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The increasing demand for functional and nutritious beverages necessitates the exploration of novel ingredients and formulations. This study evaluated the impact of supplementing chocolate milk with desert truffles powder and varying concentrations of gum arabic on its chemical composition, viscosity, color characteristics, antioxidant activity, and sensory attributes. Desert truffles powder was consistently incorporated at 2% across all treatments, while gum arabic concentrations varied from 0% to 1.5%. The results revealed significant enhancements in the nutritional profile, particularly in treatments with higher gum arabic concentrations, which showed increased solids-not-fat, protein, and carbohydrate contents. Additionally, the viscosity and shear stress values of the chocolate milk improved with the addition of gum arabic, enhancing its texture and stability. Color analysis demonstrated a darker and more intense coloration in samples with higher gum arabic levels. Antioxidant activity, assessed through total phenolic content, DPPH, and ABTS scavenging activity, was highest at moderate gum arabic concentrations but declined at higher levels. A high correlation was observed between total phenolic content and both DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities. Sensory evaluation indicated no significant differences in flavor, consistency, color, and overall acceptability across treatments, suggesting that the nutritional enhancements did not compromise sensory qualities. Overall, this study highlights that incorporating desert truffles powder and gum arabic can effectively improve the functional and nutritional properties of chocolate milk, presenting it as a viable option for health-oriented consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite of advancement in the technology and an improvement in handing of patients with atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) but the mortality associated with them remains to be highest in all over the globe. The Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) has now been considered to be a best indicator for the analysis of atherosclerosis and CVDs. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential of Fermented camel Milk (FM) and Fenugreek seed powder (FG) on the animal model of CVDs. Materials and Methods: The animal models of atherosclerosis and CVDs were made by feeding of rats with high fat and cholesterol diets and the effect of FM supplemented with FG either alone or in a combination (FGFM) were tested on the lipid profile and AIP by Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), Malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) activity, Total Cholesterol (TC) and small dense Low-Density Lipoprotein (sd-LDL). Results: The data revealed that FM, FG and their combination potentially increased in TAC level (p<0.05) and decreased in lipid peroxidation via reduction in the serum concentrations of MDA. Whereas, experimental rats on FM were fully restored GPx activity. Moreover, FM and FG and their combination lowered TC and sd-LDL concentrations significantly (p<0.05). Conclusion: The novel findings of this study clearly indicated that the FG, FM and FGFM have potential in preventing the onset of atherosclerosis and CVDs by reducing the levels of sd-LDL and improving lipids profile, AIP and antioxidant capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally. Metabolic syndrome (MtS) is a risk factor that increases the likelihood of CVD. The atherogenic index (AIP), calculated as the logarithm of the ratio of triglycerides (TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) cholesterol in plasma, is a valuable marker for highly atherogenic small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol particles. This study aimed to explore MtS prevalence and investigate the potential of using the AIP as a predictor for CVD risk factors in adults from the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: The cross-sectional study enrolled 589 participants from public hospitals in nine major cities who completed a detailed questionnaire on health, diet, and lifestyle. Anthropometric measurements and some clinical parameters were measured. Results: The findings indicated a significant prevalence of MtS (37.5%) among participants from the Qassim Area, which was higher in males (39.9%) than females (34.9%). Nevertheless, a significant prevalence was shown for CVD risk factors among participants, with hyperglycemia (78.1%), hypertriglyceridemia (39.0%), hypoHDL-cholesterolemia (38.9%), and hypertension (21.6%) being common. The AIP's performance in identifying CVD risk factors showed a receiver operating characteristic value of 0.909 (P < 0.001). The optimal cutoff value for the AIP was determined to be 0.468, demonstrating high sensitivity (84.8%) and specificity (78.6%). Conclusion: Incorporating AIP into clinical practice could enhance CVD risk prediction compared to using lipid profiles alone. These findings suggest that there is a high prevalence of MtS among adults in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Further longitudinal studies are needed to recommend AIP as a robust tool for predicting CVD in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present work was to investigate the synergistic hepatoprotective effect of fermented goat milk (FGM) combined with aqueous extracts of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) (BE) and desert truffle (Terfezia claveryi) (DTE). Chemical analysis indicated that BE is rich in ascorbic acid (67.3 mg/100 g dry weight). Both extracts reduced the stable free radical DPPH (96.4 and for BE versus 70.2 % for BE and DTE, respectively). For examining the hepatoprotective effect of these treatments in vivo, thirty-six rats were randomly divided into six groups (n=6 per group). Group 1 served as the normal control (NC). Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats of the other five groups using CCl4. Group 2 served as the positive control (PC), while the remaining 4 groups received orally FGM, DTE, BE and their mixture (1:1:1) for 28 days. Hepatotoxicity was characterized by high liver weight as well as an elevation in serum levels of liver enzymes in the PC group. All treatments restored weight of liver to that of the NC group (P>0.05). Highest positive effect was recorded for DTE which lowered liver weight by 33.9% compared with PC group (P<0.05). Concentrations of liver enzymes were significantly reduced in all treatment groups compared to PC group. Moreover, the protective effect was further confirmed by histopathological as a considerable reduction in necrosis and fatty changes were noticed. In sum, FGM, Desert Truffle and Baobab could be potentially used as functional food to protect against liver lesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euphorbia pulcherrima is an important medicinal plant that is used in a traditional system for its curative properties such as analgesic potency, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, sedation potential, and antidepressant and cure of diseases such as skin diseases. This study deals with the isolation of two flavonoids namely spinacetin (1) and patuletin (2) from chloroform fraction of Euphorbia pulcherrima. The isolated compound spinacetin (1) and patuletin (2) were screened for in vivo anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, and muscle relaxant effects. Compounds 1 and 2 were assessed against hot plate-induced noxious stimuli at various doses which showed excellent (p < 0.05) analgesic effect in a dose-dependent manner. The muscle relaxant activity was determined by traction and inclined screening model, both compounds showed significant muscle relaxant activity with time. The sedative potential of isolated compounds 1 and 2 was determined by the open field model, both compounds showed good sedation (p < 0.05) at 20 mg/kg. The anti-inflammatory potential of compound 1 was recorded by histamine-induced paw edema and carrageen paw edema model, and in both models, compounds 1 and 2 showed strong effect at 20 mg/kg. Binding orientations, binding energy values, and computed inhibition constants (Ki) values revealed that the studied compounds have a good to excellent inhibition potential against μ-opioid receptors and COX-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyl radicals (OH .) are one of the most active reactive oxidants recognized for their deleterious effects to cause protein oxidative damage. Thymoquinone, a monoterpene molecule abundantly present in black cumin and known for its pharmacological activities, but its activity against the OH . -induced protein oxidative damage has never been explored. This study determined the therapeutic potential of thymoquinone against OH . -induced oxidative human hemoglobin damage. Novel data demonstrated that thymoquinone provides structural protection of hemoglobin against oxidative damage. Treatment of hemoglobin with OH . induces hypochromicity at 280 and 405 nm, whereas thymoquinone reversed these hypochromic effects. In addition, OH . cause significant reduction in tryptophan fluorescence, however thymoquinone also reversed these damaging effects. Thymoquinone also reduces OH . -induced hydrophobicity and also reduces OH . -induced carbonylation. Moreover, it also inhibits thermal stabilization of OH . -hemoglobin complex. SDS-PAGE of unmodified hemoglobin showed four bands, which disappeared upon OH . treatment and these changes were also retained by thymoquinone. In conclusion, this is the first study that shows the therapeutic potential of thymoquinone against OH . -induced oxidative damage in human hemoglobin. • Oxidative by-product hydroxyl radicals caused extensive damage of hemoglobin. • Thymoquinone stabilizes hemoglobin structure against ROS. • Thymoquinone reverses ROS-induced tryptophan fluorescence. • Thymoquinone reduces ROS-induced hydrophobicity. • Thymoquinone also reduces ROS-induced carbonylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally. Metabolic syndrome (MtS) is a risk factor that increases the likelihood of CVD. The atherogenic index (AIP), calculated as the logarithm of the ratio of triglycerides (TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) cholesterol in plasma, is a valuable marker for highly atherogenic small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol particles. This study aimed to explore MtS prevalence and investigate the potential of using the AIP as a predictor for CVD risk factors in adults from the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia., Methods: The cross-sectional study enrolled 589 participants from public hospitals in nine major cities who completed a detailed questionnaire on health, diet, and lifestyle. Anthropometric measurements and some clinical parameters were measured., Results: The findings indicated a significant prevalence of MtS (37.5%) among participants from the Qassim Area, which was higher in males (39.9%) than females (34.9%). Nevertheless, a significant prevalence was shown for CVD risk factors among participants, with hyperglycemia (78.1%), hypertriglyceridemia (39.0%), hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia (38.9%), and hypertension (21.6%) being common. The AIP's performance in identifying CVD risk factors showed a receiver operating characteristic value of 0.909 ( P < 0.001). The optimal cutoff value for the AIP was determined to be 0.468, demonstrating high sensitivity (84.8%) and specificity (78.6%)., Conclusion: Incorporating AIP into clinical practice could enhance CVD risk prediction compared to using lipid profiles alone. These findings suggest that there is a high prevalence of MtS among adults in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Further longitudinal studies are needed to recommend AIP as a robust tool for predicting CVD in clinical settings., (Copyright: © International Journal of Health Sciences.)