Background: There are currently conflicting results regarding the link between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk for stroke and its poor prognosis. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and prognosis of acute stroke.
Methods: This bi-center cross-sectional study was performed on 140 consecutive patients who referred to two general hospitals in Iran with the diagnosis of acute stroke. The levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D were evaluated by Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) technique. Clinical severity of stroke on admission as well as on discharge time were evaluated using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) or Modified Rankin (mRS) tools.
Results: Mean serum level of vitamin D was 25.51 ± 18.87 ng/mL, ranging from 3.0 to 98.6 ng/ml. There was a significant difference between the two groups (with and without vitamin D deficiency) in terms of stroke severity and disability, as reflected by mRS (P=0.003) and NIHSS evaluation (14.24 ± 9.23 versus 9.73 ± 7.36, P=0.003). Also, regarding patients’ clinical condition, the mean NIHSS score in those with deficient and normal levels of vitamin D was 14.24 ± 9.23 and 9.73 ± 7.36, respectively with NIHSS score > 5 in 76.1% and 61.5%, respectively (P = 0.003).
Conclusion: According to the results of study, vitamin D status can be related to the severity of stroke. However, considering the cross-sectional design of our study, it could not point out the causality between vitamin D deficiency and acute stroke and further studies are warranted. It is not possible to draw any conclusions in terms of causality. Further studies are required in order to assess the relationship between the serum vitamin D levels and stroke severity.
Introduction: Exercise training and nutrition are non-pharmacological strategies which can reduce the sarcopenia-induced muscle atrophy in the older adults. Investigating the skeletal muscle mass atrophy is achievable by measuring the amount of plasma follistatin, as one of the key markers of determining lean body mass. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect of dark chocolate extract supplementation with eight weeks resistance training on plasma Follistatin level in older adults. Method: In this semi-experimental study, 36 elderly adults (19 males, 17 females), mean age 67.21±4.19 years, randomly divided to four groups: training (EX), supplement (S), training + supplement (EX+S), and control (C). Subjects of the training groups underwent a resistance training program including eight movements (intensity: 60-80% 1RM), three sessions per week for eight weeks. Subjects of supplements groups consumed capsules containing 500mg of dark chocolate extract-contain epicatechin-every day. Follistatin levels were measured before and after eight weeks intervention. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and LSD post hoc tests with SPSS software (version 22). Results: Follistatin values increased significantly in EX (P=0.01), S (P=0.02) and EX+S (P=0.001) groups compared to C group after the intervention. The percentage of the changes of follistatin values were significantly higher in EX+S group (63.15%) compared to EX (43.48) and S (29.05%) groups. Moreover, chest press and leg press maximal strength increased in EX (P=0.03) and EX+S (P=0.01) groups in comparison with C group (P≤0.05). Conclusion: Consequently, considering the increasing effect of resistance training and dark chocolate extract supplementation on Follistatin levels in the elderly, it seems that resistance training with dark chocolate extract supplementation is a suitable strategy to reduce the effects of sarcopenia in the older adults.
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