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Objective: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of infertility and endocrine disorders in women of childbearing age. In Persian medicine, Ferula assafoetida L. (Asafoetida) was recommended for treating PCOS. The present study was conducted to compare the effect of Asafoetida with oral contraceptive tablets on PCOS patients. Materials and Methods: Patients with PCOS (n=30) were enrolled in a double-blind randomized clinical trial. On Day 5 of the menstrual cycle, patients received two periods of 21-day treatment, with 7 days rest between the two treatments. On a daily basis, half of the patients (n=15) received Asafoetida (1 g), and the rest received low dose oral contraceptive (LD; one tablet). Menstrual status, anthropometric characteristics, hematology and biochemistry parameters, ovarian ultrasound examination and hirsutism were evaluated prior to the initiation of the experiment and 14 days after the end of treatment. The occurrence of menstrual cycles and pregnancy was assessed eight months after the end of treatment. Results: The incidence of pregnancy was greater in patients who received Asafoetida compared to those who received LD (p=0.019). The time intervals between menstrual cycles became shorter in both groups (p<0.05). The occurrence of regular menstrual cycles remained longer in the Asafoetida compared to the LD group (p=0.001). Concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL and LDL were significantly increased after treating with LD (p<0.05). Conclusion: In PCOS patients, the occurrence of regular menstrual cycles and the incidence of pregnancy were improved following treatment with Asafoetida. This medicament could be considered a safe treatment for patients with PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was designed to detect the therapeutic effects of galbanum oil plus dry cupping (a Persian medicinebased method) in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 60 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with positive polymerase chain reaction test (PCR), pulmonary involvement and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) ≤93 mmHg, were randomly assigned into two groups to take the standard therapeutic regimen alone or alongside cupping and topical galbanum oil (Ferula gommosa oleo-gum resin) for 3-5 days. The SpO2 level, the severity of signs and symptoms of patients and laboratory parameters were compared between the two groups. Results: Fifty-eight patients were analyzed. The SpO2 level changed from 89.27±3.82 to 90.29±3.09 mmHg (p=0.038) in control group, while it increased from 88.74±3.45 to 94.23±2.1 mmHg (<0.001) in galbanum group with a significant difference between the groups (p<0.001). Fever, cough, dyspnea, and anorexia alleviated in the galbanum group more than the control (p=0.003, 0.001, 0.01, and 0.04, respectively). No adverse effects were reported due to galbanum oil and cupping therapy. Conclusion: Dry cupping with galbanum oil alongside the routine therapeutic regimen could be more effective than the routine therapeutic regimen alone for improving SpO2 level and alleviating fever, cough, and dyspnea in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Trauma may have psychopathological effects, but also improvements that are considered beneficial (i.e., posttraumatic growth). An influence on people's beliefs is needed for significant progress to occur, and can be calculated by the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI). The aim of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the CBI. Method: In a cross-section study, the Persian version of the CBI was submitted to 211 university students in the year 2021. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), reliability and predictive validity were used for the psychometric properties. For evaluating the predictive validity, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) was used. The SPSS version 21, AMOS version 18 and PLS version 2 were also used to analyze the data. Results: Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability for CBI were 0.84 and 0.94 respectively. The CFA (RMSEA=0.026, relative Chi-square =1.77, GFI=0.962, AGFI=0.918) showed adequate construct validity of the CBI. More results also showed that the CBI score significantly predicted the of PTGI score (r=0.25, p<0.001) and good convergent validity (AVE=0.61). Conclusion: The results of the research revealed the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the CBI questioner at a very desirable level, thus making it a valid and reliable instrument in evaluating the core beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is amajor cause of chronic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Approximately 30% of infected persons with HCV spontaneously clear the viral infection; but, some of the remaining patients develop chronic HCV. Studies showthatHLAmoleculesplay animportant role intheoutcomeof HCVinfectionby influencing the efficiencyof the antiviral immune response to HCV infection. It is now known that polymorphisms in HLA loci are associated with HCV susceptibility or clearance. The purpose of the present study was to systematically review the studies that reported the association of HLA class II alleles (HLA-DQ and HLA-DR) with the outcome of HCV infection. Evidence Acquisition: Studies were identified by searching electronic databases, including PubMed and Scopus. A total of 12,265 relevant studies were identified by the electronic search, of which a total of 19 eligible papers were identified that were meta- analyzed for the association between HLA class II alleles and the outcome of HCV infection. Results: Subjects carryingHLA-DQB1*0301,HLA-DQB1*0501,HLA-DRB1*1303,HLA-DRB1*1201,HLA-DRB1*0401,HLA-DRB1*0101, andHLA- DRB1*1101 alleles were significantly associated with higher spontaneous clearance of HCV infection. Conclusions: The data fromthe current study confirm that several polymorphisms in HLA-DQ and HLA-DR loci are correlated with the clearanceof HCVinfection. Identifyingthesepolymorphismsmay contribute toabetterunderstandingof immunemechanisms of HCV clearance or persistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of Viola odorata extracted syrup on the quality and patterns of sleep in patients with depression or obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) as add-on therapy. Design: A pilot double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Settings/Location: Psychiatric Clinic of Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Subjects: Participants were 16–15 years of age with mild and moderate depression or OCD having insomnia. Interventions: This pilot study was conducted on patients with insomnia divided into two groups with depression (40 patients) or OCD (43 patients). Each group randomly assigned into two arms with the same conditions at baseline. The intervention arm daily received 5 mL V. odorata syrup every 12 h for 4 weeks, and the control arm received 5 mL placebo syrup every 12 h for 4 weeks. None of the participants was deprived of their routine treatment for depression or OCD. Outcome measures: The scores of insomnia symptoms were evaluated using total score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the scores of its components, the depression score using the final Beck depression inventory-II (BDI-II) score, and OCD score using the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). Results: The total PSQI score was found to be improved significantly in the intervention arms with depression or OCD (p < 0.001) compared with the corresponding control arms. Significant improvements were also observed in the final mean difference of BDI-II (p = 0.009) and YBOCS (p = 0.001) scores in the intervention arms. Conclusions:V. odorata syrup significantly improved insomnia symptoms and the scores of depression and OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]