A study of efficacy of Nigella sativa in treatment of Meniere's disease: A randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial

Purpose:Meniere's disease(MD),first introduced by Prosper Meniere,is characterized mainly by vertigo,tinnitus,aural fullness and sensorineural hearing loss.Though the exact pathophysiology of MD is unknown,immunologic and inflammatory interactions are possible underlying mechanisms involved in MD.This study is aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effect of Nigella sativa on MD as a therapeutic agent.Methods:We divided 40 patients with definite MD into two groups of 20 cases.The study group received 1 g of Nigella sativa oil daily for three months and the control group received a placebo.Changes in hearing,tinnitus and vertigo were estimated by pure tone audiometry,tinnitus handicap inventory questionnaire and dizziness handicap inventory questionnaire,respectively.Results:At the end of the study we did not observe any significant improvement in study's group hearing threshold,tinnitus and vertigo compared to the control group.Conclusions:In this study,statistical analysis showed that Nigella sativa failed to improve signs and symptoms of MD.However,further investigations with a larger study population are needed to ascertain the current conclusion.

Correlation of semi-quantitative findings of endolymphatic hydrops in MRI with the audiometric findings in patients with Meniere's disease

Purpose:To investigate the correlation between vestibular hydrops(VH),cochlearhydrops(CH),vestibular aqueduct non-visibility(VANV),and visually increased perilymphatic enhancement(VIPE)with the findings of pure-tone audiometry(PTA)in Meniere’s disease(MD)patients.Methods:In this cross-sectional study,53 ears belonging to 48 patients were divided into two groups and evaluated.In group“MD patients,”there were 24 ears of 19 patients diagnosed with the definite MD(14 patients with unilateral and 5 patients withbilateral involvements).The“control group”consisted of 29 non-symptomatic ears belonging to patients diagnosed with unilateral sudden sensory-neural hearing loss or unilateral schwannoma.All the patients underwent 2 sessions of temporal bone MRI using the same 3T system:an unenhanced axial T1,T2,and 3D-FLAIR MRI,an intravenous gadoliniumenhanced axial T1 fat-sat,and 4 h after the injection,an axial 3D-T2 cube and 3D-FLAIR session.VH,CH,VANV,and VIPE were assessed.Subsequently,the correlation between EH indices and PTA findings(in three frequency domains of low,middle,and high)were evaluated,and the predictive value of MRI was calculated.Results:VH was significantly correlated with the hearing threshold in the low,middle,and highfrequency domains.CH was also correlated with the hearing threshold in the low and middle domains.Contrarily,VIPE was not associated with hearing thresholds,and VANV was only correlated with the hearing threshold in low frequencies.Conclusion:The grade of VH,CH,and VANV were significantly correlated with the hearing thresholds in PTA.

Gender Differences in Aesthetic Rhinoplasty Patients: A Study on Psychopathological Symptoms

The aim of the current study was to investigate the gender differences in aesthetic rhinoplasty candidates in dimensions of psychopathology. Considering the existing body of literature, it was hypothesized that women would score higher in different dimensions of psychopathology. SCL-90-R was used to evaluate the differences. This instrument consists of 10 subscales which measure depression, anxiety, phobia, hostility, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, somatization, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and added items of psychopathology. Independent t-test between male patients (n = 19) and female patients (n = 32) was performed. Findings indicated that women had higher scores in four subscales. Women had higher scores in anxiety (P < 0.01), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (P < 0.05), depression (P < 0.05), and added items (P < 0.05). Effect size measures were calculated in order for better interpretation of statistical significance tests. Findings supported the notion that women who applied for aesthetic rhinoplasty showed higher scores of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and general psychopathological symptoms. Surgeons can utilize validated psychometric instruments in order to screen psychologically disturbed patients as these patients are more likely to show dissatisfaction after the surgery.

Comparison of horse and cow milk on sleep disorders in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder:a double-blind randomized clinical trial study

Approximately 25%–50%of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have sleep problems.The aim of this study is to compare the effect of horse milk with conventionally-fed cow’s milk on sleep disorders in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.In this randomized double-blind crossover study,30 patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were randomly selected and divided into two groups.All patients underwent a 45-day period of horse milk consumption and a 45-day period of cow milk consumption and they continued their drug treatment.A one-week interval between two periods of milk consumption was considered as the washout period.The severity of sleep disorder in the studied patients was determined based on the short form of the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire(CSHQ).Twenty-two(73.3%)male and eight(26.7%)female patients were included in this study.The mean age of the patients was 8.9 years.Our results showed that horse milk consumption improved the CSHQ score.For the group of patients consuming horse milk prior to cow milk,reductions of total CSHQ(P-value=0.001)and subscale 1(P-value<0.001)scores were significant.For the group of patients consuming cow milk first,in addition to the total CSHQ(P-value<0.001),subscale 3(P-value=0.001)and 4(P-value=0.009)dropped significantly.On the other hand,the results indicated that cow milk consumption increased the CSHQ score.Specifically,for the group of patients consuming horse milk first,the total CSHQ(P-value=0.001),subscale 3(P-value=0.016),and subscale 4(P-value=0.010)increased significantly.The mean values of the first,second,third,and fourth subscales of CSHQ before and after the washout period were not significantly different between the two groups.According to the study,consuming horse milk was significantly better than cow milk in improving the total score of CSHQ in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy findings of brain olfactory areas in patients with COVID-19-related anosmia:A preliminary comparative study

Objectives:2019 novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19)infection is commonly associated with olfactory dysfunctions,but the basic pathogenesis of these complications remains controversial.This study seeks to evaluate the value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS)in determining the molecular neurometabolite alterations within the main brain olfactory areas in patients with COVID-19-related anosmia.Methods:In a cross-sectional study,seven patients with persistent COVID-19-related anosmia(mean age:29.57 years)and seven healthy volunteers(mean age:27.28 years)underwent MRS in which N-acetyl-aspartate(NAA),choline(Cho),creatine(Cr),and their ratios were measured in the anterior cingulate cortex,dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,orbitofrontal cortex(OFC),insular cortex,and ventromedial prefrontal cortex.Data were analyzed using TARQUIN software(version 4.3.10),and the results were compared with an independent sample t-test and nonparametric Mann-Whitney test based on the normality of the MRS data distribution.Results:The mean duration of anosmia before imaging was 8.5 months in COVID-19-related anosmia group.MRS analysis elucidated a significant association between MRS findings within OFC and COVID-19-related anosmia(P_(disease)<0.01),and NAA was among the most important neurometabolites(P_(interaction)=0.006).Reduced levels of NAA(P<0.001),Cr(P<0.001)and^(NAA)/Cho ratio(P=0.007)within OFC characterize COVID-19-related anosmia.Conclusions:This study emphasizes that MRS can be illuminating in COVID-19-related anosmia and indicates a possible association between central nervous system impairment and persistent COVID-19-related anosmia.

Self-esteem and rhinoplasty:a case-control study

Aim:Self-esteem is one’s attitude towards oneself.It is one of the most important psychological aspects of rhinoplasty,a common aesthetic operation.Prior studies have indicated an improvement in patients’self-esteem after this operation.The aim of current study was to preoperatively compare self-esteem in patients seeking aesthetic rhinoplasty with that of functional rhinoplasty patients.Methods:A total of 42 patients completed the validated Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale preoperatively(21 aesthetic surgery patients and 21 functional surgery patients).Those with both aesthetic and functional purposes were categorized regarding their primary objective.The t-test for independent groups was used for analysis of the data,and Cohen’s d was calculated as a measure of effect size.Results:The mean level of self-esteem in the aesthetic surgery group was significantly lower than that of the functional surgery group(P<0.05).Age,gender,socio-economic status,and educational backgrounds were analyzed and comparative analysis of each showed no significant difference between the two groups.The value of effect size measure was very high(d=1.04).Conclusion:The findings of the present study showed that aesthetic rhinoplasty patients had lower self-esteem in comparison with functional rhinoplasty patients.