Whats' happening on the follicular unit of adolescents after the COVID-19 pandemic: Severe acne is a growing problem of nowadays

Objectives: Acne is a leading skin problem in adolescents. After the end of COVID-19 pandemic, with the gradual transition to the routine life, we started to encounter more severe forms of acne in the last 6-month than we had seen before in the 10 year period of our Paediatric Dermatology outpatient clinic. Method(s): We evaluated the demographic and clinical characteristics, COVID infection and vaccination status, and treatment of patients who were treated at our Paediatric Dermatology outpatient clinic in the last 6 months due to severe acne. Result(s): One of our patients had acne fulminans, and four patients had acne conglobata. The common features of these patients presenting with severe acne were that they were young boys aged 15- 16 years, medium height, normal weight, and skin type 3-4. All patients had a family history of acne in their parents. They had no known comorbidities, additional treatment, history of nutritional supplement use, or accompanying arthralgia or arthritis. Four patients were initially treated with isotretinoin for severe acne, developed acne conglobata, and one developed acne fulminans during the follow-up period. Dapsone therapy was initiated in all patients according to the severity of the lesions, and adalimumab was administered to acne fulminans. Discussion(s): The frequent occurrence of severe forms of acne after the pandemic raises the question of whether COVID-19 infection or vaccination may play a role in its aetiology. Cases of mask-related acne exacerbation during COVID-19 have been well-described in the literature. However, there are no data on the effects of COVID-19 vaccination or infection on the development of severe acne. In this report, we present cases of adolescent patients with severe acne to investigate the possible reasons for the increasing number of severe acne cases presenting to our outpatient clinic during the postpandemic period.

A Study To Understand Public Knowledge And Perception Towards Immunity Food Booster's Consumption During COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has brought a significant change in the lives of all population segments. Irrespective of the country, religion, economic status, and position worldwide, a committed thought is developed on "IMMUNITY" and "IMMUNITY BOOSTERS."The nutrition and health portfolio of many populations worldwide reported severe impacts from changing trends in modern lifestyle, food habits, food consumption, and the environment. Defining health remains a crucial task over several decades. The present study is to understand and evaluate the knowledge and purchasing behaviour of the population during COVID-19 time. A survey is conducted through social media platforms with pre-designed and tested questionnaires. Data were collected from 200 respondents. A rapid assessment survey was conducted using Google Forms. Google Form was distributed through various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and LinkedIn in Indian communities residing across the globe. The above data shows that 64% have consumed Vitamin C supplements almost every day for 15 days, 13% for one month, 10% of the respondents more than one month, and 13% took supplements as supplements per the doctor's advice. The results indicate that nearly 73% of the respondents started consuming supplements, 15% sometimes, and 4% of the respondents expressed their consumption was on and off. When questioned in detail, it is mentioned that they have taken supplements. The results depict buying behaviours, reading and understanding the food labels, purchasing supplements and immune boostersCopyright © 2023, Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences.All Rights Reserved.

Evaluation of nutritional habits and affecting factors of health care professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic stage: on-line survey study

Purpose: Health workers have been greatly affected by the pandemic, both as a health worker and as a member of the society, and have gone out of their routine lifestyle and habits more than normal individuals. In the pandemic stage;intense, irregular and stressful work pace also disrupted the routine eating habits while increasing the need for nutrition. With this survey study, it is aimed to evaluate the nutritional habits, affecting factors and results of healthcare professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic stage. Materials and methods: For our study a questionnaire of 49 questions was prepared. It was continued between 01/06/2020 and 01/01/2021. Questionnaires were prepared on Google forms and sent to healthcare professionals via e-mail. Multiple-choice questions were asked about personal information such as the number of meals, whether they gained weight during the pandemic stage, foods believed to protect from Covid-19, nutritional supplements used during the pandemic period, and the reason for using supplements. The questions in the second category are;it mostly includes questions about changes in dietary and lifestyle of health workers during the pandemic period. It includes questions such as: ‘‘My meal count has increased'', ‘‘My water consumption has increased'', ‘‘My night eating behavior has improved'', ‘‘My sleep pattern has been disrupted'', ‘‘I gained weight during the pandemic'', ‘‘I smoke more'', ‘‘I drink more tea and coffee'', ‘‘I try to exercise''. The answers were obtained with a 3-point Likert scale (agree, undecided, disagree). Results: It was determined that health workers experienced weight gain during the pandemic stage. It was determined that the average weight and average BMI of health professionals showed a statistically significant increase (p<0.01). It was noticed that the participants had an increase in the number of meals during the pandemic stage (p<0.001). It was noticed that the vast majority of the participants took vitamin and mineral supplements. Conclusion: We found that healthcare workers took additional mineral and vitamin supplements, increased the number of meals, and experienced weight gain during the pandemic. Because of this, health workers should be given healthy snacks with high nutritional value during the pandemic stage. By health managers and administrators;a management and organizational plan including a healthy nutrition program especially in extraordinary situations such as pandemics can be created, for health workers who are exposed to intense, irregular and stressful working conditions and who are in high risk groups. © 2023, Pamukkale University. All rights reserved.

Beneficial Effects of Daily Consumption of Garlic and Onion Extract Concentrate on Infectious Respiratory Diseases in Elderly Resident Volunteers.

Aging is a biological process with high susceptibility to several infections. This risk increases in older patients in residential care facilities (RCF). Thus, there is a clear demand for developing preventive interventions with new therapeutic compounds that combine efficacy and safety. This could be the case of compounds derived from plants of the genus Allium spp. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a combination of a garlic and onion extract concentrate standardized in organosulfur compounds derived from propiin on the incidence of respiratory tract infections in elderly patients of RCF. Sixty-five volunteers were selected at random to receive a placebo or a single daily dose of the extract for thirty-six weeks. Different clinical visits were performed to evaluate the main respiratory diseases with an infectious origin, as well as the associated symptoms and their duration. The extract showed a clinical safety profile and significantly reduced the incidence of respiratory infections. Moreover, the treatment decreased the number and duration of the associated symptoms compared with the placebo group. For the first time, we demonstrated the protective effect of Alliaceae extract in respiratory infectious diseases in elderly healthy volunteers, which could be used prophylactically against the most common infectious respiratory diseases.

Early oral nutritional supplement improves COVID-19 outcomes among hospitalized older patients during the Omicron wave.

OBJECTIVES: The effect of and optimal timing for initiating an oral nutritional supplement(ONS) in hospitalized older patients with the Omicron variant infection remain unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between the ONS and clinical outcomes. METHODS: This study used a retrospective cohort design as primary analysis and a case-control design as sensitivity analysis. We collected data from patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) between April 2022 and June 2022 at Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, one of the designated medical centers for COVID-19 in Shanghai, China. Patients were identified as ONS users or non-ONS users, with the former defined as early ONS (ONS initiated within 48 h from hospital admission), and late ONS (ONS initiated after 48 h) users. RESULTS: The study included 1181 hospitalized patients ≥60 y of age. The mean age of the cohort was 78 y, and most patients were women (57.7%). Mortalities after propensity-score matching were 1.2% and 4.3% in the ONS group and non-ONS groups, respectively (P = 0.032). Subgroup analysis results showed that median (IQR) hospital length of stay and the median (IQR) length from symptom onset to viral clearance were shorter for the early ONS than for the late ONS group (9 [6-13] d versus 14 [11 -18] d; P < 0.001, and 11 [8-17] d versus 17 [13-22] d; P < 0.001, respectively). The findings from the case-control analysis supported those from the primary analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Early ONS might have significantly lowered risk for in-hospital death, as well as reduce hospital length of stay and days of viral clearance in older patients with COVID-19 during the Omicron wave.

Authentication of Tinospora cordifolia derived herbal supplements using high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach – A pilot study

Tinospora cordifolia herbal supplements have recently gained prominence due to their promising immunomodulatory and anti-viral effects against SARS-CoV-2. Mislabelling or diluting Tinospora supplements for profit may harm public health. Thus, validating the label claim of these supplements in markets is critical. This study investigated how high resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and chemometrics can be used to distinguish Tinospora cordifolia from two other closely related species (T. crispa and T. sinensis). The Orthogonal Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) and PLS-DA based chemometric models predicted the species identity of Tinospora with 94.44% accuracy. These classification models were trained using 54 T. cordifolia, 21 T. crispa, and 21 T. sinensis samples. We identified 7 biomarkers, including corydine, malabarolide, ecdysterone, and reticuline, which discriminated Tinospora cordifolia from the two other species. The label claim of 25 commercial Tinospora samples collected from different parts of India was verified based on the relative abundance of the biomarker compounds, of which 20 were found authentic. The relative abundance of biomarkers significantly varied in the 5 suspicious market samples. This pilot study demonstrates a robust metabolomic approach for authenticating Tinospora species, which can further be used in other herbal matrices for product authentication and securing quality. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Dietary supplements' knowledge, attitude and consumption pattern among United Arab Emirates population

PurposeTo study the consumption pattern, attitude and knowledge of the general population about dietary supplements (DS) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Design/methodology/approachA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data on knowledge, attitude and consumption pattern related to the use of DS. Participants aged = 18 years were asked to complete a self-administered online questionnaire that included demographic characteristics, health and lifestyle information, consumption patterns, attitudes and knowledge levels regarding the use of DS.FindingsA total of 207 individuals participated in the study, and 117 (56.5%) participants reported using DS products as influenced by the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), of which 63 (53.8%) participants had been using DS for more than one month but less than one year. The majority of the participants was females (64.7%), non-UAE nationals (60.9%) and employed (51.7%). Multivitamins (77.8%) were the most commonly used DS. Use of DS was more prevalent among older participants (n = 78 (61.9%), p = 0.006), non-UAE nationals (n = 79 (62.7%), p = 0.025) and employed (n = 69 (64.5%), p = 0.023). Improving general health (76.1%) and immune booster (47%) were the most frequently identified reasons for using DS, which is relatable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of study participants (72.12%) reported knowing relatively little about the use of DS. About 154 participants (74.4%) did not know that DS products do not treat diseases.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies with a larger sample size need to be conducted to examine the association between gender or chronic disease and the consumption and type of DS products used to fill the gap in the literature and overcome the limitations identified in this study.Originality/valueThis study highlights the need for community education programs and strategies that can raise awareness of the health benefits and risks of using DS. Further studies with a larger sample size need to be conducted to examine the association between gender or chronic disease and the consumption and type of DS products used to fill the gap in the literature and overcome the limitations identified in this study.

Development Of Technology for Obtaining Natural Nutriceutics in Solid Form

This article discusses development of technology for obtaining natural nutriceutics in solid form. Currently, a healthy lifestyle, a healthy diet and the body's resistance to external negative factors have become topical issues, especially after the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Basically, the prevention and treatment of diseases occurs due to the replenishment of the complex of bioactive substances that the body receives from healthy food. Otherwise, if the tissues and organs do not receive the elements necessary for the normal functioning of the body, then the strength to fight the disease decreases. Here, dietary supplements, that is, nutraceuticals, play an important role, they are consumed with food and are mainly obtained from products of natural origin: vegetable, animal and bacterial.Copyright © 2023, Codon Publications. All rights reserved.

Body Fat Reduction Effect of Bifidobacterium breve B-3: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Comparative Clinical Trial.

This double-blind, randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Bifidobacterium breve B-3 (BB-3) for reducing body fat. Healthy individuals were randomized into the BB-3 or placebo group (1:1). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to evaluate body fat reduction objectively. In the BB-3 group, body weight was lower than before BB-3 ingestion. Regarding waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist/hip circumference ratio, waist circumference and hip circumference were lower in the BB-3 group than in the placebo group at 12 weeks; the waist/hip circumference ratio was found to decrease at each visit in the BB-3 group, although there was no significant difference in the amount of change after 12 weeks. BB-3 did not cause any severe adverse reactions. Body fat was significantly lower in the BB-3 group than in the placebo group. In conclusion, ingesting BB-3 significantly reduces body weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference. Thus, BB-3 is safe and effective for reducing body fat.

Zinc status in public health: exploring emerging research trends through bibliometric analysis of the historical context from 1978 to 2022.

The current study aims to provide a roadmap for future research by analyzing the research structures and trends in scholarly publications related to the status of zinc in public health. Only journal articles published between 1978 and 2022 are included in the refined bibliographical outputs retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The first section announces findings based on WoS categories, such as discipline heterogeneity, times cited and publications over time, and citation reports. The second section then employs VoSViewer software for bibliometric analysis, which includes a thorough examination of co-authorship among researchers, organizations, and countries and a count of all bibliographic databases among documents. The final section discusses the research's weaknesses and strengths in zinc status, public health, and potential future directions; 7158 authors contributed to 1730 papers (including 339 with publications, more than three times). "Keen, C.L." is a researcher with the most publications and a better understanding of zinc status in public health. Meanwhile, the USA has been the epicenter of research on the status of zinc in public health due to the highest percentage of publications with the most citations and collaboration with the rest of the world, with the top institution being the University of California, Davis. Future research can be organized collaboratively based on hot topics from co-occurrence network mapping and bibliographic couplings to improve zinc status and protect public health.

Cognitive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia with L-Carnosine adjuvant therapy - A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

The antioxidant L-Carnosine is reported to improve negative and cognitive symptoms in Schizophrenia. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was planned to study the effectiveness of adjuvant L-Carnosine therapy in patients with Schizophrenia. 100 eligible patients with predominant negative symptoms as measured by scale for assessment of negative symptoms (SANS total score ≥ 60) and Schizophrenia diagnosis (International Classification of Disorder-Tenth Edition, ICD-10) were recruited. They were randomly allocated to receive a fixed dose of either 400 mg L-Carnosine or identical placebo for 3 months and increased to 800 mg from 13th week till completion of study. Primary outcome measures assessed changes in SANS scores with L-Carnosine at 24 weeks compared to baseline, 4 and 12 weeks. Secondary outcome measures were done to assess the improvement in cognitive symptoms (executive function, attention, and memory) at 24 weeks using subtests of NIMHANS (National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosciences) cognitive battery. Side effects were assessed using adverse events reporting form. The attention scores (p = .023) showed significant differences in patients receiving 800 mg of L-Carnosine at the end of the study. There were no significant differences in negative symptoms in the two arms at study completion. L-Carnosine dosing of 800 mg may be a promising agent to enhance executive functions in Schizophrenia.

Effect of an Immune-Boosting, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Food Supplement in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Prospective Randomized Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 disease is a serious global health problem. Few treatments have been shown to reduce mortality and accelerate time to recovery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effect of a food supplement (probiotics, prebiotics, vitamin D, zinc and selenium) in patients admitted with COVID-19. METHODS: A prospective randomized non-blinded clinical trial was conducted in a sample of 162 hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 recruited over eight months. All patients received standard treatment, but the intervention group (n = 67) was given one food supplement stick daily during their admission. After collecting the study variables, a statistical analysis was performed comparing the intervention and control groups and a multivariate analysis controlling for variables that could act as confounding factors. RESULTS: ROC curve analysis with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.840 (p < 0.001; 95%CI: 0.741-0.939) of the food supplement administration vs. recovery indicated good predictive ability. Moreover, the intervention group had a shorter duration of digestive symptoms compared with the control group: 2.6 ± 1.3 vs. 4.3 ± 2.2 days (p = 0.001); patients with non-severe disease on chest X-ray had shorter hospital stays: 8.1 ± 3.9 vs. 11.6 ± 7.4 days (p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: In this trial, the administration of a food supplement (Gasteel Plus®) was shown to be a protective factor in the group of patients with severe COVID-19 and allowed early recovery from digestive symptoms and a shorter hospital stay in patients with a normal-mild-moderate chest X-ray at admission (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04666116).

Effectiveness of Nutritional Supplements for Attenuating the Side Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines.

Supplementation is known to enhance the immune response and reduce infection. Therefore, the association between immune nutrients and vaccine side effects needs to be investigated. Our aim was to analyze the relationship between vaccination side effects and supplement intake among the Italian population. The study included a questionnaire asking for personal data, anthropometric information, COVID-19 infection and immunity response, and COVID-19 vaccination and supplementation. The survey was conducted from 8 February to 15 June 2022. In the study, 776 respondents were included, aged between 18 and 86 (71.3% females). We observed a statistically significant correlation between supplement consumption and side effects at the end of the vaccination cycle (p = 0.000), which was also confirmed by logistic regression (p = 0.02). Significant associations were observed between supplement intake and side effects of diarrhea and nausea at the end of the vaccination cycle (p = 0.001; p = 0.04, respectively). Significant associations were observed between side effects and omega-3 and mineral supplementation at the start of the vaccination cycle (p = 0.02; p = 0.001, respectively), and between side effects and vitamin supplementation at the end of the vaccination cycle (p = 0.005). In conclusion, our study shows a positive impact of supplementation on vaccination response, increasing host immune defenses, and reducing side effects.

Food security among SNAP participants 2019 to 2021: a cross-sectional analysis of current population survey food security supplement data.

Surveillance data indicate that food security rates increased among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021) compared with pre-pandemic (2019), but this could have been due to increased participation from better resourced households. Our objective was to examine if demographic differences between SNAP-participating households in each year were responsible for the increased prevalence of food secure households. We calculated the observed 30-d food security prevalence among SNAP-participating households for each year. We used indirect standardisation to produce expected 2020 and 2021 prevalences with 2019 as the standard population using household size, income, age, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, presence of children, single parent household, metropolitan status and census region. We calculated standardised prevalence ratios (SPRs) to understand if the observed prevalence was higher than expected given any changes in the demographic profile compared to 2019. The Current Population Survey data were collected by the United States Census Bureau and Department of Agriculture. Our sample included 5,245 SNAP-participating households. The observed prevalence of food secure households increased by 3⋅6 percentage points comparing 2019 to 2020 (SPR = 1⋅06, 95 % confidence interval = 1⋅00, 1⋅11) and by 8⋅6 percentage comparing 2019 to 2021 (SPR = 1⋅13, 95 % confidence interval = 1⋅07, 1⋅18). The greater prevalence of food secure SNAP households during the pandemic did not appear to be attributable to socio-demographic differences compared to pre-pandemic. Despite hesitance among policymakers to expand or enhance social safety net programmes, permanently incorporating COVID-19-related policy interventions could lessen food insecurity in years to come.

Case report: Novel ETFDH compound heterozygous mutations identified in a patient with late-onset glutaric aciduria type II.

Glutaric aciduria type II (GA II) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder of fatty acid, amino acid, and choline metabolism. The late-onset form of this disorder is caused by a defect in the mitochondrial electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase or the electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase (ETFDH) gene. Thus far, the high clinical heterogeneity of late-onset GA II has brought a great challenge for its diagnosis. In this study, we reported a 21-year-old Chinese man with muscle weakness, vomiting, and severe pain. Muscle biopsy revealed myopathological patterns of lipid storage myopathy, and urine organic acid analyses showed a slight increase in glycolic acid. All the aforementioned results were consistent with GA II. Whole-exome sequencing (WES), followed by bioinformatics and structural analyses, revealed two compound heterozygous missense mutations: c.1034A > G (p.H345R) on exon 9 and c.1448C>A (p.P483Q) on exon 11, which were classified as "likely pathogenic" according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). In conclusion, this study described the phenotype and genotype of a patient with late-onset GA II. The two novel mutations in ETFDH were found in this case, which further expands the list of mutations found in patients with GA II. Because of the treatability of this disease, GA II should be considered in all patients with muscular symptoms and acute metabolism decompensation such as hypoglycemia and acidosis.

Impact Analysis Of Fear, Knowledge, And Attitudes On Purchase Behavior Of Nutritional Supplements Before And After COVID19: A Cross-Sectional Study In Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Nutritional supplements are essential driver not only for normal growth but also to boost immunity to fight against infection. Fear and lack of proper treatment for COVID19 have created many concerns worldwide, which has given rise to finding alternative options for prevention and ways to build immunity. Consumption of dietary supplements, herbal extracts, and other natural products has increased remarkably to improve immunity. People's belief systems have changed towards consuming supplements before and during COVID-19. The influence of social media and the other related sources on the internet were the primary sources of motivation for purchasing accessories. Though there is not enough scientific data to establish the role of dietary supplements and the prevention of COVID19, the sales of the DS have dynamically increased. The present study examines the consumer knowledge, fear, and attitude toward the purchase behaviour of supplements before and during COVID 19. The cross-sectional study was conducted in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. A total of 214 individuals in the age group above thirty participated in the study. Patients visiting the hospital patient department participated in the study. The questionnaire was divided into two sections. The first section contains general information like age and demographics, and the second questions about purchasing behaviour. Behaviours were analyzed with SPSS AMOS, SEM analysis, and factor analysis. The results indicate a meaningful relationship between supplement purchase and fear, attitude, and immune-building stress. Most of the respondents consumed supplements during COVID 19. It was attributed to worry and to building immunityCopyright © 2023, Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences.All Rights Reserved.

Home Remedies, Dietary and Lifestyle Changes during Covid-19 Pandemic

December 2019 has become one of the most surprising days in the whole world in light of the flare-up of a most infectious sickness brought about by novel Covid or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study is conducted to assess the benefits of the use of home remedies to prevent the cause of Covid-19 and evaluate the assessment of dietary changes and physical activity in the prevention of Covid-19. A questionnaire-based online survey is conducted using Google forms consisting of multiple-choice questions about home remedies, lifestyle and dietary changes made by the people during this pandemic. These home remedies included using different types of herbal preparations, steam inhalation, physical exercise and OTC medications for prophylaxis. Questions likewise included about being infected by Coronavirus-19(during first wave or second) and their recovery period, additionally collected their viewpoint for changes made, for example how much they are useful in the prevention of the attack and whenever encountered any undesirable impacts. Total responses were 210, among which 121(57.6%) responses were from females and 89(42.4%) from males. 65 people tested Covid positive (42 during the first wave and 23 during the second wave). 118(56.2%) of people think these changes are very beneficial. (Rated 4 and 5 out of 5 points). From our survey, we concluded that different herbal preparations of their composition, which they thought are helpful, and steam inhalations have been used. Rating regarding the use and effectiveness was also found to be average. Further studies are needed to prove and provide clear evidence about adverse and side effects associated with the use of herbal products.Copyright © 2022 Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. All rights reserved.

Dietary supplement use and associated variables among Turkish women: cross-sectional study

Introduction: Dietary supplement use is continuously increasing in the world and it seems to be more common among women. Data on supplement habits of women in Turkey are still limited. The purpose of this study is to determine dietary supplement use and to evaluate associated factors in Turkish women in the pre-COVID-19 period. Methodology: A total of 727 Turkish women (33.4[10.3] years;25.9[4.57] kg/m2;162.9[6.81] cm) participated in this cross-sectional study. After piloting, the participants completed a six-part questionnaire form that was administered either face-to-face or over the phone by a trained dietitian. The questionnaire intended to collect data about demographic characteristics, use of dietary supplements and factors influencing supplement choices such as eating habits, physical activity and lifestyle habits. Result(s): A total of 307 participants (42.2%) used at least one dietary supplement within the previous year. The most commonly used was iron (30.6%) followed by vitamin D (30.6%), vitamin B12 (26.7%), multivitamins (18.2%), and calcium (11.4%). Supplement use decreased with higher physical activity (p=0.002). Furthermore, it was significantly higher among women who consume meals at regular times (p=0.001) and those that avoid fast food consumption (p=0.014). However, the use of dietary supplements was not associated with lower BMI, older age or higher academic level (p>0.05). Conclusion(s): More than 40% of women were reported using dietary supplements. The use of supplements was not associated with lower BMI, higher physical activity, older age, higher academic level smoking or drinking. Turkish women seem to show a different consumer profile from typical dietary supplement users.Copyright © 2022 Asociacion Espanola de Dietistas-Nutricionistas. All rights reserved.

Nutritional Supplement Use Influencing by Cyberchondria and E-Health Literacy During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Turkey

Aim: "We're not just fighting an epidemic;we're fighting an infodemic," said World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the Munich Security Conference. In this context, we examined vitamin-mineral use frequency as influenced by cyberchondria, or E-health literacy level, and related factors during the coronavirus disease-2019 outbreak. Method(s): In this cross-sectional study, participants who were admitted to the outpatient clinics in a tertiary hospital between March 2021 and April 2021 were asked questions on socio-demographic data, the presence of vitamin and mineral use, and knowledge. The cyberchondria scores by the cyberchondria severity scale and the E-health literacy scores by the electronic health literacy scale were assessed based on nutrition type choice. The use of vitamins and minerals was compared between regular and non-regular supplement users. Factors related to the presence of nutritional supplement use were assessed through logistic regression analysis. Result(s): A total of 417 participants, including those aged 39.3+/-12.09 years, were found to be regular nutritional supplement users at a rate of 52.99% during the outbreak. The most commonly used supplements were vitamin D (62.8%), vitamin C (54.4%), vitamin B12 (39.6%), zinc (37.9%), magnesium (35.7%), and iron (33.60%). The least used supplement was melatonin (5.30%). Iron, calcium, and vitamin A users had a higher cyberchondria score than non-users (p=0.002, p=0.044, and p=0.030, respectively). However, zinc, selenium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, omega-3 fish oil, and probiotic users had a higher E-health literacy score than non-users (p<0.001, p=0.018, p<0.001, p=0.009, p=0.047, p=0.018, p=0.002, p=0.002, respectively). Logistic regression analyses identified higher E-health literacy [odds ratio (OR)=1.077;95% confidence interval (CI): 1.042-1.115;p<0.001], female sex (OR=1,659;95% CI: 1,005-2,737;p=0.048), graduated from university (OR=2,536;95% CI: 1,009-6,374;p=0.048), presence of health professional's advice (OR=3,716;95% CI: 2,260-6,119;p<0.001) and chronic disease presence (OR=2,755;95% CI: 1,420-5,347;p=0.003) were predictors of supplement usage during the outbreak. Conclusion(s): Higher E-health literate women with comorbidities were likely nutritional supplement users during the outbreak, regardless of cyberchondria severity or age generation differences.Copyright © 2023 by The Medical Bulletin of Istanbul Haseki Training and Research Hospital The Medical Bulletin of Haseki published by Galenos Yayinevi.

Nutritional Intervention for the Treatment and Prevention Against Novel Coronavirus-19

Introduction: The ongoing pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS COV-2) has jeopardized people's health and the global economy. The infection caused by these viruses inflicts immunosuppression and an unprecedented range of symptoms leading to mortality. At this stage, there are no countermeasures or medicines to overcome rapid disease proliferation and aberrant immunological response. Objective(s): The study aims to determine different immunomodulatory therapeutics that could be potential agents to alleviate viral and other lethal infections and possibly rejuvenate immunological and tissue repair response against this disease. Method(s): A review of the literature was performed by screening different scientific databases to procure various immunomodulatory therapies for the treatment of SAR COV-2. Result(s): A comprehensive literature review indicated that different foods rich in vitamins (A-D), selenium and iron can enhance immunological response against various deleterious infections, whereas different nutritious drinks that include hydrogen-enriched water and green tea alleviate inflammation and elicit wound healing properties. Black cumin seeds and Garlic have a myriad of biological activities due to abundant bioactive phytochemicals that play an important role in the elimination of various bacterial and viral infections. Conclusion(s): These foods/supplements are relatively safe to consume and possess high toxicity profile and could be a potential nutritional intervention in order to create adequate immunity within a population to fight against this prevailing infection.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.