The association between early menarche and higher-risk cardiometabolic profile: a dose-response analysis of the Tabari cohort at enrollment phase.

Objectives: The association between age at menarche and higher-risk cardiometabolic factors is controversial and more strands of evidence are required. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of early menarche on cardiometabolic profile in a large-scale cohort population. Study design: Data collected in the enrollment phase of the Tabari cohort study were utilized for the present study. We analyzed data from 6,103 women aged 35-70 years. Logistic regression and dose-response (trend) analyses were used to investigate the effect of early menarche on prevalence of diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, high waist circumference (WC), high waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and high waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Results: The results of the adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that women who experienced early menarche had significantly higher odds of obesity (odds ratio: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.36-1.99, P for trend <0.001), high WC (odds ratio: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.07-1.67, P for trend = 0.035), high WHR (odds ratio: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.05-1.66, P for trend = 0.057), and high WHtR (odds ratio: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.22-2.74, P for trend = 0.006) compared to those aged ≥14 at menarche. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was also higher among women who experienced early menarche than in women aged ≥14 at menarche (79.9% vs. 76.6%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.098). Additionally, each year of earlier menarche was significantly associated with an increase in the chance of diabetes (by 5%), obesity (10%), high WC (5%), and high WHtR (13%). Conclusion: The present study showed that early menarche is a strong predictor for later development of obesity and diabetes, and for high WC, WHR, and WHtR. Among all factors examined, age at menarche had the greatest predictive power for WHtR. As an age-dependent anthropometric index for central obesity, WHtR is more suitable as an index for identification of individuals with increased cardiometabolic risk.

Prior short-term exercise prevents behavioral and biochemical abnormalities induced by single prolonged stress in a rat model of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that occurs following exposure to somatic or psychotic trauma. Physical activity is known to improve symptoms of certain neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the role of exercise on acquired PTSD-like phenotype was not examined. The present study investigated the effects of prior moderate treadmill exercise on anxiety-like behaviors, serum corticosterone and BDNF levels, hippocampal BDNF and mRNA expression of apoptotic - related proteins in the single prolonged stress (SPS) as an animal model of PTSD in rats. Male and female rats underwent a regular treadmill exercise regimen (4 weeks, 5 days per week). Following the exercise, rats were exposed to SPS (restraint for 2 h, forced swimming for 20 min and ether anesthesia), and then they were kept undisturbed for 14 days. After testing anxiety-like behaviours in the elevated plus maze, the levels of corticosterone and BDNF in serum and BDNF and apoptosis markers (Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase) in hippocampus were measured. Sedentary male and female SPS rats significantly (Ps ranging <0.05 to <0.0001) exhibited increased anxiety levels in the elevated plus maze, enhanced serum corticosterone, reduced serum and hippocampal BDNF and enhanced hippocampal apoptosis than the corresponding control group. Prior exercise significantly (Ps ranging <0.05 to <0.001) alleviated all SPS-induced behavioral and biochemical alterations as compared with the sedentary SPS rats. There were no significant differences in serum and hippocampal BDNF and serum corticosterone levels and hippocampal apoptotic markers between male and female rats in all of groups. Our findings strongly support that short term prior exercise training can prevent the harmful effects of traumatic events, and the resulting trauma-related disorders in both sexes.

Nature against Diabetic Retinopathy: A Review on Antiangiogenic, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Phytochemicals.

Background and Purpose. Diabetes mellitus (DM), hyperglycemia, and hypertension can result in diabetic retinopathy (DR), which is a major cause of blindness on a global scale. Development of DR is associated with decreased endothelial cells, increased basal membrane thickness, permeation of the retinal blood barrier, and neovascularization in patients. The purpose of the present review is to provide an overview of the findings regarding applications of phytochemicals for DR treatment and could be a beneficial resource for further clinical studies and also a basis for pharmaceutical purposes for drug design. Materials and Methods. A narrative literature review was performed from electronic databases including Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus to analyze the effects of different phytochemicals to prevent or treat oxidation, angiogenesis, and inflammation in diabetic retinopathy. The inclusion criteria were original studies, which included the effects of different phytochemicals on diabetic retinopathy. The exclusion criteria included studies other than original articles, studies which assessed the effects of phytochemicals on nondiabetic retinopathy, and studies which used phytochemical-rich extracts. Results and Conclusions. Studies have shown that increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, angiogenic, and oxidative stress factors are involved in the progression and pathogenesis of DR. Therefore, phytochemicals with their anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, and antioxidant properties can prevent DR progression and retinal damage through various cellular mechanisms. It is also shown that some phytochemicals can simultaneously affect the inflammation, oxidation, and angiogenesis in DR.