Quality of life and asthma control in pregnant women with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the most commonly occurring respiratory illness during pregnancy. Associations with complications of pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcome have been established. However, little is known about quality of life (QoL) in pregnant women with asthma and how it relates to asthma control particularly for Iran. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between asthma related QoL and asthma control and severity. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study in pregnant women with asthma. We used the Asthma Control Questionnaire and the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) and the guidelines of the Global Initiative for Asthma for assessment of asthma severity. RESULTS: Among 1603 pregnant women, 34 were diagnosed with asthma. Of these 13 had intermittent, 10 mild, 8 moderate and 3 severe persistent asthma. There was a significant decrease of QoL with poorer asthma control (p = 0.014). This decline could be due to limitations of activity in those with poorer asthma control, which is underlined by the significant decline of QoL with increasing asthma severity (p = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Although the majority of pregnant women with asthma had a favorable score in AQLQ, reduced QoL was related to increased asthma severity and poor asthma control. This underlines the importance of controlling asthma during pregnancy not only for the prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes but also for the preservation of QoL.

The effects of high doses of vitamin D on the composition of the gut microbiome of adolescent girls.

BACKGROUND: Animal studies suggest that vitamin D can change the gut microbiome. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a high dose supplementation of vitamin D on the composition of the gut microbiome. METHODS: After DNA extraction, TaqMan assays were used for the quantitation of selected microbiome in the feces of 50 adolescent girls before and after vitamin D supplementation. RESULTS: The expression fold changes for Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were; 1.05, 1.20, 0.76, 0.28 and 1.50 respectively. Bacteroidetes and Lactobacillus fell by 72% (P < 0.0001) and 24% (P = 0.006) respectively, whilst Firmicutes and Bifidobacterium were increased by 1.5 (P < 0.0001), 1.2 (P < 0.0001) fold after supplementation. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that a high dose supplementation of vitamin D alter the human gut microbiome composition. Future studies are required for a better understanding of the mechanisms by which vitamin D affects the gut microbiome.

The efficient biogeneration of Ag and NiO nanoparticles from VPLE and a study of the anti-diabetic properties of the extract.

Vitex pseudo-negundo leaf extract (VPLE) is used to mediate the green biosynthesis of Ag and NiO nanoparticles in aqueous solutions under mild conditions. The synthesized nanoparticles, with a narrow size range and good distribution, are characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. SEM and TEM micrographs proved formation of mostly spherical or ellipsoidal nanoparticles with little agglomeration, and the average particle size was less than 20-35 nm for both types of nanoparticle. Then, the protective role of VPLE toward the liver is assessed in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. For this purpose, diabetes is induced in rats through the intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin, and VPLE is administered via oral gavage for 6 weeks. This study suggests that VPLE can ameliorate biochemical and structural changes in the livers of diabetic rats, showing that VPLE can improve the condition of rats with diabetic hepatopathy via a decrease in oxidative stress and an enhancement in the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the liver.

Photocatalytic efficacy of supported tetrazine on MgZnO nanoparticles for the heterogeneous photodegradation of methylene blue and ciprofloxacin.

MgZnO@SiO2-tetrazine nanoparticles were synthesized and their photocatalytic efficiency was demonstrated in the decomposition of ciprofloxacin and methylene blue (MB). This new heterogeneous nanocatalyst was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, UV-vis, DRS, FE-SEM, ICP, and CHN. Distinctive variables including photocatalyst dose, pH, and degradation time were investigated. Up to 95% photodegradation was gained under the optimum conditions (20 mg photocatalyst, 3.5 ppm MB, pH 9) by using MgZnO@SiO2-tetrazine nanoparticles after 20 min. An elementary kinetic study was carried out, and a pseudo-first-order kinetic with a reasonably high rate-constant (0.068 min-1) was derived for the MB decay. Photoluminescence (PL) studies confirmed that the photocatalytic activity of MgZnO@SiO2-tetrazine was almost consistent with the Taugh plots. Thus, it can be envisaged that the photocatalytic activity is closely related to the optical absorption. Furthermore, a photoreduction mechanism was suggested for the degradation process. Addition of scavengers and some mechanistic studies also revealed that O2˙- is the original radical accounting for the degradation of MB, considering this latter compound as a model type pollutant. Finally, efficacy of the present photocatalytic process was assessed in the degradation of ciprofloxacin as a model drug under the optimum reaction conditions.

Correction to: Prospective cohort study of pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in women with asthma.

In the original publication, the university name of the authors in the affiliations was published as University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran. The correct university name should read as Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran.

Prospective cohort study of pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in women with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the most common potentially serious medical complication in pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between maternal asthma and a spectrum of adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes. METHODS: Events during pregnancy and birth outcome were evaluated in 34 asthmatic as well as 1569 non-asthmatic pregnant women who were enrolled in a prospective cohort study undertaken at the antenatal clinics of Mobini Hospital in Iran. The women were interviewed and classified according to clinical severity and asthma control as per GINA guidelines. Information on asthma symptoms was collected by a questionnaire as well as by spirometry and physical examination. All subjects were followed until delivery, and postpartum charts were reviewed to assess neonatal and maternal outcomes. Eosinophil cells counts were obtained and total IgE was measured by ELISA. Results were assessed by multivariate logistic regression adjusting for maternal age and parity, and for birth outcomes, for gestational diabetes, and hypertension/pre-eclampsia. RESULTS: The well-known relationship between family history of asthma and asthma in pregnancy was again supported (p < 0.001). Women with asthma had more bleeding events 3 weeks or more before delivery (OR 3.30, 95% CI 1.41-7.26), more often placenta problems (OR 6.86, 95% CI 1.42-33.02), and gestational diabetes mellitus (OR 3.82, 95% CI 1.06-13.75). No significant differences between asthmatic and non-asthmatic mothers regarding duration of gestation, birthweight, low Apgar scores, or neonatal respiratory difficulties were found. Total IgE antibody levels and eosinophil counts did not differ by asthma control and severity. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma in pregnancy poses some risk for pregnancy complications and adverse perinatal outcomes. Managing asthma effectively throughout pregnancy could benefit women and their babies and help to reduce the health burden associated with asthma during pregnancy.

There is an association between serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations and depression score in adolescent girls.

BACKGROUND: Whilst there is evidence of an association between depression and inflammation in adults, there is limited data on this in adolescents particularly in non-westernized populations. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the association between serum hs-CRP level and depression score in adolescent girls living in northwestern Iran. METHOD: Serum hs-CRP was measured in 563 adolescent girls aged 12-18 years. Depression score was assessed using the Beck's depression inventory II (BDI-II). RESULTS: Serum hs-CRP was 0.61 (0.30-0.88) mg/L [median (interquartile range)] in the non-depressed group, 0.97 (0.50-1.82) mg/L in the group with a mild depression score, 1.04 (0.57-1.60) mg/L in those with a moderate depression score, and 0.84 (0.45-2.64) mg/L in girls with severe depression (Kruskal-Wallis test, P<0.001). It has shown that hs-CRP is significantly higher in depressed groups. Multinomial logistic regression analysis, controlling for age, BMI, waist circumference, social class, alcohol consumption, smoking or being passive smoker and recent infections, showed that depression scores were positively associated with serum hs-CRP level (OR=1.93, P<0.001). Using a linear model after adjustment, B (the unstandardized beta) of hs-CRP according to the depression score was 1.43, P<0.001. CONCLUSION: There is a significant association between serum hs-CRP and depression score in adolescent girls. The cross sectional study design does not allow us to conclude that there is a direct relationship between inflammation and depression, and this would need to be tested in an intervention study.

Severe Rosacea: A Case Report.

PURPOSE: To describe a case of severe rosacea with ocular involvement. CASE REPORT: A 28-year-old female patient presented with extensive facial and ocular eruptions. She had a history of treatment with oral prednisolone due to the clinical diagnosis of lupus erythematosus (LE), which had resulted in transient improvement of the lesions, but was followed by exacerbation of the lesions. With the clinical diagnosis of severe oculofacial rosacea, she was successfully treated with oral doxycycline, steroid eye drops, and ocular lubricants. Histopathological features of skin biopsy were consistent with rosacea in the context of infection with Demodexfolliculorum. After four years, a relapse of the oculofacial lesions occurred, for which retreatment with oral tetracycline, steroid eye drops, and ocular lubricants was administered. CONCLUSION: Rosacea can be extremely severe and disfiguring, and it can be misdiagnosed as the pathognomonic butterfly rash of LE. Demodex carriage in rosacea is consistent and may play a significant role in the severe forms.

A novel medium-throughput biological assay system for HTLV-1 infectivity and drug discovery.

OBJECTIVES: Here, a reporter cell line containing two reporter vectors were developed, in order to monitor the Human T-Lymphotropic Virus type1(HTLV-1) infectivity and the cell viability simultaneously. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The reporter cell line was constructed by stably transfected baby hamster's kidney cell line (BHK-21), with the genomes expressing two different reporters in separate plasmids. The first reporter gene is transactivated by the HTLV-1 tax protein, while the second reporter is continuously expressed when introduced into a mammalian cell. In order to show its functionality, the effect of the drug mix on HTLV-1 was assayed by this system and was compared to the results obtained by other methods. RESULTS: HTLV-1 reporter cell line was found to produce high level of luciferase when co-cultured with MT-2 and Hut-102 cells but not with Jurkat cell. Moreover, the combination therapy against HTLV-1 can reduce luciferase expression of the cell when co-cultured with MT-2 and Hut-102 comparable to the ELISA (R=0.932, P-value =0.002). In addition, the results revealed the superiority of the present system over the molecular methods. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that the biological assay system is a beneficial tool for the medium-throughput anti-HTLV-1 drug screening and inhibitory effect.

High Dose Supplementation of Vitamin D Affects Measures of Systemic Inflammation: Reductions in High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Level and Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) Distribution.

The prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency is increasing worldwide, which has be shown to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), autoimmune disease, and metabolic syndrome. These conditions are also associated with a heightened state of inflammation. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum C-Reactive Protein (CRP) level and Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) distribution in a large cohort of adolescent girls. A total of 580 adolescent girls were recruited follow by evaluation of CRP and hematological parameters before and after supplementation with vitamin D supplements as 9 of 50000 IU cholecalciferol capsules for 9 weeks taken at weekly intervals. At baseline, serum hs-CRP level was 0.9 (95%CI: 0.5-1.8), while this value after intervention was reduced to 0.8 (95%CI: 0.3-1.6; P = 0.007). Similar results were also detected for NLR (e.g., NLR level was 1.66 ± 0.72 and 1.53 ± 0.67, P = 0.002, before and after therapy with compliance rate of >95.2%). Moreover, we found an association between hs-CRP and BMI, triglyceride, white blood cell count, and lymphocytes. Interestingly we observed a significant reduction in neutrophil count and CRP level after high dose vitamin D supplementation. Our findings showed that the high dose supplementation of vitamin D affects measures of systemic inflammation: reductions in High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein level and Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) distribution. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4317-4322, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.