Annals of medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Effects of probiotics consumption on lowering lipids and CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
This meta-analysis examined the effect of probiotics on the reduction of lipid components and coexisting risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. All randomized controlled trials published in English on PubMed and Scopus from 2000 to 2014 were systematically searched. Using the PEDro scale to assess the quality of studies, a total of 15 studies with 788 subjects were selected for inclusion in the analysis. ⋯ Subgroup analysis revealed statistically significant effects of probiotics on total cholesterol and LDL when the medium was fermented milk or yogurt (P < 0.001) compared to capsule form, consumption was at least 8 weeks in duration (P < 0.001), and the probiotics consisted of multiple strains (P < 0.001) rather than a single strain. A significant reduction was found in LDL in trials which contained Lactobacillus Acidophilus strain (P < 0.001) compared to other types of strains. Our findings suggest that probiotic supplementation use is effective in lowering the lipid level and coexisting factors associated with cardiovascular disease.
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Meta Analysis
The association between job strain and coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
Studies about work stress and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) have yielded inconsistent results. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between job strain and the risk of CHD. ⋯ Individuals with high-strain and passive jobs were more likely to experience a CHD event. Intervention programs incorporating individual and organizational levels are crucial for reducing job strain and the risk of CHD.
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Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer with the majority of patients succumbing to chemotherapy-resistant disease. Unravelling the mechanisms of drug resistance and how it can be prevented or reversed is a pivotal challenge in the treatment of cancer. ⋯ This review explores the evidence that demonstrates that DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNAs are associated with inherent and acquired chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer and the current challenges associated with this. We also explore current epigenetic therapies used in patients with drug-resistant ovarian cancer and future potential targets.
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Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a life-threatening disease with an incidence of about 2.6-3.6 cases per 100,000/year. Depending on the site of rupture, AAD is classified as Stanford-A when the ascending aortic thoracic tract and/or the arch are involved, and Stanford-B when the descending thoracic aorta and/or aortic abdominal tract are targeted. It was recently shown that inflammatory pathways underlie aortic rupture in both type A and type B Stanford AAD. ⋯ An imbalance between the production of MMPs and MMP tissue inhibitors is pivotal in the extracellular matrix degradation underlying aortic wall remodelling in dissections occurring both in inherited conditions and in atherosclerosis. Among MMPs, MMP-12 is considered a specific marker of aortic wall disease, whatever the genetic predisposition may be. The aim of this review is, therefore, to take a close look at the immune-inflammatory mechanisms underlying Stanford-A AAD.
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Biological rhythmicity has been extensively studied in animals for many decades. Although temporal patterns of physical activity have been identified in humans, no large-scale, multi-national study has been published, and no comparison has been attempted of the ubiquity of activity rhythms at different time scales (such as daily, weekly, monthly, and annual). ⋯ These findings extend previous small-scale observations of daily rhythmicity to a large cohort of individuals from around the world. The findings also confirm the existence of modest weekly rhythmicity but not lunar or seasonal rhythmicity in human activity. These differences in rhythm strength have implications for the management of health hazards of rhythm misalignment.