A number of clinical trials have examined the effect of almond intake on lipid profile in recent years; however, the results remain equivocal. Therefore, the present study aims to summarize...

Background Hyperinsulinaemia is considered as a major risk factor for the development of a myriad of chronic diseases. We examined the association between the dietary insulinaemic potential and the odds of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among Iranian adults. Methods After being subjected to a liver ultrasound, 166 patients with NAFLD and 200 controls were included in the study. The dietary intakes and the physical activity levels of the participants were evaluated using a validated semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short IPAQ), respectively. The insulinaemic potential of the diet was assessed by computing the scores of the Empirical Dietary Index for Hyperinsulinemia (EDIH) and the Empirical Dietary Index for Insulin Resistance (EDIR). Results Compared with the control subjects, patients with NAFLD were significantly older; had higher values for body mass index, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol and alanine transaminase; and were more likely to smoke. Moreover, NAFLD patients had significant lower levels of high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and were less likely to perform physical activity. The risk of NAFLD was higher in the individuals in the highest tertile of the EDIH (odds ratio [OR] = 2.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.32–5.90; p value for trend < 0.05) and EDIR (OR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.22‐4.79; p value for trend < 0.05) compared to those in the lowest tertile of these scores. Conclusions Our study indicates that a higher dietary insulinaemic potential is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD.

This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to summarize the effect of almond intake on anthropometric indices in adult subjects. We searched PubMed, Scopus, ISI...

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Objectives: This study aimed to compare the analgesic effect of single-dose spinal versus epidural analgesia for labor pain to verify if applying a single dose spinal analgesia is an efficient technique for labor pain management as an alternative for epidural analgesia. Methods: A total of 128 women in the active phase of labor were randomly allocated into two groups of spinal analgesia (n = 64) and epidural analgesia (n = 64). The latter received a bolus dose of 16 mL of 0.125% bupivacaine and 50 μg fentanyl and repeated 5 - 10 mL of bolus dose. The former received 2.5 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine plus 50μg fentanyl. Pain intensity was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS). The duration of analgesia, mode of delivery, the duration of labor, side effects, and maternal satisfaction were also compared. Results: There were no significant differences in the rate of cesarean section, duration of labor, postpartum hemorrhage, and the frequency of the fetal heart deceleration until 30 min after analgesia between the two groups. Measured pain after 30 (P = 0.0001) and 90 min (P = 0.01) was significantly lower in the spinal group than the epidural group. However, there was no significant difference between the spinal and epidural groups concerning the VAS scores at 150, 210, and 270 minutes. Maternal satisfaction was higher in the spinal group (P = 0.002). The mean duration of analgesia was longer in the spinal group than the epidural group (P = 0.0001). Conclusions: According to the findings, single-dose spinal analgesia, compared to epidural analgesia, is a safe, fast, and efficient technique for labor analgesia, which can be easily performed. In addition, it provides a high satisfaction level in the parturient.