Decreased urinary level of melatonin as a marker of disease severity in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Melatonin has both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties depending on the stage of inflammation. Despite its therapeutic effect in alleviation of some symptoms of multiple sclerosis; the precise role of melatonin in MS pathogenesis remains a topic of debate. The aim of this study was to measure the urine level of one of melatonin products which is an index of serum melatonin level, in MS patients in the acute phase of relapse and control patients. We also analyzed different clinical and cognitive indices in order to find any correlation with melatonin level. Twenty eight patients who were diagnosed as relapsing-remitting MS, according to the revised McDonald criteria, along with 10 age- and sex-matched control subjects were recruited in our study. Here we showed that urine 6-sulphatoxymelatonin levels (aMT6s; the major metabolite of melatonin) were significantly lower in MS patients compared to control group. Interestingly, urine aMT6s levels significantly correlated with MS Functional Composite score, but not Expanded Disability Severity Score. Based on above findings, there might be new hope in developing a quantitative and objective measure to assess the MS severity especially in neurodegenerative diseases. However, our results should be analyzed cautiously. We didn't evaluate simultaneous level of 25-OH Vitamin D. It has been recently reported that there is a negative correlation between melatonin and vitamin D levels. Further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Sleep quality and depression among patients with migraine.

The aim of this study was to determine the sleep quality and level of depression among Iranian migraineurs. Among 380 cases that were selected by simple random selection from those who attended Outpatient Neurology Clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital, 332 patients participated in this cross-sectional study. After an inclusive examination by a neurologist, the participants were asked to fill valid and reliable Persian versions of Pittsburg Sleep Questionnaire (PSQI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). They also requested to score headache severity by means of a visual analogue scale graded from 1-10. According to frequency of attacks, patients were divided into three groups: with 1-4 migraine days per month, 5-7 migraine days in a month and more than 7 migraine days per month. Mean age of participants was 36.3±10.1 years and mean headache severity score was 6.0±1.9. The PSQI total score and headache severity score were highest among patients with frequent attacks. Mean BDI, PSQI and headache severity scores significantly differ between male and female participants. There was significant positive correlation between BDI and PSQI scores (r=0.5, P<0.001) also there was a positive correlation between headache severity score and PSQI score (r=0.6, P<0.001). Decreased sleep quality with other co-morbidities such as depression in migraineurs cases should be considered.