Diabetes mellitus is one of the most important threats to human health in the twenty-first century. The use of complementary and alternative medicine to prevent, control, and reduce the complications of diabetes mellitus is increasing at present. Glutamine amino acid is known as a functional food. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the potential role of glutamine supplementation on metabolic variables in diabetes mellitus. For this review, PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception through April 2020. All clinical trial and animal studies assessing the effects of glutamine on diabetes mellitus were eligible for inclusion. 19 studies of 1482 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of the 19 studies, nine studies reported a significant increase in serum GLP-1 levels. Also, eight studies showed reducing in serum levels of fasting blood sugar, four studies reducing in postprandial blood sugar, and triglyceride after glutamine supplementation. Although glutamine resulted in a significant increase in insulin production in seven studies, the findings on Hb-A1c levels were inconclusive. In addition to, despite of the results was promising for the effects of glutamine on weight changes, oxidative stress, and inflammation, more precise clinical trials are needed to obtain more accurate results. In conclusion, glutamine supplementation could improve glycemic control and levels of incretins (such as GLP-1 and GIP) in diabetes mellitus. However, more studies are needed for future studies.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are involved in the development of several age-related complications. The protective role of soluble receptors for AGEs (sRAGE) against deleterious effects of AGEs has been indicated in several studies. However, findings on the association of AGEs or sRAGE with mortality are equivocal. In this meta-analysis we aimed to present a quantitative estimation of the association between circulating AGEs or sRAGE and all-cause or cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. A comprehensive literature search was performed to determine relevant publications through the online databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to 29 November 2020. Prospective observational studies assessing the association between circulating AGEs or sRAGE and all-cause or CVD mortality were included. Seven studies with a total of 3718 participants and 733 mortality cases (345 CVD deaths) were included in the meta-analysis for assessing the association between circulating AGEs and mortality. Our results showed that higher circulating AGEs were associated with increased risk of all-cause (pooled effect measure: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.09; P = 0.018, I² = 77.7%) and CVD mortality (pooled effect measure: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.14; P = 0.015, I² = 80.2%), respectively. The association between sRAGE and mortality was assessed in 14 studies with a total of 16,335 participants and 2844 mortality cases (419 CVD deaths). Serum concentrations of sRAGE were not associated with the risk of all-cause mortality (pooled effect measure: 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.01; P = 0.205, I² = 75.5%), whereas there was a significant link between sRAGE and the risk of CVD mortality (pooled effect measure: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.04; P = 0.02, I² = 78.9%). Our findings showed that a higher serum AGE concentration was associated with increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality. In addition, higher circulating sRAGE was related to increased risk of CVD mortality. This review was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42021236559.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the intraovarian injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on ovarian reserve and reproductive outcomes in patients with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and poor ovarian response (POR). The study registered in the PROSPERO database adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched from inception to June 2024—23 studies included in the meta-analysis. A total of 1853 participants aged 29.8–45 years old were included in the meta-analysis. The human studies reporting the effect of intraovarian PRP injection on ovarian reserve indicators were included in the meta-analysis. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook or the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. The primary outcomes were serum levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), Estradiol, and antral follicle count (AFC), number of retrieved oocytes, metaphase II (M2) oocytes, and pregnancy and live birth rates. The pooled analysis of the included studies showed that intraovarian PRP injection significantly increased oocyte number (WMD: 0.97, 95% CI 0.58, 1.35, P < 0.001), M2 oocyte number (WMD: 0.80, 95% CI 0.33, 1.27, P < 0.001), AFC (WMD: 1.64, 95% CI 0.90, 2.38, P < 0.001), and AMH levels (WMD: 0.12 ng/mL, 95% CI 0.07, 0.17, P < 0.001) in women with POR. Besides, in women with POI, PRP injection significantly improved AFC (WMD: 1.33, 95% CI 1.19, 1.47, P < 0.001) and serum levels of FSH (WMD: − 15.68 IU/mL, 95% CI − 24.12, − 7.24, P < 0.001), AMH (WMD: 0.29 ng/mL, 95% CI 0.08, 0.49, P = 0.006), and LH (WMD: − 9.87 IU/mL, 95% CI − 15.23, − 4.51, P < 0.001). The meta-analysis revealed a pregnancy ratio of 0.21 and a live birth ratio of 0.18 in women with poor ovarian reserve after PRP injection. In women with POI, the figures were marginally lower, recorded as 0.138 for pregnancy and 0.10 for live birth, respectively. PRP may serve as an alternative therapy for POI and POR; however, further investigation is required to validate its efficacy and determine suitable candidates.

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) has long been the focus of interest due to its promising effects on cardiometabolic risk factors. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize findings from existing human intervention studies evaluating the effect of ALA on vascular function. We performed a systematic search in the PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of science electronic databases from inception until 1 July 2020. A total of 1106 records were identified from the database search, of which 12 were eligible: nine addressed chronic effects and three measured acute effects of ALA on vascular function. Of 11 trials that evaluated endothelial function by methods such as flow-mediated dilation (n = 7), reactive hyperemia (n = 2) and ACh-induced endothelium-dependent vasodilation (n = 2), 10 reported a significant improvement in endothelial function. In contrast, none of six trials examining the response of endothelium-independent vasodilation reported the favorable impact. The effect of ALA on arterial stiffness measures has been poorly studied. ALA appears to improve endothelial function through increasing the bioavailability of endothelium-derived nitric oxide as well as decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation. In conclusion, these results suggest improvement of endothelial function, but not endothelium-independent vasodilation as a potential mechanism by which ALA attenuates cardiovascular diseases.

The aim of the current study was to systematically review and quantify the findings of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of fermented soy products on anthropometric indices, body composition, and metabolic outcomes. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched to identify the relevant articles from inception until March 2024. The weighted mean differences (WMD) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated as effect sizes and analyzed using the random-effects method. A total of 2205 records were found, of which 15 RCTs were eligible. Results demonstrated significant beneficial effects of fermented soy on body mass index (WMD = −0.14 kg m⁻², 95% CI: −0.28, −0.01, P = 0.039), waist circumference (WMD = −1.50 cm, 95% CI: −2.94, −0.07, P = 0.04), visceral fat (WMD = −692.17 mm², 95% CI: −1011.58, −372.77, P < 0.001), fasting plasma glucose (WMD = −6.39 mg dL⁻¹, 95% CI: −10.38, −2.40, P = 0.002), and total cholesterol (WMD = −5.0 mg dL⁻¹, 95% CI: −6.60, −3.39, P < 0.001) compared with controls. However, the responses of other parameters to fermented soy were not significant. Overall, fermented soy may confer health benefits on certain metabolic outcomes, anthropometric indices, and body composition.