Nutritional Recommendations in Asthmatic Patients

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease, and airway inflammation has an important role in its pathogenesis. Some nutritional factors can influence the process of asthma. It is reported that saffron has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and muscle relaxant effects, and some animal and human studies showed that saffron and its active components (safranal and crocin) improved the asthma biomarkers and clinical symptoms. Some other nutritional factors also affect asthma; for example, magnesium can relax the muscles and thus has bronchodilatory effects. Curcumin is the major active component of turmeric which has a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic effects. Because some researchers suggested that intestinal microbial flora has an important role in allergy, probiotics can be a complementary supplement for asthmatic patients. Generally nutritional factors could be advised for asthmatic patients with the goal of reducing the needs for chemical drugs

Heat shock proteins and cardiovascular disease

Atherosclerosis is the leading global cause of mortality, morbidity, and disability. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a highly conserved family of proteins with diverse functions expressed by all cells exposed to environmental stress. Studies have reported that several HSPs may be potential risk markers of atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases, or may be directly involved in the atherogenic process itself. HSPs are expressed by cells in atherosclerotic plaque and anti-HSP has been reported to be increased in patients with vascular disease. Autoimmune responses may be generated against antigens present within the atherosclerotic plague, including HSP and may lead to a cycle of ongoing vascular injury. It has been suggested that by inducing a state of tolerance to these antigens, the atherogenic process may be limited and thus provide a potential therapeutic approach. It has been suggested that anti-HSPs are independent predictors of risk of vascular disease. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of HSP in cardiovascular disease and highlight their potential role as diagnostic agents and therapeutic targets

An evaluation of the effects of saffron supplementation on the asthma clinical symptoms and asthma severity in patients with mild and moderate persistent allergic asthma: a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial

Abstract Background Asthma is a heterogeneous disease which is usually associated with chronic airway inflammation. Saffron has anti-inflammatory effects and may has beneficial effects on asthma. Hypothesis The present study was intended to survey the effects of saffron supplementation on blood pressure, lipid profiles, basophils, eosinophils and clinical symptoms in patients with allergic asthma. Study design Our study was a clinical trial. Methods Subjects (N = 80, 32 women and 48 men, 41.25 ± 9.87 years old) with mild and moderate allergic asthma were randomized into two groups: the intervention group who received two capsules of saffron (100 mg/d), and the control group who received two capsules of placebo for 8 weeks. SPSS software (version 16.0) was used for the data analysis. Results Saffron improved the frequency of clinical symptoms of the patients (i.e., frequency of the shortness of breath during the day and night time, use of salbutamol spray, waking up due to asthma symptoms and activity limitation) in comparison to the placebo (p < 0.001). Besides, asthma severity decreased almost significantly in the saffron group (p = 0.07). It was also found that saffron, in comparison with the placebo, significantly reduced the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Moreover, eosinophils and basophils concentration reduced in the saffron group (p = 0.06 and 0.05 respectively). Conclusion Saffron seems to be an effective and safe option (in 8 weeks supplementation) to improve clinical symptoms of patients with allergic asthma but the toxicity and/or long-term effects of saffron intake are not known. Registration ID in IRCT (IRCT2017012132081N2)

Early Post Operative Enteral Versus Parenteral Feeding after Esophageal Cancer Surgery

Introduction: The incidence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients is reported to be high. In particular, patients with esophageal cancer are prone to malnutrition, due to preoperative digestive system dysfunctions and short-term non-oral feeding postoperatively. Selection of an appropriate method for feeding in the postoperative period is important in these patients.   Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 40 patients with esophageal cancer who had undergone esophagectomy between September 2008 and October 2009 were randomly assigned into either enteral feeding or parenteral feeding groups, with the same calorie intake in each group. The level of serum total protein, albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, C3, C4 and hs-C-reactive protein          (hs-CRP), as well as the rate of surgical complications, restoration of bowel movements and cost was assessed in each group.   Results: Our results showed that there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of serum albumin, prealbumin or transferrin. However, C3 and C4 levels were significantly higher in the enteral feeding group compared with the parenteral group, while hs-CRP level was significantly lower in the enteral feeding group. Bowel movements were restored sooner and costs of treatment were lower in the enteral group. Postoperative complications did not differ significantly between the groups. There was one death in the parenteral group 10 days after surgery due to myocardial infarction.   Conclusion:  The results of our study showed that enteral feeding can be used effectively in the first days after surgery, with few early complications and similar nutritional outcomes compared with the parenteral method. Enteral feeding was associated with reduced inflammation and was associated with an improvement in immunological responses, quicker return of bowel movements, and reduced costs in comparison with parenteral feeding