Critical Comments in Biomedicine
Volume:2 Issue: 1, Winter-Spring 2021

In 1988, a new conception for endometrial cancer staging was introduced by Fédération Internationale de Gynecologie et d'Obstétrique (FIGO). In addition to pathologic development, peritoneal cytology played an important role in the staging. The goal of peritoneal cytology was to identify hidden and microscopic extensions outside the uterus. In 2009, the system was reviewed; one of the changes was removing the peritoneal cytology. The aim of this review is to evaluate the effect of peritoneal cytology on the survival of patients with endometrial cancer.

This protocol is reported based on the PRISMA-P guideline. We will search "endometrial cancer," "peritoneal washing," and any other relevant words on PubMed, Cochran, EMBASE, and Scopus databases. The eligibility criteria are: All original studies performed on patients with endometrial cancer, evaluated survival, and performed peritoneal washing cytology. Only one of the non-English studies with the same respect will be included according to the research team's opinion. Also, the most recent paper among multiple articles about a single study is chosen. It should be noted that there will not be any restrictions regarding the language and publication date. For quality assessment, we will use the quality in prognosis (QUIPS) tool.  If possible, a meta-analysis will also be performed using a rndom effects model, and overall survival rates and confidence intervals will be reported. Heterogeneity will be tested by using the I2 index and Cochrane's Q test. Subgroup analysis will be performed to handle the heterogeneity. The publication bias will be assessed in the presence of 10 or more relevant articles. If there is no chance of meta-analysis, the result will be reported qualitatively.

The resulting review will provide valuable information regarding the prognostic value of peritoneal cytology in patiens with endometrial cancer.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the amount of salt consumed by the people of Yazd and the related factors based on other studies. 

A general search was performed on electronic databases of Daneshgostar Barakat system, Magiran, SID, and English databases such as Scopus PubMed, Web of sciences, Science direct and Google scholar searching engine using keywords: salt intake" OR "sodium intake" OR "salt reduction" OR "salt content" OR "sodium reduction" OR "Diet, Reducing"  regardless of the time interval. A total of 273 articles were obtained from the mentioned website. This review covers the period from June 3 to September 30, 2019. A total of 15 related articles were analyzed, and the study on the amount of salt consumed was evaluated.

The amount of salt received by the people of Yazd is higher than the standard of the World Organization and has an increasing trend.

A population-based approach can lower blood pressure levels and presumably significantly reduce mortality and start of high blood pressure. Therefore, the implementation of a comprehensive plan and intervention in salt consumption is necessary for society.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been the cause of a global pandemic. Given the impact of nutritional status upon immune function, it is crucial to understand the relationship between micronutrient intake and severity of the disease. This mini-review aimed to summarize the known associations between specific micronutrients (vitamin A, D, E, C and zinc, selenium and magnesium) and the health of coronavirus-infected patients. Low serum levels of these micronutrients are associated with the incidence and severity of SARS-CoV-2. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the outcomes of supplementation with these nutrients.

Several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) has assessed the effect of Anethum graveolens L. (AG) or dill supplementation on lipid profile in adults with cardiovascular risk factors with different results. Therefore, we decided to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the available randomized controlled trials to assess AG supplementation's efficacy on lipid profile in adults with cardiovascular risk factors.

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane's database, Ovid, Web of Science, ProQuest, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched to find relevant articles investigating the effect of AG on the lipid profile of adults with risk factors for cardiovascular disease up to December 2020. Six trials with seven treatment armsmet the inclusion criteria. A random-effects model was used in the meta-analysis. To test heterogeneity, I2 statistics and Cochrane Q test were applied.

The results reported a significant improving effect of AG on TG [WMD = -29.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): -34.73,-23.68 mg/dL, p < 0.001], TC (WMD = -16.46, 95%CI: -21.54,-11.39 mg/dL, p < 0.001), LDL-C (WMD = -13.90, 95%CI: -16.08, -11.72 mg/dL, p < 0.001), and HDL-C (WMD = 4.01, 95%CI: 3.48, 4.54 mg/dL, p < 0.001).

This meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials revealed that consuming AG extract for more than six weeks might improve lipid profile in adults with cardiovascular risk factors.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for the development of coronary, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular diseases, which lead to myocardial infarction, stroke, and vascular death. Green coffee extract is particularly producer a great deal of chlorogenic acids (CGA) that may reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Therefore, the target of the study was to summarize the available publications on the effect of green coffee consumption on high blood pressure.

The systematic review was done with a search in PubMed-Medline and Scopus. The search strategy included keywords related to blood pressure and green coffee. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled clinical trials conducted on people aged between 18 and 70 years. The publication date of articles  was from 2004 to 2018. Exclusion criteria were articles not published in English.

We discussed five articles that included  our criteria. Green coffee had moderate effects on high blood pressure.  It sounds that the effect of green coffee on reducing blood pressure is because of its phenolic compounds, as well as caffeine and chlorogenic acids, coffee’s roasting status, participants’ ethnicity, and even gender.

Green coffee intake for a long time might moderately decrease blood pressure. However, there is still a need for further clinical trials.

Hypertension is a chronic condition that might lead to renal and cardiovascular diseases. Previous clinical trials examining the effect of cinnamon supplementation on blood pressure have led to conflicting results. The present study aimed to summarize the effect of cinnamon supplementation on blood pressure using a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled clinical trials.

To identify the eligible articles, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from inception until September 2019 for relevant articles. The risk of bias assessment was performed using the Cochrane collaboration’s tool. A Random-effects model was applied to calculate the summary effects.

Totally, 11trials with 686 participants were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The dose of cinnamon supplement consumption varied from 500 to 10000 mg/d. The meta-analysis revealed that cinnamon supplementation significantly decreases systolic blood pressure (SBP) [WMD (weighted mean difference) = -5.72 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI): -8.63 to -2.80; p <0.001, I2= 81.1)] and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (WMD= -4.06 mmHg, 95% CI: -6.68 to -1.44; P= 0.002, I2 = 88.6). Subgroup analysis suggested no significant reduction in DBP in subjects with diabetes (WMD= -2.015 mmHg, 95% CI: -4.55 to 0.52; P= 0.12, I2 = 72.3) and prediabetes or metabolic syndrome (WMD= -4.8 mmHg, 95% CI: -10.06 to 0.44; P= 0.073, I2= 92.5).

Cinnamon supplementation could be beneficial in lowering SBP and DBP in adults. Further studies with different doses are recommended to confirm the present findings.