Obesity, especially when concentrated in the abdominal area, is often associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome. Stress, particularly occupational stress, is one of the most important factors contributing to the increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome components among different populations. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity as well as the criteria for metabolic syndrome and its risk factors and different obesity phenotype in a population of military personnel aged 20 to 65 years. This study is a retrospective cross-sectional study in which data are extracted from the database of a military hospital (2,200 participants). The records of participants contained information such as age, marital status, educational level, weight, height, body mass index, blood pressure, waist circumference, history of drug use and smoking, as well as the results of tests including lipid profile and fasting blood glucose. The Adult Treatment Panel III criteria as well as two national criteria were used to identify metabolic syndrome among participants. Data analysis was p1erformed using SPSS version 16. The average age of participants was 33.37 (7.75) years. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to Iranian cutoff was 26.6% for the waist circumference >90 cm (585 persons) and 19.6% for the waist circumference >95 cm (432 persons). The rate of metabolic syndrome was identified as 11.1% (432 cases) according to Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Results of the current study identified that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among military individuals is less than other populations, but the prevalence of the syndrome is higher than other military personnel in other countries.

Background:CD4+ T-cells play important roles in the pathogenesis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). However, there is limited data about characteristics and function of the newly interleukin (IL)-17–producing T-helper cells in this common autoimmune thyroid disorder.Aim:The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of T-helper 17-related cytokines in sera of patients with HT.Materials and Methods:Cytokine concentrations were measured in 48 patients with overt (n = 23) and subclinical hypothyroidism (25) and 35 healthy controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:The serum levels of IL-17 were significantly higher in patients than controls (P = 0.001) while no differences were observed with regard to levels of IL-22 and IL-23 between patients and normal controls.Conclusion:These results suggest that IL-17 could play some role in the pathogenesis of HT.