Evaluation of adropin level and insulin resistance in non-alcoholic fatty liver patients: a meta-analysis of studies.

Objective: The recently discovered protein adropin is a highly conserved polypeptide that plays critical functions in energy homeostasis, metabolic processes, fat metabolism, and insulin resistance. On the other hand, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a medical condition that causes the buildup of fat in the liver cells in individuals who consume little or no alcohol. The frequency of NAFLD is rising globally, and it is frequently linked to obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

Apolipoprotein E Genetic Variant and Blood Lipid Responses to Plant Sterols: A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis of Clinical Trials.

Plant sterols/stanols are effective cholesterol-lowering agents. However, it is unclear whether the apolipoprotein E () genetic variants influence it. We investigated whether genetic variants modulate the responses of blood lipids to dietary intervention plant sterols/stanols in adults and if the intervention dose and duration, as well as the age and status of participants, influence this effect.

Are we ready yet for digital transformation? Virtual versus on-campus OSCE as assessment tools in pharmacy education. A randomized controlled head-to-head comparative assessment.

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has influenced pharmacy education including learning, assessment, and exams. In the UAE, pharmacy instructors have adapted several innovative teaching methods to strive for quality learning outcomes. The current trial presented a head-to-head comparative assessment between on-campus versus virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) with examiners' and students' perspectives.

Association of obesity with COVID-19 diseases severity and mortality: A meta-analysis of studies.

Background: The literature on COVID-19 infection is growing every single day, and evidence of presence or absence of association between obesity and COVID-19 adverse outcomes should be revisited. Therefore, this study summarizes the pooled association of obesity with COVID-19 adverse outcomes and mortality.

Methods: We searched PubMed and Science direct databases using specific terms and defined criteria.

Associations of pre-existing cardiovascular morbidity with severity and the fatality rate in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of pre-existing cardiovascular comorbidities, including hypertension and coronary heart disease, with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and mortality.

Methods: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus were searched between January 1, 2020, and July 18, 2020, to identify eligible studies. Random-effect models were used to estimate the pooled event rates of pre-existing cardiovascular disease comorbidities and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of disease severity and mortality associated with the exposures of interest.

The ratio of eicosapentaenoic acid to docosahexaenoic acid as a modulator for the cardio-metabolic effects of omega-3 supplements: A meta-regression of randomized clinical trials.

Background: A large number of studies have demonstrated the effects of omega- 3 supplements containing mixtures of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), known to favorably affect many modifiable risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD). These studies have used diverse ratios and doses of EPA and DHA. However, it is not known whether the ratio of EPA to DHA in omega-3 supplements affect their efficacy as modulators for cardiovascular risk factors.

The relationship between kidney stones and dietary habits.

Background: Kidney stones are considered a serious disease, due to the great discomfort that they can cause and may even lead to renal failure. Dietary habits could be the reason behind stone formation in kidneys.

Methods: Twelve kidney stone samples were collected and analyzed together with typical foodstuffs frequently consumed in the Koya area using the x-ray fluorescent technique.

Triacylglycerol-Lowering Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid Is Not Influenced by Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Involved in Lipid Metabolism in Humans.

The triacylglycerol (TAG)-lowering effects of long-chain n-3 fatty acids, and in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are well documented, although these effects manifest large interindividual variability. The objective of this secondary analysis is to investigate whether common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in genes involved in DHA synthesis and TAG metabolism are associated with the responsiveness of blood lipids, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein concentration to dietary treatment by DHA supplied in high-oleic canola oil (HOCO). In a randomized, crossover-controlled feeding trial, 129 subjects with metabolic syndrome received high-oleic canola oil (HOCO) and high-oleic canola oil supplemented with DHA (HOCO-DHA), each for 4 weeks.

Dietary patterns and the risk of coronary heart disease among Jordanians: A case-control study.

Background And Aims: Dietary pattern and lifestyle have been reported to be significant risk factors in the development of coronary heart diseases (CHD). The contribution degree of these dietary risk factors in CHD development in non-westernized countries is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate several dietary choices and their potential association with CHD.

Risk factors for coronary artery disease in patients undergoing elective coronary angiography in Jordan.

Background: Unhealthy lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, inactivity and type 2 diabetes are endemic in the Middle East. The public health consequences might be detrimental; however, local studies on risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) are scarce.

Methods: Patients referred for coronary angiography at a tertiary hospital in Amman, Jordan, between January and December 2015, were included in this study.

Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid containing supplements modulate risk factors for cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomised placebo-control human clinical trials.

Background: Over 200 clinical trials have examined the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplements on risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. However, an updated analysis of the evidence is lacking. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to quantify the effect of supplements containing EPA and DHA on risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Association between mass media and body weight concern among Jordanian adolescents' residents of Amman: the role of gender and obesity.

Objectives: Body image in the mass media promotes an unrealistic picture of body shape that leads to body dissatisfaction among adolescentsQuery. Therefore, the study presented in this paper aimed to assess the association between mass media and adolescents' weight concerns and perceptions of body weight and shape.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on school adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years during the academic year 2013-2014.

Meats, milk and fat consumption in colorectal cancer.

Background: Data from several studies suggest that a diet high in meat, including processed meat and fat, may have an association with the development of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between meats, dairy products, fat consumption and the risk of CRC in Jordanians. A case-control study was performed at the five largest hospitals in Jordan.

Dietary patterns and colorectal cancer.

Background & Aims: Dietary pattern and lifestyle have been reported to be important risk factors in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanism of action of dietary factors in CRC disease is unclear. The aim of this study is the examination of several dietary choices and their potential association with the risk of developing CRC.

Macro- and micronutrients consumption and the risk for colorectal cancer among Jordanians.

Objective: Diet and lifestyle have been reported to be important risk factors for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the association between total energy and nutrient intake and the risk of developing CRC has not been clearly explained. The aim of our study is to examine the relationship between total energy intake and other nutrients and the development of CRC in the Jordanian population.

Fruit and vegetable intake among Jordanians: results from a case-control study of colorectal cancer.

Background: Diets that include fruits and vegetables have been suggested as one way to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the association between consuming fruits and vegetables and CRC risk is not clear. The objective of the present study is to compare fruit and vegetable intake between 2 groups of Jordanians and further investigate this possible relationship.

Methods: A history of fruit and vegetable consumption was obtained from 220 people with CRC and 281 healthy controls, all of whom were from Jordan.

Implementing phytosterols into medical practice as a cholesterol-lowering strategy: overview of efficacy, effectiveness, and safety.

More than 200 clinical trial reports and several meta-analyses have demonstrated that phytosterols (PSs), natural components of plants, induce clinically relevant reductions in blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Here we review data regarding the biochemical effects and potential cardiovascular benefit of PSs as part of the dietary management of dyslipidemia. In addition to discussing the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of PSs as hypocholesterolemic agents, this review provides an overview of PSs as an adjunctive therapy to cholesterol-lowering pharmaceuticals.

Dietary habits and physical activity levels in Jordanian adolescents attending private versus public schools.

The present study examined differences in dietary habits and physical activity levels between students attending private and public high schools in Jordan. A total of 386 secondary-school males and 349 females aged 14-18 years were randomly recruited using a multistage, stratified, cluster sampling technique. Dietary habits and physical activity level were self-reported in a validated questionnaire.

Nutrient intake and lifestyle factors by diabetes status of Circassians and Chechans in Jordan.

Objectives: Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in Jordan. However, little is known about nutrient intakes of minority groups in Jordan with and without diabetes. Our study aimed to examine if the intake of energy, macronutrients and some micronutrients differed between normal and diabetic adults among Circassians and Chechans in Jordan.

Validation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess macronutrient and micronutrient intake among Jordanians.

The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among a convenience sample of healthy adults in Jordan. A modified version of the questionnaire known as Diet History Questionnaire I, which measures dietary intakes over a 1-year period, was administrated to 101 apparently healthy men and women recruited from three large medical centers in Jordan. Fifty-five participants completed the modified FFQ and three 24-hour recalls.

Physical inactivity, water intake and constipation as risk factors for colorectal cancer among adults in Jordan.

Background: Physical activity has been found to play a role in cancer prevention. The purpose of this matched case-control study was to investigate the association between physical activity levels, water intake, constipation and colorectal cancer (CRC).

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and thirty-two patients diagnosed with CRC (125 male, 107 female) were enrolled in this case-control study.

Cholesterol-lowering efficacy of plant sterols/stanols provided in capsule and tablet formats: results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Plant sterols/stanols-enriched foods possess well-documented low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol-lowering effect. However, the relative efficacy of plant sterols/stanols as supplements (tablets/capsules) compared with other dietary forms still needs to be determined. Our aim was to precisely identify and quantify the LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols/stanols as supplements in contrast to food-based approaches.

β-glucan from barley and its lipid-lowering capacity: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials.

Background/objectives: To more precisely quantify the effect of barley β-glucan on blood lipid concentrations in humans and to examine the factors that could affect its efficacy.

Subjects/methods: Eleven eligible randomized clinical trials published from 1989 to 2008 were identified from nine databases. Weighted mean effect sizes were calculated for net differences in lipid profile using a random effect model (RevMan 4.

Optimizing clinical trial design for assessing the efficacy of functional foods.

Randomized clinical trial data are capable of providing strong experimental evidence to establish causal relationships between functional food components and health and disease/disease risk. However, clinical studies must be well designed in order to optimize the quality of the data they provide. The purpose of this review is to identify design elements that maximize the quality of clinical trials examining the efficacy of functional foods.