Pomegranate extract alleviates disease activity and some blood biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Since the main characteristics of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) are joint dysfunction caused by inflammation and serious pain, anti-inflammatory agents may alleviate the clinical symptoms in RA. Pomegranate juice is rich in polyphenolic compounds that possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study aimed to determine the beneficial effects of pomegranate extract (POMx) in RA patients. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 55 RA patients were enrolled and randomly allocated to an intervention group (n=30) or a control group (n=25). The intervention group received 2 capsules of 250 mg POMx and the control group 2 capsules of 250 mg cellulose per day for 8 weeks. At the beginning of the study and after 8 weeks, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28 were completed and serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), matrix metalloproteinases 3 (MMP3), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were analyzed using standard methods and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the placebo group, POMx supplement significantly reduced the score of DAS28 (P<0.001) which could be related to the decrease in swollen (P<0.001) and tender joints (P=0.001) count, pain intensity (P=0.003) and ESR levels (P= 0.03). POMx consumption also decreased HAQ score (P=0.007) and morning stiffness (P=0.04) and increased GPx concentrations (P<0.001). There were no differences in the change in mean MMP3, CRP and MDA levels between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: POMx alleviates disease activity and improves some blood biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in RA patients.

Patient manual handling risk assessment among hospital nurses.

BACKGROUND: Manual patient handling is known to be the major source of musculoskeletal load among hospital nurses. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), assess patient manual handling risk and identify major factors associated with MSDs symptoms among hospital nursing staff. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 randomly selected nurses from 75 wards of 11 hospitals. Data were collected by demographic and Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaires together with MAPO checklist. Prevalence of MSDs was estimated with confidence interval of 95%. Chi-square test and independent sample t-test were used to investigate differences of MSDs prevalence for demographic variables between the subjects with and without MSDs. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed (forward: Wald) to determine MSDs associated risk factors. RESULTS: The means of age and job tenure in subjects were 30.76 ± 6.44 and 6.92 ± 5.75 years, respectively. Some form of musculoskeletal symptoms had been experienced during the last 12 months by 88.2% of the subjects. MAPO assessment revealed that 83.5% of the individuals were at risk. Statistical analysis showed that job tenure, nurse to bed ratio, gender, shift working and MAPO score were associated with MSDs (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of MSDs in hospital nursing personnel was high and the occurrence of MSDs was found to be associated with MAPO score. Based on the results, to improve working conditions, it is imperative to provide lifting equipment, implement training programs and increase nurse to bed ratio in hospitals.

High prevalence of HCV coinfection in HIV-infected individuals in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran.

We carried out a cross-sectional survey in Shiraz to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 1 444 individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We also determined the risk factors for this coinfection. Demographic and behavioural data were obtained using a standard questionnaire. The prevalence of HIV-HCV coinfection was 78.4% (95% CI: 76.3-80.5). Intravenous drug use (OR = 7.2; 95% CI: 4.9-10.6), imprisonment (OR = 6.9; 95% CI: 4.6-10.4), tattooing in prison (OR = 2.61; 95% CI: 1.4-4.8), tattooing out of prison (OR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.3-3.1) and age (OR = 1.02 with increasing each year of life; 95% CI: 1.0-1.04) were significantly associated with HCV-HIV coinfection. Prevalence of HCV-HIV coinfection is high in Shiraz. Intravenous drug use and imprisonment are the main risk factors for this coinfection. Therefore, serious implementation of HIV and HCV testing, education, prevention, care and treatment programmes and evaluation of harm reduction programmes in prisons are very important.