Childhood obesity in Asia : current status and future trend

The prevalence of overweight among all children and adolescents, from infancy to the age of 19, is on the increase worldwide. This figure for children under five years old is almost 6%, and for children 5 to 19 years, it is estimated at 18%. This results from individual factors and the creation and progression of an obesogenic environment in human societies

Covid-19, nutrition and pseudoscientific claims

The COVID‐19 infodemic is full of false claims, half backed conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific therapies, regarding the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, origin and spread of the virus.  Correcting misrepresentations should be viewed as a professional responsibilit

Nutrition support in critically ill COVID-19 patients

Diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition should be considered in the management of COVID-19 patients to improve both short- and long-term prognosis. Patients at risk for poor outcomes and higher mortality following infection with COVID-19, namely older adults and polymorbid individuals, should be checked for malnutrition through screening and assessment

Cucurbiturils as supramolecular inhibitors of DNA restriction by type II endonucleases

Cucurbiturils (CB6 and CB7) were shown to inhibit the enzymatically catalyzed restriction of plasmids and linear DNA. This effect can be inverted by supramolecular masking of the macrocycles through competitive complexation with polyamines. These experiments provide supramolecular control of biocatalytic processes.Spanish MINECO [CTQ2011-28390]; FEDER; COST [CM1005]; DFG [NA-686/5]; Portuguese FCT [SFRH/BD/81628/2011, PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013

Vitamin D supplementation in critically ill patients: pros and cons

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death in patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Vitamin D or calciferol is a steroidal compound made of cholesterol with healing properties due to its specific receptors (vitamin D receptors) in the nucleus of brain cells and its protective properties against nervous tissue in addition to its anti-inflammatory effects. This study is a double-blind randomized clinical trial that was performed on 72 patients with severe brain injury with a mean age of 34-50 years. They were randomly assigned to the study, thus intervention and control groups received vitamin D with a dose of 100,000 units and a dose of 1000 units for 5 days, respectively

Low-Glycemic-Index Foods Can Decrease Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure in the Short Term

Background. We aimed to compare the effects of low- and high-GI foods on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. Methods. This longitudinal study was performed on 30 women, aged 18 to 40 years, during 24 hours. In the first leg of study all recruited subjects were assigned to LGI period for 24 hours and, after a 2-week washout period, all subjects were assigned to HGI period. BP was measured every hour during the 24-hour monitoring. Results. After the intervention, there were significant decreases in SBP and DBP in the LGI period (102.26±14.18 mmHg versus 112.86±9.33 mmHg for SBP and 66.96±10.39 mmHg versus 74.46±7.61 mmHg for DBP) (P=0.00 and P=0.002, resp.). However, in the HGI period, there was no significant change in SBP or DBP (110.66±9.85 versus 111.80±9.57 for SBP and 71.16±9.16 versus 74.26±10.09 for DBP) (P=0.6 and P=0.06, resp.). Conclusion. The results suggest that LGI foods may be beneficial in reducing 24-hour BP

The effect of vitamin D supplementation on hemoglobin concentration: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims: The purpose of this review was to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplements on hemoglobin concentration in subjects aged 17.5-68 years old; using randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: Relevant RCT studies were identified from January 2000 to January 2019 by using MeSH terms in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Clinical trials, Scopus databases and gray literature. The studies were reviewed systematically, and quality assessments were evaluated by the guidelines of the Cochrane risk of bias. The effect of vitamin D supplements (n = 14) on hemoglobin concentration was considered as primary outcome, while its effects on the levels of ferritin, transferrin saturation and iron status were derived as secondary outcomes. In total, 1385 subjects with age range of 17.5 to 68 years old were examined for 3 h to 6 months; Mean (standard deviation) or median interquartile changes in the hemoglobin concentration in each treatment group was recorded for meta-analysis. Results: Fourteen RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Current study findings propose that vitamin D supplementation leads to a non-significant reduction in hemoglobin levels in subjects (17.5-68 years old) std. mean difference (SMD): 0.01; 95% CI: - 0.28, 0.29; P = 0.95, also it has no significant effect on ferritin concentrations std. mean difference (SMD): -0.01; 95% CI: - 0.20, 0.18; P = 0.91]. However, vitamin D supplementation demonstrated positive effects on transferrin saturation mean difference (MD): 1.54; 95% CI: 0.31, 2.76; P = 0.01 and iron status std. mean difference (SMD): 0.24; 95% CI: - 0.09, 0.39; P = 0.002. Conclusion: Current review concluded that supplementation with vitamin D had no significant effect on hemoglobin and ferritin levels while positive effects on transferrin saturation and iron status were observed. Further clinical studies are required to determine the actual effect of this intervention on hemoglobin levels. © 2020 The Author(s)

Association of dysglycemia with mortality in children receiving parenteral nutrition in pediatric intensive care unit

One of the most important complications of parenteral nutrition (PN) is a high incidence of hyperglycemia. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of parenteral nutrition dysglycemia on clinical outcomes among critically ill children in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Charts of 201 critically ill children admitted in PICU during 2012-2015 were reviewed retrospectively. We included patients who were < 6 years of age and had received at least 60% of total energy from PN for a minimum of 5 days in PICU. The exclusion criteria were patients with diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, primary hypoglycemia, inborn errors of metabolism and patients who received dialyses. We defined hyperglycemia as blood glucose ≥150 mg/dl, and hypoglycemia as blood glucose ≤60 mg/dl. Based on blood glucose, patients were divided into four groups: `only hyperglycemia group` (having at least one hyperglycemia episode), `only hypoglycemia group` (having at least one hypoglycemia episode), `glucose variability` (having both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia episodes), and `normoglycemia` (all glucose measurements were in normal range). Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia occurred in 52.8% and 24.9% of all children, respectively; glucose variability occurred in 13.9% of all children. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that glucose variability (OR: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.13-8.43) and hyperglycemia (OR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.1-4.57) were associated with mortality independently. In `only hypoglycemia` group (N=22) there were only three deaths. There were no significant differences in the quantities of macronutrients prescribed via parenteral nutrition among the four blood glucose groups. Results of this study showed that hyperglycemia and glucose variability are strong predictors of mortality in pediatrics receiving parenteral nutrition

The effects of adjunctive treatment with l -carnitine on monitoring laboratory variables in ICU patients:a double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Critically ill patients must be monitored constantly in intensive care units (ICUs). Among many laboratory variables, nutritional status indicators are a key role in the prognosis of diseases. We investigated the effects of l-carnitine adjunctive therapy on monitoring variables in critical illness.Method: A prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial was implemented in a medical ICU. Participants were 54 patients, aged > 18 years, with multiple conditions, randomly assigned to receive 3 g l-carnitine per day or placebo, along with enteral feeding, for 1 week. Primary outcomes included monitoring variables related to nutritional status.Result: Of 54 patients randomly assigned, 51 completed the trial. Serum albumin (Alb) (P -value: 0.001), total protein (P-value: 0.003), and calcium (Ca) (0.044) significantly increased in the intervention vs. control group. Alanine transaminase (ALT) (0.022), lactate (< 0.001), creatinine (Cr) (0.005), and international normalized ratio (INR) (0.049) decreased meaningfully in the intervention vs. control group.Conclusion: l-Carnitine supplementation in critically ill patients can improve several parameters including INR, Cr, ALT, lactate, Ca, Alb, and total protein. Trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT 20151108024938N2. This trial was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (registration code: IR.MUMS.fm.REC.1396.671) (available at https://en.irct.ir/trial/30748, May 2018)

Nutritional Status and Its Related Factors among Elderly Nursing Home Residents

Background: Elderly population are at higher risk of malnutrition that can increase the morbidity and mortality among them. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status and the related factors among elderly nursing home residents.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled 1062 (439 males, 623 females) elderly living in the elderly nursing home residents in Mashad, Iran. The nutritional status of participants was assessed through a Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form scale and Nutrition Day questionnaires.Results: Among the study participants, 64 (18.5%) were malnourished,142 (31.9%) were at risk of malnutrition and 94 (49.6%) had no malnutrition. Moreover, elderly males were more susceptible to malnutrition (p=0.03). Furthermore, reduced food intake in the past three months was significantly correlated with malnutrition in elderly participants (p=0.001). Also, the lower number of nurses and people who care about nutritional status was significantly associated with the higher malnutrition rate in elderly participants (p=0.02, p=0.03, respectively).Conclusion: The present study showed that more than half of the elderly population living in elderly nursing homes were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition