Effect of intermittent fasting on weight loss and maintenance of the lost weight in overweight and obese individuals (a systematic review and meta-analysis)

EFFECT OF INTERMITTENT FASTING ON WEIGHT LOSS AND MAINTENANCE OF THE LOST WEIGHT IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE INDIVIDUALS (A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS)

Ayat Farouk Manzour, Dina Nabih Kamel Boulos, Waleed Salah- El Din

and Mohamed Farouk Allam

 

Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

 

Ain Shams Medical Journal 2024;75(1):131-140.

 

ABSTRACT:

Background: Long-term continuous caloric restriction (CCR) has demonstrated efficacy in reducing body weight in obese individuals. Adhering to daily CCR proves to be challenging in practical situations. Recent research suggests that intermittent fasting (IF) could enhance adherence to dietary restrictions.

Aim of the Study: The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the impact of IF interventions in comparison to the conventional CCR on weight loss and the sustenance of lost weight among overweight or obese individuals.

Methods: Comprehensive search was conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. After removing duplicates, we excluded studies that did not have a randomized controlled design, studies involving animals or individuals under eighteen years, and studies published in languages other than English. The final included studies were 12 randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs).

Results: Among the 12 studies, only one demonstrated a noteworthy reduction in body weight (BW) with the IF protocol compared to CCR. No significant differences were observed in terms of body mass index (BMI) reduction or waist circumference (WC) reduction across the studies. IF exhibited significantly better results of weight loss maintenance (WLM) in only one study.

Conclusion: IF and CCR demonstrate similar reductions in BW, BMI, and WC. IF emerges as an appealing alternative to traditional CCR for weight control. WLM remains underexplored and necessitates dedicated RCTs. Larger clinical trials are essential to determine whether certain individuals respond more favorably to IF compared to CCR.

 

Keywords: Intermittent fasting, Meta-analysis, Continuous Caloric Restriction, weight loss maintenance, Ain Shams University.

 

AF Manzour, DNK Boulos, W Salah-El Din, MF Allam. Effect of intermittent fasting on weight loss and maintenance of the lost weight in overweight and obese individuals (a systematic review and meta-analysis). Ain Shams Medical Journal 2024.

 

https://journals.ekb.eg/article_353787_db939181915181d859eabbdfa54bdc24.pdf

The role of colchicine in the management of COVID-19: a Meta-analysis

The role of colchicine in the management of COVID-19: a Meta-analysis

 

Kholoud Elshiwy (1), Ghada Essam El-Din Amin (1,2), Mohamed Nazmy Farres (3), Rasha Samir (3), Mohamed Farouk Allam (1,4) 

 

1. Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

2. Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

3. Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

4. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.

 

BMC Pulmonary Medicine 2024 Apr 20;24(1):190. 

 

DOI: 10.1186/s12890-024-03001-0

 

Abstract

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has robustly affected the global healthcare and economic systems and it was caused by coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The clinical presentation of the disease ranges from a flu-like illness to severe pneumonia and death. Till September 2022, the cumulative number of cases exceeded 600 million worldwide and deaths were more than 6 million. Colchicine is an alkaloid drug that is used in many autoinflammatory conditions e.g., gout, familial Mediterranean fever, and Behçet's syndrome. Colchicine inhibits the production of superoxide and the release of interleukins that stimulate the inflammatory cascade. Colchicine decreases the differentiation of myofibroblast and the release of fibrotic mediators including transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) that are related to the fibrosis. Moreover, colchicine has been used to traet viral myocarditis caused by CMV or EBV, interstitial pneumonia, and pericarditis resulting from influenza B infection. Additionally, colchicine is considered safe and affordable with wide availability.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to assess the evidence of colchicine effectiveness in COVID-19 treatment.

Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature was done till May 2022 and yielded 814 articles after ranking the articles according to authors and year of publication. Only 8 clinical trials and cohort studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included for further steps of data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Results: This meta-analysis involved 16,488 patients; 8146 patients in the treatment group and 8342 patients in the control group. The results showed that colchicine resulted in a significant reduction in the mortality rate among patients received colchicine in comparison with placebo or standard care (RR 0.35, 95%CI: 0.15-0.79). Colchicine resulted in a significant decrease in the need for O2 therapy in patients with COVID-19 (RR 0.07, 95%CI 0.02-0.27, P = 0.000024). However, colchicine had no significant effect on the following outcomes among COVID-19 patients: the need for hospitalization, ICU admission, artificial ventilation, and hospital discharge rate. Among the PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients, colchicine decreased the hospitalization rate (RR 0.75, 95%CI 0.57-0.99, P = 0.042). However, colchicine had no effect on mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation among this subgroup.

Conclusion: Colchicine caused a significant clinical improvement among COVID-19 patients as compared with the standard care or placebo, in terms of the need for O2, and mortality. This beneficial effect could play a role in the management of COVID-19 especially severe cases to decrease need for oxygen and to decrease mortality among these patients.

Keywords: Ain Shams University; COVID-19; Colchicine; Coronavirus; Management; Meta-analysis; SARS-CoV-2.

 

Elshiwy K, Amin GEE, Farres MN, Samir R, Allam MF. The role of colchicine in the management of COVID-19: a Meta-analysis. BMC Pulm Med. 2024 Apr 20;24(1):190. 

 

https://bmcpulmmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12890-024-03001-0

New Topical Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis

New Topical Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis

José Miguel Ingelmo Calvo (1), José Ruiz Cobo (2), Mohamed Farouk Allam (3)

1. Department of Plastic Surgery, Hospital HM Malaga, Spain.

2. Distrito Sanitario Costa del Sol, SUAP Torremolinos, Spain.

3. Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Egypt.

European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences 2024;6(2):17-19.

DOI: 10.24018/ejmed.2024.6.2.2067

 

Abstract

The primary approach for managing atopic dermatitis (AD) involves the use of topical corticosteroids as the first-line treatment.While high-potency topical corticosteroids have shown to be effective, they come with an increased risk of local and, rarely, systemic adverse effects. Additionally, patients often experience a relapsing and remitting course. A revolutionary topical treatment for psoriasis and AD has recently received patent approval from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Tourism. This innovative treatment, presented in the form of a lotion, includes a combination of clobetasol, papaverine hydrochloride, spironolactone, a milk-peptide complex, and propylene glycol. An 18-year-old female presented with AD on the back of her neck and scalp. The patient had no significant past medical history and primarily complained of intense pruritus in the AD lesions. The patient received guidance to apply our recently patented lotion, Psorisbye, once a day for 5 days. In total, 50 ml of Psorisbye was utilized over 4 days. On the fifth day, the patient underwent an examination at the outpatient clinic. The patient reported a significant improvement in pruritus sensations and observed a reduction in scaled lesions. Upon evaluating our patient, a comparison of the lesions before and after applying the topical treatment for 4 days revealed a notable improvement in the SCORAD index, decreasing from 49.95 to 0. While the results of Psorisbye in this case show promise, it is crucial to conduct further studies with larger sample sizes and extended follow-up periods to validate the findings presented in our case report.

 

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis, SCORAD, SCORing Atopic Dermatitis, Topical treatment.

 

Calvo JMI, Cobo JR, Allam MF (2024). New Topical Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis. European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences, 6(2), 17–19.

 

https://www.ej-med.org/index.php/ejmed/article/view/2067

Antiviral Drugs for Treatment of Human Monkeypox: A Systematic Review/Meta-analysis

Antiviral Drugs for Treatment of Human Monkeypox: A Systematic Review/Meta-analysis

 

Ahmed Mohamed Abdelghany (1), Fathy Fathy Ghaly (2), Mohamed Farouk Allam (1,3)

 

1. Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, October 6 University, Cairo, Egypt.

2. Menouf Fever Hospital, Menoufia, Egypt.

3. Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

 

Microbes, Infection and Chemotherapy 2024;4: e1963

 

DOI: 10.54034/mic.e1963

 

Abstract

Background. On 23 July 2022, the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Monkeypox is a zoonotic viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus that is transmitted from animals to humans or from human to human. To date, treatment for human monkeypox is mostly symptomatic, as there is no specific standard antiviral treatment. Persons with severe symptoms and signs, immunocompromised patients, children younger than 8 years, and pregnant individuals should be considered for specific antiviral treatment. Objective. This study aims to assess effectiveness of antiviral drugs in treatment of human monkeypox. Methodology. Published clinical trials and cohort studies on the role of antivirals in the management of human monkeypox that were identified through a comprehensive search of electronic databases up to April 1, 2023. The patients included were children and adults confirmed with monkeypox. The diagnosis was based on PCR or clinical symptoms. The intervention was antivirals administration in human monkeypox patients, versus supportive treatment/placebo. Outcome measured include the duration of monkeypox until recovery, need for hospitalization, and ICU admission. Results. We included four completed studies with 195 participants assessing the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of antiviral treatments for human monkeypox compared to placebo. Three studies investigated Tecovirimat (st-246), and one investigated Brincidofovir. Both drugs were safe, tolerable, and effective with no serious adverse effects. The other 5 studies were not completed and are ongoing. Conclusion. There are currently no approved antivirals for the treatment of monkeypox; some medications could be authorized for outbreak use and are now under investigation, such as Tecovirimat, Cidofovir, and Brincidofovir.

Key word: monkeypox, tecovirimat, cidofovir, brincidofovir, meta-analysis, systematic review.

Abdelghany AM, Ghaly FF, Allam MF. Antiviral Drugs for Treatment of Human Monkeypox: A Systematic Review/Metaanalysis. Microbes Infect Chemother. 2024;4: e1963

https://revistas.unheval.edu.pe/index.php/mic/article/view/1963 

Risk Factors of Vitamin D Insufficiency/Deficiency among a sample of Egyptian Females in Child Bearing Period

Risk Factors of Vitamin D Insufficiency/Deficiency among a sample of Egyptian Females in Child Bearing Period

 

Ghada Essam Aldin  (1,2), Maivel Emile Soby Gerges (1), Inas Abd El Rahim Ali (3), Diaa Marzok Abdel Hamid (1), Mohamed Farouk Allam (1,2)

 

1. Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

2. Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, October 6 University, Cairo, Egypt.

3. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Misr University for Science and Technology MUST, Giza, Egypt.

 

Current Research in Public Health, 2024, 4, 867

 

DOI: 10.31586/crph.2024.867

 

Abstract:

 

Background: Vitamin D plays an important role in the development of bone health and possibly non-communicable diseases. Arab countries had made their own national studies to assess serum vitamin D level among women, yet in Egypt there is no national survey done. The aim of the current study was to identify risk factors affecting vitamin D level among Egyptian females during the child-bearing period. Subjects and methods: A total of 100 healthy adult females in their childbearing period who were attending a Family Medicine Center were included in our study. The age of the included women ranged from 19 to 49 years old with a mean age of 34 (SD 8.47) years. The majority of participants had deficiency (43%) and insufficiency (13%) of vitamin D level. Results: Unemployed women were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than employed women (P<0.05). Participants who were exposed to sun ˃30 minutes/day were more likely to have sufficient vitamin D level (P<0.05). All participants who consume fish ≥3 times/week had sufficient vitamin D level. Therefore, there was a statistically significance association between a number of consuming fish/week and vitamin D3 level groups. Also, there was statistically significant association between number of consumed milk cups/day and vitamin D3 level groups. All participants who drink 2 cups of milk have sufficient vitamin D level. No statistically significance association was found between using multivitamins and vitamin D3 level groups. Conclusion: Unemployment, low fish consumption and infrequent sun exposure were significant risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Future research on the role of multivitamins supplements in improving vitamin D nutrition is warranted.

 

Keywords: Vitamin D, Sun Exposure, Nutrition, Employment, Women, Egypt.

 

Essam Aldin Amin, G., Soby Gerges, M. E., Abd El Rahim Ali, I., Marzok Abdel Hamid, D., & Allam, M. F. (2024). Risk Factors of Vitamin D Insufficiency/Deficiency among a sample of Egyptian Females in Child Bearing Period. Current Research in Public Health, 4(1), 1-12.

 

https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/CRPH/article/view/867