Objective To study the effect of vitamin E in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea.Design A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Setting A secondary school in Tehran, Iran.Population Two hundred and seventy-eight girls aged 15 -17 years who suffered from primary dysmenorrhoea.Methods Participants were given 200 units of vitamin E or placebo twice a day, beginning two days before the expected start of menstruation and continued through the first three days of bleeding. Treatment was continued over four consecutive menstrual periods. Main outcome measures The severity and duration of pain, and the amount of menstrual blood loss, at two and four months. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to record pain, and a validated Pictorial Blood Loss Assessment Chart (PBLAC) to measure menstrual loss. Results In the vitamin E group, pain severity was lower with vitamin E at two months (median VAS score 3 vs 5, P > 0.001) and four months (0.5 vs 6, P > 0.001), pain duration was shorter at two months (mean 4.

Noncovalent functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by anionic surfactants (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate; SDBS and sodium cholate; SC) results in stable aqueous dispersions. SDBS showed better dispersing efficiency at lower concentration than that of SC due to the stabilizing π-π stacking induced by the presence of benzene ring in the tail of SBDS. The hemimicelle formation on the surface of nanotubes is likely to be the dominant dispersion mechanism that imparts higher colloidal stability for the MWCNTs in aqueous medium.

Introduction. Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common degenerative diseases that lead to pain and disability. Oral NSAIDs are effective drugs used to alleviate symptoms in patients with KOA, but they have several important complications, especially in the elderly. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of mesotherapy on pain reduction and improvement of functioning in patients with KOA. Methods. Sixty-two patients with KOA, grade 2-3 of the Kellgren–Lawrence scale, were randomized into two groups: the mesotherapy group, in which two injections were applied with piroxicam at a 10-day interval, and the oral group, in which piroxicam was prescribed for 10 days. The patients were evaluated before the treatment and 2, 4, and 8 weeks after it using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Oxford Knee Scare (OKS), and Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC, Persian version). Results. There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics and baseline pain and function scores between the two groups. After 2, 4, and 8 weeks of follow-up, VAS, WOMAC, and OKS scores significantly improved in both groups (in the mesotherapy group: p value <0.001 in all three scores and in the oral group: p value <0.001 in the VAS scale and p value <0.05 in WOMAC and OKS scores). There was no significant difference between the two groups at any time in the VAS score, but improvement in WOMAC and OKS scales in the mesotherapy group was significantly better (p value <0.05 in both scales [p value <0.03 in OKS and p value <0.02 in WOMAC scales]). Side effects in both groups were not serious: limited heart burn in 32.2% of the total subjects in the oral group and pain at the injection site in 3.2% and bruises in 38.7% of the total subjects in the mesotherapy group. Conclusion. Mesotherapy is an effective and safe treatment modality in patients with mild-to-moderate KOA in the short term. This trial is registered with IRCT2017052434113N1.