2 September 2015.

Various classes of medication are currently being used in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) patients including the biguanides and the statins. However, their efficacies are rarely compared. This study aimed to compare efficacy ofa biguanide and a statin in treating PCOS. In a randomized double-blind clinical trial, 400 women with PCOS were recruited within 15 months in Taleghani Hospital. They randomly received either a biguanide (metformin 500 mg three times daily) or a statin (simvastatin 20 mg daily) for three consecutive months. Changes of clinical and laboratory variables were compared. In the biguanide group the serum glucose status (abnormal fasting and non-fasting sugar and insulin levels and percentage of hyperinsulinemic cases) and menstrual abnormalities improved significantly after treatment (p < 0.05). In the statin group the lipid profile status (abnormal total cholesterol, high and low density lipoproteins), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, hyperinsulinemia, severity of acne and menstrual abnormalities improved significantly after treatment (p < 0.05). Comparing the two groups, the improvements in fasting blood sugar and serum insulin levels were significantly better in the biguanide group (p = 0.04 for both parameters); whereas the improvements in serum total cholesterol (p < 0.001), low density lipoprotein (p < 0.001), CRP (p < 0.001) and acne status (p = 0.04) were significantly superior in the statin receivers. Based on these results, each medication is only effective on some aspects of the disease. Overall, the simvastatin was superior to metformin with regard to the number of beneficial effects.

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Objective:Available evidence about the role of supplementary vitamin E in normal pregnancy is inadequate. This study assessed the potential benefit of vitamin E supplementation on some pregnancy health indices.Methods:A 1:2 weighted simple randomization technique was used to allocate 104 eligible pregnant women to receive vitamin E and 168 women (control) not to receive the drug. Treated women received capsules containing 400 IU vitamin E from week 14 of gestation to the end of the pregnancy.Results:Background variables including maternal age were found to be similarly distributed between the study groups. The rate of maternal and perinatal outcomes including Apgar score and birth weight did not differ significantly between groups. Preeclampsia occurred in 1% of treated women vs 1.78% of control women.Conclusion:Giving supplemental vitamin E from the second trimester of pregnancy did not appear to affect the risk of pregnancy outcomes and occurrence of preeclampsia.