Galen Medical Journal最新文献

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic value of the monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) as a marker of inflammation in patients diagnosed with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Materials and methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with a diagnosis of STEMI who underwent PCI between March 2021 and March 2022 at Madani Training and Research Hospital in Tabriz, Iran. Data regarding clinical and demographic properties, and laboratory parameters were obtained from medical records. Patients were categorized into two groups according to the median of admission MHR.

Results: The study population consisted of 652 patients, 378 males (58%), and 275 females (42%), with a median age of 68 years (interquartile range: 57-77). Results showed that groups with higher MHR (15.59) had higher rates of in-hospital mortality and higher major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in comparison with the group featuring lower MHR (15.59). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated that MHR could predict in-hospital mortality with a 75.7% sensitivity and 53.5% specificity, as well as predict MACE with 60.2% sensitivity and 59.7% specificity. Multivariate analyses indicated that MHR is an independent predictor of both in-hospital mortality (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.08, P=0.002) and MACE (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.08, P0.001).

Conclusion: This research indicated that the rise in MHR was independently associated with a higher risk of MACE and in-hospital mortality in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.

Background: Excessive inflammatory response is associated with several diseases. Recently, there has been an increasing trend for investigation of the acute or short-term effects of whey protein alone or in combination with carbohydrates on inflammatory status, especially in athletes. This systematic review aimed to clarify these effects.

Materials and methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched from January 1990 to September 2021, without language restriction. Adult studies examining the effects of whey protein alone or together with carbohydrates on interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and C-reactive protein levels with a maximum duration of 15 days and with at least one comparison group were included. The quality of studies was analyzed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Results: Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Significant reductions in inflammatory markers was observed in seven out of 25 studies (28%). However, one out of 25 studies (4%) reported a significant increase in inflammatory status. Among those studies comparing the effects of whey protein alone with non-protein or protein-containing groups, 18.18% (two out of 11) and 10% (one out of ten) of the trials revealed a significant decrease in the markers, respectively. Moreover, of those studies comparing whey protein plus carbohydrate with non-protein or protein-containing groups, 33.33% (two out of six) and 40% (two out of five) of them showed a significant reduction in the inflammatory response, respectively. The quality of the majority of studies (84%) was poor.

Conclusion: It seems that whey protein alone or the combination of it with carbohydrates may not affect the inflammatory markers in the short run (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021273915).[GMJ.2023;12:e2441].

The prevalence of pre-menopausal female infertility is increasing considerably due to various causes such as environmental pollutants, increased administration of chemotherapeutics and radiation exposure, microbial infections, and genetic/epigenetic alterations. However, the current therapeutical strategies remain unfavorite as the disadvantages are strongly challenging. Icariin (ICI) is a phytoestrogen that exerts some promising properties in order to alleviate female infertility. Therefore, the current literature review aimed to evaluate the conducted studies regarding the beneficial impacts of ICI on the female reproductive system and female fecundity. The findings of the present study revealed that ICI is able to modulate the levels of reproductive hormones as it causes a significant decrement in the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) while increasing the levels of estrogen and progesterone. Furthermore, the administration of ICI results in a dramatic alteration in the expression of sex steroids’ receptors, particularly in female reproductive tissues. In addition, preserving ovarian follicular reserve, improving the ovarian and uterine histoarchitecture, elongating the estrous cycle duration, and eventually advancing the female fecundity are other major effects of ICI on the female reproductive system. Despite these desired beneficial properties, the current knowledge appears to be insufficient, hence further investigations, particularly on humans, are encouraged. To the best of our knowledge, this review provides a comprehensive information regarding the beneficial effects of Icariin on female infertility for the firs time.