Evaluating the effect of acupuncture on symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) among individuals with diabetic neuropathy: A single-blind, randomized trial study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of acupuncture on Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) symptoms among individuals with diabetic neuropathy. Methods: In a single-blind, randomized trial conducted between 2019 and 2020, 60 patients diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy were enrolled. These participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The intervention group received real acupuncture alongside routine treatment once a week for seven sessions, each lasting 20 min. Meanwhile, the control group received sham acupuncture as an adjunct to their routine treatment, following the same schedule. To evaluate treatment efficacy, the study assessed primary outcomes, such as pain intensity measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes included evaluating fatigue severity and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) side effects, measured using the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20) and a standard questionnaire after each session. Results: No statistically significant differences in pain and fatigue scores were observed between the two groups throughout all visits, even after adjusting for baseline characteristics, age, sex, type of diabetes, discopathy, and carpal tunnel syndrome parameters (P > 0.05). The findings did not provide strong evidence supporting a significant effect of real acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture on pain and fatigue values (P = 0.267 and 0.634, respectively). However, the 95% confidence interval for pain scores (-0.35, 1.28) was inconclusive, encompassing effect sizes favoring sham acupuncture. Conclusion: Findings suggest that using acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy alongside routine treatment may not lead to a significant reduction in the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and fatigue severity among individuals with diabetic neuropathy. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-023-01314-1.

Evaluation of Dried Amniotic Membrane on Wound Healing at Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Sites: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-blind Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of amniotic membrane (AM) at split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor sites. METHODS: This double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted on 35 eligible participants referred to the burn unit of Vasei Hospital of Sabzevar, Iran, during 2017 and 2018. Each STSG donor site was divided into two sides, and the respective halves were covered with either a dried AM or petrolatum gauze (control). Outcomes were evaluated on postprocedure days 10, 20, and 30 using the Vancouver Scar Scale. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 39.4 ± 13.97 years, and 62.8% (n = 22) were male. There was no statistically significant difference in wound healing rate on day 10 (P = .261), 20 (P = .214), or 30 (P = .187) between groups. The intervention group had significantly better epithelialization than the control group on day 10 (investigator 1, 1.62 ± 0.59 vs 1.40 ± 0.88 [P = .009); investigator 2, 1.22 ± 0.84 vs 0.91 ± 0.85 [P = .003]), as well as pain reduction (P < .001 during the follow-up period). However, there was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of pigmentation or vascularization (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the use of AM is not superior to petrolatum gauze in terms of STSG healing rate; however, AM achieved better pain reduction and epithelialization on day 10.

Decomposing socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health among Iranian adult population: results from the PERSIAN cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic inequality in mental health in Iran is poorly understood. This study aimed to assess socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health among Iranian adults. METHODS: The study used the baseline data of PERSIAN cohort study including 131,813 participants from 17 geographically distinct areas of Iran. The Erreygers Concentration index (E) was used to quantify the socioeconomic inequalities in poor mental health. Moreover, we decomposed the E to identify factors contributing to the observed socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health in Iran. RESULTS: The estimated E for poor mental health was - 0.012 (95% CI: - 0.0144, - 0.0089), indicating slightly higher concentration of mental health problem among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults in Iran. Socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health was mainly explained by gender (19.93%) and age (12.70%). Region, SES itself, and physical activity were other important factors that contributed to the concentration of poor mental health among adults with low socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: There exists nearly equitable distribution in poor mental health among Iranian adults, but with important variations by gender, SES, and geography. These results suggested that interventional programs in Iran should focus on should focus more on socioeconomically disadvantaged people as a whole, with particular attention to the needs of women and those living in more socially disadvantaged regions.