No abstract

Article type: Original ArticleBackground: Data on the physical strength capabilities are essential for designing safe and usable products and are useful in a wide range of clinical settings especially during treatment of disease affecting the function of the hand. The purpose of this study was to determine peak lateral pinch strength, key pinch strength, tip-to-tip pinch strength and three-jaw pinch strength exertions in a healthy Iranian children and young adult population. Methods: The study was conducted among 511 participants (242 males and 269 females) aged 7-30 years. Measurements were carried out with both dominant and non-dominant hands in standard sitting posture using a B&L pinch gauge. Two repetitions of each strength measurement were recorded for each condition and the average value of the two trials was used in the subsequent analysis. Results:The results showed significant differences in the pinch strength data in terms of the age, gender and hand dominance. The lateral pinch strength, key pinch strength, tip-to-tip pinch strength and three-jaw pinch strength exertions by females were 68.4%, 68.8%, 78.8% and 81.8% of those exerted by males, respectively. Strength exertions with the non-dominant hand were 6.4%, 5.2%, 6.6% and 5.1% lower than strength exertions of the dominant hand for the lateral pinch strength, key pinch strength, tip-to-tip pinch strength and three-jaw pinch strength exertions, respectively. Conclusion: These findings can be used to fill the gaps in strength data for Iranian population.

Background and Aim:Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and most deadly malignancies among the women all over the world. The diagnosis, treatment, and complications arising from this cancer bring about numerous physical, mental, and social complications as well reduced quality of life in these patients. The present study aims at investigating the effect of training problem-based learning on the quality-of-life symptom scales in patients suffering from breast cancer.Materials and Methods:In a randomized controlled clinical trial, 50 breast cancer patients hospitalized in the oncology ward of Tohid Hospital of Sanandaj, Iran. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. Experimental group patients were trained according to problem-based learning, but no specific measure was conducted on control group patients. Right after the training course, the patients’ quality of life was measured once more by using the abovementioned questionnaires, and the data collected were analyzed by using statistical tests.Results:The mean age of the samples was 44.22 ± 10.32. The findings of the study indicate that there was a significant statistical difference between the two groups in the quality-of-life symptom scales before the intervention and after conducting it (P < 0.05). Moreover, as for the breast cancer-specific quality-of-life symptom scales, there was no significant statistical difference between the two groups both before and after the intervention (P < 0.05).Conclusion:The findings obtained in the present study indicate that training problem-based learning had a positive effect on the quality-of-life symptom scales in women suffering from breast cancer. This training method can be applied as a part of normal measures taken for the patients alongside other medical measures.

No abstract