Effects of green coffee aqueous extract supplementation on glycemic indices, lipid profile, CRP, and malondialdehyde in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background/objectivesStudies have reported the health benefits of green coffee extract (GCE) in experimental models. In the current study, we aimed to determine whether supplementation with GCE improves glycemic indices, inflammation, and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).Methods and study designThis randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 44 patients (26 male and 18 female) with T2D and overweight/obesity. After blocked randomization, patients received either capsules containing 400 mg GCE twice per day (n = 22) or a placebo (n = 22) and were followed for 10 weeks. In this study, glycemic indices, lipid profiles, anthropometric examinations, blood pressure, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured twice; at baseline and at the end of the study.ResultsAfter 10 weeks of supplementation, GCE supplementation significantly reduced body weight (p = 0.04) and body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.03) compared to the placebo. The intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis indicated patients in the GCE group had a lower fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentration compared to the placebo group; however, this decreasing was marginally significant (8.48 ± 8.41 vs. 1.70 ± 5.82 mg/dL, p = 0.05). There was no significant difference in insulin levels and HOMA-IR between the groups. At the end of the study, significant changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p = 0.01), triglyceride (TG) level (p = 0.02), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (p = 0.001), and TG-to-HDL ratio (p = 0.001) were found between the intervention and placebo groups. Our trial indicated GCE supplementation had no effect on diastolic blood pressure (DBP), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or total cholesterol. During the supplementation period, the hs-CRP level significantly decreased in the GCE group compared to the placebo group (p = 0.02). No significant changes were observed in the MDA level between the two groups at the end of the study (p = 0.54).ConclusionOur findings showed beneficial effects of GCE on SBP, TG, hs-CRP, and HDL levels in patients with T2D and overweight/obesity over a 10-week period of supplementation.Clinical trial registration:https://en.irct.ir/trial/48549, identifier [IRCT20090203001640N18]

A high-content neuron imaging assay demonstrates inhibition of prion disease-associated neurotoxicity by an anti-prion protein antibody

There is an urgent need to develop disease-modifying therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases which pose increasing challenges to global healthcare systems. Prion diseases, although rare, provide a paradigm to study neurodegenerative dementias as similar disease mechanisms involving propagation and spread of multichain assemblies of misfolded protein ("prion-like" mechanisms) are increasingly recognised in the commoner conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. However, studies of prion disease pathogenesis in mouse models showed that prion propagation and neurotoxicity can be mechanistically uncoupled and in vitro assays confirmed that highly purified prions are indeed not directly neurotoxic. To aid development of prion disease therapeutics we have therefore developed a cell-based assay for the specific neurotoxicity seen in prion diseases rather than to simply assess inhibition of prion propagation. We applied this assay to examine an anti-prion protein mouse monoclonal antibody (ICSM18) known to potently cure prion-infected cells and to delay onset of prion disease in prion-infected mice. We demonstrate that whilst ICSM18 itself lacks inherent neurotoxicity in this assay, it potently blocks prion disease-associated neurotoxicity

Validity of self-reported substance use : research setting versus primary health care setting

Funding Information: This study has been supported by the Vice Chancellery for Research & Technology of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. The context of this article are the views of the authors and the funder had no role in design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, decision to publish and writing the manuscript. Acknowledgments The Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences provided funding for this study. Also we thank the people who participated in the study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Sleep Duration, Hypnotic Drug Use, and Risk Factors: Cross- Sectional Study

Both short sleep duration (SSD) and long sleep duration (LSD) are associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Here, we aimed to assess the prevalence of sleep duration disturbances among adults in association with demographic, medication use, personal habits, and chronic diseases, while also considering the impact of hypnotic drug use. We performed a cross-sectional study of 9991 adult participants of the Rafsanjan Cohort Study (RCS), as part of the Prospective epidemiological research studies in Iran (PERSIAN). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between short (\u3c 6 h) and long (\u3e 9 h) sleep duration with demographic and lifestyle parameters and common non-communicable diseases. Additionally, we performed stratified analysis to investigate the association of sleep duration with the abovementioned factors and diseases, in groups with and without hypnotic drug use. We found higher odds of SSD significantly associated with age (P \u3c 0.001), BMI (P \u3c 0.001), physical activity (P \u3c 0.001), and depression (P = 0.023). LSD displayed a positive association with the female sex (P \u3c 0.001), opium consumption (P \u3c 0.001), and history of MI (P = 0.045), and a reverse connection with education (P = 0.007), physical activity (P \u3c 0.001) and alcohol consumption (P = 0.027). Stratifying for the hypnotic drug use, our sensitivity analyses indicated that in hypnotic drug users, education (P = 0.034) and physical activity (P \u3c 0.001) were associated with LSD, in this group, significantly increased odds ratio of LSD were associated with opium consumption (P = 0.046) and thyroid dysfunction (P = 0.037). Our findings demonstrated the demographic and lifestyle factors and diseases associated with long and short sleep duration in the population of the RCS. Additionally, after stratifying for hypnotic drug use, our results indicated that some diseases are only associated with abnormal sleep duration upon using hypnotic drugs

A Combination of Prebiotic Inulin and Oligofructose Improve Some of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Women with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Purpose: This trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of oligofructose-enriched inulin on some of cardiovascular disease risk factors in women with type 2 diabetes. Methods: 52 females (25<BMI<35 kg/m2) with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to two groups. Participants received 10g/d oligofructose-enriched inulin (n=27) or 10g/d placebo (n=25) for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken to measure metabolic profiles, malondialdehyd and antioxidant enzymes at baseline and after the 8 weeks intervention. Paired, unpaired sample t-test and analysis of covariance were used to comparison of quantitative variables. Results: After 8 weeks, in the oligofructose-enriched inulin group there was a significant increase in total antioxidant capacity (0.2 mmol/l, 20.0%) and a significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose (19.2 mg/dL, 9.4%) HbA1c (0.5%, 8.4%), total cholesterol (TC) (28.0 mg/dL, 14.1%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) (22.0 mg/dL, 21.7%), TC/HDL-c ratio (0.73, 20.7%), LDL-c/HDL-c ratio (0.55, 27.5%) and malondialdehyd (1.7 nmol/ml, 39.7%) compared to the placebo group. Changes in concentrations of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were not significant in oligofructose-enriched inulin group compared to the placebo group. Conclusion: Oligofructose-enriched inulin may improve glycemic indices, lipid profile, antioxidant status and malondialdehyd in women with type 2 diabetes

Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Stroke: A Population Based Cohort Study

Both metabolic syndrome (MetS) and stroke are associated with increased risk of mortality. Here, we aimed to assess the prevalence of MetS among adults using three definitions (Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III), International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and IDF ethnic specific cut-off for Iranian criteria) and its association with stroke. We performed a cross-sectional study of a total of 9991 adult participants of Rafsanjan Cohort Study (RCS), as part of the Prospective epidemiological research studies in Iran (PERSIAN cohort study). The MetS prevalence was evaluated in participants according to the different criteria. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between three definitions of MetS with stroke. We found that MetS was significantly associated with higher odds of stroke according to NCEP-ATP III (odds ratio (OR): 1.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30-2.74), international IDF (OR:1.66, 95% CI: 1.15-2.40) and Iranian IDF (OR:1.48, 95% CI: 1.04-2.09) after adjusted for variables confounders. Furthermore, after adjustment, in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the AUROC was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.75-0.82), 0.78(95% CI = 0.74-0.82) and 0.78(95% CI = 0.74-0.81) for presence of MetS according to NCEP-ATP III, international IDF and Iranian IDF, respectively. ROC analyses revealed that all of these three criteria for MetS are moderately accurate for the identification of increased stroke risk.In conclusion, our results showed that MetS was associated with increased odds of stroke. Our findings implicate the importance of early identification, treatment, and ultimately prevention of the metabolic syndrome

The effect of intravenous infusion of paracetamol before anesthesia induction on the core and peripheral temperature changes and post-operative shivering in patients undergoing general anesthesia

Background: Post-operative shivering is an unpleasant complication that various drugs are used to prevent and treat. It is tried to advice a suitable drug with the least side-effects. This study was carried out to examine the effect of intravenous Apotel on the post-operative shivering and core and peripheral body temperature. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial conducted in Al Zahra and Kashani Hospitals in Isfahan in 2012 on 64 patients undergoing upper limbs surgery with general anesthesia, which divided in two equal groups. In the first group, before induction, 15 mg/kg and up to 1 g paracetamol was infused in 100 cc normal saline within 20 min and control group was infused 100 cc normal saline during 20 min. Post-operative shivering and pain were recorded in the same time in addition to the core and peripheral temperature. The results were analyzed by SPSS ve.20 software. Results: In patients receiving Apotel, the core and peripheral temperature were significantly lower (P < 0.05). At 10 min after entering in recovery, 10 patients in the control group and 2 in the intervention group suffered from shivering (31.2% vs. 6.2%), which was significantly different (P = 0.02). Nineteen patients (29.7%) suffered from shivering in recovery (14 patients in the control group and 5 patients in the intervention group (43.8% vs. 15.6%)). In Apotel receiving group, the incidence of shivering in recovery was significantly lower (P = 0.014). Conclusion: Given the beneficial effects of Apotel in post-operative shivering and pain reduction, using the drug as a pre-drug is recommended in patients undergoing surgery with general anesthesia

Minimum effective dose of Tramadol in the treatment of postanesthetic shivering

&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;BACKGROUND&lt;/strong&gt;: To determine the minimum effective dose of intravenous administration of tramadol on controlling postanesthetic shivering (PAS) and frequency of effects. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;METHODS&lt;/strong&gt;: Seventy five patients who had shivering grade III or IV after general anesthesia with isoflurane in the recovery room were included in the study. The patients were divided randomly among five groups to receive the same dose of tramadol: 0.2 mg/kg, 0.4 mg/kg, 0.6 mg/kg, 0.8 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg. The shivering grades, tympanic temperature immediately prior to administering the treatment, time spent to control shivering, shivering relapse, time interval between the two shivering periods and side effects were registered. Data were analyzed with SPSS software, version 14. Chi-square test, t-student test and analysis of variance were used where they were appropriate. P value &lt; 0.05 was considered significant.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RESULTS&lt;/strong&gt;: There were no statistically significant differences among treatment groups with respect to demographic data, duration of anesthesia, room temperature of postanesthesia care unit, shivering grade before treatment and central temperature at the time of treatment. There was no significant difference among the number of patients who stopped shivering with 0.2 mg/kg compared with 1 mg/kg of tramadol. There was no significant difference among the five doses for shivering relapse. Frequency distributions of side effects were not different among the five groups.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONCLUSIONS&lt;/strong&gt;: All patients completely stopped shivering with tramadol 0.4 mg/kg or more in 5 minutes after treatment. With 0.2 mg/kg only 80% of patients stopped shivering. Although the difference between 0.2 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg was not statistically significant, because of the limited number of cases we were not able to reject type two errors. According to this study, we suggest 0.4 mg/kg of tramadol for shivering control&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;KEY WORDS&lt;/strong&gt;: Tramadol, postanesthetic shivering, minimum effective dose.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt

Comparative evaluation between two methods of induced hypotension with infusion of Remifentanil and Labetalol during sinus endoscopy

Objective: This study aimed to compare two methods of controlled hypotension using labetalol and remifentanil in terms of capability to create controlled hypotension and to investigate the obtained complications, and satisfaction rate of surgeon and patient during functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Methods: In this prospective clinical trial, 62 patients underwent endoscopic sinus surgery in Al-Zahra and Ayatollah Kashani Hospitals of Isfahan were divided into two groups: in the first group, 20 mg bolus dose of labetalol and then infusion of it, at a rate of 0.5–2.0 mg/min and in the second group, remifentanil with dose of 0.5–1 μg/kg started and then 0.25–0.5 μg/kg/min were prescribed. Hemodynamic parameters during anesthesia and recovery time, surgeon and patient satisfaction, and recovery time were measured and recorded. Findings: Hemodynamics variable were comparable between two groups at different times of the study. The mean of bleeding and the frequency of side effects were higher in labetalol group (P = 0.033 and P < 0.0001, respectively). The median of surgeon satisfaction score in remifentanil group was statistically higher in labetalol group (P < 0.0001). Recovery time, fluid requirement, and pain score in labetalol group reported significantly more than remifentanil group. Richmond Agitation–Sedation Scale status at time points in the postanesthetic care unit showed differences between groups. Conclusion: With infusion of labetalol and remifentanil after a bolus dose we can induce effective controlled hypotension under general anesthesia. Remifentanil is a short-acting narcotic drug; then, patient satisfaction was better and recovery time was shorter. From the economic aspect, labetalol prefers to remifentanil

Hormonal Fluctuations and Periodontal Status in Postmenopausal Women

Introduction. While the short-term effects of hormonal events on gingival inflammation have been well described, their long-term effects on the periodontium have received less attention. Our investigation was aimed at evaluating the correlation between hormonal fluctuations and periodontal status in postmenopausal women from the profile of the Rafsanjan Cohort Study. Material and Methods. We used the data obtained from the profile of the Rafsanjan Cohort Study (RCS) as a part of the prospective epidemiological research studies in Iran (PERSIAN). The RCS includes 10,000 participants aged 35–70 years old. Among this population, the periodontal status data of 4143 women were available. Of these 4,143, the postmenopausal women were included in the study, and those who had a history of gingival treatment during the past 6 months were excluded from the study. Finally, 928 postmenopausal women were included in the present study. Periodontal status was assessed by measuring the clinical attachment loss, pocket depth, and bleeding on probing (BOP). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were applied using three different models. Results. The results showed that 53.2% of postmenopausal women had periodontitis. There were significant differences between the participants with and without periodontitis in brushing frequency and educational status P<0.05. After adjusting for all potential confounders, no correlation was found between hormonal fluctuations and periodontal status. Conclusion. There was no correlation between hormonal fluctuations and periodontal status