Propolis is a sticky, resinous material gather from plants and is blended with wax and other constituents. It is reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and blood glucose-lowering properties. This review aims to summarise evidences for the cellular and molecular mechanism of Propolis in inflammation, oxidative stress, and glycemic control. Propolis stimulate the production and secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines and to inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines and due to its various antioxidant and poly-phenolic compounds may has a role in control and treating some of the chronic diseases. Most studies have shown that Propolis may affect metabolic factors including plasma insulin levels, and it has proposed that it could be used in the prevention and treatment of T2D Mellitus. In general, to demonstrate the definite effects of Propolis on chronic diseases, more studies are required using larger sample sizes and various doses of Propolis, using better characterized and standardized agents.
20 January 2017 in Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis
Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a risk factor for stroke, renal failure, and cardiovascular disease. The association between biochemical and hematological parameters with high blood pressure may provide a more precise approach to risk prediction conferred by HTN in these patients.Objective: The aim of current study was to explore whether biochemical and hematological parameters are associated with HTN in a cohort study with a 7‐year follow‐up.Materials and Methods: A total of 9808 individuals were enrolled and recruited as part of the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorders (MASHAD) cohort study, and biochemical and hematological factors were measured in all subjects. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to determine the association of biochemical and hematological parameters with HTN.Results: Several biochemical parameters including fasting plasma glucose (FBG), serum high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), and uric acid were increased in hypertensive participants. In contrast, serum high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) was lower in hypertensive individuals. Furthermore, we demonstrated that hematological parameters including white blood cell (WBC) count, red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were higher in the hypertensive group compared to the control group. But mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and red cell distribution width (RDW), were decreased in the hypertensive group. Furthermore, our results strongly suggested that among these parameters, hematocrit was the independent risk factor for hypertension in the population.Conclusion: We demonstrated the association of altered biochemical and hematological factors with hypertension supporting the value of emerging markers for early prediction of high blood pressure in prone individuals.
1 February 2017 in Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine