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Objectives: To investigate the effects of walking training combined with respiratory muscle training (RMT) on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, and functional exercise capacity in patients with Parkinson's disease. Materials & Methods: Thirty patients with Parkinson's disease were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the walking and RMT group (W + RMT, n = 15) and the RMT (n = 15) group. Spirometry, respiratory muscle strength, and a 6‐min walking test were measured before and after the eighth week of the study. RMT was performed using inspiratory and expiratory threshold loading methods. Walking training intensity was adjusted according to the 6‐min walking test. Patients performed 15 min of inspiratory muscle training and 15 min of expiratory muscle training in both groups, and 15 min of walking training in the W + RMT group in addition to RMT, twice per day, 5 days/week, for a total of 8 weeks at home. Training intensity was adjusted once per week for the groups at the hospital. Results: Respiratory muscle strength and 6‐min walking distance were significantly increased (p =.001), and UPDRS‐III scores were significantly improved (W + RMT: p =.008 and RMT: p =.01) in the two groups. The increase in maximal expiratory pressure was significantly higher in the W + RMT group than in the RMT group (p =.007). Conclusion: Walking training increases the effect of expiratory muscle training in patients with Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: JAK2V617F (JAK2), calreticulin (CALR) and MPL515L/K (MPL) mutations are important in essential thrombocythemia (ET) and may be associated with various clinical consequences of the disease. This study aimed to compare the clinical and haematological parameters of ET patients regarding the mentioned mutations and the role of plateletcrit (PCT). Methods: Seventy patients who were diagnosed with ET between 2005 and 2017 in a single centre were included in this descriptive study. The initial symptoms and clinical findings were retrieved from the electronic database. JAK2 gene V617F mutations, MPL gene exon 10 mutations and CALR gene exon 9 DNA sequence analyses were performed. Forty‐one healthy volunteers were included to perform ROC curve analysis for interpreting PCT value. Results: The distributions of patients according to the mutations were as follows: Thirty‐seven (52.9%) patients were JAK2‐positive, 15 (21.4%) were CALR‐positive, 2 (2.8%) patients were positive for both CALR and JAK2, and 1 (1.4%) was only MPL‐positive. Fifteen (21.4%) patients were triple‐negative. The ET patients with JAK2 mutation showed a higher level of haemoglobin at the time of diagnosis. The ET patients with CALR mutation presented with higher platelet and LDH levels (P =.002 and P =.001, respectively). The PCT level was higher in the CALR‐positive group when compared to the others (P =.026). A sensitivity value of 97.6% and specificity value of 98.6% were determined regarding PCT% at a cut‐off value of 0.37 in ET patients. In CALR‐positive patients, the sensitivity and specificity values were 100% for the PCT at a cut‐off value of 0.42%. Conclusion: We determined that the platelet count and blood LDH level was high in the ET patient group with CALR mutation. Besides, we found that the blood haemoglobin level was higher in the ET patient group with JAK2 mutation. Additionally, the PCT level was higher in the CALR group when compared to the other patient groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ethanol extract from leaves of Myrtus communis subsp. communis (MC) on acetic acid (AA)-induced ulcerative colitis in rats. On the fourth day of colitis induction, all rats were decapitated. Colitis was assessed by macroscopic and microscopic scores and by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, luminol, lucigenin, nitric oxid and peroxynitrite chemiluminescence (CL). Colitis caused significant increases in the colonic MDA levels, MPO activity, CL values, macroscopic and microscopic damage scores along with significant decrease in tissue GSH level. However, treatment with MC extract reversed all these biochemical indices, as well as histopathological alterations induced by AA with the protective effects being similar to that of sulphasalazine treatment. The study showed that MC extract could alleviate colitis in rats and can be considered an alternative therapeutic approach for management of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Practical Applications Myrtus communis subsp. communis leaves are used as antihypertensive, antitussive, antiemetic, diuretic, antidiarrheic, cardiotonic, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory agents in folk medicine. This study revealed that the ethanol extract of the plant possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity, confirming its traditional use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linked Comment:Boutou et al. Int J Clin Pract 2014; 68: 139–40. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]