Cancer Care Burden among Primary Family Caregivers of Iranian Hematologic Cancer Patients

Abbasnezhad, Masoomeh,Rahmani, Azad,Ghahramanian, Akram,Roshangar, Fariborz,Eivazi, Jamal,Azadi, Arman,Berahmany, Golshan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.13

Background: Providing care for hematologic cancer patients may lead to many negative complications in different aspects of life in their family caregivers. Based on a wide review of relevant literature, there are limited data about the burden of giving care for hematologic cancer patients on their primary family caregivers in Iran or other Middle Eastern countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the cancer care burden on primary family caregivers of hematologic cancer patients, in terms of physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and financial aspects. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 151 primary family caregivers of hematologic cancer patients referred to two cancer care centers in East Azerbaijan Province in northwest of Iran participated. The Financial Distress/Financial Well-being Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Vaux Social Support Questionnaire, Spiritual Well-being Scale, and SF-36 were used for data collection. Data analysis was performed with SPSS software. Results: The findings of this study indicated that the primary family caregivers experience a high level of financial distress and a significant percentage of them suffered from anxiety and depression. In addition, the physical quality of life in these caregivers was moderate. On the other hand, spiritual health and social support of participants was at an acceptable level. Conclusions: Iranian primary family caregivers of hematologic cancer patients experience many problems in physical, psychological, and financial aspects of their life. Therefore, developing care plans for reducing these problems appears necessary.

Effect of Different Dietary Approaches in Comparison with High/Low-Carbohydrate Diets on Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Amir Abbasnezhad,Ebrahim Falahi,Michael J. Gonzalez,Parivash Kavehi,Faezeh Fouladvand,Razieh Choghakhori 한국식품영양과학회 2020 Preventive Nutrition and Food Science Vol.25 No.3

Dietary modification is an effective method for preventing and managing hypertension. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of different dietary approaches for comparing high- and low-carbohydrate diets on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We carried out a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus without any language and time restrictions until April, 2019. We carried out a meta-analysis using both fixed and random effects models where appropriate and used the I² index to evaluate heterogeneity. We identified 16 eligible studies, with a total of 1,610 participants. The overall pooled net effect of different dietary approaches on SBP and DBP were −2.29 ㎜Hg [95% confidence interval (CI): −3.49 to −1.1] and −1.03 ㎜Hg (95% CI: −1.77 to −0.29), respectively, compared with high-carbohydrate diets. Indeed, diets high in monounsaturated fatty acids more effective in reducing both SBP and DBP than high-carbohydrate diets, whereas high-protein diets were not effective. Furthermore, we found that different dietary approaches, such as low-fat diets, did not reduce SBP or DBP to a greater extent than low-carbohydrate diets. Overall, the results of our meta-analysis show that diets high in monounsaturated fatty acids are more effective in reducing both SBP and DBP than diets high in carbohydrate, whereas other dietary approaches were not effective.

Effect of L-Carnitine Supplementation on Lipid Profiles of Patients with Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Amir Abbasnezhad,Amin Hasanavand,Ebrahim Falahi,Sara Kashkooli,Omid Asbaghi,Razieh Choghakhori 한국식품영양과학회 2020 Preventive Nutrition and Food Science Vol.25 No.2

Results of previous studies regarding the effect of L-carnitine on lipid profiles in the patients with liver diseases are contradictory. This meta-analysis was performed to assess the effect of L-carnitine on serum levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) in overweight patients with liver diseases. A systematic search was carried out using the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane library databases to identify articles published before April 2019 investigating the effects of L-carnitine supplementation on patients with liver disease. There was no language or time limitation for the studies. A meta-analysis was carried out using both the random and fixed effects model where appropriate, and I2 index were used to evaluate heterogeneity. These results indicated that L-carnitine supplementation significantly reduces blood levels of TC and TG in patients with liver disease, whereas carnitine had no effect on the levels of HDL and LDL. The reducing effect of L-carnitine on both TC and TG was found following long-term carnitine supplementation (≥24 weeks), supplementation with doses less than or equal to 2,000 ㎎/d, and in patients with chronic hepatitis C. This meta-analysis indicates the beneficial effect of L-carnitine on TC and TG in overweight patients with liver disease, particularly patients with chronic hepatitis C, in both long-term and low doses.

Effect of Vitamins C and E Co-Supplementation on Serum C-Reactive Protein Level: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Faezeh Fouladvand,Ebrahim Falahi,Omid Asbaghi,Amir Abbasnezhad 한국식품영양과학회 2020 Preventive Nutrition and Food Science Vol.25 No.1

Studies assessing the effect of vitamin C and E co-supplementation on levels of circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) show contradictory results. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effect of vitamin C and E co-supplementation on CRP. A systematic search was carried out using PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, Cochrane, Embase, and the Web of Science without any language or time restriction (until 31 March 2019) to retrieve RCTs that examined the effect of vitamin C and E co-supplementation on CRP. A meta-analysis was carried out using a random effects model, and I² indexes were used to evaluate the heterogeneity. The search yielded 5,134 publications, including 8 eligible RCTs. The results indicate that vitamin C and E co-supplementation does not significantly impact levels of serum CRP [weighted mean difference and 95% confidence interval with random effects model analysis: -0.22 mg/L (-0.85, 0.41), P=0.5]. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that vitamin C and E co-supplementation significantly reduced serum CRP in participants ≥30 years of age, but significantly increased serum CRP in participants <30 years of age. The results of this meta-analysis indicate beneficial effects of vitamins C and E co-supplementation on CRP in participants ≥30 years of age, and not in younger participants. To confirm these results, further well-designed RCTs are needed.

Association between Circulating Irisin and C-Reactive Protein Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Elham Eslampour,Farzad Ebrahimzadeh,Amir Abbasnezhad,Mohammad Zeinali Khosroshahi,Razieh Choghakhori,Omid Asbaghi 대한내분비학회 2019 Endocrinology and metabolism Vol.34 No.2

Background: Although previous studies have demonstrated that irisin plays an anti-inflammatory role in the body, conflicting results have been reported regarding the correlation between serum levels of irisin and C-reactive protein (CRP). The present metaanalysis was conducted to further investigate the correlation between irisin and CRP levels. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, SCOPUS, and Ovid to retrieve studies assessing the correlation between irisin and CRP levels. Meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model, and the I2 index was used to evaluate heterogeneity. Results: Of the 428 studies that were initially found, 14 studies with 2,530 participants met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The pooled effect size was calculated as 0.052 (95% confidence interval, −0.047 to 0.152; P=0.302). Subgroup analyses identified s ignificant, positive, but weak correlations between CRP and irisin levels in cohort studies, studies conducted among healthy participants, studies in which the male-to-female ratio was less than 1, in overweight or obese subjects, and in studies with a samplesize of at least 100 participants. Conclusion: The present meta-analysis found no overall significant correlation between irisin and CRP levels, although a significant positive correlation was found in overweight or obese subjects. Well-designed studies are needed to verify the results of the present meta-analysis.