A comprehensive review on chlorpyrifos toxicity with special reference to endocrine disruption: Evidence of mechanisms, exposures and mitigation strategies.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a broad-spectrum chlorinated organophosphate (OP) pesticide used for the control of a variety of insects and pathogens in crops, fruits, vegetables, as well as households, and various other locations. The toxicity of CPF has been associated with neurological dysfunctions, endocrine disruption, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). It can also induce developmental and behavioral anomalies, hematological malignancies, genotoxicity, histopathological aberrations, immunotoxicity, and oxidative stress as evidenced by animal modeling. Moreover, eye irritation and dermatological defects are also reported due to CPF toxicity. The mechanism of action of CPF involves blocking the active sites of the enzyme, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), thereby producing adverse nervous system effects. Although CPF has low persistence in the body, its active metabolites, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP), and chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO) are comparatively more persistent, albeit equally toxic, and thus produce serious health complications. The present review has been compiled taking into account the work related to CPF toxicity and provides a brief compilation of CPF-induced defects in animals and humans, emphasizing the abnormalities leading to endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, reproductive carcinogenesis, and disruptive mammary gland functionality. Moreover, the clinical signs and symptoms associated with the CPF exposure along with the possible pharmacological treatment are reported in this treatise. Additionally, the effect of food processing methods in reducing CPF residues from different agricultural commodities and dietary interventions to curtail the toxicity of CPF has also been discussed.

Optimization of olive oil based O/W nanoemulsions prepared through ultrasonic homogenization: A response surface methodology approach.

The present study was conducted to prepare co-surfactant free, olive-oil based alpha tocopherol nanoemulsions, using a food grade non-ionic surfactant. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the effects of independent variables (ultrasonic homogenization time, olive oil concentrations and surfactant contents) on different physico-chemical characteristics of O/W nanoemulsions. This study was carried out using a central composite design. The coefficients of determination were greater than 0.900 for all response variables and there were significant effects of independent variables on all responses. The optimum levels of independent variables for the preparation of nanoemulsions were 3min. ultrasonic homogenization time, 4% olive oil content and 2.08% surfactant concentration. The physico-chemical responses at these levels were 151.68nm particle size, 7.17% p-anisidine and 88.64% antioxidant activity. These results will help in design of nanoemulsions with optimum independent variables.

A question mark on iron deficiency in 185 million people of Pakistan: its outcomes and prevention.

Micronutrient deficiency especially the iron deficiency is the bane of our lives, affecting all strata of society. Unfortunately, the women during pregnancy, adolescence, and children are under this curse particularly in developing countries like Pakistan. It is one of the biggest reasons of complications during pregnancy and malnourished children under five years of age. Maternal death, still-births, and underweight births are most common consequences of iron deficiency and these outbreaks as iron-deficiency anemia in Pakistan. Disastrous nature of iron deficiency requires an urgent call to eradicate it. Hence, the solution should not be frail comparing with the huge economic loss and other incompatibilities. Flour fortification, supplementation, dietary diversification, and especially maternal education are possible solutions for combating this micronutrient deficiency.

Nutritional and health perspectives of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): an overview.

Beans, the variants of Phaseolus vulagris, are nutritionally and economically important food crop in each part of the world. Besides providing nutrients such as multifaceted carbohydrates, elevated proteins, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins, these also contain rich variety of polyphenolic compounds with prospective health benefits. This review mainly focuses the important nutritional aspects of beans as well as their contribution in decreasing the risks of chronically degenerative diseases.

Iron status of the Pakistani population-current issues and strategies.

The present review aims to highlight the magnitude of iron status of Pakistani population and possible remedies to address iron deficiency among vulnerable groups. A computer-based search was carried out on "PubMed", "Google Search" and "Sciencedirect.com" to retrieve relevant scientific literature published in the last two decades. The search yielded 193 articles, of which 64 were culled and further screening was performed based on the type of vulnerable population groups, age, sex and pregnancy. A thorough review of current literature reveals that iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) widely persist in Pakistan and necessitate immediate remedial actions. Females of reproductive age and children under 5 years have been shown to be the most IDA affected population segment. Fortification of wheat flour has been suggested as the most viable approach aptly matching Pakistan's needs for combating IDA. The present review further stresses the need for global involvement to scale up efforts for mitigating ID and IDA to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are fundamentally based upon improving nutritional wellbeing of populations in developing economies by 2015.

Bioavailability of calcium, iron and zinc fortified whole wheat flour chapatti.

The bioavailability and interactive effects of calcium, iron and zinc fortified whole wheat flour chapattis on female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were determined. The whole wheat flour was fortified with CaCO3, FeSO4 and ZnSO4 at 1000, 40 and 20 mg/kg, respectively and fed to 64 female Sprague-Dawley rats for 4 weeks. Retention of Ca, Fe and Zn was determined in plasma, femur and liver tissues. Ca levels in plasma and liver did not alter significantly while the Ca retention in femur changed significantly with the change in fortificants. The calcium retention was higher in the femur of rats fed on the diet supplemented with Ca + Zn (221 +/- 13.61 mg/g) than the rats fed on the diet supplemented with Ca + Fe (219 +/- 18.92 mg/g). The iron in plasma, liver and femur ranged from 2.19 +/- 0.11 to 2.77 +/- 0.10 microg/ml, 203.5 +/- 13.24 to 251.5 +/- 17.19 microg/g and 43.5 +/- 1.05 to 52 +/- 2.07 microg/g while zinc content ranged from 1.31 +/- 0.089 to 1.55 +/- 0.114 microg/ml, 89.5 +/- 3.41 to 132 +/- 6.10 microg/g and 175 +/- 8.29 to 191 +/- 10.85 microg/g, respectively. The minerals interacted with each other resulting in decrease of bioavailability among each other. The absorption was higher in the rats fed on fortified diet than those fed on unfortified chapatti diet. Hence, it is concluded that fortification of whole wheat flour is feasible to overcome the Ca, Fe and Zn malnutrition in the vulnerable groups.