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Summary: Objectives: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can present anorexia and weight loss due to their symptoms and eating disorder which can lead to immune system weakness and increase the duration of recovery time. We aim to assess the severity and duration of anorexia and weight loss within the infection and recovery period in these patients. Method: We retrospectively identified 233 COVID-19 patients (older than 18 years) were admitted to the Rasoul-e Akram Hospital, from August to December 2020. Their medical records were reviewed by researchers. Then, patients who had inclusion criteria were asked about duration and severity of anorexia, and also weight alternation during the infection and after the recovery period. Result: Analyzed data were collected from 233 COVID-19 patients showed the mean duration of anorexia was 7.08 ± 10.41 days with a significant loss of appetite (- 75.55 ± 88.09, P-value < 0.001) at the period of anorexia compare to appetite improvement. Also, results demonstrated patients, especially males and severe illness subjects, significantly lost weight (P-value

Recent studies have shown that vitamin D supplementation beneficially decreases oxidative stress (OS) parameters; however, there is no consensus on this subject. In this systematic review and meta-analysis we aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on OS parameters. We searched electronic databases including Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library up to July 2018 without any language restriction. Trials were reviewed using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) and Cochrane handbook. To compare the effects of vitamin D with placebo, standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using random effects model. Across thirteen clinical trials, we found that vitamin D supplementation increased serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (SMD: 0.54 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.79; I2 = 65.4%, P = 0.001) and glutathione (GSH) (SMD: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.54, P = 0.003; I2 = 61.2%, P = 0.001). Besides, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration decreased significantly (SMD: -0.40 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.21, P

We performed a comprehensive search of medical bibliographic databases to identify interventional studies reporting the effect of probiotics (or synbiotics) supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress. Twenty seven articles that included 1363 subjects (709 cases and 699 controls) were included to our analyses. Oxidative stress parameters levels, including total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (0.31 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.13–0.50, P

Aims Hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunization is regarded as the most effective method for the prevention of HBV infection. Various factors, including body mass index (BMI), may contribute to decreased immunization responses. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between BMI at the time of vaccination with anti-HBs levels over the following years. Methods In this retrospective study, 790 vaccinated participants were recruited. Of these, individuals were selected whose hepatitis B antibody (HBsAb) information was available in 2017. The researchers contacted participants by phone to gather data regarding vaccination history, and weight at the time of vaccination. All data analysis was performed by SPSS. Results This study included 165 eligible adults (28 males and 137 females). Among them, 79% participants were obese. Additionally, 46 (27.88%) and 119 (72.12%) had negative and positive HBsAb, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences seen across all characteristics, except for the number of HBV vaccinations between the positive and negative HBsAb groups. Multiple logistic regression also indicated no meaningful relationship between BMI and positive antibodies. Conclusion There was no relationship observed between BMI and immune response to HBV vaccine in bariatric candidates. Known risk factors (age, sex, diabetes, and the number of HBV vaccinations) were not independent predictors of the antibody response to the HBV vaccine.

High concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and inflammatory markers are common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and are associated with non-HIV related comorbidity and mortality. Data on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acid (omega-3 FA) supplementation for improving inflammation status in HIV-infected patients are controversial. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the beneficial effects of omega-3 FAs on controlling inflammation in HIV-infected patients. We conducted a comprehensive search of the major biomedical databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane library, for all potentially relevant studies published without restriction from the beginning of time to June 2020. Overall, nine RCTs were included comprising a total of 427 participants. A random-effects model was used to calculate 95% confidence intervals (CI) and the effect was measured as standardized mean difference (SMD). Supplementation of omega-3 FAs showed a significant reduction of CRP (SMD: −0.27, 95% CI: −0.48 to −0.07, P = 0.007). There was no significant difference in levels of TNF-α (SMD: 0.03, 95% CI: −0.79 to 0.85, P = 0.94, I2 = 87%) and IL-6 (SMD: −0.13, 95% CI: −0.59 to 0.32, P = 0.57, I2 = 73%, Fig. 3 ). The results indicate that the supplementation of omega-3 FAs in HIV-infected patients significantly decreases serum CRP levels when compared to the control group, however has no significant effect on IL-6 and TNF-α levels.

The pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia (FD) remains poorly understood, but alterations of the small intestinal microbiome have been observed. The place of probiotics in treatment is uncertain. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the currently available randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the potential beneficial effects and risks of probiotics in FD. Pubmed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched (up to May 2019) for RCTs evaluating the effects of probiotic supplementation compared to placebo in adults with FD. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility, trial quality and extracted information from identified articles. To compare the effects of probiotics with placebo, risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random effects models. Six trials, including 422 participants were included but only three RCTs could be included in the meta-analysis. Lactobacillus strains showed potential positive effects in terms of improving upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in patients with FD. Probiotic supplementation tended to improve global dyspepsia score (n = 3 RCTs, risk ratio [RR]: 1.35, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.84; P = 0.061) and bacterial composition in the GI tract. Probiotics were well tolerated without any serious adverse events. While the available data suggest that supplementation with probiotics may improve GI symptoms in patients with FD, the evidence is insufficient to draw clear conclusions regarding efficacy. Thus, high-quality RCTs are needed to establish the beneficial effects of probiotic supplementation on FD outcomes.