Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom that has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine for centuries. It has been found to have a wide range of medicinal properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting effects. Recent research has focused on the potential benefits of G. lucidum in treating metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity, as well as its possible role in preventing and treating infections caused by the coronavirus. Triterpenoids are a major group of bioactive compounds found in G. lucidum, and they have a range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These compounds have been found to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels in animal models of diabetes. Additionally, G. lucidum polysaccharides have been found to reduce bodyweight and improve glucose metabolism in animal models of obesity. These polysaccharides can also help to increase the activity of certain white blood cells, which play a critical role in the body’s immune response. For coronavirus, some in vitro studies have shown that G. lucidum polysaccharides and triterpenoids have the potential to inhibit coronavirus infection; however, these results have not been validated through clinical trials. Therefore, it would be premature to draw any definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of G. lucidum in preventing or treating coronavirus infections in humans.

Although both metabolic syndrome (MetS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have been linked with altered gut microbiota, only a few studies investigated the association between them. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MetS along with depression and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in IBS patients. This was a case-control study in which 3808 consecutive patients who attended outpatient clinics of Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital between May 2019 and August 2019 were evaluated in terms of IBS with Rome-IV criteria. Out of 486 patients who were diagnosed as IBS, 176 patients were excluded for various reasons. Control subjects were randomly selected from IBS-negative subjects. MetS was diagnosed based on International Diabetes Federation criteria. Depression, anxiety disorder, and FMS were assessed via Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and American College of Rheumatology criteria, respectively. Blood samples were obtained to measure biochemical parameters. Study group included 310 IBS patients, and control group included 304 subjects. The prevalence of the MetS was significantly higher among IBS patients compared with controls (36.8% vs 21.7%, respectively, P = .006). The rate of obesity was 18.1% among IBS subjects, and 10.2% in the controls. The prevalence of fibromyalgia (30% vs 3%, respectively, P < .001), anxiety-disorder (39.7% vs 10.2%, P < .001) and depression (8.1% vs 4.9%, P < .001) were significantly higher in IBS group than controls. Metabolic syndrome and obesity were significantly more frequent in IBS patients compared with controls. FMS, anxiety disorder, and depression were also more common among IBS patients.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between serum C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin (ALB) ratio and complication occurrence in patients with Type-II diabetes mellitus with at least one chronic complication. Methods: The CAR, demographic characteristics, and other parameters of 108 patients with at least one chronic diabetic complication who attended to the internal medicine outpatient clinic between January 1, 2017, and September 1, 2018, were retrospectively evaluated. Healthy control subjects who did not have any systemic or infectious diseases were also included in the study. I compared the CAR, demographics, and other blood parameters between the two groups were compared. Results: The mean CAR levels were significantly higher in diabetic patients with at least one complication compared to the control group (0.15 [0.07 - 0.29] vs 0.07 [0.07 - 0.07], respectively, p0.05 for all). In the receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis, there was no significant cut-off point for CAR predicting diabetic complications. Conclusions: Although serum CAR levels were significantly higher in complicated diabetic patients compared to controls, any validated CAR value for predicting diabetic complications were not observed. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.6.618 How to cite this:Bayrak M. Predictive value of C-Reactive Protein/Albumin ratio in patients with chronic complicated diabetes mellitus. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(6):1616-1621. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.6.618 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a common chronic disease in the elderly. Comorbidities, especially neuropathy and retinopathy, significantly increase fall risk in this group. This study aimed to identify fall risk factors in older adults with T2DM. From January to June 2024, 242 T2DM patients aged 65 and older were followed at the internal medicine outpatient clinic. Fall risk was assessed using the Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), Hendrich II Fall Risk Model (HIIFRM), Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index, and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Among the patients (median age = 70 years), 41.3% had experienced at least one fall in the previous year. Factors, such as age and diabetes duration were associated with falls. Notably, hypoglycemia (aPR: 1.90, p = 0.017), polypharmacy (aPR: 2.39, p = 0.004), osteoarthritis (aPR: 2.48, p = 0.017), (aPR: 1.70, p = 0.025), and malnutrition (aPR: 1.90, p = 0.007) were independently associated with fall risk. Fall risk in elderly outpatients with T2DM was linked to various factors, including hospitalization, malnutrition, osteoarthritis, polypharmacy, neuropathy, and hypoglycemia. To mitigate this risk, patient-specific care plans are recommended.

Summary: Microbiota plays an essential role in human development and body homeostasis. Individual and environmental variables influence the diversity of microbiota, which performs crucial biochemical activities in the human body and influences health status and disease in later years. Many diseases in adulthood may be prevented or treated if the relationship between the microbiome, nutrition, especially the immune system, and growth and development could be fully understood. For a healthy gut microbiota, the diet‐related changes in the core microbiota must be long‐lasting, achieving permanence in microbiota change. This process is possible by maintaining a sustainable diet and adhering to this diet for a long time. Therefore, this study reviewed the relationship between nutrition, microbiota, and various life‐threatening diseases.

Associations of depression, dementia, and poor life quality with mortality of COVID-19have not been studied yet. We aimed to identify the risk factors for mortality and analyze the associations wit...