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Summary: Background & aims: Severe obesity is a serious health condition defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 40 kg/m2 and more. It was found that individuals with severe obesity had a greater chance of getting nutritional deficiencies related to unhealthy or low nutritional value diets. Therefore, the assessment of nutritional status is highly essential in pre-bariatric surgeries. The study aimed to determine the dietary intake and biochemical parameters of Omani adult subjects with severe obesity who are about to undergo bariatric surgeries and to identify gender-specific differences in dietary and biochemical characteristics. Subjects & methods: A retrospective hospital-based study at the Royal Hospital, Ministry of Health, Muscat, Oman, included 104 Omani adult subjects (35 males and 69 females) diagnosed with severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2). A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and blood tests were the study tools used to collect the data. The dietary intake was analyzed using the Cronometer software, while the biochemical parameters were analyzed using automated analyzers. Results: The majority of macro- and micro-nutrients were statistically significant from the recommended dietary intake (RDI) except for vitamin K and cholesterol for both genders. Among the males, the dietary intake of zinc, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 did not differ significantly from the RDI. Meanwhile, in females only pantothenic acid and zinc met the RDI. Macro- and micronutrient deficiencies were abundant among females with severe obesity as compared with males with severe obesity. The biochemical parameters measured in the sera of all study participants were within the normal range, except for serum phosphorus and low density lipoprotein (LDL), which were higher than the normal ranges. The study also revealed statistically significant differences in dietary and biochemical characteristics between males and females except in cholesterol, hemoglobin, LDL and vitamin B12, and vitamin D. Conclusion: This study concludes that the nutritional and biochemical assessment at pre-bariatric surgeries is vital to optimize long-term success and prevent further nutritional or related metabolic complications during the post-bariatric surgeries period.

This study investigated the ability of aqueous leaf extracts of Heliotropium bacciferum (HE), Ocimum dhofarense (OE), and Zataria multiflora (ZE) to detoxify aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The results showed that HE, OE, and ZE degraded 95%, 93%, and 92% of AFB1, respectively, after 72 h incubation at 37 °C. The degradation of AFB1 was validated by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. A molecular ion peak at m/z 313 specific to AFB1 (C17H12O6) was observed in the mass spectrum of untreated AFB1 (control). However, the level of AFB1 was decreased to untraceable levels in response to treatment with these plant extracts. HE, OE, and ZE effectively detoxified AFB1 in a concentration-dependent manner, resulting in mortality rates of 65, 70, and 75% of brine shrimp, respectively, in contrast to 90% in the untreated AFB1 (control). The hepatoprotective effect of HE, OE, and ZE against AFB1-induced oxidative stress pathogenesis was investigated using mice as an experimental model. Glutathione depletion, impairment of total antioxidant capacity, and increase in DNA oxidative damage were observed in liver tissues of mice treated with AFB1. However, HE, OE, and ZE extract supplementation suppressed the oxidative damage associated with AFB1 treatment. Our findings indicated that HE, OE, and ZE were highly effective in the detoxification of AFB1. In addition, HE, OE, and ZE act as potent antioxidants and combat the AFB1-associated oxidative stress and liver pathogenesis, suggesting that these plants might be valuable for the development of functional foods aimed at minimizing the toxic effects of AFB1.

Objectives: The Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus), is commonly distributed in Asian countries. However, its therapeutic potential has not been thoroughly investigated yet. The current study aimed to evaluate the in-vivo therapeutic properties of the skin mucus of this fish. Methods: The eel mucus was collected fleshly and topical gel with carbopol 934 was formulated to study the antibacterial activity on the infected skin of the rats. Sprague Dawley rats were used in the study and divided into 4 groups negative, positive, normal control, and treated groups. Results: Intracutaneous injections of pathogenic bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus) and fungi (Microsporum gypseum, Candida albicans) were injected into the rats. The development of tinea capitis, impetigo, and cutaneous candidiasis in the animal model was confirmed based on clinical and histopathological observations. To treat the infected rats, a formulated gel of eel skin mucus was applied on the infected rat’s skins topically. The histological analysis confirms a complete recovery in the skin tissues similar to commercial antifungal and antibacterial agents used in the positive control groups. Conclusion: The present novel eel skin mucus is an efficient therapeutic candidate in treating skin infections associated with pathogenic microbes.

Recently, nanoencapsulation was introduced as an efficient and promising approach for the protection, delivery, and site-specific liberation of the nutraceuticals and bioactive ingredients. Food proteins are attractive materials for developing nanocarriers to protect and deliver bioactives due to their unique functional and biological properties. Food proteins extracted from animals and plants have the ability to form different nanostructures including nanoparticles, hollow particles, nanogels, nanofibrillar aggregates, electrospun nanofibers, nanotubular structures, and nanocomplexes. These nanostructured food proteins have been widely used as nanocarriers for the biologically active compounds and drugs. The release of bioactive compounds from nanocarriers depends mainly on pH as well as swelling and the degradation behavior of nanostructure in the simulated physiological conditions. This review presents the applications of the nanostructured food proteins for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds. The major techniques for the fabrication of nanocarriers are described. The encapsulation, protection, and release of bioactive compounds in different nanostructured food proteins were also discussed.

Casein is an excellent carrier for curcumin, but it is susceptible to hydrolysis in gastrointestinal digestion. This study intended to design a tailored nano-carrier composed of camel casein/bovine whey protein to protect casein and curcumin during digestion. After loading curcumin to the casein, whey protein was added to solution followed by heating at 80°C for 10 min in order to form casein/whey protein aggregations. Binding of curcumin to the solution was assayed by fluorescence. The results showed that in the existence of aggregated whey proteins, stability of curcumin against gastrointestinal condition significantly improved. These results attributed to the protective effect of the aggregated whey proteins during the gastric digestion and denaturation in the accessibility of pepsin to the casein. It was demonstrated that this method might be a good design to combat susceptibility of casein without the use of any synthetic material.

Purpose. Evidence from industrialized/developed countries showed that colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rates have significantly dropped due to the widespread use of colonoscopy. In Arab countries, however, the CRC had been reported to have increased. Despite the concerted effort in the primary prevention and widespread use of colonoscopy, to our knowledge, there have been no reports of the prevalence rate of CRC among colonoscopy recipients from Oman. This study aims to explore the CRC prevalence estimates over selected sociodemographic characteristics among colonoscopy-recipients at a tertiary hospital in Oman over five years of follow-up. The regional variations in Oman were also examined in this study. Methods. This hospital-based cross-sectional study reviewed reports of colonoscopies performed over 5-years of retrospective follow-up at a tertiary hospital in Oman. CRC prevalence estimates were calculated over age, gender, governorate, and time of follow-up. Results. A total of 442 CRC cases were enumerated among 3701 colonoscopies, with an overall CRC prevalence estimate of 11.9 per 100 colonoscopies (95% CI: 10.9, 13.0). Gender-specific CRC prevalence was higher among males compared with females (13.3 vs. 10.5). Age-specific CRC prevalence increased with advancing age, from 2.8 among those less than 40 years of age to 26.5 among aged 70 years or more. Regional CRC prevalence was highest among residents in Batinah Governorate. Over the 5-years of follow-up, there was a slow rise in CRC prevalence with an annual increment of 0.59%. Conclusion. The study provides supportive evidence for a steady increase in CRC prevalence over age categories and years of follow-up and depicted the variations of gender-specific CRC prevalence estimates over increasing age categories. The study calls for timely formulation and adoption of national CRC screening programs centered on the colonoscopy use as primary prevention and maximizing its utilization and efficiency.

In this study, the retention of vitamin C in fresh broccoli stored at different temperatures (i.e. chiller, room, cooking, and roasting or baking; 5-120oC) was investigated. The thermal stability of vitamin C in broccoli was analysed at 5, 20, 45, 60, 70, 80, 110, and 120oC. The vitamin C content was measured by the indophenol titration method. Vitamin C was affected negatively at all stored temperatures. The degradation of vitamin C was modelled by first-order reaction kinetics and the reaction rate constants were observed as 9.03Ö10−8 and 5.65Ö10−3 s −1 when stored at 5oC and 120oC, respectively. The activation energy was estimated as 74.2 kJ/mol within the temperature range used in this study. The lowest decay of vitamin C was observed during the chilling condition. The data on retention of vitamin C in broccoli could be used to determine their stability, when stored as raw, and when heated at different temperatures.

Background/Aims: Water-pipe smoking (WPS) is popular in the Middle East and is starting to gain popularity in several Western countries as well. It is widely and erroneously perceived to be less harmful than other forms of tobacco use. The reproductive adverse effects of cigarette smoking have been studied before with conflicting results, but data on the possible adverse reproductive effects of WPS are lacking. Here, we assessed the effects of nose-only exposure to mainstream WPS generated by commercially available honey-flavored "moasel" tobacco in mice. Methods: The duration of the session was 30 min/day for one month. Control mice were exposed to air. Twenty- four h after the last exposure, mice were killed and the testes and plasma removed for analysis. In testicular homogenates total protein, alkaline phosphatase activity, several indices of oxidative damage and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (VEGFR2) were quantified. The plasma concentrations of leptin, testosterone, estrogen and luteinizing hormone (LH) were also measured. Histological analysis of testes and lungs was also conducted. Results: WPS caused statistically significant decreases in the plasma concentrations of leptin, testosterone, and LH, and in the concentrations of total protein and the antioxidant indices measured. A statistically non - significant decrease in VEGFR2 protein in the WPS - exposed mice compared to the control mice was also found. The body and testicular weights of mice exposed to WPS, as well as their testicular alkaline phosphatase activity and light microscopic histology, and plasma estrogen concentration were all not significantly affected by WPS. Conclusion: Further studies on the functional implications of these findings in mice exposed to WPS for longer durations are warranted.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the lifestyle habits—physical activity (PA), eating habits (EH), and sleep duration (SD)—of Omani adolescents, and to examine gender differences in such variables. Methods: 802 Omani adolescents (442 females and 360 males), aged 15‒18 years were randomly recruited. Anthropometric indices, PA level, and EH and SD were evaluated by the Arab Teenage Lifestyle questionnaire. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for dietary assessment was also administered. Results: The results showed that although the study subjects had a sedentary lifestyle (lack of PA, average of 6.7 hours sleep, and consumption of high calorie foods), they maintained a normal body mass (less than 25 Kg/m2). Males were more than twice as active as females. With respect to EH, there were few gender differences, except in dairy and meat consumption where 62.5% and 55.5% of males consumed more than 3 servings, respectively, compared to 18.78 % and 3.76% of females, respectively. In addition, waist/height ratio, height, reasons for being active, energy drinks, potato consumption, eating sweets, vigorous PA and breakfast EHs were statistically significant independent predictors for BMI, P

Objective: Adequate dietary intake is crucial for optimum training and performance of athletes. There is almost no available information related to dietary practices among Omani athletes, especially during the competition. This study aimed to assess the nutritional practices (nutritional knowledge, eating habits and daily nutrients intake) among Omani male handball athletes in Muscat city, Oman.Methods: This is a cross sectional study including 35 male handball athletes involved in serious training for no less than three years. Data collection was done through personal interviews using a study questionnaire which enlisted questions relating to socio-demographic information, anthropometric measurements and nutritional practices. All the study participants declared no intake of anabolic steroids.Results: The mean age of the study participants was 27 ± 3 years. Their anthropometric assessment revealed that their mean height was 166 ± 12 cm, mean weight was 75 ± 10 kg, and body mass index was 27 ± 3. Nutritional knowledge analysis revealed that 80% had no nutritional supervision by a nutritionist/dietitian. Their knowledge of nutritional requirements was only 23% correct for total energy intake, 63% for protein intake, 46% for carbohydrate intake, 11% for fat intake and 83% for water intake. Eating habits indicated that 55% had

Background Sleep disturbance is a major complaint among individuals with diabetes mellitus and may be augmented by dietary interventions. The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the effectiveness of a Mediterranean diet intervention on daytime sleepiness among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Oman.

Chrysin (5, 7- dihydroxyflavone) is a flavonoid with several pharmacological properties that include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic activities. in this work, we investigated some effects of three graded oral doses of chrysin (10, 50 and 250 mg/kg) on kidney structure and function in rats with experimental chronic renal disease (CKD) induced by adenine (0.25% w/w in feed for 35 days), which is known to involve inflammation and oxidative stress. Using several indices in plasma, urine and kidney homogenates, adenine was found to impair kidney function as it lowered creatinine clearance and increased plasma concentrations of creatinine, urea, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and N-Acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activity. Furthermore, it raised plasma concentrations of the uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate, some inflammatory cytokines and urinary albumin concentration. Renal morphology was severely damaged and histopathological markers of inflammation and fibrosis were especially increased. In renal homogenates, antioxidant indices, including superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, total antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione were all adversely affected. Most of these adenine - induced actions were moderately and dose -dependently mitigated by chrysin, especially at the highest dose. Chrysin did not cause any overt adverse effect on the treated rats. The results suggest that different doses of chrysin produce variable salutary effects against adenine-induced CKD in rats, and that, pending further pharmacological and toxicological studies, its usability as a possible ameliorative agent in human CKD should be considered.

Different modes of exercise are reported to be beneficial in subjects with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Similar benefits have also been ascribed to the dietary supplement gum acacia (GA). Using several physiological, biochemical, immunological, and histopathological measurements, we assessed the effect of swimming exercise (SE) on adenine-induced CKD, and tested whether SE would influence the salutary action of GA in rats with CKD. Eight groups of rats were used, the first four of which were fed normal chow for 5 weeks, feed mixed with adenine (0.25% w/w) to induce CKD, GA in the drinking water (15% w/v), or were given adenine plus GA, as above. Another four groups were similarly treated, but were subjected to SE during the experimental period, while the first four groups remained sedentary. The pre-SE program lasted for four days (before the start of the experimental treatments), during which the rats were made to swim for 5 to 10 min, and then gradually extended to 20 min per day. Thereafter, the rats in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th groups started to receive their respective treatments, and were subjected to SE three days a week for 45 min each. Adenine induced the typical signs of CKD as confirmed by histopathology, and the other measurements, and GA significantly ameliorated all these signs. SE did not affect the salutary action of GA on renal histology, but it partially improved some of the above biochemical and physiological analytes, suggesting that addition of this mode of exercise to GA supplementation may improve further the benefits of GA supplementation.