Effects of Arctium lappa L. (Burdock) root tea on inflammatory status and oxidative stress in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

AIM: This study was designed to examine the effect of Burdock root tea on inflammatory markers and oxidative stress indicators in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Thirty-six patients (10 men and 26 women) aged 50-70 years old with knee osteoarthritis referred to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Hospitals, were selected for the study and randomly divided into two groups. Anthropometric measurements, including height, weight and body mass index (BMI) were measured. For all individuals along the 42 days of study period, the same drug treatments, including two lots of 500 mg acetaminophen twice a day and one glucosamine 500 mg once a day,were considered. The intervention group received daily three cups of Burdock root tea (each cup containing 2 g/150 mL boiled water) half-hour after the meal. The control group received three cups containing 150 cc boiled water daily. We assessed inflammatory markers such as high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and oxidative stress indicators such as total antioxidants capacity (TAC), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The results showed that burdock root tea significantly decreased the levels of serum IL-6 (P = 0.002), hs-CRP (P = 0.003) and malondialdehyde (P < 0.001), while the levels of serum TAC (P < 0.001) and activities of SOD (P = 0.009) were significantly increased. GPX activities increased but not significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that Arctium lappa L. root tea improves inflammatory status and oxidative stress in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Wrist bone mineral density utility in diagnosing hip osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a common bone disease that increases with age. Wrist bone mineral density (BMD) has significant correlation with other skeletal sites and it could be used as a diagnostic method for osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of wrist BMD in diagnosing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 99 postmenopausal women with mean age of 57 ± 6.9 (range 50-76) years were evaluated. BMD of nondominant wrist, lumbar spine (L2-L4) and femur bone using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) device as well as lateral lumbosacral X-ray for degenerative joint disease (DJD) evaluation were measured. Mean T-score of wrist was lower than hip and lumbar area. RESULTS: Osteopenia and osteoporosis were observed in 40.4% and 59.6% in the wrist, 38.4% and 24.2% in the hip and 36.4% and 49.5% in lumbar-spine BMD measurements, respectively. There was positive correlation between wrist BMD with hip BMD (r = 0.468,p < 0.001) and lumbar BMD (r = 0.322, p = 0.001). DJD due to lumbosacral X-ray was reported in 84 cases (84.8%) including mild DJD in 45 (53.5%), moderate DJD in 33 (39.3%) and severe DJD in 6 (7.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that wrist BMD has better accuracy than lumbar BMD in diagnosing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Effect of balance training with Biodex Stability System on balance in diabetic neuropathy.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetic neuropathy (DN) in the elderly is a common complication of diabetes that can negatively influence balance control. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of balance training program on postural stability of diabetic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, 34 elderly DN patients were divided into intervention (n = 17) and control (n = 17) groups. The experimental group underwent a balance training program using the Biodex Balance System (BBS) for 10 sessions. All subjects in both groups were assessed using timed 'up and go' (TUG) test, the Berg balance scale, and the fall risk and postural stability tests, at baseline and at the end of the study. RESULTS: TUG (p = 0.01), fall risk index (p = 0.002), anterior/posterior index (p = 0.01), medial/lateral index (p = 0.04), overall stability index (p = 0.01) and Berg balance scale (p = 0.04) were significantly improved after the training in the intervention group, but had no significant differences in the control group. The changes in TUG (p < 0.001) and fall risk index (p < 0.001) in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group. CONCLUSION: According to our results, balance training would improve postural stability and balance in elderly patients with DN.

Effects of sesame seed supplementation on inflammatory factors and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Considering the high prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) and since until now there has not been any human studies to evaluate the effect of sesame in OA patients, this study was designed to assess the effect of administration of sesame on inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with knee OA. Fifty patients with knee OA were allocated into two groups namely control and sesame group. 25 patients in the control group received 40 g placebo powder per day while 25 patients in the sesame group received 40 g of sesame seed daily during two months of study along with standard medical therapy. Serum total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde (MDA), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured. In the sesame group, a significant decrease in serum MDA and hs-CRP were seen after two months of study (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in post-treatment serum values of MDA, TAC and hs-CRP between two groups (P>0.05). Serum IL-6 decreased significantly in both groups compared with baseline during the two-month study (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in mean serum IL-6 between two groups after treatment (P=0.001). Sesame seed is a natural and safe substance that may have beneficial effects in patients with knee OA, and it may provide new complementary and adjunctive treatment in these patients.

Simultaneous bilateral biceps tendon rupture: a case report with practical sonographic diagnosis.

Simultaneous bilateral complete tear of the biceps tendons is a rare clinical entity with challenging treatment approaches. Current diagnostic imaging of rupture of the biceps tendon has reverted to magnetic resonance imaging; however, in the recent years, sonography has been widely used in musculoskeletal practice. The authors present a case of simultaneous bilateral biceps tendon rupture diagnosed on the basis of fundamental sonographic findings of the torn biceps tendons.

Effects of sesame seed supplementation on lipid profile and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to assess the effect of sesame seed on lipid profile and oxidative stress biomarkers in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. METHODS: Fifty patients with knee OA were allocated into two groups receiving 40 g of sesame seed daily along with standard medical therapy (n=25) or stan-dard treatment (n=25) for two months. Serum total antioxidant capacity, ma-londialdehyde (MDA) and lipid profile (total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides) were measured. RESULTS: After the intervention period two months of study, serum TC, LDL-cholesterol and MDA decreased significantly in the sesame group (P<0.05), while no significant difference in serum values of lipid profile and oxidative stress parameters was seen in the control group (P>0.05). There was no signifi-cant difference in pre and post-treatment values of lipid profile and oxidative parameters between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Current study showed a positive effect of sesame seed in improv-ing lipid profile and oxidative stress in patients with knee OA and indicated the fact that sesame seed might be of help to reduce oxidative stress in OA patients.

One year after twin earthquakes in Northwest Iran.

Every year in most earthquakes more than thousands of lives are lost, mainly in middle- and low-income countries. Disability and rehabilitation in third world countries could cause disastrous negative effect in living expense of families. So many preventable disabilities are result of these earthquakes and we hope reminding it will make a difference.

Effects of sesame seed supplementation on clinical signs and symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

AIM: Up to now there have been no human studies to evaluate the effect of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in osteoarthritis patients; this study was designed to assess the effect of administration of sesame on clinical signs and symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Fifty patients with knee OA referred to the only specialty and subspecialty orthopedic centers in the north-west of Iran, were selected and divided into two groups, namely control and sesame groups. Twenty-five patients in the control group received standard treatment while 25 patients in the sesame group received 40 g/day sesame by oral administration during 2 months of the study along with standard drug therapy. The KOOS Questionnaire, Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) tests were used for clinical assessments. RESULTS: There was significant difference in pain intensity between the two groups (P = 0.004) after treatment. The mean score of the KOOS Questionnaire in both treatment and control groups was significantly increased (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively) compared with baseline. The mean score of the TUG Questionnaire in both treatment and control groups was significantly decreased (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively) compared with baseline. There was significant difference in post-treatment scores of the KOOS Questionnaire (P = 0.009) and TUG (P = 0.002) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed a positive effect of sesame in improving clinical signs and symptoms in patients with knee OA and indicated the fact that sesame might be a viable adjunctive therapy in treating OA.

WITHDRAWN: Evaluation of dry needling in patients with chronic heel pain due to plantar fasciitis.

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