Predictive value of serum inflammatory biomarkers in postmenopausal osteoporosis: A cross-sectional study in northwest Iran.

The purpose of this study was to compare the inflammatory biomarkers in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and those with normal bone mineral density (BMD). A total of 850 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 were randomly selected for participation in this cross-sectional investigation. 100 women displayed normal BMD, while 101 were diagnosed with osteoporosis, as determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Biochemical techniques were used to quantify tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) levels, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and interleukin-6. The area under the curve (AUC) for the diagnosis of osteoporosis was calculated using receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves. A significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of age, menopause age, education level, and BMI (p < 0.005). Moreover, TNF-α (p = 0.026) and hs-CRP (p < 0.001) levels were significant differences between two groups. The logistic regression analysis adjusted for the confounders showed that only the elevation of hs-CRP had a significant effect on the risk of osteoporosis (OR (95 % CI):42.41 (12.66-142.3), p < 0.001). ROC analysis demonstrated that at the cut-off point of 0.415, the sensitivity and specificity values of 83.2 % and 82.2 % were obtained, respectively, for hs-CRP. hs-CRP is a valuable test for screening osteoporosis in postmenopausal women due to its accuracy and cost-effectiveness.

Informational video on preoperative anxiety and postoperative satisfaction prior to elective cesarean delivery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative anxiety affects 60 to 80% of patients who are candidates for surgery. Reducing preoperative anxiety can improve surgical outcomes, shorten hospital stays, and minimize disruptions in lifestyle. Having information affects people ability to identify important points and improve their understanding, and lack of information causes fear and anxiety, which negatively affects decision-making. Studies have shown that the intervention of education before cesarean section has a beneficial effect on women anxiety level. Providing information before surgery can reduce patients' anxiety. This study was conducted to determine the effect of information video before elective cesarean delivery on preoperative anxiety and post-operative satisfaction. METHODS: The search for relevant studies was systematically conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, SID (Persian database), and Google Scholar (search engine) until July 4, 2023, in both English and Persian languages. The revised tool for assessing the risk of bias in randomized trials (RoB 2.0) and ROBIN-I were used to evaluate the risk of bias, and heterogeneity was assessed using I². In cases of high heterogeneity, a random effects model was used instead of a fixed effects model. Subgroup analysis was performed based on the duration of the video, and the type of intervention for the primary outcome. Sensitivity analysis was conducted based on the type of study. A random-effects meta-regression analysis was conducted to identify potential sources of high heterogeneity for preoperative anxiety. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using GRADE. RESULTS: A total number of 557 articles were found in databases. Three hundred sixty-eight studies were screened based on their titles, abstracts, and full texts. Of these, 16 studies were assessed for eligibility, and 7 were excluded. Ultimately, nine papers were included. Meta-analysis results showed that the information video before elective cesarean delivery compared to control group may have little or no effect on preoperative anxiety, but the evidence is uncertain (SMD - 0.22, 95% CI -0.51 to 0.06, 9 trials, 1020 participants, I2 = 80%; very low-certainty evidence). Also, it probably increases the post-operative satisfaction (SMD 0.26, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.42, 5 trials, 618 participants, I2 = 0%; Moderate-certainty evidence). The random effect meta-regression analyses indicated a significant correlation between the mean age of the intervention group (ß = 0.137, P < 0.001) and the mean age of the control group (ß = 0.150, P = 0.0246) with effect size. CONCLUSION: This study found that watching an informational video prior to elective cesarean delivery resulted in a decrease in preoperative anxiety. However, it is important to note that the reduction was not statistically significant, and there was a high level of inconsistency among the results. Nonetheless, the intervention did lead to an improvement in women's post-operative satisfaction. To determine the optimal time duration and content type of informational videos, further studies with more appropriate methodology are necessary.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition process during embryo implantation.

The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in endometrial epithelial and trophectoderm cells is essential for the progression of embryo implantation and its impairment could cause implantation failure. Therefore, EMT should be tightly regulated in both embryonic and endometrial cells during implantation. Studies reported the involvement of numerous factors in EMT regulation, including hormones, growth factors, transcription factors, microRNAs, aquaporins (AQPs), and ion channels. These factors act through different signaling pathways to affect the expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers as well as the cellular cytoskeleton. Although the mechanisms involved in cancer cell EMT have been well studied, little is known about EMT during embryo implantation. Therefore, we comprehensively reviewed different factors that regulate the EMT, a key event required for the conceptus implantation to the endometrium.Summary sentence: Abnormal epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process within endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) or trophoblast cells can cause implantation failure. This process is regulated by various factors. Thus, the objective of this review was to summarize the effective factors on the EMT process during implantation.

Protective effects of sodium nitrate against testicular apoptosis and spermatogenesis impairments in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats.

AIMS: As nitric oxide (NO) production is essential for insulin signaling, glucose uptake, endothelial function, and regulation of apoptosis, the loss of bioavailable NO may be a mechanism underlying the development of diabetes complication. Dietary nitrate acts as a substrate for NO generation, thus serving as a physiological source of NO. This study evaluated the therapeutic effects of nitrate supplementation on the apoptosis-induced testicular disorders in diabetic rats. MAIN METHODS: Fifty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups; control, control with 100 mg/L nitrate in distilled drinking water, diabetes, diabetes treated with 2-4 U/day NPH insulin, diabetes treated with 100 mg/L nitrate in distilled drinking water. After 8 weeks, blood samples, testis, and epididymis were collected to assess the apoptosis process and the stereology of testis tissue, sperm motility, morphology and DNA fragmentation, and also mRNA expression of miR-449a, p53, Pdcd4, and Pacs2 mRNA, as well as serum glucose, insulin, and NOx levels were investigated. KEY FINDINGS: The results of this study indicated that nitrate treatment ameliorated the sperm parameters, testicular morphometrical and stereological alterations, reduced blood glucose, the number of TUNEL positive cells and tubules, and testicular expressions of p53, Pdcd4, and Pacs2 mRNA as well as increased body weight, serum insulin and NOx levels, and testicular expression of miR-449a in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. SIGNIFICANCE: Our in vivo evidence revealed that nitrate treatment may has a favorable effect as an exogenous NO donor on experimental diabetic testicular damages in which NO bioavailability is impaired.