PurposeThe main objective of the Bushehr Elderly Health Programme, in its first phase, is to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their association with major adverse cardiovascular events.ParticipantsBetween March 2013 and October 2014, a total of 3000 men and women aged ≥60 years, residing in Bushehr, Iran, participated in this prospective cohort study (participation rate=90.2%).Findings to dateBaseline data on risk factors, including demographic and socioeconomic status, smoking and medical history, were collected through a modified WHO MONICA questionnaire. Vital signs and anthropometric measures, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight, height, and waist and hip circumference, were also measured. 12-lead electrocardiography and echocardiography were conducted on all participants, and total of 10 cc venous blood was taken, and sera was separated and stored at –80°C for possible future use. Preliminary data analyses showed a noticeably higher prevalence of risk factors among older women compared to that in men.Future plansRisk factor assessments will be repeated every 5 years, and the participants will be followed during the study to measure the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events. Moreover, the second phase, which includes investigation of bone health and cognition in the elderly, was started in September 2015. Data are available at the Persian Gulf Biomedical Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran, for any collaboration.

BackgroundPatients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Adipose tissue-derived adipokines may play important roles in the osteoimmunology of MS. In order to determine whether omentin-1 and vaspin may be related to bone health in MS patients, we compared circulating levels of these recently identified adipokines, between MS patients and healthy controls.MethodsA total of 35 ambulatory MS patients with relapsing-remitting courses were compared with 38 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Bone mineral density (BMD) was determined for the lumbar spine (L2–L4) and the proximal femur using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Circulating omentin-1, vaspin, osteocalcin, osteopontin, osteoprotegerin, the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand, matrix metalloproteinase 9, C-reactive protein and 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were evaluated by highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the two groups regarding bone-related cytokines, adipocytokines, and the BMD measurements of patients with MS and the healthy controls. However, in multiple regression analysis, serum omentin-1 levels were positively correlated with BMD at the femoral neck (β = 0.49, p = 0.016), total hip (β = 0.42, p = 0.035), osteopontin (β = 0.42, p = 0.030) and osteocalcin (β = 0.53, p = 0.004) in MS patients. No correlations were found between vaspin, biochemical, and BMD measures in both groups.ConclusionsElevated omentin-1 serum levels are correlated with BMD at the femoral neck and the serum levels of osteocalcin and osteopontin in MS patients. Therefore, there is crosstalk between adipose tissue and bone in MS.

AED therapy, especially in patients on new-generation medication, is associated with low bone density. It is hoped that the presented data stressing several clinical and diagnostic points will stimulate a high index of suspicion to facilitate early diagnosis and preventive care.

The neurological manifestations of Crohn’s disease and its prevalence are not well known. Here, we report five patients of confirmed Crohn’s disease with different neurological presentations. The neurological presentations include anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, myelopathy, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and chronic axonal sensory and motor polyneuropathy. These manifestations should be kept in mind in the assessment of Crohn’s disease.

IntroductionOsseous tuberculosis can be present with unifocal or multifocal bony involvement. Although multifocal involvement of the skeletal system in areas where tuberculosis is endemic is not a rare presentation, its exact prevalence is not well known. A case of atypical skeletal tuberculosis mimicking multiple secondary metastases on radiologic and scintigraphic imaging is presented to emphasize the contribution of bone scintigraphy in the assessment of osseous tuberculosis in typical and atypical presentations.Case presentationA 73-year-old cachectic Asian man (Iranian) presented with a general feeling of being unwell and an acute loss of vision in his left eye accompanied by a severe headache. A Tc-99 m-methylene diphosphonate bone scan demonstrated multiple regions of intense activity in the appendicular and axial skeleton, suggesting metastatic involvement. Tumor markers (PSA, CA125, CA 19-9 and AFP) were within normal ranges. Based on clinical presentation and laboratory, radiological and scintigraphic findings, a presumptive diagnosis of tuberculosis was made. Quadruple antituberculous chemotherapy was consequently started and the patient later showed marked improvement.ConclusionScintigraphic bone scanning should be kept in mind when assessing bone pain in patients at a high risk of tuberculosis infection or reactivation. We present this unusual case of multifocal skeletal tuberculosis, and stress the related clinical and diagnostic points with the aim of stimulating a high index of suspicion that could facilitate early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.