The association between self-reported nocturnal sleep duration, irregularity in daily energy intake and diet quality in a sample of Iranian adults.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence on the relationship between sleep duration and irregularity in daily energy intake with diet quality in Iranian adults is scarce. We aimed to evaluate the association of sleep duration with diet quality and irregularity in daily energy intake. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study was performed in healthcare centres in Tehran. PARTICIPANTS: 739 adults aged 20-59 years were recruited. Dietary intake was assessed by a FFQ and three 24-h dietary recalls. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015). An irregularity score of daily energy intake was calculated based on the deviation from the 3-d mean energy intake. Sleep duration was estimated using self-reported nocturnal sleep duration by each person. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 44·4 ± 10·7 years; 70 % were women. The mean nocturnal sleep duration, HEI score and irregularity score were 6·7 ± 1·22 h/d, 52·5 ± 8·55 and 22·9 + 19, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, sleep duration was not associated with adherence to HEI-2015 (OR: 1·16; 95 % CI 0·77, 1·74). Longer sleep duration was marginally associated with a lower odd of irregularity in daily energy intake. However, after adjustment for various confounders, this association was not significant (OR: 0·82; 95 % CI 0·50, 1·33; Ptrend = 0·45). No significant interaction was observed between sleep duration and irregularity in daily energy intake in relation to adherence to HEI-2015 (Pinteraction = 0·48). CONCLUSIONS: We found that sleep duration was not associated with adherence to HEI-2015 and irregularity in daily energy intake. Further prospective studies are warranted.

Association of main meal quality index with the odds of metabolic syndrome in Iranian adults: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common global issue linked to the quality of one's eating occasions. The current cross-sectional study evaluates the association between a novel index, the Main Meal Quality Index (MMQI), and MetS among Iranian adults. METHODS: A total of 824 men and women were recruited, and a 24-hour dietary recall assessed the dietary intake of the participants. Lunch was selected as the main meal based on energy density. The MMQI score was calculated based on ten components of dietary intake, with a higher score indicating more adherence to the index, with the final scores ranging from 0 to 100 points. The associations were assessed using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: The mean age was 42.2 years and the range of the calculated MMQI was 22 to 86 (mean in total participants: 56.62, mean in women: 56.82, mean in men: 55.64). The total prevalence of MetS in the sample was 34%. After adjustments for potential confounders, the participants at the top quartile of MMQI had a lower odds ratio for hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, and a higher odds ratio for hypertension, hyperglycemia, abdominal obesity, and MetS. The sex-specific analysis also did not show any significant associations between adherence to MMQI and MetS and its components. CONCLUSION: Overall, MMQI is not associated with MetS and its components in a sample of Iranian men and women. More research is needed to examine MMQI and its possible association with current health-related problems including MetS.

Association of chronotype with eating habits and anthropometric measures in a sample of Iranian adults.

There is a lack of consistency in the literature that shows a relationship between chronotype, habits of eating and obesity in Iranian adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 850 individuals aged ≥ 18 years, selected from health houses of Tehran, Iran. Chronotype was assessed by Horne and Ostberg morningness-eveningness questionnaire. Specific eating habits, including breakfast skipping, intakes of fruits and vegetables, fast food, processed meats, soft drinks, coffee and tea, were assessed by dietary recalls. Weight, height, BMI, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio, visceral adiposity index, body roundness index and body adiposity index were based on measured values. We used logistic regression to investigate the association between chronotypes and anthropometric measures as well as eating habits. Morning- and intermediate/evening-type chronotypes accounted for 51·4 and 48·6 % of the total individuals, respectively. Moreover, intermediate/evening-type chronotypes were shown to have a lower education of diploma (53 %), employed (49·9 %) and smokers (11·6 %) compared with morning types (both sexes). We found that intermediate/evening-type chronotypes might not be significantly related to higher anthropometric measures and following unhealthy eating habits after controlling for confounders in men and women (all P > 0·05). Overall, both anthropometric measures and specific eating habits were not related to chronotype among Iranian adults. Further studies are needed to clarify these relations and to consider sleep disturbances.

Habitual- and Meal-Specific Carbohydrate Quality Index and Their Relation to Metabolic Syndrome in a Sample of Iranian Adults.

Aim: Most studies on diet quality have focused on the habitual and overall intake of foods without considering intakes at specific eating occasions. This study aimed to assess the association between habitual- and meal-specific carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Iranian adults. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data from 850 participants were analyzed. Dietary information was obtained from a 3-day nonconsecutive 24 h recall. CQI was calculated from three criteria: dietary fiber, glycemic index, and solid carbohydrate/total carbohydrate ratio. The association between CQI and MetS was assessed by logistic regression. Results: The prevalences of MetS in the lowest and highest tertile of CQI were 30.1 and 33.7, respectively (P = 0.6). In habitual diet and all the three meals, we failed to find any significant association between tertiles of CQI and MetS either before or after adjustment for covariates. However, in the habitual meals [odds ratio (OR): 0.69, 95% CI: 0.47-0.96] and lunch meals (OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.47-0.94), the highest CQI in comparison to the lowest one, significantly decreased the low high-density lipoprotein (HDL). In addition, the trend of low-HDL with CQI in habitual meal and lunch meal was statistically significant. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that CQI was not associated with MetS and its components. Further investigations into the mechanisms underlying the role of carbohydrate quality in developing metabolic disorders are warranted.

Association of nightly fasting duration, meal timing and frequency with the metabolic syndrome among Iranian adults.

Accumulative evidence indicates that meal timing is associated with cardiometabolic risks by deteriorating circadian rhythms. However, evidence is unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relation between nightly fasting duration, meal timing and frequency and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Iranian adults. Eight hundred fifty adults were recruited in this study. Dietary data were collected by 24-h dietary recalls. Time-related eating patterns were determined as nightly fasting duration, occasions of eating, time and energy proportion of first and last meal and meal frequency on a day. The MetS was recognised on the basis of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. A binary logistic regression was applied to examine the relation between meal timing and MetS. A significant inverse relation between habitual nightly fasting duration with MetS (OR = 0·74, 95 % CI 0·55, 0·99, P = 0·04) and 'increased TAG' (OR = 0·73, 95 % CI 0·55, 0·98, P = 0·03) was found after confounder adjustment. Also, habitual first and last meal energy had no significant connection with MetS. However, the odds of 'increased fasting blood glucose' were lower in subjects who consumed ≥25% of habitual energy intake in the last meal (OR = 0·60, 95 % CI 0·42, 0·85, P = 0·005). Having longer nightly fasting duration may be useful for decreasing the risk of both MetS and 'elevated TAG'. These findings introduce a new insight that time-related eating patterns, instead of nightly fasting duration alone, might be related to cardiometabolic risks in Iranian adults.

Food Quality Score and Risk of Breast Cancer among Iranian Women: Findings from a Case Control Study.

The quality of foods we consume may be an important risk factor for breast cancer (BrCa); however, relations between quality of food metrics and BrCa risk have not been systematically investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between food quality score (FQS) by assessing the intake of healthy and unhealthy food and the odds of (BrCa) among Iranian women. This hospital-based case-control study was carried out on 150 women with pathologically confirmed breast cancer within the past three months and 150 healthy controls that were age-match from the Cancer Research Center, Imam Khomeini hospital, Iran. Participants were interviewed to obtain data relating to diet (using a 147-item validated FFQ) and BrCa risk factors. We found a significant association between adherence to the FQS and odds of breast cancer in the fully adjusted model (OR: 0.58; P = 0.04) and in premenopausal women in the fully adjusted model (OR: 0.45; P = 0.02); however, we did not observe any association between postmenopausal women in the adjusted model (OR: 0.76; P = 0.5). We also failed to observe any association between healthy (p = 0.3) and unhealthy subgroups (p = 0.3) of FQS. Our findings suggest that adherence to FQS may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in crude and adjusted models in overall and premenopausal women. However, we did not see any association between FQS and BrCa risk in postmenopausal women. Prospective cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2021.1957136 .

Dietary Carbohydrate Quality and Quantity and Risk of Breast Cancer among Iranian Women.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between quality and quantity of carbohydrate by assessing low carbohydrates diet score (LCDS), carbohydrate quality score (CQI), glycemic index (GI), dietary glycemic load (GL), and dietary carbohydrate intake, and risk of breast cancer (BrCa) among Iranian women. METHODS: This hospital-based case-control study was carried out in the Cancer Research Center of Imam Khomeini hospital, Iran. We included One hundred and fifty newly diagnosed BrCa cases and one hundred and fifty healthy controls in this study. Socio-demographic and dietary data and anthropometric measures were recorded. RESULTS: We found that a higher CQI than a lower score was associated with a decrease in odds of BrCa (P = 0.04). After adjusting for potential confounders, we observed that CQI was not associated with BrCa development (P = 0.05). An increase in odds of BrCa among women in the highest tertiles of GL (P = 0.12), GI (P = 0.48), and dietary carbohydrate intake (P = 0.06) was seen, which was not statistically significant. There was also a non-significant lower chance of having BrCa with adherence to the LCDS (P = 0.09). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that CQI was not related to BrCa risk among Iranian women. This relation deserves to be investigated in prospective studies.

Total and drinking water intake and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the association between water consumption and mortality is important for guiding consumers and prioritizing dietary guidelines to reduce the risk. Therefore, in the current study, we conducted a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to summarise the association between total water and drinking intake and risk of mortality from all causes and CVD. METHOD: A comprehensive search was performed on PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science up to February 2020. The random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled effect size (ES) and 95% confidence interval. RESULT: Seven prospective cohort studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. During the follow-up period of 6 to 19.1 years, 14 754 deaths (7611 from cardiovascular disease) occurred among 116 816 participants. No significant association was found between drinking water intake and all-cause mortality (ES: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.63-1.08, I2  = 77.3%, P = .16). Total water intake was not associated with all-cause mortality (ES: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.82-1.08, I2  = 66.5%, P = .41). However, a significant inverse association was seen between total water intake and risk of CVD mortality (ES: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.78-0.95, I2  = 0%, P = .002). Linear dose-response meta-analysis revealed a significant inverse association between total water intake and all-cause mortality by an additional one cup per day (pooled ES: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97-0.99, P = .001). Furthermore, each additional cup of total water intake per day was associated with a 3% lower risk of death from CVD (pooled ES: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98, P < .001). CONCLUSION: High consumption of total water is associated with a lower risk of CVD mortality. However, total water intake was not associated with risk of all-cause mortality.

Nitrate-nitrite exposure through drinking water and diet and risk of colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Considerable controversy exists regarding the association between nitrate intake and risk of colorectal cancer. Therefore, we performed a dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies. METHODS: We identified relevant studies by searching PubMed, Scopus and ISI Web of Knowledge until April 2020 and references of retrieved relevant articles. The random-effects model was used to calculate pooled effect size (ESs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Fifteen prospective cohort and case-control papers were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. In total, 2,573,524 participants with an age range between 20 and 85 years were included. The total number of colorectal cancer cases was 38,848. Intake of nitrate from diet was associated with a risk of colorectal cancer (Pooled HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.04-1.23, I2 = 38%; P = 0.08). Nitrite in diet was not significantly associated with risk of colorectal cancer (pooled HR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.95-1.21, I2 = 61.6%; P = 0.005). Nitrate in water did not show an association with risk of colorectal cancer (pooled HR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.92-1.19, I2 = 64.7%; P = 0.002). Non-linear dose-response analysis revealed no significant association of dietary nitrite and also nitrate of drinking water with risk of colorectal cancer. However, dietary nitrate was marginally associated with a greater risk of colorectal cancer. Linear dose-response analysis of nitrate from diet was not associated with colorectal cancer risk by an additional 50 mg per day. Such a non-significant association was also seen for colorectal cancer risk by an additional 1 mg per day and 1 mg/l from dietary nitrite and water nitrate respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary nitrate was related to a higher risk of colorectal cancer risk. However, intake of nitrite from diet and nitrate from the drinking water was not associated with colorectal cancer risk.

Association of Nutrient Patterns with Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in Iranian Adults.

We aimed to examine the association between nutrient patterns and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Iranian adults. In a cross-sectional study of 850 self-certified healthy women and men aged 20-59 years old, dietary data were assessed using three 24-hour recall. Anthropometric measures were done and blood samples were collected to measure serum fasting serum glucose and lipid profile. The MetS was defined using the International Diabetes Federation. Major nutrient patterns were identified using principle competent analysis. In the first nutrient pattern, the individuals in the fifth quintile had a higher intake of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, zinc, iron, saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and protein. In the second nutrient pattern, individuals in the first quintile had lower consumption of zinc, SFAs, vitamin E, α-tocopherol, oleic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, ß-carotene, linolenic acid, and monounsaturated fatty acids, compared to the fifth quintile. Furthermore, in the third nutrient pattern, the individuals in the fifth quintile had a higher intake of potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, calcium, protein, carbohydrate, vitamin C, and folate compared to other quintiles. We identified the second pattern had an indirect association with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar (p < 0.001 for all), and total cholesterol (p = 0.04) when it was controlled for body weight. Our findings showed that nutrient patterns may have an association with MetS components with mediating body weight.

Association between FTO gene polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus, serum levels of apelin and androgen hormones among Iranian obese women.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent studies show that FTO single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). On the other hand, many animal models and clinical studies have demonstrated that apelin, an adipocytokine, is related to the obesity and T2DM. Additionally, obese women are at risk of Hyperandrogenemia. So, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between FTO variants (rs763967273, rs759031579, rs141115189, rs9926289, rs76804286 and rs9939609) with T2DM, serum apelin and androgenic hormones in Iranian obese women. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 197 obese women (123 women with T2DM and 74 women as healthy control) were participated in this study. Anthropometrical and biochemical characteristics were measured. Serum apelin and androgen hormones levels were determined in 66 subjects consisting of 33 cases and 33 controls. PCR were carried out and subsequently, the PCR production was genotyped by Sanger sequencing assay. RESULTS: Our observations showed that all SNPs are related to T2DM. The rs9926289 FTO variant had a strong association with serum apelin and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate levels (P=0.04 and P=0.03, respectively) among SNPs. In addition, apelin and androgenic hormones were correlated with T2DM. Two polymorphisms including rs9939609 and rs9926289 had a strong Linkage disequilibrium (r2=1). CONCLUSION: FTO variants not only were associated with T2DM, but also some variants had a strong association with apelin and androgenic hormones profile.

Correlation of Resistin Serum Level with Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO) rs9939609 Polymorphism in Obese Women with Type 2 Diabetes.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to detect any association of fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) rs9939609 variant to metabolic and anthropometric parameters and resistin level as adipokines in Iranian obese women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Totally, 42 diabetic and 36 non-diabetic women were selected. The PCR amplicons of FTO gene were sequenced and metabolic, anthropometric parameters and resistin level were measured. RESULTS: Serum resistin concentrations were not different between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects (p>0.05), while resistin level in diabetic group with AA genotype was lower than that with other genotypes in the same group. In rs9939609 SNP adjusted analysis, insulin and HOMA levels were high in AA genotype. While levels of FBS and HbA1c were higher in AA and AT genotypes. In diabetic group, only TG showed significant difference among three genotypes and mean of TG was higher in TA genotype. No significant correlation between resistin and anthropometric and metabolic parameters was found except for DBP in diabetic patients. CONCLUSION: There was no significant association between rs9939609 and resistin serum level in type 2 obese diabetic women while percentile ranges (25th, 50th and 75th) of resistin concentrations was high in diabetic group.

MicroRNA profiling predicts a variance in the proliferative potential of cardiac progenitor cells derived from neonatal and adult murine hearts.

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) are multipotent cells that may offer tremendous potentials for the regeneration of injured myocardium. To expand the limited number of CPCs for effective clinical regeneration of myocardium, it is important to understand their proliferative potentials. Single-cell based assays were utilized to purify c-kit(pos) CPCs from human and mouse hearts. MicroRNA profiling identified eight differentially expressed microRNAs in CPCs from neonatal and adult hearts. Notably, the predicted protein targets were predominantly involved in cellular proliferation-related pathways. To directly test this phenotypic prediction, the developmental variance in the proliferation of CPCs was tested. Ki67 protein expression and DNA kinetics were tested in human and mouse in vivo CPCs, and doubling times were tested in primary culture of mouse CPCs. The human embryonic and mouse neonatal CPCs showed a six-fold increase in Ki67 expressing cells, a two-fold increase in the number of cells in S/G2-M phases of cell cycle, and a seven-fold increase in the doubling time in culture when compared to the corresponding adult CPCs. The over-expression of miR-17-92 increased the proliferation in adult CPCs in vivo by two-fold. In addition, the level of retinoblastoma-like 2 (Rbl2/p130) protein was two-fold higher in adult compared to neonatal-mouse CPCs. In conclusion, we demonstrate a differentially regulated cohort of microRNAs that predicts differences in cellular proliferation in CPCs during postnatal development and target microRNAs that are involved in this transition. Our study provides new insights that may enhance the utilization of adult CPCs for regenerative therapy of the injured myocardium.

Non-cardiomyocytes influence the electrophysiological maturation of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes during differentiation.

Various types of cardiomyocytes undergo changes in automaticity and electrical properties during fetal heart development. Human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs), like fetal cardiomyocytes, are electrophysiologically immature and exhibit automaticity. We used hESC-CMs to investigate developmental changes in mechanisms of automaticity and to determine whether electrophysiological maturation is driven by an intrinsic developmental clock and/or is regulated by interactions with non-cardiomyocytes in embryoid bodies (EBs). We isolated pure populations of hESC-CMs from EBs by lentivirus-engineered Puromycin resistance at various stages of differentiation. Using pharmacological agents, calcium (Ca(2+)) imaging, and intracellular recording techniques, we found that intracellular Ca(2+)-cycling mechanisms developed early and contributed to dominant automaticity throughout hESC-CM differentiation. Sarcolemmal ion channels evolved later upon further differentiation within EBs and played an increasing role in controlling automaticity and electrophysiological properties of hESC-CMs. In contrast to the development of intracellular Ca(2+)-handling proteins, ion channel development and electrophysiological maturation of hESC-CMs did not occur when hESC-CMs were isolated from EBs early and maintained in culture without further interaction with non-cardiomyocytes. Adding back non-cardiomyocytes to early-isolated hESC-CMs rescued the arrest of electrophysiological maturation, indicating that non-cardiomyocytes in EBs drive electrophysiological maturation of early hESC-CMs. Non-cardiomyocytes in EBs contain most cell types present in the embryonic heart that are known to influence early cardiac development. Our study is the first to demonstrate that non-cardiomyocytes influence electrophysiological maturation of early hESC-CMs in cultures. Defining the nature of these extrinsic signals will aid in the directed maturation of immature hESC-CMs to mitigate arrhythmogenic risks of cell-based therapies.

Cognitive impairment and transmitter-specific pre- and postsynaptic changes in the rat cerebral cortex during ageing.

Recent studies suggest that age-related cognitive decline is correlated with an excitatory-inhibitory imbalance in synaptic discharges on pyramidal neurons. This study focuses on whether ageing and cognitive status correlates with relative numbers of excitatory and inhibitory presynaptic boutons. We investigated the density of excitatory and inhibitory presynaptic inputs across several areas of the rat cerebral cortex in young and aged male Fischer 344 rats. Aged animals were segregated into aged cognitively impaired (AI) and aged cognitively unimpaired (AU) groups using the Morris water maze. We applied immunohistochemistry to reveal the majority of excitatory and inhibitory presynaptic boutons captured with confocal microscopy and quantitative image analysis. A gradual decline in the density of excitatory and inhibitory presynaptic boutons occurred from young to AU to AI animals; however, the ratios of excitatory to inhibitory presynaptic bouton densities were not significantly altered. We further investigated the density of receptor scaffolding proteins representing key excitatory and inhibitory receptor postsynaptic sites, using antibodies against specific markers of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic densities, respectively. Significant changes in the ratios of excitatory to inhibitory postsynaptic densities were observed only in AI compared to young rats.