Many theories have been put forward to explain the mechanism of stone formation and growth. The aim of this study was to investigate the urinary, serum and stone levels of zinc, iron, magnesium, and copper in patients with calcium oxalate stones and to investigate urinary and serum element levels in healthy controls and to find a possible connection between the elements and calcium oxalate stone formation. A total of 104 patients with calcium oxalate stones ranging in age from 3 to 79 years (mean 44.0 +/- 18.1) and 77 healthy controls ranging in age from 18 to 77 (mean 44.2 +/- 17.9) were included in this study. The mean urinary iron and copper levels in stone patients were significantly higher than healthy controls (P = 0.000). The mean urinary zinc and magnesium levels in healthy controls were significantly higher than stone patients (P = 0.000). There was no significant difference in the serum levels of magnesium and copper in stone patients and healthy controls. Serum zinc and iron level were significantly high in healthy controls as compared to stone patients. Each stone had all 4 elements. Zn and Mg have inhibitory effect on calcium oxalate stone formation. Fe and Cu could be promotor of the calcium oxalate stone formation.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of therapeutic neuroscience education (TNE) combined with physiotherapy on pain, kinesiophobia, endurance, and disability in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Patients and methods: Between November 2016 and December 2017, a total of 31 patients with CLBP (5 males, 26 females; mean age: 42.3±10.8 years; range, 20 to 58 years) were randomly allocated to receive physiotherapy combined with TNE (experimental group, EG, n=16) and physiotherapy alone (control group, CG, n=15). All participants received physiotherapy consisting of five sessions per week for a total of three weeks. In addition to physiotherapy, the EG received TNE sessions consisting of two sessions per week for a total of three weeks. The primary outcomes were pain intensity as assessed by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and kinesiophobia by Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), while and the secondary outcomes were trunk muscle endurance as assessed by the partial curl-up test (trunk flexor endurance [TFE]) and modified Sorensen test (trunk extensor endurance [TEE]) and disability by Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). Results: All patients completed the study. The median VAS, TSK, TFE, TEE, and RMDQ scores for the EG significantly improved after three weeks, while there was only significant improvement in the VAS, TSK, and RMDQ scores in the CG. The TSK decreased more in the EG than in the CG. The significant difference was evident in TSK and TFE in favor of the EG (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that the combination of TNE with physiotherapy can improve kinesiophobia and trunk flexor muscle endurance of patients with CLBP in the short-term.

No abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the pain beliefs of Akdeniz University Vocational School of Health Services (AUVSHS) students. Fifty Physiotherapy Assistants students, 54 Paramedic students and 37 Elderly Care students who take pain education in their curriculum and 50 Child Development and Care students who do not take pain education were included in this study. The pain beliefs of the students were evaluated with Pain Beliefs Questionnaire. There was no statistically significant difference between organic (OBS) and psychological pain belief scores (PBS) of programs with and without pain education (p>0,05). There was statistically significant difference between OBS and PBS in favor of PBS in all programs (p<0,05). In conclusion, it was determined that pain beliefs in AUVSHS were similar in all programs. It is important to balance between organic and psychological pain beliefs. So we plan to develop new training strategies to balance student’s pain beliefs.

No abstract