Subjects In Experimental Group Research Articles

Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Anxiety among Antenatal Mothers Attending Antenatal OPD of GGSMC & Hospital, Faridkot, Punjab

Introduction: During pregnancy many changes occur in women’s self-concept and the changes in their selfimage and the shift in focus from themselves to the needs of the foetus and unfamiliar territory of pregnancy and early motherhood creates anxiety. Relaxation techniques are a great way to help in managing anxiety such as progressive muscle relaxation technique(PMRT) which may be very useful for treating anxiety symptoms during pregnancy. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the effect of progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety among antenatal mothers. Material & Method: Quasi Experimental design with two group pre-test and post-test design was used. Conceptual framework for the study was adopted from Ludwig Von Bertalanffy (1968) General System Model was chosen to conduct the study. Through convenience sampling, 35 subjects were selected in experimental and 35 in control group. Subjects in experimental group (n=35) were provided PMRT and conventional care and in control group (n=35) only conventional care was provided. Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS) and Socio demographic data sheet was used to collect the data. Results: Results revealed that there was significant difference in level of anxiety after four weeks of progressive muscle relaxation technique in experimental group (p value 0.005) as compared to control group. However, there was no association of pre-test level of anxiety with selected demographic variables Conclusion: The study concluded that progressive muscle relaxation technique was effective in reducing anxiety among antenatal mothers after 4 weeks of intervention in experimental group

Effect of fenugreek on breast milk production and weight gain among Infants in the first week of life

IntroductionBreast feeding is the best nutrition for infants. Most of the postnatal mothers face the problem of insufficient breast milk which affects the health and well-being of an infant. ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of fenugreek on enhancing breast milk production and weight gain of infants in the first week of life. MethodsAn experimental study with two groups ie, experimental and control group was conducted in a maternity centre, Bangalore. Sixty postnatal mothers were selected for the study and thirty each were randomly assigned to both experimental and control group. 7.5 g of fenugreek was soaked overnight and the subjects of experimental group were administered with this fenugreek water, daily once in the morning for a period of 7 days. The frequency of urination and weight of the babies both in experimental and control group were assessed and compared on first, third, fifth and seventh day. ResultsThere was an associate improvement in the signs of breast milk sufficiency within the fenugreek subjects when compared to the control group. The impact of fenugreek on breast milk was evident on the frequency of urination and weight gain in infants throughout their initial week of life. ConclusionsThe study concluded that fenugreek enhances breast milk production among postnatal mothers and facilitates birth weight of infants within the initial week of life.

The Immediate Effects of Lavender Aromatherapy Massage versus Massage in Work Stress, Burnout, and HRV Parameters: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background Occupational stress is a common issue faced by workers in every discipline. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, such as aromatherapy massage or massage, have antistress effects in the literature. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial with triple blinds is to evaluate the immediate effects of lavender aromatherapy massage for improving work stress, burnout, and HRV parameters of female employees in a university. Methods A total of 53 subjects in experimental group whereas 57 subjects in control group completed interventions and measurement and led to power of 0.98. Inferential statistics, as independent t-test, paired t-test, and Chi-Square test, were performed to verify the expected relationships. Results The present study found that subjects in experimental group reported a lower role stress and less inclined to type A personality trait after aromatherapy massage with lavender. For control group, only less inclined to type A personality trait was reported after receiving massage. For burnout, a significant lower personal burnout and work-related burnout were reported after aromatherapy massage whereas only increased client-related burnout was reported in control group. For HRV, both the experimental and control groups reported higher SDNN and RMSSD in time domain after intervention. Contradictory HRT and PSI in time domain were significantly lower after intervention. In frequency domain of HRV, both groups reported significantly higher value in VLF and HF. In addition, the experimental group reported significantly higher value in TP and LF after intervention. Conclusions Both the lavender aromatherapy massage and massage did show immediate effect on different dimensions of work stress, burnout, and HRV. These two interventions can be applied as routine leisure activities by personal preference to reduce stresses occurring in work environment.

Ego State Therapy (EST) and Systemic Desensitization (SD) to Reduce School Refusal among Senior High School Students

This paper compared Ego State Theraphy (EST), Systematic Desensitization (SD), and the combination of both treatments to reduce school refusal among high school students. It employed experimental approach with pretest‑posttest control group design. It used Scale Revised‑Child (SRS‑RC). It took 40 high school students in Surabaya. The data were analyzed one‑path anava. It concludes that first, school refusal declining in the subjects of experimental group which underwent EST, SD, and SDEST are significantly different from control group. Second, the three strategies tested in this research are more effective in reducing the symtomps of school refusal. Third, subjects in experiment group with SDEST strategy have sustained a decline in school refusal score greater than subjects in experiment groups which underwent single strategy

Dictogloss As A Comprehensive Teaching Technique To Use With EFL Iraqi College Students

The study investigates Dictogloss technique impact on Iraqi EFL college students’ overall achievement (Reading, Writing, and listening skills) suggesting it as a comprehensive adequate technique. 51 second year college students have chosen present the sample of the present study, 26 students for experimental group and 25 for the control one, in which conventional way of teaching English three skills is conveyed. Research findings indicate the difference in pupils’ scores at the post-test in which the experimental group subjects’ achievement in the summative post-test found to be higher than the control group one, a statistically significant increase with the use of Dictogloss technique in the post-test administration has been seen for the experimental group samples. Basis on the obtained results, the researcher is highly recommended adopting Dictogloss in teaching English language for EFL second year college students, due to the obvious high recorded scores of the experimental group in the post-test considering the control group.

Comparison of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy and theory of mind on increasing social competence among abused children.

BACKGROUND:In recent decades, the use of psychological methods has been considered to improve the barriers and challenges of abuse adolescent females. This study focuses on comparing the efficacy of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and theory of mind (ToM) on social competence among abused children.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A clinical trial was performed with 39 abused children as the subjects of the study. Participants are residents in Ahvaz (Iran) host-family centers and were randomly divided into two groups of experimental subjects and control subjects. The data collection method utilized the Social Competence Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, covariance analysis, and Tukey's post hoc test were used for the data analysis.RESULTS:Comparison of the groups showed that the average behavioral and cognitive competence increased in both TF-CBT and ToM groups, but the average emotional, social competence is significantly higher in the ToM group. It is also found that the average social motivational competence is significantly higher in the TF-CBT group than in the ToM group.CONCLUSION:TF-CBT and ToM can be effectively used to improve the social competence of abused adolescent females.

Physical Fitness as Part of the Health and Well-Being of Students Participating in Physical Education Lessons Indoors and Outdoors.

The analysis of existing information on physical activity and fitness as elements of health and well-being reveals that they are achieved particularly effectively in contact with nature. Physical education lessons outdoors, as a form of healthy training, have been performed in numerous countries for years, providing a response to the traditional indoor model of this kind of education. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between the participation of students in outdoor and indoor lesson activities and the change in their physical fitness. 220 students participated in an experimental study. The experimental group, which did exercise usually in open spaces, included 49 boys and 54 girls. The control group, which exercised inside school, consisted of 63 boys and 54 girls. The study period lasted two years and involved the fifth and sixth form of primary school. Experimental group subjects were 11.26 years old (±0.32) during the initial test, and the control group individuals were 11.28 years (±0.32). During the final test, the average ages of experimental group subjects was 12.96 years (±0.32), and 12.98 years (±0.32) in the control group. The International Physical Activity Test was applied in the study. The differences between the levels of particular components of physical fitness were not statistically significant during the initial measurement (p-values ranged from p = 0.340 to p = 0.884). After two years of outdoor physical education lessons, there was revealed a considerable increase in the speed, jumping ability, and aerobic endurance of the students. Statistically significant differences were observed in these three tests, including running speed (p = 0.001), legs power (p = 0.001), and endurance (p = 0.000). The findings encourage one to continue pedagogical experiments regarding physical activity in outdoor natural environments.

Кривизна кривой как показатель оптимальности траектории движения в физической реабилитации. Эллиптические реабилитационные движения

The movement dynamic characteristics are the main parameters for physical exercise dosing during the athlete recovery process. However, taking into account the geometric characteristics of movement is no less important, especially when restoring the joint range of motion. The hypothesis of the study was the assumption that the use of movements’ geometric characteristics allows to “design” the optimal physiological rehabilitation patterns for movement volume restoration. Objective: to develop general principles and to create a mathematical model of the optimal trajectory characteristics for the restored part of the athlete’s musculoskeletal system. Materials and methods: We used 3D Qualisys Motion Capture and Analysis System in our investigation. The study involved 32 complex coordination sports athletes (age 9-15) with hip and ankle joint injuries (bruises, sprains strains). All they required a joint movement volume restoration. Results: The study revealed that joint movement volume restoration following the individually selected pathways involving effective mathematical modeling (study group) takes shorter time to restore the athletes than traditional physiotherapy methods (control group). For typical injuries (bruises, sprains and strains) of the hip joint area, the rehabilitation took 18±5 days for controls and 12±3 days for experimental group subjects. Nearly the same pattern was observed in restoration the ankle joint (12±4 days of recovery for controls versus 8±3 days for the experimental group). Conclusions: Restoring the joint movement volume, the workloads should be evaluated with geometric rather than dynamic indicators; for planar movement, that should be the distal limb path curvature relative to the restored joint.

The Influence of Repeat Sprint Training on the Senior Swimmers' Aerobic Capacity

It would be recommended to pay swimming the proper attention, both from the perspective of knowing the effort involved and its training methodology. New studies have shown that there are other ways of getting results, sometimes in a shorter period of time than in the case of classic training. A new method, used in this study, is repeat sprint training. The difference between the sprinters' technique and the long distance swimmers' technique is mainly in regard to the race rhythm, more than the specialization of the swimmer. The hypothesis of this research is that repeat sprint training influences/ improves the swimmers' aerobic capacity. At the end, an increase was observed in the maximum alactic and lactic powers, of 50% and 83%, respectively, after the training, in all experimental group subjects.

Increases in Theta Oscillatory Activity During Episodic Memory Retrieval Following Mindfulness Meditation Training.

Mindfulness meditation has been shown to improve episodic memory and increase theta oscillations which are known to play a role in episodic memory retrieval. The present study examined the effect of mindfulness meditation on episodic memory retrieval and theta oscillations. Using a longitudinal design, subjects in the mindfulness meditation experimental group who underwent 4 weeks of mindfulness meditation training and practice were compared to a waitlist control group. During the pre-training and post-training experimental sessions, subjects completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and studied adjectives and either imagined a scene (Place Task) or judged its pleasantness (Pleasant Task). During the recognition test, subjects decided which task was performed with each word (“Old Place Task” or “Old Pleasant Task”) or “New.” FFMQ scores and source discrimination were greater post-training than pre-training in the mindfulness meditation experimental group. Electroencephalography (EEG) results revealed that for the mindfulness meditation experimental group theta power was greater post-training than pre-training in right frontal and left parietal channels and changes in FFMQ scores correlated with changes in theta oscillations in right frontal channels (n = 20). The present results suggest that mindfulness meditation increases source memory retrieval and theta oscillations in a fronto-parietal network.

The Effectiveness of Group Counseling Based on Metacognitive Therapy and Dialectic Behavior Therapy on Reducing Anxiety in Boy Adolescent of Divorce

Background: Anxiety among teenagers may disturb their life, and it is no controlling results in severe problems. Therefore, the present research was designed and conducted by the aim of investigating the effectiveness of group counseling training based on metacognitive therapy & dialectic behavior therapy on reducing anxiety in boy adolescent of divorce. Methods: The present research conducted by quasi-experimental method and used a pretest-posttest with control group design. The statistical population of the current research included all boy students of divorced parents in Karaj in 2017-2018. Among them, 36 persons selected by convenience sampling method, and they were assigned into experimental and control groups (12 individuals per group) randomly. Before the intervention, the Beck Anxiety Inventory executed on participants. Group counseling therapy based on metacognitive therapy and dialectic behavior therapy provided for the experimental group subjects in sixteen 90-minute sessions, while the participants of the control group received no intervention. Posttest executed for all three groups after completing the training. The research data were analyzed by covariance analysis and by SPSS-22 software. Results: Covariance analysis findings indicated that metacognitive therapy and dialectic behavior therapy groups had significant decreasing than the control group after interventional (P>0.05). Also, results indicated than there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy and dialectic behavior therapy on anxiety decreasing among boy teenagers of divorced teenagers (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present research, we can state that dialectic behavior therapy and metacognitive therapy by changing negative cognitions reduce anxiety among divorced children.

The Effect of Instructional Software for Earth and Environmental Subject on Increasing Achievements of Ninth Grade Students at king Abdullah the II for Excellence School in Irbid

This study aimed at examining the effect of Instructional software for earth and environmental subject on Increasing achievements of ninth grade students at king Abdullah the II for excellence school in Irbid. In order to achieve the objective of the study، The researcher adopted the experimental method، and prepared instructional software and achievement test، the subjects of the study consisted of (53) ninth basic graders، (27) males، (26) female. The subjects were randomly distributed into two groups، (26) of them in the experimental group taught by the instructional software، and (27) in the control group taught by the conventional method. The results of the study indicated that there were statistical significant differences at the level (α = 0.05) due to the teaching method، the mean value for control group is (20.44)، while the mean value for experimental group is (23.19)، in the favor of the experimental group subjects taught by the instructional software، and there were no statistical significant differences due to the gender or to the interaction between the gender and teaching method. The study suggested a number of recommendation and implications in order to increase students achievement in earth & environmental subjects and all curriculums.

Effects of Physical Exercise on Body Composition and Resting Blood Pressure among Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension

Background: Hypertension is one of the major public health challenges worldwide because of its high prevalence and concomitant risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality. Different studies indicate that majority of the peoples died in sub-Saharan Africa with heart failure and stroke as the result of high blood pressure. Excess body fat, especially upper body fat is associated with enhancing the frequency of hypertension occurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of physical activity on changes of body composition and resting blood pressure among sedentary hypertensive patients, as an effective non-pharmacological alternative means of control and prevention of hypertension. Methods: Experimental design was employed to measure the effects of physical activity on body composition among sedentary hypertensive patients. Thirty (30) hypertensive adult participants were selected. Before and after the intervention, participants’ mean arterial pressure, body weight, percentage of body fat, waist and hip circumferences were measured for each subject in experimental and control group. Results: The current findings demonstrated a greater change of body weight, percentage of body fat, and mean arterial pressure between pre and post measurements in the experimental group (Body weight pre 87.0 + 7.26 kg, Body weight post 83.73 + 7.74 kg; Mean arterial pressure pre 123.7 + 3.76 mm Hg, Mean arterial pressure post 120.2 + 4.39mm Hg; and Body fat percentage pre 40.16 + 1.13 %, Body fat percentage post 38.44 + 1.15 %). Among the control group however, all these measurements spontaneously increased significantly (p<0.0005) from pre to posttest period. Conclusion: The results of this experimental study revealed that regular physical exercise is an effective alternative control of hypertension among sedentary hypertensive patients, as evidenced by significant decrease in body composition parameters and resting blood pressure from baseline (pretest) to post intervention period.

Management of Psycho-Physiological aspect of Bronchial Asthma through Yogic Intervention

In this study eighty bronchial asthma patients were selected through accidental sampling and sample was divided into experimental group (n=40) and control group (n=40). They underwent Yoga therapy program for 60 days with an integrated set of yogic practices, including jihvamula, karnarandhra, kapalrandhra, tadasana, tiryaka tadasana, kati chakrasana and marjariasana , nadishodhan pranayama, bhastrika pranayama and Gayatri mantra. Bronchial asthmatics practiced these exercises for 45 minutes daily for 60 days. Stress level and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were assessed on all the Bronchial asthmatics, both initially and after completion of study. The obtained data were statistically analyzed through paired t-test. Subjects of experimental group showed a statistically significant decreasing trend in average stress level and increasing trend in average forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) after 60 days Yoga practice, while control group showed no such improvement (P>0.01).

The Effect of Combined Exercise (Interval and Polymetric) on Some Physical Fitness Parameters in Middle-Age Men

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a combination of interval and polymetric training on some physical fitness parameters in Imam Reza international university employees. In this semi-experimental study, 24 men age between 30 and 35 years and a body mass index of 25 to 27 kg/m2 were assigned into experimental (n=12) and control (n=12) groups. Subjects in experimental group (interval and polymetric training) under went six weeks, 3 sessions per week and each session 60-90 minutes polymetric training at an intensity of 80-85% maximal heart rate. The parameters of the test included: cardio respiratory endurance, anaerobic power, speed, agility, muscular endurance and power were collected before and after six weeks of training. While the control group was prevented from any sport activity and just participated in pre and post-testing. Six weeks of combined training program resulted in a significant difference in cardiovascular endurance records, muscular endurance, speed and agility between experimental and control groups. But a significant difference between anaerobic and power can be found at the end of the period. The combination of interval and polymetric training is affective in improving physical fitness parameters among staffs of Imam Reza international university.

Validation of training module to increase self-efficacy of adolescent peer counsellors in Indonesia

Background: Peer counsellor programs are one of many countermeasures for current issues in adolescent mental health. Peer counsellors need to have adequate capability and self-efficacy especially in basic counselling skills to be able to help their peers in their daily life. A validated training module for peer counsellors in mental health context has not yet been developed in Indonesia.Aim: This research aims to develop, and evaluate content and empirical validity of a training module for adolescent peer counsellors in Indonesia.Method: A training module was developed based on a systematic literature review. Expert judgment was elicited to ensure content validity, while a quasi-experiment with two groups control design with a pretest and post-test measure was conducted to evaluate empirical validity. Thirty experimental group subjects and 14 control group subjects were involved in this study.Results: Expert judgment showed the training module had satisfactory content validity, fulfilling statistical consensus requirements. Analysis using EffectLiteR showed that peer counsellor training had a significant effect on self-efficacy with a significance score of 0.019 (p < 0.05) for average effect.Conclusion: The module has adequate content and empirical validity to increase counselling self-efficacy in adolescent peer counsellors.

Application of PRECEDE model in education of nutrition and physical activities in obesity and overweight female high school students

Background and objectiveAdolescence obesity and overweight is one of the most common health problems in Iran. This study aimed to determine the effect of education based on precede model in education of nutrition and physical activities in obesity and overweight female high school students of Fasa city, Fars Province, Iran in 2017–2018. Materials and methodsThis research is a quasi-experimental study performed on 200 overweight and obese high school female students who were randomly assigned to two groups of control and experimental. The data collecting tool was the precede model based and physical activity and nutrition performances questionnaire that was completed before and 3 months after the education. Educational intervention was performed in 10 educational sessions 50–55 min for the experimental group. Finally data was collected and analyzed by SPSS22 and by using Chi-square test, independent t-test and paired t-test and the meaningful level was considered 0.05. ResultsBefore educational intervention there was no significant differences in experimental and control groups in knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, enabling factors, reinforcing factors, physical and nutrition performances. However, 3 months after educational intervention, experimental group indicated significant enhancement in each of the mentioned factors, compared to the control group. Before educational intervention there was no significant differences in weight and BMI of the subjects of experimental and control groups, however, 3 months after intervention, significant differences were seen in experimental group, indicating the effect of educational intervention on weight and BMI of students, while control group had no changes. ConclusionThe findings of this study revealed that design and performance of educational programs based on precede model has influence on the changes of predisposing factors (knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy), reinforcing and enabling factors of overweight students, comparing to the physical and nutrition performance of these students and caused the reduction of their weight.

The Effect of Task Based Language Learning (TBLL) on Developing Speaking Skills of Secondary School Learners in Pakistan

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of task based language learning on developing speaking skills of secondary level learners. To achieve this objective, a task based instructional programme consisted of four units of textbook of grade IX was developed. The students of IX grade of Islamabad district were the population of the study. Two groups experimental and control were randomly taken in a natural setting from a randomly selected school of Islamabad district. Both groups were pre and post-tested to determine the difference in their mean scores. Both groups were administered a teacher made speaking skill test as pre-test before starting intervention of treatment. The experimental group got treatment, while control group was taught conventionally for 45 days. Same teacher made speaking skill test was administered to both experimental and control groups as post-test after 45 days. Two tailed t-test was applied at 0.05 levels. The results of the present study showed statistically significant differences between mean scores of the experimental group subjects in term of speaking skills as the post-test scores of experimental group were noticeably higher than the scores of control group. The results of the study support the effectiveness of TBLL as a foreign language. The present study recommends that Pakistani teachers should adopt TBLL approach which is pragmatic, instead of struggling with obsolete traditional methods in second language acquisition.

Efficacy of riluzole in the treatment of spinal cord injury: a systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVERiluzole is a glutamatergic modulator that has recently shown potential for neuroprotection after spinal cord injury (SCI). While the effects of riluzole are extensively documented in animal models of SCI, there remains heterogeneity in findings. Moreover, there is a paucity of data on the pharmacology of riluzole and its effects in humans. For the present study, the authors systematically reviewed the literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects of riluzole in SCI.METHODSThe PubMed database was queried from 1996 to September 2018 to identify animal studies and clinical trials involving riluzole administration for SCI. Once articles were identified, they were processed for year of publication, study design, subject type, injury model, number of subjects in experimental and control groups, dose, timing/route of administration, and outcomes.RESULTSA total of 37 studies were included in this study. Three placebo-controlled clinical trials were included with a total of 73 patients with a mean age of 39.1 years (range 18-70 years). For the clinical trials included within this study, the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale distributions for SCI were 42.6% grade A, 25% grade B, 26.6% grade C, and 6.2% grade D. Key findings from studies in humans included decreased nociception, improved motor function, and attenuated spastic reflexes. Twenty-six animal studies (24 in vivo, 1 in vitro, and 1 including both in vivo and in vitro) were included. A total of 520 animals/in vitro specimens were exposed to riluzole and 515 animals/in vitro specimens underwent other treatment for comparison. The average dose of riluzole for intraperitoneal, in vivo studies was 6.5 mg/kg (range 1-10 mg/kg). Key findings from animal studies included behavioral improvement, histopathological tissue sparing, and modified electrophysiology after SCI. Eight studies examined the pharmacology of riluzole in SCI. Key findings from pharmacological studies included riluzole dose-dependent effects on glutamate uptake and its modified bioavailability after SCI in both animal and clinical models.CONCLUSIONSSCI has many negative sequelae requiring neuroprotective intervention. While still relatively new in its applications for SCI, both animal and human studies demonstrate riluzole to be a promising pharmacological intervention to attenuate the devastating effects of this condition.

The Effect of Spine Strengthening Exercises and Posture Training on Functional Thoracic Hyper Kyphosis in Young Individuals

Background & Objective: Hyper- kyphosis negatively affects health status, physical mobility, and quality of life. Corrective exercise interventions are often utilized to manage subjects with thoracic hyper-hypnosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of multimodal spine strengthening exercises (spinal strengthening, spinal alignment and other such exercises for increased spine mobility) and posture training in young individuals with functional thoracic hyper-kyphosis. Materials & Methods: 97 young men with hyper-kyphosis abnormality (a kyphosis angle of more than 42 degrees) with a mean age of 23.82±2.96 years, the height of 174.74 ± 7.75 cm, and the weight of 70.36 ± 8.53 kg were selected. The individuals were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Experimental group subjects participated in a 12-week progressive corrective exercise program with postural training that was performed 3 sessions per week for one hour, while the control group subjects underwent daily activities during the same period. The kyphosis angle was measured with a flexible ruler. Data was analyzed by ANCOVA. Results: The findings of the study showed that the multimodal spine strengthening exercise (spinal strengthening, spinal alignment and exercises for increased spine mobility) and postural training had a significant effect on the reduction of the thoracic kyphosis angle in the experimental group (P≤0.05). Conclusion: Corrective exercises along with postural training are recommended for the correction of hyper-kyphosis abnormalities in young adult.