Background: Stroke defined by diminished cerebral blood flow, results in brain damage and neurological impairments. It often leads to considerable difficulties, such as limited mobility and compromised hand function, usually manifesting as a weakening in the ability to open and shut the hand. Objective: The study evaluates the differences between opening and closing hands when utilizing a soft robot. Methods: The study was conducted in the Mosul Specialist Rehabilitation Center which involved 68 participants, all over 20 years old, with visual impairments. The Iranian Clinical Trials Registry and Ministry of Planning approved the study, The Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity Action Research Arm Test, and Arm Motor Ability Test were used to assess finger extension and flexion. Results: A study revealed that stroke patients who utilized a soft robotic glove experienced notable improvements in hand functionality. Average hand closure scores increased significantly, from 8.14 to 20.36 out of 21 points. Women demonstrated greater progress in hand opening rates compared to men, with an average improvement of 1.91 times between pre- and post-assessments. In contrast, the control group exhibited similar hand-opening advancements across genders. Patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes showed enhanced abilities in opening and closing their hands. Additionally, the study identified a statistically significant improvement in hand function improvements based on stroke type. Conclusion: The study found that stroke patients using a soft robotic glove showed significant improvements in hand-closing abilities, while exercise had minimal impact. Women showed an average increase in hand opening rate. Both male and female patients showed improvement, with hemorrhagic strokes showing remarkable advancements.
Gingivitis, the initial stage of periodontal disease, is characterised by inflammation driven by dental biofilm and associated with oxidative stress. Matcha tea, a powdered green tea rich in antioxidants, has shown potential health benefits. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Matcha tea consumption on clinical periodontal parameters and salivary antioxidant levels in patients with gingivitis.
A randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted with 41 participants diagnosed with gingivitis.
To compare the heat-activated nickel titanium (HANT) with superelastic nickel-titanium (SENT) archwires in terms of their effectiveness of aligning teeth, possibility of inducing root resorption, and perception of pain.
Orthodontic patients aged 12 years or over with mandibular anterior crowding of 3–6 mm, who required treatment without extractions were randomly allocated (a simple non-stratified randomization) to the HANT and SENT archwires groups with a 1:1 allocation ratio. The archwire sequence in both groups was 0.014-inch and 0.016-inch, respectively. Each archwire was
Retainers have the potential to detrimentally impact periodontal health and contribute to tooth decay.
To investigate periodontal health and bacterial biofilm related to Poly-Ether-Ether-Ketone (PEEK) fixed retainers as compared to Dead-soft coaxial fixed retainer (DSC).
A two-arm parallel groups single-centre randomized c
The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of listening to music or Quran in reducing cancer patients’ anxiety before chemotherapy administration. Reducing anxiety in people with cancer, prior to chemotherapy administration, is a crucial goal in nursing care.
An experimental comparative study was conducted.
A simple randomization sampling method was applied. Two hundred thirty‐eight people with cancer who underwent chemotherapy were participated. They are assigned as Quran, music and control groups.
A systematic approach is presented to achieve the stable grasping of objects through a two-finger robotic hand, in which each finger cavity was filled with granular media. The compaction of the latter, controlled by vacuum pressure, was used to adjust the structural and contact stiffness of the finger. The grasping stability was studied under the concurrent effect of an external torque and applied vacuum pressure. Stable grasping was defined as the no slippage condition between the grasped object and the two fingers. Three control schemes were adopted and applied experimentally to ensure the effectiveness of the grasping process. The results showed that stable and unstable grasping regions exist for each combination of applied torqu
... Show MorePoly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) was introduced in dentistry as an alternative to metal alloys.
To assess the effectiveness of PEEK-fixed retainers in preserving the stability of mandibular anterior and participant satisfaction as compared to the Dead-soft coaxial fixed retainer (DSC).
A single-centre, two-arm parallel groups