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Abstract Background Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the older adult and one of the most common risk factors for suicide in the older adult. Studies show different and inconsistent prevalence rates in Iran. This study aims to determine the prevalence of severe depression in Iranian older adult through a meta-analysis approach. Methods The present meta-analysis was conducted between January 2000–August 2019. Articles related to the subject matter were obtained by searching Scopus, Sciencedirect, SID, magiran, Barakat Knowledge Network System, Medline (PubMed), and Google Scholar databases. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated using I2 index and the data were analyzed in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Results In a study of 3948 individuals aged 50–90 years, the overall prevalence of severe depression in Iranian older adult was 8.2% (95% CI, 4.14–6.3%) based on meta-analysis. Also, in order to investigate the effects of potential factors (sample size and year of study) on the heterogeneity of severe depression in Iranian older adult, meta-regression was used. It was reported that the prevalence of severe depression in Iranian older adult decreased with increasing sample size and increasing years of the study, which is significantly different (P

Background and Aim: Acupuncture is one of the most common methods of complementary medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on sleep quality in the patients with chronic insomnia. Materials and Methods: This study was a single-blind clinical trial in which 40 patients with chronic insomnia were randomly placed into intervention (TEAS) and control (sham TEAS) groups. The acupuncture points including SP6, HT7 and LI4 were selected according to the medical guideline of traditional Chinese medicine. The stimulation was performed for 8 sessions, twice a week for one month. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and actigraphy were used to evaluate the patientschr('39') sleep quality before and after intervention. Results: Results showed no significant differences in the mean scores of PSQI between the two groups before and after the intervention (p>0.05). In regard to the objective characteristics of sleep quality, total sleep time in the intervention group significantly increased (p=0.015). These alterations were not significant in the sham TEAS group (p=0.502). Conclusions: The results showed that TEAS can be effective in increasing the total sleep time in the patients with chronic insomnia disorder and this effect can be detectable by a monitoring instrument such as actigraphy.

Backgroundand Aim:Acupuncture is one of the most common methods of complementary medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate theeffect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on sleep quality in the patients with chronic insomnia.Materials and Methods: Thisstudy was a single-blindclinical trial in which 40 patients with chronic insomnia were randomly placed into intervention (TEAS) and control (sham TEAS) groups. The acupuncturepoints including SP6, HT7 andLI4 wereselected according to the medical guideline of traditional Chinese medicine. The stimulation was performed for 8 sessions, twice a week for one month. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and actigraphywere used to evaluate the patients' sleep quality before and after intervention.Results:Results showedno significant differences in the mean scores of PSQI between the two groups before and after the intervention (p>0.05). In regard to the objective characteristics of sleep quality,total sleep time in the intervention group significantly increased (p=0.015). These alterationswere not significant in the sham TEAS group (p=0.502).Conclusions: The results showed that TEAS can be effective in increasing the total sleep time in the patientswith chronic insomnia disorder and this effect can be detectable by a monitoring instrument such as actigraphy.

The circadian rhythm of sleep (CRS) in humans, as an automatic biological clock, regulates the stages of sleep and wakefulness during 24 hours. However, this is not the only function of this cycle. Research shows that the CRS can play an important role in the process of energy metabolism in the body. There are also hypotheses that it affects diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Disruption of this natural rhythm can lead to metabolic imbalances in the human body and increases the risk of disorders in blood glucose regulation,blood lipids, cardiovascular system, and immune system (1, 2).