Explore the vast range of titles available.

Metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a growing global concern. This study assessed the frequency of hepatic steatosis and MAFLD, alongside their associated risk factors, among medical students at Suez University, Egypt. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2022 to April 2023 among 84 medical students aged ≥ 18 years. Data on anthropometric parameters, body composition, and lifestyle were collected through self-administered questionnaires, InBody analysis, and FibroScan. MAFLD diagnosis required steatosis (≥ 238 dB/m) with obesity, metabolic dysfunction, or both. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression. Hepatic steatosis was present in 25% of participants, while MAFLD frequency was 13.1%. Participants with MAFLD exhibited higher body weight (82.34 ± 10.78 kg vs. 65.84 ± 10.61 kg, p  < 0.001), BMI (29.05 ± 3.66 vs. 22.90 ± 3.23 kg/m 2 , p  < 0.001), waist circumference (88.73 ± 8.73 cm vs. 78.10 ± 7.96 cm, p  < 0.001), BMR (1566.09 ± 27.37 vs. 1429.86 ± 93.44 kcal/day, p  < 0.001), and fat mass (32.74 ± 7.25% vs. 23.91 ± 8.60%, p  < 0.001). Binary regression analysis revealed increased body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and BMR as significant risk factors for MAFLD. An elevated fat mass percentage with a reduced muscle mass percentage highlighted the sarcopenic obesity role in MAFLD progression. Extreme weight reduction can exacerbate hepatic fat accumulation. Poor sleep quality, a sedentary lifestyle, and an unhealthy diet are also significant predictors. The widespread frequency of steatosis and MAFLD highlights the pressing need to tackle this silent epidemic among young Egyptian adults.

Cancers still globally endanger millions of people yearly; the incidences/mortalities of colorectal cancers are particularly increasing. The natural nanoparticles (NPs) and marine biopolymers were anticipated to provide effectual safe significances for managing cancers. The transformation of curcumin to nano-curcumin (NCur) was conducted with gum Arabic. The resulted NCur was utilized for the biosynthesis of selenium NPs (SeNPs), then bioactive nanocomposites (NC) from them with fucoidan (Fu) were fabricated and evaluated as candidates to suppress colorectal cancers (CaCo-2 and HT-29) cells. The NCur and NCur-synthesized SeNPs were effectually produced with mean diameters of 34.67 ± 4.32 and 5.17 ± 1.06 nm, respectively. The plain and NCs of Fu/NCur/SeNPs characterization, with infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy, emphasized their interaction and conjugations. The entire agents/NCs had potent cytotoxic effects against cancers’ lines; the NC of Fu/NCur/SeNPs was the most effectual with IC50 of 10.35 ± 0.83 and 19.44 ± 1.39 mg/L against CaCo-2 and HT-29 cells, respectively, which were significantly exceeded the action of standard cisplatin drug. The NCs led to vigorous DNA damages in CaCo-2 cancerous cells, as proved with comet assay. The ultrastructure imagining (scanning/transmission microscopy) of treated cells with Fu/NCur/SeNPs confirmed the capability of NCs to induce severe apoptosis and deformation signs in cancerous cells. The bio-based constituents of Fu/NCur/SeNPs and advocate their prospective applications for preventing/managing colorectal adenocarcinoma.

In the current study, the hepatoprotective activity of vanillic acid, silymarin, and vanillic acid-loaded silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity was tested in male rats for four weeks. Thirty male rats were divided into five groups (n = 6). The 1st group was a negative control, the 2nd group was a positive control, the 3rd group was treated with 100 mg/kg b.w. of vanillic acid, the 4th group was treated with 100 mg/kg b.w. of vanillic acid–AgNPs, and the 5th group was treated with 50 mg/kg b.w. of silymarin. The CCl4-induced hepatic toxicity in the 2nd group was revealed by the liver function and all other biochemical tests. Liver enzymes, bilirubin, lipid peroxidation, lactate dehydrogenase, and interleukin-6 were elevated, whereas, total protein, antioxidant enzymes, and irisin were decreased compared to the negative control. The hepatic tissues were also injured as a result of the CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity. Treating the hepatotoxic rats with vanillic acid moderately protected the rats of the 3rd group, whereas treatment with vanillic AgNPs and silymarin in G4 and G5, respectively, greatly protected the rats against the CCl4 hepatotoxicity, approaching the normal biochemical levels and liver tissue appearance. The biochemical tests were confirmed by the histological investigations of liver tissue.

Background Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) represents a growing public health challenge in Egypt, driven by westernized dietary patterns, urbanization, and physical inactivity. Despite lifestyle intervention being the first-line management, data on structured hypocaloric diets tailored to Egyptian patients remain limited, particularly regarding their effects on hepatic steatosis, inflammatory pathways, and oxidative stress biomarkers. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a culturally adapted 6-month hypocaloric diet on hepatic fat reduction, metabolic parameters, inflammatory-oxidative biomarkers, and lifestyle factors in Egyptian MASLD patients, with additional exploration of weight-independent mechanisms. Methods In this single-center interventional trial, 30 newly diagnosed MASLD patients received a personalized hypocaloric diet (500–1000 kcal/day deficit). Outcomes measured at baseline and post-intervention included anthropometrics, liver enzymes, metabolic profile, hepatic steatosis (CAP score), inflammatory markers (TNF-α, MDA), antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT), and lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, sleep). Advanced statistical analyses included effect size estimation, multivariate regression, mediation analysis, and subgroup comparisons (lean vs. obese MASLD). Results After 6 months, patients achieved significant reductions in weight (− 10.9 kg), BMI (− 3.9 kg/m 2 ), and CAP score (− 89.5 dB/m) (all P  < 0.001). Liver enzymes improved significantly, with ALT decreasing by − 22.2 U/L and AST by − 21.3 U/L (both P  < 0.001). TNF-α (− 88.2 pg/mL, baseline 166.1 pg/mL) and MDA (− 1.1 nmol/mL, baseline 2.7 nmol/mL) decreased markedly, with large effect sizes (CAP: d  = 1.9; TNF-α: d  = 2.1; MDA: d  = 1.4). Antioxidant biomarkers improved significantly, with SOD increasing by 209% ( d  = 1.8) and CAT by 48.5% ( d  = 1.2) (both P  < 0.001). Although BMI and weight loss were strongly associated with hepatic fat reduction, TNF-α reduction remained an independent predictor of CAP improvement (β = 0.31, P  = 0.02), mediating 32% of the diet’s effect after adjusting for BMI. Patients achieving ≥ 5% weight loss were 4.2 times more likely to experience ≥ 10% CAP score reduction. Lean MASLD patients (n = 6) exhibited greater improvements in hepatic fat and inflammation despite less weight loss; however, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small subgroup size. Dietary adherence strongly correlated with CAP reduction ( r  = − 0.71, P  < 0.001) and antioxidant gains. Conclusion A culturally tailored hypocaloric diet effectively improved hepatic steatosis, inflammatory status, and antioxidant capacity in Egyptian MASLD patients. These improvements were partially weight-independent and partially mediated by anti-inflammatory responses. These findings support hypocaloric dietary strategies as a potentially scalable therapeutic option for MASLD management in resource-limited settings, though the absence of a control group limits causal inference, and further evaluation of implementation feasibility and cost-effectiveness is warranted. Additional benefits were also observed in lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity and sleep.

In the original publication [...]

Hyperlipidemia is correlated with the elevation of cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood that increase the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes. This study aimed to test the hypolipidemic activity and other health benefits of atorvastatin and safflower ( Carthamus tinctorius L., family Asteraceae ) on rats with induced hypercholesterolemia in a four-week study. 24 male albino rats were divided into four groups (n = 6). The first group (G1) was given a normal basal diet as a negative control, while the other rats received a high-fat diet with 5% cholesterol. The second group (G2) served as the positive control, receiving no treatment. The third group (G3) received 200 mg/kg body weight safflower aqueous extract, and the 4th group (G4) received 20 mg/kg body weight atorvastatin. The induced hypercholesterolemia significantly raised liver function enzymes, lipid peroxidation (14.9 ± 0.11 mg/dL), total cholesterol (273.3 ± 1.1 mg/dL), triglycerides (223.0 ± 4.1 mg/dL), low-density lipoproteins (204.7 ± 0.9 mg/dL), very low-density lipoproteins (44.6 ± 0.8 mg/dL), troponin, creatine kinase (CK), and adrenaline while decreased antioxidant enzymes, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and vitamin D (11.1 ± 0.5 ng/mL). The liver and heart tissues were also significantly injured by hypercholesterolemia. Administration of atorvastatin and safflower markedly ameliorated the biochemical and histological abnormalities associated with induced hyperlipidemia, restoring them to near-normal levels. Atorvastatin treatment in G4 demonstrated superior efficacy compared to safflower extract in addressing hypercholesterolemia, despite the latter’s significant hypolipidemic effect observed in G3.

Natural copolymer (e.g., chitosan-loaded) and synthetic (e.g., silver nitrate-loaded) nanopolymers have many medical applications in drug delivery research for enhancing the effectuality of traditional medicine. This study aimed to investigate the potential protective activity of vanillic acid, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of vanillic acid, and silymarin against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced nephrotoxicity in male rats. Rats were divided into five groups; the first group (G1) was a negative control, and the other rats were treated intraperitoneally with CCl4 to induce kidney toxicity twice weekly, and then divided into four groups, G2 was a positive control and left without treatment, the third group was treated with vanillic acid, the fourth (G4) was treated with vanillic acid-AgNPs, and the fifth (G5) was treated with silymarin. In G2, renal function indices (urea, creatinine, and uric acid) showed elevated levels indicating renal toxicity. Na, K, and Ca ions were decreased, whereas Cl− was increased. Antioxidants (glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reduced, total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, and catalase) were decreased, whereas lipid peroxidation was increased in the kidney tissue homogenate. IL1 was increased, whereas CYP-450 was decreased. In the treated group, all biochemical and renal tissue texture were alleviated as a result of treatment with vanillic acid in G3, vanillic acid AgNPs in G4, and silymarin in G5. Vanillic acid AgNPs and silymarin treatment in G4 and G5, respectively, were more efficient than vanillic acid in G5 in protecting the kidneys against CCl4-induced nephrotoxicity.

Background During the last few decades, patients worldwide have been interested in using alternative medicine in treating diseases to avoid the increased side effects of chemical medications. Green coffee is unroasted coffee seeds that have higher amounts of chlorogenic acid compared to roasted coffee. Green coffee was successfully used to protect against obesity, Alzheimer disease, high blood pressure and bacterial infection. Methods This study aimed to investigate the probable protective activity of the green coffee methanolic extract, silymarin and their combination on CCl 4 -induced liver toxicity in male rats. Thirty Sprague – Dawley male albino rats were divided into 5 groups; control negative (G1) just got the vehicle (olive oil) and the other four groups received CCl 4 dissolved in olive oil through an intraperitoneal injection and were divided into untreated control positive group (G2), the third group (G3) was treated with green coffee methanolic extract, the fourth group (G4) was treated with silymarin, and the fifth group (G5) was treated with a combination of green coffee methanolic extract and silymarin. Results In the positive control group treated with CCl 4 (G2), the CCl 4 -induced toxicity increased lipid peroxidation, IL-6, kidney function parameters, liver function enzymes, total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins, and decreased irisin, antioxidants, CYP450 and high-density lipoprotein levels. Hepatic tissues were also injured. However, treating the injured rats in G3, G4 and G5 significantly improved the altered parameters and hepatic tissues. Conclusions Green coffee methanolic extract, silymarin, and their combination succeeded in protecting the male rats against CCl4 hepatotoxicity due to their antioxidant activity. Effect of green coffee methanolic extract mixed with silymarin in G5 was more efficient than that of green coffee methanolic extract in G3 or silymarin in G4.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) occurs as a result of a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that is most frequently linked to a decline in cognitive function and memory. Twenty‐four male rats were divided into four groups ( n  = 6); Group I was the negative control, Group II was the AlCl 3 ‐positive control, and Group III and Group IV were treated with 100 mg and 200 mg/kg of Portulaca oleracea methanolic extract, respectively. Aluminum chloride intoxication in Group II increased lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant parameters and affected interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), the tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and amyloid beta (Aβ), which lead to the induction of AD through injuring brain cells of AD rats. Treating the AD rats in Group III (GIII) and Group IV (GIV) with P. oleracea ameliorated the altered parameters in the AD rats. It also increased folic acid and vitamin B12 levels. P. oleracea modulated the physiological, biochemical, and histological changes brought on by AlCl 3 intoxication in rats via oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways. The dose of P. oleracea in GIV successfully modified the behavioral changes brought on by AlCl 3 in the AD rats more than that of GIII.