Administration of dietary antioxidants for patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials

OBJECTIVE

Accumulating evidence has been reported regarding the effect of dietary antioxidants on clinical variables in IBD patients, however, findings are controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate effect of dietary antioxidants on clinical variables in patients with IBD or its subtypes.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science from inception to January 2021 using relevant keywords. Data were pooled by using the random-effect model. All statistical analyses were done using STATA version 14.

RESULTS

Our meta-analysis was exclusively done on studies about the effect of curcumin on IBD patients, because limited studies were done on other antioxidants. Curcumin administration resulted in significant increment of clinical remission in patients with IBD (SMD: 0.86%, 95% CI: 0.16, 1.56, p = 0.016), significant remission in clinical symptoms (SMD: -0.96 score, 95% CI: -1.34, -0.57, p < 0.001), and significant increment in endoscopic remission in IBD patients (SMD: 0.51%, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.85, p = 0.004), comparing to control group. Curcumin supplementation also made better clinical response than control group (SMD: 0.74%, 95% CI: 0.22, 1.26, p = 0.005) and also resulted in significant improvement in quality of life of patients with IBD, as compared to control group (SMD: 1.23 score, 95% CI: 0.72, 1.74, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our meta-analysis showed that curcumin significantly improved clinical and endoscopic remissions in IBD patients. This supplementation also caused significant reduction in clinical symptoms of IBD patients along with better clinical response and the increased quality of life. Further researches with larger sample size and longer period of intervention are required to evaluate efficacy of dietary antioxidants on clinical variables in patients with IBD.

High rate CNP removal from a milk processing wastewater in a single ultrasound augmented up-flow anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic bioreactor

Simultaneous removal of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (CNP) in a single bioreactor is of high significance in terms of reactor volume and energy consumption. Therefore, in this study, an innovative up-flow anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic bioreactor (UAAASB) augmented by ultrasound was developed as a high rate single bioreactor for the simultaneous removal of nutrients from a milk processing wastewater. The ultrasonic irradiation used in this work was in the range of high frequency (1.7 MHz). The central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied to design the experimental conditions, model obtained data, and optimize the process. The effects of three independent variables, i.e. hydraulic retention time (HRT), aeration mode and mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) concentration on 10 process responses were investigated. The results prove that the ultrasonic irradiation has a positive effect on the sludge settling velocity and effluent turbidity. The optimum conditions were determined as 12-15 h, 4000-5000 mg/l and 1.5-2 for HRT, MLSS concentration and aeration mode, respectively, based on removal efficiency of sCOD ⩾ 90%, TN and TP ⩾ 50%.

Prevalence and genetic diversity of fig mosaic virus isolates infecting fig tree in Iran

Commercial and outdoor fig orchards in four Iranian provinces were surveyed for the incidence of fig mosaic virus (FMV), fig leaf mottle associated virus 2 (FLMaV-2) and fig mild mottle associated virus (FMMaV) from March 2011 to October 2012. A total of 350 asymptomatic and symptomatic fig samples were collected and tested by dot-immunobinding assay (DIBA) for the fig mosaic disease (FMD) using a polyclonal antiserum. According to DIBA results, FMD was present in 73% of the collected symptomatic samples from all visited regions. Samples with positive reactions in DIBA were then analyzed by RT-PCR using with specific primers. PCR results showed that about 14.8% of the FMD-positive samples from three inspected provinces are infected with at least one virus. FMV was the most widely spread virus (14%) followed by FLMaV-2 (1.5%), whereas FMMaV was not found. Phylogenetic analysis of the glycoprotein nucleotide and amino acid sequences of known FMV isolates showed two independent groups with high bootstrap values, with all Iranian isolates distinctly clustered in group I, subgroup IA beside those reported in Turkey. Nucleotide diversity was high within but low between different selected geographic regions and except for Europe, nucleotide distance within geographic regions was low. Statistical analyses indicated a correlation between the genetic structure of the FMV isolates and the geographical origin of isolation. Our analyses suggested that the FMV population is in a state of increase following a bottleneck or founder event in Iran.

Hormonal responses of combining endurance-resistance exercise in healthy young men

AIM

This study investigated the influence of resistance (R) following endurance (E) exercise or ER on acute hormonal responses, such as growth hormone (GH), total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), IGF-1, and cortisol.

METHODS

Ten healthy young men with an average age of 23.9 years (±0.7 y), a height of 175 cm (±3.3 cm), a weight of 74.4 kg (±4.3 kg), and a body mass index of 25.5 kg/m2 (±0.65 kg/m2) participated in this study. All of the participants took part in four protocols (R, E, ER, and control) in separate sessions with at least 1-week intervals. Blood samples were collected before, immediately after exercise, and 15 minutes after exercise in the R, E, ER, and control group protocols.

RESULTS

GH, lactate, TT, and FT increased in the R protocol, and GH, lactate, FT, and IGF-1 increased significantly in the E and ER protocols (P<0.05). FFA increased only after the E protocol (P<0.05). Cortisol significantly decreased in the ER, E, and control group protocols (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion GH, TT and cortisol responses to R following E exercise were reduced. This effect might be due to increase in FFA. However It seems that IGF-1 has not inhibited by FFA.

National guidelines for outbreak investigation: an evaluation study

This paper reports an independent epidemiological study to evaluate the validity of the results of an official investigation into an outbreak of gastroenteritis at a university campus in Yasuj, central-south Islamic Republic of Iran. The official report of the outbreak by the Department for Disease Control at the provincial health centre found only 65 cases over a 5-day period, all females, living in the student halls of residence. This contrasts with a questionnaire survey of 963 students at the same university, which found 395 students (192 males and 203 females), living in residences and at home, who reported at least 1 gastrointestinal symptom over a 12-week period. Within this period at least 2 outbreaks occurred. Such a large discrepancy between the official report and the current study suggests that the health services and the public may have been misled about the proper response to the outbreak.

Post-earthquake outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a rural region of southern Iran

Human cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is of increasing public-health importance in Iran. On 10 July 2003, two mild earthquakes struck the rural town of Zarindasht in the southern Iranian province of Fars. The results of passive detection of CL cases in this town (in which patients with any skin lesions were evaluated) from April 2002 to April 2004 indicated that the earthquakes may have led to an outbreak of the disease; annual incidence increased from 58·6 detected cases/100,000 in the 12 months before the earthquakes to (an outbreak peak of) 864 detected cases/100,000 in the following 12 months. In addition, the incidence of detected CL in the town that was struck by the earthquakes in 2003 was significantly higher in the 12 months after the earthquakes than that recorded, over the same 12 months, for Fars province as a whole (P<0·05). Most (70%) of the cases detected in the town were aged ≤10 years, about half (50·4%) of the detected skin lesions were on the face, and most (89·7%) of the skin lesions were caused by Leishmania major. Incidence over the study period showed marked seasonality, with most (79·5%) of the detected cases occurring between November and February. In areas where the disease is endemic, CL may need to be considered among the health threats posed by natural disasters such as earthquakes, and increased surveillance for CL after future earthquakes may be justified.

First Report of Leipotylenchus abulbosus in Iran

Leipotylenchus abulbosus (Thorne, 1949) Sher, 1974 belongs to the family Tylenchidae, subfamily Leipotylenchinae, and order Tylenchida. During the spring and autumn months of 2008 to 2010, 80 samples were collected from rhizosphere soil of symptomatic plants including wheat (Tritichum aestivum L.), beet (Beta vulgaris L.), and maize (Zea mays L.) from Meighan and Gavar regions of Markazi Province in central Iran. Plants were dwarfed and leaves were chlorotic. Diseased plants comprised ~7% of all plants in the field. Sandy loam soil was collected from roots up to 15 cm from the base of the plants. Nematodes were extracted from the soil by sieving and centrifugation (3). For species identification, nematodes were transferred to anhydrous glycerin (2) and mounted on slides by the paraffin ring method. Identification was based on morphometric and morphological characteristics of females and males. No other forms of the nematode were isolated from collected samples. L. abulbosus was found in 10% of the collected samples. The nematodes showed typical characteristics of the genus Leipotylenchus: striated and anteriorly flattened lip region, stylet without basal knobs, didelphic gonads, four incisures in lateral fields that were areolated in the posterior portion, presence of deirids and adanal caudal alae, amphid inconspicuous in males. Males contained bursa in tail. Females contained an almost straight body, tapering anteriorly from median bulb and posteriorly beyond the anus; cuticle thick, annules fine. Labial framework was moderately sclerotized. Median bulb with prominent valvular apparatus in the center, oval, occupied two-thirds of the body. Deirids were prominent and at the level of the excretory pore. Vagina a transverse slit at right angles to body axis, extending less than half width into body. Tai1 finely annulated, short, tapering to a narrow tip but becoming broader just before the terminus. Phasmids small in anterior half of the tail. Measurements of 12 females: body length = 1,377 ± 90 (1,276 to 1,469) μm; a = 39.2 ± 1.62 (36.8 to 41.1); b = 7.2 ± 0.34 (6.6 to 8.30); c = 11.1 ± 0.16 (10.7 to 11.3); V% = 52.6 ± 1.42 (50.4 to 53.8); stylet length = 17 ± 0.22 (16.6 to 18) μm; tail length = 124 ± 6.83 (116 to 137) μm); and 7 males: (body length = 1,150 ± 56.84 (1,090 to 1,246) μm; a = 39.5 ± 1.48 (37.5 to 41.5); b = 6.4 ± 0.21 (6.1 to 6.8); c = 9.5 ± 0.06 (9.4 to 9.6); T% = 55.1 ± 0.91 (54.4 to 56.20); stylet length = 17.6 ± 0.36 (17 to 18) μm; tail length = 120 ± 3.77 (115 to 129) μm) conformed to the description of L. abulbosus. L. abulbosus, originally isolated from crop plants in surveyed regions, was cultured on beet (B. vulgaris L.) in the greenhouse. Pure cultures of the nematode were inoculated on beet seedlings at the 4- to 6-leaf stage as described previously (1). Sterilized soils were inoculated with 1,000 infective mature nematodes with three replications. Infection of beet roots by the nematode resulted in leaf chlorosis and reduction in plant height. Previously, L. amiri was collected from soils associated with the roots of onion (Allium cepa L.) plants in Pakistan (4). However there have not been any reports of L. abulbosus in crop plants before. To our knowledge, this is also the first report of L. abulbosus infecting wheat, beet, and maize plants in Iran. References: (1) K. R. Barker. Methodology 2:19, 1985. (2) A. De Grisse. Meded. Rijksfac. Landbouwwet. Gent. 34:351, 1969. (3) W. R. Jenkins. Plant Dis. Rep. 48:692, 1964. (4) M. A. Maqbool and F. Shahina. Rev. Nèmatol. 7:363, 1984.

First Report of Stem Spots Caused by Alternaria sp. on Berberis sp. in Iran

During the summer of 2004, approximately 150 Berberis sp. (Berberis thunbergii cv. Rose Glow) showing dark brown, eye-like elongated spots (7 to 22 mm long and 1 to 3 mm wide) on stems near the crown toward the top were observed in a park in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Red and yellow spots on the leaves and defoliation were also recorded for some of the affected plants. A total of 28 samples from 16 individual plants (sampling included all symptomatic parts of the plants) were collected and evaluated for the possible casual agent of the disease. Fungi with spores that are characteristic of the genus Alternaria (2), including dark mycelium and brief and simple conidiophores with catenulate dictyospores, were isolated from the detached leaf and stem pieces of diseased plants. The pathogenicity of five isolates was investigated using Koch's postulate. Twenty cut stems and 10 rooted plants of Berberis sp., with or without wounding on their stems and leaves, were inoculated with the spore suspension (10⁴ spores per ml) prepared by using 10-day-old cultures of the isolates grown on potato dextrose agar at 25°C in the dark. The inoculated cut stems were covered for 3 days with a plastic tent and kept in a greenhouse at 25 ± 5°C with more than 12 h of light. These covers were not used for the rooted plants that were inoculated under field conditions. For each test, at least two controls were used. Symptoms similar to those observed in the field appeared on inoculated stems in 6 to 7 days. On leaves, dark, reddish brown spots (different from the field observations) were induced 3 to 4 days after inoculation. The disease on leaves, which eventually led to defoliation, was more severe than that observed in the field. Stem spots occurred on covered and uncovered inoculated plants; however, the lesions on the covered plants were deeper than those on the uncovered plants. Both types of plants died 3 to 4 weeks after inoculation. Although the fungi were isolated from diseased plants from one park, similar symptoms also were observed on Berberis sp. planted in other parks and streets, etc. The genus Alternaria (Deuteromycetes) caused leaf and stem spot diseases on different plant hosts (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of a natural occurrence of Alternaria sp. on Berberis sp. in Iran. References: (1) G. N. Agrios. Plant Pathology, 4th ed., Academic Press, NY, 1997. (2) M. B. Ellis. More Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, England, 1976.