Inter-eye Comparison of the Lamina Cribrosa Depth in Patients with Bilateral Normal-tension Glaucoma with Asymmetrical Damage

Purpose@#To evaluate the association between lamina cribrosa depth (LCD) and the severity of glaucomatous damage in patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). @*Methods@#The optic nerve heads (ONHs) of patients with bilateral NTG showing asymmetrical damage were scanned using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. LCDs were measured on ONH horizontal B-scan images at three locations equidistant across the vertical optic disc diameter and compared between the more damaged and contralateral eyes. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to identify ocular risk factors associated with more severe damage between the eyes. @*Results@#One hundred and four eyes of 52 patients with bilateral NTG were included. The mean age was 66.0 ± 15.0 years; there were 31 males and 21 females. The more damaged eyes exhibited a higher baseline intraocular pressure (IOP) (p < 0.001), a thinner global retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (p < 0.001), and worse visual field mean deviation (p < 0.001) and a pattern standard deviation (p < 0.001), than the contralateral eyes. In contrast, we found no significant inter-eye difference in either the spherical equivalent or the axial length. The average LCD was significantly larger in the more damaged eyes (529.4 ± 116.7 vs. 482.9 ± 107.5 μm, p < 0.001). On conditional logistic regression analysis, the higher the baseline IOP (p = 0.006) and the larger the LCD (p = 0.003), the higher the risk of having more severe damage compared to the contralateral eye under similar systemic conditions. @*Conclusions@#The LCD was significantly larger in the more damaged eyes of patients with bilateral NTG, suggesting that LC deformation might be associated with glaucomatous ONH damage in NTG eyes.

Association between nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase and de novo lipogenesis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective: Jh//s study explored the association between serum nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase [NAMPT] and hepatic de novo lipogenesis [DNL] in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] and determined whether or not this association is sex dependent

Subjects and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 62 consecutive patients [32 males, 30 females] with NAFLD were recruited. Serum NAMPT [by ELI-SA], palmitic acid, and the DNL index of erythrocyte membranes as markers of hepatic DNL [by gas chromatography] were analyzed

The controlled attenuation parameter [CAP] and body impedance analyzer were used to assess hepatic and body fat respectively. Univariate and multiple linear regressions [to adjust for confounders] were used to analyze the association of serum NAMPT with palmitic acid, DNL index, CAP, and body fat

Results: The respective values of serum NAMPT [2.44 +/- 1.03 vs. 2.45 +/-1.13 ng/mL,p = 0.98], DNL index [3.11 [2.60-3.71 ] vs. 3.05 [2.40-3.59],p = 0.90], and pal-mitic acid [20.55% [15.34-24.04] vs. 22.64% [21.15-25.95], p = 0.07] were not significantly different between men and women, but those of CAP [326 [300-340] vs. 300 [261.25-329], p = 0.002] and body fat [37.71 +/- 3.80 vs. 26.60 +/- 5.70, p < 0.001] were significantly higher in women. In women, serum NAMPT had a significant negative association with the DNL index [p = -0.56, p = 0.01]. The DNL index also hada significant negative association with body fat [P = -0.46, p = 0.02]

In men, the only significant association was the positive association between serum NAMPT and CAP [p = 0.35, p = 0.035]

Conclusion: Higher serum NAMPT in women was associated with a lower hepatic DNL index, while in men it was associated with higher hepatic fat and had no association with the DNL index. Therefore, the serum NAMPT level interpretation for NAFLD prognosis is probably sex dependent

Brewer's yeast improves glycemic indices in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Brewer's yeast may have beneficial effects on insulin receptors because of its glucose tolerance factor in diabetic patients. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of brewer's yeast supplementation on glycemic indices in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In a randomized double blind controlled clinical trial, 84 adults [21 men and 63 women] aged 46.3 +/- 6.1 years old with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited and divided randomly into two groups: Supplement group receiving brewer's yeast [six 300mg tablets/day, total 1800 mg] and control group receiving placebo [six 300mg tablets/day] for 12 weeks. Body weight, height, body mass index, food consumption [based on 24h food record], fasting blood sugar [FBS], glycosylated hemoglobin, insulin sensitivity, and insulin resistance were measured before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences [version 18.0]. The changes in FBS, glycosylated hemoglobin, and insulin sensitivity were significantly different between the two groups during the study [respectively P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.02 independent sample t-test]. There was a significant difference in FBS, glycosylated hemoglobin, and insulin sensitivity at the end of the study between the two groups after removing the effects of baseline values [respectively P = 0.002, P < 0.001, P = 0.02, analysis of covariance]. Changes in body mass index, 24h food record, insulin resistance were not significant. Dietary supplementation with brewer's yeast besides the usual treatment of diabetes can ameliorate blood glucose variables in type 2 diabetes mellitus

[Evaluation of the protective effects of quercetin in biliary cirrhotic rats]

Biliary cirrhosis is a chronic disease marked by the progressive destructtion of liver. There is no known cure for this disease; however, medications may slow its progression. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of quercetin as a plant derived flavonoid on the hepatic injury reduction of biliary cirrhotic rats. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 6-7 months were randomized into three groups of ten each. One group served as control [sham operated], while the other two groups underwent a complete bile-duct ligation [BDL]. Four weeks after the operation, serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase [ALP], alanine amino-transferase [ALT], and aspartate amino-transferase [AST] were measured in two BDL groups to confirm the occurrence of cirrhosis. Then one of the BDL groups received placebo and the other one injected intraperitoneally with 50 mg/kg of quercetin once a day for a period of four weeks. At the end of the study, hepatic enzymes and serum bilirubin were measured again. Liver species were tested for histological characteristics. Quercetin could decrease serum level of bilirubin [7.4 +/- 0.9 vs.8.9 +/- 1.6 mg/dL; P<0.05], ALP [1387 +/- 76.9 vs.2273 +/- 65.3 IU/L; P<0.001] and ALT [601.9 +/- 38.1 vs.644.8 +/- 37.4 IU/L; P<0.05] compared to cirrhotic group. AST was higher in cirrhotic groups compared to control both in the 4[th] and 8[th] week. However, the difference between BDL and BDL+Q groups was not statistically significant. Quercetin decreased ALT/AST ratio, as an indicator of liver damage. No significant histological changes were observed in quercetin group. These data suggest that although quercetin did not change histological characteristics of liver, it could significantly decrease bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and alanine amino-transferase, indicating less liver injury

Brewer's yeast improves blood pressure in type 2 diabetes mellitus

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Brewer's yeast supplementation on serum lipoproteins and blood pressure in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. In a randomized double blind clinical trial, 90 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited, and divided randomly into 2 groups, trial group received brewer's yeast [1800 mg/day] and control group received placebo for 12 weeks. Weight, BMI, food consumption [based on 24 hour food recall], fasting serum lipoproteins [Cholesterol, Triglyceride, LDL-c, HDL-c], systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured before and after the intervention. Data analyses were performed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences ver. 18.0, and the statistical tests included Independent t-test, Paired t-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and analysis of covariance. This trial was registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials [IRCT], No.IRCT138807062513N1. Eighty-four subjects [21 men and 63 women] aged 46.3 +/- 6.1 years completed the study. After 12 weeks supplementation, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were decreased in the group receiving brewer's yeast [4.1 +/- 1.5, P = 0.007 and 5.7 +/- 0.6, P = 0.001 respectively]. No-significant changes in LDL-c, HDL-c, Triglyceride and Cholesterol were shown. Supplementation with Brewer's yeast besides the usual treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus can reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressures in diabetic patients

Eicosapentaenoic acid improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar in overweight type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a double-blind randomised clinical trial

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disorder in humans, and its incidence is increasing rapidly worldwide. Although polyunsaturated fatty acids have beneficial effects on diabetes mellitus, previous data regarding the possible positive effects of n-3 fatty acids on glycaemic indices were inconclusive. We conducted a double-blind randomised clinical trial to determine the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, on overweight patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial was conducted on a total of 67 overweight patients with T2DM for a duration of three months. Of these 67 patients, 32 received 2 g purified EPA daily, while 35 received a placebo of 2 g corn oil daily. The patients' fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum insulin, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and insulin sensitivity indices were assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After three months of EPA supplementation, the group that received EPA showed significant decreases in FPG (p < 0.001), HbA1c (p = 0.01) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p = 0.032), when compared to the placebo group. EPA supplementation resulted in decreased serum insulin levels, with the levels between the EPA and placebo groups showing a significant difference (p = 0.004).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results of our study indicate that EPA supplementation could improve insulin sensitivity. It was able to decrease serum insulin, FPG, HbA1c and HOMA-IR. EPA could have beneficial effects on glycaemic indices in patients with T2DM.</p>