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Long Term Weight Loss Diets and Obesity Indices: Results of a Network Meta-Analysis.
Jabbour, J, Rihawi, Y, Khamis, AM, Ghamlouche, L, Tabban, B, Safadi, G, Hammad, N, Hadla, R, Zeidan, M, Andari, D, et al
Frontiers in nutrition. 2022;9:821096
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Obesity is associated with a decreased lifetime expectancy of 5–20 years, depending on the severity and the presence of comorbidities. Diet therapy remains one of the cornerstones of the multi-disciplinary approach to weight management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of long-term dietary interventions, categorised using the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges, with changes in weight parameters. This study is a systematic review and network meta-analysis of fifty studies. Results indicate that compared with the usual diet, all dietary interventions allow a sustained modest weight loss during the follow-up of 12 months and beyond. Diets did not differ among each other, with the exception of the high-fat low-carbohydrate diet that was slightly better than the low-carbohydrate, low-fat, and moderate macronutrients diet, with a larger weight loss (of 0.8 kg) and body mass index loss (0.4 kg/m2 ). Authors conclude that even though their findings apply to the general population of patients with overweight/obesity, the long-term impact of dietary approaches on patients with chronic diseases should be further investigated.
Abstract
Background: Scientists have been investigating efficient interventions to prevent and manage obesity. This network meta-analysis (NMA) compared the effect of different diets [moderate macronutrients (MMs), low fat/high carbohydrate (LFHC), high fat/low carbohydrate (HFLC), and usual diet (UD)] on weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC) changes at ≥12 months. Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, PubMed databases, and the Cochrane Library. We systematically assessed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating dietary interventions on adults (mean BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) receiving active dietary counseling for ≥12 months. We pooled the data using a random-effect NMA. We assessed the quality of the included RCTs using the Cochrane risk of bias (ROB) tool. Results: We included 36 trials, 14 of which compared HFLC with MM diets. Compared with UD, all diets were associated with a significant weight loss (WL) at ≥12 months, HFLC [mean difference in kg (95% CI): -5.5 (-7.6; -3.4)], LFHC [-5.0 (-7.1; -2.9)] and MM [-4.7 (-6.8; -2.7)]. HFLC, compared with MM diet, was associated with a slightly higher WL (of -0.77 kg) and drop in BMI (of -0.36 kg/m2), while no significant difference was detected in other dietary comparisons. WC was lower with all diets compared to UD, with no significant difference across specific diets. There was no significant interaction of the results with the pre-specified sub-groups. The ROB was moderate to high, mostly related to unclear allocation concealment, high dropout rate and unclear or lack of blinding of participants, providers, and outcome assessors. Conclusion: Dietary interventions extending over ≥12 months are superior to UD in inducing weight, BMI and WC loss. HFLC might be associated with a slightly higher WL compared with MM diets. Systematic Trial Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=103116, PROSPERO (CRD42018103116).
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Sequential application of ligand and structure based modeling approaches to index chemicals for their hH4R antagonism.
Pappalardo, M, Shachaf, N, Basile, L, Milardi, D, Zeidan, M, Raiyn, J, Guccione, S, Rayan, A
PloS one. 2014;(10):e109340
Abstract
The human histamine H4 receptor (hH4R), a member of the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) family, is an increasingly attractive drug target. It plays a key role in many cell pathways and many hH4R ligands are studied for the treatment of several inflammatory, allergic and autoimmune disorders, as well as for analgesic activity. Due to the challenging difficulties in the experimental elucidation of hH4R structure, virtual screening campaigns are normally run on homology based models. However, a wealth of information about the chemical properties of GPCR ligands has also accumulated over the last few years and an appropriate combination of these ligand-based knowledge with structure-based molecular modeling studies emerges as a promising strategy for computer-assisted drug design. Here, two chemoinformatics techniques, the Intelligent Learning Engine (ILE) and Iterative Stochastic Elimination (ISE) approach, were used to index chemicals for their hH4R bioactivity. An application of the prediction model on external test set composed of more than 160 hH4R antagonists picked from the chEMBL database gave enrichment factor of 16.4. A virtual high throughput screening on ZINC database was carried out, picking ∼ 4000 chemicals highly indexed as H4R antagonists' candidates. Next, a series of 3D models of hH4R were generated by molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations performed in fully atomistic lipid membranes. The efficacy of the hH4R 3D models in discrimination between actives and non-actives were checked and the 3D model with the best performance was chosen for further docking studies performed on the focused library. The output of these docking studies was a consensus library of 11 highly active scored drug candidates. Our findings suggest that a sequential combination of ligand-based chemoinformatics approaches with structure-based ones has the potential to improve the success rate in discovering new biologically active GPCR drugs and increase the enrichment factors in a synergistic manner.
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Comparison between the effects of intraoperative human albumin and normal saline on early graft function in renal transplantation.
Abdallah, E, El-Shishtawy, S, Mosbah, O, Zeidan, M
International urology and nephrology. 2014;(11):2221-6
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of the current study was to compare the effects of intraoperative infusion of 20 % human albumin versus 0.9 % normal saline on early and late graft function in renal transplantation. METHODS This prospective, randomized study was conducted on 44 patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing kidney transplantation. Patients were 32 males (72.7 %) and 12 females (27.3 %) with a mean age of 54.35 ± 11.15 years (range 20-58 years). Patients with cardiac disease and liver dysfunction were excluded from the study. Twenty-two of the 44 patients were given intraoperative intravenous infusion of 20 % human albumin with 0.9 % normal saline (albumin group), and the remaining 22 patients received intraoperative intravenous infusion of 0.9 % normal saline alone (saline group), as part of the intraoperative fluid hydration to keep central venous pressure between 10 and 15 mm of Hg. RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference in mean intravenous fluid volume infused until the end of surgery between the saline group and the albumin group (P = 0.8326). Time of onset of diuresis and total intraoperative urine output were statistically insignificant between the two groups (P = 0.6255, P = 0.9231, respectively). Post-transplant serum creatinine on day 1, 3 and 5 between the albumin and saline groups were comparable (P = 0.8998, P = 0.7257, P = 0.8092, respectively). Post-transplant urine output on day 1, 3 and 5 between the albumin and saline groups were also comparable (P = 0.653, P = 0.9075, P = 0.946, respectively). Mean postoperative weight gain was higher in the saline group compared with the albumin group, but was not statistically significant (P = 0.6348). CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that the use of 20 % human albumin as an intraoperative volume expander provides no more benefit than the use of 0.9 % normal saline in terms of immediate graft function in living donor renal transplantation.
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Diagnosis and control of cereal viruses in the Middle East.
Aboul-Ata, AA, Mazyad, H, El-Attar, AK, Soliman, AM, Anfoka, G, Zeidan, M, Gorovits, R, Sobol, I, Czosnek, H
Advances in virus research. 2011;:33-61
Abstract
Middle Eastern countries are major consumers of small grain cereals. Egypt is the biggest bread wheat producer with 7.4 million tons (MT) in 2007, but at the same time, it had to import 5.9 MT. Jordan and Israel import almost all the grains they consume. Viruses are the major pathogens that impair grain production in the Middle East, infecting in some years more than 80% of the crop. They are transmitted in nonpersistent, semipersistent, and persistent manners by insects (aphids, leafhoppers, and mites), and through soil and seeds. Hence, cereal viruses have to be controlled, not only in the field but also through the collaborative efforts of the plant quarantine services inland and at the borders, involving all the Middle Eastern countries. Diagnosis of cereal viruses may include symptom observation, immunological technologies such as ELISA using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies raised against virus coat protein expressed in bacteria, and molecular techniques such as PCR, microarrays, and deep sequencing. In this chapter, we explore the different diagnoses, typing, and detection techniques of cereal viruses available to the Middle Eastern countries. We highlight the plant quarantine service and the prevention methods. Finally, we review the breeding efforts for virus resistance, based on conventional selection and genetic engineering.
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Biological and molecular characterization of a novel carmovirus isolated from angelonia.
Adkins, S, Hammond, J, Gera, A, Maroon-Lango, CJ, Sobolev, I, Harness, A, Zeidan, M, Spiegel, S
Phytopathology. 2006;(5):460-7
Abstract
ABSTRACT A new carmovirus was isolated from Angelonia plants (Angelonia angustifolia), with flower break and mild foliar symptoms, grown in the United States and Israel. The virus, for which the name Angelonia flower break virus (AnFBV) is proposed, has isometric particles, approximately 30 nm in diameter. The experimental host range was limited to Nicotiana species, Schizanthus pinnatus, Myosotis sylvatica, Phlox drummondii, and Digitalis purpurea. Virions were isolated from systemically infected N. benthamiana leaves, and directly from naturally infected Angelonia leaves, using typical carmovirus protocols. Koch's postulates were completed by mechanical inoculation of uninfected Angelonia seedlings with purified virions. Isometric particles were observed in leaf dips and virion preparations from both Angelonia and N. benthamiana, and in thin sections of Angelonia flower tissue by electron microscopy. In sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of dissociated purified virus preparations, a major protein component with a molecular mass of 38 kDa was observed. Virion preparations were used to produce virus-specific polyclonal antisera in both Israel and the United States. The antisera did not react with Pelargonium flower break virus (PFBV), Carnation mottle virus (CarMV), or Saguaro cactus virus (SgCV) by either enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or immunoblotting. In reciprocal tests, antisera against PFBV, CarMV, and SgCV reacted only with the homologous viruses. The complete nucleotide sequence of a Florida isolate of AnFBV and the coat protein (CP) gene sequences of Israeli and Maryland isolates were determined. The genomic RNA is 3,964 nucleotides and contains four open reading frames arranged in a manner typical of carmoviruses. The AnFBV CP is most closely related to PFBV, whereas the AnFBV replicase is most closely related to PFBV, CarMV, and SgCV. Particle morphology, serological properties, genome organization, and phylogenetic analysis are all consistent with assignment of AnFBV to the genus Carmovirus.
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6.
Characterization of a distinct carlavirus isolated from Verbena.
Cohen, J, Zeidan, M, Feigelson, L, Maslenin, L, Rosner, A, Gera, A
Archives of virology. 2003;(5):1007-15
Abstract
Avirus was isolated from Verbena plants that bore virus-like symptoms. The virus, for which the name Verbena latent virus (VeLV) is proposed, was consistently isolated from these plants, both with and without disease symptoms. Electron microscopy studies of ultrathin sections of infected Verbena tissues revealed the presence of elongated flexuous virus particles, ca. 650 nm in length. Its experimental host range was limited to Verbena spp. and Nicotiana clevelandii. No inclusion bodies or specific cytopathological effects, were observed. Electrophoresis of dissociated purified virus preparation in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel revealed a major protein component with a molecular mass of 38.9 kDa. Polyclonal antibodies which could specifically bind to virus particles were produced. A portion of the viral RNA was cloned and sequenced; it comprised 2503 nucleotides and contained part of three open reading frames (ORFs) which from the 5' to the 3'-ends, potentially encode for 489 amino acids (ORF1), a 25.8-kDa protein (ORF2) and a 12-kDa protein (ORF3). Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence with those of other plant viruses revealed 40-60% identity with several carlaviruses. In the light of particle morphology, absence of specific cytopathological effects in ultrathin sections, and genomic and serological properties, it is suggested that this virus belongs to the genus Carlavirus.
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7.
Biological and Molecular Characterization of a New Carlavirus Isolated from an Aconitum sp.
Cohen, J, Zeidan, M, Rosner, A, Gera, A
Phytopathology. 2000;(4):340-4
Abstract
ABSTRACT A new virus was isolated from symptomless Aconitum napellus plants. The virus, for which the name Aconitum latent virus (AcLV) is proposed, has flexuous particles 640 nm in length. The experimental host range was limited to Nicotiana clevelandii. Electron microscopy studies of ultrathin sections of infected A. napellus tissues revealed the presence of elongated virus particles. No inclusion bodies characteristic of potyvirus infection were observed. AcLV was purified from naturally infected A. napellus by cesium chloride step gradient centrifugation. In sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of dissociated purified virus preparations, a major protein component with a molecular mass of 35 kDa was observed. Diagnostic antibodies that could specifically bind to virus particles were produced. The 5' terminus (620 nucleotides) of the viral RNA was cloned and sequenced. It comprised 71 nucleotides from the untranslated 5' terminus and 549 nucleotides of an open reading frame encoding 183 amino acids. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence with those of other plant viruses revealed 40 to 60% identity with several carlaviruses. Based on particle morphology, absence of inclusion bodies in ultrathin sections, the relative molecular weight of the coat protein, the nucleotide sequence, and predicted amino acid homology, it is suggested that this virus belongs to the carlavirus group.