Prevalence and risk factors of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Qashqai migrating nomads, southern Iran

AIM： To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of gastroesophageal reflux disease （GERD） symptoms in Qashqai migrating nomads with a different life style in Fars province, southern Iran. METHODS： In summer 2006, 748 Qashqai migrating nomads aged 25 years or more were enrolled using a multiple-stage stratified cluster random sampling method. A questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics, lifestyle and GERD symptoms （heartburn, regurgitation, chest pain, dysphagia, hoarseness and cough） as completed for each subject. RESULTS： The questionnaire was completed in 717 subjects. The prevalence rate of GERD, defined as reflux occurring at least one time per week in the preceding year, was 33% （237 subjects）. The prevalence was higher in older individuals （36.0% vs 28.9%, P 〈 0.05） and in those with other gastrointestinal complaints （51.0% vs 27.8%, P 〈 0.001）, but not different in obese and non-obese subjects. It was also higher in those consuming fruits and vegetables more than once a week （36.2% vs 17.3%, P 〈 0.001）. GERD had a positive correlation with smoking （42.1% vs 27.8%, P 〈 0.001）, but a negative relation with non-alcoholic beverages. The association between GERD and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs （NSAIDs） consumption was also significant （40.2% vs 25.4%, P 〈 0.001）. CONCLUSION： The prevalence of GERD （33%） is very high in Qashqai migrating nomads which may be due to a lower socioeconomic and educational level of these people and difference in the life style. Older age, frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables, smoking and NSAIDs are risk factors for GERD in this population.     

Effects of cashew nut consumption on body composition and glycemic indices: A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Background and aimsPresent meta-analysis and systematic review was conducted to synthesis a definitive conclusion from previous randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs).MethodsA comprehensive search was done up to July 2020, in order to extract RCTs which investigated the effect of cashew nut on weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin, and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate effect size. Meta regression analysis was done to identify probable sources of heterogeneity.ResultsSix clinical trials with 521 participants were included. Combined effect sizes demonstrated no effect of cashew consumption on weight (WMD): 0.02, 95% CI: ?1.04, 1.09, P > 0.05), BMI (WMD: 0.1, 95% CI: ?0.72, 0.74, P > 0.05), and WC (WMD: ?0.13, 95% CI: ?1.97, 1.70, P > 0.05). Results were also not significant for FBS (WMD: 3.58, 95% CI: ?3.92, 11.08, P > 0.05), insulin (WMD: ?0.19, 95% CI: ?1.63, 1.25, P > 0.05), and HOMA-IR (WMD: 0.25, 95% CI: ?0.55, 1.06, P > 0.05).ConclusionThe sum up, incorporating cashew into the diet has no significant effect on body composition or modifying glycemic indices.     

Neck circumference and blood pressure among children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Emerging evidence suggested that large neck circumference (NC) in children and adolescents may be an indicator of increased blood pressure. We sought to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the association between NC and blood pressure in children. Pertinent studies were identified by searching PubMed and Scopus databases, up to January 2018. Studies which reported the correlation coefficient between NC, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in children (aged <18 years) were selected. Fifteen studies met eligibility criteria for the quantitative synthesis. Overall, NC was significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (effect size (z) = 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.29–0.49; P < .001; meta r = 0.371; r² = 0.13) and diastolic blood pressure (effect size (z) = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.19–0.32; P < .001; meta r = 0.0.245; r² = 0.06). NC had a positive relationship with the risk of hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.05–1.75). Furthermore, studies conducted in Western regions (OR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.12–2.14) reported higher risk of hypertension in association with NC than those conducted in the Eastern regions (OR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.03–1.25).NC seems to be a novel anthropometric measurement in children and adolescents. It can be a good predictor of elevated blood pressure, especially in the Western population.     

Quercetin protects liver injury induced by bile duct ligation via attenuation of Rac1 and NADPH oxidase1 expression in rats

BACKGROUND:Bile duct ligation (BDL) and subsequent cholestasis are correlated with oxidative stress,hepatocellular injury and fibrosis.Quercetin is a flavonoid with antifibrotic,and hepatoprotective properties.However,the molecular mechanism underlying quercetin-mediated hepatoprotection is not fully understood.The current study was to evaluate mechanisms of hepatoprotective effect of quercetin in BDL rat model.METHODS:We divided male Wistar rats into 4 groups (n=8 for each):sham,sham+quercetin (30 mg/kg per day),BDL,and BDL+quercetin (30 mg/kg per day).Four weeks later,the rats were sacrificed,the blood was collected for liver enzyme measurements and liver for the measurement of Racl,Racl-GTP and NOX1 mRNA and protein levels by quantitative PCR and Western blotting,respectively.RESULTS:Quercetin significantly alleviated liver injury in BDL rats as evidenced by histology and reduced liver enzymes.Furthermore,the mRNA and protein expression of Racl,Racl-GTP and NOX1 were significantly increased in BDL rats compared with those in the sham group (P＜0.05);quercetin treatment reversed these variables back toward normal (P＜0.05).Another interesting finding was that the antioxidant markers e.g.superoxide dismutase and catalase were elevated in quercetin-treated BDL rats compared to BDL rats (P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:Quercetin demonstrated hepatoprotective activity against BDL-induced liver injury through increasing antioxidant capacity of the liver tissue,while preventing the production of Racl,Racl-GTP and NOX1 proteins.     

Knowledge and attitudes of physicians in private practice towards HIV/AIDS in Mashhad, Iran

Being responsible for providing care for HIV/AIDS in a society, physicians should be knowledgeable and have favourable attitudes. We designed a cross-sectional study to assess knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS of private practicing physicians in Mashhad, Iran. A total of 346 general practitioners and specialists completed anonymous self-administered questionnaires with response rate of 91.1%. For knowledge questions, the mean proportion of correct responses was 53.5% (±13.2). Misconceptions about HIV transmission were the main areas of insufficient knowledge. Surprisingly only 20% knew how to manage a patient who had experienced sexual contact with an HIV-positive partner. While 84% disagreed that 'HIV-infected individuals deserved to catch infection' owing to high-risk behaviours, 38% sympathized less with people who were infected via extramarital sex. It seems that knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS among the studied physicians is not favourable and is an area that requires attention to enable effective management of the disease in Iran.     

Polymorphism in the interleukin-17A promoter contributes to gastric cancer

AIM:To evaluate the contribution of the G-197A polymorphism in the interleukin-17(IL-17)promoter region to gastric cancer risk in an Iranian population.METHODS:We performed a case control study using samples from 161 individuals with gastric cancer and171 healthy controls.For each individual,the G-197A genotype was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified fragments.Statistical analyses were performed to determine whether any demographic or behavioral factors,infection with Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori),or a particular G-197A genotype was associated with gastric cancer risk.RESULTS:We found that the G-197A genotype wassignificantly associated with increased gastric cancer risk(P=0.001).Patients who were homozygous(AA)at position-197 were 2.9 times more likely to develop disease(95%CI:1.56-5.4;P=0.001).Furthermore,logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of a single A allele increased the risk of gastric cancer up to 1.7-fold(95%CI:1.26-2.369;P=0.001).This association was observed for early stage gastric adenocarcinomas only,and was not linked to H.pylori infection.CONCLUSION:These results suggest that carrying one or more G-197A polymorphisms at position-197 in the IL-17 promoter region significantly increases gastric cancer risk in this patient population.     

Reversal of Prenatal Morphine Exposure-Induced Memory Deficit in Male But Not Female Rats

Impaired memory performance in offspring is one of the long-lasting neurobehavioral consequences of prenatal opiate exposure. Here, we studied the effects of prenatal morphine exposure on inhibitory avoidance memory performance in male and female offspring and also investigated whether these deficits are reversible during the postnatal development. Pregnant Wistar rats received morphine sulfate through drinking water, from the first day of gestation up to the day 13, M_1–13, or to the time of delivery, M_1–21. Four- and ten-week-old (adolescent and adult, respectively) male and female offspring were subjected to behavioral assays and then analysis of proteins involved in apoptosis or in synaptic plasticity. Results revealed that adolescent and adult female rats failed in passive avoidance retention task in both M_1–13 and M_1–21 groups. Adolescent and adult male offspring were similar to control animals in M_1–13 group. However M_1–21 impaired retention task in prepubertal male offspring, and this memory loss was repaired in postpubertal stage. Consistently, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cleaved caspase-3 were significantly increased in both M_1–13 and M_1–21 adolescent and adult female rats, but only in M_1–21 adolescent male rats. Furthermore, prenatal morphine exposure reduced the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor precursor protein in adolescent and adult female offspring and also decreased p-ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II/ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II ratio in adolescent male and female rats. Altogether, the results show that prenatal morphine exposure, depending on the time or duration of exposure, has distinct effects on male and female rats, and postnatal development may reverse these deficits more likely in males.     

Consistent and precise localization of brain activity in human primary visual cortex by MEG and fMRI

The tomographic localization of activity within human primary visual cortex (striate cortex or V1) was examined using whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) and 4-T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in four subjects. Circular checkerboard pattern stimuli with radii from 1.8 to 5.2 degrees were presented at eccentricity of 8 degrees and angular position of 45 degrees in the lower quadrant of the visual field to excite the dorsal part of V1 which is distant from the V1/V2 border and from the fundus of the calcarine sulcus. Both fMRI and MEG identified spatially well-overlapped activity within the targeted area in each subject. For MEG, in three subjects a very precise activation in V1 was identified at 42 ms for at least one of the two larger stimulus sizes (radii 4.5 and 5.2 degrees ). When this V1 activity was present, it marked the beginning of a weak wave of excitations in striate and extrastriate areas which ended at 50 ms (M50). The beginning of the next wave of activations (M70) was also marked by a brief V1 activation, mainly between 50 and 60 ms. The mean separation between V1 activation centers identified by fMRI and the earliest MEG activation was 3-5 mm.