Background: Ischemic stroke as the major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide has different risk factors. One of its modifiable risk factors is opium addiction whose role is not clear yet. This study aimed at assessing the hemodynamic parameters in ischemic stroke patients addicted to opium using transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography and comparing them with non-addicted patients. Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in an academic hospital in the north of Iran in 2016. All the patients diagnosed as ischemic stroke underwent cerebrovascular ultrasound in the first 4 days of symptoms onset. Frequency of hemodynamic abnormalities confirmed by pulsatility index (PI) and mean flow velocity (MFV) were determined and compared between the two groups. The data were analyzed by chi-square test, t-test, and multiple logistic regression models using SPSS software. Results: A total of 353 patients with ischemic stroke (92 addicted and 261 non-addicted patients) were enrolled in the study. Univariate analysis indicated that the PI and MFV differences were statistically significant between two groups of addicted and nonaddicted patients (P = 0.0001). By multivariate logistic regression model, the age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.143], diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR = 3.875), hypertension (HTN) (OR = 2.557), and opium usage (OR = 9.615) had influence on PI and only opium usage (OR = 3.246) had influence on MFV. Conclusion: Opium usage affects the cerebral hemodynamic parameters and increases the chance of having abnormal PI as ten-fold and abnormal MFV as three-fold.

background. Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the most common debilitating neurological disorder worldwide. The ischemic injury causes inflammation and oxidative stress, and leads to apoptosis, necrosis and activation of autophagal pathways determining final infarct size. Melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland, is a small molecule that acts as a free radical scavenger, and performs antioxidant activities in several neurodegenerative diseases. Melatonin secretion reduces in aging due to pineal gland calcification and thus the calcification is a representative of reduced melatonin production. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the association of pineal gland calcification and stroke. Material and methods. An analytical cross sectional single center study was conducted. Pineal gland calcification was assessed by CT scan in 179 patients with ischemic stroke and 177 hospital controls. results. The mean age in the control and stroke groups were 58.18 and 61.2 years, respectively. Pineal gland calcification was found in 77.4% of subjects in the control group and 88.8% of the subjects in the stroke group. Pineal gland calcification, alone, was shown to significantly increase the risk of ischemic stroke (P=0.005; OR=2.3; 95% CI=1.2-4.1). Furthermore, after adjustment for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyper lipedema, gender, and age, there was still a significant association of pineal gland calcification with ischemic stroke (P=0.04; OR=2.0; 95% CI=1.0-3.9). conclusion. The evidence from the present study suggests that pineal gland calcification is associated with ischemic stroke.

Background: Insulin serves an important role in brain metabolism, and insulin resistance and subsequent diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) can give rise to dysfunction of brain metabolism. This study aimed to test the hypothesis of association of late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) with DM2 in an Iranian population. Methods: In this case-control study, 243 subjects including 81 patients with late onset AD and 162 healthy controls were recruited. The frequency of DM were compared in AD patients with non-AD counterparts. Results: The prevalence of diabetes in AD and control patients was 27% and 9%, respectively. (OR = 3.94, 95% confidence interval: 1.89-8.22). After adjustment for age and gender, there was a significant association between DM2 and AD (OR = 3.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.73-8.00). Conclusion:The evidence from the present study suggested that DM2 was associated with AD in an Iranian population. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm this finding.

Background: Stroke is one of the most important causes of disability-adjusted life years lost. Low socioeconomic status is associated with increased stroke-related morbidity and mortality. Objective: This study aimed to investigate in-hospital mortality rate caused by severe cases of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and its relationship with patients’ socioeconomic status. Materials and Methods: This comparative analytical study with a cross-sectional design was conducted from April 2018 to March 2019 on 384 patients diagnosed with severe stroke admitted to the neurology department of Poursina Hospital in Rasht, Iran, who were selected using a purposive sampling method. They completed a demographic checklist and the Socio-Economic Status Questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out in SPSS V. 21 software. Results: It was reported a stroke death rate of 59.9%, of which 75.7% occurred in the hospital. Stroke-related mortality rate had a significant relationship with age (P=0.021), gender (P=0.047), not owning a home (P<0.001) and socioeconomic status (P<0.001). Conclusion: Some demographic factors including old age, male gender, not owning a home, and low socioeconomic status increase the risk of stroke-related mortality.