The serotoninergic system has been implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia and other behavioral disorders.Association studies have focused on the tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene (TPH2) and the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2A gene (5-HTR2A).We genotyped two single-nucleotide polymorphisms, A1438G of 5-HTR2A and intronic rs1386494 of TPH2 in the Malay population, using a sample size of 289 schizophrenic patients and 130 healthy controls.We found a significant association of A1438G of 5-HTR2A with schizophrenia in Malays.On the other hand, TPH2 polymorphism was not associated with schizophrenia.This is the first genetic association study concerning schizophrenia in the Malay population.
The short-term and long- term effects of heated soy oil on bone metabolism in ovariectomised Sprague-Dawley rats were studied.Three-month-old female rats, were divided into five groups: normal control (NC); ovariectomised control (OVXC); ovariectomised and fed rat chow with added fresh soybean oil (SOF) or once-heated soy oil (SO1) or five-times-heated soy oil (SO5). Short-term parameters measured after one month were serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and osteocalcin. Long-term parameters measured after six months were the structural bone histomorphometrical parameters. Vitamin E content in the soy oil subjected to the different heating treatments were also measured.Rats in the SO5 group had higher levels of IL-6 after one month compared to the other four groups. Osteocalcin levels in the SO1 and SO5 groups remained high after treatment, while those in the NC and SOF groups declined. After six months, bone mass declined in the SO5 group. Vitamin E assay in the oils showed that levels of alpha-tocopherol decreased after heating the oil once and five times, while levels of gamma- and delta-tocopherols only declined after heating five times.Repeated heating of soy oil destroyed the tocopherols causing raised serum IL-6 and osteocalcin levels, leading to increased bone resorption and osteoporosis in the long term.
COVID-19 is now considered one of the world’s greatest challenges. The sale of wild animals at the seafood market in Wuhan, China appears to be the source of this zoonotic disease. During the COVID-19 pandemic, plant-based diets became a preferred diet choice for many people. In this paper, we discuss that trend toward a plant-based diet across the globe and some of the reasons for the shift. We note that there was a rise in plant-based food sales and a simultaneous decline in animal-based meat sales. Sales of meat and seafood plummeted for many reasons, including distrust in meat due to fear of virus contamination, price increases, and also for ethical reasons. Marketing strategies used by meat-alternative companies may have also played a role. While there has been an ongoing trend toward plant-based diets in recent years, that trend seemed to accelerate during the pandemic with more available vegan venues and places with vegan options. Another reason that some people may have started exploring plant-based eating during the pandemic is because of the belief that such healthy eating will boost immunity or provide some other health-related benefit. Plant-based diets are also more cost-effective than diets containing meat, fish, and dairy. We conclude that significant changes need to be made regarding the use of wild animals and livestock in order to prevent future pandemics of zoonotic origin. As the world’s population grows, zoonoses may occur with greater frequency. Encouraging the adoption of healthy plant-based diets around the world with a simultaneous reduction in the use of animals as a food source are necessary and vital steps to prevent future pandemics due to zoonotic disease.
Previous literature has reported that patients with diabetes in pregnancy (DIP) are at risk of developing antepartum depression but the results have been inconsistent in cohort studies. We conducted a systematic review and performed a meta-analysis to quantify the association between DIP and risk of antepartum depression in cohort studies. Medline, Cinahl, and PubMed databases were searched for studies investigating DIP involving pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus and their risk of antepartum depression that were published in journals from inception to 27 December 2019. We derived the summary estimates using a random-effects model and reported the findings as pooled relative risks (RR) and confidence interval (CI). Publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot and was quantified by Egger and Begg’s tests. Ten studies, involving 71,036 pregnant women were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled RR to develop antepartum depression was (RR = 1.430, 95% CI: 1.251–1.636) among women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Combining pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes mellitus, they had a significant increased risk of developing antepartum depression (RR = 1.431, 95% CI: 1.205–1.699) compared with those without it. In comparison, we found no association between pre-existing diabetes mellitus in pregnancy (RR = 1.300, 95% CI: 0.736–2.297) and the risk of developing antepartum depression. This study has a few limitations: first, different questionnaire and cut-off points were used in evaluation of depression across the studies. Second, there was a lack of data on history of depression prior to pregnancy, which lead to confounding bias that could not be solved by this meta-analysis. Third, data were dominated by studies in Western countries; this is due to the studies from Eastern countries failing to meet our inclusion criteria for statistical analysis. Women with gestational diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of developing antepartum depression compared to those without the disease. Therefore, more attention on the mental health status should be given on pregnant women diagnosed with pre-existing diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes mellitus.
A female patient in her 40’s of mixed Chinese-Indian ancestry was referred to our neurology clinic for frequent migraine with aura and CADASIL. She had been treated for acute encephalopathy in 2014. The incident led to her CADASIL diagnosis and later retinitis pigmentosa, both rare conditions. Initial clinical assessment showed moderate severity of migraine and normal cognitive function. As there is no specific treatment recommended for CADASIL, the patient was maintained on pharmacological therapies for secondary prevention of ischaemic stroke, treatment of seizure, symptomatic treatment for migraine and a cholesterol-lowering drug. A supplement containing Vitamin E (tocotrienols) was recommended. During the ensuing 5-years, there were no further neurovascular incidents and her migraine went into full remission.
Healthcare workers (HCWs) must be aware of the latest data supporting or refuting the use of oral dietary supplements (ODS) in order to disseminate evidence-based health information and help patients make informed decisions. Nevertheless, there is relatively scant data on the prevalence of dietary supplement use among HCWs, the types of dietary supplements recommended to patients by HCWs, and their reasons for recommending these products, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study examined the prevalence of ODS use among surveyed HCWs, considered the types of ODS used and recommended by those HCWs, identified the reasons given by those HCWs for using or not using ODS, and determined whether those HCWs were recommending or not recommending ODS to their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study targeted all HCWs working at a district hospital in Malaysia and was conducted via a self-administered online survey. The survey revealed that 67.3% of HCWs did not recommend ODS for patient use during the pandemic, despite 55.3% of HCWs reported personal use of ODS during the pandemic. Type of HCWs (P=0.001), monthly household income (P=0.019), prior ODS use (P<0.001) and recommendation of ODS to patients (P<0.001) were significantly associated with personal ODS use during the pandemic. Vitamin C was the most commonly used (81.3%) and recommended (95.0%) ODS. “To maintain overall health and wellness” was the most common reason for personal ODS use and recommendation to patients (83.3% & 79.2%). Given the increasing rate of ODS use during the pandemic, further research should be done so that evidence-based recommendations can be formulated to ensure patient safety.
The beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet on blood pressure (BP) control have been reported in previous systematic reviews; however, so far, their relative effectiveness is not well established. Here, we performed a systematic review together with trial sequential analysis to determine the effect of a vegetarian diet on the reduction of blood pressure. We searched the randomized controlled trial (RCT) through Medline, PubMed and Cochrane Central Register. Fifteen eligible RCTs with 856 subjects were entered into the analysis. The pooled results demonstrated that vegetarian diet consumption significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (weighted mean difference (WMD), −2.66 mmHg (95% confidence interval (CI) = −3.76, −1.55, p < 0.001) and diastolic BP was WMD, −1.69 95% CI = −2.97, −0.41, p < 0.001) as compared to an omnivorous diet. In subgroup analysis, a vegan diet demonstrated a greater reduction in systolic BP (WMD, −3.12 mmHg; 95% CI = −4.54, −1.70, p < 0.001) as compared with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (WMD, −1.75 mmHg, 95% CI −5.38, 1.88, p = 0.05). The vegan diet has showed a similar trend in terms of diastolic blood pressure reduction (WMD, −1.92 mmHg (95% CI = −3.18, −0.66, p < 0.001) but those with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet showed no changes in diastolic BP reduction (WMD, 0.00, 95% CI = 0.00, 0.00), p = 0.432). In conclusion, vegetarian diets are associated with significant reductions in BP compared with omnivorous diets, suggesting that they may play a key role in the primary prevention and overall management of hypertension.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -400)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -600)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -800)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -1000)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -1200)'/%3e%3cpath d='M0 0h1400v800H0z' style='fill:%23010066'/%3e%3cpath d='M576 100c-166.146 0-301 134.406-301 300s134.854 300 301 300c60.027 0 115.955-17.564 162.927-47.783-27.353 9.44-56.71 14.602-87.271 14.602-147.327 0-266.897-119.172-266.897-266.01 0-146.837 119.57-266.01 266.897-266.01 32.558 0 63.746 5.815 92.602 16.468C696.217 118.91 638.305 100 576 100z' style='fill:%23fc0'/%3e%3cpath d='m914.286 471.429-99.538-53.25 29.43 108.982-66.575-91.165-20.77 110.96-20.428-111.024-66.857 90.96L699.314 418l-99.701 52.943 74.065-85.192-112.8 4.441 103.694-44.62-103.555-44.94L673.8 305.42 600 220l99.538 53.25-29.43-108.982 66.575 91.165 20.77-110.96 20.428 111.023 66.857-90.959L814.97 273.43l99.702-52.944-74.065 85.193 112.8-4.441-103.694 44.62 103.555 44.94-112.785-4.79z' style='fill:%23fc0' transform='matrix(1.2738 0 0 1.2423 -89.443 -29.478)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'%3e%3cpath fill='%23012169' d='M0 0v30h60V0z'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' stroke-width='6' d='m0 0 60 30m0-30L0 30'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23C8102E' stroke-width='4' d='m0 0 60 30m0-30L0 30' clip-path='url(%23b)'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' stroke-width='10' d='M30 0v30M0 15h60'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23C8102E' stroke-width='6' d='M30 0v30M0 15h60'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)