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Background: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a risk factor for atherosclerosis, diabetes, kidney disease, and liver cirrhosis. Limited research exists on the biochemical and nutritional elements influencing NAFLD among adult patients in Oman. Objective : This study aimed to characterize the biochemical parameters and nutritional factors of Omani adults diagnosed with NAFLD at the Diwan Polyclinic in Muscat, Oman. Methods: This retrospective case–control study included 104 participants (52 cases and 52 controls) who have 2 or more risk factors for NAFLD and were referred to the Radiology department from January 2021 to January 2022 for abdominal ultrasound after Internal Medicine consultations. A validated scale, incorporating a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, was employed. Results: The study revealed a significantly higher risk of NAFLD among men (69%) compared to women (31%). A common characteristic among participants was a prior diabetes diagnosis, 61.5% of the case group and 65% of the control group. While average liver enzyme levels were within the normal range for both groups, alanine transaminase levels were notably elevated in the case group. The case group exhibited a significantly higher average caloric intake than the control group. Conclusion: NAFLD is significantly more common among men. Alanine transaminase is significantly high in NAFLD group, which might be considered as a biochemical marker for NAFLD, but further investigations are needed. Moreover, high daily caloric intake is directly related to NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Oman, ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the most common type of cardiovascular disease, and there are multifactorial causes, including nutritional deficiencies of B vitamins (folate and B12) and health illiteracy. Objective: This study aimed to characterize the health literacy, nutrition literacy, and B-vitamin (folate and B12) status of patients with recurrent episodes of IHD. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 5 months from February to June 2022. The enrolled study participants had an angiographically proven recurrence of IHD, and they were interviewed using a study questionnaire to identify their sociodemographic data, health status, and nutrition status. Folate and B12 were measured in the sera of the study participants. Results: Most participants were in their middle age (62%), and the frequency of the IHD recurrence was noticed among men, married, and unemployed. The serum values of folate and vitamin B12 were within the normal range among the IHD patients. Health literacy categories were affected by the employment status (χ21 = 6.05, P = 0.01), and the binary logistic regression confirmed the statistical significance between employment status and health literacy (odds ratio; 1.7, P = 0.005). Nutrition literacy had a significant difference regarding the education variable (χ21 = 8.34, P = 0.004), and the sociodemographic variables were not associated with nutrition literacy. Conclusion: The investigated health and nutrition literacy measures might be used for assessing IHD patients' literacy and detecting any deficits that needed to be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to examine individual barriers and supports to exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and identify potential policy and programmatic interventions in Oman, where less than a quarter of Omani infants under six months are exclusively breastfed. Methods: A cross-sectional barrier analysis (BA) was carried out among a purposive sample of Omani women who were selected and interviewed by trained enumerators in health clinics in various parts of the country. A BA tool, adapted for the Omani context, covered 12 common determinants of behaviour adoption using open-ended questions regarding participants' perceptions about EBF including positive and negative consequences, self-efficacy and social norms. Qualitative analysis involved coding and tabulating as well as thematic analysis. Results: This study included a total of 45 'doers' (who exclusively breastfed their infants) and 52 'non-doers' (who did not). Mothers reported that motivations for EBF include the perception that it leads to healthier children and is easy to do, readily available and therefore convenient, as well as that there is an high level of family support for breastfeeding. Barriers included perceived milk insufficiency and mother's employment. Conclusion: To achieve the EBF target of 50% for 2025, public health action should focus on emphasising the benefits and convenience of EBF and building women's confidence in their ability to produce sufficient milk. These efforts will require increasing the knowledge and skills of community and healthcare workers and establishing monitoring mechanisms. Extended paid maternity leave and supportive workplace policies are necessary to encourage working women to exclusively breastfeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern era demands greater speed, efficiency, and quality in every aspect of life. Smart technologies, particularly the Internet of Things (IoT), have revolutionized the way people live and work. In this research paper, we explore the implementation of smart office technology, which includes connectivity and collaboration solutions, to enhance the productivity and safety of employees. For instance, smart parking systems enable employees to plan their commutes ahead of time, while smart meeting room solutions facilitate the selection of the most suitable meeting room for a team based on specific criteria. Furthermore, we discuss the use of IoT devices to limit natural pollution and adopt renewable energy in the office, such as air, sun, and rainwater harvesting. We also consider the implementation of a firewall in our server to ensure the security of our smart office network. By combining these smart concepts and systems, we can create a more efficient, secure, and eco-friendly workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the status of B-vitamins (folate, vitamin B6, and B12) and homocysteine (HCY) in the sera of Omani coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Sixteen Omani patients (10 males and 6 females) gave consent for blood sampling and were enrolled in the study on voluntary basis. All patients were evaluated for their anthropometric and biochemical measurements of B-vitamins, glutathione (reduced and oxidized), HCY, and quantification of N-homocysteinylated albumin protein. It was observed that both male and female patients had a comparable age (57.64 ±9.86, 56.5 ±10.04 years, respectively) with no significant difference, P = 0.69 and both genders were obese based on their body mass index (31.22 ± 8.17 kg/m2 for males and 30.26 ± 4.70 kg/m2for females). Serum levels of folate, vitamins B6, and B12 were lower than the normal reference values in all the study participants. There was depletion in glutathione levels (higher level of oxidized glutathione versus lower level of reduced glutathione) in the sera of all study participants. High serum HCY levels in both males and females (75.81±9.21 and 68.66±8.1 μmol/L, respectively) suggest that both males and females had hyperhomocysteinemia. Correlation coefficient analysis revealed that the serum HCY levels were negatively correlated with serum reduced glutathione, folic acid, vitamins B6, and B12 levels in both male and female study participants. The serum HCY level was positively correlated with age, body mass index, and serum oxidized glutathione. Proteomic measurements of N-homocysteinylation in serum albumin revealed that N-homocysteinylated albumin was present in all the assayed serum samples of study participants. The results suggest that low serum status of B-vitamins might act as a metabolic trigger for the observed hyperhomocysteinemia, oxidative stress, and pathological formation of N-homocysteinylated albumin protein, which collectively aggravates the CAD risk in the studied Omani patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trauma patients are characterised by alterations in the immune system, increased exposure to infectious complications, sepsis and potentially organ failure and death. Glutamine supplementation to parenteral nutrition has been proven to be associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, glutamine supplementation in patients receiving enteral nutrition and its best route are still controversial. Previous trials have been limited by a small sample size, use of surrogate outcomes or a limited period of supplementation. The aim of this trial is to investigate if intravenous glutamine supplementation to trauma patients receiving enteral nutrition is associated with improved clinical outcomes in terms of decreased organ dysfunction, infectious complications and other secondary outcomes. Methods/design: Eighty-eight critically ill patients with multiple trauma receiving enteral nutrition will be recruited in this prospective, triple-blind, block-randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial to receive either 0.5 g/kg/day intravenous undiluted alanyl-glutamine or intravenous placebo by continuous infusion (24 h/day). Both groups will be receiving the same standard enteral nutrition protocol and the same standard intensive care unit care. Supplementation will continue until discharge from the intensive care unit, death or a maximum duration of 3 weeks. The primary outcome will be organ-dysfunction evaluation assessed by the pattern of change in sequential organ failure assessment score over a 10-day period. The secondary outcomes are: the changes in total sequential organ failure assessment score on the last day of treatment, infectious complications during the ICU stay, 60-day mortality, length of stay in the intensive care unit and body-composition analysis. Discussion: This study is the first trial to investigate the effect of intravenous alanyl-glutamine supplementation in multiple trauma patients receiving enteral nutrition on reducing severity of organ failure and infectious complications and preservation of lean body mass. Trial registration number: This trial is registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. NCT01240291. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]