International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Probiotics.

Position statement: The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) provides an objective and critical review of the mechanisms and use of probiotic supplementation to optimize the health, performance, and recovery of athletes. Based on the current available literature, the conclusions of the ISSN are as follows: 1)Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host (FAO/WHO).2)Probiotic administration has been linked to a multitude of health benefits, with gut and immune health being the most researched applications.3)Despite the existence of shared, core mechanisms for probiotic function, health benefits of probiotics are strain- and dose-dependent.4)Athletes have varying gut microbiota compositions that appear to reflect the activity level of the host in comparison to sedentary people, with the differences linked primarily to the volume of exercise and amount of protein consumption. Whether differences in gut microbiota composition affect probiotic efficacy is unknown.5)The main function of the gut is to digest food and absorb nutrients. In athletic populations, certain probiotics strains can increase absorption of key nutrients such as amino acids from protein, and affect the pharmacology and physiological properties of multiple food components.6)Immune depression in athletes worsens with excessive training load, psychological stress, disturbed sleep, and environmental extremes, all of which can contribute to an increased risk of respiratory tract infections. In certain situations, including exposure to crowds, foreign travel and poor hygiene at home, and training or competition venues, athletes' exposure to pathogens may be elevated leading to increased rates of infections. Approximately 70% of the immune system is located in the gut and probiotic supplementation has been shown to promote a healthy immune response. In an athletic population, specific probiotic strains can reduce the number of episodes, severity and duration of upper respiratory tract infections.7)Intense, prolonged exercise, especially in the heat, has been shown to increase gut permeability which potentially can result in systemic toxemia. Specific probiotic strains can improve the integrity of the gut-barrier function in athletes.8)Administration of selected anti-inflammatory probiotic strains have been linked to improved recovery from muscle-damaging exercise.9)The minimal effective dose and method of administration (potency per serving, single vs. split dose, delivery form) of a specific probiotic strain depends on validation studies for this particular strain. Products that contain probiotics must include the genus, species, and strain of each live microorganism on its label as well as the total estimated quantity of each probiotic strain at the end of the product's shelf life, as measured by colony forming units (CFU) or live cells.10)Preclinical and early human research has shown potential probiotic benefits relevant to an athletic population that include improved body composition and lean body mass, normalizing age-related declines in testosterone levels, reductions in cortisol levels indicating improved responses to a physical or mental stressor, reduction of exercise-induced lactate, and increased neurotransmitter synthesis, cognition and mood. However, these potential benefits require validation in more rigorous human studies and in an athletic population

Food intake, body composition and aerobic capacity of Iranian National Basketball Team, 1997

History and Objectives: In order to evaluate the nutritional status of athletes during preparation of important matches and one of the major games in Iran is basketball, the present study will determine the of nutritional intake, body fat and aerobic capacity of basketball athletes of national team in 1997. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study on 14 male basketball players was carried out. The mean age, height, weight and BMI was 25.6±3.1 years, 191±6 centimeters, 87.3±8.1 kilograms and 23.9±1.7 respectively. Weight, BMI, body fat and aerobic capacity on the basis of Oxygen consumption were determined in 3 stages of before the start of training, during the train and after training. In addition nutritional status and food intakes were assessed at the start and end of trainings by determining the food intake in 7 non-interval days. Foods were transferred into the laboratory for determination of proteins, lipids and carbohydrate content. Results: Weight and BMI variation during training was insignificant. Intradermal fat thickness was reduced from 42.9±13.7 to 34.6±9.9 mm (P<0.02). Maximum Oxygen intake was increased from 42.3±3.3 to 44.5±2.2 mm/kg-min (P<0.05). At the first stage the caloric intake was 3900kcal, which consisted of carbohydrates (50%), protein (15%) and fat (35%). At the second stage the caloric intake was 3600kcal, which consisted of carbohydrates (55%), protein (15%) and fat (30%), which were in normal range. Intake of Iron, calcium and vitamin C was higher than recommended allowance, B1, B2 and Niacin was within the recommended range and vitamin A and B6 was lower than recommended allowance. Conclusion: The food intake of athletes was within the recommended allowance range. Further research on the assessment of nutritional values taken by athletes, nutrition educational programs for athletes and their coaches and interventional nutritional study of a given nutritional program is suggested

Effects of methamphetamine on the histopathology of the liver and pancreas and their enzymes in adult male rats

Background: Methamphetamine (METH) is a widely addictive and abused psychostimulant drug that affects organs of body. In this study, the effects of METH administration for 7, 14, and 28 days on the histological and functional changes of the liver and pancreas of adult male rats were investigated. Methods: In this experimental study, 58 adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven groups including control (received no treatment), vehicle (received saline for 7, 14, and 28 days), and METH (received METH with a dose of 5 ml/kg, IP for 7, 14 or 28 days). Sampling from the liver and pancreas tissues was done after the above-mentioned times for each group, then, tissue samples were stained by H&E technique and evaluated for structural changes, as well as the evaluation of biochemical factors including SGPT, SGOT, and amylase enzymes. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, using SPSS software version 20. Statistical significant level was considered at P<0.05. Results: In this study, METH caused a significant structural change in the liver and pancreas in the METH-treated groups compared with the control group. Functional changes depended on the length of treatment, with the 7-day treatment group having less damage than the 14-and 28-day periods. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, methamphetamine administration for 7, 14, and 28 days had adverse effects on the rats liver and pancreas structure and their enzymes (SGPT, SGOT, and amylase). Therefore, underlying mechanism need further investigation. © 2021, Kerman University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

The relationship between vitamin D receptor (VDR) rs2228570 and rs7975232 genetic variants and the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss

Objective: Recurrent pregnancy loss is one of the most common medical events that occur in the first and second trimesters. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms (rs2228570 and rs7975232) and the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss. The effect of rs2228570 polymorphism on protein stability was also predicted via in silico investigation. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 52 women with recurrent pregnancy loss and 52 control women without pregnancy loss. We used the polymerase chain reaction technique to amplify the polymorphism regions on the chromosome. The PCR products were cut by FokI and ApaI restriction enzymes and the obtained data were analyzed. Results: Our results showed the case group consisted of 32.7 wild type, 65.4 heterozygote, and 1.9 homozygote genotypes for polymorphism rs7975232.The controls included 48.1 wild type, 42.3 heterozygote, and 9.6 homozygote genotypes. There was a significant difference between polymorphism rs7975232 and recurrent pregnancy loss (P = 0.034). These genotypes for rs2228570 polymorphism were53.8 wild type, 38.5 heterozygote, and 7.7 homozygote. However, the control group included 80.8 wild type, 15.4 heterozygote, and 3.8 homozygote. There was a significant difference between polymorphism rs2228570 and recurrent pregnancy loss (P = 0.014). Conclusion: We found a significant difference between VDR rs2228570 and rs7975232 genetic variants with recurrent pregnancy loss. Protein stability was also decreased following single nucleotide polymorphism in VDR rs2228570. © 202

The potential therapeutic role of PTR1 gene in non-healing anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania tropica

Background: Drug resistance is a common phenomenon frequently observed in countries where leishmaniasis is endemic. Due to the production of the pteridine reductase enzyme (PTR1), drugs lose their efficacy, and consequently, the patient becomes unresponsive to treatment. This study aimed to compare the in vitro effect of meglumine antimoniate (MA) on non- healing Leishmania tropica isolates and on MA transfected non-healing one to PTR1. Methods: Two non-healing and one healing isolates of L. tropica were collected from patients who received two courses or one cycle of intralesional MA along with biweekly liquid nitrogen cryotherapy or systemic treatment alone, respectively. After confirmation of L. tropica isolates by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the recombinant plasmid pcDNA-rPTR (antisense) was transfected via electroporation and cultured on M199. Isolates in form of promastigotes were treated with different concentrations of MA and read using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reader and the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) value was calculated. The amastigotes were grown in mouse macrophages and were similarly treated with various concentrations of MA. The culture glass slides were stained, and the mean number of intramacrophage amastigotes and infected macrophages were assessed in triplicate for both stages. Results: All three transfected isolates displayed a reduction in optical density compared with the promastigotes in respective isolates, although there was no significant difference between non-healing and healing isolates. In contrast, in the clinical form (amastigotes), there was a significant difference between non-healing and healing isolates (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: The results indicated that the PTR1 gene reduced the efficacy of the drug, and its inhibition by antisense and could improve the treatment of non-healing cases. These findings have future implications in the prophylactic and therapeutic modality of non- healing Leishmania isolates to drug. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Detecting of Beta-lactamase Genes in Clinical Isolates of Escherichia Coli Isolated From Baqiyatallah Hospital of Bashagard and Evaluating Their Antibiotic Resistance and Biofilm Formation

Biofilm formation has been observed in different species of bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The formation of biofilms in the airways of pneumonia patients and chronic lung patients is one of the important factors in prolonging the treatment period, exacerbating clinical symptoms and even death of patients. The present study aimed to investigate beta-lactamase genes in clinical isolates of Escherichia coli isolated from Baqiyatallah Bashagard Hospital and to evaluate their antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation. In the present study, 60 isolates from fecal samples of patients with symptoms of diarrhea and suspected Escherichia coli infection were collected and selected from Baqiyatallah Hospital of Bashagard. After confirmation of Escherichia coli strains using microbial culture and biochemical tests, the presence of three beta-lactamase genes in these isolates was examined. The ability of isolates to form biofilms and their resistance to two different antibiotics were also measured. A phenotypic study of isolates based on optical absorbance measurements showed that among the clinical Escherichia coli isolated from Baqiyatallah Hospital of Bashagard, only 10 isolates could form a strong biofilm in the microtiter plate.&nbsp

A long-lasting emerging epidemic of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in southeastern Iran: population movement and peri-urban settlements as a major risk factor

Background: Epidemics of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are occurring more frequently and spreading faster and farther than before in many areas of the world. The present study aimed to assess a long-lasting emerging epidemic (2005�2019) of 5532 cases with anthroponotic CL (ACL) in peri-urban areas of Kerman city in southeastern Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was carried out for 15 years in Kerman province, southeastern Iran. The data were passively obtained through the health surveillance system and the Kerman Leishmaniasis Research Center. Every subject was diagnosed using direct smear microscopy. The representative causative agent was further examined by ITS1-PCR, PCR-RFLP, 7SL RNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. For each subject, a case report form designating demographic and clinical data was recorded. Results: A different pattern of ACL incidence was found in peri-urban areas compared to that in the city of Kerman. The incidence rate of ACL cases has significantly increased (P < 0.001) from 2005 to 2016 in new settlements with a gradual decline after that. The overall average risk of contracting the disease was 7.6 times higher in peri-urban areas compared to Kerman city, an old endemic focus. All isolates consisting of six variants were confirmed to be Leishmania tropica. The overall pattern of the ACL infection indicates that the etiological agent of ACL is propagated and transmitted by the bite of female Phlebotomus sergenti sandflies from person to person from dissimilar clones as reflected by the complexity of the migrants� backgrounds in the province. Conclusions: The movement of populations and establishment of new settlements in peri-urban areas close to endemic areas are major risk factors for and are directly linked to CL. The underlying factors of this emerging ACL epidemic caused by L. tropica were disasters and droughts, among others. A robust commitment to a multilateral approach is crucial to make improvements in this area. This will require decisive coordinated actions through all governmental factions and non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, active and passive case detection strategies, early diagnosis, and effective treatment could help control the disease. Figure not available: see fulltext.. © 2021, The Author(s)

Associated-risk determinants for anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with meglumine antimoniate: A cohort study in Iran

BackgroundThe control of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is facilitated by knowledge of factors associated with the treatment failures in endemic countries. The aim of this evaluation was to identify the potential risk determinants which might affect the significance of demographic and clinical characteristics for the patients with anthroponotic CL (ACL) and the outcome of meglumine antimoniate (MA) (Glucantime) treatment.Methodology/principal findingsThis current was executed as a cohort spanning over a period of 5 years which centered in southeastern part of Iran. Altogether, 2,422 participants were evaluated and 1,391 eligible volunteer patients with ACL caused by Leishmania tropica were included. Overall, 1,116 (80.2%) patients received MA intraleisionally (IL), once a week for 12 weeks along with biweekly cryotherapy, while 275 (19.8%) patients received MA alone (20 mg/kg/day for 3 weeks) (intramuscular, IM). The treatment failure rate in ACL patients was 11% using IL combined with cryotherapy plus IM alone, whilst 9% and 18.5% by IL along with cryotherapy or IM alone, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression model predicted 5 major associated-risk determinants including male (odds ratio (OR) = 1.54, confidence interval (CI) = 1.079-2.22, p = 0.018), lesion on face (OR = 1.574, CI = 1.075-2.303, p = 0.02), multiple lesions (OR = 1.446, CI = 1.008-2.075, p = 0.045), poor treatment adherence (OR = 2.041, CI = 1.204-3.46, p = 0.008) and disease duration > 4 months (OR = 2.739, CI = 1.906-3.936, p≤0.001).Conclusions/significanceThe present study is the original and largest cohort of ACL patients who treated with MA. A comprehensive intervention and coordinated action by the health authorities and policy-makers are crucial to make sure that patients strictly follow medical instructions. Early detection and effective therapy < 4 months following the onset of the lesion is critical for successful treatment of the patients. Since a significant number of patients are still refractory to MA, reducing man-vector exposure and development of new effective alternative drugs are essential measures against ACL due to L. tropica