The Libyan journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison of the effects of modified constraint-induced movement therapy and intensive conventional therapy with a botulinum-a toxin injection on upper limb motor function recovery in patients with stroke.
Stroke is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide and one of the main causes of adult disability. Many studies have suggested that combination therapies provide better outcomes in patients with stroke than monotherapies. The combination of botulinum-A toxin (BTX) injection with rehabilitation methods, such as modified constraint-induced movement therapy (BTX-mCIMT), has emerged as a highly promising intervention for promoting motor recovery after stroke. ⋯ At the end of 4 weeks, the patients in the BTX-mCIMT group showed significantly higher mean FMA and BI assessment scores than the patients in the BTX-ICT group (P < 0.05). However, no significant statistical difference was observed in the MAS score of the patients in the two groups (P > 0.05). Our results indicated that while both BTX-mCIMT and BTX-ICT promoted motor function recovery in patients with stroke, BTX-mCIMT exerted higher therapeutic effects than BTX-ICT on motor function recovery and in the activities of daily living of patients with stroke.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
The role of tacstd-2 level in hepatitis C patients (controlled clinical research).
Hepatitis C virus is one of the leading causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 (Tacstd-2) molecule is thought to be involved in the expression of a number of molecules that facilitate transport of hepatitis C into the cell. The aim of this study was to investigate Tacstd-2 concentrations in hepatitis C patients, with and without cirrhosis, and compare with uninfected controls. ⋯ Liver transferase concentrations were higher in hepatitis C patients with a Tacstd-2 concentration <500 ng/U compared to those with a Tacstd-2 concentration >500 ng/U. In patients with hepatitis C, Tacstd-2 level was detected at higher serum concentrations than healthy individuals. The introduction of hepatitis C virus into the cell can be relatively easy in people with a higher serum concentration of Tacstd-2.