Effects of the Hydroalcoholic Extract of the Psidium guajava Fruit on Osteoporosis Prevention in Ovariectomized Rats

Background: Several plants have been shown to possess antioxidant and estrogenic properties that can be useful in postmenopausal bone-loss prevention. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-osteoporotic effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of the Psidium guajava (PG) fruit in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Methods: Sixty female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: a control positive group, a sham-operated group, an OVX group given normal saline (OVX-only group), and 3 treatment groups comprising 2 OVX groups treated orally with 500 and 1000 mg/kg/d of the hydroalcoholic extract of the PG fruit respectively and an OVX group treated with an injection of 0.15 mg/kg of estradiol. The study was conducted over a 12-week period. Samples from the animals’ blood, femoral bones, and uteri were collected for stereological and biochemical analyses. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 19. A P value equal to or less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The results revealed a significant decrease in the levels of calcium, total antioxidant capacity, and phosphorus as well as uterus weight, femoral ash density, femoral volume and weight, and numbers of osteocytes and osteoblasts. Moreover, there was an increase in the levels of alkaline phosphatase and urine deoxypyridinoline together with a rise in the number of osteoclasts in the OVX-only group compared to the control and treatment groups (P≤0.05). The hydroalcoholic extract of the PG fruit increased femoral weight and volume, femoral ash density, numbers of osteocytes and osteoblasts, and trabecular volume of the bones in comparison with the OVX-only group in a dose-dependent manner. No significant difference was observed between the groups in the levels of malondialdehyde and interleukin-6. Conclusion: The hydroalcoholic extract of the PG fruit prevented OVX-induced bone loss in the rats, with no proliferative effect on atrophic uteri; it should, therefore, be considered for treatment purposes

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Anthropometric Indices of Primary School Children in Golpayegan City during 2006-2007

Background: In both clinical and community-based studies, weight-for-age Z scores (WAZ) is used for diagnosing and monitoring malnutrition. Height-forage Z scores (HAZ) is used to diagnose people with growth failure. We aimed to evaluate the anthropometric indices of primary school children in Golpayegan city and to find if such measurements can lead to an accurate estimate of children’s growth. Methods: Anthropometric indices of school children were checked in 2006 and repeated in 2007 using standard instruments and by trained staff. Results: 2% of children in urban areas and 2.5% of children in rural areas had moderate and/or severe malnutrition both in WAZ and HAZ indices. 1.3% of boys and 2.7% of girls had moderate and/or severe malnutrition in 2006. In 2007, 5.3% of the children had WAZ<-2 and 3% had HAZ<-2. Conclusion: It is recommended that food basket of people in Golpayegan be evaluated to find their food pattern and by scrutinizing its strengths and weak points a suitable pattern be proposed for people living in other parts of the country

Food Pattern of Non-Anemic Nomadic Women Living in Fars Province, Southern Iran as a Vegetarian

Background: The Qashqa’i form approximately 500000 Turkish-speaking ethnic nomadic pastoralist tribal people, living in Fars province, southern Iran. People choosing macrobiotic diets are frequently identified as following a vegetarian diet. Despite that plant foods contain only non-heme iron, which is more sensitive than heme iron to both inhibitors and enhancers of iron absorption, surprisingly, we noted that the mean values of hemoglobin and serum ferritin in the group under investigation were significantly higher than the same population living in the south of Iran. So we aimed to investigate the food basket of Qashqa’I people in an attempt to find out the reason behind this observation. Methods: Dietary information was collected using the mean of 3-day recall and food frequency methods. Dieticians, with long experience in nutrition surveillance explained the purpose of the dietary information and instructed the girls on how to report quantities using food basket. Iranian food processor was used to enter and analyze nutrient intakes. Weig hts and heights were measured using established equipment and techniques and body mass index(BMI) values were calculated. Results: Mean value of hemoglobin was 12.31±1.51 gr/dL, ferritin 23.59±4.2 μg/L, albumin 4.27±1.1 gr/dL, and total protein 7.72±1.3 gr/dL. BMI of 81% of the women was between 18.5 and 25 kg/m2. Conclusion: The mean serum albumin, total protein, hemoglobin, and serum ferritin of this population show that vegetarian diet can meet protein and Iron requirements by using the variety of plant foods

The Effect of Whole Wheat and White Breads on Serum Lipid Profile, Malondialdehyde, and C-Reactive Protein in Over-Weight and Obese Patients with Coronary Stent

Background: Observational studies showed that intake of whole-grain is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia. However, only a few dietary intervention trials have investigated the effect of whole-grain consumption on health outcomes. So we aimed to examine the effect of whole wheat vs. white bread on serum lipid profiles, malondialdehyde (MDA); and C-reactive protein (CRP) in overweight and obese patients with coronary stent. Methods: In a randomized, single-blind, parallel trial, 90 participants who had stent and body mass index (BMI)≥25 were divided into two groups. Intervention group consumed 150 g of whole-wheat bread daily accompanied with a low-calorie diet and the control group consumed 150 g of white-wheat bread as well as a low-calorie diet. The intervention was continued for 12 weeks. Outcomes such as BMI, lipid profile, MDA, high-sensitivity (hs)-CRP, blood pressure, waist and hip circumferences were evaluated at baseline and end of the study. Results: Whole- bread diet in comparison with white diet could significantly reduce weight ,BMI, cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), systolic blood pressure and MDA. No significant differences were noted between the two diets for triglyceride, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and hs-CRP levels. Conclusion: The present results suggest that whole bread can significantly reduce oxidative and inflammatory marker level and several cardiovascular risk factors among overweight or obese patients with coronary stent

The effect of almonds on anthropometric measurements and lipid profile in overweight and obese females in a weight reduction program: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Due to the wholesome benefits of nuts increased consumption of them has been recommended. However, because of nut′s high energy density, the role of them in the treatment of overweight and obesity is vague. This current clinical trial study aims to investigate the effects of a balanced hypocaloric almond-enriched diet (AED) (almond group) in comparison to a balanced hypocaloric nut-free diet (NFD) (nut-free group) on body weight and cardiovascular disease risk factors in women with body mass index (BMI) >25 for 3-month. Materials and Methods: A total of 108 overweight and obese women were assigned in our 3-month randomized controlled trial. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups regarding a balanced hypocaloric diet with or without almond. The planned reduced calorie diets for both groups were identical except for the almond group who consumed 50 g of almonds daily. Anthropometric and laboratory measurements of the participants who completed the study were made prior to and at the end of the study. Results: A total of 100 subjects completed the study. Weight, BMI, waist circumference, waist to hip circumference ratio, total cholesterol, and triglyceride, total: High density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting blood sugar and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the almond group compared to the nut-free group (P > 0.001). Greater reduction in low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P > 0.002) and systolic blood pressure (P > 0.001) and greater increase in HDL-C (P = 0.001) were found in the nut-free group. Conclusion: The balanced hypocaloric AED in comparison to the balanced hypocaloric NFD led to a greater weight-loss and overall better improvements in studied cardiovascular disease risk factors

The Effectiveness of Transactional Behavior Analytic Group Therapy on the Prevention of Relapse among Detoxified People

Introduction: Addiction Phenomenon among detoxified people is an important therapeutic problem for substance abusers. The aim of this research was the study of effectiveness of transactional behavior analytic group therapy on prevention of relapse of detoxified people. Method: the research design was quasi experimental with witness group. By using of available sampling of detoxified people who referred to government centers for maintenance therapy with Methadone, 24 subjects that divided to two control and witness groups (12 subjects for each group) selected of Bojnord city. Each subjects completed the write's relapse prediction scale as pretest. Post test administered after group therapy and after 5 months follow up test administered among two groups. Morphine test has done with follow up test simultaneously. Independent samples t-test and covariance analysis has run for analyzing of data. Results: The results of covariance showed that tempting of substance use was significantly differed in post test and follow up, but there was not significant difference in probability of substance use. Conclusion: Finding of this research showed, the transactional behavior analytic group therapy may be effective in tempting of substance use among detoxified people and it can considered by specialists

The effect of enterprise resource planning (ERP) on implication of competitive intelligence (CI) in SMEs. Case Study in Moallem Insurance Company

The effect of enterprise resource planning (ERP) onimplication of competitive intelligence (CI) in SMEs.Case Study in Moallem Insurance CompanyAbstractIn recent years entrance of "resources planning organization" (ERP) in smalland medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been considered by Iraniancompanies. The growing need for this tool and challenges in the course ofimplementation, make necessary study, identify and evaluate managerialaspects of these systems. Also the competitive intelligence as one of modernmanagement concepts accelerates the exchange of information andknowledge in the organization and improve effectiveness of strategicthinking and decision making systems. This study investigates therelationship between the benefits of enterprise resource planning systemswith competitive intelligence and decision making support activities in thefield of small and medium sized businesses. Agents of Moallem InsuranceCompany in Tehran were chosen as case studies, and with using statisticalanalysis, the hypothesis of existence and extent of the relationship betweenthe components of ERP benefits and competitive intelligence were reviewedand approved. The results of this study have provided some scales to themodel of effect of ERP benefits and CI capacities

Identification and classification of factors affecting the non-use of safety harness at height among construction workers in Tehran.

IntroductionThe accident of falling from a height is high among construction workers. Construction workers do not use harnesses. Thus, the present study was conducted to identify the factors affecting the non-use of harnesses among construction workers in Tehran, Iran.Materials and methodsIn this study was conducted by interviewing professors and construction workers in order to identify factors affecting the non-use of harness. Factors influencing the non-use of safety harnesses were identified from the workers' point of view. The obtained data were classified and coded using MAXQDA 10 software. After that, the most essential, effective and powerful factors were identified using the degree and intersectionality of social network analysis.ResultsAccording to the interview results, 27 factors were determined as factors affecting the non-use of harnesses by construction workers and divided into four main groups. The four groups were harness design, management factors, harness comfort, and attitudinal factors. Based on the results of the degree centrality, the non-ergonomic design and attitude of the harness inefficiency were identified as the most influential and powerful factors. The betweenness indicator also showed that the non-ergonomic design could mediate other factors in the non-use of the harness.ConclusionThe findings showed that by considering various factors such as considering more comfort in the design of the ergonomic harness, it produced a better product. Also, the use of safety harnesses by workers increases