The Relationship between Healthy Eating Index and Lipid Profile in Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review.

Background: The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) are instruments developed by competing American research teams, aiming to assess the level of adherence to a dietary pattern, claimed to prevent chronic illness conditions such as dyslipidemia. This systematic review evaluated cross-sectional studies examining the association between HEI/AHEI score and the lipid profile in healthy participants. Methods: The systematic review was Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) compliant, and a search process was conducted through Scopus, Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, Cochrane, PubMed, and ScienceDirect up to November 2022. Studies assessing the relationship between HEI/AHEI and lipid profile (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG)) were eligible for inclusion. The statistical differences in outcomes, anthropometric indices, and demographic data were extracted from the selected studies. Also, the quality assessment of studies was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results: The systematic search presented 17 cross-sectional studies. Most of the studies revealed a significant correlation between HEI score and lipid profile (LDL-C, HDL-C, TG, and TC) (P < 0.05), while a few of them indicated a significant relationship between AHEI score and these factors. Overall, the elevation of HEI/AHEI score was associated with the improvement in lipid profile (P < 0.05), though this association was more obvious for HEI compared with AHEI. Conclusions: Overall, the results of the study indicated that an improved lipid profile in healthy individuals is associated with a higher score in either HEI or AHEI. Further research in the future is required to confirm the claim.

Comprehensive health risk analysis of heavy metal pollution using water quality indices and Monte Carlo simulation in R software.

Rapid urbanization, population growth, agricultural practices, and industrial activities have led to widespread groundwater contamination. This study evaluated heavy metal contamination in residential drinking water in Shiraz, Iran (2021). The analysis involved 80 groundwater samples collected across wet and dry seasons. Water quality was comprehensively assessed using several indices, including the heavy metals evaluation index (HEI), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), contamination degree (CD), and metal index (MI). Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessments were conducted using deterministic and probabilistic approaches for exposed populations. In the non-carcinogenic risk assessment, the chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI) are employed. The precision of risk assessment was bolstered through the utilization of Monte Carlo simulation, executed using the R software platform. Based on the results, in both wet and dry seasons, Zinc (Zn) consistently demonstrates the highest mean concentration, followed by Manganese (Mn) and Chromium (Cr). During the wet and dry seasons, 25% and 40% of the regions exhibited high CD, respectively. According to non-carcinogenic risk assessment, Cr presents the highest CDI and HQ in children and adults, followed by Mn, As and HI values, indicating elevated risk for children. The highest carcinogenic risk was for Cr in adults, while the lowest was for Cd in children. The sensitivity analysis found that heavy metal concentration and ingestion rate significantly impact both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks. These findings provide critical insights for shaping policy and allocating resources towards effectively managing heavy metal contamination in residential drinking water.

Kinetic studies of dexamethasone degradation in aqueous solution via a photocatalytic UV/H2O2/MgO process.

Wastewaters discharged from different industries and hospitals may contain pharmaceuticals, especially dexamethasone (DEX). Thus, we applied the UV/H2O2 photocatalytic method in the presence of the MgO nanoparticles to remove dexamethasone from synthetic wastewater. Moreover, the effects of parameters such as pH (3-11), hydrogen peroxide concentration (1-8 mM), initial DEX concentration (5-30 mg/L), and catalyst dosage (0.01-0.2 g/L) during the reaction times (0-30 min) were investigated. Furthermore, the efficiency of UV/H2O2 in the presence and absence of catalysts was investigated. The photocatalyst is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. It was found that the removal rate was enhanced by decreasing pH and the initial dexamethasone concentration. The removal rate was enhanced somewhat with concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and MgO. In the case of UV/H2O2/MgO, 87% removal efficiency was achieved, under the optimal conditions: pH 3, contact time of 30 min, dexamethasone concentration of 20 mg/L, H2O2 of 0.5 mM, and UV radiation of 55 watts. The kinetic data indicated that the reaction followed the second-order kinetic model. The results showed that the UV/H2O2 photochemical process can efficiently remove dexamethasone from aqueous in the presence of a MgO catalyst, and the mineralization efficiency was reached at about 98%.

Green biosynthesis of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles using Mentha longifolia for imatinib mesylate delivery.

In this work, the rapid, facile, and eco-friendly green process was introduced in the preparation of ß-cyclodextrin/magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles by using the aqueous Mentha longifolia extracts of Mentha longifolia. The obtained nanoparticles were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis. Also, effective factors on the synthesis of magnetic nanocomposites including temperature, concentration of the Mentha longifolia extract, and concentration of FeSO4 solution were optimised by Taguchi design. Moreover, important effective parameters on the adsorption efficiency; such as adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and temperature were investigated. The prepared magnetic nanocomposite was applied as a nanocarrier for imatinib mesylate delivery. In vitro studies confirmed imatinib mesylate release over 6 h. The nanocarrier showed pH-dependent imatinib mesylate release with higher drug release at simulated cancer fluid (pH = 5.6) compared to neural fluid (pH = 7.4). Moreover, the sorption isotherms and kinetics for the magnetic nanocomposite were fitted into Langmuir and pseudo-second order models, respectively. Based on the thermodynamic results, the adsorption of imatinib mesylate onto the nanoadsorbent was found to be spontaneous and exothermic.

The relationship of coffee consumption and CVD risk factors in elderly patients with T2DM.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical studies suggest increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and diabetes among the elderly. Meanwhile, some food compounds, such as coffee, can also have beneficial effects on CVD risk factors. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between coffee consumption and CVD risk factors in the elderly with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed during 2017 on 300 elderly people above 60 years of age with T2DM in Isfahan, Iran. Dietary assessment was performed using a food frequency questionnaire. Coffee consumption was classified into three groups including < 1, 1-3, and > 3 cups/day. Partial correlation test was used to investigate the relationship between CVD risk factors and usual coffee consumption. RESULTS: The mean age and body mass index of participants were 70.04 ± 4.87 years and 24.74 ± 3.34 kg/m2 respectively. Coffee consumption had a significant inverse relationship with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the elderly with T2DM (r: - 0.117, 0.134; p: 0.046, 0.022). Triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) had a significant positive relationship with coffee consumption levels (r: 0.636, 0.128; p: 0.028, 0.029). These results were obtained after controlling for potential confounders. CONCLUSION: Increasing coffee consumption was linked to improved status of some CVD risk factors including FPG, HDL-C, and DBP in the elderly with T2DM. Nevertheless, increasing coffee consumption was also associated with higher TG level and had no significant effect on other risk factors. Further studies are required to confirm these results.

Association between heavy metals and colon cancer: an ecological study based on geographical information systems in North-Eastern Iran.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer has increased in Middle Eastern countries and exposure to environmental pollutants such as heavy metals has been implicated. However, data linking them to this disease are generally lacking. This study aimed to explore the spatial pattern of age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) of colon cancer and its potential association with the exposure level of the amount of heavy metals existing in rice produced in north-eastern Iran. METHODS: Cancer data were drawn from the Iranian population-based cancer registry of Golestan Province, north-eastern Iran. Samples of 69 rice milling factories were analysed for the concentration levels of cadmium, nickel, cobalt, copper, selenium, lead and zinc. The inverse distance weighting (IDW) algorithm was used to interpolate the concentration of this kind of heavy metals on the surface of the study area. Exploratory regression analysis was conducted to build ordinary least squares (OLS) models including every possible combination of the candidate explanatory variables and chose the most useful ones to show the association between heavy metals and the ASR of colon cancer. RESULTS: The highest concentrations of heavy metals were found in the central part of the province and particularly counties with higher amount of cobalt were shown to be associated with higher ASR of men with colon cancer. In contrast, selenium concentrations were higher in areas with lower ASR of colon cancer in men. A significant regression equation for men with colon cancer was found (F(4,137) = 38.304, P < .000) with an adjusted R2 of 0.77. The predicted ASR of men colon cancer was - 58.36 with the coefficients for cobalt = 120.33; cadmium = 80.60; selenium = - 6.07; nickel = - 3.09; and zinc = - 0.41. The association of copper and lead with colon cancer in men was not significant. We did not find a significant outcome for colon cancer in women. CONCLUSION: Increased amounts of heavy metals in consumed rice may impact colon cancer incidence, both positively and negatively. While there were indications of an association between high cobalt concentrations and an increased risk for colon cancer, we found that high selenium concentrations might instead decrease the risk. Further investigations are needed to clarify if there are ecological or other reasons for these discrepancies. Regular monitoring of the amount of heavy metals in consumed rice is recommended.

Dietary Intake of Antioxidants in the Elderly People under Nursing Care: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Nutrient deficiency such as antioxidants is a common problem in the elderly; it can result in different diseases such as cancer. Accordingly, assessment of the dietary intake of antioxidants is necessary to design a specific plan for solving this problem. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on 152 old people (≥60 years) with and without nursing care in nursing care centers in Isfahan, Iran, in 2017. Nutritional assessment was performed by an expert nutritionist using semi-quantitative validated Food Frequency Questionnaire. Nutrition IV software was used as food analyzer. Analysis of covariance and independent t-test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 68.6 ± 4.9 and 68.9 ± 6.1 years in case and control groups, respectively, and the percentage of male/females in these groups was 46.3%/53.7% and 51.4%/48.6%, respectively. Dietary intake of energy, vitamin E, and selenium was significantly higher (P = 0.041; 0.007; 0.017) while beta-carotene intake was significantly lower in the elderly under nursing care than in the control (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated that nursing care leads to improved intake of energy, vitamin E, and selenium, while diminished beta-carotene intake in the elderly. Intake of vitamin E, A, C, zinc, and selenium was high among elderly people with and without care, compared with the dietary reference intake. It seems that further studies are required to confirm these findings.

Dietary Intake of Vitamin D and Its Relation with Blood Pressure in the Elderly Population.

BACKGROUND: Population studies have demonstrated that there is an inverse association between dietary intake of vitamin D and the mean blood pressure in elderly in particular. So, we investigated the correlation between vitamin D intake and the mean blood pressure in the elderly with and without nursing care. METHODS: Based on a cross-sectional design, this study was conducted on 152 old people with and without nursing care. Assessment of the dietary intake of nutrients was done by an expert dietitian using food frequency questionnaire and nutritionist IV software analyzer. Also, the mean blood pressure was extracted from participants' files. The independent samplet-test, Chi-square test, and partial correlation test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Mean ± SD age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI) of participants, and the percentage of male/females were 68.7 ± 5.5 years, 63.5 ± 7.9 kg, 162.5 ± 7.1 cm, 24.1 ± 3.4 kg/m2 and 48.7/51.3, respectively. Also, a significant negative relationship was observed between vitamin D intake and systolic blood pressure in all participants (P value = 0.028, r = -0.179). There was no significant correlation between vitamin D intake and diastolic blood pressure (P value = 0.558, r = -0.048). CONCLUSIONS: The findings revealed that the nursing care can improve dietary intake of vitamin D in the elderly population. Also, a negative correlation was found between vitamin D intake and systolic blood pressure among all the elderly.

The efficiency of UV/S2O8 2- photo-oxidation process in the presence of Al2O3 for the removal of dexamethasone from aqueous solution: kinetic studies.

This study aimed to investigate the efficiency of the UV/S2O8 2- photocatalytic process in the presence of Al2O3 nanoparticles for the removal of dexamethasone from aqueous solution. In this experimental study, the variables pH, persulfate concentration, initial concentration of dexamethasone, the catalyst dose were studied in order to investigate the process efficiency. Furthermore, the efficiency of UV/S2O8 2- in the presence and absence of catalyst was investigated. The Al2O3 nanoparticle catalyst was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image. The results showed that a decrease in pH and the initial concentration of dexamethasone increased the process efficiency. Given the increased concentrations of the persulfate and Al2O3, the removal efficiency was partially increased. In UV/S2O8 2-/Al2O3 under optimum conditions (pH = 3, t = 30 minutes, dexamethasone concentration = 20 mg/L, 0.5 mM of persulfate, and UV radiation = 55 watts), 94% of the dexamethasone was removed. The kinetic response showed that the reaction data corresponded to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The results showed that the UV/S2O8 2- photochemical process can efficiently remove dexamethasone from aqueous solution in the presence of Al2O3 catalyst and the mineralization efficiency reached about 98%. Therefore, this process is recommended due to its high efficiency and availability for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds.

Dataset on assessment of physical and chemical quality of groundwater in rural drinking water, west Azerbaijan Province in Iran.

Analyzing the quality of drinking water and comparing it with standards, provides useful information regarding in the state of water supply and health protection to consumers. In the current research, the quality of drinking water in the cities of West Azerbaijan province has been investigated. In the current study, the results of drinking water analysis in 17 counties of West Azerbaijan province (except Urmia city), including 355 analyzes were conducted in 2016. The results were analyzed by SPSS software and compared with the national standard. Based on the analysis, the hardness of drinking water in the West Azerbaijan province ranged from 22 to 912 mg/L as calcium carbonate, and the average of the experiment was measured to be 136 ±â€¯327 mg/L as calcium carbonate. The TDS values in this study were 39-1710 mg/L, and on average 397.7 ±â€¯265.8 mg/L. Also, based on the analyzes performed in this study, the Fluoride concentration was from 0 to 3.45 mg/L, and on average 323.376 ±â€¯0.05 mg/L and the Nitrate concentration was 0-218 mg/L and on average 3.58 ±â€¯1.1 mg/L.

Data on aluminum concentration in drinking water distribution network of rural water supply in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran.

The aim of this study is to determine the Aluminum concentration in groundwater resources of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran. See the data in this article. For the purpose of this study, a total of 871 water samples were collected and values of quality parameters including pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS) and Aluminum concentration were measured (with two-time repetitions) according to Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, during the year 2016. The mean, maximum, minimum of Aluminum concentrations in all groundwater resources of Sistan and Baluchistan province, were: 0.015, 0.059, 0.0004 mg/l, respectively and also, the standard deviation was 0.012. Moreover, employing GIS software, the geo-statistical distribution of Aluminum concentration in groundwater aquifer in Sistan and Baluchestan was mapped.

Data on quality indices of groundwater resource for agricultural use in the Jolfa, East Azerbaijan, Iran.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the groundwater quality Indices of Groundwater resource for Agricultural Use in jolfa city (Iran) during one decade (2003-2013). Data showed in the first and end year of the study period, the Mean±SD of Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) and Sodium Percentage (Na%) indices 5455.77±3878.02, 3638.69±3565.19 and 51.49±15.65, 41.58±17.69, respectively. The data indicate that the, in terms of sodium percentage and sodium adsorption ratio, the water quality in this area is not suitable for irrigation.

Microbiological dataset of rural drinking water supplies in Zahedan, Iran.

The residual chlorine and microbial quality of drinking water in the Zahedan villages by a number of1221 samples from all 168 villages were collected between 2014-2015. Then the samples were evaluated using 9-tube fermentation methods and portable chlorine method test. Based on the microbial coliform and fecal coliform indices, the data indicated that the maximum and minimum controlling of the bacteria in the distribution network were in the winter (90.62%) and autumn (85.56%), respectively. Also in the reservoirs, the maximum and minimum controlling of the bacteria were in winter (93.49%) and autumn (87.35%), respectively. The residual chlorine was prepared in almost all of seasons.

Groundwater quality assessment for drinking and agriculture purposes in Abhar city, Iran.

The main objective of this study is to assess the quality of groundwater for drinking consume and agriculture purposes in abhar city. The analytical results shows higher concentration of electrical conductivity (100%), total hardness (66.7%), total dissolved solids (40%), magnesium (23%), Sulfate (13.3%) which indicates signs of deterioration as per WHO and Iranian standards for drinking consume. Agricultural index, in terms of the hardness index, 73.3% of the samples in hard water category and 73.3% in sodium content were classified as good. Therefore, the main problem in the agricultural sector was the total hardness Water was estimated. For the RSC index, all 100% of the samples were desirable. In the physicochemical parameters of drinking water, 100% of the samples were undesirable in terms of electrical conductivity and 100% of the samples were desirable for sodium and chlorine parameters. Therefore, the main water problem in Abhar is related to electrical conductivity and water total hardness.

Dietary Intake of Thiamine in Migraine Patients and Healthy Subjects: a Case-Control Study.

The migraine headache is a disease related to the neurovascular system, which affects 10%-20% of people, worldwide. Recent evidences suggested a relation between thiamine status and migraine headaches. The current study was undertaken to assess dietary intake of the thiamine in migraine patients and to evaluate its association with the frequency of migraine attacks. In a case-control design, the current study was performed on 50 migraine patients and 50 healthy people, 20-60 years old in Isfahan, Iran, in 2017. Information about dietary intake was collected by Food frequency questionnaire and analyzed using the Nutritionist version 4 (N4) software (Tinuviel Software). Information about the history of disease was collected by demographic questionnaire. Analysis of covariance and independent t-test were used for data analysis and p value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Mean age, weight, height, and body mass index of participants were 35.1 ± 9.8 years, 65.3 ± 10.4 kg, 162.5 ± 8.4 cm, and 24.7 ± 4.0 kg/m2, respectively. Dietary intake of thiamine among the migraine patients was lower than that in the healthy participants (p < 0.001). Migraine patients with the high frequency attacks had significantly lower intake of thiamine compared with moderate frequency attacks group (p = 0.010), however, it was not significant after adjusting for energy intake (p = 0.410, p = 0.240). Dietary intake of thiamine in migraine patients was not significantly different in comparing with healthy subjects. In addition, no significant correlation between thiamine intake and the frequency of migraine attacks was observed.

Effect of Decaffeinated Coffee-enriched Chlorogenic Acid on Blood Glucose Levels in Healthy Controls: A Systematic Review.

As an important group of health problems, glucose metabolism disorders are associated with a number of diseases as well as mortality rate. Recently, studies have demonstrated that the consumption of decaffeinated coffee-enriched chlorogenic acid (CGA) can reduce the risk of diabetes and blood glucose rise, while the results of some previous studies have shown an opposite effect. Hence, a systematic search was conducted based on literature search and appropriate keywords through PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge, Science direct, Medline, Cochrane, and Scopus databases from 2003 to 2018. After searching, 1593 articles were found. Then, we excluded papers based on the duplication and relevant for title and abstract, whereas 25 relevant articles remained for checking eligibility criteria. Since only randomized clinical trials studies (RCTs) could be included in the current study, six RCTs remained in end-stage for qualitative synthesis. The results of reviewed studies showed no significant effect of decaffeinated coffee-enriched CGA on blood glucose concentration. Although recent studies have suggested the effectiveness of decaffeinated coffee-enriched CGA on blood glucose in animals, and there are various mechanisms for this effect, and the result of our review showed that there is not sufficient evidence for this claim in healthy humans. Hence, further research in this area seems necessary.

Correlation between Fluoride in Drinking Water and Its Levels in Breast Milk in Golestan Province, Northern Iran.

BACKGROUND: Fluoride is an essential element for human health. However, excess fluoride in drinking water may cause dental and/or skeletal fluorosis. Drinking water is the main route of fluoride intake. The aim of the present study was to measure fluoride levels in human breast milk collected from two regions of Golestan Province, northern Iran with different amount of fluoride concentration of drinking water in Bandar Gaz and Nokande cities and to correlate it with fluoride concentrations in drinking water used by mothers living in these two areas. METHODS: Twenty samples of water were collected from seven drinking water wells during 2012 from Bandar Gaz and Nokande in Iran during 2012. Fluoride concentration of water samples was measured using SPADNS method. Sixty breast milk samples were collected from lactating mothers of Bandar Gaz and Nokande cities. Content in breast milk was determined using standard F ion-selective electrode. Spearman's rho correlation analysis was used to assess any possible relationship between fluoride levels in breast milk and in drinking water. RESULTS: The means and standard deviation for F concentration in breast milk and drinking water were 0.002188±0.00026224 ppm and 0.5850±0.22542 ppm, respectively. Analysis of data showed that the variables were not normally distributed so the Spearman correlation coefficient between two variables calculated (ρ S = 0.65) and it was significant (P=0.002). CONCLUSION: Fluoride concentration in water can directly act on its concentration in breast milk. We speculate that modifying F concentration in water can affect accessibility of fluoride for infants.