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Obesity prevalence have tripled in the past decades. It is logical to consider new approaches to halt its prevalence. In this concept, considering the effect of interaction between fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) gene variants and dietary advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on obesity-related characteristics seems to be challenging. The present cross-sectional study conducted among 347 obese individuals. A validated semi-quantitative 147-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to estimate dietary intakes and American multiethnic database was used to calculate AGEs content of food items which were not available in Iranian Food Composition Table (FCT). FADS2 gene variants were determined according to Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to evaluate the modifier effect of FADS2 gene-dietary AGEs on biochemical values. Based on our findings, no significant differences was reported in term of biochemical variables between AGEs tertiles. In contrast, percent of macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat) of total calorie intake, amount of daily intake of fiber and meat groups showed a significant differences among AGEs tertiles. Furthermore, statistical assays clarified the modifier effects of FADS2 gene-AGEs on weight (Pinteraction = 0.04), fat mass (Pinteraction = 0.03), waist circumference (Pinteraction = 0.008) and cholesterol (Pinteraction = 0.04) level. Accordingly, higher consumption of protein or fat based foods constitute high amount of AGEs and heterozygote genotype for FADS2 tended to show lower level of AGEs content. These findings address further investigation to develop new approaches for nutritional interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Malnutrition is considered to be a severe complication in hospitalized patients, which increases the length of hospital stay, treatment costs, and mortality. The present study aimed to evaluate neck circumference as a possible predictor of metabolic disorders in the hospital settings. Methods: This study was conducted on 300 hospitalized patients selected from the internal disease ward of Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz, Iran. Data were recorded on their demographic characteristics, medical history, medication use, and anthropometric and biochemical parameters. Dietary supplementation use, nutritional support, and physical activity (PA) were also measured using the subjective global assessment tool, and neck circumference (NC) was measured by the researcher. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16.0. Results: In total, 61.8% of the male and 65.9% of the female patients had an NC of equal to or higher than normal. Chi-square was applied to assess the categorical variables, and one-way ANOVA was used for the continuous variables, indicating significant correlations between the NC and gender, body mass index, marital status, occupation status, PA, current nutritional status, and medical history such as diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), and renal disorders, as well as the use of some medications (P<0.05). Furthermore, significant correlations were denoted between the NC and levels of albumin (P=0.025), mean corpuscular volume (P=0.001), and total bilirubin (P=0.034). Systolic blood pressure was also significantly correlated with the NC (P=0.033). Conclusion: NC represents a relatively new anthropometric assessment, which is rarely used in clinical practice, while it is easy to perform and has excellent reproducibility. Our findings indicated that NC, DM, and HTN were correlated. Further studies are suggested to establish accurate associations between NC and metabolic disorders and confirm their correlations with biochemical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study aims to assess and compare the effects of carvedilol and terazosin plus enalapril on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), the urine flow, and blood pressure (BP) in patients with moderate hypertension (HTN) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Materials and Methods: In this randomized crossover trial, a total of 40 men with HTN and LUTS symptoms were enrolled. The first group was treated with carvedilol, and the second one received terazosin plus enalapril. After eight weeks of treatment, the patients experienced a one-month washout period, and the treatments changed and continued for eight weeks. To diagnose BPH in the study, the international prostate symptom score (IPSS) questionnaire was used. Moreover, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the post-void residual (PVR) urine volume, and the maximum urinary flow rate (Q-max using the uroflowmetry test) were measured.Results: Effect assessment results in this crossover trial illustrated neither carryover effects nor significant treatment effects on all primary outcomes (P > 0.05). Moreover, the results for the period effect indicated a significant reduction in BP (systolic and diastolic), PVR, and IPSS, yet a significant raise in Qmax.Conclusion: The effects of carvedilol are similar to those of the combination of terazosin and enalapril in patients with moderate HTN and BPH in controlling LUTS. Carvedilol could be used as an appropriative drug in patients with moderate HTN and cardiac problems with LUTS of BPH. Further studies are recommended to be conducted to investigate and compare the efficacy of carvedilol with that of other alpha-blockers with a larger sample size and over a longer period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]