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The effects of quercetin supplementation on lipid profiles and inflammatory markers among patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Full text linkAims: This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to determine the effect of quercetin administration on lipid profiles and inflammatory markers among patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and related disorders. Methods: We searched systematically online databases including Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science to identify the relevant RCTs until November 2018. Q-test and I2 statistics were applied to assess heterogeneity among included studies. Data were combined using fixed- or random-effects model and presented as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95 confidence interval (CI). Results: Out of 591 citations, 16 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled findings showed that quercetin consumption significantly decreased total-cholesterol (SMD = �0.98; 95 CI, �1.48, �0.49; p < 0.001; I2: 94.0), LDL-cholesterol (SMD = �0.88; 95 CI, �1.35, �0.41; p < 0.001; I2: 92.7) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (�0.64; 95 CI, �1.03, �0.25; p = 0.001; I2: 90.2). While, quercetin supplementation did not significantly affect triglycerides (TG) (SMD = �0.32; 95 CI, �0.68, 0.04; p = 0.08; I2: 84.8), HDL-cholesterol (SMD = 0.20; 95 CI, �0.20, 0.24; p = 0.84; I2: 70.6), interleukin 6 (IL-6) (SMD = �0.69; 95 CI, �1.69, 0.31; p = 0.17; I2: 94.5) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels (SMD = �0.06; 95 CI, �0.25, 0.14; p = 0.58; I2: 35.6) Conclusions: In summary, the current meta-analysis demonstrated that quercetin supplementation significantly reduced total-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and CRP levels, yet did not affect triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, IL-6 and TNF-α among patients with MetS and related disorders. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Synthesis of magnetic fe3o4/znwo4 and fe3o4/znwo4/cevo4 nanoparticles: The photocatalytic effects on organic pollutants upon irradiation with uv-vis light
Full text linkMagnetic Fe3O4/ZnWO4 and Fe3O4/ZnWO4/CeVO4 nanoparticles with different molar ratios of CeVO4 to other inorganic components were synthesized through co-precipitation with a sonochemical-assisted method. X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods were used for the physico�chemical characterization of the obtained nanoparticles. As shown in the SEM images, the average sizes of the Fe3O4 /ZnWO4 and Fe3O4 /ZnWO4 /CeVO4 nanoparticles that formed aggregates were approximately 50�70 nm and 80�100 nm, respectively. The photocatalytic performance of these nanoparticles was examined by measuring methylene blue degradation under visible light (assisted by H2O2). The sample with a mass ratio of 1:2:1 (Fe3O4/ZnWO4/CeVO4, S4) exhibited optimal photocatalytic performance, and thus this sample was subsequently used for the photodegradation of different organic pollutants upon irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) and visible light. Approximately 90 and 70 degradation of methyl violet and methylene blue, respectively, was observed after visible light irradiation. Additionally, the mechanism of the photocatalytic reaction was investigated by measuring ·OH release under UV light in a system with terephthalic acid and by measuring the release of·O2 �,·OH, and hole scavengers. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
Aspergillus coinfection among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Asia and Africa countries; A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies
Full text linkProgress of the disease and prolonged treatment with antibiotics or immunosuppressive agents makes tuberculosis patients susceptible to fungal infections. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of pulmonary Aspergillus coinfection among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Asia and Africa. The present review of cross-sectional studies was conducted on the prevalence of pulmonary Aspergillus coinfection among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis according to the PRISMA Protocol. Literatures published online in English from January 2001 to March 2019 via key databases such as Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were searched. The used MeSH and non-MeSH keywords were; �pulmonary fungal�, �pulmonary coinfection�, OR �Pulmonary mycosis�, �pulmonary fungal infections/agents�, OR �Polymicrobial infection�, OR �Secondary infection�, OR �Mixed infections�, �pulmonary aspergillosis�, �fungi coinfection�, �Fungal co-colonization�, AND �pulmonary tuberculosis�, OR �pulmonary TB�, AND �Asia� AND �Africa�. Finally, data analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (CMA). The combined Aspergillus coinfection among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was 15.4 (95 CI: 11.4�20.5), Q = 105.8 and Z = 9.57 in Asia and Africa. The most frequency of Aspergillus spp. was related to A. fumigatus with a combined prevalence of 57.6. Most of the studies included in the present review showed a higher Aspergillus coinfection in the age group of 40 years and higher. Also, the existence of a correlation between increasing age and Aspergillus coinfection was reported (p < 0.05). The present review showed a high combined Aspergillus coinfection among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Asia and Africa. Also, amongst the Aspergillus spp., the most frequent was related to A. fumigatus. © 2020 Elsevier Lt
The hypotensive effect of salt substitutes in stage 2 hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Full text linkBackground: Hypertension (HTN) is a ubiquitous risk factor for numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease and stroke. There are currently no wholly effective pharmacological therapies for subjects with HTN. However, salt substitutes have emerged as a potential therapy for the treatment of HTN. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of salt substitutes on reducing systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP), following a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Methods: Studies were found via systematic searches of the Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, Ovid, Google Scholar and Cochrane library. Ten studies, comprised of 11 trials and 1119 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. Results: Pooled weighted mean differences showed significant reductions of SBP (WMD - 8.87 mmHg; 95 CI - 11.19, - 6.55, p < 0.001) and DBP (WMD - 4.04 mmHg; 95 CI - 5.70, - 2.39) with no statistically significant heterogeneity between the 11 included comparisons of SBPs and DBPs. The stratified analysis of trials based on the mean age of participants showed a significant reduction in the mean difference of SBP in both adults (< 65 years old) and elderly (�65 years old). However, the DBP-lowering effect of salt substitutes was only observed in adult patients (WMD - 4.22 mmHg; 95 CI - 7.85, - 0.58), but not in the elderly subjects. Conclusions: These findings suggest that salt-substitution strategies could be used for lowering SBP and DBP in patients with stage 2 HTN; providing a nutritional platform for the treatment, amelioration, and prevention of HTN. © 2020 The Author(s)
Engineering the Synthesis of Luminescent Carbon Dots with Ultra High-Quantum Yield Using Experimental Design Approach in Order to Develop Sensing Applications
No full textCarbon dots have been employed in a series of exciting fields such as bioimaging, drug delivery, fluorescent probing and analysis, photo-catalysis. Improving fluorescence performance of carbon dots could result in broadening their applications, especially, in sensing and bioimaging systems. The purpose of this study is to fabricate carbon dots by means of the hydrothermal method and designing an experiment in order to reach the highest quantum yield so as to develop their sensing and bioimaging applications. An experimental program was designed by taking into account factors effects on the quantum yield of carbon dots. The influencing variables to synthesize carbon dots in this project are citric acid concentration (F1), reaction temperature (F2), ethylenediamine concentration (F3) and reaction time (F4). By applying the experiment the quantum yield of carbon dots presents the maximum result of 85.69 at the optimal conditions of citric acid: 0.2 g, reaction temperature: 175°C, Ethylenediamine: 480~μ \textL and reaction time: 4:43 h, which was the highest quantum yield from such carbon dots. These carbon dots have been applied as a fluorescence probe for Fe3+ ions determination with a perfect detection limit of 0.32 ppm. They were put to use for bioimaging of human ovarian carcinoma SKOV3 cells, which proved to be of outstanding biocompatibility. © 2001-2012 IEEE
Corrigendum to �Usability evaluation of a comprehensive national health information system: A heuristic evaluation� Inf Med Unlocked 19 (2020) 100332(S2352914820301064)(10.1016/j.imu.2020.100332)
Full text linkThe authors regret for the inconvenience. After reviewing the article, we determined that the grant number is not mentioned in the fund section. Please add the grant number 96049 to this section. Funding This study was funded by The Research Deputy of Kashan University of Medical Sciences under Grant (Number: 96049). The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. © 2020 The Author(s
A study on improving nursing clinical competencies in a surgical department: A participatory action research
Full text linkAims: The purpose of the present study was to improve clinical competencies in nursing staff in a selected surgical department in Kashan/Iran during 2016�2018. Design: This was a participatory action research. Methods: This action research was implemented in four steps of problem identification, planning, action and reflection. Interviews, focus groups and observation were used for the qualitative part. Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II, job satisfaction and patients' satisfaction questionnaires were completed before and after the study. Qualitative content analysis, paired and independent t test were used for data analysis. Results: Three main problems could affect the clinical competencies including professional insufficiency, basic shortages and external influences. Three changes were implemented in the surgical department including improving education, involving nursing students in patients' education and increasing the motivations by peer evaluation and selecting the nurse of the week. The changes significantly increased patients' satisfaction, nurses' job satisfaction and work effectiveness. © 2020 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Comparison between biomarkers of kidney injury, inflammation, and oxidative stress in patients with diabetic nephropathy and type 2 diabetes mellitus
No full textIntroduction. This study was conducted to compare parameters of kidney injury, oxidative stress and inflammation in people with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. In a cross-sectional study, 57 cases with DN and 57 cases with T2DM were included in the study. Fasting blood samples were obtained to determine parameters of kidney injury, oxidative stress and inflammation. Results. The current study showed that patients with DN had higher tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (167.0 ± 40.1 vs. 151.4 ± 37.4 ng/L, P .05). Furthermore, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) levels in patients with DN were higher than that of patients with T2DM (8511.7 ± 1799.9 vs. 7660.7 ± 1711.9 AU, P <.05), but the difference in malondialdehyde value was not significant. Finally, we found that total protein levels in cases with DN were enhanced compared with individuals with T2DM (7.1 ± 0.5 vs. 6.9 ± 0.6 mg/dL, P <.05); however, other markers of kidney injury did not change. Conclusions. In conclusion, the results of present study revealed that few markers of inflammation and oxidative stress including TNF-α, MMP-2, AGEs levels and total protein levels in patients with DN were significantly higher than that of patients with T2DN. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings. © 2020, Iranian Society of Nephrology. All rights reserved
Measuring the dose�width product and proposing the local diagnostic reference level in panoramic dental radiography: a multi-center study from Iran
Full text linkObjective: Although radiation exposure associated with dental radiography is relatively low, patient exposure must be kept practically low. Therefore, it is necessary for each country to establish its own diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) suitable for its equipment and practice. In the present study, dose-width product (DWP) values for panoramic dental radiography were measured and a local DRL was established. Methods: Five panoramic devices from five radiology clinics of Kashan, Iran were selected to measure the DWP values of panoramic dental radiography. To investigate the DWP values, the parameters of each patient�s exposure (e.g., tube voltage, tube current, and exposure time) at these five radiology clinics were extracted. Then, the dose value received by each patient was measured based on a CT pencil chamber. Finally, the overall median DWP values for the patients with small, medium, and large sizes were obtained, and these values were considered as the local DRLs for panoramic dental radiography. Results: A total of 99 adult patients were included in the present study. The findings demonstrated that the median and third-quartile DWP values for these five radiology clinics ranged from 42.3 to 94.3 and 49.7 to 142.8 mGy mm, respectively. The local DRL values, which were established as the overall median DWP values, were 43.4, 52.0, and 80.3 mGy mm for the adults with small, medium, and large sizes, respectively. Conclusion: The local DRL proposed in this study for the adult with standard/medium size was lower than those proposed by other reports and seemed acceptable for panoramic radiography in Kashan, Iran. © 2020, Japanese Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd
Cocoa Consumption and Blood Pressure in Middle-Aged and Elderly Subjects: a Meta-Analysis
Full text linkPurpose of Review: The effect of cocoa consumption on blood pressure (BP) has been investigated in previous studies; however, to date, no meta-analysis has been conducted specific to middle-aged and elderly subjects. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of cocoa consumption on indices of blood pressure, in middle-aged and elderly subjects. Recent Findings: Pubmed/Medline�, Cochrane Library�, Google Scholar�, and Scopus� were searched until March 2019. The quantitative Jadad scale was used as the systematic assessment of bias in the included trials. We used a random effects model to estimate the pooled weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95 confidence intervals (CIs). We further conducted sensitivity analysis and stratified analysis by baseline blood pressure, follow-up duration, and mean age. Thirteen studies with 758 total participants were included in the present meta-analysis. A significant reduction in SBP by 2.77 (95 CI � 5.28, � 0.27, P = 0.03, I2 = 89) and DBP by 1.47 mm/Hg (� 95 CI � 2.40, � 0.55, P = 0.001, I2 = 45) were observed after cocoa consumption. Stratified analyses showed BP-lowering effects of cocoa consumption in longer-term duration and hypertensive subgroups. Summary: Our meta-analysis showed a significant inverse association between cocoa consumption and SBP/DBP. However, the analysis could not conclude any beneficial effect of cocoa consumption on blood pressure in normotensive/elevated blood pressure subjects. Therefore, further studies are warranted to affirm the efficacy of cocoa consumption for the improvement of blood pressure in elderly subjects. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature