Berberine-induced glucagon-like peptide-1 and its mechanism for controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus: a comprehensive pathway review.

Introduction: A growing number of studies have thus far showed the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and the intestinal microbiome homoeostasis. As reported, the gut microflora can be significantly different in patients with type 2 DM (T2DM) compared to those in healthy individuals.Methods: The authors collected the relevant articles published until 2022 and these are carefully selected from three scientific databases based on keywords.Discussion: This review highlights research on the anti-diabetic properties of berberine (BBR)-induced glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), as a glucose-lowering factor and a balance regulator in the microbial flora of the intestines, which plays an important role in adjusting the signalling pathways affecting insulin secretion.Results: Considering the anti-diabetic characteristics of the BBR-induced GLP-1, BBR makes a promising complementary treatment for reducing the clinical symptoms of DM by reducing the hyperglycaemia. Berberin might be a safe and effective drug for T2DM with little or no adverse effects.HighlightsBerberine induces GLP-1 insulin secretion by PLC2 pathway in the intestinalBerberine-induced GLP-1 decreases mitochondrial stress and relocates cytochrome c out of the mitochondria.Berberine induces GLP-1 secretion in the intestine by altering the bacterial profile, thus could possibly lighten diabetes symptomsBerberine-induced SCFA production, SCFA causes GLP-1 secretion from the intestinal L-Cell.Preventing mitochondrial damage, reducing adipose tissue fat, and reducing oxidative stress are thus among the results of BBR-induced GLP-1.The lower costs of BBR, and its limited side effects and higher availability, make it a promising supplementary medicine for DM.

Saffron as a promising therapy for diabetes and Alzheimer's disease: mechanistic insights.

The prevalence of both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diabetes mellitus is increasing with the societies' aging and has become an essential social concern worldwide. Accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) of tau proteins in the brain are hallmarks of AD. Diabetes is an underlying risk factor for AD. Insulin resistance has been proposed to be involved in amyloid-beta (Aß) aggregation in the brain. It seems that diabetic conditions can result in AD pathology by setting off a cascade of processes, including inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ROS and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) synthesis. Due to the several side effects of chemical drugs and their high cost, using herbal medicine has recently attracted attention for the treatment of diabetes and AD. Saffron and its active ingredients have been used for its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-AD properties. Therefore, in the present review paper, we take account of the clinical, in vivo and in vitro evidence regarding the anti-diabetic and anti-AD effects of saffron and discuss the preventive or postponing properties of saffron or its components on AD development via its anti-diabetic effects.

The effects of selenium supplementation on inflammatory markers in critically ill patients.

Abstract: Low serum selenium (Se) levels have been shown in critical illness, which is associated with poor clinical outcomes and a higher mortality rate. Se plays an important role in inflammation and oxidative stress. Since the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines and increased oxidative stress is a major component of critical illnesses, its supplementation has been demonstrated to have promising effects on critically ill patients. This study aims to review the evidence regarding the effects of Se supplementation on inflammatory and oxidative markers in critically ill patients. The literature review highlights alterations of inflammatory markers, including procalcitonin, leukocyte count, albumin, prealbumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), inflammatory cytokines, and cholesterol following Se supplementation in critically ill patients. Besides, the antioxidant properties of Se due to its presence in the structure of several selenoenzymes have been reported. Article highlights: Low serum Se level have been shown in critical illness, which is associated with poor clinical outcome and higher mortality rate.Se plays an important role in inflammation and oxidative stress.Se supplementation can have promising effects by alterations of inflammatory markers and its antioxidant properties for critically ill patients.

Profile of Tabriz Older People Health Survey (TOPS-2019): a representative community-based cross-sectional study.

Population aging and its consequences are a substantial global concern. The growth in the number of older people is one of the most important factors increasing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on society. The Tabriz Older People Health Survey aimed to understand the socio-demographics, health-related behaviors, and health profile of older adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative sample of 1362 community-dwelling older adults in Tabriz, the most populated city in northwest Iran. The study used probability proportionate to size sampling and the data collection was undertaken in each participants' place of residence from July 2019 to January 2020. Trained interviewers administered the questionnaire, which measured each participant's socio-demographics, health-related behaviors, and health profile. The sample of 1362 participants consisted of 56.4% women and 54.4% were young older people (60-69 years old). Almost half of the sample were completely illiterate. There was no daily walking in 13.3% of the sample, with women reporting a more sedentary lifestyle than men. Almost 10% of the participants (n = 135, 9.9%) were current smokers, which was higher among men (20.9% vs. 1.5%) and women made up over 88% of those living alone. In terms of sleep quality score (men: 4.63 ± 2.70, women: 5.97 ± 2.93), anxiety (men: 5.79 ± 4.70, women: 7.59 ± 5.51), depression (men: 9.54 ± 3.20, women: 10.63 ± 3.09), and social support (men: 23.65 ± 4.50, women: 22.69 ± 4.77), men were significantly better than women. There were also significant sex differences between women and men in the prevalence of diabetes (31.6% vs. 19.5%) and hypertension (86.5% vs. 73.4%). Furthermore, overall hypertension was the most common underlying disease (81.0%). Older women were significantly worse off than older men, in terms of social and disability-related, as well as having a higher burden from several NCDs. The results of this study might help regional health policymakers to identify targets for improving the health status among community-housed geriatrics.

The contribution of social isolation and loneliness to sleep disturbances among older adults: a systematic review.

A large number of older people encounter both objective and subjective types of social isolation and sleep disorders. Social isolation increases a person's risk of a wide range of adverse health outcomes and premature death. Social isolation can cause poor sleep quality that has been proposed as one of the possible mechanisms by which social isolation affects people's health and quality of life. The present study was conducted to determine the relationship between objective and subjective social isolation with sleep difficulties among older adults. All articles in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, PsycInfo, and Social care online databases published by December 2020 were systematically searched for relevant published articles. Two authors separately checked the acceptability and quality of the studies using the Newcastle Ottawa checklist. Any disagreement was resolved by consulting the third author. According to the inclusion criteria, 11 studies were systematically reviewed, of which five were cross-sectional, and six were longitudinal studies. No meta-analysis was performed due to the high heterogeneity of the studies. Based on the present study results, both objective and subjective social isolation are related to sleep disturbance in older people. This systematic review showed that objective and subjective social isolation are associated with low sleep quality. It is recommended to investigate the causal relationships and possible pathways that affect the studied variables in future studies.

The prevalence, awareness and control rate of hypertension among elderly in northwest of Iran.

Introduction: Adequate treatment of hypertension is infrequent in older patients. Determining the prevalence of hypertension in older patients, identifying the pattern of the treatment in this age group and evaluating their awareness of the disease may help healthcare systems to devise appropriate programs for controlling the disease. Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study included a sample from population of Tabriz, a large city in North-West of Iran, who were 60 years or older. Data collection and blood pressure measurements were conducted in the households of the participants from 1st June 2015 through 1st August 2015. Hypertension was defined as systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥150/90 mm Hg or receiving anti-hypertensive medications. Prevalence and determinants of hypertension, awareness of patients about their diagnosis and prevalence of treatment and adequately controlled blood pressure were determined. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 68.0%. Among hypertensive patients 81.8% were aware of their diagnosis, 78.0% were receiving antihypertensive medications. Among treated patients, 46.2% were adequately controlled. In univariate analysis, prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in women (74.0% vs. 60.7%, P < 0.001). Women were more likely to be aware of diagnosis and to receive antihypertensive medications; however, the prevalence of adequately controlled blood pressure was similar in treated men and women. Among included variables in logistic regression analysis, older age, lower number of family members in household, cardiac diseases, being on low salt low fat diet, higher Body mass index (BMI) and not being educated were independently associated with having hypertension. Conclusion: Hypertension is highly prevalent among older population of Tabriz. Despite high rate of treatment, the rates of control are relatively low, indicating a demand for prevention and better management of hypertension in older individuals.