<p><strong>BACKGROUND</strong><strong>:</strong> Salt is linked to hypertension, stomach cancer, kidney stone, and some other diseases. Given the harmful effect of eating too much salt, which has been reported in recent years more than ever before, culture-bound interventions are emphasized to be designed in Middle Eastern Countries in order to reduce dietary salt.</p><p><strong>OBJECTIVES</strong><strong>:</strong> This research was aimed at studying the feasibility of gradually reducing salt in bread and its effect on blood pressure.</p><p><strong>PATIENTS & METHODS</strong><strong>:</strong> In this community trial, two cities from the southeast of Iran with similar cultural conditions were selected. In addition to the installation of educational banners and door-to-door distribution of pamphlets, salt in bread in one of the cities reduced by 40% over a 4-week period. In the control city, only door-to-door distribution of pamphlets was carried out. Urinary sodium, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and individuals’ height and weight were measured before and 12 weeks after the intervention.</p><p><strong>RESULTS</strong><strong>:</strong> The average age, weight, and height in the intervention city (n=346) and control city (n=310) were comparable (P>0.05). Perceived harm of salt was similar in both groups (P>0.05). ANCOVA results indicated that salt intake and post-intervention systolic blood pressure had a significantly greater reduction in the intervention group than in the control group (P<0.05).</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION</strong><strong>: </strong>Reduction of salt in bread by 40% was an acceptable intervention to people, which reduced urinary sodium and systolic blood pressure.</p>
Valporic acid (VPA) has been implicated to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities in several ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury models. This study intended to evaluate whether VPA could affect the inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines balance and severity of renal I/R injury in rat. I/R injury was induced in two groups of animals, vehicle normal saline and VPA-treated (IP injection, 150 mg/kg) rats, by 45 min occlusion of both left and right renal arteries followed by 3, 24 and 120 h reperfusion in separate groups. After each time point, kidneys and blood samples were collected for cytokine genes (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-10 and TGF-β) expression analysis and histological examinations in the kidney tissues. Serum creatinine levels were measured for evaluation of renal function. We observed significantly downregulated mRNA expressions for IL-1β and TNF-α in blood and tissue samples 24 and 120 h post I/R injury in VPA-treated animals compared to control groups (P < 0.0001). On the other hand, mRNA expression levels for IL-10 and TGF-β were significantly increased in the blood samples from VPA-treated animals at two time points after I/R injury (P < 0.0001) and at 120 h in tissue samples (P < 0.001). Histopathology analysis showed downgraded ischemic changes in VPA group compared to sham control. Also, decreased serum creatinine levels were observed in VPA-treated animals particularly 120 h post I/R injury (P < 0.0001) that was correlated with less pathological changes in this group. Our results indicate that VPA can attenuate pro-inflammatory responses and augment the anti-inflammatory condition in favor of faster renal recovery from ischemic changes and improved renal function after renal I/R injury.
Background Mycoplasma hominis, an opportunistic pathogen in human genitourinary tract, can cause chronic infection in the prostate. Intracellular survival of M. hominis leads to a prolonged presence in the host cells that can affect the cell's biological cycle. In the present study we aimed to evaluate the frequency of M. hominis DNA in prostate tissue of Iranian patients with prostate cancer (PCa) in comparison to a control group with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods This research was a retrospective case-control study using 61 archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks of prostate tissue from patients with PCa and 70 FFPE blocks of patients with BPH. Real-time PCR, targeting two different genes, 16S rRNA and yidC, in the M. hominis genome was performed for all specimens. Results Out of 61 blocks of prostate biopsy from patients with PCa, eight samples (13%) were positive for M. hominis, while the bacterium was not detected in any of the 70 blocks of patients with BPH (P value, 0.002). Conclusions The high frequency of M. hominis in patients with PCa likely shows a hidden role of the organism in prostate cancer during its chronic, apparently silent and asymptomatic colonization in prostate.
Background: Mammography screening is a method for reducing breast cancer mortality in women over 40 years old . A participation rate of at least 70% is a prerequisite for screening programs. This study aimed at determining the participation rate of women in breast cancer screening in Iran. Materials and Methods: The study population in this prospective research consisted of 35 to 69 years old women in the villages and towns Kerman District, in 2013. The data were collected by a well-validated risk assessment questionnaire. The questionnaires were completed with the help of health workers and technicians in the health centers, who were trained on breast cancer screening program. Results: As a whole, 19,651 women were invited to complete the questionnaire, of whom 15,794 women (80.37%) completed it. In the urban region, of 3150 eligible women 2728 women (86.60%) participated in the study. The acceptance rates for mammography in rural and urban regions were 34.95% and 8.75%, respectively. Conclusions: Finally, 3.8% and 16.34% of 35 to 69 years old women in the urban regions were mammographed, respectively. Conclusion: The low participation of eligible women in breast cancer screening program alerts us against including the program in the health insurance package.
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