Background: An assessment of an individual’s hypertension self-care behavior may provide clinicians and practitioners with important information regarding how to better control hypertension. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the self-care behaviors of hypertensive patients. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 in a sample of 1836 patients of both genders who had been diagnosed with hypertension in urban and rural health centers in the Kohgiluyeh Boyerahmad Province in southern Iran. They were randomly selected and were invited to participate in the study. Self-care activities were measured using the H-hypertension self-care activity level effects. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 63 (range: 30 - 92), and 36.1% reported adherence to the recommended levels of medication; 24.5% followed the physical activity level guidelines. Less than half (39.2%) met the criteria for practices related to weight management, and adherence to low-salt diet recommendations was also low (12.3%). Overall, 86.7% were nonsmokers, and 100% abstained from alcohol. The results of a logistic regression indicated that gender was significantly associated with adherence to physical activity (OR = 0.716) and non-smoking (OR = 1.503) recommendations; that is, women were more likely to take part in physical activity than men. There was also a significant association between age and adherence to both a low-salt diet (OR = 1.497) and medication (OR = 1.435). Conclusions: Based on our findings, it is crucial to implement well-designed educational programs to improve hypertension self-care behaviors. Keywords: Self-Care; Hypertension; Behavior; Patient

Salehi P, et al. Clin Exp Reprod Med. 2017 Mar;44(1):22-27. https://doi.org/10.5653/cerm.2017.44.1.22

Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between a vegetarian diet and risk of depression, but because of inconsistency between studies, the exact association remains unclear. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the relationship between vegetarian diets and risk of depression in observational studies was evaluated. The Medline, Embase, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception through September 1, 2020. Observational studies were included that examined mean levels of depression and risk for depression in vegetarians compared with nonvegetarians. Pooled effect sizes were estimated using the random-effects model and were reported as standardized mean differences or odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95%CIs. Heterogeneity was tested using the I² statistic. Combining 9 effect sizes in this meta-analysis illustrated that adherence to a vegetarian diet was associated with a 53% greater risk of depression compared with that of omnivores (95%CI, 1.14–2.07; I² = 69.1%). Subgroup analysis of depression risk suggested that results depended on the type of vegetarian diet and country where the study was conducted. For studies that assessed a semivegetarian diet (OR, 1.86; 95%CI, 1.42–2.44; I² = 35.7%) and those conducted in Europe and the United States (OR, 1.45; 95%CI, 1.06–1.98; I² = 73.2%), there was a positive association between a vegetarian diet and depression, but in lacto-ovo vegetarians and Asian countries, a null association was found. Comparing mean depression scores showed no evidence of difference between vegetarians and nonvegetarians (n = 16; standardized mean difference, 0.10; 95%CI, –0.01 to 0.21; I² = 79.1%). Vegetarian diet significantly increased depression risk; however, the findings were not robust, and more studies are required to investigate the vegetarian diet and depression association.

Irisin is a myokine that is secreted from skeletal muscle during exercise and increases lipid metabolism, converting white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue. Recent studies have shown conflicting results in relation to chronic and acute exercise and irisin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of chronic and acute exercise training on circulating (plasma/serum) irisin level in healthy subjects. We conducted a search of Cochrane Library, PubMed, ISI, Scopus, Embase, and Pedro up to September 2021. A random effects network meta‐analysis was performed to calculate the pooled estimate of standardized mean difference (SMD) for acute and chronic exercise effects on irisin level, using Hedge’s g statistic. Of the 16 studies included, six were acute exercise studies (175 participants). The aerobic (Hedge’s g = 0.23; 95% CI: ‐0.58, 1.03) and the anaerobic exercises (Hedge’s g = 0.12; 95% CI: ‐0.45, 0.70) were associated with the increased level of irisin, compared to the control. In the ten chronic exercise studies (433 participants), the resistance training was superior to anaerobic and aerobic training (P score = 0.632). However, comparing acute and chronic exercise studies, acute training showed the most excellent potential as the best treatment to improve the irisin level (P score = 0.721). This network meta‐analysis showed that acute aerobic exercise has a more effect on irisin levels than acute anaerobic exercise. Also, chronic resistance training has the greatest additive effect on irisin levels compared to chronic aerobic and anaerobic training.

Context: Current findings about the differential effects of various sources of dietary animal protein on the risk of neurodegenerative diseases are contradictory. Objective: The current meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the associations between intake of dietary animal protein sources and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Data Sources: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched systematically until October 2021. Data Extraction: Prospective cohort studies exploring the association between consumption of animal protein sources and risk of neurodegenerative diseases in the general population were included. Among 10 571 identified studies, 33 prospective cohort studies met the eligibility criteria. Data Analysis: Dietary fish consumption was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease (RR = 0.75; 95%CI, 0.57–0.97), dementia (RR = 0.84; 95%CI, 0.75–0.93), and cognitive impairment (RR = 0.85; 95%CI, 0.81–0.95). The risk of developing Parkinson’s disease was significantly higher among those in the highest vs the lowest intake categories of total dairy (RR = 1.49; 95%CI, 1.06–2.10) and milk (RR = 1.40; 95%CI, 1.13–1.73). Moreover, dietary intake of total dairy (RR = 0.89; 95%CI, 0.80–0.99), total meat (RR = 0.72; 95%CI, 0.57–0.90), and poultry (RR = 0.82; 95%CI, 0.68–0.99) was significantly associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment. A linear dose-response meta-analysis revealed that each 200-g increase in total daily dairy intake was associated with an 11% higher risk of Parkinson’s disease and a 12% lower risk of cognitive impairment. Furthermore, there was a strong linear association between fish consumption and reduced risk of dementia. Conclusion: Dairy consumption is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, but a higher intake of fish may be associated with lower risk of neurodegenerative disease. Future well-controlled, randomized clinical trials are essential to validate the present findings. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42021281887.