The effects of aloe vera against gentamicin-induced tubular toxicity

Background: Aloe vera is a well-known plant, has been used as alternative medicine. This study aimed to determine the antioxidant activity and phenolic and flavonoid quantities of Aloe vera to investigate the nephroprotective and curative effects of aqueous extract of this plant on gentamicin-induced tubular toxicity in male Wistar rats. Methods: This preclinical study was performed on 60 male Wistar rats randomly divided into 6 groups of 10. Group I were treated with vehicle (distilled water) as control. Group II received 300 mg/kg/day Aloe vera for three days next orally, then, the same oral Aloe vera plus 80 mg/kg/day intravenous gentamicin for seven more days. Group III received the same amount of oral Aloe vera for 10 days. Group IV received the same amount of intravenous gentamicin for 7 days. Group V received the same amount of intravenous gentamicin for 7 days and then, saline for ten days. Group VI received the same amount of intravenous gentamicin for 7 days and then, the same amount of oral Aloe vera for 10 days. Findings: The amounts of flavonoid and phenolic component in Aloe vera extract were 43.0 ± 3.8 mg/g of rutin equivalent and 80.1 ± 3.8 mg/g of gallic acid equivalent, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extract was 38%. The intensity of nephrotoxicity in group 2, which received 300 mg/kg/day Aloe vera orally as prophylaxis was not significantly different from the group I and from the group II, which received the same amount of Aloe vera without gentamicin. In 4, 5, 6 groups the intensity of nephrotoxicity was more than 1, 2 and 3 groups. Conclusion: This finding reveals that despite the antioxidants and polyphenol compounds of Aloe vera, it cannot prevent or treat the gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. © 2016, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Relationship between serum irisin, glycemic indices, and renal function in type 2 diabetic patients.

Introduction: Irisin is a novel peptide that plays notable role in human and animal biology and physiology. It has been reported that irisin may improve insulin resistance and related disturbances. Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to assess the relationship between serum irisin, glycemic indices, and renal function in diabetic subjects. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 102 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients were recruited. Blood biochemical parameters, including fasting plasma sugar (FBS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), serum uric acid (sUA), creatinine concentration and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured. All statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 16.0. Results: There was a positive correlation between irisin and age (P=0.05, r=0.19) and a negative correlation between irisin and body mass index (BMI) (P=0.01, r=-0.25) was detected. There was a significant difference of serum irisin level between patients with normal and abnormal FBS too. Conclusion: In this study we found, irisin concentration was increased with age, decreased with BMI, and it was higher in subject with abnormal FBS. Thus further research is needed to provide inclusive understanding of irisin associated physiological effects and possible implications in clinical conditions

The effects of ethanol extract of berberis vulgaris fruit on histopathological changes and biochemical markers of the liver damage in diabetic rats

Various studies have shown that the diabetes is associated with liver failure. The objective of this study was determining the effects of Berberis vulgaris fruit on histopathological and biochemical markers of liver in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 60 male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g with free access to water and ad libitum were randomly divided to five twelve-membered groups including healthy control (group 1), diabetic control (group 2, this two groups received distilled water), treated diabetic positive control (group 3) using dose 150 mg/kg/day metformin, and two groups treated with doses 200 (group 4) and 600 (group 5) mg/kg/BW of B. vulgaris extracts via gavage feeding for 8 weeks. Diabetes mellitus was experimentally induced by one dose injection of alloxan 120 mg/kg. This pre-clinical study was performed on 120 mg/kg alloxan induced diabetic rats. Results: The hepatic steatosis status, liver cholestasis and fibrosis were not changed in group 4 and 5. Glycogen deposition changed mildly and polymorphonuclear neutrophils infiltration changed moderately at group 5. Liver hepatitis changed mildly and severely at group 3 as well as group 5, respectively. Glucose, serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase were lower in high dose group compared to other groups. Conclusion: Results suggested that B. vulgaris extract can decrease liver damage by influencing hepatic histopathological and biochemical markers in diabetic rat

Impact of Kelussia odoratissima Mozaffarian lipid profile and fasting blood sugar in hyperlipidemia patients.

Introduction: Hyperlipidemia is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Each type of medication works differently and has different types of side effects. Flavonoids are a group of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant properties that help reducing the cardiovascular risk factors. Kelussia odoratissima is a flavonoid containing plant. Objectives: The aim of this study was investigating the effect of this herb on lipid and glucose profile in hyperlipidemia patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS This study performed on 61 hyperlipidemia patients. They assigned in control and intervention groups. The control group received 40 mg/day of lovastatin and intervention group received 40 mg/day of Lovastatin plus 2 g/day powder of Kelussia odoratissima. Before, two weeks and 1 month after the beginning of the study, cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were measured. Data were analyzed by variance analysis with repeated measures, chi-square and t tests. Results: The reduction rate of cholesterol, TG, VLDL-C and LDL-C was similar in the control and intervention groups. The HDL-C rate was higher in intervention group compared to control group (P 0.05). The mean of FBS did not change between and within groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion:Kelussia odoratissima did not have a desirable effect on serum lipid profile and FBS in hyperlipidemic patients that use lovastatin, but is able to increase HDL-C significantly

The Effect of DASH Diet on Anthropometric Indices and Body Composition in Healthy Obese Women

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of obesity is rising rapidly worldwide. Diet modification is one of the best possible solutions for prevention and treatment of obesity. One of the diets suggested in this context is the DASH diet (an antihypertensive diet). The present study was designed to determine the effectiveness of this diet on anthropometric indices and body composition in healthy obese women.   Methods: This study is a randomized parallel controlled trial, carried out on 44 healthy obese women. After an adjustment period, the participants were assigned to intervention (DASH diet) and control (usual dietary advice) groups. Anthropometric indices and body composition were assessed every 2 weeks. Data were analyzed using paired sample t-, independent sample t-, and analysis of covariance tests.   Results: After following the DASH eating pattern for three months, variables of weight (p=0.04), body mass index (p=0.03), waist circumference (p=0.01), and waist to hip ratio (p=0.02) significantly decreased compared to the control group. However, no significant change was observed in body composition of the participants (p≥0.05).   Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of obesity, adherence to the DASH diet, as health promotion model, is recommended for prevention of various disorders, especially obesity

Prevalence of Obesity in the First Grade Primary School Children in Mehriz, Iran, based on Different References of Body Mass Index

Background: Obesity is a metabolic disorder that has become an epidemic today, and its prevalence in various age groups, including children, has increased in recent decades. Obesity in children can be diagnosed using Iranian, World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) references. Since environmental and racial factors can influence the anthropometric indices, the body mass index (BMI) can also be different in various societies. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of obesity in children entering primary schools in Mehriz, Iran, and compare it with different BMI references. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was done on 1209 children entering primary schools of Mehriz City. The gender, weight, and height were recorded and then the students' BMI was calculated. The determination of obesity as a percentile above 95 was examined based on four reference sources: Iranian, WHO, CDC, and IOTF. Another questionnaire was also completed to examine some factors. Findings: According to the findings of this study, the prevalence of obesity in children entering primary schools in Mehriz City based on four references of CDC, WHO, IOTF, and Iranian was 6.2%, 6.9%, 3.8%, and 6.9%, respectively. Comparison of prevalence based on different references showed that the WHO and CDC indices agreed with the Iranian reference. But the agreement of the IOTF index was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity in children entering primary schools in Mehriz City according to Iranian and WHO references was completely equal and other references estimated the prevalence of obesity as different rates. Because obesity has a very complex relationship with environmental, genetic, cultural, and lifestyle factors, it is recommended that each country use the national BMI reference or WHO reference to determine obesity

Treatment of chemotherapy induced anemia; a randomized clinical trial to compare quality of life in patients taking intravenous versus oral iron

Introduction: Malignancy is one of the causes of anemia in chronic diseases. Anemia can commonly complicate the malignancy process. Objectives: This study aimed to compare improvement in the quality of life and hemoglobin levels between cancer patients with chemotherapy-related anemia receiving erythropoietin and injectable iron supplement versus patients receiving erythropoietin and oral iron supplement. Patients and Methods: This investigation was a randomized clinical trial carried out on 79 anemic individuals with metastatic and non-metastatic carcinoma who were undergoing chemotherapy. Individuals included in the study were randomly assigned to the two groups. The first group received erythropoietin and Venofer while the second group received erythropoietin and ferrous sulfate for 6 weeks. The quality of life for patients was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Results: Hemoglobin levels in both groups increased significantly while the difference between them was not significant. Despite improvement in more indexes of the questionnaire, post-treatment quality of life in both groups had no significant statistical difference (P > 0.05). The changes in indices after interventions showed no difference between the oral and injectable iron supplements groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that administration of erythropoietin and iron supplements, either orally or intravenously, even with a shorter duration of treatment could increase hemoglobin levels in chemotherapy-induced anemia group, however to improve the quality of life, it may be necessary to employ larger sample sizes and prolong treatment courses

Soy protein and chronic kidney disease: An updated review

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious universal problem that is the main risk for several diseases including cardiovascular disease. Dietary factors are important to prevent and control the kidney disease. Some evidence has shown that modifying the amount and the types of dietary protein exert a major effect on renal failure so limiting dietary protein and substituting animal protein with soy protein has suggested. However, there is a lot of controversy about it, especially in human. Thus, this paper will review the clinical trial studies conducted on the effects of soy protein intake on CKD in both animal and human and its effect mechanism

Comparison of the effect of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet with usual dietary advice on expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma gene in women: A randomized controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) which controls body weight, glucose homeostasis, and adipocyte differentiation is a valuable candidate gene for insulin resistance (IR). The present study aimed to compare the effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and usual dietary advice (UDA) on PPAR-γ gene expression in women at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was performed on 44 women aged 20-50 years at risk for CVD (BMI &gt; 25 kg/m2 and low physical activity). Participants were randomly assigned to the UDA (n = 22) or DASH (n = 22) diets for 12 weeks. The DASH diet was rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products and low in saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, refined grains and sweets, with a total of 2400 mg/day sodium. The UDA diet was a regular diet with healthy dietary advice. Anthropometric indices and PPAR-γ gene expression were measured and compared between the two groups at the end of the study.RESULTS: After the intervention, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) significantly decreased in the DASH group (P &lt; 0.050) but the results showed no significant differences between the two groups. At the end of the trial, PPAR-γ gene expression was significantly different between the UDA and the DASH diet groups (P = 0.040) and this difference remained significant after adjustment for BMI, and physical activity (P = 0.030).CONCLUSION: The result of the study showed that the DASH diet significantly decreased the expression of PPAR-γ. This finding was unexpected and future studies on the current topic are therefore recommended.</div

Dietary approaches to stop hypertension influence on insulin receptor substrate-1gene expression: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Insulin receptor substrate (IRS) Type 1 is a main substrate for the insulin receptor, controls insulin signaling in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and the vascular, so it is an important candidate gene for insulin resistance (IR). We aimed to compare the effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Usual Dietary Advices (UDA) on IRS1 gene expression in women at risk for cardiovascular disease. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial was performed in 44 women at risk for cardiovascular disease. Participants were randomly assigned to a UDA diet or the DASH diet. The DASH diet was rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products and low in saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, refined grains, and sweets, with a total of 2400 mg/day sodium. The UDA diet was a regular diet with healthy dietary advice. Gene expression was assessed by the real-time polymerase chain reaction at the first of study and after 12 weeks. Independent sample t-test and paired-samples t-test were used to compare means of all variables within and between two groups respectively. Results: IRS1 gene expression was increased in DASH group compared with UDA diet (P = 0.00). Weight and waist circumference decreased in DASH group significantly compared to the UDA group (P < 0.05) but the results between the two groups showed no significant difference. Conclusion: DASH diet increased IRS1 gene expression and probably has beneficial effects on IR risks