OBJECTIVE To identify predictors of success for physiotherapy treatment in women with persistent postpartum stress urinary incontinence (SUI). DESIGN Secondary analysis of data from a single-blind randomized controlled trial comparing 2 physiotherapy intervention programs for persistent SUI in postpartum women. SETTING Obstetric clinic of a mother and children's university hospital. PARTI...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the electromyogram (EMG) response of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) to whole-body vibration (WBV) while using different body posture and vibration frequencies. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirteen healthy adults (7 men, 6 women) voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study in which EMG data from PFM were collected in a total of 12 trials for eac...

High-resolution studies of dental tissues are of considerable interest for biomedical engineering and clinical applications. In this paper, we demonstrate the application of piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) to nanoscale imaging of internal structure of human teeth by monitoring the local mechanical response to an electrical bias applied via a conductive tip. It is shown that PFM is capable ...

Endodontic diagnosis often requires thermal testing through porcelain fused-to-metal (PFM) and all-ceramic restorations. The purpose of this study was to measure and compare the temperature change during thermal testing by three commonly used methods occurring at the pulp-dentin junction (PDJ) of nonrestored teeth and teeth restored with full coverage restorations made of PFM, all-porcelain, or...

This paper asks how strong African Public Financial Management (PFM) has become, after a decade and more of reform. How well do African PFM systems in place now facilitate effective public financial management? Where are the next challenges and how can they be met? It analyzes recent PFM assessments in 31 governments to answer these questions, identifying patterns of strengths and weaknesses ac...

BACKGROUND Water immersion delivery is a non-pharmacological approach to ease labor pain. This paper aims to investigate the effect of water immersion delivery on increasing strength of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) and relieving pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) during postpartum period. METHODS A total of 2749 vaginal-delivery primiparas in postpartum 6-8 weeks were selected as research objects. Ba...

UNLABELLED Study Type - Diagnostic (case series) Level of Evidence 4. What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and transvaginal electrical stimulation (TES) are two commonly used forms of conservative treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). PFMT may build up the structural support of the pelvis, but many SUI patients are unable to pe...

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study is to characterize the phenomenon of evoked tactile sensation (ETS) on the stump skin of forearm amputees using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). APPROACH We identified the projected finger map (PFM) of ETS on the stump skin in 11 forearm amputees, and compared perceptual attributes of the ETS in nine forearm amputees and eight able-bodied su...

BACKGROUND Motivated patients are more likely to adhere to treatment resulting in better outcomes. Virtual reality rehabilitation (VRR) is a treatment approach that includes video gaming to enhance motivation and functional training. AIMS The study objectives were (1) to evaluate the feasibility of using a combination of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) exercises and VRR (PFM/VRR) to treat mixed ur...

BACKGROUND Central fat mass (CFM) correlates with insulin resistance and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications; however, peripheral fat mass (PFM) is associated with insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation of absolute and relative regional adiposity to insulin resistance index and adipokines in type 2 diabetes. METHODS Total ...