Role of NQO1 Gene Involvement and Susceptibility of T2DM Among Saudi Arabia Population.

NQO1 disruption enhances susceptibility to oxidative stress during hyperglycemia and is a significant contributor to the development and progression of diabetes. Oxidative stress has been linked to several symptoms, including hyperglycemia, reactive oxygen species buildup, high blood pressure, and the expression of inflammatory markers. Therefore, the present research aimed to evaluate the genetic abnormality of NQO1 (rs1800566, C609T) gene polymorphism, expression, and vitamin-D level assessment among Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. The study included 100 newly diagnosed T2DM cases and 100 healthy individuals as healthy controls. Total RNA was extracted from the whole blood using the TRIzol method, and further cDNA was synthesized, and expression was evaluated. There is a significant difference in NQO1 (rs1800566, C609T) genotype distribution among the T2DM patients and healthy controls (p = 0.04). Compared with the NQO1 CC wild-type genotype, the NQO1 CT heterozygous genotype had an odds ratio of 1.96 (1.08-3.55), and the NQO1 TT mutant type genotype had an odds ratio of 3.31 (0.61-17.77). Significantly decreased expression of NQO1 mRNA was observed with heterozygous CT (p < 0.0001) and homozygous mutant TT genotype (p = 0.0004), compared with homozygous wild-type CC genotype. NQO1 mRNA expression level was also compared with vitamin D levels among the T2DM patients. T2DM patients with vitamin D deficiency had 1.83-fold NQO1 mRNA expression, while vitamin D insufficient and sufficient T2DM cases had 3.31-fold (p < 0.0001) and 3.70-fold (p < 0.0001) NQO1 mRNA expression. It was concluded that NQO1 (rs1800566, C609T) CT and TT genotypes played a significant role in the worseness of type II diabetes mellitus, and decreased expression of NQO1 mRNA expression could be an essential factor for disease worseness as well as hypermethylation could be a factor for reduced expression leading to disease severity. The decreased NQO1 mRNA expression with heterozygous CT and mutant TT genotype associated with vitamin D deficiency may contribute to disease progression.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Patients with Diabetes on Metformin: Arab Countries.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a global pandemic, especially in Arab countries. AIM: The goal of this study was to review the published studies that were conducted to determine the relationship between metformin treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and vitamin B12 deficiency and to identify possible complications in this relationship. METHODS: I searched for all relevant studies published in English before 2020 on the PubMed and Web of Knowledge databases using the following terms: "metformin", "vitamin B12", "neuropathy", "diabetes mellitus", and Middle Eastern countries. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included in this review which indicated an association between taking metformin and B12 deficiency in patients with T2DM in Arab countries. This B12 deficiency was found to be negatively associated with the dose and duration of metformin therapy. The physician's knowledge of current ADA recommendations regarding supplementation with and screening of the B12 level for T2DM patients on metformin was also found to have an effect. CONCLUSION: Metformin therapy is associated with B12 deficiency among people with T2DM in Arabic countries. Thus, diabetes must be managed in compliance with current guidelines and recommendations, and B12 levels must be routinely monitored, particularly in those who have been long-term takers of metformin, to ensure the suitable management of diabetes and its complications.

Salicornia bigelovii, S. brachiata and S. herbacea: Their Nutritional Characteristics and an Evaluation of Their Potential as Salt Substitutes.

Excessive sodium (salt) intake in our diet is a main contributor to hypertension and a major risk factor for cardiovascular illnesses. As a result, research has made great efforts to develop salt alternatives, and Salicornia spp. offers a very high potential in the food industry for its promising functional characteristics. This review focuses on the nutritional profile, health effects and commercial potential of three specific species of the Salicornia genus: S. bigelovii, S. brachiata and S. herbacea. It also addresses the methods that are used to produce them as salt substitutes. Owing to the antinutritional and anti-inflammatory effects of its bioactive compounds, Salicornia spp. can serve as an organic biological preservative in foods with better consumer appeal when compared with chemical preservatives that are common in the food industry. Overall, the commercial use of these underutilized species will help to improve food security.

Preparation and characterization of sequilhos-type biscuits added with almond flour of Acrocomia intumescens.

Acrocomia intumescens ("macaúba") is a species that during processing generates a large amount of waste. The use of this residue for the production of flour for incorporation into food products is a way to minimize the cost and nutritionally enrich the final product. This work aimed to develop and analyze, in terms of physico-chemical and microbiological properties, cookies with macaúba almond cake residual flour. Sequilhos formulations were obtained using three different proportions of flour (2, 4 and 6%). The analysis of the flour allowed to find 4.29% of moisture, 1.13% of acidity, 5.33 of pH, 44.46% of carbohydrates, 28.74% of lipids, 20.06% of proteins and 2.45% of ash. In the analysis of the sequilhos formulations, the following values were found: moisture (5.03 to 8.13%), acidity (0.10 to 0.14%), pH (5.52 to 5.93), carbohydrates (67.17 to 73.37%), lipids (18.77 to 31.77%), proteins (0.85 to 1.92%), ash (0.83 to 0.94%) and total energy value (137.57 to 172,50 Kcal/100g). In microbiological analyzes it was highlighted that the sequilhos presented adequate sanitary conditions. The results indicate almond flour as an ingredient to be incorporated in the preparation of sequilhos, which in turn, presented satisfactory physico-chemical properties and microbiological results.

Translation and Validation of the Arabic Version of the Capability Assessment for Diet and Activity (CADA) Questionnaire in Saudi University Employed Women.

BACKGROUND: The Capability Assessment for Diet and Activity (CADA) is a questionnaire that was developed in English and designed to measure the practical barriers and opportunities for diet and physical activity. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the CADA questionnaire for the Arabic context in a sample of Saudi women employed at a university. METHODS: The CADA was translated into Arabic using the forward and backward translation process. The Arabic version was then validated with a sample of 125 female Saudi participants. In order to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic version, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was assessed, and a principal component analysis was performed. RESULTS: The translated CADA had good psychometric quality. The content validity analysis revealed a representativeness score of 99.3% and a degree of clarity of 98.6%, indicating excellent compatibility. The principal component analysis showed a single-factor structure. CONCLUSIONS: The Arabic version of the CADA questionnaire is now available to assess opportunities to achieve a healthy diet and physical activity level as part of health behavior management, which can lead to more effective interventions for improving people's health in Arabic-speaking countries.

Influence of Different Types of Polysaccharide-Based Coatings on the Storage Stability of Fresh-Cut Kiwi Fruit: Assessing the Physicochemical, Antioxidant and Phytochemical Properties.

The present study focuses on studying the influence of various edible biopolymer coatings at several concentrations on physicochemical, antioxidant and lipid peroxidation activity levels of biopolymer-coated fresh-cut kiwi slices stored at room temperature (relative humidity: 90%). Kiwi slices were coated by dipping in xanthan gum (0.1, 0.2, 0.3% w/v), alginate (1, 2, 3% w/v) and chitosan (0.25, 0.50, 0.75% w/v) solutions for 2 min. Kiwi fruit slices without any treatment were designated as the control. Compared to the control, all coated samples retained higher ascorbic acid, titratable acidity, total phenolic component and antioxidant capacity levels. However, xanthan-gum-coated slices retained significantly higher amounts of total phenolics in comparison to alginate- and chitosan-coated slices (p ≤ 0.05). HPLC analysis showed the presence of neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid and epicatechin. The results suggest that the xanthan gum can be utilized to enhance the shelf life of fresh-cut kiwi slices without compromising quality.

Helicobacter pylori in a poultry slaughterhouse: Prevalence, genotyping and antibiotic resistance pattern.

Although Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a highly significant pathogen, its source remains unclear. Many people consume chicken daily as a source of animal protein worldwide; thus, hygienic methods of supplying chickens for consumption are critical for public health. Therefore, our study examined the distribution of the glmM (ureC), babA2, vacA and cagA virulence genes in H. pylori strains in chicken meat and giblets (gizzards and livers) and the resistance of the strains to various antibiotics. Ninety chicken meat, gizzard and liver samples were obtained from a semi-automatic abattoir in Sadat City, Egypt, and were cultured and preliminarily analyzed using biochemical tests. The presence of the ureC, babA2, vacA and cagA genotypes was tested for in samples positive for H. pylori by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (Multiplex-PCR). The resistance of H. pylori to various antimicrobial drugs was tested using the disc diffusion method. In total, 7 of the 90 chicken samples were positive for H. pylori (7.78%); in 3/7 (42.85%) samples, the bacteria were found in the chicken liver, while the bacteria were found in the meat in 2/7 (28.57%) and in the gizzard in 2/7 (28.57%) samples. The total prevalence of both the ureC and babA2 genes in the isolated H. pylori strains was 100%, while the prevalence of the vacA and cagA genes was 57.1% and 42.9%, respectively. The resistance of H. pylori to the antibiotics utilized in our study was 100% for streptomycin; 85.7% for amoxicillin and penicillin; 71.4% for oxytetracycline, nalidixic acid and ampicillin; 57.1% for sulfamethoxazole and erythromycin; and 42.9% for neomycin, chloramphenicol and norfloxacin. In conclusion, the chicken meat and giblets were tainted by H. pylori, with a higher occurrence of the ureC, babA2, vacA and cagA genotypes. Future investigations should investigate the resistance of H. pylori to various antimicrobial agents in Egypt.