Serum concentration of beta amyloid peptide and the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme in alzheimer's disease patients: search for a potential biomarker

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a disorder that affects mainly aged population. There is still no diagnostic test for the disease. Over the past few years investigators have studied several plasma biomarkers, most frequently, plasma beta amyloid peptide (Aβ). Level of Aβ depends on balance between production and clearance, accomplished by proteases. Our purpose was to study differences in the concentrations of Aβ's (and their ratios) and also in the activity of ACE in blood serum of AD patients and control groups.Methods: We measured the blood levels of beta amyloid 40 and 42 (Aβ40 & Aβ42) and their proportions in AD patients' blood samples. We also measured the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activities.Results: This study showed that amounts of Aβ40 and Aβ42 in the blood serum of AD patients were significantly lower than that in control samples. The ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40 was not significantly different from controls. With respect to age and severity of disease we observed that Aβ40 concentration was lower in AD male patients and decreased with severity of AD. We also observed that serum Aβ42 concentration was decreased by increasing the age of female patients.Conclusions: Our results indicated that the ACE activity was significantly higher in patients in comparison with normal individuals. Also, it was revealed that increase in age resulted in reduced ACE activity in females and increased activity in males. This study also showed there was a positive relationship between ACE activity and severity of disease

Consumption of dairy products in adolescents in Tehran

  Background: Dairy products are required for bone metabolism; however, the majority of adolescent do not consume the products adequately. This study was performed to assess the prevalence of dairy products consumption, daily calcium, vitamin D intake, and vitamin D deficiency.   Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 444 females and males’ students in middle and secondary school were recruited by using mixed sampling method. Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used to estimate dietary calcium and vitamin D consumption. Serum calcium, and 25 (OH) vitamin D were measured. The data was analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 19.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. T-test, Chi2 and Spearman correlations tests were used as well.     Results: Out of all participants, 214 (48.2%) were females. The average age of the participants was 14.34 years and 206 (46.6%) of the students were in middle and 238 (53.6%) were in high school. 409 (92.1%) of the students consumed at least one glass of milk per week. Calcium intake from milk and yoghurt was more than calcium intake from other dairy products. The amount of calcium lower than 700 mg/day was consumed in 176 (39.6%) of adolescents. There was a significant positive correlation between weekly calcium intake and serum vitamin D level (P=0.001). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher in females rather than males (151 (71.2%) vs. 40 (17.5 %)).    Conclusion: Adolescents in Tehran do not consume dairy products enough. Indeed, encouraging teenagers to consume dairy products and alter in dietary patterns that improve calcium intake, should be taken in to consideration

The utility of Helicobacter pylori eradication in improving functional dyspepsia in adult population in Iran

Background: This review aimed at investigating the effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori eradication in improving the symptoms of patients with functional dyspepsia in Iranian adult population. Materials and Methods: This study was a systematic review. Data were collected from the Medline database by searching some keywords including "Helicobacter pylori", "eradication", "effectiveness", "dyspepsia", and "Iran". After obtaining the full text of articles, the critical review was performed based on article titles and abstracts. For each article, information regarding benefits, side effects and efficacy was identified. Then, scenarios were extracted according to the mentioned data. Results: From a total of 28 reviewed papers, 6 were systematic reviews (with the level of evidence 1a), 18 articles were randomized interventional trials (with the level of evidence 1b) and 4 articles were longitudinal studies (with the level of evidence 2b). Most studies reported improvement in symptoms, although some of them did not report the statistically significant difference. After extracting data related to the scenarios from the articles, they were rated regarding the clinical advantage and the ability to localize each scenario. Conclusion: Considering the results of analyzing the articles and extracted scenarios, Helicobacter pylori eradication is recommended in Iranian adult patients with functional dyspepsia, normal upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and documented Helicobacter pylori infection

Effect of Nanomicelle Curcumin on Quality of Life and Sleep in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease: A Double-Blind, Randomized, and Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background: Considering the evidence indicating the neuronal protective effects of curcumin in previous studies, this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, and parallel-group trial was aimed at exploring the possible nanomicelle curcumin (SinaCurcumin®, nano-micellar soft gel)-mediated impact on sleep, fatigue, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).Methods: A sample of 50 PD patients were recruited and randomly divided into experimental (25) and control groups (25). Sleep quality, fatigue, and QoL were assessed based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire–39 (PDQ-39), respectively, at the beginning and the end of the study. The groups were treated for three months by 80 mg of nano-micellar soft gel twice a day.Results: Nanomicelle curcumin significantly increased sleep quality and QoL compared with placebo (P values = 0.0001 and 0.0002, respectively) in PD patients. This significant difference has not influenced by the duration of the disease, the severity of disease progression (Hoehn & Yahr scale), and the cumulative dose of levodopa. This supplement did not have a significant effect on the fatigue severity of patients compared to placebo.Conclusion: It has proposed that the nanomicelle curcumin can be used to improve sleep quality and QoL in PD patients

Transcriptome and Molecular Endocrinology Aspects of Epicardial Adipose Tissue in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of published literature on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in human epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) to identify molecules associated with CVDs. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, and ISI Web of Science literature databases for papers published before October 2014 that addressed EAT genes and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We included original papers that had performed gene expressions in EAT of patients undergoing open-heart surgery. The Reporting Recommendations for Tumor Marker Prognostic Studies (PRIMARK) assessment tool was also used for methodological quality assessment. From the 180 papers identified by our initial search strategy, 40 studies met the inclusion criteria and presented DEGs in EAT samples from patients with and without CVDs. The included studies reported 42 DEGs identified through comparison of EAT-specific gene expression in patients with and without CVDs. Among the 42 DEGs, genes involved in regulating apoptosis had higher enrichment scores. Notably, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor protein p53 (TP53) were the main hub genes in the network. The results suggest that regulation of apoptosis in EAT is critical for CVD development. Moreover, IL-6 and TP53 as hub genes could serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for CVDs

Illicit methylphenidate use among Iranian medical students: prevalence and knowledge

Afshin Habibzadeh1 Mahasti Alizadeh2 Ayoub Malek3 Leili Maghbooli1 Mohammadali M Shoja4 Kamyar Ghabili41Students' Research Committee, 2Department of Community Medicine, 3Department of Psychiatry, 4Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranBackground: Methylphenidate, a medication prescribed for individuals suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is increasingly being misused by students.Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate the frequency of methylphenidate use among a group of Iranian medical students and to assess their knowledge of methylphenidate.Methods: Anonymous, self-administered questionnaires were completed by all medical students entering the university between 2000 and 2007.Results: Methylphenidate users’ mean knowledge score was higher than that of nonusers (15.83 ± 3.14 vs 13.66 ± 3.10, P = 0.008). Age, gender, and school year were positively correlated with knowledge score (P < 0.05). Data analysis demonstrated that 27 participants (8.7%) had taken methylphenidate at least once in their lifetime. The respondents believed that the most common motive for methylphenidate use among youths was that it aided concentration and therefore ability to study.Conclusion: This study indicates a relatively low level of knowledge about methylphenidate among Iranian medical students. More educational programs regarding the use of methylphenidate are required and should be focused on the student suppliers, clinicians, pharmacists, and medical students.Keywords: methylphenidate, medical student, prevalence, Ira

The Association between Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Liver Enzymes (Aspartate and Alanine Transaminases) in Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND: Intake of fiber and antioxidants and following hypocaloric diets has beneficial effects on reduction of the liver enzymes. Fruits and vegetables are low in calorie and rich in fiber and antioxidants. There are few studies about special dietary effects on liver function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between fruit and vegetables intake and liver function enzymes.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 265 Tehrani healthy adults. Fruit and vegetable intake was assessed by a 147-items semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Serum glucose, lipids, liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)), hs-Crp and body composition were measured in a fasting state.RESULTS: The mean age (± SD) of the participants was 35 ± 8.78. In the higher quartiles of vegetable intake, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) serum and total cholesterol (TC) levels were lower after adjusting for confounders (p = 0.03 and 0.02 respectively). Individuals in the upper quartile of vegetable intake were less likely to have elevated ALT (OR=0.21; 95% CI =0.08-0.49) and AST (OR=0.33; 95% CI =0.15-0.75) levels before adjusting for confounders. After controlling for potential confounders, only the association between vegetable intake and ALT level remained significant (OR=0.32; 95% CI =0.12-0.90). Liver enzymes had no significant relationship with the quartiles of fruit intake. In the higher quartiles of fruit intake, the visceral fat rating was lower after adjustment (p = 0.04) but not in the higher vegetable intake (p = 0.50).CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that vegetable intake is reversely associated with LDL, TC and ALT level in Tehrani healthy adults, whereas fruit intake is only associated with lower visceral fat rating.KEYWORDS: AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT), fruit, vegetables, Anthropometric status, Biochemical teste

The Bulletin, Annual Catalogue, Academic Year 1952-1953, Series 48, Number 1, August (1952)

https://red.mnstate.edu/bulletins/1032/thumbnail.jp

First-Trimester Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Development of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

OBJECTIVE-To investigate the association between first-trimester maternal serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) as measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-We conducted a case-control study involving 248 women in the first-trimester of pregnancy, 90 of whom developed GDM and 158 remained normoglycemic. RESULTS-Although booking 25-OH-D levels correlated negatively with 2-h glucose postoral glucose tolerance test and positively with HDL cholesterol, as well as with ethnicity, obesity, and smoking (all P < 0.05), there were no statistically significant differences in baseline maternal mean 25-OH-D levels between those who subsequently developed GDM, 18.9 ng/mL (SD 10.7) and those who remained normoglycemic, 19.0 ng/mL (10.7) (P = 0.874), even after adjustment for possible confounders including sampling month (P = 0.784). CONCLUSIONS-Our large and well-phenotyped prospective study did not find evidence of an association between first-trimester maternal levels of 25-OH-D and subsequent development of GDM