Objective To evaluate the immediate and longer-term effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) among treatment adherents on CD4+ T Lymphocyte Count (CD4 count) and medical and psychological symptoms among HIV+ patients in Tehran, Iran. Methods Using a randomized controlled trial design, data were analyzed from 173 HIV+ patients (CD4 Count > 250) not yet receiving antiretroviral therapy who participated in either an 8-week MBSR (n=87) or a brief education and support condition (ESC) (n=86) at the Imam Khomeini Hospital. Assessments included CD4 count, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90R), and Medical Symptom Checklist (MSCL) at baseline, immediate post-test, and 3, 6, 9 and 12-month follow-up periods. Results The treatment adherent sample had a mean age of 35.1(SD = 6.5) years and 69% were male. Linear mixed model estimates indicated mean CD4 count increased from baseline up to 9 months post-treatment, then returned to baseline level at 12 months. Improvements in mean SCL-90R (up to 6 months) and MSCL (up to 12 months) scores were observed for the MBSR condition while ESC scores remained the same over time; however, only MSCL improvements significantly differed between groups and these changes lasted up to the final assessment. Conclusions Findings suggest that among treatment adherent Iranian HIV+ patients not yet receiving antiretroviral drug treatment, MBSR appears to have the strongest potential to improve self-reported physical symptomatology. Trial Registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT201106084076N2.

Aims:The aim of this study was to compare demographics, clinical manifestations, associated systemic and ocular factors, severity and activity of patients with unilateral thyroid eye disease (U-TED) versus bilateral thyroid eye disease (B-TED).Materials and Methods:In a cross-sectional study, all patients with Graves’ hyperthyroidism and primary hypothyroidism seen in an endocrinology clinic were included from September 2003 to July 2006. Demographics, complete eye examination, severity score (NOSPECS, total eye score), and clinical activity score were recorded and compared in the B-TED and U-TED groups of patients.Results:From 851 patients with thyroid disorders, 303 (35.6%) had TED. Thirty-two patients (32/ 303, 10.56%) were found to have U-TED. Patients with U-TED (mean age 31.6 ± 11.6 years) were significantly younger than patients with B-TED (mean age 37.7 ± 14.7 years). Monovariate analysis (Chi-square and independent sample t-test) showed a significantly higher severity score in B-TED (U-TED 4.09±4.05, B-TED: 6.7±6.3; P= 0.002) and more activity score in B-TED (U-TED= 1.03±0.96, B-TED: 1.74±1.6, P= 0.001). However, multivariate analysis did not show any significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, type of thyroid disease, duration of thyroid disease and TED, severity and activity of TED, smoking habit, and presentation of TED before or after the presentation of thyroid disease (0.1