Introduction. The present study aimed to assess the metabolic syndrome among postmenopausal women in Gorgan, Iran.Materials and Methods. The study was conducted on hundred postmenopausal women who were referred to the health centers in Gorgan. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) guidelines.Results. The mean body mass index, waist circumference, hip, circumference waist-to-hip ratio, diastolic blood pressure, and triglyceride and fasting blood glucose levels were significantly high among postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome, but the mean HDL-cholesterol was significantly low (P<0.05). Overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 31%. Body mass index and waist circumference had a positive correlation with a number of metabolic syndrome factors (P<0.001). Body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio had a positive correlation with each other (P<0.001). BMI had relatively high correlation with WC (P<0.001).Conclusions. Our results show that postmenopausal status might be a predictor of metabolic syndrome. Low HDL-cholesterol level and high abdominal obesity are the most frequent characteristics in comparison to other metabolic components. Our study also showed some related factors of metabolic syndrome among postmenopausal women. These factors may increase cardiovascular risk among postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome.

Lipid Peroxidation Alterations in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate various genes after binding to target mRNAs. Studies on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in relation with miRNA are much less shown. The aim of the present study was to assess the expression patterns of microRNA 106a and microRNA 362-3p in peripheral blood samples of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients including Crohn's Disease(CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). This study consisted of 32 CD, 32 UC patients and 32 controls. The expression level of the micro-RNAs -106a and -362-3p was determined using reverse transcription and real-time RT-PCR. Our findings showed that MiR-106a and miR-362-3p are expressed at significantly higher levels in the peripheral blood from patients with CD and UC compared to controls. MiR-106a and miR-362-3p expression are also different in the peripheral blood of patients regarding the activity score of the disease. There were significant differences of miR362-3p in active UC relative to inactive UC. Altogether our findings suggest that miR-106a and miR-363-3p can play an important role in the pathogenesis of IBD. The differences in expression of miR106a and miR362-3p in peripheral blood of the UC and CD patients in an active phase in comparison to inactive disease suggest that these miRNAs may be useful as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring the disease activity.

Seroepidemiologic Evaluation of Anti-toxoplasma Antibodies among Women in North of Iran

Background: Some studies have indicated that human paraoxonase 1 ( PON1 ) activity shows a polymorphic distribution. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of PON1 polymorphism in patients with Alzheimer’s disease in Gorgan and compare it with a healthy control group. Method: The study included 100 healthy individuals and 50 patients. Enzyme activity and genetic polymorphism of PON1 were determined. Result: There were significant differences in distribution of genotypes and alleles among patients and control group. The most common genotype was CT in patients and control group, while the most frequent alleles were T and C in patients and controls, respectively. There was a statistically significant variation between serum PON1 activity and –108C> T polymorphism. The highest PON1 enzyme activities in the patients and controls were found in CC, while lower enzyme activities were seen in CT and TT genotypes in both genders and age groups. Conclusion: Onset of Alzheimer’s disease may depend on different polymorphisms of the PON1 enzyme. Late or early-onset of Alzheimer’s disease may also depend on age and gender distribution, especially for arylesterase enzyme. Further studies on polymorphism of the enzyme are necessary for interpretation of possible polymorphic effects of enzyme on PON1 activity in humans.