Tehran University of Medical Sciences

About: Tehran University of Medical Sciences is a education organization based out in Tehran, Iran. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 35661 authors who have published 57234 publications receiving 878523 citations. The organization is also known as: TUMS.

A pilot double‐blind randomised placebo‐controlled trial of the effects of fixed‐dose combination therapy (‘polypill’) on cardiovascular risk factors

Abstract: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause ofdeath and disability worldwide and is presently lead-ing cause of death and disability in low and middle-income countries including Iran (1–3). Treatment ofCVD is expensive, with more than 98% of healthcare expenditure on CVD devoted to treatmentrather than prevention, (1,3), and such costs areincreasing as new therapies emerge (4). There istherefore a need for coherent strategies for CVDprevention in low- and middle-income countries.It has been established that there is a continuousrelationship between cardiovascular risk and bothblood pressures and cholesterol levels (5–8). As low-ering elevated cholesterol or blood pressure reducescardiovascular risk, it is therefore plausible that low-ering these risk factors from average levels wouldalso reduce cardiovascular risk (9,10). There isevidence that aspirin is effective in primary preven-tion of cardiovascular disease in individuals at highrisk (11). Incidence of cardiovascular diseaseincreases with age, therefore it has been arguedthat fixed-dose combination therapy (dubbed the‘polypill’) including antiplatelet agents, blood pres-sure-lowering and lipid-lowering drugs could reduceincidence of cardiovascular disease in middle-agedand older adults (12). The most novel aspect of thisproposal has been to offer treatment to individualswhose risk factors are below usual treatment levels,but who are nevertheless at high risk of cardiovascu-lar disease because of their age and gender. Thereare a number of issues to consider in choosing theexact formulation of a polypill, and a greater numberof active components promises greater effectiveness,but poses greater technical problems in develop-ing the polypill (13). As a result of this, a numberof variations of the polypill are currently under

The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Immunopathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease associated with painful joints that affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide, and for which no effective cure is available. It is characterized by chronic joint inflammation and variable degrees of bone and cartilage erosion. Oxygen metabolism has an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in many normal and abnormal processes in humans, including atheroma, asthma, joint diseases, aging, and cancer. TNF-α overproduction is thought to be the main contributor to increased ROS release in patients with RA. Increased ROS production leads to tissue damage associated with inflammation. The prevailing hypothesis that ROS promote inflammation was recently challenged when polymorphisms in Neutrophil cytosolic factor 1(Ncf1), that decrease oxidative burst, were shown to increase disease severity in mouse and rat arthritis models. It has been shown that oxygen radicals might also be important in controlling disease severity and reducing joint inflammation and connective tissue damage. In this review article, our aim is to clarify the role of ROS in immunopathogenesis of Rheumatoid arthritis.

Peptic ulcer disease, irritable bowel syndrome and constipation in two populations in Iran.

Abstract: Objective : To determine the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic constipation in two Iranian populations (pastoral nomads and industrial labourers) with different life styles, and to evaluate the risk factors associated with these diseases. Subjects : A total of 455 randomly selected pastoral nomads and 492 industrial labourers (all male) aged between 35-55 years. Methods : Demographic and social data were obtained by interviews. An upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy was performed and biopsy specimens were taken from subjects complaining of abdominal symptoms and randomly selected asymptomatic subjects. A urease test was performed on antral specimens. Serum pepsinogen I concentrations and Helicobacterpylori antibody titres were measured by radioimmunoassay and immunoglobulin (Ig) G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests, respectively. Results : Serum pepsinogen I concentrations were similar in both nomads and industrial labourers, and the percentage with positive antibody titres for H. pylori was high in both populations (86.3 and 91% in nomads and industrial labourers, respectively). Industrial labourers were twice as likely to have duodenal ulcer (P<0.05) than nomads. The prevalence of duodenal ulcer disease and gastric ulcer was 4.6 and 0.6% in nomads and 10.3 and 0.4% in industrial labourers, respectively. The prevalence of IBS was similar in nomads (3.1%) and industrial labourers (3.6%). Fewer nomads (1.4%) than industrial labourers (3.3%) had chronic constipation. Logistic regression analysis showed that being an industrial labourer, or smoker and having undergone previous non-gastric surgery were risk factors for duodenal ulcer disease. When the variable 'urease test' was included in the logistic regression analysis, smoking, a positive urease test and the quantity of fruit eaten per week were associated risk factors. The risk factors associated with IBS were the use of analgesics and back pain. The only risk factor associated with chronic constipation was being an industrial labourer. Conclusions : Industrial labourers were twice as likely to have duodenal ulcer disease as nomads. The prevalence of IBS and chronic constipation in the two male Iranian populations was lower than that found in western countries. Duodenal ulcer disease was associated with H. pylori colonization but not with a positive serum antibody titre for H. pylori. H. pylori colonization of the antral mucosa and smoking are causative factors for duodenal ulcer disease and fruit intake is possibly an associated factor.

Effect of daily consumption of probiotic yoghurt on insulin resistance in pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract: Effect of daily consumption of probiotic yoghurt on insulin resistance in pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial

Urinary 6β-hydroxycortisol: a validated test for evaluating drug induction or drug inhibition mediated through CYP3A in humans and in animals

Abstract: 6β-Hydroxycortisol (6β-OHF) urinary excretion has, for a long time, been considered a marker of drug induction and, more recently, of drug inhibition in humans and in laboratory animals, but its specificity is still under debate. In this work, we review 277 papers devoted to 6β-OHF urinary excretion. We have evaluated factors that could modify 6β-OHF excretion and, thus, could explain contradictory results. We have examined the effect of the analytical techniques on physiological values. Intra- and inter-individual variability and the effect of circadian rhythms on urinary excretion of 6β-OHF as well as cortisol and 17-hydroxycorticosteroids have been evaluated. We also give an overview of drugs that induce, inhibit or have no effect on 6β-OHF. For inducing and inhibiting drugs, we calculated the ranges of variation of 6β-OHF excretion from the results indicated in the different papers. This work was done for well-known inducers, such as anticonvulsants, but also for other inducing or inhibiting drugs found in the literature. The time-course of variation in 6β-OHF excretion when different drugs are co-administered was also investigated. The potential relationship between cytochrome P 450 3A4 (CYP3A4) polymorphism and 6β-OHF excretion was studied. Finally, the interest of 6β-OHF urinary excretion was compared with that of other tests proposed to measure CYP3A4 activity. This review demonstrates that 6β-OHF urinary excretion is a good test to evaluate drug-metabolising enzyme inducing or inhibiting properties of drugs when the subjects are their own controls, but this test is not reliable enough to measure actual CYP3A4 activity.