Association of 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D Levels with Age in Community Acquired Pneumonia

Background : To determine association of 25 hydroxy vitamin D deficiency with age in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: In this descriptive study 150 diagnosed patients of community-acquired pneumonia based on the CURB-65 scoring criteria were enrolled. The 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels were recorded in all patients. Patients were divided into three groups according to their age. Effect modifiers like gender were controlled by stratification. Post stratification chi square test was applied. A p value of 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean age of the patients was 40.05 ± 14.33 years (mean ± SD). Out of 150 patients 54.7% (n=82) were males while the 45.3% (n=68) were females. The mean level of vitamin D was 18.43 ± 5.005 (mean ± SD) ng/ml. When the cut off value for deficiency was applied i.e. 20 ng/ml, the 60% (n=90) patients were found deficient while 40% (n=60) patients had normal values. The p value was significant only for the age group to 35 to 50 years. Independent sample t test showed that the difference is statistically significant (p=0.003) in age groups between 35 to 50 years. Conclusions: Lower concentrations of vitamin D might be associated with CAP particularly in age group between 35 to 50 years

Occupational Health Hazard among Health Care Workers in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Lahore

Background: Occupational health is a neglected public health issue among healthcare workers in developing countries and they may expose them to various forms of hazards. Objectives: The study aims at exploring the forms of occupational health hazards among nurses in a tertiary care hospital, Lahore Methods: Total 151 staff nurses were enrolled for cross-sectional descriptive study to explore the occupational health hazard.  This study was conducted at Lahore General Hospital, Lahore for the duration of 02, 2021, to January 01, 2022. Only charge nurses working in medical and surgical units on permanent basis having experience more than six months were included. Results: The findings of this study showed that the mean age of the nurse was 25.87 ± 3.138 years (age range 21-32 year), the female nurse was  127(84.1%)while 24(15.9%) were male nurse. The participants faced occupational health hazards 51.8%, biological hazards73.5%, and physical hazards 59.2% and mechanical and psychology Hazards among Nurse 48.8% and 52.0% respectively. Conclusion:Occupational risks (biological hazards) are very common among the nurses in Lahore General Hospital, Lahore. To protect patients and medical staff, hospitals should implement preventative, infection control, and patient safety initiatives. Keywords: Occupational hazards;  Health workers;  Lahore General Hospital DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/104-05 Publication date: November 30th 202

DEVELOPMENT, FABRICATION, AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF INDIRECT MULTI-PORTIONED TYPE SOLAR DRYER FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to minimize post-harvest damages and improve the handling of agricultural commodities. The secondary objective was to assess the performance of the dryer by varying inlet velocity of air on temperature, final moisture of the product, drying period, and drying rate METHODS: The present research was carried out for the development, fabrication, and testing of a multi-portioned type solar dryer. The multi-portioned dryer consisted of a collector unit, air storage chamber, drying cabins, and a chimney. A fan assembly was also attached at the inlet of the collector and at the outlet of the drying compartment to control the air velocity and to remove the moist air. RESULTS: The data obtained from the experiments revealed that the maximum temperature elevation of 36.5oC was attained during a no-load test. The results obtained after carrying out load tests revealed that the maximum drying rate of 47 g/hr was achieved at the air inlet velocity of 3.2 m/s. The initial moisture content of 80.50% was brought down to 3.31% in five sunshine hours of 150 gram sliced potatoes. Each portion received air at varying speeds, and it was observed that the portion receiving air at the lowest speed had the maximum temperature. CONCLUSION: The lowest temperature elevation was recorded for the portion receiving air at the highest speed. The dryer was also found to be suitable for the on-field practical application for the drying of perishable commodities

Chemo-Modulatory Potential of Flaxseed Oil as Natural Anticancer Therapeutic

Background: Cancer is a disease which is characterised by uncontrolled cell proliferation and development. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and photodynamic therapy are the most frequent cancer treatments. On the other hand, there are many negative health impacts of radiation and chemotherapy that limit the efficient use of these therapies.Methods: This scenario needs natural treatments that are cost-effective and has no adverse effects. Flaxseed oil can be used as a nutraceuticals for the management of cancer. The current research was aimed on the exploration of the flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) oil for in vitro anticancer activity as a natural therapy for the management of cancer.Result: The flaxseed powder contained 36.6±0.04% oil contents with an average yield of 36.6±0.03% by using hexane as solvent for extraction. Moreover, the oil contained polyunsaturated fatty acid with omega 3 fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid) as a dominant content of the oil. In-vitro anticancer activity of flaxseed oil was observed by Cytotoxic (3T3 cell line) and Prostate Cancer (PC3 cell line) indicating that the oil possessed anticancer activity which was dose-dependent.Conclusion: On the basis of results, it was concluded that the flaxseed or its oil can be used for the management of cancer as a natural therapy by using optimized dose levels for a different types of cancer

Development and quality evaluation of cookies enriched with various levels of grapefruit pomace powder

Abstract Grapefruit pomace, has been considered a valuable waste byproduct and a rich source of health promoting and functional components. The present work aims to prepare a flour by hot air drying of grapefruit pomace, in order to explore and incorporate it into the formulation of cookies at a level of 0, 5, 10 and 15% replacement with the straight grade wheat flour. The effect of grapefruit pomace powder on the physical, bioactive, chemical, textural and organoleptic properties of the cookies was assessed. Results showed the presence of 8.25% fibre, 9.63% ash, 8.96 mg/GAE g total phenolic content, 3.64 mg QE/g total flavonoid content, 2.05 mg/g total carotenoid contents and 42.12% antioxidant activity (DPPH assay) in the grapefruit pomace powder. The addition of pomace powder at varying amount in the cookies resulted in significant (p < 0.05) change in the chemical and bioactive composition. A significant increase in the fibre (1.58–3.10%), ash content (0.58–1.25%) and fat (20.19–22.05%) and significant decrease in crude protein content (6.79–5.20%) was observed in the cookies having 0–15% grapefruit pomace powder. Similarly, bioactive contents and antioxidant activity of the cookies was also significantly (p < 0.05) increased as the level of incorporation of grapefruit pomace powder was increased. Significant changes in the physical properties of the cookies were also observed, as diameter and thickness were decreased and hardness of the cookies was increased. Cookies containing 10% grapefruit pomace powder got significantly high scores in terms of taste and overall acceptability. It could be concluded that the use of grapefruit pomace powder has potential to enhance the nutritional and antioxidant potential of the cookies