressing these challenges may enhance the clinical management of myopathies and ultimately improve patient outcomes and quality of life across diverse populations.
Background: Stroke survivors often experience functional limitations, particularly impairments affecting the upper extremities. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Chedoke Arm and Hand Activity Inventory (CAHAI-13) in individuals with stroke.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 105 patients with stroke and 10 experts participated. The CAHAI-13 was translated into Persian following the IQOLA protocol. Participants completed the CAHAI-13 along with the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), and Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE). The study evaluated content validity, construct validity, convergent and divergent validity, known-groups validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and inter-rater reliability.Results: Expert evaluations indicated that the Persian version of the CAHAI-13 demonstrated satisfactory content validity. Significant positive correlations were observed between the CAHAI-13 and the ARAT (r = 0.84), WMFT (r = 0.91), and FMA-UE (r = 0.74) (P < 0.001), supporting its convergent validity. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a one-factor structure with an acceptable model fit in the stroke population. The instrument also demonstrated strong known-groups validity (F = 123.36, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the CAHAI-13 showed excellent internal consistency (α = 0.96), good test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.85), and excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.93).Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Persian version of the CAHAI-13 is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing upper-extremity function in stroke survivors and can be used effectively in both clinical practice and research settings.
