Association between obesity categories with cardiovascular disease and its related risk factors in the MASHAD cohort study population

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Obesity is an important CVD risk factor and is increasing in prevalence. Methods In this study, 3829 men and 5720 women (35‐65 years) were enrolled as part of the MASHAD cohort study. Four categories were identified according to body mass index and waist circumference that was defined by the World Health Organization. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the occurrence of CVD, and Cox regression model was used to evaluate the association of obesity with CVD incidence. Results We found that the higher risk groups defined by categories of adiposity were significantly related to a higher prevalence of a high serum total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG), and lower high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and higher fasting blood glucose (FBG) in both genders and a higher low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) in women (P < .001). Additionally, a high percentage of participants with dyslipidemia, high LDL, high TC, and low HDL and a high percentage of participants with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, and a high serum TG were observed across obesity categories (P < .001). Moreover, women with the very high degrees of obesity had a greater risk of CVD (HR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.06‐3.43, P = .03). Conclusion Obesity strongly predicts several CVD risk factors. Following 6 years of follow‐up, in individuals within increasing degrees of obesity, there was a corresponding significant increase in CVD events, rising to approximately a twofold higher risk of cardiovascular events in women compared with men

Age- and sex-specific reference intervals for superoxide dismutase enzyme and several minerals in a healthy adult cohort

Introduction The aim of this study was to establish RIs for clinically important markers including superoxide dismutase (SOD), serum copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate in a cohort of healthy Iranian adults. Materials A subsample from MASHAD cohort study was used to assess serum SOD, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphate. Serum SOD was measured according to its inhibitory potential of pyrogallol oxidation. Micro- and macro-minerals were measured using flame atomic absorption spectrometry and a BT3000 autoanalyzer, respectively. Sex- and age-specific RIs were then calculated based on CLSI Ep28-A3 guidelines. Results Reference value distributions for studied parameters did not demonstrate any age-specific differences that were statistically significant. In addition, sex partitioning was not required for all parameters, apart from serum magnesium, which showed a wider range in females (0.81–1.26 mg/dl) compared with males (0.82–1.23 mg/dl). Conclusion The RIs established in this study can be expected to improve mineral assessment and clinical decision-making in the Iranian adult population

Reference intervals for routine biochemical markers and body mass index: a study based on healthcare center database in northeastern Iran

Age‐ and sex‐specific reference intervals (RIs) for some biochemical tests may be useful for their interpretation, due to the variations in lifestyle and genetic, or ethnic factors. The aim of this study was to obtain RIs for some routine biochemical markers including a serum lipid profile, fasting blood glucose (FBG), aspartate and alanine aminotransferase (AST and ALT), uric acid, and body mass index (BMI) in subjects who attended primary healthcare centers. The large database of primary healthcare centers uses RIs to report results for children, adolescents, and young and old adults. RIs were obtained by using the indirect method, recommended by the CLSI Ep28‐A3 guidelines. RIs for FBG, BMI, and serum lipid profile, including triglyceride, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol in people aged 18 to 120 years, were obtained without age/sex segmentation. RIs for serum AST, ALT, and uric acid were obtained without age segmentation, though these RIs were higher in males than females. The RIs for AST, ALT, and uric acid were higher in men, while the RIs for the other variables were similar in both sexes. This is the first study reporting the use of indirect RIs for BMI

Prevalence and causes of severe visual impairment and blindness among children in the lorestan province of iran, using the key informant method.

PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence and causes of severe visual impairment and blindness among children in Lorestan province of Iran, and to assess the feasibility of the Key Informant Method in this setting. METHODS: Potential cases were identified using the Key Informant Method, in 3 counties of Lorestan province during June through August 2008, and referred for examination. Causes of severe visual impairment/blindness were determined and categorized using standard World Health Organization methods. RESULTS: Of 123 children referred for examination, 27 children were confirmed to have severe visual impairment/blindness or blindness. The median age was11 years (interquartile range 6-13), and 59% were girls. After adjusting for non-attenders, the estimated prevalence of severe visual impairment/blindness was 0.04% (0.03-0.05). The main site of abnormality was retina (44%), followed by disorders of the whole eye (33%). The majority of causes had a hereditary etiology (70%), which was associated with a family history of blindness (P = 0.002). Potentially avoidable causes of severe visual impairment/blindness were found in 14 children (52%). Almost all children with severe visual impairment/blindness had a history of parental consanguinity (93%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a moderate prevalence of childhood blindness in the Lorestan province of Iran, a high proportion of which may be avoidable, given improved access to ophthalmic and genetic counselling services in rural areas. The Key Informant Method is feasible in Iran; future research is discussed

Anthropometric indices of obesity and the prediction of cardiovascular risk factors in an Iranian population

The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome are increasing globally. The present study was conducted in an attempt to define optimal cutoff values for several anthropometric variables in an Iranian population, as these may vary with ethnicity. Iranian subjects (2483 men and 2445 women), aged 15-65 years, were recruited using a cluster-stratified sampling method from rural and urban areas within the Khorasan province. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to define optimal anthropometric cutoff values. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome were 28, 5.5, 67, and 39.9%, respectively. The gender-specific cutoff values for waist:height ratio to predict hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome among men were 0.52 (sensitivity = 66%; specificity = 66%), 0.54 (sensitivity = 65%; specificity = 65%), 0.50 (sensitivity = 58%; specificity = 57%), and 0.53 (sensitivity = 73%; specificity = 70%), and for women were 0.59 (sensitivity = 61%; specificity = 61%), 0.61 (sensitivity = 64%; specificity = 64%), 0.57 (sensitivity = 61%; specificity = 61%), and 0.59 (sensitivity = 77%; specificity = 77%) (p < 0.05). Significant correlations were found between waist:height ratio and hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome, particularly in women. Waist circumference cutoffs were higher for women than men for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia

Natural decomposition of hornbeam wood decayed by the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor

<div><p>ABSTRACT The impacts of white-rot fungi on altering wood chemistry have been studied mostly in vitro. However, in vivo approaches may enable better assessment of the nature of interactions between saprotrophic fungi and host tree in nature. Hence, decayed and sound wood samples were collected from a naturally infected tree (Carpinus betulus L.). Fruiting bodies of the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor grown on the same tree were identified using rDNA ITS sequencing. Chemical compositions (cellulose and lignin) of both sound and infected wood were studied. FT-IR spectroscopy was used to collect spectra of decayed and un-decayed wood samples. The results of chemical compositions indicated that T. versicolor reduced cellulose and lignin in similar quantities. Fungal activities in decayed wood causes serious decline in pH content. The amount of alcohol-benzene soluble extractives was severely decreased, while a remarkable increase was found in 1% sodium hydroxide soluble and hot water extractive contents in the decayed wood samples, respectively. FT-IR analyses demonstrated that T. versicolor causes simultaneous white rot in the hornbeam tree in vivo which is in line with in vitro experiments.</p></div

Glucokinase gene promoter -30G>A polymorphism: a cross-sectional association study with obesity, diabetes Mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and metabolic syndrome in an Iranian hospital

OBJECTIVE: A -30G>A single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the glucokinase gene has been previously associated with obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of this polymorphism with obesity and its comorbidities in a population from Northeast Iran. METHODS: Five hundred and forty-two subjects aged 18 to 65 years were included in the study and divided into normal (BMI<25, n=220), overweight (25<BMI<30, n=135) and obese (BMI>30, n=187) groups. All subjects were genotyped for the -30G>A polymorphism using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. RESULTS: The genotypes and allele frequencies of the three groups did not differ significantly (p>0.05). When the study population was categorized according to diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and metabolic syndrome status, no significant difference in -30G>A genotypes and alleles was found between the subgroups with and without these disorders (p>0.05), apart from a significantly higher frequency of the G allele in the hyperlipidemic vs. non-hyperlipidemic subgroup (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study do not support an association between the -30G>A polymorphism and high body mass index in the Iranian population