Liver X Receptor as a Possible Drug Target for Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity.

blood-brain barrier (BBB) is made of specialized cells that are responsible for the selective passage of substances directed to the brain. The integrated BBB is essential for precise controlling of the different substances passage as well as protecting the brain from various damages. In this article, we attempted to explain the role of liver X receptor (LXR) in maintaining BBB integrity as a possible drug target.

Co-Administration of Vitamin E and Atorvastatin Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ Expression in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial.

Background: Negative effects of statins on glucose metabolism have been reported. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of co-administration of vitamin E and atorvastatin on glycemic control in hyperlipidemic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: A randomized double-blind clinical trial was conducted at Vali-e-Asr Teaching Hospital (Zanjan, Iran) from July 2017 to March 2018.

Association of the rs4646903 polymorphism with susceptibility and severity of coronary artery disease.

Given the significant physical, mental, and economic problems of coronary artery disease (CAD), it is important for communities to help reduce these costs. The Cytochrome P450 Family 1 Subfamily A Member 1) CYP1A1 (enzyme is known to cause coronary artery disease through various mechanisms. Therefore, it is important to investigate the polymorphisms that affect the activity of this enzyme.

Association of Serum Zinc and Vitamin A Levels with Severity of Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular disorder which occurs in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients due to chronic hyperglycemia. Previous studies reported that serum zinc (Zn) and vitamin A levels were associated with certain diabetic microvascular complications. However, the relationship between Zn and vitamin A levels with the severity of DR in type 2 diabetic patients is not clear.

Vitamin D status and its associations with components of metabolic syndrome in healthy children.

Aim: High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency has been reported in populations of different countries. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence and association of vitamin D status with components of metabolic syndrome.

Methods: Lipid profile indices, anthropometric indices [body mass index and waist circumference (WC)], insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), C-reactive protein, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration were evaluated in 297 healthy schoolchildren aged 7-11 years.

Comparative Proteomics Study of Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Nephropathy in Rats Kidneys Transfected with Adenovirus-mediated Fibromodulin Gene.

Background: Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) activation appears to be crucial for tissue injury in Diabetic Nephropathy (DN). Fibromodulin, the small leucine-rich proteoglycan, has been proposed to be the potent TGF-β modulator. In this study, the therapeutic effects of fibromodulin in the kidneys of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were investigated.

Defining a cutoff point for vitamin D deficiency based on insulin resistance in children.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a common worldwide problem. Low levels of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D], as a marker of vitamin D deficiency, have been linked to a wide field of health problems, including metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance, type 1 and type 2 DM. There is no universal definition for cutoff value of vitamin D deficiency and it seems that it varies in different populations.

A report of high triglyceride level in cord blood of Iranian newborns.

Background: Since cord blood triglyceride level have been reported very different in recent articles, the purpose of this study is determination of triglyceride level in cord blood of Iranian newborns and compare it with other reports.

Methods: In this study, cord blood of 174 healthy term newborn infants (97 girls, 77 boys) born from healthy mothers have been used. Triglyceride level has been measured by calorie metric method Statistical analysis was performed by independent t test, Mann-Whitney regression test and Spearman correlation coefficient method using SPSS 16 .

The relationship between retinol-binding protein 4 levels, insulin resistance, androgen hormones and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Background: Retinol-binding protein 4 (RPB4), a 21-kDa peptide, is a recently identified adipokine that may contribute to the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of this study was to explore the association between serum RBP4 levels, androgen hormones and insulin resistance (IR) in women with PCOS.

Methods: In this case-control study, 75 PCOS patients and 53 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched control subjects referred to the Zanjan Metabolic Disease Research Center were enrolled.

Multiple correlations between cord blood leptin concentration and indices of neonatal growth.

Background And Aims: The discovery of a role for leptin in controlling fetal and neonatal growth suggests a fetal origin of some adult chronic diseases and has stimulated research into the mechanisms of action of leptin early in life. The aim of this study was to determine umbilical cord blood leptin levels and to evaluate their association with newborn growth indices.

Methods: Two hundred healthy newborns (89 males, 110 females, and one of undetermined gender; gestational ages ranging from 34-43 weeks) and their healthy mothers were enrolled in this study conducted at Moovsavi Hospital in Zanjan, Iran.

Correlation of anthropometric indices with common cardiovascular risk factors in an urban adult population of Iran: data from Zanjan Healthy Heart Study.

The purpose of this study was to determine the anthropometric index that best predicts common cardiovascular risk factors. A total of 2768 individuals (1310 men and 1458 women) aged 21-75 years with full relevant data from the Zanjan Healthy Heart Study (a prospective study in Zanjan and Abhar, two main cities of Zanjan Province, Iran) were recruited. Common cardiovascular risk factors (TG, TC, HDL-c, LDL-c, fast blood sugar, blood pressure), anthropometric indices (BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR) were measured using standard process, and their correlated classification was evaluated by partial correlation and Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Complex formation between human kallikrein 13 and serum protease inhibitors.

Background: The kallikrein family is a group of 15 serine protease genes clustered on chromosome 19q13.4. Human kallikrein gene 13 (KLK13) is a member of this family and encodes for a trypsin-like, secreted serine protease (hK13).