Sedigheh Asgary

Isfahan University of Medical Sciences · School of Medicine

Background and objective: The effect of aerobic exercise (AE) on cardiovascular (CVD) related risk factors are still debatable. Therefore this randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) was performed with unique and specific AE protocol to investigate the effect of eight-week AE only on female subjects with type 2 diabetes.

Background: This meta-analysis was performed to investigate the effect of serum lipids on the risk of breast cancer incidence. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE were searched systematically from January 1998 to April 2019. Inclusion criteria were English observational studies (cohort or case-control) and the concentration of at...

Evaluation of the effects of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) on oxidative stress and serum levels of lipids, insulin, and hs-CRP in adult patients with metabolic syndrome: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial Abstract Background: Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) is a plant with antihyperlipidemic and antihypertensive effects. This stud...

Background and aims: The conservational effects of dietary interventions as advantageous instruments in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have gotten more attention in recent years. Numerous nutritional epidemiological studies have highlighted the ability of diets to decrease costly care and treatments as well as...

Background: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 emerged in 2019. Health-care systems around the world are looking for alternative prevention and treatment remedies. Herbal supplements are popular among consumers as a complementary method to prevent and treat illnesses. One of them is Sambucus nigra. Methods: We searched for re...

Cydonia oblonga Miller (quince) is a monotypic genus in the Rosaceae family which used to treat or prevent many medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, infections, and ulcer. This review will summarize the current state of knowledge available on botany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of this plant with a focus on its effect on some cardiovas...

Biomaterial selection is one of the important factors in tissue engineering vascular graft (TEVG) because of its hemocompatibility, mechanical properties, and biodegradability. In the present research, we prepared the bilayer electrospun scaffolds from poly glycerol sebacate (PGS)/poly caprolactone (PCL) and poly glycerol sebacate (PGS)/poly lactic...

Background: Castor oil is used in some countries to induce labor, but results on its effectiveness and safety is controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of castor oil on labor induction and prevalence of vaginal delivery along with investigating its safety. Materials and methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web o...

The impact of Algae supplements and its extract on blood pressure has not concluded yet. The aim of this systematic review meta-analysis is to evaluate the antihypertensive activity of this group marine organism on human. Alga was used in some studies as capsules (from 500 mg to 8 g) and the follow-up duration changed from 17 days to 9 months. The...

The aim of this systematic review was to identify animal preclinical studies and randomized controlled trials that looked at the effects of R. damascena in any form on different mental diseases. Up to September 2021, the online databases of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane trials, as well as SID and MagIran, were searched. This...

“Hemp” refers to non-intoxicating, low delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) cultivars of Cannabis sativa L. “Marijuana” refers to cultivars with high levels of Δ9-THC, the primary psychoactive cannabinoid found in the plant and a federally controlled substance used for both recreational and therapeutic purposes. Although marijuana and hemp belong...

Punica granatum (Family Lythraceae) comprises considerable content of phenolic components and it proves the antioxidant activity of pomegranate. Some clinical trial investigations display that consumption of pomegranate is able to boost the antioxidant status. This systematic review assessed the efficacy of pomegranate extract to reduce oxidative s...

Background: The important role of lipoproteins, particularly low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), has been highly regarded among the known causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A wide range of risk factors may cause structural and functional changes in lipoprotein particles, resulting in deposition and formation of a...

Hypercholesterolemia is a significant risk factor for heart disease. The soluble fiber in oat (Avena sativa L.), beta-glucan has been shown to significantly lower serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels but not triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) according to previous studi...

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as a life-threatening global disease, is receiving worldwide attention. Seeking novel therapeutic strategies and agents is of utmost importance to curb CVD. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators derived from natural products are promising agents for cardiovascular drug development owning to regulatory effects...

Inflammation and infection are two main factors predisposing a wound to become a chronic one. Degradable wound dressings involving the controlled release of suitable drugs at the ulcer site are one of the solutions to make wounds healing progress smoothly and rapidly. In this research, biodegradable dressings made of polyglycerol sebacate/polycapro...

Herbal medicines have been reported to contain many contaminants that are potential harmful to health. These include heavy metals, such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg). Therefore, this study aimed to measure the levels of Pb, Cd, As, and Hg in several orally administered herbal products available in the Iranian market. Fi...

To address hyperlipidemia, flaxseed demonstrates a great impact on experimental and clinical trials. Therefore, the effects of flaxseed on lipid profiles of healthy and dyslipidemic subjects were assayed. The literature search was performed based on English reports of randomized control trials (RCTs) up to April 2021 to seek the effect of flaxseed...

Diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and a higher rate of CVD-related death. In this study, the effects of Arthrospira (Spirulina) a blue-green algae supplementation on biomarkers of glycemic control and glucose metabolism has been evaluated. PubMed, Scopus, and ISI...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is known as a reproductive disorder in mammalian females. Medical plants are known from ancient times and herbal therapy is common in many countries for preventing and treating different diseases or disorders. The effect of fennel essential oil and/or flaxseed oil on body weight, blood parameters, and histological s...

Throughout the centuries, people have used the dried stigma of Crocus sativus that is known as "saffron" for medicinal and nutritional purposes [1]. Studies have shown that not only is saffron well worth the money, but also, its bioactive compounds (including crocin, precrocin, and safranal that are responsible for color, taste and fragrance respec...

Genistein, an isoflavone in soybean products has potential cardio-protective effects and is used also as an alternative for estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women. However, results in this regard are inconsistent and also, not all risk factors related to cardiovascular supportive effects have been meta-analyzed. We searched PubMed, Scopus, ISI We...

Background: Myocardial ischemia may recur in a significant subset of patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Lycopene, a carotenoid with antioxidant activity, has evidence for beneficial effects on cardiovascular system. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the possible preventive effect of lycopene against post-PCI myoc...

Background Cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and insulin resistance demonstrate elements of functional impairment of the endothelium. Treatment of endothelial dysfunction with natural products, such as pomegranate, can open new ways in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Purpose The present meta-analysis provides information in highlighting...

Since in cell therapy, there are always concerns about immune rejection, genetic disability, and malignancies, special attention has been paid to extracellular vesicles (EVs) which are secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In the present study, we assessed and compared the therapeutic effects of human adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (hA...

Background: Animal studies have shown the anti‑obesity effects of Tamarindus indica L. (tamarind) fruit pulp. This study aimed to evaluate the weight‑reducing effects of T. indica L. fruit as well as its blood pressure‑ and lipid‑lowering effects in a clinical trial. Methods: In a randomized controlled clinical trial, obese and overweight patients...

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) is a highly prevalent disease that is closely associated with several cardiometabolic complications. The potential anti-inflammatory role of curcuminoids that have already been reported to reduce hepatic steatosis, in patients with NAFLD was explored in this study. Methods: This double-blind,...

Background: This study examined the relationship between serum glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx-1) activity and endothelial dysfunction in the subjects with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 76 subjects, 38 were patients with MetS and 38 were without MetS. The demographic, clinical, and laborat...

As the leading cause of death worldwide, viruses significantly affect global health. Despite the rapid progress in human healthcare, there are few viricidal and antiviral therapies that are efficient enough. The rapid emergence of resistance, and high costs, as well as the related side effects of synthetic antiviral drugs, raise the need to identif...

We summarized 16 controlled studies and evaluated the correlation of resveratrol supplementation with metabolic parameters such as the body weight, waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure (sbp), HDL, total cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose levels. This meta-analysis was carried out to determine the association between the resveratrol...

Lipid oxidation is the main chemical process affecting mayonnaise deterioration. Today, essential oils from aromatic plants have been qualified as natural antioxidants and proposed as potential substitutes of synthetic antioxidants in food products. In this research, antioxidant activity of Achillea millefolium essential oil was determined based on...

Background Resistin is peptides that signal the functional status of adipose tissue to the brain and other target organs. It causes insulin resistance and affects the vascular endothelial dysfunction. However, the function and relation between resistin in endothelin-1 (ET-1), which leads to the endothelial dysfunction in humans are enigmatic. Mate...

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and conjugated linolenic acid (CLnA) have been known to have several health-promoting effects. The aim of this study was to introduce a novel structured lipid (SL) including both CLA and CLnA (cis9, trans11, cis13-18:3, punicic acid) into one triacylglycerol (TAG) molecule through enzymatic interesterification and inv...

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) is a protein that is secreted immediately upon endothelial injury, and thereby it plays a key role in inflammation via recruitment of leucocytes to the site of inflammation at the beginning and throughout the inflammatory processes. Aim of this study was to develop two separate cell lines displaying e...

Verbascum is the biggest genus of the family Scrophulariaceae. This study reviews the botanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological characteristics of species of mullein growing in Iran. The information was obtained by searching in Iran’s flora and scientific articles, books published in search engines Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed...

Apples are known as a major source of polyphenols, dietary fiber, carotenoids, and other nutrients. There are many documents and studies that show fruit polyphenols likely promote anti-obesity effects and exert their beneficial effects via scavenging free radicals, regulating gene expression, and altering signal transduction in target cells and tis...

Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) with recruiting monocytes is an important factor at the beginning of inflammatory disorders such as atherosclerosis which seems its blocking preclude this process and help improvement of related diseases. To perform clinical research in this field, MCP1 protein is required but firstly, animal studies should...

Background Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) enzyme is known enzyme with, aryl esterase, phosphatase, peroxidase, and lactonase activities. According to some studies, the activity of PON1 enzyme is decreased in type 2 diabetic patients. We analyzed the enzyme activity and its single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distribution on promoter regions (-108, -126, a...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now the leading cause of death globally and is a growing health concern. Lifestyle factors, including nutrition, play an important role in the etiology and treatment of CVD. Functional foods based on their basic nutritional functions can decrease the risk of many chronic diseases and have some physiological benefits....

Objective: Alternative medicine and herbal drugs have been taken into account for managing cardiovascular risk factors. Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) is rich in biologically active ingredients known to improve cardiovascular health. We investigated the effect of sumac on systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), bo...

Background: The effect of opium addiction (OA) on cerebrovascular disease is controversial. The aim of this study was to clarify this relationship in Iranian patients with ischemic stroke. Methods: In a case-control study, 672 patients with ischemic stroke and 293 controls without a previous history of cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases...

Objective Fatty acid composition of Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle is an effective factor in LDL oxidation and atherosclerotic plaques formation. This study evaluates the relationship between LDL fatty acid composition and coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods 42 men with coronary artery disease (CAD-group) and 40 men without coronary ar...

Atherosclerosis is one of the most important cardiovascular diseases that involve vessels through the development of fatty streaks and plaques. Plant-based compounds can help treat or prevent atherosclerosis through affecting the involved factors. The main purpose of this review article is to investigate and introduce medicinal plants and their pot...

The in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the two essential oils from flowers and leaves of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium were examined. GC-MS analysis of the essential oils resulted in the identification of sixty and fifty-eight compounds constituting 96.96 % and 98.71 % of the total essential oil of flower and leave, resp...

Background: There is a continuing attempt to identify novel factors that can predict the risk of cardiovascular disease beyond the established coronary risk factors. It has been suggested that serum levels of lead, mercury and cadmium are associated with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate serum co...

Inflammatory disorders result from continuous inflammation in injured sites. Many molecules are involved in this process; the inhibition of which could prevent the inflammation. Chemokines are a group of these biological mediators which are categorized into pro-, anti-, and pro-/anti-inflammatory. Thus, targeting these essential molecules can be an...

Background Due to the attribution of fatty liver with some chronic diseases such as obesity, finding a way to control obesity can be useful for the management of fatty liver. This study was performed to assess the effects of Plantago psyllium (PP) and Ocimum basilicum (OB) on anthropometric measurements in people with hepatic steatosis. Methods Al...

Background: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a polyphenol-rich fruit with diverse medicinal properties. Several lines of experimental and clinical evidence have shown that pomegranate intake helps lowering blood pressure (BP) through different mechanisms. Aims: This study aimed to present a narrative review on the anti-hypertensive properties...

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a group of drugs which are used for a wide variety of diseases including pain and inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, musculoskeletal disorders, and other comorbid complications. However, this group of drugs have undesirable effects such as peptic ulcer, bleeding a...

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory condition. Many pro-inflammatory factors including interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-? (TNF-?), C-reactive protein (CRP), and adhesion molecules including intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) are expressed in atherosclerotic lesions. The plants of g...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health problem. Although many aspects of NAFLD pathogenesis have been understood, there is a paucity of effective treatments to be used as the second line when lifestyle modification is insufficient. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol from turmeric, has been shown to be effective against development...

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) on growth performance, ileal microbial population, and jejunal morphology in aflatoxin-challenged broiler chicks. A total of 336 seven-day-old Ross broiler chicks were randomly assigned into 7 experimental treatments with 4 replicates of 12...

Cancer is one of the three main causes of mortality in most human communities whose prevalence is being increased. A significant part of health budget in all countries has been allocated to treat the cancer, which is incurable in many cases. It has led the global health attitude to cancer prevention. Many cancer-related risk factors have been ident...

Background: The influence of the supplementation of pomegranate peel extract containing anthocyanins on atherosclerotic plaque formation induced by hypercholesterolemia was investigated in renal arteries in rabbits. Materials and methods: After the determination of polyphenol and anthocyanin's content of P. granatum peel hydroalcoholic extract,...

Background: Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) is a plant with antihyperlipidemic and antihypertensive effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of roselle calyces on the serum levels of lipids and insulin, inflammation, and oxidative stress in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: Forty adult patients with MetS were randomly a...

Turmeric with scientific name of Curcuma longa is a perennial and herbaceous plant from family Zingiberaceae that grows in East Asia, such as China, and India. Ample evidence from previous studies indicates that C. longa is effective on many diseases including diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. It also has hepatoprotec...

Eight essential foods (EEF) described in Iranian traditional medicine (ITM) have a determinant role to balance human temperament insuring health and well-being. EEF included oral, imaginary, auditory, visual, olfactory, touch, sexual, and familiarity food. Oral foods should be halal, compatible with individual temper, consumed up twice a day, and c...

Background: In aging, a host of molecular and cellular changes occur which accelerate alteration and progression of inflammatory diseases. These conditions in the elderly people cause appearance of a phenomenon which has been denoted as "inflammaging". Understanding the pathogenesis and finding new methods for management of inflammaging are essent...

Personalized medicine (PM) is a novel term used for a medical model in which all diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic aspects of a disease are individualized for a patient using specific molecular testing. In Iranian-Islamic traditional medicine (IITM) an ancient paradigm for PM has been described which has been introduced in this paper. We revi...

Background. The plant Cornus mas L. (cornelian cherry) is traditionally used as an antidiabetic supplement; however, there is no related clinical trial. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the fruit extract of this plant on biomarkers of glycemic control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods. Sixty patients with type 2 diabetes wer...

Background: Non-enzymatic glycosylation of hemoglobin is complications of diabetes. Antioxidant system imbalance can result in the emergence of free radicals' destructive effects in the long-term. Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) contain isoflavonoids and have antioxidant activity. This experimental study evaluat...

Introduction: Many plants with anti-oxidant properties proved to be effective on diabetes treatment. Brassica napus (turnip) is an anti-oxidant plant consumed raw or cooked. In this study, we examined and compared hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of raw and cooked Brassica napus in diabetic rats. Objectives: Due to measuring bioactive comp...

Chicken antibodies have many advantages to the mammalian antibodies and have several important differences against mammalian IgG with regard to their specificity and large-scale production. In this study, the production, purification, and HRP conjugation of polyclonal IgY against hepatitis virus surface antigen (HBsAg) were carried out. Single Comb...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) is a useful plant with anti-diabetic properties in traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bilberry against DM. Diabetes was induced using intraperitoneal injection...

Metabolic syndrome (MetSy), an important predisposing factor for the most of noncommunicable diseases, has become a global pandemic. Given different definitions used for the MetSy, recently using a score termed "continuous MetSy risk score (CMetSyS)" is recommended. The aim of this study was to provide a CMetSyS in a population-based sample of Iran...

Chromium supplementations (Cr) have been shown to exert beneficial effects in the management of type-2 diabetes. Prevalence of Cr deficiency in pre-diabetic patients is not well-understood, therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of this prevalence. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 132 pre-diabetic patients were recrui...

Background: The aim of the study is to determine the association of resistin with each MetS component. Methods: This study had a case-control design, and its data was retrieved from the Isfahan Healthy Heart Program (IHHP), Serum samples from 44 subjects with MetS (diagnosed according to the NCEP-ATPIII criteria) and 46 healthy controls were ana...

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the response of doxycycline and bleomycin in pleurodesis of malignant pleural effusions. Materials and Methods: The radiologic and clinical responses of doxycycline and bleomycin in pleurodesis of malignant pleural effusions were compared in this randomized clinical trial. Forty-two patients were ra...

BACKGROUND The observed relationships between visfatin, peroxidases activity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are inconsistent; therefore, this study was undertaken to understand these relationships. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted as a part of the Isfahan Healthy Heart Program, Iran. A blood sample of 90 MetS and non-MetS patients...

Background: Diabetes mellitus arises from a deficient production and action of insulin. Ziziphus vulgaris L. (jujube) is a medicinal plant that is known to have anti-diabetic actions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effects of jujube fruit powder and extract against biochemical imbalances in streptozotocin (STZ)-indu...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE It is expected that dairy products such as cheeses, which are the main source of cholesterol and saturated fat, may lead to the development or increase the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; however, the results of different studies are inconsistent. This study was conducted to assess the association between cheese...

Objective: Childhood obesity is a major public health concern worldwide while the current epidemic may be secondary to over consumption of high-fat, energy-rich foods. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) has been traditionally used in medicine for several antioxidant and anti-atherogenic activities. In this study the anti-dyslipidemic effects of P.ole...

Background: Anthocyanins are phytochemicals with a multitude of pharmacological actions including anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. This study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L., CM) fruits - that are rich in anthocyanins and known to have medicinal prop...

Accumulating data clearly claimed that Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) has several health benefits. Pomegranates can help prevent or treat various disease risk factors including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, oxidative stress, hyperglycemia, and inflammatory activities. It is demonstrated that certain components of pomegranate such as poly...

Background. Impaired endothelial function is a predictor of cardiovascular events. Orange juice (OJ) is rich in dietary flavonoids and could inhibit oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. We examined the effects of commercial (COJ) and fresh orange juice (FOJ) on endothelial function and physiological characteristics in healthy humans. Materi...

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) juice (PJ) contains different types of antioxidants and bioactive polyphenols and has been reported to promote cardiovascular health through several mechanisms. The present study aimed to examine the effects of 2-week intake of fresh PJ on blood pressure, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), serum lipid profile and conce...

Background. Dyslipidemia produces atherosclerosis, which in turn results in coronary artery disease (CAD). Atherosclerosis is being considered as an inflammatory disease. Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. is a plant with fruits rich in anthocyanins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of fruit extract of this plant on serum levels of lipids...

The public conviction that 'herbal remedies are safe' has led to an increased consumption of these products. This study was performed in view of the wide distribution of herbal remedies, the risks posed by self-treatment with these products, and the existing reports about the toxic effects of some medicinal herbs. In this study the effect of some o...

Pomegranate juice (PJ) is rich in bioactive phytochemicals with antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective functions. The present trial investigated the acute effects of PJ consumption on blood pressure and markers of endothelial function. In this single-arm study, thirteen hypertensive men aged 39-68 years were recruited. Included sub...

The main protective role of antioxidants in the progression of atherosclerosis has been shown in some studies. Therefore, this project evaluated the effects of Citrus aurantifolia (Christm) juice and peel on antioxidant activity and atherosclerosis progression in rabbits receiving a hypercholesterolemic diet. Forty white New Zealand male rabbits we...

Introduction: Cardioprotective effect of high density lipoprotein (HDL) is, in part, dependent on its related enzyme, paraoxonase 1 (PON1). Fatty acid composition of HDL could affect its size and structure. On the other hand, PON1 activity is directly related to the structure of HDL. This study was designed to investigate the association between s...

Lipid oxidation is the main deterioration process that occurs in vegetable oils. This process was effectively prevented by natural antioxidants. Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cinnamon) is rich with antioxidants. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of cinnamon on malondialdehyde (MDA) rate production in two high consumption oils in Irani...

Association between white rice intake and risk factors of cardiovascular diseases remained uncertain. Most of the previous published studies have been done in western countries with different lifestyles, and scant data are available from the Middle East region, including Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the structure of Isfahan Hea...

Cornus mas L. (CM) fruits are rich in anthocyanins and possess both antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities. The current study was conducted to investigate whether supplementation with CM could ameliorate lipid profile and vascular inflammation in dyslipidemic children and adolescents. In this randomized clinical trial, 40 dyslipidemic children...