Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health concern in recent years mainly due to its adverse clinical outcomes. It is most commonly attributed to diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN). Among the several novel biomarkers discovered to detect impaired renal function, serum cystatin C (SCysC) has gained importance. Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare SCysC and serum creatinine (SCr) in CKD subjects and apparently healthy controls. Methods: This case-control study comprising of 120 diagnosed cases of CKD and 40 controls was conducted at a tertiary care hospital. SCr and SCysC levels were estimated using modified Jaffe’s method and particle enhanced immunoturbidimetric method, respectively. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using CKD EPI formula. Comparison of SCr and SCysC between cases and controls was done using Mann Whitney U test. Pearson’s correlation test was used to study the correlation between variables. Statistical significance was considered at P<0.05. Results: Both SCr and SCysC levels were higher in cases compared to controls (P<0.001). In the group comprising of Stage 1 and Stage 2 CKD subjects, all the subjects showed normal SCr levels, while 96.8% of the subjects showed elevated SCysC levels. SCysC (r=-0.800) showed better correlation than SCr (r=-0.724) with eGFR (P<0.001). A strong correlation was found between SCysC and SCr levels (r=-0.887, P<0.001). Conclusion: SCysC is a good indicator of renal dysfunction and may be used to screen patients with long duration of DM or HTN for CKD.

Background: Estrogen deficiency following menopause creates an imbalance in plasma micronutrient resulting in several degenerative pathological conditions, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, etc. Objectives: The present study was designed to compare zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and selenium (Se) concentrations between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods: In this descriptive study a total of 200 participants were classified into two groups of postmenopausal (age range: 46-75 years, served as experimental) and premenopausal (age range: 30-45 years, served as control). Each group consisted of 100 subjects. After obtaining informed consent from all participants, blood samples were collected from the antecubital fossa vein of each participant by venipuncture. The concentrations of Fe, Zn, and Se in each blood sample were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Results: No significant difference (P>0.05) was observed in serum Fe (114.24 ± 26.79 µg/dL), Zn (83.11 ± 20.45 µg/dL), and Se (41.99 ± 9.78 µg/dL) levels between the control and experimental groups. However, serum Fe and Zn showed progressive significant (P=0.04, 0.03, respectively) increase with increasing postmenopausal age. Conversely, serum Se concentration decreased significantly (P=0.03) with increasing menopausal age. Conclusion: Although no significant difference was observed in serum levels of Fe, Zn, and Se between pre- and post-menopausal women, the progressive significant increase in the serum Fe and Zn levels as well as significant decrease in serum Se level with advancing post-menopausal age portend a great risk.

Background: Hemoglobin (Hb), oxygen, carbon dioxide, and electron transporter of the body, may enter to an oxidation process that can convert oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb) to methemoglobin (metHb) and hemichrome. Surfactants can facilitate oxidation process that may accumulate hemichrome in red blood cells. Methods: In the present study, the interaction of purified Hb with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, 0-5 mM) and ascorbic acid (AA, 0-5 mM) was evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution techniques. Results: Reconstructed spectral and concentration profiles showed three forms of Hb name as oxyHb, metHb, and hemichrome with lack of fit values less than 1.85%. AA hindered the oxidation process of Hb. Conclusion: A decrease in critical micelle concentration of SDS in the presence of AA and interaction of AA with hydrogen peroxide, which is produced during the interaction of Hb with SDS, are two reasons for diminution in the oxidation process of Hb when accompanied with AA.

Background: Radium-226 is a radioactive element, with a very long half-life of 1600 years, producing radon gas. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, radon gas is the second most important factor causing lung cancer. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to separate 226Ra from the soil of high background radiation area by a radiochemical method for using in radon calibration chamber. Methods: 226Ra can be used in standard calibration chambers for calibration of radon detection systems. For this purpose, radiochemical method was used to extract radium from the soil with a high concentration of 226Ra. Four soil samples used in this study were selected from high background radiation areas of Ramsar, north of Iran. Equal amounts of samples were gathered from each region and ground. The specific activity of radium-226 was measured with HPGe detector. The highest specific activity of radium-226 (44.8 Bq/g) belonged to Talesh-Mahaleh. After radiochemical separation of 226Ra, the specific activity of extracted radium crystals was measured with the HPGe detector. Results: According to the results, the specific activity of 226Ra was found to be 94.97 Bq/g. Therefore, the specific activity of 226Ra was 2.12 times greater in the extracted crystals than in the original soil samples. Conclusion: The results indicate that using the radiochemical method proposed in this study, 226Ra can be extracted with an efficiency of 42%

ANGPTL8, a new hormone, is regarded as a novel target for type-2 diabetes and associated metabolic disorder. Nutritional state and hormonal factors are involved in the regulation of ANGPTL-8 expression. This protein is associated with some myokines or adipokines. Several studies confirmed the function of ANGPTL-8 in glucose metabolism and diabetes complications; however, there are opposite results. The accurate function of ANGPTL-8 in T2D remains unclear. Further strictly controlled studies including measuring methods, nutritional state, diagnostic criteria of overweight/obesity, age, and ethnicity may help to resolve discrepancies. In addition, more studies are demanded to clarify the potential role of ANGPTL-8 in humans, a cause or an effect of this protein in association with insulin resistance, the regulatory mechanism of ANGPTL-8 expression, and the association of ANGPTL8 with other adipokines or myokines. In this mini review, we described various roles of ANGPTL-8 in diabetes.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of resistance, endurance, and concurrent exercise on oxidative stress markers and histological changes of the intestine after morphine withdrawal in rats. Methods: A total of 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=6) including healthy control, withdrawal (rat received morphine for 21 days and 8 weeks of withdrawal period), withdrawal + endurance exercises, withdrawal + resistance exercises, and withdrawal + concurrent exercises. The rats practiced endurance, resistance, and concurrent exercises for 10 weeks. Then, their intestines were removed and used for biochemical and histological analysis. Next, several factors were measured such as total protein levels, malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total oxidant status (TOS). Finally, the morphological alteration of intestine was examined under the light microscope. Results: Morphine withdrawal significantly increased the levels of MDA in the intestine of withdrawal rats compared to those of the control group while endurance, resistance, and concurrent exercise reduced the MDA levels in the intestine. In addition, morphine withdrawal led to a decrease in TAC and GSH levels in the intestine compared to control rats whereas endurance, resistance, and concurrent exercise noticeably increased TAC and GSH levels. Interestingly, the change in the concurrent group was more significant. Moreover, the levels of TOS demonstrated a significant increase in the addicted rat as compared to the control group. Conversely, endurance, resistance, and concurrent exercise significantly decreased TOS levels and the reduction was more significant in the concurrent group. Finally, the intestine of withdrawal rat was morphologically abnormal while it restored by the exercise. Conclusion: Overall, endurance, resistance, and concurrent exercise significantly normalized oxidative stress and the morphological changes of the intestine in withdrawal rats.

Background: Electrophoresis of serum proteins is an orientation examination routinely used in clinical practice. For a few years, agarose gel electrophoresis has tended to be replaced with capillary electrophoresis owing to an increase in the accuracy of results. However, this technique is uncommon and is not widely used in Cameroon. Objectives: The research aimed at studying the electrophoretic profile of serum proteins using capillary technique among patients attending the Douala General Hospital, Cameroon. Methods: Capillary electrophoresis was used to carry out tests on blood samples from any inpatients and outpatients and fasting for 8-12 hours. Capillary electrophoresis of serum samples was used for the separation of proteins into six fractions and the total protidemia of each serum samples was determined using the Biuret method. Results were interpreted by observing the shape of curves and quantitative variations in each fraction of the different serum proteins. Results: A total of 311 patients participated in the study. The sampled population aged 50±18 years on average and consisted of 55.3% men and 44.7% women. All capillary electrophoresis profiles presented six protein fractions, namely, albumin, alpha (1 and 2), beta (1 and 2) and gamma globulins. Pathological disorders were diagnosed in 290 patients and 21 patients had normal results. Inflammatory syndromes accounted for 63.34% and monoclonal gammopathies for 10.29% the main pathological disorder identified. Conclusion: Capillary electrophoresis provides a more precise identification of biological syndromes and clear distinction of the six fractions of each protein. Monoclonal profiles and inflammatory syndromes were well detected. A prevalence of 10.29% was determined for gammopathies.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a main cause of liver disease and its global prevalence is estimated to be 24%. At present no approved medicines are available for NAFLD treatment. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a significant regulator of energy balance, show potential efficacy in the management of NAFLD. GLP-1 and GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RAs) are attractive options for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) since they efficiently reduce weight, HbA1C and blood glucose without having a risk of hypoglycaemia. This incretin hormone by normalizing of insulin resistance (IR), oxidative stress, lipid accumulation, lipotoxicity, and liver cell apoptosis is proposed for the management of NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patient. Hence, the aim of this review was to discuss the useful effects of GLP-1, GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RAs) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) on NAFLD. In this paper we provided a new finding which highlighted the role of GLP-1 and GLP-1RAs in the treatment of NAFLD.

Background: Vitamin D level can affect pulmonary function in patient who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objectives: There are few studies that assess this subject, so we investigate the relation of Vitamin D and COPD. Materials and Methods: A case-control study was conducted among the patients referred to the pulmonology clinic of Shahid Beheshti hospital of Hamadan, in which 68 of patients were assigned into the case group with COPD and 68 patients into the control group. Both groups were evaluated for respiratory differences as clinical or laboratory and the blood level of vitamin D was measured. Results: Of 136 evaluated participants with the mean age of 58.83 years old, 68 patients were studied as case group consisting of 2 females and 66 males. The results suggested that the serum level of vitamin D in COPD patients and control group patients were 22.22 ± 15.83 ng/mL and 27.47 ± 21.43 ng/mL, respectively. It was also found that there was a positive correlation between lung function and serum level of vitamin D in COPD. The greater the severity of COPD (forced expiratory volume in the first second [FEV1] lower level) was, the more the vitamin D deficiency was seen. It was also clarified that there was an indirect correlation between the serum level of vitamin D in COPD patients and body mass index (BMI). Conclusions: Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in COPD patients was more than that in control group patients. Due to the growing prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in such patients, any use of vitamin D maybe suggested.

Background: Metals like copper, iron and zinc have been suggested to modulate free radical generation and carcinogenesis. In lieu of these observations, estimation of these metals is vital and most studies have been with the blood. Objectives: In the present study we estimated the levels of these metals in both serum and saliva of the head and neck (H&N) cancer patients and compared it with healthy age-matched control group. A correlation between the levels of these metals in the serum and saliva of respective H&N cancer patient was also assessed. Materials and Methods: The subjects of this study were the clinically confirmed cases of H&N cancers visiting the Oncology Department of Medical College Hospital for treatment. Age and sex-matched healthy individuals were included as control group. The levels of iron, copper and zinc were estimated in whole saliva and serum by standard spectrophotometric methods. Results: When compared to the controls, the levels of iron and copper were higher in serum and saliva was high in the H&N cancer patients and statically significant (P=.0002 to P=.0001). On the contrary, there was a decrease in the levels of zinc but was not significant. There was significant correlation between serum and saliva with respect to the levels of iron, copper and zinc in H&N cancer patients and was statically significant (P=.0001). Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated the role of metals in etiopathogenesis of H&N cancer. An assessment of the levels of metals in cancer patients might have prognostic and therapeutic implications. This study observed a significant positive correlation between serum and saliva which will go a long way in establishing saliva as a diagnostic tool complimentary to blood.