Mahboobe Hosseinikia, Farhad Oubari, Roghaye Hosseinkia, Zibaneh Tabeshfar, Mohammad Gharib Salehi, Zeinab Mousavian, Mehrnaz Abbasi, Mehnoosh Samadi and Yahya Pasdar
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease which has become a public health concern, whose growing prevalence has been reported as around 33.9% in…
Abstract
Purpose
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease which has become a public health concern, whose growing prevalence has been reported as around 33.9% in Iran. As oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, antioxidant compounds such as quercetin could ameliorate the side effect of oxidative stress. The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of quercetin on lipid profile, liver enzymes and inflammatory indices in NAFLD patients.
Design/methodology/approach
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted as a pilot study, 90 patients with NAFLD were supplemented with either a quercetin or a placebo capsule twice daily (500 mg) for 12 weeks. Both groups were advised to follow an energy-balanced diet with physical activity recommendations. Blood sample was obtained for laboratory parameters at baseline and the end of week 12.
Findings
At the end of the follow-up, quercetin group had significantly greater reduction in anthropometric parameters, cholesterol (−15 ± (−41, 0.00) in Q group versus −1± (−8, 2) in control group, p = 0.004), TG (−56.7 ± 22.7) in Q group versus −13.4 ± 27.7 in control group, p = 0.04), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (−49.5 ± (−99, 21) in Q group versus −5 ± (−21, 0.30) in the control group, p < 0.0001) compared to the control group. However, changes in fatty liver grade, liver enzymes, as well as high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were not significantly different between the two groups.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first study which assessed the effect of quercetin supplementation on liver enzymes, lipid profile and inflammatory indices of NAFLD patients as a double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to explore the extent to which the internet has created new opportunities for Iranian women in Tehran. It analyses both challenges and opportunities offered to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the extent to which the internet has created new opportunities for Iranian women in Tehran. It analyses both challenges and opportunities offered to Iranian women by the internet as a means of economic empowerment.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a qualitative approach and based on 13 semi-structured interviews with female internet users between the ages of 20 and 55 years. The qualitative data was collected through open-ended questions in face-to-face interviews. This study uses ethnography as a research tool to explore the question of whether the internet has made a difference in the economic lives of Iranian women.
Findings
Result reveals that the internet and working online have significant impact on the economic lives of Tehrani women by enabling them to engage in new forms of online business. This technology is being used for online advertising to attract more clients, to establish business contacts with peers and to manage households positively.
Research limitations/implications
The result of the research cannot be regarded as applicable to all women in Iran, as the opportunity to access online economic activities is only available to those women who are highly trained and well-educated. In addition, the result of the research may not reflect the barriers that women from different social classes and ethnic groups have faced in the achievement of economic empowerment online.
Practical implications
The study highlights that due to a generally lack of computer proficiency, women in these areas are unable to effectively maximise their participation in the online economic sphere. This barrier must be removed by enhancing women’s computer literacy and ICT (information, communication and technologies) and establishing development networking programme centres for internet skills training.
Originality/value
The internet has created opportunity for Iranian women to expand their participation in the online economic sphere. However, research in the field of online economic activities in Iran, especially concerning women working online, is scant. The key contribution of this paper is to fill the gap in this area of study, in particular offering insights into the ways in which women use the internet to overcome the boundaries of physical space and become empowered.