Word count for text:NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.

Background: Research activities promote the appreciation for evidence-based medicine (EBM), quality patient care and clinical competence of resident physicians. We decided to investigate the research background of Iranian neurological surgery residents and their attitude toward research through a survey. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on Iranian neurological surgery resident physicians between February and April 2020. We provided an online survey, including 13 questions, using Google form and then sent the link to survey via WhatsApp application. Following the first post, two more reminders were sent to the groups after 2 and 4 weeks. Results: Responses were received from 89 respondents from which about 88% used to spend two hours or less per week for research. Almost equal numbers of resident physicians chose academic position (n=43) or private practice (n=39) as their future job. Only seven respondents stated immigration for assumed future job position. Clinical research (47%) was the most frequent type of research done by participants and clinical research education (43.2%) during medical school was the most common way of obtaining research experience. Agreement with doing research during residency program (45.6%) was more than disagreement (22.4%) and neutral attitude (32%). Conclusion: There is a low tendency among Iranian neurological surgery residents for conducting research projects during their programs. Lack of a proper research curriculum, heavy clinical duties and consequent shortage of time as well as insufficient encouraging points, are the main reasons. Designing a research plan for residency programs may successfully increase the research involvement rate.

Background: Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the ear or head in the absence of an external stimulus for which we have no definite treatment. Neurotec is a medication of herbal origin with IFDA approval. Previous studies showed the neuroprotective effect of Neurotec. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of Neurotec in improving tinnitus symptoms. Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on patients with tinnitus. Patients received Neurotec 100 mg capsules (BID) or placebo for three months. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) was measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 6 kHz frequencies. Using a Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, tinnitus loudness, daily annoyance, daily life or sleep disturbance, daily perception, and mood alteration were evaluated. Results: Finally, 103 (69 male and 34 female) patients with a mean age of 51.33 13.91 years were analyzed. There was no significant difference between the intervention (n=53) and the control group (n=50) regarding baseline symptoms before and one month after the intervention (P>0.05). While they were significantly different three months after the intervention (P<0.05). The mean pure-tone air and bone conduction were not significantly different between the control and the intervention group before and three months after the intervention at 0.5,1,2 and 4 kHz (P>0.05). The mean pure-tone air conduction was not significantly different between the two groups before and three months after the intervention at 6 kHz (P>0.05). Conclusion: A three-month treatment with Neurotec Capsules beside patient education can effectively control symptoms of patients with tinnitus.