Trends in Mortality from Ischemic Heart Disease, Stroke, and Stomach Cancer: from past to future

The common occurrence of chronic diseases – such as ischemic heart diseases (IHD, stroke, and stomach cancer in most populations and the attendant mortality, loss of independence, impaired quality of life, and social and economic costs are compelling reasons for public health concern. Although mortality from IHD , stroke , and stomach cancer have fallen substantially in western Europe over recent decades, IHD and stroke remain among the leading causes of death in Europe. Furthermore, elderly people constitute a growing part of the population and therefore, the absolute number of deaths might continue to increase due to ageing of European population. Together, IHD, stroke and stomach cancer, have figured prominently in the large shifts among causes of death, especially in industrial societies, during the 20th century. During this period, the mortality and morbidity rates of these diseases has changed rapidly in many countries, as a result of both increasing proportions of these populations attaining older ages and concurrent social changes. The epidemiology and prevention of these diseases involve the understanding of their causes, identification of means of prevention, and monitoring of populations to assess the changing burden of these diseases and measurable impact of interventions to control them. This thesis monitors seven European populations – i.e., Denmark, England and Wales, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. It assesses the changing impact of the above mentioned diseases over time by extrapolation of observed trends in the past. It projects the future profile of these diseases in seven European countries

The decline in stomach cancer mortality: exploration of future trends in seven European countries

Mortality from stomach cancer has fallen steadily during the past decades. The aim of this paper is to assess the implication of a possible continuation of the decline in stomach cancer mortality until the year 2030. Annual rates of decline in stomach cancer mortality from 1980 to 2005 were determined for the Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, and four Nordic countries on the basis of regression analysis. Mortality rates were extrapolated until 2030, assuming the same rate of decline as in the past, using three possible scenarios. The absolute numbers of deaths were projected taking into account data on the ageing of national populations. Stomach cancer mortality rates declined between 1980 and 2005 at about the same rate (3.6-4.9% per year) for both men and women in all countries. The rate of decline did not level off in recent years, and it was not smaller in countries with lower overall mortality rates in 1980. If this decline were to continue into the future, stomach cancer mortality rates would decline with about 66% between 2005 and 2030 in most populations, while the absolute number of stomach cancer deaths would diminish by about 50%. Thus, in view of the strong, stable and consistent mortality declines in recent decades, and despite population ageing, stomach cancer is likely to become far less important as a cause of death in Europe in the future

Perceived factors to providing palliative care for patients with cancer - a qualitative systematic review

Palliative care (PC) is one of the necessary cares given throughout a patient's experience with cancer. The aim of this study was to identify the perceived factors to providing PC for patients with cancer. Our study was a systematic review of qualitative literature. To this end, electronic databases, including CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, Ovid, and Web of Science as well as Persian databases were searched and qualitative studies on the role of PC in patients with cancer published between Jan 2008 and Dec 2017 were selected. Generally, 12 studies were reviewed. A thematic synthesis approach was used to analyze the data. Exploring the selected articles, the findings on the perceived factors to providing PC for patients with cancer were categorized into three themes, including organizational factors, ethical factors, and psychological factors. This qualitative systematic review expands our knowledge about factors influencing the provision of PC for patients with cancer. It is necessary for health system managers and caregivers to pay attention to all aforesaid factors in order to improve PC for cancer patients

Relationship of CD147 kidney expression with various pathologic lesions, biochemical and demographic data in patients with classes III and IV of lupus nephritis

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the kidney in around 50% of patients Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess CD147 expression with various pathologic lesions, biochemical and demographic data in patients with classes III and IV lupus nephritis. Patients and Methods: These patients with lupus nephritis classes II and IV by renal biopsy and pathology were enrolled in this study. The strength of CD147 staining on tubules, Bowman’s capsules, vessels and tuft of glomeruli was expressed as proportion of involvement. Results: In this study, 23 renal biopsies for lupus nephritis of classes III and IV (documented by immunofluorescence and light microscopic studies) were included. No significant difference of CD147 staining between classes was detected (P > 0.05). In addition, proportion of proteinuria was not related to CD147 staining in tubules, Bowman’s capsules, vessels and tuft of glomeruli in classes III and IV lupus nephritis (P > 0.05). There was no significant association of CD147 staining in tubules, Bowman’s capsules and vessels with serum creatinine (P > 0.05). However, an association between CD147 staining in tuft of glomeruli with serum creatinine was detected (r=0.623, P = 0.002). None of chronicity or activity percent of glomerular involvement in two classes of III or IV had a significant association with CD147 staining (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The significant association between CD147 staining in glomeruli with serum creatinine in lupus nephritis of classes III and IV revealed that inflammation at this area may have prognostic implication

Protection Group Effects During α,γ-Diol Lignin Stabilization Promote High-Selectivity Monomer Production

Protection groups were introduced during biomass pretreatment to stabilize lignin's α,γ-diol group during its extraction and prevent its condensation. Acetaldehyde and propionaldehyde stabilized the α,γ-diol without any aromatic ring alkylation, which significantly increased final product selectivity. The subsequent hydrogenolysis catalyzed by Pd/C generated lignin monomers at near-theoretical yields based on Klason lignin (48 % from birch, 20 % from spruce, 70 % from high-syringyl transgenic poplar), and with high selectivity to a single 4-n-propanolsyringol product (80 %) in the case of the poplar. Unlike direct hydrogenation of native wood, hydrogenolysis of protected lignin with Ni/C also led to high selectivity to this single product (78 %), paving the way to high-selectivity lignin upgrading with base metal catalysts. The use of extracted lignin facilitated valorization of polysaccharides, leading to high yields of all three major biomass polymers to a single major product

Carbohydrate stabilization extends the kinetic limits of chemical polysaccharide depolymerization

Polysaccharide depolymerization is an essential step for valorizing lignocellulosic biomass. In inexpensive systems such as pure water or dilute acid mixtures, carbohydrate monomer degradation rates exceed hemicellulose—and especially cellulose—depolymerization rates at most easily accessible temperatures, limiting sugar yields. Here, we use a reversible stabilization of xylose and glucose by acetal formation with formaldehyde to alter this kinetic paradigm, preventing sugar dehydration to furans and their subsequent degradation. During a harsh organosolv pretreatment in the presence of formaldehyde, over 90% of xylan in beech wood was recovered as diformylxylose (compared to 16% xylose recovery without formaldehyde). The subsequent depolymerization of cellulose led to carbohydrate yields over 70% and a final concentration of ~5 wt%, whereas the same conditions without formaldehyde gave a yield of 28%. This stabilization strategy pushes back the longstanding kinetic limits of polysaccharide depolymerization and enables the recovery of biomass-derived carbohydrates in high yields and concentrations

Phytoestrogen supplementation and body composition in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Phytoestrogen-based medications are commonly used by menopausal women, and especially by obese postmenopausal women, to relieve menopausal symptoms. Substitution of animal with soy protein is often used in weight loss regimens, yet the effect of phytoestrogens, the main constituent of soy foods, on body composition is not completely understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the associations between phytoestrogen supplementation and body weight and the main parameters of body composition in postmenopausal women. A literature search was done using 5 electronic databases from inception to April 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with postmenopausal women comparing phytoestrogen supplementation followed by usual diet and placebo were included in the present meta-analysis. From 5932 references, we identified 23 RCTs that met our inclusion criteria, with a total of 1880 postmenopausal women. No association was observed between phytoestrogen supplementation and body weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, total fat mass or percentage of body fat. However, the use of phytoestrogens supplementation was associated with a slight decrease in waist-hip ratio; the pooled mean difference was −0.01 cm (95%CI: −0.01 to −0.006). In subgroup analysis, we found a modest decrease in body weight with phytoestrogens supplementation compared with placebo in healthy postmenopausal women [pooled mean difference of changes −0.28 kg (95%CI: −0.52 to −0.04)] and in RCTs with a median number of participants of 66 or less [pooled mean difference of changes −0.49 kg (95%CI: −0.87 to −0.11)]. In contrast, phytoestrogen supplementation was associated with increased body weight in postmenopausal women with preexisting metabolic disorders (prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, prehypertension and hyperlipidemia) [pooled mean difference of changes: 0.78 kg(95%CI: 0.53–1.03)]. In addition, there were some indications that some types of phytoestrogens, such as daidzein, but not soy products or isoflavone mix, could lead to modest adverse changes in body composition in menopausal women. Therefore, future studies should investigate the potential adverse effects of phytoestrogen supplementation on body composition among postmenopausal women

Phytoestrogen supplementation and body composition in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Phytoestrogen-based medications are commonly used by menopausal women, and especially by obese postmenopausal women, to relieve menopausal symptoms. Substitution of animal with soy protein is often used in weight loss regimens, yet the effect of phytoestrogens, the main constituent of soy foods, on body composition is not completely understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the associations between phytoestrogen supplementation and body weight and the main parameters of body composition in postmenopausal women. A literature search was done using 5 electronic databases from inception to April 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with postmenopausal women comparing phytoestrogen supplementation followed by usual diet and placebo were included in the present meta-analysis. From 5932 references, we identified 23 RCTs that met our inclusion criteria, with a total of 1880 postmenopausal women. No association was observed between phytoestrogen supplementation and body weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, total fat mass or percentage of body fat. However, the use of phytoestrogens supplementation was associated with a slight decrease in waist-hip ratio; the pooled mean difference was -0.01 cm (95%CI: -0.01 to -0.006). In subgroup analysis, we found a modest decrease in body weight with phytoestrogens supplementation compared with placebo in healthy postmenopausal women [pooled mean difference of changes -0.28 kg (95%CI: -0.52 to -0.04)] and in RCTs with a median number of participants of 66 or less [pooled mean difference of changes -0.49 kg (95%CI: -0.87 to -0.11)]. In contrast, phytoestrogen supplementation was associated with increased body weight in postmenopausal women with preexisting metabolic disorders (prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, prehypertension and hyperlipidemia) [pooled mean difference of changes: 0.78 kg (95%CI: 0.53-1.03)]. In addition, there were some indications that some types of phytoestrogens, such as daidzein, but not soy products or isoflavone mix, could lead to modest adverse changes in body composition in menopausal women. Therefore, future studies should investigate the potential adverse effects of phytoestrogen supplementation on body composition among postmenopausal women