Dyspnea and decreased O2 saturation are the most common causes of hospitalization in noncritical COVID-19 patients. Breathing exercises and chest physiotherapy are used for managing the patients. These treatments are, however, not well supported by scientific evidence. In a randomized controlled trial, 80 patients were randomly assigned to planned breathing exercises (n=40) and control groups (n=40). The participants in the intervention group were instructed to blow into a balloon five times a day while lying down. Other therapies were similar in both groups. The severity of dyspnea at rest/after activity and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) with/without O2 therapy were compared between the two groups on the first, second, and third days. The study findings showed no statistically significant difference in SpO2 with/without O2 therapy on the first, second, and third days between the two groups. Although the severity of dyspnea showed no significant difference between the two groups, the mean score of dyspnea at rest (2.72±2.25 vs. 1.6±1.21, P=0.007) and after activity (4.53±2.04 vs. 3.52±1.66, P=0.017) improved in the intervention group on the third day. Balloon-blowing exercise improves dyspnea in noncritical Covid-19 patients, but it does not significantly improve oxygenation.

Dyspnea and decreased O2 saturation are the most common causes of hospitalization in noncritical covid-19 patients. Breathing exercises and chest physiotherapy are used for managing the patients. These treatments are however not well supported by scientific evidence. In a randomized controlled trial, 80 patients were randomly assigned to planned breathing-exercise (n=40) and control groups (n=40). The participants in the intervention group were instructed to blow into a balloon five times a day while lying down. Other therapies were similar in both groups. The severity of dyspnea at rest/after activity and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) with/without O2 therapy were compared between the two groups on the first, second, and third days. The study findings showed no statistically significant difference in SpO2 with/without O2 therapy on the first, second, and third days between the two groups. Although the severity of dyspnea showed no significant difference between the two groups, the mean score of dyspnea at rest (2.72+-2.25 vs. 1.6+-1.21, p=0.007) and after activity (4.53+-2.04 vs. 3.52+-1.66, P=0.017) improved in the intervention group on the third day. Balloon-blowing exercise improves dyspnea in noncritical Covid-19 patients, but it does not significantly improve oxygenation. Keywords: breathing exercises, balloon-blowing, BBE, chest physiotherapy, covid-19, dyspnea, oxygenation, pulmonary rehabilitation.

Background: Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial skin disease affecting many of the world’s population throughout their lives and can cause severe emotional distress and psychological disorders such as poor self-image, depression, and anxiety. Several underlying risk factors are known for acne development, and many, including inappropriate lifestyle, are yet to be studied. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine the role of lifestyle factors including dietary habits, physical activity, and bathing frequency in the incidence of acne vulgaris. Methods: The study population included 425 subjects, of whom 171 were acne patients (the case group), and 254 were non-acne patients (the control group). All participants filled out a questionnaire addressing their demographic information and some lifestyle habits. The data were analyzed by SPSS. Results: Fast food consumption was significantly higher in the case than in the control group (P = 0.008). Dairy intake and bathing frequency were significantly higher among non-acne patients than those with acne (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). Vegetable consumption, water intake, and the number of episodes and minutes of physical activity per week were not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.1, P = 0.4, P = 0.9, and P = 0.8, respectively). The mean weight of participants was significantly higher in the case than in the control group (P = 0.001). Conclusions: There was no significant difference in most of the studied factors between the two groups. Therefore, further studies are needed to assess the role of other underlying conditions such as genetic factors and hormonal changes in the development of acne vulgaris.

Scan to discover onlineBackground & Objective: Premalignant lesions of cervix have increased dramatically in recent years. Early diagnosis and management of abnormalities have an effective role in preventing the invasion of the disease and also in timely treatment. This study aimed to compare diagnostic methods in the detection of squamous cell abnormalities with abnormal Pap smear test. Methods:This cross-sectional study was performed on 1000 women with abnormal Pap smears in 2007-2018. Sampling was performed with simple method. All samples were subjected to an immediate assessment of colposcopy and histopathology if suspected. The checklist included demographic information as well as symptoms, cytopathology, colposcopy and histopathology findings. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and statistical analysis (P<0.05).Results: A significant relationship between histopathology and Pap smear findings was found (P=0.009), also there was a significant correlation between histopathology and colposcopy findings (P=0.001). However, there was no significant relationship between clinical symptoms and histopathology findings (p=0.8). Sensitivity , specificity , positive and negative predictive value of Pap smear were 43%, 65.9%, 75.4%, 32.2% and of colposcopy were 74.7%, 39.5%, 75%, 39.1%, and of clinical symptoms were 72.6%, 28.1%, 71.1%, 29.7%, respectively. Conclusion:Pap smear findings have the appropriate diagnostic accuracy in comparison with colposcopy and histopathology findings for screening and diagnosis of squamous intra-epithelial lesions. Also, there was higher sensitivity of colposcopy compared with Pap smear to detect cervical lesions. Therefore, it is advisable to use these methods simultaneously. Main Subjects:Cytology

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