The Association Between Dietary Acidity and Clinical Symptoms in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary acidity load and clinical symptoms in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This case-control study examined 55 patients with RA and 215 healthy individuals in a Ravansar non-communicable diseases (RaNCDs) cohort study, Iran. Participants' food intakes were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The dietary acidity was calculated using potential renal acid load (PRAL), net endogenous acid production (NEAP), and dietary acid load (DAL) scores. The patients with RA were identified based on the self-reporting, medications history, and the approval of the cohort center physician following patients' examination. The odds ratio (OR) of joint stiffness in fully adjusted model was greater in the upper median of dietary acidity than in the lower median (PRAL: odds ratio [OR], 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-2.36), but there was no statistically significant difference. The OR of joint pain in the upper median of dietary acidity was less than in the lower median in fully adjusted model (PRAL: OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.46-1.29), but the difference was not statistically significant. After adjusting potential confounders, people in the upper median of dietary acidity had a higher OR of developing RA than those in the lower median (PRAL: OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.70-2.76); however, it was not statistically significant. There was not any statistically significant relationship among dietary acidity and the odds of joint pain, joint stiffness, and developing RA.

Nutritional status of under six years old children in Kalar city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.

INTRODUCTION: Nutritional problems in children cause major morbidity and mortality in the world. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of under six years old children in Kalar city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, data from 403 Iraqi Kurdish children aged 0-72 months and their mothers were extracted from Health Centre in Kalar city undertaken between 2013 and 2019. The children`s growth data were obtained at birth time, 6, 12, 24, and 72 months. Epi Info was used to classify the children of nutritional status by converting the anthropometric measurements into Z-scores. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity rose from birth to age 6 years old, from 19.6% and 7.4% to 52.2% and 30.5%, respectively. At 24 month, children had the highest rates of being overweight (56.1%) and obesity (34%). At 6 month, the highest prevalence of wasting exists (9.5%). At 6 month boys and girls had the highest frequency of stunting, 17.2% and 7.2% respectively. Considering the association of all characteristic variables and growth data at birth time, only mothers with academic education had children with significantly higher BMI for age compared to illiterate mothers after adjusting for all potential confounders (ß: 0.573, 95% CI: 0.105, 1.04, P: 0.017). CONCLUSION: The study suggests that some analysed factors that accounted for malnutrition in Kalar city's children are preventable. Therefore, to reduce the burden of malnutrition, community-based education and targeted nutritional interventions are required.

The relationship of dietary total antioxidant capacity with sarcopenia and cardiometabolic biomarkers in type 2 diabetes patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) with sarcopenia and metabolic biomarkers in people with type 2 diabetes in the Kurdish race. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data of 189 type 2 diabetic patients (35-65 years old) from RaNCD cohort study were evaluated. DTAC, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, body composition, muscle strength, and sarcopenia were assessed. t and χ2 tests to compare the variables between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients and one-way analysis of variance to compare the variables in DTAC tertiles were used. The relationship between DTAC and different variables was evaluated using multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: The mean age and body mass index were 49.7 ± 8.7 years and 27.1 ± 3.9 kg/m2 . Body mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference were significantly different between diabetic patients with and without sarcopenia (p < 0.05). In crude (p = 0.010) and adjusted (p = 0.035) models, there was a significant relationship between DTAC and fasting blood sugar. Also, the relationship between DTAC with waist (p = 0.019) and hip (ß = -4.25, p = 0.026) circumference was significant. Sarcopenia was significantly lower in the third tertile in comparison with the first tertile of DTAC (p = 0.016).  CONCLUSION: Diet with higher DTAC can be associated with lower fasting blood sugar, abdominal obesity and sarcopenia in type 2 diabetic patients. However, further studies are required to confirm these relationships.

Effects of Alpha-Lipoic Acid Supplementation on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in ß-Thalassemia Major Patients: A Clinical Trial Crossover Study.

AIM: Thalassemia is one of the most common genetic diseases, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been considered as the leading cause of mortality in more than 50% of ß-thalassemia patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on CVD risk factors in ß-thalassemia major patients. METHODS: Twenty ß-thalassemia major patients participated in this randomized crossover clinical trial study. Participants were randomly assigned to ALA (600 mg/day) or placebo groups for two 8-wk interventions that were separated by a 3-wk washout period. The CVD risk factors including serum osteoprotegerin (OPG), homocysteine, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and trimethylamine N-oxide were measured at the beginning and the end of each intervention phase according to the standard protocol. RESULTS: Serum OPG reduced significantly in the ALA group in all participants (5.38 ± 2.79 to 3.27 ± 2.43 ng/mL, P= .003) and in the male subgroup (5.24 ± 2.56 to 3.13 ± 2.5 ng/mL, P= .015); this reduction was significant in comparison with the placebo group (P= .013). The changes in other CVD risk factors were not significant. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that after 8-wk of ALA consumption, the serum OPG reduced significantly in ß-thalassemia major patients. Therefore, controlling the serum OPG level with ALA consumption can be an important complementary therapeutic option to prevent the progression of CVD in ß-thalassemia major patients.