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Context: Omega-3 fatty acids have been recently proposed to induce neural improvement in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) while affecting some hormones including leptin and adiponectin. Objectives: We tried to evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on circulatory concentrations of leptin and adiponectin among these patients. Design: This study is a double-blinded randomized clinical trial with intervention duration of 14 months. Setting: A tertiary rehabilitation center. Participants: Total of 104 patients with SCI who did not meet our exclusion criteria entered the study. Those with history of diabetes, cancer, endocrinology disease, acute infection, and use of special medications were excluded. Patients were divided randomly into the treatment and control group by using permuted balanced block randomization. Intervention: The treatment group received two MorDHA ® capsules per day (each capsule contain 465 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 63 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) for 14 months while the control group received placebo capsules with similar color, shape, and taste. Main outcomes measures: Leptin and adiponectin concentrations in plasma were measured at the beginning of trial and then after 6 and 14 months. Results: Fourteen months of treatment with DHA and EPA did not influence concentrations of leptin but adiponectin level was significantly decreased (P: 0.03). Weight was positively correlated with leptin level at stage 0 of trial (P: 0.008, r = 0.41) while this association was attenuated through stages of trial after intervention. Conclusion: Our data show that omega-3 fatty acids may not affect plasma concentrations of leptin but adiponectin level is decreased in patients with SCI. Moreover, this intervention influences the linear relationship between weight and leptin after 14 months administration of DHA and EPA.

Our study shows that Iranian patients with vitiligo who received a combined treatment course with 308-nm EL and tacrolimus 0.1% experienced significantly higher levels of repigmentation in comparison with laser therapy alone.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate changes of leptin concentration in plasma in patients with spinal cord injury to come to a single concept by using a Meta-analysis. Setting: Systematic Review. Methods: Searching relevant articles was performed in Ovid data base, Medline (PubMed) EMBASE, Google Scholar, Cochrane and Scopus up to February 2013. Five articles were selected using two independent reviewers. Analysis were performed using SPSS version 18 and Comparative Meta-analysis software version 2.0. Results: The combined analysis with confidence interval of 95% using comprehensive meta-analysis showed significant higher leptin levels in patients with spinal cord injury in comparison with able bodies (Po0.0001). The effect of spinal lesion level on plasma leptin concentration was also statistically significant (Po0.0001). Body mass index was positively related to plasma leptin concentration in both groups (Po0.0001).Conclusion: This Meta analysis approves increased level of leptin in spinal cord injured patients which can be due to fat distribution changes and sympathetic dysfunction in these patients. Our results also showed that patients with higher spinal lesion level have higher plasma leptin concentration.

BackgroundBy increased concerns about the accuracy of the traditional methods to predict outcomes after induction of labor, developing new standards has a great clinical importance. Here, we compared the predictive value of translabial ultrasound measurements with Bishop Score to determine the suitability of induction of labor.MethodsA homogenous population of primigravid women was recruited. Induction of labor was performed with low-dose infusion of oxytocin. Translabial ultrasound and assessment of Bishop Score were performed by two different obstetricians. Receiver–operating characteristics curves were obtained to measure area under curve and subsequently, test sensitivity of each method.ResultsOne hundred women entered the investigation. Maternal body mass index was significantly higher among candidates of Cesarean section (P: 0.02). Maternal age and fetus weight, gender and occiput position were not determinants of outcomes of induction of labor. Cervical length and fetal head-pubis symphysis distance measured by translabial ultrasound had a test sensitivity of 90 and 88 %, respectively which were slightly higher than sensitivity of Bishop score (84 %).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that translabial measurements can be a suitable alternative method to monitor labor progress with an admissible predictive value compared with Bishop Score. It is a non-invasive method which provides valuable objective measurements and can be better accepted by women when considering the painful process which is required in evaluating Bishop Score.