Background: Obesity and overweight are critical public health concerns characterized by excessive body fat. Worldwide, many natural products have been used for treating obesity. It seems that natural supplements based on traditional medicinal plants are safe options for treating obesity. Recent experiments have revealed many herbal medicinal products as useful treatments for obesity.
Methods: In this study, we used an herbal formulation consisting of four traditional medicinal plants including Origanum vulgare, Carum carvi, Trachyspermum copticum, and Ruta graveolens as an anti-obesity supplement for obese adults. An 8-week double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in obese adults. Sixty-eight subjects were randomly assigned to two groups of control (n = 34) and intervention (n = 34). Anthropometric indices and biochemical parameters were measured at baseline and after the intervention.
Results: Body weight, body mass index, and percent body fat were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (p=0.046 and p = 0.02, respectively). Moreover, there were significant reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride in the intervention group in comparison with the control group. The supplement was generally well tolerated and no remarkable adverse side effects were reported.
Conclusion: This herbal mixture effectively reduced body weight and fat mass in obese subjects. It also showed potential efficacy in controlling lipid profile and blood glucose.

Background: The impaired wound healing in diabetes mellitus is a major clinical problem. Propolis has pharmacological characteristics. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of oral, topical, and oral combined with topical administration of propolis on foot ulcers in diabetic patients.
Methods: Eighty patients with diabetic foot ulcers were divided into 4 groups. Group 1 received propolis ointment (3%, 1.5 g daily), Group 2 received three 500-mg propolis capsules per day, Group 3 received capsules and ointments, and Group 4 received the usual treatment of foot ulcer, including washing with physiological serum. The patients were treated for 4 weeks. Wound surface area changes were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the compound in wound healing.
Results: The interventions decreased foot ulcer surface areas in all intervention groups (from 685.13 ± 286.16 to 74.89 ± 26.40 mm2 [p = 0.03] in Group 1, from 616.52 ± 221.11 to 104.60 ± 39.81 mm2 [p = 0.046] in Group 2, and from 647.07 ± 23 to 54.20 ± 19.17 mm2 [p = 0.01] in Group 3). In Group 4, however, the reduction in ulcer surface area was not statistically significant. In the three experimental groups, the wounds were clinically improved in all subjects.
Conclusion: This study showed that in diabetic foot ulcers, treatment with either oral propolis capsules or combination therapy with oral and topical forms, significantly improves wound healing. Also, the application of these products does not seem to be associated with any unexpected adverse event.

Background: Although dietary management is the principle intervention for treating obesity, noninvasive body-contouring methods are also gaining currency. We aimed to explore the effects of combined radiofrequency (RF) and ultrasound (US) body contouring on anthropometric indices, hematological markers, and anti-HSP27 levels in overweight females.
Methods: In this randomized control clinical trial, fifty overweight females were enrolled and divided into two groups. Each participant was prescribed a diet with a daily calorie deficit of 500 kcal. RF and US were each used once a week for 5 weeks in the intervention group. Anthropometric and hematological markers were measured in all subjects before and after the intervention.
Results: Abdominal circumference (AC), waist circumference (WC), body mass index, and body fat mass were reduced significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). However, the mean reduction in AC (p < 0.05) and WC (p < 0.001) were significantly greater in the intervention group compared with the control group. Moreover, levels of WBC, HCT, Hb, MCV, and MCH were significantly reduced after the RF-US intervention, although all the changes were in the normal range, suggesting that this therapy did not have adverse effects on hematological parameters. Also, the level of anti-HSP27 did not show any significant change.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that body-contouring devices based on RF and US cavitation reduce measures of adiposity and do not have adverse effects on hematological factors, liver function markers, and HSP27 level in overweight women. Further investigations are required to explore the value of this method in a larger multicenter setting.

Background: Today, cardiovascular diseases are one of the main causes of mortality around the world, including Iran. One of the important factors in preventing these diseases is healthy nutrition behaviors. Therefore, the current study used the health belief model to investigate preventive nutrition behaviors for cardiovascular diseases in women in the city of Behbahan, Iran.
Methods: This descriptive study was carried out from March 2015 to March 2016 on 63 housewives visiting health care centers in Behbahan. The data gathering tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire based on the health belief components filled by the participants in the study. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and the Pearson correlation test at the significance level of p < 0.05 on SPSS 16.
Results: The mean score was 68.57 ± 14.25 for awareness, 55.65 ± 10.02 for perceived susceptibility, 58.63 ± 12.67 for perceived severity, 63.68 ± 13.19 for perceived benefits, 59.46 ± 15.83 for perceived barriers, and 43.84 ± 7.27 for self-efficacy. The difference between participants with and without diet experiences was not significant for any of the health belief model dimensions. There was also no significant difference in the mean dimension scores between people with and without a family history of cardiovascular diseases (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Considering the average awareness of women, it seems that the implementation of programs based on educational models can help reduce the number of cardiovascular diseases.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental syndrome very common among children. The main cause of this disorder is unknown, and it seems that a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, psychosocial, neurochemical, and nutritional factors are involved. Diet seems to be one of the etiological factors for ADHD, as lower levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids have been reported in children with ADHD. In the present study, we reviewed the studies on the relationship of omega-3/6 fatty acid and vitamin D supplementation with ADHD. A literature search was conducted in different databases including Google Scholar, Science Direct, SID, PubMed, and MagIran using the following keywords: omega-3/6 fatty acid, PUFA, ADHD, Vitamin D, and Nutrient. Fifty-two records were retrieved and 30 articles were finally included in the review. It was concluded that omega-3/6 fatty acids and vitamin D supplements have potential efficacy in decreasing the ADHD symptoms among children, but further studies are needed to find the underlying mechanisms of such treatments and to determine the optimal dose of these treatments and if it is better to be used as a single treatment or in combination with other medication.