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Background: Immune stressors, such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), profoundly affect microbiota balance, leading to gut dysbiosis. This imbalance disrupts the metabolic phenotype and structural integrity of the gut, increasing intestinal permeability. During puberty, a critical surge in estrogen levels is crucial for mammary gland development. However, inflammation originating from the gut in this period may interfere with this development, potentially heightening breast cancer risk later. The long‐term effects of pubertal inflammation on mammary development and breast cancer risk are underexplored. Such episodes can dysregulate cytokine levels and microRNA expression, altering mammary cell gene expression, and predisposing them to tumorigenesis. Methods: This study hypothesizes that prebiotics, specifically Lentinula edodes Cultured Extract (AHCC), can counteract LPS's adverse effects. Using BALB/c mice, an acute LPS dose was administered at puberty, and breast cancer predisposition was assessed at 13 weeks. Cytokine and tumor‐related microRNA levels, tumor development, and cancer stem cells were explored through immunoassays and qRT‐PCR. Results: Results show that LPS induces lasting effects on cytokine and microRNA expression in mammary glands and tumors. AHCC modulates cytokine expression, including IL‐1β, IL‐17A/F, and IL‐23, and mitigates LPS‐induced IL‐6 in mammary glands. It also regulates microRNA expression linked to tumor progression and suppression, particularly counteracting the upregulation of oncogenic miR‐21, miR‐92, and miR‐155. Although AHCC slightly alters some tumor‐suppressive microRNAs, these changes are modest, highlighting a complex regulatory role that warrants further study. Conclusion: These findings underscore the potential of dietary interventions like AHCC to mitigate pubertal LPS‐induced inflammation on mammary gland development and tumor formation, suggesting a preventive strategy against breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Evidence shows that COPD increases the risk of type 2 diabetes possibly due to insulin resistance induced by inflammatory cytokines. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association between forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and plasma glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level in patients with COPD. In this study, 50 non-hospitalized patients with COPD were studied. For all patients, a spirometry test was performed and FEV1 was determined. The quality of spirometry was assessed based on Guidelines from the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society Task Force and the severity of COPD was determined based on GOLD criteria. HbA1c was measured by commercial kits. Anthropometric indices were measured and a questionnaire was applied to collect general characteristics of patients. The mean age of patients was 60.18±7.63 years. Seventy-eight percent and 22% of patients were male and female, respectively. Twenty-seven subjects were current smokers and 23 subjects were non-smokers. A significant inverses association was found between HbA1c level and FEV1% in (r= -0.722, P<0.001). There was a statistically significant correlation between weight and HbA1c level (r=0.349, P<0.05), and BMI and HbA1c (r=0.242, P<0.05). We could not find any significant correlation between age and smoking and the level of HbA1c and FEV1 (P>0.05). Our study showed there is a negative correlation between the level of HgA1c and respiratory function in COPD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgery is usually the first treatment for breast cancer which is followed by some complications such as chronic pain. Post mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS) is a common complication among breast cancer survivors and is considered as a chronic neuropathic pain in the side of surgery which persists more than three months. The exact mechanisms and related risk factors of the chronic pain after breast surgery are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) and age with PMPS. Methods: In this case-control study, a total of 122 women were assessed; of these, 61 women were diagnosed with PMPS and selected as cases and 61 pain-free patients were selected as controls. The demographic and clinical characteristics of participants were collected through questionnaires and medical record of patients. Logistic regression model was used to determine the association of BMI and age with PMPS, adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: No significant differences were found in means of weight (68.02±8.80 vs. 68.67±11.82, p=0.726), BMI (26.38±3.28 vs. 27.10±6.03, p=0.410), and age (46.34±11.67 vs. 48.54±12.57, p=0.319) between those with PMPS and those not reporting PMPS. A non-significant slight increase in odds ratio of PMPS was observed in obese category compared to normal weight category [OR=1.152 (95% CI 0.405-3.275), p=0.908], but after adjusting the confounding factors, the risk of pain development was attenuated in obese subjects [OR=0.748 (95% CI 0.228-2.459), p=0.633]. Also, non-significant decrease in odds ratios of PMPS was found in 20-39 y, 40-49 y, and 50-59 y ages categories compared to oldest age category [adjusted OR= 0.781 (95% CI 0.213-2.866), p=0.576; adjusted OR=0.485 (95% CI 0.152- 1.554), p=0.183; adjusted OR=0.735 (95% CI 0.206-2.627), p=0.628; respectively]. Conclusion: In contrast with some observational studies, present study showed that high BMI and younger age might not be associated with increased risk of PMPS development. Further research is necessary to determine the main risk factors and directionality and causal mechanisms for associations of these risk factors with chronic pain after mastectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and its cardiometabolic risk factors in the southern Iranian adult population. Methods: This is a population-based cross-sectional survey on 3944 middle-aged and elderly adults (35--70 years) from Bandare- Kong. The participants were recruited from 2016 to 2018 and the first phase data of the Bandare-Kong Cohort as a part of the PERSIAN Cohort were used for analysis. Results: Among the 3944 included adults, the age-adjusted prevalence of T2DM and IFG was 17.40% and 20.61%, respectively. Mean FPG was higher among those older than 55 years, females, rural residents, current cigarette smokers, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, unemployed and low educational level in subjects with diabetes and pre-diabetes. T2DM and IFG were more prevalent in women and men, respectively. Also, those with higher waist circumference (WC), higher body mass index (BMI), lower educational levels, rural residents, former cigarette smokers, hypertension (HTN), hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and age older 45 years, had a higher T2DM and IFG prevalence. Multivariable regression analysis showed that older age, higher WC, HTN and hypertriglyceridemia and living in rural regions were statistically significant predictors of T2DM and pre-diabetes while BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² was the only significant risk factor for IFG. Conclusion: The current study illustrated that T2DM and IFG have a high prevalence among the middle-aged and elderly adult Iranian population, particularly in rural dwellers. Hence, prevention strategies should be implemented to reduce diabetes and pre-diabetes, especially in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. LDL-C can be directly measured using various methods, but this requires expensive equipment. Currently, clinical laboratories estimate LDL-C based on Friedewald's formula (FF). We aimed to develop a modified formula based on directly measured LDL-C (D-LDL-C) values in a large population in Southern Iran and compare the results with various other estimation formulas. Methods: The participants of this cross-sectional study were adults aged >18 years living in Southern Iran. Blood samples from 15,200 individuals were collected, and the measured lipid parameters were randomly divided into training (n=10,184) and validation (n=5,016) datasets. A new formula was developed using a linear regression model, and its accuracy was validated. Pearson's correlation and Cohen's kappa were used to determine the relationship between D-LDL-C and calculated LDL-C (C-LDL-C). Results: The developed formula for the estimation of LDL-C was 0.857 total cholesterol (TC)-0.915 high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)-0.115 triglycerides (TG). Based on our proposed formula, for TG<150 and TG≥150 mg/dL, there was a significant correlation between mean values of D-LDL-C and C-LDL-C (r=0.985 and r=0.974, respectively). Compared to other formulas, C-LDL-C obtained from the proposed formula had the highest correlation with D-LDL-C. The agreement between D-LDL-C and C-LDL-C for TC<200, 200-239, and ≥240 mg/dL was 80.8%, 63.2%, and 67.4%, respectively, indicating a higher level of agreement than other formulas. Conclusion: The new formula appears to be more accurate than FF when applied to the population of Southern Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]