Background: Patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) have a flexed posture and are at an increased risk of falls. In addition, fear of falling (FOF) is among the main complaints of PD patients. To reduce the risk of falling, complex non-drug interventions are required, involving balance-challenging exercises with proper strength, along with posture alignment through corrective exercise interventions (Alexander techniques), which are often utilized to manage patients with PD and thoracic hyperkyphosis. Objectives: To investigate the effects of Alexander-based corrective techniques (ABCT) on forward flexed posture (thoracic hyperkyphosis and forward head posture), risk of falling, and FOF among idiopathic PD patients. Methods: In this interventional study, 26 male and female patients were randomly assigned to the experimental (n, 13) and control groups (n, 13). The subjects participated in a postural realignment program, consisting of 60-minute sessions over 8 weeks (3 sessions per week). Pre-and posttest evaluations were also carried out. Results:The results of paired t test regarding the effects of ABCT on the thoracic kyphosis angle (TKA), craniovertebral angle (CVA), falls efficacy scale-international (FES-I) score, freezing of gait (FOG), and functional reach test (FRT) score revealed a significant difference between the pre-and posttest stages in the control group (P = 0.05). In addition, the t test results showed a significant difference in the mean changes of TKA, FES-I score, FOG, and FRT score between the groups in the pre-and postintervention stages. The Pearson's correlation test showed that TKA had a significant positive correlation with FES-I and FOG in the groups. On the other hand, the results of Pearson's correlation test showed a significant negative correlation between TKA and FRT. Finally, the Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a significant positive correlation between CVA and FES-I, but not FRT in the groups. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that 8 weeks (24 sessions) of ABCT in the experimental group caused considerable improvements in TKA, CVA, FOF, FOG, and risk of fall in patients with PD.

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Nearly half of the world's population is infected with Helicobacter pylori. Clinical manifestations of this infection range from gastritis and peptic ulcers to gastric adenocarcinoma and lymphoma. Due to the emerging of antibiotic resistant strains and poor patient compliance of the antibiotic therapy, there is increasing interest in the development of a protective vaccine against H. pylori infection. The bacterial protein FliD forms a capping structure on the end of each flagellum which is critical to prevent depolymerization and structural degradation. In this study, the potential of FliD as a prospective H. pylori subunit vaccine was assessed. For this purpose, immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant FliD (rFliD) from H. pylori was evaluated in C57BL/6 mice. Purified rFliD was formulated with different adjuvants and administered via subcutaneous or oral route. Subcutaneous immunization with rFliD elicited predominantly mixed Th1 and Th17 immune responses, with high titers of specific IgG and IgG. Splenocytes of immunized mice exhibited strong antigen-specific memory responses, resulting in the secretion of high amounts of IFN-γ and IL-17, and low levels of IL-4. Immunization with rFliD caused a significant reduction in H. pylori bacterial load relative to naïve control mice (p < 0.001), demonstrating a robust protective effect. Taken together, these results suggest that subcutaneous vaccination with rFliD formulated with CpG or Addavax could be considered as a potential candidate for the development of a subunit vaccine against H. pylori infection.

Introduction. Diabetic nephropathy is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease worldwide. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia and subsequent production of glycation end-products activate the paths which lead to diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of L-lysine on antioxidant capacity, biochemical factors, kidney function, HSP70 level, and the expression of the TGFβ, VEGF, and RAGE genes in rats with streptozocin-induced diabetes mellitus. Methods. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to four eight-rat groups, namely, a healthy group, a diabetic group treated with vehicle (DM + vehicle), a diabetic group treated with L-lysine (DM + Lys), and a healthy group treated with L-lysine (healthy + Lys). Rats in the DM + Lys and the healthy + Lys groups were treated with L-lysine 0.15%. The levels of fasting blood glucose, insulin, HbA1C, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), lipid profile, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, glomerular filtration rate, urine microalbumin, oxidative stress parameters, kidney histology and morphology, and TGFβ, VEGF, and RAGE gene expressions were assessed. Findings. An eight-week treatment with L-lysine significantly reduced the levels of fasting blood glucose, AGEs, kidney function parameters, oxidative stress parameters, lipid profile, and the TGFβ, VEGF, and RAGE gene expression and significantly increased the levels of serum insulin and tissue HSP70. Conclusion. Treatment with L-lysine seems to slow down the progression of diabetic nephropathy.