IntroductionMilitary service is a stressful environment. Methods to reduce stress may result in the mental health promotion of military forces. There are various methods for relieving anxiety. Acupressure is one of them. Hence, this study was carried out to explore effects of acupressure at the P6 and LI4 acupressure points on the anxiety level of army soldiers.MethodsA randomised double-blind design was undertaken. A total of 120 Iranian army soldiers were randomly assigned to three groups, namely P6, LI4 and control. The P6 and LI4 acupressure points are effective in lowering the anxiety level. In the intervention groups, acupressure was applied at the P6 and LI4 points three times for 10 min at 30 min intervals. In the control group, the thumb pad, which is not an acupressure point, was pressed. The anxiety level of the subjects was measured before the intervention and 30 min after the last intervention. The instruments included a demographics questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the three groups with respect to the anxiety level in the preintervention phase. However, the mean anxiety score in the P6 group decreased significantly from 53.35±9.7 to 49.02±9.3 (p=0.005). The mean anxiety score in the LI4 group also decreased significantly from 53.37±8.39 to 45.47±8.16 (p<0.001). In the control group, there was no significant difference between the preintervention and postintervention phases (p=0.16). In the postintervention phase, the analysis of variance test showed a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the anxiety level (p=0.04).ConclusionsAcupressure can reduce soldiers’ anxiety at the acupressure points, especially at the LI4 point. It is recommended that this simple and cost-effective intervention be used to relieve soldiers’ anxiety in stressful situations.Trial registration number20150715023216N4.
Background:The prevalence of obesity has led to an increase in research on obesity and cardiovascular disease and its metabolic risks.Objectives: This research aimed at exploring the combined effect of resistance training and green tea supplements on the lipid profile and anthropometric indices of overweight and obese males in a definite period of time. Methods:In this clinical trial study, 60 males aged 34 ± 8 with a body mass index (BMI) of 29.88 ± 2.08 Kg.m -2 were randomly assigned to four groups of 15, namely the control group, green tea group, resistance training group, and group combining resistance training with green tea. Resistance training was done three times a week for eight weeks. The green tea supplement was a capsule containing 500 mg of powdered green tea leaves. The subjects were asked to take three capsules a day. The lipid profile comprised of cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Anthropometric indices consisted of the BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and body fat percentage before and after the intervention. In order to analyze the results, descriptive and analytical statistical methods were employed. Results: The combination of resistance training with green tea resulted in a significant reduction in the average body fat percentage, BMI, WHR, and triglyceride and also a significant increase in HDL (P < 0.05) yet had no effect on the average LDL and cholesterol. Conclusions: Combining resistance training with the consumption of green tea supplements for eight weeks can reduce the average of anthropometric indices and some lipid profile blood in overweight and obese males. Therefore, it is recommended for overweight and obese males to take benefit of the positive combined effects of resistance training and green tea to reduce their BMI, WHR, body fat percentage, and blood fats.
Background Cryptosporidium is an intracellular protozoan that causes gastrointestinal symptoms in humans and animals. In immunocompromised patients and children under 5 years of age, the infection is severe and can be life-threatening due to severe diarrhea. Case presentation We report a case of urticaria associated with Cryptosporidium in a 17-month-old female Iranian child. The patient had severe diarrhea, weight loss and urticaria. Since the child's father worked in livestock farming, the hypothesis of parasite transmission from cows or calves to the house and the child was proposed. Several Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in the modified acid-fast staining of the child's stool sample. The patient was successfully treated with nitazoxanide (100 mg twice daily) and became negative for parasites three days after treatment and one week after discharge from the hospital. Her stool pattern normalized in 1 week and she has had no recurrence after 6 months of follow up. Conclusion A number of parasites are associated with urticaria, but to our knowledge, there is no information on Cryptosporidium-induced urticaria. Therefore, our result may be evidence for the role of this parasite in the development of urticaria.
Background Cryptosporidium is an intracellular protozoan that causes gastrointestinal symptoms in humans and animals. In immunocompromised patients and children under 5 years of age, the infection is severe and can be life-threatening due to severe diarrhea. Case presentation We report a case of urticaria associated with Cryptosporidium in a 17-month-old female Iranian child. The patient had moderate diarrhea (> 3 loose, watery stools but not more than 10 diarrhea stools in a day), weight loss, and acute urticarial (rash clears completely within 6 weeks). Since the child’s father worked in livestock farming, the parasite may have been transferred from the cow or calve to the house and the child. Several Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in the modified acid-fast staining of the child’s stool sample. The patient was successfully treated with nitazoxanide (100 mg twice daily) and became negative for parasites three days after treatment and one week after discharge from the hospital. The child was observed to produce < 3 loose stools in the previous 24 h after 1-week post-treatment and after 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion A number of parasites are associated with urticaria, but to our knowledge, there is no information on Cryptosporidium-induced urticaria. Therefore, our result may be evidence for the role of this parasite in the development of urticaria if other causes such as food allergies, autoimmune diseases and etc. don’t role in urticaria.
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