Spinach consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease among adults: a case�control study

Background: Spinach has high antioxidants and polyphenols and showed protective effects against liver diseases in experimental studies. We aimed to assess the association between dietary intake of spinach and odds of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a case�control study among Iranian adults. Methods: Totally 225 newly diagnosed NAFLD patients and 450 controls, aged 20�60 years, were recruited in this study. Participants� dietary intakes were collected using a valid and reliable 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The logistic regression test was used for assessing the association between total, raw, and boiled dietary spinach with the odds of NAFLD. Results: The mean (SD) age and BMI of participants (53 male) were 38.1 (8.8) years and 26.8 (4.3) kg/m2, respectively. In the final adjusted model for potential confounders, the odds (95 CI) of NAFLD in individuals in the highest tertile of daily total and raw spinach intake was 0.36 (0.19�0.71), P_trend = 0.001 and 0.47 (0.24�0.89), P_trend = 0.008, respectively compared with those in the lowest tertile. Furthermore, in the adjusted analyses, an inverse association was observed between the highest yearly intake versus no raw spinach consumption and odds of NAFLD (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.18�0.96), P for trend = 0.013. However, there was no significant association between higher boiled spinach intake and odds of NAFLD. Conclusions: The present study found an inverse association between total and raw spinach intake with the odds of NAFLD. © 2021, The Author(s)

The Evaluation of Removal Efficiency of COD Due to Water Contaminated by Gasoline by Granular Active Carbon

Abstract Introduction: Oil pollution has severe effects on the water resources, environment, soil and human health. One of the most important goals of environmental engineers is removing of contaminants from water. Adsorption process is an effective manner for removing of contaminants in aqueous solutions. In this study, the efficiency of adsorption process by activated carbon granular has been investigated to decrease chemical oxygen demand (COD) due to gasoline in water. Methods: This study was an experimental study that was conducted in laboratory scale. The adsorption process was done batch in 100 ml in closed Erlenmeyer and the effective parameters such as the initial concentration of contaminant (1, 2% V/V) and contact time (2, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 60 min) were adapted. In all experiments, pH of 7.85 and the adsorbent mass of 1g/100mL were fixed. The COD values were measured by return reflux method according to D 5220 method presented in Standard Methods book for water and wastewater examinations. Data were analyzed with Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin isotherm models for determining of adsorption isotherm. The charts were drawn by Excel software. Results: The results of this study showed that the average of gasoline removal percent in 1 and 2% was 93.64±3.17 and 53.7 ± 22.76, respectively that the difference was significant (P-value0.05). Regression coefficients showed that adsorption data followed by Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-second order kinetic. Conclusion: We can conclude from this study that the activated carbon is an appropriate adsorbent for decreasing of COD due to gasoline contamination in water. The use of this adsorbent can well decrease COD of water contamination due to gasoline at times of 30 min

Dietary polyphenols and the odds of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A case-control study

Objectives: Few epidemiological data are available regarding the associations of dietary intakes of polyphenols with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We sought to examine the associations of dietary intake of polyphenols with the prevalence of NAFLD. Methods: We analyzed data from a case-control study of 225 patients with NAFLD cases and 450 controls. All participants completed a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire, the results of which were subsequently used to calculate dietary polyphenol. Results: Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjustment for age and sex, it was shown that participants who were in the highest tertile of total flavonoids (OR = 0.65, 95 CI = 0.44�0.98) and total phenolic acids (OR = 0.63, 95 CI = 0.42�0.94) were associated with a lower odds of NAFLD compared with the lowest tertile. Although the association of total flavonoids and the odds of NAFLD disappeared after additional adjustment for BMI, physical activity, smoking, SES, dietary fat, and energy intake (OR = 0.67, 95 CI = 0.38�1.19). The odds of NAFLD was 66 lower (OR = 0.44, CI = 0.24�0.78, p for trend = 0.006) among participants who were in the highest tertile of lignans intake compared with the lowest tertile. Conclusion: Our study showed that a high intake of lignans lowers the odds of NAFLD. We strongly recommend that the concepts proposed in this study must be tested in future longitudinal researches, to determine the association of total and subgroup of polyphenol intake with different stages of fatty liver diseases. © 2020 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolis

The effects of ginger supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The current systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RTCs) was conducted to summarize the effect of ginger supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in adults. Electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar were systematically searched up to February 2018 to identify eligible RCTs which assessed the effect of ginger on C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidation products like malondialdehyde (MDA). Fourteen studies were eligible to be included in the quantitative analysis. Results from meta-analysis suggested that CRP (−0.8 mg/L, 95 % CI: −1.17 to −0.43; I2 = 53 %), IL-6 (−2.26 pg/mL; 95 % CI: −4.00 to −0.52; I2 = 58 %) and TNF-α (−1.33 pg/mL; 95 % CI: −1.85 to −0.80; I2 = 55%) were significantly reduced by ginger supplementation. The pooled effect size indicated a significant increase in blood TAC levels after ginger consumption (1.26 μmol/L; 95 % CI: 0.17–2.35; I2 = 84%). Ginger had no significant effect on MDA (−0.29 μmol/L; 95 % CI: −1.06 to 0.47; I2 =78%). Subgroup analysis showed that the effect of ginger on CRP and TNF-α is more pronounced in studies with >80-days’ intervention. When studies were categorized based on hs-CRP/CRP, the effect of ginger was significant in both subgroups. In conclusion, the present study suggested that supplementation with ginger can improve health status in adults by lowering inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Future trials with high methodological quality are needed to support the beneficial potential (anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects) of ginger

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in water: a global systematic review and meta-analysis

Cryptosporidium spp., as a genus of protozoan intestinal parasites, is recognized as responsible for cryptosporidiosis. The present study was conducted to provide an overview of the prevalence of Cryptosporidium based on water. In this regard, some databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were screened in order to retrieve the related citations from 1 January 1983 to 10 September 2019. The pooled prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was calculated by using a random effect model (REM) based on defined subgroups, including countries, water type, treatment conditions (treated and untreated), economic condition, World Health Organization (WHO) regions, and method of detection. In contrast, this index for treated and untreated water was 25.7 and 40.1, respectively. Also, the overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. among all water types was defined as 36 (95 CI: 31.4�40.7). The rank order of prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. based on water type was wastewater (46.9) > surface water (45.3) > raw water (31.6) > drinking water (25.5) > reservoirs water (24.5) > groundwater (18.8) > swimming pool water (7.5) > marine water (0.20). Identifying the key contributing factors to Cryptosporidium spp. survival can help provide solutions at both local and global scales. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

The effect of RGD-targeted and non-targeted liposomal Galbanic acid on the therapeutic efficacy of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin

The anti-cancer therapeutic application of Galbanic acid (Gba) as a strong antiangiogenic sesquiterpene coumarin has been limited due to its low water solubility. This issue necessitates developing new liposomal formulations for the efficient delivery of Gba in vivo. In this study, various liposomal formulations were prepared by a thin-film hydration method, and Gba was incorporated into the liposomal bilayers, which consequently increased its release profile compared to formulations in our previous study prepared by remote loading methods. The most stable formulation with desired properties was selected and decorated with RGD peptide (cyclo [Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Tyr-Cys]) to target tumor vasculature actively. The fluorescently-labeled model liposomes showed that the targeting could improve the receptor-mediated endocytosis of the liposomes higher than those prepared in our previous study in vitro in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), which was confirmed by chicken chorioallantoic membrane angiogenesis (CAM) model in vivo. Although not significant, it also could increase the accumulation of liposomes in colon tumors. In BALB/c mice bearing colon cancer, not only non-targeted Gba liposomes but also even RGD-targeted ones combinatorial therapy with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin could improve the anti-tumor efficacy as compared to their monotherapy. These outcomes have strong consequences for cancer therapy.</p

The influence of fasting and energy-restricted diets on leptin and adiponectin levels in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background &amp; aims: Fasting and energy-restricted diets have been evaluated in several studies as a means of improving cardiometabolic biomarkers related to body fat loss. However, further investigation is required to understand potential alterations of leptin and adiponectin concentrations. Thus, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimate of the influence of fasting and energy-restricted diets on leptin and adiponectin levels in humans, as well as to detect potential sources of heterogeneity in the available literature. Methods: A comprehensive systematic search was performed in Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, SCOPUS and Embase from inception until June 2019. All clinical trials investigating the effects of fasting and energy-restricted diets on leptin and adiponectin in adults were included. Results: Twelve studies containing 17 arms and a total of 495 individuals (intervention = 249, control = 246) reported changes in serum leptin concentrations, and 10 studies containing 12 arms with a total of 438 individuals (intervention = 222, control = 216) reported changes in serum adiponectin concentrations. The combined effect sizes suggested a significant effect of fasting and energy-restricted diets on leptin concentrations (WMD: �3.690 ng/ml, 95 CI: �5.190, �2.190, p � 0.001; I2 = 84.9). However, no significant effect of fasting and energy-restricted diets on adiponectin concentrations was found (WMD: �159.520 ng/ml, 95 CI: �689.491, 370.451, p = 0.555; I2 = 74.2). Stratified analyses showed that energy-restricted regimens significantly increased adiponectin (WMD: 554.129 ng/ml, 95 CI: 150.295, 957.964; I2 = 0.0). In addition, subsequent subgroup analyses revealed that energy restriction, to �50 normal required daily energy intake, resulted in significantly reduced concentrations of leptin (WMD: �4.199 ng/ml, 95 CI: �7.279, �1.118; I2 = 83.9) and significantly increased concentrations of adiponectin (WMD: 524.04 ng/ml, 95 CI: 115.618, 932.469: I2 = 0.0). Conclusion: Fasting and energy-restricted diets elicit significant reductions in serum leptin concentrations. Increases in adiponectin may also be observed when energy intake is �50 of normal requirements, although limited data preclude definitive conclusions on this point. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolis