Association of Mediterranean diet pattern with disease activity in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study on Iranian patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease that causes joint erosion, as well as damage to extra-articular organs. The aim of this study was the investigation of the association between the Mediterranean diet quality index with disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study 184 females with rheumatoid arthritis were studied in Kermanshah, Iran. The American College of Rheumatology's 2010 criteria were used to diagnose RA. The biochemical tests including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid facto, anti-nuclear antibody titration, antibodies against cyclic citrulline peptide, disease activity score 28 and the food frequency questionnaire was used to assess rheumatoid arthritis activity and the Mediterranean diet quality index, respectively. To compare the dietary intakes of participants across tertiles of Mediterranean diet score, we used Analysis of Variance. Multinomial logistic regression with three adjusted models was used to investigate the association between Mediterranean diet score with disease activity. RESULTS: 184 eligible patients with rheumatoid arthritis participated in this study. The mean age and duration of disease, body mass index, waist circumference and percent body fat did not differ significantly among the tertiles of the Mediterranean diet score (P-value>0.05). Participants in the highest tertile of Mediterranean diet score had significantly greater intakes of fruits, vegetables, fish, legume, nuts and had lowest intake of grains (refrain grain) and red and process meats to white meat ratio (P-value<0.05). There was no significant difference in terms of variables related to disease activity among the tertiles of the Mediterranean score (P-value>0.05). In multi-adjusted models, the odds ratio of Mediterranean diet scores no significant different in the third as compared to the first tertile of Mediterranean diet score (P-value>0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on our findings there is no association between the Mediterranean diet score and disease activity of people with rheumatoid arthritis.

The Best Surgical Treatment for Cervical Radiculopathy: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

A case with an inflamed or damaged nerve root in the cervical spine is defined as cervical radiculopathy.The purpose of the current study is to recognize the most effective surgical procedures in cervical radiculopathy subjects. All related studies were taken using PubMed searching international databases, Scopus, ISI Web of Science (WoS), and Science direct with no limit of until November 20th, 2021. Finally, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, after reviewing all randomized controlled trial studies which had the related data the researchers were looking for, they conducted meta-analysis with the seven remaining studies including eight different treatments. Heterogeneity was evaluated by Cochran's Q and Higgins I2 using R software for the network. In the results presented in this study, the neck disability index (NDI) changes as a result of taking cervical anterior discectomy without (ACD) and with fusion (ACDF) and ACD arthroplasty were -0.003, -1.659, and -1.656, respectively. According to the final diagram of the network, 11 comparisons were made in pairs. When each treatment group is compared with ACDF, it is shown that there was a significant mean effect among the patients who receive Mobi-C, Kineflx|C, and ADR, with mean differences of - 8.60 [CI 95% (- 12.75, - 4.45)], - 1.10 [CI 95% (- 5.22, 3.02)], and - 1.00 [CI 95% (- 7.18, 5.18)], respectively. The most effective surgical treatments for cervical radiculopathy were Mobi-c, Kineflx|C, and artificial disc replacement compared to ACDF treatment, respectively.

Correlation of polypill and blood pressure level: A systematic review of clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: High blood pressure (BP) is considered as the most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of polypill on BP by reviewing clinical trial studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this systematic review study, online databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases with no limited time were systematically searched until July 10, 2020. Clinical trial studies published in English that examined the effect of polypill on BP were included. BP was the main outcome investigated. RESULTS: Eleven original articles with a population of 17,042 people were reviewed. The polypill drugs studied in this study had different compounds. Compared to conventional care, treatment with polypill compounds has a positive and significant effect on lowering BP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our finding confirmed that polypills could reduce BP in patients. It seems that changing routine care and replacing it with a polypill strategy could facilitate the achievement of BP control goals.