For seven weeks, 37 overweight adults followed a hypocaloric diet based on Orthodox Fasting (OF). A hypocaloric, time restricted eating (TRE) plan (eating between 08:00 to 16:00 h, water fasting from 16:00 to 08:00 h) was followed by 23 Body Mass Index (BMI)-matched participants. Anthropometric, glycaemic and inflammation markers and serum lipids were assessed before and after the diets. Both OF and TRE groups demonstrated reductions in BMI (28.54 ± 5.45 vs 27.20 ± 5.10 kg/m², p < 0.001 and 26.40 ± 4.11 vs 25.81 ± 3.78 kg/m² p = 0.001, respectively). Following the intervention, the OF group presented lower concentrations of total and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, compared with the pre-fasting values (178.40 ± 34.14 vs 197.17 ± 34.30 mg/dl, p < 0.001 and 105.89 ± 28.08 vs 122.37 ± 29.70 mg/dl, p < 0.001, respectively). Neither group manifested significant differences in glycaemic and inflammatory parameters. Our findings suggest that OF has superior lipid lowering effects than the TRE pattern.

Preeclampsia is a common disorder of human pregnancy and a major cause of worldwide pregnancy-related maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Oxidative stress, angiogenic imbalance, placental ischemia and an inflammatory response have been proposed to play role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Hyperuricemia is a key biochemical feature in preeclampsia with elevated levels of uric acid being diagnosed as early as the 10^th week of gestation. Traditionally, elevated uric acid levels were considered a result of renal dysfunction known to exist in preeclampsia. The contribution of uric acid in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia is being recently further investigated. We, hereby, review the possible mechanisms by which uric acid contributes to the development of the disease and its complications both on mother and fetus.

Abstract Male and female reproductive axis, comprised of hypothalamus, pituitary and gonads, present common features and differences, discussed in this review. These include the way hypothalamus regulates pituitary function, and the way pituitary, in turn, affects gonadal function. Finally, age plays an important role in axis regulation, in both genders. Chinese abstract 男性与女性的生殖轴均由下丘脑、垂体、性腺组成，本文将阐述它们间存在的相似与不同之处，包括下丘脑对垂体的调控以及垂体作为应答对性腺的作用。最后，年龄是影响男女性腺轴调节的重要因素。

Background/Aims: Fast intravenous (i.v.) iron administration during hemodialysis (HD) is associated with the augmentation of oxidative stress and the increase in inflammatory biomarkers, which are also induced by the hemodialysis procedure itself. The aim of this study was to investigate if slow i.v. iron administration would aggravate the status of oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers during a hemodialysis session. Methods: Twenty dialysis patients 30–92 years of age that were iron replete and had values for hemoglobin, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin among recommended goals were evaluated in three separate hemodialysis sessions. In the first session patients did not receive any iron treatment, whereas during the second and the third session patients received slow (60 min) i.v. infusions of 100 mg of iron sucrose and 100 mg of iron dextran, respectively. Blood samples were drawn before the hemodialysis session, 15 min after the end of iron administration and at the end of the hemodialysis session in all occasions, for the measurement of markers of oxidant stress (oxidized LDL and ischemia-modified albumin) and inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α). Results: Oxidized LDL was not significantly altered during hemodialysis and this pattern was similar between the three occasions studied. In contrast, ischemia-modified albumin was significantly increased and this effect was also not different between the net hemodialysis and the occasions of iron administration. High-sensitivity CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α were all significantly elevated during hemodialysis and again both types of iron administration did not produce significant changes in this pattern. Conclusion: We did not find an increase in the markers of oxidation/inflammation studied, after slow i.v. iron administration during hemodialysis session.