Efficacy and Clinical Outcomes of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The world has witnessed one of the largest pandemics, dubbed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of December 2020, the USA alone reported 98,948 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection during pregnancy, with 109 related maternal deaths. Current evidence suggests that unvaccinated pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at a higher risk of experiencing complications related to COVID-19 compared to nonpregnant women. This review aimed to provide healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers with a comprehensive overview of the available information regarding the efficacy of vaccines in pregnant women. SUMMARY: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines. The search through the database for articles published between December 2019 and October 2021 was performed. A comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE databases for research publications published between December 2019 and October 2021. We focused on original research, case reports, case series, and vaccination side effect by authoritative health institutions. Phrases used for the Medical Subject Heading [MeSH] search included ("COVID-19" [MeSH]) or ("Vaccine" [MeSH]) and ("mRNA" [MeSH]) and ("Pregnant" [MeSH]). Eleven studies were selected and included, with a total of 46,264 pregnancies that were vaccinated with mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticle vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna during pregnancy. There were no randomized trials, and all studies were observational (prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional). The mean maternal age was 32.2 years, and 98.7% of pregnant women received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination. The local and systemic adverse effects of the vaccination in pregnant women were analyzed and reported. The local adverse effects of the vaccination (at least 1 dose) such as local pain, swelling, and redness were reported in 32%, 5%, and 1%, respectively. The systemic adverse effects such as fatigue, headaches, new onset or worsening of muscle pain, chills, fever, and joint pains were also reported in 25%, 19%, 18%, 12%, 11%, and 8%, respectively. The average birthweight was 3,452 g. Among these pregnancies, 0.03% were stillbirth and 3.68% preterm (<37 weeks) births. KEY MESSAGES: The systemic side effect profile after administering the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine to pregnant women was similar to that in nonpregnant women. Maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality were lowered with the administration of either one or both the doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.

Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Docosahexaenoic Acid and Eicosapentaenoic Acid, on Post-Surgical Complications in Surgical Trauma Patients: Mechanisms, Nutrition, and Challenges.

This paper aims to provide an in-depth review of the specific outcomes associated with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), focusing on their purported effects on post-surgical complications in trauma patients. A comprehensive investigation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was conducted until February 2023 using the PubMed database. Surgical trauma is characterized by a disruption in immune response post surgery, known to induce systemic inflammation. Omega-3 PUFAs are believed to offer potential improvements in multiple post-surgical complications because of their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Inconsistent findings have emerged in the context of cardiac surgeries, with the route of administration playing a mediating role in these outcomes. The effects of omega-3 PUFAs on post-operative atrial fibrillation have exhibited variability across various studies. Omega-3 PUFAs have demonstrated positive effects in liver surgery outcomes and in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Omega-3 is suggested to offer potential benefits, particularly in the perioperative care of patients undergoing traumatic procedures. Incorporating omega-3 in such cases is hypothesized to contribute to a reduction in certain surgical outcomes, such as hospitalization duration and length of stay in the intensive care unit. Therefore, comprehensive assessments of adverse effects can aid in identifying the presence of subtle or inconspicuous side effects associated with omega-3.

Zebrafish Model in Illuminating the Complexities of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders: A Unique Research Tool.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychological condition that may develop in certain individuals following exposure to life-threatening or traumatic events. Distressing symptoms, including flashbacks, are characterized by disrupted stress responses, fear, anxiety, avoidance tendencies, and disturbances in sleep patterns. The enduring effects of PTSD can profoundly impact personal and familial relationships, as well as social, medical, and financial stability. The prevalence of PTSD varies among different populations and is influenced by the nature of the traumatic event. Recently, zebrafish have emerged as a valuable model organism in studying various conditions and disorders. Zebrafish display robust behavioral patterns that can be effectively quantified using advanced video-tracking tools. Due to their relatively simple nervous system compared to humans, zebrafish are particularly well suited for behavioral investigations. These unique characteristics make zebrafish an appealing model for exploring the underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms that govern behavior, thus offering a powerful comparative platform for gaining deeper insights into PTSD. This review article aims to provide updates on the pathophysiology of PTSD and the genetic responses associated with psychological stress. Additionally, it highlights the significance of zebrafish behavior as a valuable tool for comprehending PTSD better. By leveraging zebrafish as a model organism, researchers can potentially uncover novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of PTSD and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of this complex condition.

Machine learning techniques for the identification of risk factors associated with food insecurity among adults in Arab countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: A direct consequence of global warming, and strongly correlated with poor physical and mental health, food insecurity is a rising global concern associated with low dietary intake. The Coronavirus pandemic has further aggravated food insecurity among vulnerable communities, and thus has sparked the global conversation of equal food access, food distribution, and improvement of food support programs. This research was designed to identify the key features associated with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic using Machine learning techniques. Seven machine learning algorithms were used in the model, which used a dataset of 32 features. The model was designed to predict food insecurity across ten Arab countries in the Gulf and Mediterranean regions. A total of 13,443 participants were extracted from the international Corona Cooking Survey conducted by 38 different countries during the COVID -19 pandemic. RESULTS: The findings indicate that Jordanian, Palestinian, Lebanese, and Saudi Arabian respondents reported the highest rates of food insecurity in the region (15.4%, 13.7%, 13.7% and 11.3% respectively). On the other hand, Oman and Bahrain reported the lowest rates (5.4% and 5.5% respectively). Our model obtained accuracy levels of 70%-82% in all algorithms. Gradient Boosting and Random Forest techniques had the highest performance levels in predicting food insecurity (82% and 80% respectively). Place of residence, age, financial instability, difficulties in accessing food, and depression were found to be the most relevant features associated with food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS: The ML algorithms seem to be an effective method in early detection and prediction of food insecurity and can profoundly aid policymaking. The integration of ML approaches in public health strategies could potentially improve the development of targeted and effective interventions to combat food insecurity in these regions and globally.

A qualitative assessment of medical students' readiness for virtual clerkships at a Qatari university during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to qualitatively examine the readiness of medical students to change to virtual clerkship (VC) during the pandemic, from both the faculty and students' perspectives. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted based on the framework of readiness to change. Focus group discussions with students, and semi-structured interviews with clinical faculty members were done using appropriate online platforms. Transcripts were then analyzed using inductive-deductive approach. RESULTS: Twelve themes emerged which are (1) Perceptions about the university's decision and its communication to students, (2) A Perceived lack of clinical experience, (3) Students' role as members of the medical team facing the pandemic, (4) Student safety, (5) Quality and design of VC and the skills it offered, (6) Belief in own ability to succeed in the VC, (7) Confidence that VC would reach its goals, (8) New enhanced learning approaches, (9) Preparing students for new types of practice in the future (10) Acquired skills, 11) Academic support and communication with faculty and college, and 12) Psychological support. Medical students showed limited readiness to undertake a virtual clerkship and not play their role as healthcare professionals during the pandemic. They perceived a huge gap in gaining clinical skills virtually and asked for a quick return to training sites. CONCLUSION: Medical students were not ready for virtual clerkships. There will be a need to integrate novel learning modalities such as patient simulations and case-based learning in order to meet future demands of the medical profession and enhance the efficiency of virtual clerkships.

Effects of different diets on glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes: A literature review.

Background: Globally, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common diseases, and the incidence is gradually increasing. Diet management could improve the elevated HbA1c levels. Aim: This review aims to examine the effects of different types of diets on glycemic control in patients with T2DM. Methods: PubMed and Google scholar databases were searched. Reports published from the years 1991 to 2021 that focused on the effect of different diets on diabetes control were selected. Results: All the studies reported that the type of diet can affect insulin secretion and glycemic control in patients with diabetes. The recommended macronutrient distribution for patients with diabetes is 30% of fat, 45-60% of carbohydrates, and 15-35% of protein. Consuming more or less of these macronutrients may lead to changes in glucose metabolism and may affect insulin secretion. In fact, following alow-fat diet improves glycemic control and decreases HbA1c levels. Studies reported that a low-carbohydrate diet had the greatest effect on improving glycemic control and insulin parameters. A low-calorie diet reduced fasting plasma glucose, while a very low-calorie diet resulted in a long-term decrease in HbA1c level. A healthy diet free of processed foods and sugar, and rich in nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals contributed to maintaining controlled blood sugar and lipid plasma levels. Although studies show a low-salt diet improves blood pressure, which is common inT2DM, other findings show that restricting salt intake is associated with increased sugar consumption. Conclusion: Healthy diet with adequate intake of energy and low-fat and low-sugar foods can enhance the glycemic control and reduce T2DM complications.

Body mass index and risk of Parkinson, Alzheimer, Dementia, and Dementia mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies among 5 million participants.

Objective: Inconsistent results regarding the association between the Body Mass Index (BMI) and brain disorders have been reported. We performed this study to investigate the association between BMI and risk of Parkinson, Alzheimer, Dementia and Dementia-mortality.Methods: A systematic search was conducted up to April 2019 in MEDLINE/PubMed, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library. Results pooled with random-effects model.Results: Totally, 29 articles which were included in this study with4,978,621 participants. The pooled HR for Parkinson's in the underweight person was 1.20 (95%CI1.10-1.30). The pooled HR for dementia in underweight and overweight category was 1.23 (95%CI = 1.05-1.45) and 0.88 (95%CI = 0.83-0.94), respectively. There is not any significant relation between each categories of BMI and Alzheimer disease. The pooled HR for dementia in underweight and overweight category was 1.36 (95%CI = 1.14-1.63) and 0.81 (95%CI = 0.49-1.33), respectively. The non-linear association between BMI and risk of Dementia-mortality was significant (p = 0.001,Coeff = 0.003).Conclusion: This study highlights underweight related to increase incidence of Parkinson, Dementia, and Dementia mortality but no on Alzheimer disease.

Implementation and evaluation of a preceptor educational development programme involving the health cluster colleges at Qatar University.

BACKGROUND: 'The Practice Educators' Academy Programme' is an innovative educational intervention developed following a preceptor-focussed needs assessment. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the programme's effect on self-efficacy and knowledge amongst multi-disciplinary clinical preceptors who precept students across the Health Cluster in Qatar University. The secondary aim was to assess the preceptors' satisfaction with the programme's comprehensiveness, appropriateness, and relevance. METHODS: This is a longitudinal study, with the same participants followed at different time points (i.e., pretest-posttest interventional design). The sample size was calculated to represent 10% of the sample expected for the main study, utilising a stratified convenience sampling technique. Preceptor self-efficacy was assessed using the Preceptor Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, a validated 21-item questionnaire. Preceptor knowledge was assessed through a 25-item multiple-choice question test. Satisfaction with programme content and delivery was assessed through a 14-item questionnaire with open comments. RESULTS: Thirty pretest-posttest respondents for the PSEQ assessment, and 26 pretest-posttest respondents for the knowledge assessment were appropriately matched and analysed. Participation in the self-efficacy questionnaire resulted in a statistically significant increase in their posttest median score (pretest-to-posttest: 3.3-to-3.6, p = 0.001). Participation in the knowledge assessment resulted in a statistically significant increased posttest mean score (pretest-to-posttest: 10.2-to-15.7, p < 0.001). Participants indicated high levels of satisfaction with the programme (average score = 4.42/5). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the programme is effective as demonstrated through a significant improvement in preceptors' self-efficacy and knowledge. Recommendations for future iterations include placing greater focus on active learning strategies, and inter-disciplinary interactions.

Dietary patterns and glycaemic control among Qatari adults with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between dietary patterns and glycaemic control among Qatari adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis using data from the Qatar Biobank Study. Poor glycaemic control was defined as HbA1c ≥7·0 %. Dietary patterns were constructed using factor analysis based on habitual food intake assessed by a FFQ. Medication use was based on self-report. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association. SETTING: Qatar. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged ≥18 years (n 1000) with known diabetes. RESULT: The mean age of the participants was 52·3 (sd 11·5) years. Overall, the prevalence of poor glycaemic control was 57·6 %, and 27·7 % of the participants were insulin users. Three dietary patterns were identified. The modern dietary pattern (high intake of fast food, croissants, white bread and cheese) was inversely associated with poor glycaemic control. The sd increments of the modern pattern had OR for poor glycaemic control of 0·86 (95 % CI 0·68, 1·08) in men and 0·76 (95 % CI 0·61, 0·95) in women. There was a significant interaction between the modern pattern and diabetes medication in men but not in women. In men without diabetes medication, the modern pattern was positively associated with poor glycaemic control with an OR of 2·35 (95 % CI 1·13, 4·87). CONCLUSIONS: Male diabetes patients took medication to control diabetes but ate more unhealthy food. In men who were not taking diabetes medication, modern dietary pattern was associated with poor glycaemic control. Promoting healthy eating should be encouraged especially among those under diabetes medication.

Fruit and vegetable consumption and cardiovascular diseases among Jordanians: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: Fruit and vegetable intake has been reported as one of the significant protective factors against the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study aimed to assess the possible preventive effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on developing CVD. METHODS: A total of 398 participants (205 cases and 193 controls) referred for elective coronary angiography with clinical suspicion of coronary artery disease to Prince Hamza Hospital in Amman were enrolled in this case-control study. Dietary data were collected separately from each patient using interview-based food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: The findings of the present study revealed that a total consumption of 3 servings of vegetable per day decreased significantly the risk of CVD to about 54% (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.22-0.97, p = 0.033). Consumption of banana was found to reduce the risk of CVD to about 44% and 62% when consuming 1-2 and 3-6 servings/week, respectively, with p-value for trend 0.004. For the vegetables, the consumption of grape leaves and stuffed vegetables in general was significantly associated with lower risk of CVD. Increasing cauliflower consumption of 1-2 servings per week decreased CVD risk to about 37% (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.38-0.98). Consuming up to 3-6 servings per week of mixed vegetables (OR = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.01-0.83) and onion (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.22-0.80) revealed an inverse association with CVD development. CONCLUSIONS: Adding to the present evidence, consumption of some fruits and vegetables could be considered as preventive factor against developing CVD. However, the association of consuming vegetables with preventing CVD was higher than the fruit consumption.

The Association Between Osteocalcin and C-Reactive Protein; A Relation of Bone with Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

A meta-analysis was performed to summarize the evidence from observational studies regarding the association between serum osteocalcin (OC) and C-reactive protein (CRP). A systemic research of the literature databases including PubMed, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar was performed to identify the relevant studies up to March 2018. We used the random-effects model by the method of DerSimonian and Laird to calculate the overall effect size. Q-test and I 2-statistics were used to assess between-study heterogeneity. In addition, we did subgroup analysis to detect possible sources of heterogeneity based on BMI range, gender, type of study population and age. We identified 21studies of association between serum osteocalcin and CRP eligible for the meta-analysis. The overall effect size showed a significant inverse association between OC and CRP (Fisher's z=-0.127; 95% CI: -0.166, -0.088, p<0.0001). However, the significant chi-squared statistic result, indicates a heterogeneity of effect sizes (I 2=61.6, df=20, p<0.0001). The subgroup analysis found BMI range, type of study population, and age were the potential sources of heterogeneity. In addition, the strongest correlation was observed in the subgroup of obese subjects (Fisher's z=-0.264, p=0.002), less than 40 years old (Fisher's z=-0.115, p<0.0001) and healthy subjects (Fisher's z=-0.115, p<0.0001). These findings suggest that there is a significant inverse association between serum OC and CRP levels in the adult population.

Supervised practice program guided by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics standards improves potential employability of nutrition/dietetics graduates: perspective of employers and preceptors.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated employers' perspectives on the impact of a supervised practice program (SPP), guided by international accreditation standards on the skill development and potential employability of dietetics students. MAIN BODY: This study was based on qualitative research. Fifteen potential employers, who also served as SPP preceptors, participated in this study. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. All interviews were conducted face-to-face by a trained interviewer. Participates were invited to discuss their own experiences in the current SPP, their perceptions of the impact of SPP on skills and attributes of graduates, and their overall ideas of how SPP may contribute to the employability of graduates. This study found that the SPP program guided by international accreditation standards shaped the duties and responsibilities of preceptors/supervisors and promoted a beneficial relationship between preceptors and SPP students. The benefits to graduates include bridging the gap between classroom didactic knowledge and practice; improving workplace self-confidence; developing competencies such as critical-thinking, communication, interviewing, and counselling skills in various multidisciplinary and multicultural settings. In addition, the preceptors suggested that accreditation-guided SPP contributes to the employability of graduates. Also, they opined that it reduced the need for orientation and shortened the probation time because students were familiar with the work environment and work flow. This lead to the improved preparedness for work. CONCLUSION: SPP based on set of competencies guided by international accreditation standards provides an up-to-date curriculum, improves the quality of the nutrition and dietetics services, and increases the potential employability of the graduates.

Assessment of body weight, maternal dietary knowledge and lifestyle practices among children and adolescents in north Jordan.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in north Jordan and to evaluate the dietary knowledge of their mothers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.SettingsSchools, Irbid, Jordan. SUBJECTS: Male and female participants (n 516) aged 6-18 years. RESULTS: Thirty per cent of our sample population was overweight or obese, and about 11 % was underweight. Males tend to have a higher BMI and waist circumference than females except in the age group ≥15 years. Children who ate in front of the television tended to have higher BMI and waist circumference. Forty per cent of the mothers answered four or more questions correctly out of six, which indicated a sufficient level of nutritional knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that obesity is a growing health problem in children and adolescents in north Jordan. This finding is considered a serious concern for public health and calls for the creation of new prevention programmes at the individual, family and community level.

Fast foods perception among adolescents by gender and weight status.

BACKGROUND: Fast food restaurants have become widespread in both developed and developing countries due to nutritional and economic transitions. The frequency of fast food intake is relatively high among adolescents; however, fast food consumption is positively associated with total energy intake and obesity in adolescents. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the perception of Jordanian adolescents towards fast foods relative to gender and obesity. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 400 boys and 395 girls, aged 15-18 years. The adolescents completed a validated questionnaire to measure the perception of adolescents towards fast foods during the year 2013-2014. Weight and height were measured. Numbers who were non-overweight, overweight, and obese were calculated for each age and sex using the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) standard. RESULTS: The majority of participants perceived foods which are eaten as sandwiches as fast foods. A significant difference between boy and girl adolescents was reported regarding perception of French fries ( p < 0.012), fried chicken ( p < 0.001), fattayer ( p < 0.001), foul (boiled broad beans) sandwich ( p < 0.001), falafel sandwich ( p < 0.044) and fried eggs sandwich ( p < 0.001) as fast foods. Girls were significantly more enthusiastic than boys to consider cuscusi plate ( p < 0.001), rice dishes ( p < 0.002), Chinese foods ( p < 0.001), Indian foods ( p < 0.010), Mexican foods ( p < 0.011), and Italian foods ( p < 0.004) as non-fast foods. The difference between obese and non-obese regarding the perception of fast foods was only significant among boy participants. Western or non-Arab foods, food prepared fast and eaten fast in self-service outlets, and food rich in calories were significantly perceived as fast food by Jordanian adolescents ( p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The perception of foods as fast foods or non-fast foods was significantly different between both genders as well as in obese and non-obese male Jordanian adolescents.

Study protocol: Mother and Infant Nutritional Assessment (MINA) cohort study in Qatar and Lebanon.

BACKGROUND: The Middle East and North Africa region harbors significant proportions of stunting and wasting coupled with surging rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Recent evidence identified nutrition during the first 1000 days of life as a common denominator not only for optimal growth but also for curbing the risk of NCDs later in life. The main objective of this manuscript is to describe the protocol of the first cohort in the region to investigate the association of nutrition imbalances early in life with birth outcomes, growth patterns, as well as early determinants of non-communicable diseases. More specifically the cohort aims to 1) examine the effects of maternal and early child nutrition and lifestyle characteristics on birth outcomes and growth patterns and 2) develop evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle guidelines for pregnant women and young children. METHODS/DESIGN: A multidisciplinary team of researchers was established from governmental and private academic and health sectors in Lebanon and Qatar to launch the Mother and Infant Nutritional Assessment 3-year cohort study. Pregnant women (n = 250 from Beirut, n = 250 from Doha) in their first trimester are recruited from healthcare centers in Beirut, Lebanon and Doha, Qatar. Participants are interviewed three times during pregnancy (once every trimester) and seven times at and after delivery (when the child is 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months old). Delivery and birth data is obtained from hospital records. Data collection includes maternal socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics, dietary intake, anthropometric measurements, and household food security data. For biochemical assessment of various indicators of nutritional status, a blood sample is obtained from women during their first trimester. Breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, dietary intake, as well as anthropometric measurements of children are also examined. The Delphi technique will be used for the development of the nutrition and lifestyle guidelines. DISCUSSION: The Mother and Infant Nutritional Assessment study protocol provides a model for collaborations between countries of different socio-economic levels within the same region to improve research efficiency in the field of early nutrition thus potentially leading to healthier pregnancies, mothers, infants, and children.

Association between mass media and body weight concern among Jordanian adolescents' residents of Amman: the role of gender and obesity.

OBJECTIVES: Body image in the mass media promotes an unrealistic picture of body shape that leads to body dissatisfaction among adolescentsQuery. Therefore, the study presented in this paper aimed to assess the association between mass media and adolescents' weight concerns and perceptions of body weight and shape. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on school adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years during the academic year 2013-2014. Multistage stratified sampling method was used. The number of participants in the study was 795 students: 400 boys and 395 girls. RESULTS: All participants have a common behavior in rarely reading magazines, but they spend more than 2 h in watching television or less than 3 h using the internet. However, most of obese/non-obese adolescents, boys or girls, have shown high influence (p < 0.05) of reading magazines on the subject of dieting to lose weight. CONCLUSION: While obese students read more magazines on dieting to lose weight, other mass media did not show the same results on weight concerns and body shape among Jordanian adolescents.

Fruit and vegetable intake among Jordanians: results from a case-control study of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Diets that include fruits and vegetables have been suggested as one way to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the association between consuming fruits and vegetables and CRC risk is not clear. The objective of the present study is to compare fruit and vegetable intake between 2 groups of Jordanians and further investigate this possible relationship. METHODS: A history of fruit and vegetable consumption was obtained from 220 people with CRC and 281 healthy controls, all of whom were from Jordan. Both groups were matched for age, sex, occupation, and marital status. Fruit and vegetable consumption was quantified for the previous 12 months in both groups. RESULTS: Total vegetable intake was associated with the risk of developing CRC. Consuming 5 servings of vegetables a day decreased the risk of developing CRC when compared with no more than 1 serving a day (odds ratio [OR] = 0.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.55-0.97). A significant direct relationship between CRC risk and consuming cauliflower and cabbage was found; however, no association was found for raw or cooked leafy vegetable and other vegetable types. Consuming several types of fruits also revealed no association with risk of CRC, although an increased intake of dates and figs was associated with a reduced risk of developing CRC. The ORs for the highest intake of servings compared with the lowest intake were 0.48 (95% CI: 0.27-0.87; P = .004) for dates and 0.604 (95% CI: 0.35-1.06; P = .003) for figs. CONCLUSIONS: Consuming fruits and vegetables did not significantly correlate with a lowered incidence of CRC. However, a trend of protection was detected for several types of fruits and vegetables.

Nutrient intake and lifestyle factors by diabetes status of Circassians and Chechans in Jordan.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in Jordan. However, little is known about nutrient intakes of minority groups in Jordan with and without diabetes. Our study aimed to examine if the intake of energy, macronutrients and some micronutrients differed between normal and diabetic adults among Circassians and Chechans in Jordan. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 437 Circassians (160 males and 277 females) and 355 Chechans (119 males and 236 females) aged > or = 18 years. They were recruited from the Chechan and Circassian communities living in Jordan. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A participant was defined as affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus if diagnosis was known to patient or if his or her condition complied with the American Diabetes Association definition. One 24-hour dietary recall for each participant was collected by face-to-face interview. RESULTS: Most of the measured anthropometric and biochemical parameters showed a significant difference between normal individuals and those with impaired fasting glucose or diabetes. Intakes of nutrients involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes including protein, fat and fiber did not differ between stratified participants according to blood glucose status for both Circassians and Chechans. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of nutrients did not differ in participants with normal blood glucose from those who had impaired fasting glucose or diabetes in the two studied populations. These two populations may need genetic studies to identify the risk factors other than dietary and lifestyle factors for type 2 diabetes.

Genetic polymorphisms and their association with neurobiological and psychological factors in anorexia nervosa: a systematic review.

Background and aims: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from diverse studies to assess and investigate the association between gene polymorphisms and psychological and neurobiological factors in patients with AN. Methods: A systematic search across PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, along with manual searching, was conducted. The review protocol was approved by PROSPERO (CRD42023452548). Out of 1,250 articles, 11 met the inclusion criteria. The quality of eligible articles was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) tool. The systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines. Results: The serotoninergic system, particularly the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, is consistently linked to altered connectivity in the ventral attention network, impaired inhibitory control, and increased susceptibility to AN. The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism affects reward processing, motivation, reasoning, working memory, inhibition, and outcome prediction in patients with AN. The dopaminergic system, involving genes like COMT, DRD2, DRD3, and DAT1, regulates reward, motivation, and decision-making. Genetic variations in these dopaminergic genes are associated with psychological manifestations and clinical severity in patients with AN. Across populations, the Val66Met polymorphism in the BDNF gene influences personality traits, eating behaviors, and emotional responses. Genes like OXTR, TFAP2B, and KCTD15 are linked to social cognition, emotional processing, body image concerns, and personality dimensions in patients with AN. Conclusion: There was an association linking multiple genes to the susceptibly and/or severity of AN. This genetic factor contributes to the complexity of AN and leads to higher diversity of its clinical presentation. Therefore, conducting more extensive research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of anorexia nervosa pathology is imperative for advancing our understanding and potentially developing targeted therapeutic interventions for the disorder.Systematic review registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [CRD42023452548].