Association of Milk and Dairy Products Consumption During Pregnancy with Fetal and Neonatal Head Circumferences: A Systematic Review

Context: Milk and dairy products consumed by mothers seem to be effective for fetal and neonatal anthropometric measurements, because they contain various nutrients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to systematically review the influence of milk and dairy products consumption by mothers on fetal and neonatal head circumferences. Data Sources: Systematic searches were conducted in electronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, ISI, Ovid, Embase, Medlib, Google Scholar, clinical trials and Cochrane central register of clinical trials. Study Selection: All studies that assessed the relationship between milk and dairy products consumption in healthy females during pregnancy and fetal and neonatal head circumferences were included in our systematic review. Finally, seven studies were relevant that included five cohort studies, one cross-sectional study and one randomized clinical trial. Data Extraction: This systematic review was performed based on the preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement recommendation, and for quality assessment, the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) for cohort studies, the adapted NOS for a cross-sectional study and the Jadad quality assessment score for a randomized clinical trial, were used. Results: Seven studies that comprised of more than 50000 pregnant females were included in this review. One cohort study, one cross-sectional study and one randomized controlled trial study showed that milk or dairy products consumption by pregnant mothers was not associated with neonatal birth head circumference, while three cohort studies reported that maternal milk or dairy products intake had a positive effect on neonatal birth head circumference. Two cohort studies showed that there was no relationship between maternal milk or dairy products consumption and fetal head circumference while a cross-sectional study reported that there was a positive relationship between milk or dairy products consumption during pregnancy and fetal head circumference. Conclusions: Evidences in this field are limited and inconsistent. According to the findings, there is a positive association between milk and dairy products consumption by pregnant mothers and neonatal birth head circumference but there is no relationship between maternal milk and dairy products consumption and fetal head circumference. However, almost all studies emphasized the importance of milk and dairy products in the maternal diet as a source of valuable nutrients

Topical effectiveness of different concentrations of nanosilver solution on Leishmania major lesions in Balb/c mice

Background & objectives: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an infection caused by protozoan genus Leishmania. Althoughglucantime is commonly used for the treatment of leishmaniasis, it has some side effects including increased liverenzymes and electrocardiogram changes. In addition, the drug is expensive, the injection is painful, and researchshows that resistance of parasite to glucantime is growing in different parts of the world. Therefore, scientists arepaying more attention to develop new drugs such as nanosilver solution. The present study is an attempt toevaluate the in vivo topical effects of different concentrations of nanosilver solution in the treatment of leishmaniasislesions.Methods: In all, 90 female Balb/c mice aged 6–8 wk were infected with 2×106 viable stationary-phase promastigotesin the base of tail. Different concentrations (60, 80, 120, 130 and 2000 ppm) nanosilver solution were used in thepresent study to test the efficacy in the treatment of lesions. Clinical control of the infection trends was conductedweekly for 5 wk by measuring lesion diameter with standard Kulis-Vernieh. Data were analyzed by paired t-test,analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey test.Results: Mean lesion diameter pre- and post-treatment did not significantly differ between different treatmentgroups (p >0.05). Likewise, a significant difference in splenic parasite load was also not observed between differenttreatment groups.Interpretation & conclusion: Based on our results, different concentrations of nanosilver are ineffective in reducingmean sizes of lesions

Recent findings related to Nutrition and Diabetes Mellitus

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery is superior to medical treatment for short- to medium-term remission of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) [1]. Recent research indicates that the improvements in insulin sensitivity following bariatric surgery are associated with elevated circulating bile acid concentration and remodeling of gut microbiota [2]. Gut microbiome can be considered as a target of dietary interventions or medicines to prevention/treatment of hyperglycemia in T2DM. Since, the glucose-lowering effects of metformin are mediated by changes in the composition and function of gut microbiota [3,4]

Estimation of Static Pull-In Instability Voltage of Geometrically Nonlinear Euler-Bernoulli Microbeam Based on Modified Couple Stress Theory by Artificial Neural Network Model

In this study, the static pull-in instability of beam-type micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) is theoretically investigated. Considering the mid-plane stretching as the source of the nonlinearity in the beam behavior, a nonlinear size dependent Euler-Bernoulli beam model is used based on a modified couple stress theory, capable of capturing the size effect. Two supervised neural networks, namely, back propagation (BP) and radial basis function (RBF), have been used for modeling the static pull-in instability of microcantilever beam. These networks have four inputs of length, width, gap, and the ratio of height to scale parameter of beam as the independent process variables, and the output is static pull-in voltage of microbeam. Numerical data employed for training the networks and capabilities of the models in predicting the pull-in instability behavior has been verified. Based on verification errors, it is shown that the radial basis function of neural network is superior in this particular case and has the average errors of 4.55% in predicting pull-in voltage of cantilever microbeam. Further analysis of pull-in instability of beam under different input conditions has been investigated and comparison results of modeling with numerical considerations show a good agreement, which also proves the feasibility and effectiveness of the adopted approach

Using Kern model to design, implement, and evaluate an infection control program for improving knowledge and performance among undergraduate nursing students: a mixed methods study

Abstract Background Nurses and Nursing students are the front line of care in managing the care of infectious patients then they have more contact with patients than other students. Therefore, the aim of this study was designing, implementing and evaluating the infection control program among undergraduate nursing students using a mixed study. Method The mixed method approach with sequential exploratory (qualitative-quantitative) method was used. Kern model was applied in six steps included: 1-Needs assessment 2- Initial design 3- Goals and specific objectives 4- Educational strategy 5- Program implementation 6- Program evaluation. Thirty nursing students and 3 nursing faculty members were selected through purposive sampling for focus group in need assessment. Single-group semi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design was used in partnership with all eighth semester nursing students in program evaluation. Result Data analysis of focus group obtained two categories including: Need to improve knowledge in infection control and need to improve performance in infection control. With need assessment and literature review, educational content developed according to nursing students learning needs. Then, 3 faculty members prepared a course plan including goals, specific objectives, educational strategy for student assignments. One-way analysis of variance to compare the average score of knowledge, performance and its categories before, 2 weeks after the intervention and 2 months after the intervention shows a statistically significant difference (p > 0.001). Pearson's correlation coefficient shows that there is a negative linear relationship between work experience and knowledge score 2 weeks after and 2 months after the intervention (p < 0.05). Conclusion According to our results, it is recommended the need to revise the curriculum for the integration of the infection control program in the undergraduate nursing education. Of course, it is necessary to conduct more studies in the field by dividing this program into internship and field internship

Prevention as a prominent self-management strategy in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A qualitative study

The aim of this study is to explore the strategies used by male patients with COPD to prevent the exacerbation of the disease. This grounded theory study as a part of a more extensive research was conducted in Iran from January 2019 to October 2022. The study participants included patients with COPD, their family caregivers and pulmonologists. The participants were recruited using purposeful and theoretical sampling. A total of 12 semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The data was analyzed by the Strauss and Corbin 2008 data analysis method. The finding showed that male patients with COPD use different strategies to prevent exacerbation. These strategies have consisted of limitation (physical activity limitation, exercise limitation, recreational limitation, work limitation, smoking limitation, social relations limitation, environmental limitation and corona precautions), improvement (healthy diet, simple exercises, emotional state improvement, social relations improvement, adjusting the environment and controlled activity), organization (medication adherence, following orders) and support (transfer to others, others assistance, others observance). The findings of this study can lead to a better and deeper understanding of the prevention of exacerbation in male patients with COPD and adds to the growing body of knowledge about COPD self-management

Growth Hormone Response to L-Arginine Alone and Combined with Different Doses of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background. Arginine (ARG) can modulate growth hormone (GH) release by suppressing its endogenous inhibitory regulator, somatostatin. ARG also induces the release of the GH-releasing hormone (GHRH). This study aims to review the effects of L-arginine supplementation alone and combined with GHRH in different doses on GH secretion. Methods. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, an electronic literature search was conducted on Medline database (PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science databases. All eligible studies were randomized clinical trials that reported the effects of ARG supplementation alone or with GHRH on GH levels. Mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed as the effect size. Results. Meta-analyses showed significant effects of ARG alone on GH release (MD = 10.07, 95% CI: 7.87, 12.28). Moreover, the response of GH was greater with ARG in combination with GHRH (MD = 24.96, 95% CI: 17.51, 32.42). There was no significant difference between the patients and healthy individuals and between oral and injection use of ARG. The systematic review revealed the important role of ARG in combination with other amino acids on GH secretion in patients with GH deficiency. Conclusion. This study revealed that in GH-deficient individuals, high doses of ARG supplementation in combination with GHRH and/or other amino acids might have potential therapeutic effects on increasing GH concentrations. These findings propose that ARG supplementation can be considered as a potential stimulator in management of GH deficiency

Investigating the Relationship between Self-Care Ability Based on Orem's Self-Care Model and Fatigue in COPD Patients

Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common preventable and treatable disease, ranking the fifth cause of death worldwide. Fatigue is one of the common symptoms induced by this disease. Therapeutic measures cannot prevent fatigue in the long term; therefore, COPD-induced fatigue should be controlled by implementing appropriate methods. The current investigation was attempted to investigate the relationship between self-care ability and fatigue in COPD patients based on Orem self-care model. The present analytical-descriptive study was performed on 101 COPD patients referred to Ayatollah Kashani and Hajar hospitals aaffiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, during 2017. Data were collected using demographic characteristics questionnaire, self-care questionnaire based on Orem self-care model, and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Data were analyzed by SPSS and used descriptive and analytical statistics (independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation test). The results suggested a significant relationship between self-care ability and educational level (P = 0.001) as well as fatigue and age groups (P = 0.023). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between fatigue and general self-care ability (P = 0.046, r = -0.19) as well as fatigue and overall self-care capacity (P = 0.035, r = -0.210). With respect to results of current study, COPD patients' demographic characteristics should be taken into account in order to help them increase self-care ability in controlling and reducing COPD-induced fatigue

Interaction of cholesterol ester transfer protein polymo- rphisms, body mass index, and birth weight with the risk of dyslipidemia in children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-III study

Objective(s): This study aims to investigate joint association between cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) polymorphisms and body mass index (BMI) or birth weight with the risk of dyslipidemia in Iranian children and adolescents. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a sub-study of the &quot;school-based nationwide health survey&quot; (CASPIAN-III). We randomly selected 750 samples from the whole blood samples. Real-time PCR and high resolution melt (HRM) analysis were performed to determine Taq1B (rs708272) and A373P (rs5880) polymorphisms. Results: Taq1B polymorphism increased HDL-C, and total cholesterol (TC) as well as decreased triglyceride and LDL-C concentrations. LDL-C and triglyceride levels were significantly higher and HDL-C and TC levels were significantly lower among those with A373P polymorphism. CT/TT genotype in Taq1B polymorphism showed a protective effect on dyslipidemia (OR= 0.12, 95%CI: 0.07-0.20). G allele of A373P polymorphism increased the risk of dyslipidemia (OR=4.10, 95%CI: 2.14, 7.83) after adjusting the confounders. We observed interactive effects of CETP gene polymorphisms and BMI or birth weight on dyslipidemia. Conclusion: Findings showed Taq1B polymorphism might have a protective effect and A373P polymorphism had deleterious effect on dyslipidemia in Iranian children and adolescents. These associations interacted with BMI and birth weight. Heidari-Beni M, Kelishadi R, Mansourian M, Askari GH. Interaction of cholesterol ester transfer protein polymo-rphisms, body mass index, and birth weight with the risk of dyslipidemia in children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-III study