Peripheral neuropathy and amputation are common complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) that significantly impact the quality of life of the affected individuals. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy, the level of amputation, and the quality of life in patients with DM. This cross-sectional study was conducted after approval of the synopsis involving 225 diagnosed patients with DM on pre-defined eligibility criteria, selected from public sector OPDs, specialized diabetes centres, and centres manufacturing orthotics and prosthetics. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and the administration of the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument and the Asian Diabetes Quality of Life Questionnaire. The level of amputation was recorded for each participant. Data was entered into SPSS, and results were synthesized. Pearson correlation is applied to find an association between gender and the quality of life of the participants, while P ≤ 0.05 will be considered significant. The prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in a sample of 225, based on a self-administered questionnaire, was (44.4%), and in terms of foot examination was (51.1%). As people progressed in age, the prevalence increased to 20.0% in patients above 60 years and 8.9% in ≤ 35 years of age. The majority of participants (56.0%) have had DM for less than five years. Females were 57.8% of the study population, while 97.8% of participants had type II DM. Below-knee amputation of the right limb was observed in 22(9.8%) of the participants. The QoL was poor in the majority of the participants (96.9%) patients with DM (P = 0.638 and T = -0.471). This cross-sectional study highlights a high prevalence of peripheral neuropathy and amputation and poor QoL in patients with diabetic mellitus.

In contemporary societies, computer use by children is a necessity and thus highly prevalent. Using computers for long hours is related to a higher risk of computer-related muscular disorders like forward head posture (FHP) and neck pain (NP). Deep cervical flexor (DCF) muscles are important head-on-neck posture stabilizers; thus, their training may lead to an improvement in FHP and NP. The aim of this study was to determine if 4 weeks of DCF training is effective in alleviating NP, improving FHP, and functional status in adolescent children using computers regularly, a pretest-posttest experimental group design was used. Subjects were randomly assigned into the experimental group (receiving DCF training and postural education) and the control group (receiving postural education only). 30 subjects with a mean age of years with NP and FHP using computers regularly participated in the study. Dependent variables were measured on day 1 (at baseline) and after 4 weeks of training. Photographic analysis was used for measuring FHP, visual analog scale for NP intensity, and neck disability index for functional status. Data analysis showed that in both groups, no significant improvement occurred in FHP. In both groups, there was a significant improvement in functional status and NP. There was no significant difference between both groups for FHP and NP. There was a significant improvement in functional status in the experimental group in comparison to the control group. Four weeks of DCF training does not cause a significant improvement in FHP in 13 to 18 years old adolescent children using computers regularly.

Background: Anxiety symptoms, stress, poor sleep, and inadequate sleep hygiene are common in university students and these affect their learning and increase attrition. However, limited knowledge exists about the inter-relationship between these factors among university students in low-middle income countries. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and their relationship with sleep quality, sleep hygiene practices, and psychological stress.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a randomly selected sample of students in Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, which included questions about socio-demographics, socio-economic factors, the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire-Mizan, Sleep hygiene index, Perceived stress scale-10 (PSS-10), and Generalized anxiety disorder-7 scale (GAD-7).Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was about 22%. Multivariate regression analysis showed that both anxiety status χ²[(13, N = 480) = 82.68, p < 0.001], and increasing levels of anxiety (model adjusted R2 = 0.204, p < 0.001) were associated with greater psychological stress, inadequate sleep hygiene practices, and poor sleep quality scores after adjusting for age, gender, attendance, substance use, years of university education, time spent in athletic activity every day, and frequency of tea/coffee consumption.Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of anxiety symptoms in this study population, and this condition was associated with psychological stress, poor sleep, and inadequate sleep hygiene parameters. These results suggest a need to address the various aspects of mental health and its diverse sleep correlates in university students.

Background: The present study was conceptualized as a pilot study to examine the effects of a 3-week program consisting of strain/counterstrain technique (SCST), phonophoresis, heat therapy, and stretching exercises on pain and functions in patients with temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD). Methods: Seven participants (mean age 25.85 years) diagnosed with TMD having pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) area with decreased jaw opening were recruited for the study. Treatment interventions consisting of SCST, phonophoresis (ultrasound gel mixed with diclofenac gel), heat therapy, and stretching (mouth-opening) exercises were performed 3 days a week for 3 weeks. SCST was performed on the masseter, medial, and lateral pterygoid muscles. No control group was present in the study. Results: Paired samples t test revealed a significant difference in numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) (decreased by 50%, P < .001) and jaw functional limitation scale (JFLS) (reduced by 59.58%, P < .001) scores after 3 weeks of intervention. A large effect size (Cohen d = −3.00 for NPRS and −3.16 for JFLS) was observed for both variables. No correlation (R = 0) was found between the baseline values of NPRS and JFLS. Conclusion: A 3-week program consisting of SCST, phonophoresis, heat therapy, and stretching exercises was effective in reducing the pain and improving the functions related to TMJ in patients suffering from TMD. However, a randomized controlled trial is needed to reach a definite conclusion.

Background: Impaired motor function and upper extremity spasticity are common concerns in patients after stroke. It is essential to plan therapeutic techniques to recover from the stroke. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of myofascial release with the tennis ball on spasticity and motor functions of the upper extremity in patients with chronic stroke. Methods: Twenty-two chronic stroke patients (male-16, female-6) were selected to conduct this study. Two groups were formed: the control group (n=11) which included conventional physiotherapy only and the experimental group (n=11) which included conventional physiotherapy along with tennis ball myofascial release – in both groups interventions were performed for 6 sessions (35 minutes/session) per week for a total of 4 weeks. The conventional physiotherapy program consisted of active and passive ROM exercises, positional stretch exercises, resistance strength training, postural control exercises, and exercises to improve lower limb functions. All patients were evaluated with a modified Ashworth scale for spasticity of upper limb muscles (biceps brachii, pronator teres, and the long finger flexors) and a Fugl-Meyer assessment scale for upper limb motor functions before and after 4 weeks. Nonparametric (Mann–Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test) tests were used to analyze data statistically. This study has been registered on clinicaltrial.gov (ID: NCT05242679). Results: A significant improvement (P < .05) was observed in the spasticity of all 3 muscles in both groups. For upper limb motor functions, significant improvement (P < .05) was observed in the experimental group only. When both groups were compared, greater improvement (P < .05) was observed in the experimental group in comparison to the control group for both spasticity of muscles and upper limb motor functions. Conclusion: Myofascial release performed with a tennis ball in conjunction with conventional physiotherapy has more beneficial effects on spasticity and motor functions of the upper extremity in patients with chronic stroke compared to conventional therapy alone.

The optimal functioning of the liver is essential for athletic performance. It is necessary to maintain the liver’s enzymes at an optimal level so that liver cells can be protected from inflammation or damage. This study investigated the effects of a 12-week aerobic exercise program on the liver function of adult athletes. A pretest–posttest experimental design was used. A total of thirty healthy male athletes (football players) aged 21 to 24 years were recruited for this study and randomly and equally divided into the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). The CG did not participate in any special activities. The EG performed an aerobic training program consisting of several exercises for 12 weeks. Evaluation of all participants in both groups was carried out before and after the intervention by measuring the blood levels of Alkaline phosphate, AST/SGOT, ALT/SGPT, Bilirubin Total/indirect/direct, Albumin, Globulin, and Total protein using the standard methods by collecting blood samples. There was a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in Bilirubin and globulin levels in the EG after 12 weeks of aerobic training sessions. However, there was no significant difference in alkaline phosphate, AST/SGOT, ALT/SGPT Total protein, and Albumin (p > 0.05) between both groups post-treatment. The 12 weeks of aerobic training used in the study can potentially improve the liver function of adult athletes.