Obesity and poor glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes

Background: Diabetic patients are extremely recommended to control their blood glucose levels below the standard targets. This study was aimed to evaluate the association between obesity status and poor glycemic control in these patients.Methods: Type 2 diabetic outpatients (n=157) from a diabetes clinic in Ahvaz were recruited for the study. Patients who had insulin therapy were excluded from participants. Weight, height and BMI were recorded for each participant. Obesity status was defined by BMI. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured in fasting blood samples to estimate glycaemia status.Results: Mean age of participants was 54.47±9.39 years and mean BMI was 29.26±5.04 kg/m2. Poor glycemic control (HbA1c≥7%) was observed in 63.7% of participants. The rate of poor glycemic control in obese group was 60.3% and there was no correlation between obesity and poor HbA1c control using logistic regression we found no association between obesity and poor glycemic control (OR=0.796; p=0.504). Obese patients had lower education level than non-obese patients (p=0.035). Females had higher poor glycemic control than males; however, it was not significant (62% vs. 50% in obese and 68.5% vs. 62.2% in non-obese groups).Conclusions: More than half of participants had poor glycemic control. Obese patients had similar rate of hyperglycemia to non-obese ones. Lower educational level was contributed to obesity. Underlying risk factors for poor glycemic control status in diabetic patients are still unclear

Effect of vitamin D supplementation on inflammatory markers and total antioxidant capacity in breast cancer women using a machine learning technique

Aim: This study aimed to establish a learning system using an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the effects of vitamin D supplementation on the serum levels of vitamin D, inflammatory factors, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in women with breast cancer. Methods: The data set of the current project was created from women with breast cancer who were referred to the Shafa State Hospital of Patients with Cancers in Ahvaz city, Iran. Modeling was implemented using the data set at the serum levels of vitamin D, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), and TAC, before and after vitamin D3 supplement therapy. A prediction ANN model was designed to detect the effects of vitamin D3 supplementation on the serum level changes of vitamin D, inflammatory factors and TAC. Results: The results showed that the ANN model could predict the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on the serum level changes of vitamin D, TNF-α, TGF-β1, and TAC with an accuracy average of 85%, 40%, 89.5%, and 88.1%, respectively. Conclusions: According to the findings of the study, the ANN method could accurately predict the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on the serum levels of vitamin D, TNF-α, TGF-β1, and TAC. The results showed that the proposed ANN method can help specialists to improve the treatment process more confidently in terms of time and accuracy of predicting the influence of vitamin D supplementation on the factors affecting the progression of breast cancer (https://www.irct.ir/ identifier: IRCT2015090623924N1)

Obesity and poor glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes

Background: Diabetic patients are extremely recommended to control their blood glucose levels below the standard targets. This study was aimed to evaluate the association between obesity status and poor glycemic control in these patients.Methods: Type 2 diabetic outpatients (n=157) from a diabetes clinic in Ahvaz were recruited for the study. Patients who had insulin therapy were excluded from participants. Weight, height and BMI were recorded for each participant. Obesity status was defined by BMI. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured in fasting blood samples to estimate glycaemia status.Results: Mean age of participants was 54.47±9.39 years and mean BMI was 29.26±5.04 kg/m2. Poor glycemic control (HbA1c≥7%) was observed in 63.7% of participants. The rate of poor glycemic control in obese group was 60.3% and there was no correlation between obesity and poor HbA1c control using logistic regression we found no association between obesity and poor glycemic control (OR=0.796; p=0.504). Obese patients had lower education level than non-obese patients (p=0.035). Females had higher poor glycemic control than males; however, it was not significant (62% vs. 50% in obese and 68.5% vs. 62.2% in non-obese groups).Conclusions: More than half of participants had poor glycemic control. Obese patients had similar rate of hyperglycemia to non-obese ones. Lower educational level was contributed to obesity. Underlying risk factors for poor glycemic control status in diabetic patients are still unclear

Comparison of Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of the Three Date Palm Varieties of Hajmohamadi, Kabkab, and Khasi (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Different Ripening Stages

Abstract: Background & Aims: Date palm fruit is one of the highly consumed foods with antioxidant compounds and high nutritive value in Iran. In this study, total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of three varieties of date palm (Hajmohamadi, Kabkab, and Khasi) in three stages of ripening were investigated. Methods: This was a laboratory study. Palm fruits of Hajmohamadi, Kabkab, and Khasi varieties in three stages of Khalal, Rotab, and Tamar were collected of Behbahan, Khuzestan province, Iran, in November 2012. Hydroalcholic extracts were prepared by maceration method. Total phenolic content was measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical scavenging, and total antioxidant capacity tests were used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of extracts. Results: Phenolic compound content, ferric reducing power, and total antioxidant capacity increased in Hajmohamadi, Kabkab, and Khasi varieties during ripening. Increase in ferric reducing power was significant. The lowest DPPH test result (IC50), in all three varieties during ripening, was observed in the date stage. Conclusion: Ferric reducing power increases during ripening stages. Moreover, the DPPH radical scavenging capacity decreases in the three varieties of dates during ripening Keywords: Date palm, Growth stages, Polyphenol compounds, Antioxidant capacit

Co-exposure to endocrine disruptors: effect of bisphenol A and soy extract on glucose homeostasis and related metabolic disorders in male mice

Objectives. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a xenoestrogen, which is commonly used as a monomer of polycarbonate plastics food containers and epoxy resins. Little is known about the interaction effects between xeno- and phyto- estrogens on glucose homeostasis or other metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to examine effects of individual or combined exposure to low doses of BPA and soy extract on glucose metabolism in mice with the goal to establish its potential mechanisms

Effects of probiotic yogurt consumption on inflammatory biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes

Introduction: The role of inflammatory cytokines in diabetes and its complications has been shown in some studies. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of probiotic and conventional yogurt on inflammatory markers in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Forty- four patients with type 2 diabetes were participated in this randomized, double – blind controlled clinical trial and were assigned to two intervention and control groups. The subjects in the intervention group consumed 300 g/d probiotic yogurt and subjects in the control group consumed 300g/d conventional yogurt for 8 weeks. Anthropometric indices, dietary intakes, and serum levels of glucose, HbA1c, IL-6, TNF-α and hs-CRP were evaluated at the beginning and end of the intervention.Results: For anthropometric indices and dietary intakes, no significant differences were seen within and between groups post intervention (p> 0.05). The consumption of probiotic yogurt caused significant decrease in HbA1c and TNF-α levels (p=0.032 and p= 0.040, respectively) in the intervention group. Conclusions: It is suggested that probiotic yogurt may be used as an alternative prevention approach and treatment method to control diabetic complications