Factors Affecting Loneliness in Older Adults: Evidence from Ardakan Cohort Study on Aging (ACSA)

Introduction: Elderly people usually feel lonely that can have adverse health effects. The purpose of current paper is to determine the loneliness score in the elderly population of the Ardakan Cohort and the factors affecting it. Methods: This is a cross sectional study using data from the Ardakan Cohort Study on Ageing (ACSA). Loneliness was measured using a 6-item De Jong Gierveld short scales. The 11-item Duke Social Support Index (DSSI) was used to measures social support of aging. living arrangement, demographic factors and self-rated health was also collected using a checklist. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between loneliness and predictor factors. The data was analyzed with Stata software version 17 and a p-value of 0.05 was considered as a significant level. Results: Among the 5,188 participants, 48.13% were male and most of the participants were over 60 years old. Total score of loneliness was 3.27±1.45(95% CI: 3.24 to 3.31). Among covariates, age (p value=0.000), sex (p value=0.000), marital status (p value=0.046), education (p value=0.001) and economic status (p value=0.001) have significant association with loneliness score. People with good self-rated health had a lower loneliness score (p value<0.001). The score of social support has an inverse association with the score of loneliness (p value<0.001). Adults who lived with others had a higher loneliness score (p value<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results, elderly people who have more social support and have better self-rated health feel less lonely.  

Molecular and Morphological Data Confirmed First Record of Abbreviata kazakhstanica Markov and Paraskiv, 1956 (Spirurida: Physalopteridea) in Iran

Background: The genus Abbreviata (Spirurida: Physalopteridea) currently contains 47 species. Physalopteridae nematodes infect a large number of vertebrates, including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The current study is a report of the first morphological and molecular identification of A. kazakhstanica (Spirurida: Physalopteridea) in Pseudopus apodus in Iran. Methods: Eleven road-killed P. apodus, were collected from, Iran during 2016-2018. The nematodes were isolated from stomach. After morphological study, the genomic DNA of the parasites was extracted using CTAB method. The DNA was used for PCR amplification of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1). The PCR products were sequenced, the sequence data were analyzed and multiple alignments were conducted using the Clustal Omega. Results: After detailed microscopic examination, the A. kazakhstanica was identified. The cox1 sequences confirmed the species of helminth. The new sequences of A. kazakhstanica were submitted to GenBank under the accession number MK578751-2. Conclusion: Regarding the limited data on parasitological status of Iranian reptiles, more specific and comprehensive investigations are needed to identify the parasitic fauna Keywords Abbreviata kazakhstanica, Molecular identification, Pseudopus apodus, Physalopteridea, Ira

Gender and Risk of Congenital Hypothyroidism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Although numerous observational studies have investigated the association between gender and risk of congenital hypothyroidism, the role of gender as a risk factor for congenital hypothyroidism remains unknown.Thismeta-analysis was conducted to summarize the epidemiologic evidence of the effect of gender on the congenital hypothyroidism occurrence, and also to identify the sex ratio for congenital hypothyroidism. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature search of numerous electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Science Direct was performed until February 1st, 2017. All studies designed case-control (six studies with 3,254 subjects) and cross-sectional studies (eight studies with 8,258,745 subjects) addressing the association by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were included. Moreover, eleven cross-sectional studies were also included providing a sex ratio for congenital hypothyroidism. Pooled Mantel-Haenszel OR (MH OR) with 95% CI was estimated using the random-effects method. Results The overall summary results showed that girl gender is associated with an increased risk of congenital hypothyroidism (pooled MH OR=1.46; 95%CI: 1.10, 1.95). The pooled MH OR for case-control studies was 1.69 (95%CI: 1.35, 2.13), whereas the pooled MH OR for cross-sectional studies was 1.26 (95%CI: 1.00, 1.59). In addition, pooled female to male sex ratio of congenital hypothyroidism incidence was 1.35 (95%CI: 0.99, 1.83). Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis provide evidence for a higher risk in girl gender for developing congenital hypothyroidism. More epidemiological and clinical studies are needed to explore why girl gender is at increased risk of congenital hypothyroidism compared with boy

The association of mode of delivery and dyspareunia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis aimed to examine the association between the mode of delivery and dyspareunia worldwide. Epidemiologic studies evaluating the link between the mode of delivery and dyspareunia (published up to July 2019) were included in this research. These studies were selected by searching several databases such as MEDLINE, ClinicalTraial.gov, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar and considering the list of selected articles extracted from references. Then, meta-analyses, subgroup analyses and meta-regressions of the studies were conducted to evaluate the association between the mode of delivery and dyspareunia. In this study, 23 out of 1099 articles were identified and used in the final analysis. Dyspareunia differed according to the mode of delivery although this difference was not statistically significant. In terms of the mode of delivery, a difference was found between instrumental vaginal delivery and caesarean section, but it was not significant. It seems that more studies with a larger sample size should be considered to determine the difference

Evaluation of oral health status in the population above 50: evidence from the ardakan cohort study on aging (ACSA)

Abstract Background The global population is undergoing rapid aging, and older individuals are more susceptible to various health issues, including oral health problems. Despite the increasing attention given to healthy aging, oral health has often been overlooked in discussions related to health problems. This study aims to assess the oral health status of middle-aged and older adults in Iran. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 4970 men and women aged 50 years and above, who participated in the Ardakan Cohort Study on Aging (ACSA) between 2020 and 2022. Trained personnel administered a questionnaire and conducted oral health examinations to determine the oral health status and oral hygiene behaviors of the participants. Results The mean value (SD) of the total Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index was 21.3 (10.7). Approximately 46% of all participants were completely edentulous (without natural teeth). Moreover, 58.5% of the total sample wore dentures, and the mean age (SD) when they started using dentures was 48.5 (20.7) years. About 71% of participants with natural teeth reported brushing their teeth at least once a day, while about 63% of denture wearers cleaned their dentures daily. In the sample, 28% of individuals had visited a dentist in the last year. The prevalence of difficulty in biting and chewing food among the participants was 48.2% and 44.6%, respectively. Additionally, nearly 68% of all samples reported experiencing at least one difficulty in daily functioning due to oral/dental conditions. The study identified cutoff points of seven (sensitivity = 56.8 and specificity = 77.5) and 10 (sensitivity = 72.1 and specificity = 71.1) missing teeth, indicating the presence of at least one problem in daily functioning due to oral/dental conditions in middle-aged and older adults, respectively. Conclusion The study reveals a high prevalence of edentulism and denture use among participants aged 50 years and above. The majority of samples reported difficulties in daily functioning due to oral and dental conditions, especially in biting and chewing food. These findings highlight the importance of proactive measures to address oral health issues in middle-aged and older adults, thereby enhancing their overall health and well-being

Effects of Interval Jump Rope Exercise Combined with Dark Chocolate Supplementation on Inflammatory Adipokine, Cytokine Concentrations, and Body Composition in Obese Adolescent Boys

International audienceWe examined the effects of six weeks of dark chocolate supplementation combined with interval jump rope exercise (JRE) on inflammatory cytokines, adipokines, and body composition in obese adolescent boys. Forty-eight obese adolescent boys (age  = 15.4  ±  1.1 years and body mass index  =  32.2  ±  2.4 kg/m2) were randomly assigned into one of four groups: JRE + white chocolate (JW; n = 13), JRE + dark chocolate supplementation (JD; n = 13), dark chocolate supplementation (DS; n = 12), or control (C; n = 12). Participants in JW and JD groups performed JRE for three times per week for six weeks. Participants in the DS and JD groups consumed 30 g of dark chocolate containing 83% of cocoa. Body composition, pro-inflammatory cytokines ((hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6), adipokines (leptin, resistin, RBP-4, chemerin, MCP-1), and anti-inflammatory adipokines (irisin, adiponectin)) were evaluated prior to and after the intervention trials. All three intervention trials significantly (p < 0.05) decreased body mass, waist-hip ratio, fat mass, hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, leptin, resistin, RBP-4, and MCP-1, and increased irisin and adiponectin concentrations. The improvements in these parameters were greater in the JD group, and additionally, chemerin concentrations decreased only in the JD group. JD enhanced adiponectin concentrations and decreased IL-6 concentrations compared to C. Moreover, JD significantly reduced chemerin concentrations, an effect not observed in any of the other interventions. We demonstrated that dark chocolate supplementation potentiated JRE-induced decreases in body mass, WHR, FM, hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, leptin, resistin, RBP-4, and MCP-1, chemerin as well as increases irisin and adiponectin concentrations in obese adolescent boys. Therefore, JRE combined with dark chocolate supplementation could be a beneficial in reducing obesity-induced inflammation in adolescent boys

Oral potassium supplementation for management of essential hypertension: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

<div><p>Importance</p><p>Increased dietary potassium intake is thought to be associated with low blood pressure (BP). Whether potassium supplementation may be used as an antihypertensive agent is a question that should be answered.</p><p>Objective</p><p>To assess the effect of oral potassium supplementation on blood pressure in patients with primary hypertension.</p><p>Search methods</p><p>We searched Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials until October 2016. We also screened reference lists of articles and previous reviews. We applied no language restrictions.</p><p>Selection criteria</p><p>We included randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials addressing the effect of potassium supplementation on primary hypertension for a minimum of 4 weeks.</p><p>Data collection and analysis</p><p>We extracted data on systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP) at the final follow-up. We explored the heterogeneity across studies using Cochran's test and I² statistic and assessed the probability of publication bias using Begg's and Egger's tests. We reported the mean difference (MD) of SBP and DBP in a random-effects model.</p><p>Results</p><p>We found a total of 9059 articles and included 23 trials with 1213 participants. Compared to placebo, potassium supplementation resulted in modest but significant reductions in both SBP (MD -4.25 mmHg; 95% CI: -5.96 to -2.53; I² = 41%) and DBP (MD -2.53 mmHg; 95% CI: -4.05 to -1.02; I² = 65%). According to the change-score analysis, based on 8 out of 23 trials, compared to baseline, the mean changes in SBP (MD -8.89 mmHg; 95% CI: -13.67 to -4.11) and DBP (MD -6.42 mmHg; 95% CI: -10.99 to -1.84) was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Our findings indicated that potassium supplementation is a safe medication with no important adverse effects that has a modest but significant impact BP and may be recommended as an adjuvant antihypertensive agent for patients with essential hypertension.</p></div