Impact of the Level of Adherence to Mediterranean Diet on the Parameters of Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

High adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with a lower prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). The present study aimed to investigate the impact of MD adherence on parameters of MetS. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane Central Registry of Clinical Trials (CENTRAL), Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Observational studies that recorded adherence to MD and components/measures of the MetS, such as waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides (TG), were included in this study. A total of 58 studies were included in our study. WC and TG were significantly lower in the high adherence MD group (SMD: −0.20, (95%CI: −0.40, −0.01), SMD: −0.27 (95%CI: −0.27, −0.11), respectively), while HDL cholesterol was significantly higher in the same group (SMD: −0.28 (95%CI: 0.07, 0.50). There was no difference in FBG and SBP among the two groups (SMD: −0.21 (95%CI: −0.54, 0.12) & SMD: −0.15 (95%CI: −0.38, 0.07), respectively). MD may have a positive impact on all parameters of MetS. However, further research is needed in this field.     

Evaluation of the impact of Exomite Pro™ on Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) populations and honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies: efficacy,side effects and residues

In this research, we examined the application of thymol-based powder, directly over the top of the brood frames in colonies with different population in a 2-year study. The efficacy against mites, the side effects on bees and the contamination of honey were studied comparably to thymol-based gel treatment. In one-store colonies, thymol-based powder treatment gave average efficacy 64.5 % and did not differ significantly from thymol-based gel treatment (65.4 %). The natural mortality in control colonies was 41.4 % and the corrected efficacy (E _T) during 2 years was 39.4 and 40.9 %, respectively. In two-store bee colonies, the application of thymol-based powder on top of each hive body gave higher E _T (45,4 %) than on top of the double body hive (40.4 %), without statistically significant differences. The average concentration of thymol residues in honey 24 days after the application was 368 and 1,119 μg kg^?1 for the honey of colonies treated with thymol-based powder and thymol-base gel, respectively.     

Disease activity indices in psoriatic arthritis: current and evolving concepts

Clinical Rheumatology - Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a highly heterogenous disease, with many different clinical manifestations inside or outside of the musculoskeletal system and the skin. It is...     

Rapid dark aging of biomass burning as an overlooked source of oxidized organic aerosol

Oxidized organic aerosol (OOA) is a major component of ambient particulate matter, substantially impacting climate, human health, and ecosystems. OOA is readily produced in the presence of sunlight, and requires days of photooxidation to reach the levels observed in the atmosphere. High concentrations of OOA are thus expected in the summer; however, our current mechanistic understanding fails to explain elevated OOA during wintertime periods of low photochemical activity that coincide with periods of intense biomass burning. As a result, atmospheric models underpredict OOA concentrations by a factor of 3 to 5. Here we show that fresh emissions from biomass burning exposed to NO₂ and O₃ (precursors to the NO₃ radical) rapidly form OOA in the laboratory over a few hours and without any sunlight. The extent of oxidation is sensitive to relative humidity. The resulting OOA chemical composition is consistent with the observed OOA in field studies in major urban areas. Additionally, this dark chemical processing leads to significant enhancements in secondary nitrate aerosol, of which 50 to 60% is estimated to be organic. Simulations that include this understanding of dark chemical processing show that over 70% of organic aerosol from biomass burning is substantially influenced by dark oxidation. This rapid and extensive dark oxidation elevates the importance of nocturnal chemistry and biomass burning as a global source of OOA.

Highly oxidized organic aerosol (OOA) is a dominant component of particulate matter air pollution globally (1–3); however, sources of OOA remain uncertain, limiting the ability of models to accurately represent OOA and thus predict the associated climate, ecosystem, and health implications (4, 5). The current conceptual model of OOA formation suggests that anthropogenic OOA predominantly originates from the oxidation of volatile (VOCs), intermediate volatility (IVOCs), and semivolatile (SVOCs) organic compounds by the OH radical, resulting in lower-volatility products that condense to the particle phase (6). As the OH radical is formed through photolysis and has a very short atmospheric lifetime [less than a second (7)], this oxidation mechanism only occurs in the presence of sunlight. Further, the time scale for OOA formation through oxidation with OH in models is on the order of a few days (8). While this understanding is sufficient in explaining OOA concentrations in summer or periods with high solar radiation, atmospheric models fail to reproduce the observed concentration of OOA in the ambient atmosphere during winter and low-light conditions (9, 10). Fountoukis et al. (9) found simulated OOA concentrations significantly underestimated in wintertime Paris. Tsimpidi et al. (10) also reported an underprediction of simulated OOA globally in winter, suggesting missing sources of both primary OA (POA) and secondary formation pathways. This underproduction suggests a possible overlooked conversion pathway of organic vapors or particles to OOA that is not accounted for in current chemical transport and climate models.As stricter controls on fossil fuel combustion are implemented, residential biomass burning (BB) as a source of heating or cooking is becoming an increasingly important source of OA in urban environments (1, 11, 12). Further, increasing rates of wildfires from climate change are increasing the frequency of smoke-impacted days in urban areas (12–14). BB emissions include high concentrations of POA, SVOCs, IVOCs, and VOCs (15, 16), thus making BB a key source of OOA. Previous research has focused on quantifying the concentration of OOA formed through photochemical oxidation reactions (i.e., OH) with BB emissions (17, 18). However, oxidation of BB emissions in low or no sunlight is less well understood and is not included in chemical transport models. As opposed to OH, the NO₃ radical is formed through reactions with NO₂ and O₃ and is rapidly lost in the presence of sunlight (19). Thus, the NO₃ radical is only available in significant concentrations at night or other low-light conditions (20, 21). Previous research has established that biogenic VOCs may undergo oxidation at night when mixed with anthropogenic emissions containing NO₂ and O₃ (19, 22–27). There have been only a few studies that consider that nighttime oxidation of residential wood combustion may proceed through similar pathways (28–31); however, the magnitude and relevance to observed OOA in the ambient atmosphere has not yet been established. By combining laboratory experiments and ambient observations to inform a chemical transport model, we present strong evidence that nighttime oxidation of BB plumes (proceeding through reactions with O₃ and the NO₃ radical) is an important source of OOA.     

Liver steatosis is an independent risk factor for treatment failure in patients with chronic hepatitis C

OBJECTIVES: Hepatic steatosis is a common feature of chronic hepatitis C. The purpose of this study was to determine factors related to the presence of steatosis and to define the role of steatosis in the response to antiviral treatment in chronic hepatitis C patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed all patients with chronic hepatitis C treated in a 5 year period in our department. Patients were included in the study only if a pretreatment liver biopsy specimen was available for evaluation. All patients treated either with interferon in combination with ribavirin, or with pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin were included irrespectively of their response (early, end of treatment and/or sustained) to antiviral therapy. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients with chronic hepatitis C were included in the study with a mean age of 45.5 +/- 14.1 years. Steatosis was present in 52 patients (44.8%). On univariate analysis age, P = 0.04 and body mass index > or = 25, P = 0.004 were correlated with the presence of steatosis and on multivariate analysis only body mass index > or = 25, P = 0.032. Advanced fibrosis was not found associated with steatosis. Sixty patients out of 116 (51.7%) had sustained virological response (SVR). In particular 42 out of 64 patients with no steatosis (65.6%) had SVR compared to 20 out of 52 patients (38.4%) with any degree of steatosis (P = 0.009). Patients with genotype 2 or 3 had a more favourable outcome compared to patients with 1 or 4 genotypes, 63.2% vs 49.2%, P = 0.032. Also increased age (P = 0.0001), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) (P = 0.029), no history of intravenous drugs use (P = 0.001) and advanced fibrosis on pretreatment biopsy (P = 0.046) were correlated with treatment failure. On multivariate analysis significant independent association with SVR was found with the presence of steatosis on pretreatment biopsy (P = 0.004), increased GGT (P = 0.005) and genotype (P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Steatosis in the liver biopsy performed before the beginning of antiviral treatment was found to be associated only to the body mass index of the patients and to be a strong independent factor for treatment failure.     

The combination of Everolimus with Verapamil reduces ovarian weight and vascular permeability on ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: a preclinical experimental randomized controlled study

The efficacy of pathways inhibition and the combined effect of Everolimus (mTOR inhibitor) and Verapamil (CYP3A inhibitor) in ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) need to be tested. Therefore, the impact of a leucotriene receptor antagonist, an anticoagulant, a GnRH antagonist as well as Everolimus plus Verapamil (at various doses and days of administration) on an OHSS rat model was tested. Sixty three female Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven groups. The control group received saline, while the OHSS group received rec-FSH for four consecutive days. The other five groups received rec-FSH for four days and Montelukast daily, Heparin daily, GnRH antagonist daily, Everolimus plus Verapamil in the last two days (half days group) and Everolimus plus Verapamil (half dose group) daily, respectively. All groups received also hCG at the fifth day. Significantly reduced ovarian weight was observed in the Everolimus plus Verapamil groups (half days and half-dose groups) and the Montelukast group compared to the OHSS group (p?=?0.001 and p?=?0.001, respectively). The vascular permeability was significantly reduced in the Everolimus plus Verapamil group (half dose group) and the GnRH antagonist group compared to the OHSS group (p?p?=?0.011, respectively). However, estradiol and progesterone levels did not differ significantly between the groups. Studying the inhibition of different pathways, we concluded that the co-administration of Everolimus and Verapamil (at half dose) is beneficial for reducing ovarian weight and vascular permeability in an OHSS animal model.