Journal of Nutrition, Fasting and Health
Volume:12 Issue: 2, Spring 2024

Acute-phase inflammatory and oxidative response following major gastrointestinal surgeries may lead to critical conditions in pediatric patients. Selenium plays a key role in the antioxidant defense system and anti-inflammatory pathways, which are important in the clinical outcomes of patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The present study aimed to assess the possible correlations between serum selenium levels and clinical outcomes in PICU patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgeries.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 66 critically ill pediatric patients who were in the postoperative stage of major gastrointestinal surgeries. Serum selenium concentration was assessed using the atomic absorption method, and the clinical outcomes were collected prospectively.

Serum selenium concentration upon PICU admission was 38.9±9.8 ng/ml, and no significant correlation was observed between the serum selenium level and the nutritional status of the patients. Furthermore, no significant associations were denoted between the serum selenium concentration and some clinical outcomes, such as the duration of ventilator dependency, PICU length of stay, and PICU/28-day mortality. However, the statistical analysis of the obtained data showed negative, significant associations between the serum selenium concentration, infection rate, and length of hospital stay (P= 0.01 and P=0.04, respectively).

According to the results, serum selenium concentration decreased in the post-gastrointestinal-surgery patients admitted to the PICU upon PICU admission, and the reduction was associated with prolonged hospitalization and a higher infection rate.

Malnutrition in hospitalized children can impair health outcomes. The STRONGkids screening tool requires further reliability testing across diverse healthcare providers to identify pediatric patients requiring nutritional support. This study evaluated the effectiveness of STRONGkids compared to standard anthropometric criteria in determining malnutrition risk among hospitalized Iranian children.  This cross-sectional analysis evaluated 287 patients (mean age nine months) admitted for ≥4 days across all non-critical wards in a pediatric hospital in Mashhad, Iran, from November 2020 to October 2021. STRONGkids categories were compared to weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), BMI-for-age (BMIZ), and weight-for-length/height (WLZ/H) z-scores using agreement statistics.  The malnutrition rate exceeded previous estimates for Iranian pediatric patients. STRONGkids demonstrated statistically significant agreement with WLZ/H (p<0.001) and WAZ (p=0.014) in ruling out malnutrition risk. However, sensitivity for identifying high-risk cases was suboptimal.  STRONGkids can reliably exclude malnutrition when agreement exists with anthropometric criteria. Standardizing training and administration of the tool could optimize sensitivity and utility for detecting hospitalized children requiring nutritional intervention.

Genetic evidence indicates the key role of transcription factors on insulin signaling pathways. The present study was performed with the aim of assess the effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on gene lipocalin-2 (LCP2) gene expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue, insulin resistance and glucose in obese rats with type 2 diabetic (T2D).  For this purpose, 21 male Wistar rats aged 10 weeks of old were obesed by 8 weeks high-fat diet (HFD) and then 14 rats became T2D by STZ injection (25 mg/dL). The rats were divided into obese, control diabetic and HIIT diabetic groups. HIIT group participated in 8-week HIIT (5 sessions/weekly), and the control groups did not participate in the exercise program. 48 hours after the last training session, glucose and insulin resistance and gene LCN2 expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue were measured and compared by one-way ANOVA test.  Type 2 diabetes induction led to an increase in glucose and insulin resistance (P=0.001) as well as an increase in the expression of LCN2 (P=0.001) compared to the obese group. In other words, HIIT led to a significant decrease in glucose, insulin resistance (P=0.001) as well as a significant decrease in LCN2 expression (P=0.002) in subcutaneous adipose tissue compared to the diabetic control group.  HIIT is associated with improvement of insulin resistance and glycemic profile in diabetic rats, and this can be imputed to the increase in LCN2 expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue in response to HIIT.

Although the positive effects of physical trainings as well as nutrition on cognitive function are reported. But there is limited information regarding their combined effect. Present study aimed to review the effect of royal jelly (RJ) and endurance exercise (EE) on cognitive function and pathological changes of hippocampus tissue in rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).  Forty- nine Sprague- Dawley female EAE rats selected as sample and assigned in 1) EE+RJ100, 2) EE+RJ50, 3) EE, 4) RJ100, 5) RJ50, 6) Sham (Sh), and 7) EAE groups also 7 healthy rats assigned in healthy control group (HC). Rats in EE groups trained 4 sessions per week (30 minutes with speed of 11-15 m/min) for five weeks and RJ was injected intra- peritoneal. One-way ANOVA along with Tukey's post hoc was used for data analysis (P≤0.05).  The percentage of healthy cells in the C1 region (PHC), avoidance (AM) and spatial memory (SM) levels in the EE group were more favorable than the EAE group (P≤0.05). Also, the PHC in the C3 and C1 regions, the AM and SM values in the RJ50 and RJ100 groups were higher than the EAE group (P≤0.05). As well as the PHC in C1 and C3 regions, AM and SM levels in the EE+RJ50 and EE+RJ100 groups were significantly more favorable than the EAE group (P≤0.05). The effects of EE+RJ50 and EE+RJ100 on improving SM and some subsections of AM were more favorable than the effects of RJ100 (P≤0.05).  Although EE and RJ (50 and 100mg/kg) alone and their interactive effects have favorable effects on improving memory and neurogenesis.

Migraine is recognized as the second most disabling disease in the world, accompanied by Bell's palsy, hearing loss, and cerebral nerve paralysis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary triggers on the exacerbation of migraine headaches for the first time in Hormozgan province, Iran.  Individuals were randomly selected from the population of migraine patients referred to the hospital of Shahid Mohammadi in Bandar Abbas (located in southern Iran). A two-stage questionnaire was used, including demographic information and dietary habits of individuals with migraines, containing six types of drinks, 11 types of food, and a fasting diet. This study examined 200 individuals, including 66.5% women and 33.5% men. The age range of participants was from 13 to 66 years old, and the mean age of the study population was 31.42 years. Fasting showed the highest headache exacerbation, followed by coffee, alcoholic beverages, and high-fat foods. The least stimulating type can be attributed to non-alcoholic carbonated and soft drinks. Nuts and walnuts (good sources of omega-3) seemed to be the least irritating among the population, although citrus fruits were not significantly different.  Based on the results, all migraine patients should avoid fasting strictly, keep their sugar levels balanced, and prevent excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine. The results of subsequent studies will clarify the effect of these two substances on headaches.

Myopathy caused by diabetes can accelerate the disease process in diabetic people. Myopathy has important indicators in muscle tissue related to regeneration and intracellular metabolism in skeletal muscles. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of eight weeks of resistance training in hypoxia on the content of PAX 7 and PGC-1α proteins in the gastrocnemius muscle of type 2 diabetic rats.  This experimental study was conducted on 24 male Wistar rats for six weeks after induction of type 2 diabetes. Rats were divided into three groups: healthy control (HC), diabetic control (DC), and hypoxia group (HPX). Resistance training was applied for eight weeks under oxygen deficiency conditions in the groups of resistance training in hypoxia. The tissue sample was taken from the biceps muscle after finishing the exercises and evaluated to measure the concentration of PAX7 and PGC-1α proteins. The results were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance at a significance level α ≤0.05.  There was a significant difference in PAX7 and PGC-1α proteins between the research groups (P=0.0001). Induction of diabetes led to a significant decrease in PAX7 compared to the control group. PGC1-α protein levels also decreased significantly in the diabetes induction group compared to the control group (P=0.0001). However, exposure to hypoxia did not change the gene expression values of this variable compared to the diabetic patient group (P=0.451).  Exposure to temporary and passive hypoxia can be considered as a suggested strategy to improve indicators related to type 2 diabetes in humans.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the non-communicable metabolic diseases with high prevalence worldwide. Therefore, treatment strategies for this disease are very important. This research aimed to examine the effect of eight weeks of combined high-intensity interval training on intrahepatic PGC-1α and PEPCK protein in male rats with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.  Forty rats aged 6 to 8 weeks were divided into two groups: healthy (n=20) and high-fat diet (HFD) (n=20). After eight weeks and assurance of disease induction, the HFD group was randomly divided into two groups: control-patient (n=9) and training-patient (n=9). The healthy group was divided into two groups: control-healthy (n=9) and training-healthy (n=9). Rats in the training group performed HIIT in both aquatic and land environments (Saturdays and Wednesdays in aquatic environment and Mondays on a treadmill). One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni's post hoc test (P<0.05) were run to determine the difference between groups.   The findings showed that intrahepatic PGC-1α protein levels were associated with a significant increase in the healthy control group compared to the patient control (P=0.04); also, intrahepatic PEPCK protein levels were associated with a significant increase in the control-healthy group compared to the control-patient (P=0.01) group, a significant increase in the training-healthy group compared to the control-patient (P=0.002) and training-patient (P=0.03) groups and a significant increase in the training-patient group compared to the control-patient (P=0.03) group.  It can be suggested that combined high intensity interval training can be effective in regulating the PGC-1α/PEPCK mechanism, which is a potential mechanism in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver. However, further research is needed in this regard to obtain conclusive results.

The month of "Ramadan" is a remarkable instance of strong influences of culture and religion in Iranian people's behaviors and habits. Studies have reported different results in the rate of incidence, hospitalizations, time pattern and risk factors affecting stroke during fasting. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the incidence and factors related to stroke in the month before, during and after fasting in Yasuj, Iran.  This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on stroke patients referred to Yasuj hospitals, Iran from January 2018 to December 2020 (Shaban, Ramadan and Shawwal 1443 AH). Complete medical records of 40 stroke patients with inpatient records were used. Stroke cases were separated by month, based on age, gender and other risk factors, as well as the time of incidence of stroke. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.28 software. According to the findings of this study, 23 patients (57.5%) were male and 17 patients (42.5%) were female. The number of hospitalized patients with stroke in the months of Shaban, Ramadan and Shawwal were 12, 12 and 13 respectively. No significant correlation was observed in terms of the incidence of stroke during the month of Ramadan and other two months. In addition, there was no any significant difference between different months in terms of the studied variables (stroke history, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and smoking).  This study indicated that fasting in Ramadan does not increase the incidence of stroke. Proper medical advice can significantly prevent strokes during Ramadan.

The widespread use of antibiotics for growth promotion or therapeutic purposes in poultry farming has led to increased antibiotic resistance. Escherichia coli is one of the gastrointestinal bacteria capable of transferring resistance genes and causing antibiotic resistance in humans and poultry. Evaluating antibiotic resistance in poultry flocks can provide researchers with a clear picture of the health status of poultry flocks and the human community. 

This study was conducted on 60 broiler chicken flocks aged 1 to 28 days. These flocks had no history of antibiotic use. In the laboratory, after necropsy, sampling was carried out from five chicken pieces in each flock. After confirming the diagnosis and purification of E. coli using biochemical methods, antibiotic sensitivity testing against 19 antibiotics was performed using the disc diffusion method, following the CLSI guidelines. 

Out of 300 samples collected, 270 (90%) isolates of E. coli were obtained. In this study, the sensitivity of antibiotics was as follows: fosfomycin (100%), lincomycin (94.81%), neomycin (48.52%), amoxicillin (48.15%), norfloxacin (41.48%), thiamphenicol (38.52%), enrofloxacin (38.52%), sulfamethoxazole (36.66%), florfenicol (31.85%), tilmycosin (31.85%), danofloxacin (30%), flumequine (25.19%), difloxacin (21.85%), chlortetracycline (16.66%), trimethoprim (16.66%), doxycycline (11.85%), erythromycin (10%), tylosin (1.48%), and colistin (0%). Additionally, resistance was observed only against tylosin (91.85%). No multiple resistance was observed among the isolated strains, and at least sensitivity to two antibiotics was detected in all samples. 

The findings of this research indicate that the level of antibiotic resistance in broiler chicken flocks at young ages in the Kermanshah region is low. However, the sensitivity rate to 17 antibiotics is less than 50%, demonstrating a relatively high level of sensitivity in poultry at these ages.

Inactivity and passive lifestyle have led to an increase in mortality and the incidence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of eight weeks of rhythmic exercises with music on IGFBP-3, insulin resistance index and quality of life in women with different body mass indices. 

In this quasi-experimental study, 33 sedentary women were randomly divided into three groups: exercise + normal )body mass index [BMI] 20 to 24.9 kg/m²) (n= 11), exercise + overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9 kg/m²) (n=11), and exercise + obese (BMI 30 to 34.9 kg/m²) (n=11). The rhythmic exercise program consisted of 8 weeks, three sessions per week and each session was performed for 45 to 60 minutes with an intensity equal to 60 to 70% HRmax. The paired t-test and one-way ANOVA with repeated measures were used to compare changes within and between groups. 

The results showed that the time interaction in the groups in terms of IGFBP-3, insulin, glucose, insulin resistance and quality of life was not statistically significant. The results of the comparison of within-group means showed that in the normal body mass index group, the overweight and obese groups, IGFBP-3 levels, quality of life have significantly increased. In the overweight and obese body mass index groups, serum insulin levels, glucose, and insulin resistance index significantly decreased. 

Rhythmic exercise increased IGFBP-3 concentration and decreased fasting glucose, fasting insulin, insulin resistance index in all three groups.