Background:In the previous studies, it has been shown that mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccine resulted in regression of warts via immunomodulatory effect and induction of immune system. Due to the high prevalence of warts in various populations, we evaluated the efficacy of MMR vaccine injection in the treatment of cutaneous warts.Materials and Methods:This double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in Hazrat-e-Rasoul Hospital in Tehran in 2011-2012 on 24 patients with warts who were allocated to two groups including MMR group and normal saline group. MMR vaccine was injected intralesionally in the MMR group, whereas normal saline was injected into the lesions in the second group. These injections were repeated every 2 weeks intervals for maximum 3 injections. All patients were followed up every 15-day interval up to 45 days and then up to 6 months regarding relapses and finally, side effects, probable relapse, and therapeutic outcomes were evaluated and compared.Results:At the end of follow-up period, therapeutic outcomes in the MMR group included no cure in 2 cases, relative cure in 4 cases, and complete cure in 18 cases. In normal saline group, these rates included no cure in seven cases, relative cure in nine cases, and complete cure in six cases (P < 0.001). No significant complication occurred in the two groups.Conclusion:MMR vaccine may result in desirable therapeutic response. The hypothesis that is considered here is that MMR vaccine, via induction of cellular and humoral immune system, accelerates the destruction of virus and infected host cells.

With the exception of thymectomy, immune modulatory treatment strategies and clinical trials in myasthenia gravis over the past 50 y were mainly borrowed from experience in other nonneurologic autoimmune disorders. The current experimental therapy paradigm has significantly changed such that treatments directed against the pathological mechanisms specific to myasthenia gravis are being tested, in some cases as the initial disease indication. Key advances have been made in three areas: (i) the expanded role and long-term benefits of thymectomy, (ii) complement inhibition to prevent antibodymediated postsynaptic membrane damage, and (iii) neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) inhibition as in vivo apheresis, removing pathogenic antibodies. Herein, we discuss these advances and the potential for these newer therapies to significantly influence the current treatment paradigms. While these therapies provide exciting new options with rapid efficacy, there are anticipated challenges to their use, especially in terms of a dramatic increase in cost of care for some patients with myasthenia gravis.

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Iran is an ancient country, known as the cradle of civilization. The history of medicine in Iran goes back to the existence of a human in this country, divided into three periods: pre-Islamic, medieval, and modern period. There are records of different neurologic terms from the early period, while Zoroastrian (religious) prescription was mainly used until the foundation of the first medical center (Gondishapur). In the medieval period, with the conquest of Islam, prominent scientists were taught in Baghdad, like Avicenna, who referred to different neurologic diseases including stroke, paralysis, tremor, and meningitis. Several outstanding scientists developed the medical science of neurology in Iran, the work of whom has been used by other countries in the past and present. In the modern era, the Iranian Neurological Association was established with the efforts of Professor Jalal Barimani in 1991.

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Background: Alopecia areata is a disorder causing local or total body hair loss. Various therapeutic modalities have been used for the treatment of this disease; however, none of them were completely effective. Objectives: In this study, we compared the efficacy of topical Elidel alone and Elidel accompanied with tretinoin in the treatment of alopecia areata. Patients and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was performed on patients with alopecia areata in Rasul-e Akram Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from 2010 to 2011. Patients in the Elidel group applied Elidel 1% cream twice a day. The second group received 1% Elidel in the mornings and 0.05% tretinoin in the evenings. The results compared after three months of treatment. Results: A total of 80 patients were randomly allocated to two treatment groups. The mean age of the patients was 21.8 ± 3.9 and 21.6 ± 4.4 years in the Elidel and Elidel plus tretinoin groups, respectively (P = 0.879). There were 26 males (65%) in the Elidel and 24 (60%) male patients in Elidel plus tretinoin groups (P = 0.481). In The Elidel group, the complete cure was observed in eight patients (20%), relative cure in 14 (35%), no change in 10 (25%), and disease aggravation in 8 (20%) cases; in the Elidel plus tretinoin group, the complete cure was reported in 18 patients (45%), relative cure in 12 (30%), no change in 8 (20%), and disease aggravation in 2 (5%) (P = 0.048) cases. The cure rate in both groups significantly changed in comparison to the previous findings (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study showed that the combined use of Elidel and tretinoin was more effective than Elidel alone.

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