Overall, the results of this study indicated that taking probiotic supplements for 8 weeks among patients with RA had beneficial effects on DAS-28, insulin levels, HOMA-B and hs-CRP levels.

Synbiotic intake may be associated with reduced inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) due to optimised inflammatory markers, oxidative stress and insulin resistance. This research was conducted to assess the effects of synbiotic supplementation on the clinical and metabolic parameters of patients with RA. A total of fifty-four patients with RA were allocated into two groups to receive either a synbiotic capsule (n 27) or a placebo (n 27) for 8 weeks in this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and week 8 of the study to quantify related markers. After the 8-week intervention, compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels (-1427·8 (sd 3267·2) v. +2833·4 (sd 5639·7) ng/ml, P=0·001). In addition, compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation improved disease activity score-28 joints (DAS-28) (-1·6 (sd 0·8) v. -0·3 (sd 0·5), P<0·001) and visual analogue scales (VAS) pain (-30·4 (sd 18·7) v. -11·5 (sd 15·9), P<0·001). In addition, a significant elevation in plasma nitric oxide (NO) (+0·8 (sd 4·4) v. -2·6 (sd 4·5) µmol/l, P=0·008), and significant reductions in insulin values (-13·8 (sd 26·4) v. +4·2 (sd 28·2) pmol/l, P=0·01), homoeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (-0·5 (sd 1·0) v.+0·1 (sd 1·1), P=0·03) and homoeostatic model assessment-β-cell function (HOMA-B) (-9·4 (sd 17·9) v. +3·3 (sd 18·9), P=0·01) following supplementation with the synbiotic compared with the placebo. Compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation also resulted in a significant increase in plasma GSH (+36·6 (sd 63·5) v. -58·5 (sd 154·4) µmol/l, P=0·005). Overall, our study demonstrated that synbiotic supplementation for 8 weeks among patients with RA had beneficial effects on hs-CRP, DAS-28, VAS, NO, insulin levels, HOMA-IR, HOMA-B and GSH levels.

Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is one of the common reasons of heel pain that making up 11%-15% professional managements for the foot symptoms among adults. Objectives: The current study aimed to compare the effect of ultrasound-guided (US-guided) injection of platelets rich plasma (PRP) with that of corticosteroid injection to treat patients with chronic PF. Methods: Patients with PF (n = 30) were assigned to receive either PRP or corticosteroid US-guided injection. The pain level was evaluated by the visual analogue scale (VAS) the baseline, three and eight weeks after injection. Disabilities were assessed by foot and ankle ability measure (FAAM) at the baseline, three and eight weeks after injection. Results: In both corticosteroid and PRP injected groups, the average VAS heel pain scores and the mean FAAM subscales scores were statistically lower compared with the pre-treatment scores (P < 0.001). The improving symptoms in the corticosteroid group at the beginning (after three weeks) were better and then decreased after eight weeks, but the differences were not significant; while in the PRP group symptoms progressively improved. Conclusions: The current study results revealed that both methods were effective and successful to treat PF, but due to potential complication of corticosteroid and its short-term relief of pain, PRP injection looked safer.

The Editor-in-Chief has been alerted to concerns about the integrity of the above article and is investigating the claims. The concerns have also been referred to the Iranian National Committee for Ethics in Biomedical Research. This statement will be updated when both investigations have been completed and the authors have been given the opportunity to respond to the outcomes of those investigations.