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Introduction: Atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major causes of mortality worldwide. The available reports regarding the effects of selenium (Se) supplementation in the realm of atherosclerosis have been equivocal. The present investigation is aimed to assess the effects of sodium selenite and Se-enriched yeast supplementation on metabolic parameters among atherosclerotic patients. Methods: In this double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, 60 patients diagnosed with atherosclerosis were randomly allocated into either 200 µg/day selenite, yeast, or placebo groups for eight consecutive weeks. Serum levels of lipid profile and glycemic indices were measured at the baseline and end of the intervention. Results: There were no significant within-or between-group changes in levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), fasting blood sugar, insulin, and homeostatic model assessment for IR throughout the study (P≥0.05). Only the low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels were significantly lower in the yeast group in comparison with the placebo group (P = 0.015). Conclusion: The administration of Se-enriched yeast is significantly effective in decreasing LDL-c levels in patients with atherosclerosis. Additional clinical trial studies investigating the effect of Se administration on glucose homeostasis parameters and lipid profiles in atherosclerotic patients are suggested for a more definitive conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), having potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pharmacological properties, has recently been shown to be a safe and promising agent in maintaining remission of ulcerative colitis (UC). This trial was, therefore, designed to determine CoQ10 efficacy on inflammation and antioxidant status, antimicrobial peptides, and microRNA-146a expression in UC patients. Methods: In this randomized double-blind controlled trial, 88 mild-to-moderate UC patients were randomly allocated to receive CoQ10 (200 mg/day) or placebo (rice flour) for 2 months. At the baseline and at an 8-week follow-up, serum levels of Nrf2, cathelicidin LL-37, β-defensin 2, IL-10, IL-17, NF-κB p65 activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), simple clinical colitis activity index questionnaire (SCCAIQ), and quality of life (IBDQ-32 score), as well as an expression rate of microRNA-146a were measured. Results: A significant reduction was detected in the serum IL-17 level, activity of NF-κB p65 in PBMCs, and also SCCAI score in the CoQ10 group compared to the placebo group, whereas IL-10 serum concentrations and IBDQ-32 score of the CoQ10 group considerably increased versus the control group; the changes of these variables were also significantly different within and between groups at the end of the study. Furthermore, CoQ10 remarkably increased serum levels of cathelicidin LL-37. A significant change in serum cathelicidin LL-37 levels was also observed between the two groups. No statistical difference, however, was seen between the two groups in terms of the serum levels of Nrf2 and β-defensin 2 and the relative expression of microRNA-146a. Conclusions: Our results indicate that CoQ10 supplementation, along with drug therapy, appears to be an efficient reducer of inflammation in patients with mild-to-moderate UC at a remission phase. Trial Registration: The research has also been registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT): IRCT20090822002365N17. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on humans with diabetes mellitus showed that the crosstalk between the intestinal microbiota and the host has a key role in controlling the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sodium butyrate and high performance inulin supplementation simultaneously or singly on glycemic status, lipid profile, and glucagon-like peptide 1 level in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sixty patients were recruited for the study. The participants were randomly allocated, using randomized block procedure, to one of the four treatment groups (A, B, C, or D). Group A received sodium butyrate capsules, group B received inulin supplement powder, group C was exposed to the concomitant use of inulin and sodium butyrate, and group D consumed placebo for 45 consecutive days. Markers of glycemia, lipid profile, and glucagon-like peptide 1 were measured pre- and post-intervention. Dietary supplementation in groups A, B, and C significantly reduced diastolic blood pressure in comparison with the placebo group (p < 0.05). Also, intra-group statistical analysis showed that only treatment with sodium butyrate + inulin (group C) significantly reduced fasting blood sugar (p = 0.049) and waist to hip ratio (p = 0.020). Waist circumference in groups B and C reduced significantly after the intervention (p = 0.007 and p = 0.011; respectively). The post hoc Tukey tests showed significant increase in glucagon-like peptide 1 concentration in groups A and C in comparison with group D (p < 0.05). The results suggest that inulin supplementation may be useful to diabetic patients and these effects could be increased with butyrate supplement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Inflammation has a crucial role in the progression of cardiovascular disease in diabetes. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) as an inflammatory marker induces angiotensin II (Ang II) related hypertension pathway in diabetic patients. Gut modulation via prebiotics may ameliorate hypertension caused by inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sodium butyrate (NaBut) and inulin supplements on inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: In this clinical trial, 60 overweight and obese diabetic patients were recruited and randomly allocated into four groups. The groups received, respectively, 600 mg/d NaBut (group A), 10 g/d inulin powder (group B), both inulin and NaBut (group C), or placebo (group D) for 45 consecutive days. Blood and stool samples were collected at baseline and after intervention. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis targeting the 16S rRNA gene of Akkermansia muciniphila was done. We assessed the TNF-α mRNA expression and the serum levels of the high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Results: There was a significant increase in A. muciniphila percent change in inulin and butyrate supplemented groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, significant decrease was seen in TNF-α mRNA expression in group A (fold change 0.88 ± 0.16, P < 0.05), group B (fold change 0.75 ± 0.18, P < 0.05) and group C (fold change 0.91 ± 0.32, P < 0.05). Also hs-CRP, MDA and diastolic blood pressure levels decreased significantly in these groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Intervention had significant effects on inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters and led to improvement of hypertension. However, further investigations are needed to make concise conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Obesity is a leading health problem in the world, and its prevalence as well as obesityrelated disorders have been markedly increasing over the past several years. Given that irisin as a key adipomyokine could diminish obesityinduced disorders, this research was therefore aimed to determine whether functional foods like royal jelly (RJ) and tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) could exert their metabolism regulatory effects via irisin as well as to examine the impacts of RJ and TRF on obesity-induced glucose intolerance and inflammation status. Methods: Obesity was induced in male Wistar rats (n=40) via high-fat diet (HFD) during 17 weeks. Then obese animals were randomly allocated into 4 groups (n= 10/group): HFD without any supplementation or along with RJ, TRF or both of them for further 8 weeks. At the end of the study, serum glucose, irisin, insulin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), leptin, and adiponectin were measured. Results: At the end of the intervention, weight gain following HFD was attenuated over the supplementation with RJ and TRF, but was not reach statistically significant levels. Glucose homeostasis and inflammation were ameliorated in rats receiving RJ and TRF with HFD. Irisin levels were elevated by RJ. Meanwhile, the TRF effect on irisin was not considerable. Our finding demonstrated a negative correlation between serum irisin and FBS, insulin, TNF-α, MCP1, and IL-1β. Conclusion: The main findings revealed that, despite the lack of significant weight loss, RJ and TRF could promote healthy obesity by mediated irisin in RJ-consuming rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that is caused by immune and inflammatory factors and reactive oxygen species overproduction-related oxidative stress. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) could act as a helpful agent for maintaining the remission of UC. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the effect of CoQ10 supplementation on inflammatory markers, antioxidant status, disease severity, quality of life, and microRNA-146a expression rate in UC patients. Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on patients with mild to moderate UC, who were referred to Hazrat Rasool Akram Hospital. Eligible patients were randomly divided into the CoQ10 (200 mg/daily) and placebo (200 mg rice flour) groups for 8 weeks. Inflammatory status, antimicrobial peptides, disease severity using SCCAI questionnaire, and IBDQ-32 scores were assessed during the intervention period. Results: Overall, 86 patients could complete the intervention period. CoQ10 supplementation for 8 weeks significantly decreased plasma levels of IL-17, the nuclear activity of NF-κB p65, severity of disease activity over the placebo group. Also, serum levels of IL-10, cathelicidin LL-37 and the IBDQ-32 scores increased significantly in the CoQ10 group over the placebo group. While, there was not seen a significant difference between the two groups in serum Nrf2, β-defensin-2, and the relative rate of miR-146a expression. Conclusion: our results indicated that CoQ10 supplementation along with drug therapy appears to have beneficial effects on lowering inflammation, improving quality of life, and reducing clinical activity severity of disease in patients with mild-to-moderate UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]