Fatemeh Sadeghi-Ghyassi

Purpose: Despite advances in food and disease databases, a lack of integrated resources remains that systematically elucidate molecular-level food-disease associations. This study aims to introduce a comprehensive framework for mapping associations between foods, their metabolites, molecular targets, and diseases, using breast cancer as a case study. Methods: We integrated data from FooDB, HMDB, and DisGeNET to extract information on foods, food-derived metabolites, protein/gene targets, and disease associations. Data cleaning and mapping were performed in Excel 2019. Networks illustrating food-metabolite-protein/gene-disease interactions were constructed and visualized using Cytoscape 3.7.2. Functional enrichment and topological analyses (degree and betweenness centrality) identified key nodes. Additionally, a systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed to synthesize evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses on dietary factors and breast cancer risk. Results: The integrated network included nearly 1,000 foods, 61,500 ingredients, 250,000 metabolites, and 15,000 disease variants. The breast cancer network comprised 15,966 nodes and 321,144 edges. APOE emerged as the central gene, connected to 13,628 metabolites, while major food groups also featured as key nodes. Literature synthesis confirmed that high intake of fruits and vegetables is protective against breast cancer, while alcohol, fats, and processed meats increase risk, aligning with network findings. Conclusion: This study proposes a molecular framework that links foods to diseases through metabolites and pathways, enabling testable hypotheses and informing precision nutrition. It urges improved data integration, control of confounders, and experimental validation to support personalized dietary recommendations. Keywords food-disease associations, molecular nutrition, relation extraction, precision nutrition, network analysis

Men tend to engage more in risky behaviors than women, which often leads to worse health outcomes. This systematic review assessed global men's health policies and practices to identify common health issues addressed and key policy responses. In this systematic review, we searched and appraised national men's health policy documents according to Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) instructions for review of text and opinion. We then analyzed the content of these documents to find common themes. Eleven national policy documents were included in this systematic review. The findings showed that the common health issues addressed in these policies were sexual health, colorectal and prostate cancer screening, mental health and suicide prevention. Other frequently addressed issues were violence, chronic disease, injuries, healthy eating and active living, workplace stress management, risky behaviors, workplace hazards and environmental toxins, hypertension, tobacco control, and abdominal aortic aneurysm screening. The review concludes that men's health policies vary across countries, but common priorities like mental health, cancer screening, and sexual health emerge repeatedly. Strengthening these policies with targeted research, education, and gender‐sensitive approaches can improve health outcomes for men globally. This review highlights key areas for policymakers to focus on to better support men's health needs.

Introduction: The primary caregivers of patients with cancer, especially in advanced stages, experience significant physical and emotional strain and require comprehensive support. Respite care has been acknowledged as an effective strategy to aid primary caregivers, and different models have been established in Western nations. However, implementing these models poses challenges due to notable cultural, social and healthcare system variances between Western and non-Western regions like Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. It is crucial to develop a model tailored to the country’s specific needs, culture and resources to systematically support caregivers and ensure care continuity. Hence, this study aims to develop and validate a respite care model for adult patients with cancer in Iran. Methods and analysis: This study will use a multimethod approach across three stages. In the first phase, a scoping review will be conducted to identify, describe, conceptualise and implement the respite care system based on available documents and evidence. Then, a directed content analysis will be carried out to clarify care requirements and system establishment needs from stakeholders’ perspectives. Data from the scoping review and directed content analysis will be integrated to identify the crucial components of the model using the Delphi method in the second phase. In the third phase, another Delphi study will be conducted to assess the importance, scientific credibility and feasibility of the model, with the aim of finalising it. Ethics and dissemination: This research project has received the code of ethics (IR.TBZMED.REC.1402.720) from Ethics Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The findings of this study will be published in reputable journals and disseminated in accessible formats through various media channels.

There is presently no disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), which is the most prevalent cause of dementia. Objective: This study aspires to estimate the efficacy and safety of cell-based treatments in AD. Methods: Observing the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methods and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, a systematic search was accomplished in PubMed, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline, via Ovid), Embase; Cochrane, and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature — CINAHL (via EBSCO) databases up to June 2023. The relevant clinical studies in which cell-based therapies were utilized to manage AD were included. The risk of bias was evaluated using the JBI checklists, based on the study designs. Results: Out of 1,014 screened records, a total of five studies with 70 individuals (including 59 patients receiving stem cells and 11 placebo controls) were included. In all these studies, despite the discrepancy in the origin of stem cells, cell density, and transplant site, safety goals were obtained. The intracerebroventricular injection of adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (ADSVF) and umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs), the intravenous injection of Lomecel-B, and the bilateral hippocampi and right precuneus injection of UC-MSCs are not linked to any significant safety concerns, according to the five included studies. Studies also revealed improvements in biomarkers and clinical outcomes as a secondary outcome. Three studies had no control groups and there are concerns regarding the similarity of the groups in others. Also, there is considerable risk of bias regarding the outcome assessment scales. Conclusion: Cell-based therapies are well tolerated by AD patients, which emphasizes the need for further, carefully planned randomized studies to reach evidence-based clinical recommendations in this respect.

Purpose: Evidence on the efficacy of desmopressin in nocturia in patients with neurological diseases is still very limited except for multiple sclerosis (MS). Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of desmopressin treatment on nocturia in patients with underlying neurological diseases.Methods: Studies were identified by electronic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, and Google Scholar databases. Studies were considered if they provided information on the effectiveness and safety of desmopressin (1‐desamino‐8‐d‐arginine vasopressin, or DDAVP) in the treatment of nocturia and their participants had acquired neurological pathology. Two researchers independently extracted the articles using specified datasets, such as quality‐of‐study indicators. Statistical meta‐analysis was carried out using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 statistical software (Cochrane Collaboration).Results: Of a total of 1042 articles in the initial search, 14 studies were included. Most of the published papers were related to MS (n = 7), two were on spinal cord injury, and other conditions were neural tube defect, myelodysplasia, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and multiple system atrophy. Overall, a total of 200 patients (mostly females) were enrolled. Thirteen studies evaluated the intranasal formulation of desmopressin and one study evaluated oral desmopressin. A significant decrease in nocturia episodes was reported in seven studies evaluating this topic. An increase in the maximum hours of uninterrupted sleep was reported in the three studies in which this outcome was assessed. A significant reduction in the volume of nocturnal incontinence was found in one study. Three studies were eligible to include in the meta‐analysis. The results showed that desmopressin compared to placebo, significantly reduced nighttime urination (mean difference: −0.75, 95% CI: −1.10 to −0.41; p < 0.00001). The rate of adverse events ranged from 0% to 68.42%. The critical appraisal results for all trials showed that most of the studies had low or moderate quality.Conclusions: Our results emphasized desmopressin's safety and efficacy in reducing nocturia episodes, with transient adverse effects on neurological patients. However, the data were achieved from low or medium‐quality trials, and further well‐designed randomized controlled trials are needed.

Background: Bell's palsy is a rare adverse event reported in COVID-19 vaccines. Given the importance of neurological manifestations, the necessity to highlight and scrutinize the incidence of them following COVID-19 vaccination is needed. This study aimed to systematically review the reported cases of Bell's palsy following vaccination against COVID-19. Methods: ...

Anxiety is a common unpleasant reaction among patients undergoing surgery. Many non-pharmacological methods such as spiritual strength are effective in preoperative anxiety management. This study aimed to assess the effects of listening to Quran recitation on reducing preoperative anxiety. A systematic review was performed in Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Arab World Research Source, and other relevant databases to collect the data. Randomized controlled trials about the effects of listening to Quran recitation on preoperative anxiety reduction in elective surgery were selected without any language and date restriction. Interventions with self-reading/self-recitation were excluded. The Cochran’s Q statistic and the I² index with 50% threshold were used for calculating the heterogeneity and inconsistency index. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on the surgery type. The funnel plot was used to evaluate the possibility of publication bias. Twelve studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and nine studies in the quantitative synthesis. The meta-analysis showed a significant anxiety reduction with listening to Quran recitation. The heterogeneity between the included studies was statistically significant (Q = 23.05, I² = 65.29, p = 0.003). The pooled effect size of anxiety was d = −8.893 (95% confidence interval (CI) = −10.763 to −7.022) (p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis showed that listening to Quran recitation reduces anxiety in major and minor surgeries. There was no publication bias (t = 0.907, p = 0.39) in the studies. The findings indicated that listening to Quran recitation can be considered a non-invasive and peaceful intervention to reduce preoperative anxiety in elective surgery.

Background: Anxiety is a common reaction among patients undergoing surgery. This study aim to assess effectiveness of Quran recitation on reducing the preoperative anxiety.Methods: A systematic review of the citations in the Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycInfo, Arab World Research Source and other relevant databases was performed to collect the data. Randomized clinical trials about the effect of Quran recitation on the reduction of preoperative anxiety in elective surgery were included without any Language and date restriction. Interventions with self-reading/self-recitation were excluded. The Cochran’s Q statistic and the (I²) with 50 percent threshold was used for calculation of the heterogeneity and inconsistency index. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on the type of surgery. The funnel plot has been used to evaluate the possibility of the publication bias.Results:Twelve studies were included in the qualitative synthesis and nine studies included in the quantitative synthesis. Our meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in the anxiety level with Quran recitation. The heterogeneity of the included studies was statistically significant (Q=23.05, I²=65.29, P=0.003). The pooled effect size of the anxiety was d=−8.893; 95% CI=[−10.763 to −7.022] (P < 0.001). The subgroup analysis showed that Quran recitation has a beneficial effect on reducing anxiety in both major and minor surgeries.There was no publication bias (t=0.907, P=0.39) in the studies.Conclusion: Quran recitation can be considered as a non-invasive and peaceful intervention to reduce preoperative anxiety in elective surgery.

Background: Hypertension is one of the public health challenges. Various risk factors are associated with hypertension, including social demographics, geographical location, health behaviours, and social stress. Interventions in the social determinants of health can improve hypertension and health promotion. Accordingly, different sectors such as agriculture, housing, education, and transportation should cooperate. This systematic review examines policies as a set of activities and actions/interventions aimed at the modification of the social determinants of health to prevent hypertension. Methods: A systematic search will be conducted in Medline (via Ovid), PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, and scientific Persian databases including SID and Magiran. There will be no time restriction. The quality of selected studies will be assessed using an appropriate Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklists according to the type of studies. Two independent researchers will carry out screening and quality assessment. Disagreement between two researchers will be resolved by a third party. Discussion: Recommendations will be made for policymakers in order to make better evidence-based decisions about the prevention and management of hypertension with regard to the social determinants of health. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020152298