A systematic review with meta-analysis of the relation of aflatoxin B1 to growth impairment in infants/children.

BACKGROUND: Aflatoxins are regarded as the most potent genotoxic and carcinogenic type of mycotoxins. This meta-analysis was performed to investigate a the relation of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) to growth measurements of infants/children, including wasting, underweight, stunting, as well as weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and weight-for-height (WHZ) z-scores. METHODS: Electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched to identify related publications. Effect sizes for associations were pooled using the random effects analysis. Subgroup analysis by study design, method used to assess AFB1, and adjustment for covariateswas performed to detect possible sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Pooled analysis of available data showed that AFB1 exposure was negatively associated growth z-scores, including WHZ (ß = -0.02, 95%CI = -0.07 to 0.03), with WAZ (ß = -0.18, 95%CI = -0.33 to -0.02), and HAZ (ß = -0.17, 95%CI = -0.30 to -0.03) in infants/children. There was a remarkable heterogeneity among studies on WAZ and HAZ (P ≤ 0.001). In prospective cohort studies, AFB1 exposure was found to be significantly associated with the elevated risk of underweight (OR = 1.20, 95%CI = 1.03 to 1.40) and stunting (OR = 1.21, 95%CI = 1.11 to 1.33). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis highlighted the importance of AFB1 exposure as a potential risk factor for growth impairment in infants/children.

pH-Sensitive Polymer-Based Carriers as a Useful Approach for Oral Delivery of Therapeutic Protein: A Review.

There are many proteins and enzymes in the human body, and their dysfunction can lead to the emergence of a disease. The use of proteins as a drug is common in various diseases such as diabetes. Proteins are hydrophilic molecules whose spatial structure is critical to their correct function. There are different ways for the administration of proteins. Protein structures are degraded by gastric acid and enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract and have a slight ability to permeate from the gastrointestinal epithelium due to their large hydrophilic nature. Therefore, their oral use has limitations. Since the oral route for the administration of drugs is one of the best and easiest routes for patients, many studies have been done to increase the stability, penetration, and ultimately, the bioavailability of proteins through oral administration. One of the studied strategies for oral delivery of protein is the use of pH-sensitive polymer-based carriers. These carriers use different pH-sensitive polymers, such as eudragit®, chitosan, dextran, and alginate. The use of pH-sensitive polymer- based carriers by protecting the protein from stomach acid (low pH) and degrading enzymes, increasing permeability and maintaining the spatial structure of the protein, leads to increased bioavailability. In this review, we focus on the various polymers used to prepare pH-sensitive polymer- based carriers for the oral delivery of proteins.