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Background and Objective: The nature of Narrative version of Islamic medicine (NIM) is based on Quran and hadith, exclusive attention to Islamic narrative references and rejection of the strategies of other medical schools. This study was conducted to criticize NIM. Methods: In this qualitative study of content analysis, after collecting the opinions of 6 prominent scholars of NIM, the criticisms of these opinions were presented and categorized by three doctors specialized in Persian medicine, a cleric in the field of Islamic jurisprudence and a methodologist by holding expert panel meetings. Findings: Criticisms were raised based on three points of view. The intra-religious area including the routine of Ahl al-Bayt (The holy family of the Prophet Muhammad) in illness and the role of physicians, the place of reason and experience in Islamic sciences, differences in geographical areas, not mentioning the full history of patients and newly occurring diseases was brought up. From a medical point of view, the important points include lack of a research method to check the effectiveness of a medical narrative, lack of diagnostic aspects and an approach to screening. From the viewpoint of religious and social consequences, religious trauma resulting from lack of response to treatment attributed to Ahl al-Bayt, approach to other manifestations of Western civilization, ethical issue of producing, prescribing and selling drugs by a group and loss of life and money due to waste of time in cases with definitive or relative treatment was raised in other medical schools. Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, the introduction of this theory to society without sufficient investigations in the seminaries and universities of medical sciences may cause physical, mental and religious trauma at the individual and social level.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Nowadays, heart failure is one of the most common diseases and is the cause of death in a high percentage of the population. Despite all the progress made, researches continue for achieving a better understanding of its causes. The present study aims to evaluate the causes of heart failure from Persian medicine (PM) point of view. METHODS: In this review article, first PM books with references to causes of heart failure and weakness such as Al Qanun Fi Al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine) and Exir-e-azam were reviewed and compared with modern medical findings in Braunwald's Heart Disease, Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine and Cecil medicine books as well as online databases including PubMed, Science direct, Scopus and Google scholar. FINDINGS: Reviewing the documentation revealed that, according to definitions and symptoms, heart failure is the equivalent of the term “heart weakness” in PM. Accordingly, results of the study demonstrated that according to PM, causes such as Sue-e-Mizaj, obstruction, tissue detachment, mental disorders, direct and indirect excessive disposal of body essential materials may underlie the heart’s inability to meet the needs of the organs. CONCLUSION: Several factors are mentioned as the cause of heart failure or heart weakness in PM, only a few of which are considered in modern medicine. However, some of these less considered theories can be used as new assumptions to prevent and control this disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Persian (Iranian) medicine is one of the oldest traditional medical science with more than 1000 years of history. Scientometrics studies on the current research achievement of Persian medicine in academic communities are lacking. The purpose of this study is assessment and analysis of scientific attainment of Persian medicine in international research publication and provides overview of research efforts in the field of Persian traditional medicine until 2015. METHODS: Documents were collected from Pub Med database with these keywords: “Iranian medicine”, “Persian medicine”, “Iranian traditional medicine” and “Persian traditional medicine”. All data were classified based on type of manuscript, field of study, kind of research, journal type and publication year. FINDINGS: 502 Articles were found up to the end of 2015; 54.3% original articles, 26% review, 13.7% letter to editor, 29% biographical and historical articles. Pharmacological and phytochemical studies were the most published articles (14/7%). Between 139 journals which published these articles, 59% have Impact factor (IF) and highest IF belonged to the Lancet neurol J (23/46). More than one citation was reported in 43.7% of articles and the most citation belong to the one of the published article in year 2012 (23 citation). H-Index of all collected articles was 12. CONCLUSION: The number of published articles in Persian (Iranian) Medicine had significant growth in the last years. But usage of several keywords for Persian traditional medicine, by authors, inhibits aggregation and availability to these. However proposed unique full or abbreviate name be used in all published research document.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Maple syrup urine disease is a rare inborn metabolic inherited disorder caused by deficiency of branched chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase complex and leading to accumulation of branched chain amino acids in body fluid. The incidence of MSUD is higher in populations with high consanguineous marriage. BCKD is a mitochondrial complex which is encoded by four nuclear genes (BCKDHA, BCKDHB, DBT, and DLD) and MSUD can be caused by mutation within any of these four genes. Accumulation of metabolic is associated with impairment of energy metabolism, provoke apoptosis, dysfunctional neurotransmitter synthesis and neuropathological defects such as seizure, psychomotor delay and coma. In the present study, we investigated the incidence of MSUD in Iran, compiled previously reported mutations in Iranian population and also explained molecular pathomechanisms underlying MSUD. METHODS: To compile MSUD mutations, we systematically reviewed PubMed and magiran databases to find related articles in English and Persian language, respectively. The key words "MSUD" and "Iran" was used as query. FINDINGS: Until 9th December 2018, twenty four MSUD mutations were collected from Iranian population of which 18 mutations have been only identified in Iran and were not reported in other populations yet. Likewise, because of high consanguineous marriages, the incidence of MSUD were higher than worldwide average in different provinces. CONCLUSION: Identification and compiling of MSUD mutations in Iranian population can be useful for prenatal genetic diagnosis in at risk families and play crucial role in early diagnosis and also treatment before starting neurological symptoms in newborns.

Background: Introduction: Mizaj is the basis of attention to individual differences in Persian Medicine (PM). Regarding the importance of Mizaj for health preservation and treating diseases, it is necessary to achieve a standard tool for Mizaj identification. The purpose of this study was to design a standard self-reporting Mizaj identification questionnaire for elders., Methods: In this exploratory sequential study, criteria of Mizaj identification were extracted by reviewing PM literatures and interview with PM experts and elders. The primary questionnaire was designed and its validity and reliability were assessed, using weighted Kappa statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) assessment, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and determining the specificity and sensitivity of cut-off points., Results: Among the 101 items in the primary questionnaire, 73 items had acceptable reliability. The final 20-item questionnaire was obtained after the criterion validity and PCC assessment. The sensitivity and specificity of this questionnaire were 83% and 88% for warmness, 49% and 80% for moderate in warmness-coldness, 72% and 91% for coldness, 57% and 78% for wetness, 30% and 79% for moderate in wetness-dryness, and 81% and 67% for dryness, respectively., Conclusion: The standard Mizaj identification is recommended as a supplementary diagnostic tool for clinicians and researchers in PM. Also, the people with age over 60 can use it to identify their own Mizaj and then, choose the suitable PM or Unani medicine lifestyle recommendations based on their Mizaj., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s).)

Background: Mizaj (Temperament) is a concept to express individual differences in Persian medicine and according to this theory, there is a relationship between Mizaj type and the abilities of different body organs. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between the type of Mizaj and the memory score (Quotient)., Methods: The target population was the 18 to 38 years old students of Babol University of Medical Sciences. Mojahedi's Mizaj questionnaire (MMQ) was used for determining the whole Mizaj. The physical Persian version of Wechsler Memory Scale III (WMS III) was used to assess memory score. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS Version 22 and the chi square (x2) and t-test were run and p- value 0.05 was considered as significant difference., Results: Forty-two of participants were females and 18 were males. The average age of them was 23.6 (21-27). The average of Memory Quotient (MQ) was 122.1 ± 5.7. The average of MQ in warm Mizaj was 125.46 ± 1.2 and in cold Mizaj was 118.79 ± 6.5. The difference between two groups is statistically significant (p< 0.001). The average of MQ in dry Mizaj was 124.16 ± 2.67 and in wet Mizaj was 118.40 ± 7.64. The difference between two groups is statistically significant (P= 0.005)., Conclusion: The results showed there are significant relationship between memory score and warm/cold Mizaj and dry /wet Mizaj. It means students with warm or dry Mizaj had better memory score than students with cold or wet Mizaj. This relation was also detected between subtypes of memory and Mizaj expect between working memory and dry/wet Mizaj. These results are in accordance with theories in PM which indicate people with warm Mizaj and dry Mizaj have better memory and people with cold Mizaj and wet Mizaj have weaker memory and are more at risk of memory dysfunction., Competing Interests: no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s).)

Background: One of the principles of Persian medicine (PM) is the individualized approach that is presented with the concept of Mizaj. In this viewpoint, on the whole body, Mizaj is determined for every person based on 10 criteria, which is a result of the Mizaj of the main organs, including the brain, liver, and heart. There is no standard diagnostic tool for Mizaj assessment yet. The purpose of this study is to explain the method of Mizaj assessment and data analysis in the elderly in one of the biggest health and aging projects in Iran. The second phase of the Amirkola health and aging project (AHAP) evaluated more than 1,700 clinical and laboratory examinations of 2135 elderly people., Methods: In this study, a novel Mizaj assessment method in two phases is presented. In the first phase, 1541 elderly were assessed by a PM expert and typical diagnoses (the high confidence of expert's proficiency) were determined. At the second phase, an expert panel including 5 PM experts evaluated the cases. The data of the elderly whose Mizaj agreed in the expert panel was used to assess its correlation with Mizaj. Also, the Mizaj of the main organs of these cases was evaluated this way., Conclusion: In the lack of valid and reliable questionnaires to assess the personalized viewpoint of PM, a new expert-based method has been introduced that can be used in similar studies. The result of the Mizaj assessment in this way will be used to obtain objective values for the Mizaj assessment., Competing Interests: There is no competing interest.

Background: Gastric disorders are one of the most common human ailments, which impose a huge economic burden on countries. In Persian Medicine (PM), it is possible to predict the susceptibility to gastric diseases with diagnosis of gastric Mizajes (temperaments) and dystemperaments. The semiology of gastric dystemperaments has been investigated in PM textbooks, although the value of each sign and symptom is not mentioned. Consequently, this research is designed to determine the major and minor criteria for classifying gastric dystemperaments on the basis of valid manuscripts and with the help of PM specialists in the present era., Methods: This was a consensus-based study consisting of four phases. In the first phase, reference PM textbooks were studied. Symptoms and signs of gastric dystemperaments were collected and listed in four groups. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews with a sample of PM experts were carried out. Phase three included a focused group discussion with experts. Eventually, findings were integrated from the three study phases in a two-day meeting in Sari City., Results: Selected criteria included eight major and eight minor criteria for hot-cold dystemperament, as well as six major and eight minor criteria for wet-dry gastric dystemperament., Conclusion: Modern lifestyles and the interfering factors are responsible for some changes in diagnostic signs and symptoms according to PM. This was the first step to coordinate PM diagnostic criteria for gastric dystemperaments. Further studies are recommended to reach a unique protocol in the field of PM diagnostics. The next step includes design and validation of national diagnostic tools., Competing Interests: None declared.

Background: COVID-19 caused a global pandemic problem. No confident management is introduced for it yet. This study aimed to propose a dietary protocol for hospitalized patients with the diagnosis of acute respiratory infectious disease caused by COVID-19 based on Persian Medicine., Methods: This study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, any diseases that could be matched with the clinical features of infection with COVID-19 were searched in selected PM references. In the second phase, medicinal herbs and foods that were available and could be used in the hospital diet were extracted and summarized. In the third phase, the new documentation of these pharmaceutical and food items was conducted., Results: The signs and symptoms of infectious respiratory disease caused by COVID-19 can be categorized in the field of Zato al-rieh that can mainly be matched with pneumonia. Based on the described criteria, some nutrients and medicinal materia medica have been introduced for acute respiratory infection including Cydonia oblonga, Honey, Citrus sinensis, Malus domestica, Citrus medica, Crocus sativus, Raisin, Rosa Damas Cena, D.Carota, Camellia Sinensis, Anethum graveolens dhi, Punica granatum, Petroselinum Crispum, Coriandrum sativum, Urtica dioica, Allium sativum, Sesamum indicum., Conclusion: Most materia medica has documents in current articles including anti-cough suppressants, antiviral properties, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory etc. A protocol of hospital diet for patients with infectious respiratory syndrome caused by COVID-19 has been introduced in this manuscript.

Background: Functional gastrointestinal diseases are common in general populations and comprise more than 40% visits to gastroenterologists . Treatment options of gastrointestinal diseases have been limited. There are a few medications for functional gastrointestinal diseases and some of medications are not available in the market or in the place where the patient lives. Traditional Persian medicine (TPM) is a branch of alternative and traditional medicine based on individual viewpoint and humoral theory, focuses on lifestyle modification and uses natural products to manage the patients., Methods: In this study, a set of compound drugs known as digesters (jawarishes) and other applications are described based on main TPM text books., Results: Jawarishes have different formulations containing various medicinal herbs used for better food digestion and improved gastric functions and also used for other disorders including reinforcing the brain, heart, liver and some therapeutic approaches., Conclusions: By reviewing medieval Persian pharmaceutical manuscripts, we can conclude that many herbs are effective in different systems of the body and improve gastric functions. Zingiber officinalis and Piper nigrum are mixed together to get various formulations. The variety of jawarishes formulations and their different clinical applications can indicate continuity of their use., Competing Interests: Authors did not have any conflict of interest.