Psychiatric disorders including depression represent clinical manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Recognition of depression in SLE patients is of utmost importance since it is treatable and can be of fatal consequences if unrecognized. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms in SLE patients in terms of age, gender, disease duration and severity, and duration of steroid treatment in SLE patients. Eighty-five SLE patients (77 women, 8 men) with verified SLE diagnosis completed Beck's depression inventory, a self-reported measure of depression. Clinical data on disease and treatment were obtained from patient files. In total, 60% of patients achieved scores indicating depression. The most common depressive symptoms in participants were fatigue and weakness (88.2%), irritability (82.3%), sadness (77.6%), and somatic preoccupation (76.4%), while the least common symptoms were weight loss (34.1%), low level of energy (28.2%), and suicide ideation (10.5%). There was a significant difference between the disease activity and the severity of depression (P = 0.0001). Our findings show higher prevalence of depression in our sample in comparison with previous studies, suggesting that the prevalence of depression varies across different populations. Severity of depression increases with more severe disease course.

BackgroundGenetic and environmental factors are important for the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Adiponectin is a white and brown adipose tissue hormone, and have been found to play essential roles in the regulation of energy homoeostasis. Recent reports have identified a possible role of adiponectin in NAFLD via PPARγ pathway.ObjectivesThe present study was designed to find out the impact of adiponectin rs1501299 (276G/T) and rs266729 (-11377C/G) gene polymorphisms in NAFLD.Patients and MethodsEighty-three patients with diagnosis of NAFLD, and 93 healthy subjects were included in the study. Tetra ARMS-PCR was designed to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms.ResultsA significant difference was found between NAFLD and control group regarding the rs266729 polymorphism (χ2 = 7.35, P = 0.025). The rs266729 polymorphism increased the risk of NAFLD in codominant (CC vs. CG: OR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.16 - 4.12, P = 0.016) and dominant (CC vs. CG/GG: OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.25 - 4.27; P = 0.008) inheritance tested models. The G allele increased the risk of NAFLD (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.03 - 2.57, P = 0.037) in comparison with C allele. No significant difference was found between the groups concerning adiponectin rs1501299 gene polymorphism (χ2 = 0.70, P = 0.697).Conclusionsadiponectin rs266729 polymorphism might be a candidate gene, which determines the susceptibility to NAFLD. Larger studies are necessary to confirm these findings in various populations.

Musculoskeletal complaints are highly common in southeast Iran. Knee and low back pain were the most common sites of complaints. The most frequent diagnosed diseases were osteoarthritis of knee followed by low back pain and soft tissue rheumatism. Rheumatoid arthritis was the most prevalent inflammatory disease.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and are involved in numerous physiological processes. Accumulating evidence suggests that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human miRNA genes may affect miRNA biogenesis pathway and influence the susceptibility to several diseases such as cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of miR-499 rs3746444, miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-149 rs2292832, and miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphisms on prostate cancer (PCa) risk in a sample of Iranian population. This case-control study was done on 169 patients with pathologically confirmed PCa and 182 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The genotyping assays were done using T-ARMS-PCR or PCR-RFLP methods. The findings indicated that CC genotype of miR-499 rs3746444 polymorphism increased the risk of PCa (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.12-2.79, P = 0.019) compared to TT genotype. No statistically significant association was found between miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-149 rs2292832, and miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphisms and PCa risk. In summary, the findings indicated that miR-499 rs3746444 polymorphism increased the risk of PCa in an Iranian population. Further studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnicities are necessary to verify the findings of the present study.

Background: Several studies show a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Asia. Data regarding the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in southeast Iran are inadequate. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Zahedan, a sunny area in southeast Iran. Subjects and Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study was performed on 993 apparently healthy subjects. Serum levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH vit D), parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphate, and alkaline phosphatase activity were measured. Results: Inadequate vitamin D status was diagnosed in 94.7% of the subjects (25-OH vit D <30 ng/ml). The frequencies of deficiency (<20 ng/ml), insufficiency (20–30 ng/ml), sufficiency (30–150 ng/ml), and toxicity (>150 ng/ml) were 85.2, 9.5, 5.3, and 0.0%, respectively. Conclusion: The results indicate that vitamin D deficiency is common in the population of Zahedan. Based on our results, fortification of milk and the use of supplements is suggested in this region.