Dietary inflammatory index and elevated serum C‐reactive protein:A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Diet can affect the inflammatory state of the body. Accordingly, the dietary inflammatory index (DII) has been developed to quantify the inflammatory properties of food items. This study sought to investigate the association between dietary inflammation index (DII) and the odds ratio of elevated CRP (E‐CRP) through a systematic review and meta‐analysis study. The International electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science (ISI), and Scopus were searched until May 2023 to find related articles. From 719 studies found in the initial search, 14 studies, with a total sample size of 59,941 individuals, were included in the meta‐analysis. The calculated pooled odds ratio (OR) of E‐CRP in the highest DII category was 1.39 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.14, test for heterogeneity: p = .63, and I2 = .0%) in comparison with the lowest DII category. Also, the results of this study showed that each unit increase in DII as a continuous variable generally elicited a 10% increase in the odds of E‐CRP (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.06, 1.14, test for heterogeneity: p = .63, and I2 = .0%). Subgroup meta‐analyses showed that there is a higher E‐CRP odds ratio for the articles that reported energy‐adjusted DII (E‐DII) instead of DII, the studies that measured CRP instead of hs‐CRP, and the studies that used 24‐h recall instead of FFQ as the instrument of dietary intake data collection. Individuals with a higher DII were estimated to have higher chances of developing elevated serum CRP. This value was influenced by factors such as the participants' nationality, instruments of data collection, methods used to measure inflammatory biomarkers, study design, and data adjustments. However, future well‐designed studies can help provide a more comprehensive understanding of the inflammatory properties of diet and inflammatory serum biomarkers

Utilization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Patients with Cardiovascular Disease in Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) has been widely used globally, but limited data are available on the use of CAM in Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). The present study aimed to evaluate CAM use in CVD patients. The present cross-sectional study was performed in Shiraz, Iran, during the summer of 2021. Cardiovascular patients aged ≥ 18 years were included in the study. Demographic information on left ventricular ejection fraction and satisfaction with CAM utilization was collected using validated questionnaires. A total of 304 patients (194 males and 110 females) were recruited for this study. The frequency of patients identified as CAM users was 56.9% (n = 173). Patients with implanted pacemakers were less likely to use CAM than others (OR = 0.50, p = 0.031). Meanwhile, the likelihood of CAM utilization was approximately 2 and 4 times higher in the patients categorized in class I of the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification compared to those in the second and third classes, respectively. Most CAM users used herbs, dietary supplements, and praying to prevent diseases, while Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) remedies and acupuncture were more commonly used to treat acute and chronic illnesses, respectively. Praying for health, herbal therapy, and dietary supplementation were the most popular CAM types utilized by Iranian CVD patients. However, future investigations seem to be required to determine the exact physiological impacts, probable adverse effects, and long-term benefits of CAM therapies in this population

Protective Effect of Magnesium and Selenium on Cadmium Toxicity in the Isolated Perfused Rat Liver System

The isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) model has been used into toxicology study of rat liver. This model provides an opportunity at evaluation of liver function in an isolated setting. Studies showed that Cd, in a dose-dependent manner, induced toxic effects in IPRL models, and these effects were associated with aminotransferase activity and lipid peroxidation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Mg  and/or Se could have protective effects against the Cd toxicity in the IPRL model. Male Wistar rats (9-10 weeks) weighing 260-300 gr were used in this study. They were randomly divided into 8 groups of 4-6 rats per cage. In group 1, liver was perfused by Krebs-Henseleit buffer without MgSO4 (Control). Groups 2-8 were exposed to Mg, Se, Cd, Mg +Se, Cd + Mg, Cd + Se, Cd + Mg + Se respectively in Krebs-Henseleit buffer with no added MgSo4. Biochemical changes in the liver were examined within 90 minutes, and the result showed that the exposure to Cd, lowered glutathione level, while it increased malondialdehyde level and aminotransferase activities in IPRL model. Mg administration during exposure to Cd reduces the toxicity of Cd in the liver isolated while Se administration during exposure to Cd did not decrease Cd hepatotoxicity. Nevertheless, simultaneous treatment with Se and Mg on Cd toxicity have strengthened protective effects than the supplementation of Se alone in the liver

Correction to: Protective Effects of Cinnamon Bark Hydroalcoholic Extract on Inhibition of Isoniazid-Induced Liver Damage in Male Wistar Rats

Reza Valizadeh1,  Hamidreza Mohammadi2,  Ali Ghaffarian Bahraman3,  Mohsen Mohammadi4,  Javad Ghasemian Yadegari5 1 Pharmacy Student, Student Research Committee, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran 3 Assistant Professor, Occupational Environment Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran 4 Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hepatitis Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khoramabad, Iran 5 Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran In the article published in volume 33, issue 221, 2024, the image number 1 was published incorrectly and has been corrected

The interplay of aryl hydrocarbon receptor/WNT/CTNNB1/Notch signaling pathways regulate amyloid beta precursor mRNA/protein expression and effected the learning and memory of mice

The amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) plays a pathophysiological role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease as well as a physiological role in neuronal growth and synaptogenesis. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)/WNT/Catenin Beta 1 (CTNNB1)/Notch signaling pathways stamp in many functions, including development and growth of neurons. However, the regulatory role of AhR-/WNT-/CTNNB1-/Notch-induced APP expression and its influence on hippocampal-dependent learning and memory deficits is not clear. Male BALB/C mice received 6-formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole (an AhR agonist), CH223191(an AhR antagonist), DAPT (an inhibitor of Notch signaling), and XAV-939 (a WNT pathway inhibitor) at a single dose of 100 μg/kg, 1, 5 , and 5 mg/kg of body weight, respectively, via intraperitoneal injection alone or in combination. Gene expression analyses and protein assay were performed on the 7th and 29th days. To assess the hippocampal-dependent memory, all six mice also underwent contextual fear conditioning on the 28th day after treatments. Our results showed that endogenous ligand of AhR has a regulatory effect on APP gene. Also, the interaction of AhR/WNT/CTNNB1 has a positive regulatory effect, but Notch has a negative regulatory effect on the mRNA and protein expression of APP, which have a correlation with mice’s learning skills and memory

Inhibition of CYP1A1 by pharmaceutical drugs, omeprazol and ketoconazole as a mechanism for activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)

Omeprazole (OMP) and ketoconazole (KTZ) have been shown to activate the AHR signaling pathway in spite of the fact that they bind to the receptor with low or no affinity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether KTZ and OMP can act as indirect activator of AHR. In order to evaluate the effects of KTZ and OMP on AHR signaling, we measured cytochromes p450 (CYP1A1) enzyme activity by ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) assay as endpoint. FICZ, at 1nM concentration, caused a transient elevation in the catalytic activity of CYP 1A1. KTZ and OMP were found to be inducer of CYP1A1 at concentrations above 50 µM. At early time of incubation (3hr), a dose-dependent inhibition of FICZ-induced EROD activity was seen. When OMP or KTZ were added together with FICZ, a prolonged activation of CYP1A1 was observed at later time of incubation (24h). Taken together, our findings support the earlier observation that we shown that CYP 1A1 inhibitors can act as an AHR activator though inhibition of metabolic degradation of FICZ. </p