The use of macronutrient and micronutrient foods is associated with the duration of sleep. This study aimed to determine the effect of zinc supplements on the sleep quality of older adults. The current parallel randomized clinical trial study was performed using a convenience sampling method. One hundred and fifty older adults who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to intervention and control group. The participants in the intervention group received a daily dose of 30 mg zinc supplementation pill for 70 days and the control group did not receive any supplement. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Serum zinc level in both groups was measured through the auto-analysis method. The questionnaire was completed and the serum level of zinc was measured twice, before the intervention and 70 days after the intervention. Both groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic variables, sleep quality, and serum zinc level before the intervention. Of all, 73.3% of older adults in the intervention group and 74.7% of older adults in the control group had poor sleep quality. Sleep quality in the intervention group, as compared with the control group, significantly improved after the intervention. Furthermore, serum zinc levels in older adults in the intervention group, as compared with the control group, significantly increased after the intervention. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended to utilize zinc supplementation as a new therapeutic approach for improving sleep quality in older adults.

Salicylic acid is a phytochemical with beneficial effects on human well-being. Salicylic acid is a phenolic compound and is present in various plants where it has a vital role in protection against pathogenic agents. Natural sources include fruits, vegetables and spices. The most famous and defined effect of salicylic acid is prostaglandin synthesis inhibition. Salicylic acid has antiinflammatory effects through suppression of transcription of genes for cyclooxygenase. Most of the pharmacological properties of salicylic acid can be contributed to the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. Also, it was discovered that salicylic acid has other in vivo cyclooxygenase-independent pathways. Since salicylic acid does not inhibit cyclooxygenase considerably, the anti-inflammatory effect is not a consequence of direct inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity. Because of its fundamental role, it was suggested that inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B by salicylic acid is one of the key anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action for salicylates. One of the most studied properties of salicylic acid is its antioxidative activity. Salicylic acid is a confirmed inhibitor of oxidative stress. Salicylic acid is capable of binding iron. This fact is significant for antioxidative effect of salicylic acid because iron has an important function in the course of lipid peroxidation.

Approximately 50% of embryo transfer cycles are performed as frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles; however, research on the factors influencing pregnancy rates in these cycles is limited in northern Iran. The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing the clinical pregnancy rate in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) FET cycles among infertile women. This descriptive-analytical observational study analyzed HRT FET cycles of 429 infertile couples whose embryos were obtained by microinjection at two in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers in Sari, northern Iran, from April 2015 to March 2019. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 22, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. The mean ± SD age of women and men was 32 ± 2.52 and 36 ± 1.62 years, respectively. The mean ± SD age of women at the time of oocyte collection was 31.06 ± 5.3 years. Among the 429 patients, 171 cases (39.9%) achieved chemical pregnancy and 156 cases (36.3%) achieved clinical pregnancy. Multivariate regression analysis revealed significant differences between the clinically pregnant and non-pregnant groups (p < 0.05) in factors such as the woman's age at oocyte retrieval, duration of infertility, occupation, body mass index (BMI), developmental stage of the transferred embryo, type of catheter used for transfer, and embryo grade. The study concluded that younger maternal age at oocyte retrieval, shorter duration of infertility, optimal BMI, higher embryo grade, and appropriate selection of transfer techniques are key determinants of achieving clinical pregnancy in HRT-FET cycles. These findings can guide specialists in optimizing FET protocols to improve pregnancy outcomes.