Effect of zinc supplementation on serum mlondealdehyde and lipid profiles on beta thalassemia major patients

Objectives: Thalassemic patients are seriously at risk of serum dislipidemia, zinc deficiency and tissue damage due to oxidative stress induced by iron storage. In biologic systems, zinc may interact with iron and inhibit oxidative and reductive reactions resulted by iron and other chimiooxidative agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation on serum Malondealdehyde (MDA) and lipid profiles in beta thalassemia major patients. Methods: In this clinical trial, 60 beta thalassemia major patients (male & female) older than 18 years old were assigned randomly in two groups as intervention and control groups(30 per group). The intervention group ingested zinc supplement as 220 mg zinc sulfate capsule contented 50 mg elemental zinc daily for 3 months. The control group did not receive any supplement in that time. Information about general characteristics, weight, height and dietary intake were gathered before and after the end of study. Blood samples were obtained from each subject prior and after the study and serum zinc, MDA, triglyceride, LDL-C and HDL-C levels were measured. Data analyzed with paired t-test, independent t-test and ANOVA. Results: Zinc supplementation caused significant increasing in daily caloric intake, body mass index, serum zinc and HDL-C levels and significant reduction in LDL-C levels in intervention group. No significant variations were observed for other variables in both of groups. Conclusion: Zinc supplementation had beneficial effects on serum lipid profiles in studied beta thalassemic patients and might have suitable role in delaying cardiovascular disease risks in these patients

Effects of vitamin e and zinc supplementation on antioxidants in beta thalassemia major patients

Objective: In beta thalassemic patients, tissue damage occurs due to oxidative stress and it happens because of the accumulation of iron in the body. This study was conducted to determine the effect of zinc and vitamin E supplementation on antioxidant status in beta-thalassemic major patients. Methods: This double blind randomized clinical trial was carried out on 120 beta thalassemic patients older than 18 years. Patients were randomly categorized in four groups. Zinc (50mg/day) and vitamin E (400mg/day) supplements were administered for former and latter group, respectively. In the third group both supplements were administered in similar doses. The fourth (control) group received no supplement. The effect of supplementations on serum zinc and vitamin E, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and body mass index (BMI) were measured at the beginning and the end of the study. Findings: Serum zinc levels in group 1 and 3 were significantly increased (P<0.007 and P<0.005, respectively). Serum vitamin E levels in group 2 and 3 were also increased significantly (P<0.001). Mean GPX activity in group1, 2 and 3 decreased significantly (P<0.015, P<0.032 and P<0.029, respectively). Mean SOD activity and TAC did not show significant change after supplementation. BMI had significant increase in all treated groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: Our results suggest that beta thalassemic patients have enhanced oxidative stress and administration of selective antioxidants may preclude oxidative damage. © 2011 by Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, All rights reserved

Effect of Nenas honey supplementation on the oxidative status of undergraduate students

Honey is a dietary antioxidant as it contains phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. Antioxidants are non-nutritive, biologically active ingredients in food that reduce oxidative stress. The antioxidant content in each type of honey varies depending on its source. This study was aimed to determine the effect of Nenas honey supplementation on the oxidative status of a group of healthy medical students. They were divided into two groups; control (n=10) and supplemented (n=13), where 1 tablespoon of Nenas honey was given each day. Blood sampling was done at baseline, 1st and 2nd month of the study for determination of DNA damage and antioxidant enzyme activities, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidise (GPx), and catalase (CAT). Results showed that Nenas honey increased the level of DNA damage at the 1st month but reduced it significantly at the 2nd month as compared to control. GPx and CAT activities also decreased significantly with honey supplementation throughout the study, though no changes were observed in SOD activity. Fasting glucose levels remained within the normal range with honey supplementation. In conclusion, Nenas honey decreases oxidative stress which leads to a reduction of antioxidant enzyme activities in the body

Holographic Dark Energy from a Modified GBIG Scenario

We construct a holographic dark energy model in a braneworld setup that gravity is induced on the brane embedded in a bulk with Gauss-Bonnet curvature term. We include possible modification of the induced gravity and its coupling with a canonical scalar field on the brane. Through a perturbational approach to calculate the effective gravitation constant on the brane, we examine the outcome of this model as a candidate for holographic dark energy.Comment: 13 pages, accepted for publication in IJMP

Diagnosing students' difficulties in learning mathematics

This study considers the results of a diagnostic test of student difficulty and contrasts the difference in performance between the lower attaining quartile and the higher quartile. It illustrates a difference in qualitative thinking between those who succeed and those who fail in mathematics, illustrating a theory that those who fail are performing a more difficult type of mathematics (coordinating procedures) than those who succeed (manipulating concepts). Students who have to coordinate or reverse processes in time will encounter far greater difficulty than those who can manipulate symbols in a flexible way. The consequences of such a dichotomy and implications for remediation are then considered

Particle Creation from Vacuum by Lorentz Violation

It is shown that the vacuum state in presence of Lorentz violation can be followed by a particle-full universe that represents the current status of the universe. In this model the modification in dispersion relation (Lorentz violation) is picked up representing the regime of quantum gravity. The result can be interpreted such that the existence of the particles is an evidence for quantum effects of gravity in the past. It is concluded that only the vacuum state is sufficient to appear the matter fields spontaneously after the process of semi-classical analysis.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Religious faith and psychosocial adaptation among stroke patients in Kuwait: A mixed method study

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2012 Springer Science+Business Media.Religious faith is central to life for Muslim patients in Kuwait, so it may influence adaptation and rehabilitation. This study explored quantitative associations among religious faith, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction in 40 female stroke patients and explored the influence of religion within stroke rehabilitation through qualitative interviews with 12 health professionals. The quantitative measure of religious faith did not relate to life satisfaction or self-efficacy in stroke patients. However, the health professionals described religious coping as influencing adaptation post-stroke. Fatalistic beliefs were thought to have mixed influences on rehabilitation. Measuring religious faith among Muslims through a standardized scale is debated. The qualitative accounts suggest that religious beliefs need to be acknowledged in stroke rehabilitation in Kuwait