Dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet improves hepatic fibrosis, steatosis and liver enzymes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Recent evidence suggests that adherence to dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet can be effective in managing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigated the effect of DASH diet on hepatic fibrosis, steatosis and liver enzymes in patients with NAFLD. METHODS: This 12-week randomized controlled trial was conducted among seventy patients with NAFLD who were randomly assigned into two groups including intervention group (DASH diet containing 50-55% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein, and 30% total fat) and the control group (a healthy diet containing 50-55% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein, and 30% total fat). Both diets were calorie-restricted (500-700 kcal lower than the energy requirement). The primary outcomes included hepatic fibrosis, hepatic steatosis, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). RESULTS: At the baseline, there was no significant difference between two groups in the level of hepatic fibrosis (P = 0.63), hepatic steatosis (P = 0.53), ALT (P = 0.93), AST (P = 0.18) and GGT (P = 0.76). A significant reduction was found in the intervention group compared to the control group in hepatic fibrosis (23 grades reduction vs. 7 grades reduction; P = 0.008) and hepatic steatosis (31 grades reduction vs. 9 grades reduction; P = 0.03) after intervention. In addition, a significant change was observed in the intervention group compared to control group in ALT ( - 8.50 ± 8.98 vs. - 2.09 ± 7.29; P = 0.002), and AST ( - 5.79 ± 6.83 vs. - 0.51 ± 6.62; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to DASH diet may be effective in management of NAFLD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered on 06 February 2022 at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20170117032026N3) with URL: https://www.irct.ir/trial/60887 .

Investigation on diazinon and oxydemeton-methyl residues in cucumbers grown in Kerman greenhouses.

Pesticides are considered as the most polluting substances. The residue of pesticides in agricultural crops, especially in greenhouse harvests, has been reported critical. Cucumber, considered as a vegetable, is an agricultural product which is commonly found in the Iranian food basket. The current study aims to assess the level of diazinon and oxydemeton-methyl existing in cucumbers sampled from Kerman greenhouses. The pesticide residue was extracted by acetone and dichloromethane. The extracts were cleaned up according to the solid-phase extraction method. The pesticide residues were then determined by capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. The recoveries were 83 and 85 %, the limit of detection was 0.028 and 0.034 mg/kg, and the limits of qualification were 0.093 and 0.113 mg/kg for diazinon and oxydemeton-methyl in cucumber samples, respectively. The median of diazinon residue was detected 0.582 mg/kg, which was 11.64 times the national maximum residue limit (MRL) (0.05 mg/kg), and the median for oxydemeton-methyl was 1.910 mg/kg, being 1.91 times the MRL (1 mg/kg).

Pesticide residues in fresh Mazafati date fruit, soil, and water, and assessment of potential health risks to consumers.

A quantitative method based on quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe technique (QuEChERS) sample extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was evolved for the determination of 47 pesticide residues in fresh Mazafati date fruits from Bam City of Kerman Province, Iran. The recoveries for selected pesticides ranged from 88 to 110% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 20% at concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1 mg kg-1. The proposed method had a linear range from the limit of quantification (LOQ) to 1.00 mg kg-1, and the LOQ of the 47 pesticides was ≤ 0.005 mg kg-1. The coefficients of determination (R2) were more than 0.99. This technique was used on 12 fresh date fruits samples, three water samples, and three soil samples with three replications per sample. Forty-seven pesticide were detected collectively, but only diazinon was detected in the date fruit samples. The mean value of diazinon residues was 0.037 mg kg-1, and the concentration of diazinon in most samples was below the national maximum residue limit (MRL) for date fruit (0.05 mg kg-1). Among the pesticides measured, diazinon residues were also detected in the water samples, but not in the soil samples. The dietary intake assessment showed no health risk to humans from the consumption of fresh date fruit concerning the pesticides investigated.

The effect of the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet on total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and body composition in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized controlled trial.

Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver without excessive alcohol consumption. Lifestyle modifications, such as adopting a healthy diet, represent the standard treatment for NAFLD. However, the impact of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with NAFLD remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of the DASH diet on total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels, and body composition in overweight and obese patients with NAFLD. Methods: A total of 70 overweight and obese patients aged 1870 years were randomly assigned to either the intervention (DASH diet, n = 35) or the control group (control diet, n = 35) for 12 weeks, with both groups following a calorie-restricted diet. Results: The mean age of participants was 43.1 ± 8.1 years in the DASH group and 45.1 ± 8.6 years in the control group. At the end of the study, a significant difference was observed in the mean TAC and SOD levels between the two groups (p = 0.02). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, such as age, sex, diabetes, smoking, physical activity, and baseline values, the DASH diet maintained its significant effects on TAC and SOD compared to the control diet (p = 0.03). However, there were no significant differences in CAT levels between the two groups. Moreover, a significant reduction in visceral fat (p = 0.01) and a marginally significant decrease in BMI (p = 0.06) were observed in the DASH group compared to the control group after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study showed that following the DASH diet for 12 weeks in overweight and obese patients with NAFLD has beneficial effects on TAC, SOD, and visceral fat. These findings support the use of the DASH diet as a potential therapeutic intervention for the improvement of oxidative biomarkers in patients with NAFLD. Clinical trial registration: www.irct.ir/, identifier IRCT20170117032026N3.

Electropolymerized MIP with MWCNTs on Stir Bar Using Multivariate Optimization for Tetradifon Detection in Date.

BACKGROUND: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) adjunct to molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) have advantages of the large surface area of nanoparticles and selectivity of MIPs for selective extraction of tetradifon as a widely used pesticide in date palm. OBJECTIVES: The main aims were the use of experimental design, electrochemical synthesis and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) to develop a simple, reliable and precise pesticide residue analysis method as an important aspect of food and drug quality control for the determination of tetradifon in date palms. METHODS: An MIP in the presence of MWCNT was synthesized by cyclic voltammetric technique on a steel rod to produce a composite of MIP-MWCNTs for stir bar extraction of tetradifon residue in date samples. The experimental design was used to optimize MIPMWCNT composite synthesis through the screening of eight variables. The composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Tetradifon was determined in extracted samples by UHPLC under optimum conditions. RESULTS: A very thin film was made by MIP-MWCNT coated on a steel rod which was repeatable and had good adhesion and persistence. The detection limit (LOD) and the quantification limit (LOQ) of the method were measured as 16 and 49 ng/ml, respectively. Average recovery of tetradifon at the two spiked levels was observed to be as low as 86.5% to 90.7% (RSD from 0.79% to 1.04%). CONCLUSION: The low cost, high selectivity, good reproducibility, acceptable intra and inter day precision and accuracy developed method were successfully applied to determine tetradifon residue in date samples purchased from a local market.

A new diosgenin sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer of para aminobenzoic acid selected by computer-aided design.

A novel electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film, based on diosgenin on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), has been synthesized. Based on density functional theory (DFT), para-aminobenzoic acid (pABA), which is a green substance, was selected from five functional monomers by Gaussian software for MIP production, to be the suitable monomer. The MIP's synthesis conditions were optimized, and the imprinting effect was confirmed by comparing the electrochemical reaction of MIP, with that of non-imprinted polymer (NIP). The calibration curve of diosgenin on MIP/GCE was obtained with a linear range of 0.003 to 0.13 mM. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were determined to be 8.95 × 10-4 mM and 2.98 × 10-3 mM, respectively. This method exhibited good stability, high sensitivity, and high selectivity for diosgenin. The developed method is the first method reported to be used for the electroanalysis of diosgenin, and it has been successfully applied to the analysis of diosgenin in Trigonella foenum graecum seed extract.

Novel Palladium Complex: Cytotoxicity against Cisplatin-resistant K562 Cells.

Today, development of resistance to anticancer drugs (including cisplatin) is noticed as a major problem. Recently several studies demonstrated that palladium complexes showed remarkable cytotoxic effects against K562 cell line and could be used efficiently for treatment of many human cancers including leukemia. Hereof, K562 cells were made resistant to cisplatin using increasing concentration of cisplatin up to 4.5 mM and then cytotoxic effect of synthesized palladium complex was evaluated on this sub-line using MTT assay. Annexin V/PI staining using flow cytometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to find out the mechanism of the observed cytotoxicity. Results indicated that tested compounds had a noticeable cytotoxic effect on K562 cells 80 times more than cisplatin. Palladium complex also showed significant cytotoxicity on resistant K562 sub-line. Flow cytometry and SEM results revealed that these compounds exert their cytotoxic effect via apoptosis and it could be concluded that the novel synthesized palladium complex might be a good candidate for replacing cisplatin in case of treatment of cisplatin resistant tumors.

Metabolic improvement of morbid obese patients following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery: A prospective study in Mashhad, Iran.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Obesity is one of the greatest public health concerns worldwide. Weight loss surgeries have been increased in recent decades due to the world's epidemic of obesity. The aim of this prospective study is investigating metabolic factors of morbid obese patients following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. METHODS: This was a nonrandomized prospective cohort study conducted from 2010 to 2013 on 60 consecutive patients who had body mass index (BMI) of more than 40 kg/m(2) and met the surgical indication criteria of bariatric surgery. Upon discharge, patients were followed in outpatient clinic of Qaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, each 3 months for 12 months. Measurement of anthropometric and metabolic indices was done in each postoperative visit. RESULTS: Mean BMI reduction was 15.26 ± 3.45 kg/m(2) in the patients with an average value of 28.84 ± 3.94 (range from 22 to 40 kg/m(2)), which was significantly lower than the base value (p < 0.001). After a 12-month follow up, patients had lower low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and total cholesterol (p < 0.001 for all the variables), while achieving a greater high-density lipoprotein (p = 0.004). An improvement was seen in all of hypertensive patients after a 3-month follow up and blood pressure remained within normal limit in further follow ups. Complete remission was observed in all the patients with obstructive sleep apnea. CONCLUSION: It appears reasonable that multidisciplinary treatment including surgical alternatives should be concerned for all morbidly obese patients, considering high rate of failure of conservative medical therapy in this setting.

An association of human papillomaviruses low risk and high risk subtypes with skin tag.

OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are related to the genesis of various benign lesions and some malignant tumors, but no clear relationship has been identified so far between the subtypes of HPV and skin tag. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present case-control study was designed to detect the existence of low risk and high risk HPV types in lesions of 50 patients with skin tag (case group) and normal skin around the melanocytic nevus of 30 patients (control group), using PCR. RESULTS: All of the samples were negative for HPV subtypes, except two samples in control group which were positive for high risk HPV. There was no significant relationship between the HPV subtypes and skin tag. CONCLUSION: There is no association between skin tag and low risk and high risk human papillomaviruses.

Survey of aflatoxin M1 in cow's milk for human consumption in Kerman Province of Iran.

The aim of this study was to assess levels of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in milk samples from Kerman, Iran. AFM1 was detected in 72 samples, ranging in concentration from <0.01 to 0.41 µg l(-1). The samples were analyzed using immunoaffinity column for clean-up and HPLC for determining AFM1. Milk samples were collected from six dairy farms. AFM1 was found in ∼ 50% of the milk samples. The average level of AFM1 was below the tolerance limit (0.05 µg l(-1)), but 50% of the samples had greater levels than the maximum tolerance limit accepted by EU and the Iranian national standard. The method detection limit and limit of quantification were 0.01 and 0.03 µg l(-1), respectively, and recovery of the method was 87%. The results showed that AFM1 contamination is a serious problem for public health. To achieve a low level of AFM1 in milk, cattle feed must be monitored regularly for aflatoxin contamination and protected from fungal contamination as much as possible.