فهرست مطالب zidashti

Heart failure is associated with structural and functional changes of the heart and physical activity is a likely intervention to improve it. This study aimed at investigating the effect of concurrent aerobic-resistance exercise training on NT-proBNP levels, blood pressure and body composition in patients with chronic heart failure. In this clinical trial study, 76 patients with chronic heart failure Grade II and III, classifications of the New York Heart Association, EF≤ 40% and age range (72±7 years) randomly were divided into two equal intervention and control groups. The exercise protocol included aerobic exercises (50%-85% maximum heart rate) and resistance training (50%-70% one repeated maximum) for 2 months, three times a week. Blood pressure, body composition and serum NT-pro BNP levels were measured before and 8 weeks after the intervention.    Eight weeks of combined exercise significantly reduced weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), heart rate and NT-proBNP in the intervention group (P<0.05). But, WHR and BMI showed no significant difference between the groups in post-test. Also, significant changes were not observed in blood pressure and mean arterial pressure within and between the groups. It seems that combined exercise training was effective in reducing weight and NT-proBNP. Therefore, the present training program can be proposed as non-pharmaceutical interventions for patients with heart failure.

There is no consensus over the relationship between lipid profiles and atherosclerosis risk factors with lumbar disc degeneration. This study aims to investigate the lipid profile and some risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in patients undergoing surgery for lumbar disc degeneration. Methods and Materials/Patients: A correlational cross-sectional study was carried out on all candidates for lumbar disc degenerative diseases surgery at Poursina Hospital in Rasht City, Iran from July to December 2017 (130 adult patients aged 20-77 years). The obtained data were collected from the patients’ medical file or asking them after obtaining written informed consent. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS V. 16 by performing the Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests to examine the relationship between the study variables. The significance level was set at P≤0.05 for all tests. 60.8% of subjects had comorbid diseases, mostly hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Their mean low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels were higher than normal and their mean total cholesterol was at borderline. Also, 74.6% and 84.6% of the patients had Body Mass Index and abdominal circumference higher than the normal range. Physical activity in 88.5% of subjects was below the desired level and 79.2% of the patients did not report a history of smoking. Inferential findings indicated a significant relationship between dyslipidemia and various types of lumbar disc degenerative diseases (P<0.05). The study showed dyslipidemia and some other risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, including obesity and inactivity in patients with lumbar disc degenerative disease. More research is needed to assess other atherosclerosis risk factors and types of lipids with respect to disc degenerative diseases.

Lumbar disc degeneration is one of the most frequent causes of pain in the lower back, and lack of physical activity, overweight and obesity have been regarded as the most significant factors in its occurrence. The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluation of body mass index, abdominal obesity and physical activity level in patients registered for elective lumbar disc degeneration surgery. Methods and Materials/Patients: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on adult patients (20 to 77 years old) candidates for surgery admitted to the Poursina Hospital in Rasht City, Iran in 2016 due to degenerative lumbar vertebrae diseases. After obtaining the patients' consent, their abdominal circumference, weight, and height were measured by the researcher. The Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) questionnaire was used to assess the level of physical activity of the subjects and questions about professional sports were asked by the researchers. SPSS 16 was used to analyze the study findings. The Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were applied to examine the relationship between qualitative data. The mean±SD BMI values in males and females were 26.63±4.47 and 28.96±4.45 kg/m2, respectively. Also, the mean±SD values of abdominal circumference in men and women were 99.8±13.35 cm and 107.44±17.58 cm, respectively. The majority of the people (88.5%), including 71.7% of men and 97.6% of women had suboptimal physical activity, and a small percentage of samples (10.8%) reported previous professional exercises The present study results indicate the lack of activity level, high BMI and abdominal fat in our patients. Further study is required to investigate the significant relationship between BMI and degenerative disease types