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Background The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR) technology on balance and gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Material/Methods The study design was a single-blinded, randomized, controlled study. Twenty-eight patients with PD were randomly divided into the experimental group (n=14) and the control group (n=14). The experimental group received VR training, and the control group received conventional physical therapy. Patients performed 45 minutes per session, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks. Individuals were assessed pre- and post-rehabilitation with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), Third Part of Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS3), and Functional Gait Assessment (FGA). Results After treatment, BBS, TUGT, and FGA scores had improved significantly in both groups (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the UPDRS3 between the pre- and post-rehabilitation data of the control group (P>0.05). VR training resulted in significantly better performance compared with the conventional physical therapy group (P<0.05). Conclusions The results of this study indicate that 12 weeks of VR rehabilitation resulted in a greater improvement in the balance and gait of individuals with PD when compared to conventional physical therapy.

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The design, synthesis and application of iron-based materials (oxides Fe2O3/Fe3O4, hydroxide FeOOH, sulfides FeS2 and their nanocomposites) with 1D, 2D, and 3D nanostructure are fully summarized in this review.

Nanoparticles are being increasingly recognized for their potential utility in biological applications including nanomedicine. The aim of this study is to investigate a new strategy to combine the ZnO nanoparticles with graphene for targeting photodynamic therapy (PDT) under visible light irradiation. Folic acid (FA), a targeting agent toward tumor cells, was conjugated onto graphene oxide (GO) via imide linkage. Using a simple and effective chemical precipitation method, a GO-FA-ZnO nanohybrid was then prepared. The combination of ZnO with GO-FA induced a remarkable improvement in tumor targeting, which has been demonstrated by the cellular uptake assay. Due to the high electrical conductivity of graphene, the interaction between graphene and ZnO, and the inhibition of aggregation, the hybrid of GO-FA and ZnO significantly enhances the photodynamic activity. It was noted that the photodynamic activity of the non-cytotoxic GO-FA-ZnO is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under visible light irradiation. Following the ROS generation, GO-FA-ZnO caused a significant decrease in cell viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, superoxide dismutase activity, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, as well as an increase in malonodialdehyde production.Moreover, GO-FA-ZnO induced apoptotic death by elevating the caspase-3 activity. The study presents a novel tumor targeting photosensitizer and a promising strategy in PDT for cancer treatment.