Production and Application of Lysozyme-Gum Arabic Conjugate in Mayonnaise as a Natural Preservative and Emulsifier

Nowadays demand for food products made by natural sources is rising so fast. In this work Lysozyme (Lyz) was conjugated with gum Arabic (GA) in order to be applied in mayonnaise, at which the presence of both preservative and emulsifier is essential. Interestingly, the Lyz-GA conjugate exhibited improved functional properties and antibacterial activity. In order to approve the results of this study, the Lyz-GA conjugate was applied to mayonnaise as a natural preservative and emulsifier. Application of the Lzy-GA conjugate in mayonnaise expedited the death rate of both S. aureus and E. coli K-12. The observation proved that conjugations of Lyz with GA increased the spectrum of its application in food products with improved antibacterial activity. Surprisingly, investigation of emulsion stability and rheological properties confirmed the improved emulsification role of Lyz-GA conjugate with a higher elasticity in the mayonnaise. Mayonnaise including conjugates showed a linear rheological response and shear-thinning behavior. Sensory analysis of the mayonnaise with Lyz-GA conjugate was completely consistent with the commercial one. Taken together, our results suggest that conjugation of Lyz with GA made possible the application of a natural preservative and emulsifier in food and pharmaceutical industries, whereas Lyz alone does not have a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity or emulsifying properties

Thalassemia in Iran in last twenty years: the carrier rates and the births trend

Background - Iran is one of the countries located on “the thalassemia belt” with a significant annual number of thalassemia new births. Given the importance of thalassemia prevention, a program to this effect was approved in Iran in 1995. Screening of carrier couples and prenatal diagnosis were the two main elements of this program. In the present study, the authors have tried to address the impacts of prevention efforts in Iran (1989-2009) and also the status of new birth cases of thalassemia during the time period ranging from 1989 when the Iranian Thalassemia Society was established to 1995 when the prevention program started to run. Materials and Method - The data were obtained from the countrywide haemovigilance network. The data were then compared against the available information in the thalassemia treatment network of Iran and some other thalassemia associations. The available information had been collected through questionnaires and in some cases by phone calls and emails. Results - The findings show that the average thalassemia carrier prevalence rate in the country is about 4% and the thalassemia prevention in Iran has been successful with the number of new born thalassemic patients falling from 1087 cases in 1989 to 239 in 2009. The success rate of the program was evaluated to be 82.3% in 2009. Conclusion - The results show that the thalassemia prevention program has played an effective role in lowering thalassemia births in Iran. Nonetheless, the still high number of new thalassemia cases in the year 2009 is worth considering Keywords: Prevention of thalassemia, Iran, thalassemia, thalassemia carrier rate, success rate, screening, prenatal diagnosis

Injury burden in individuals aged 50 years or older in the Eastern Mediterranean region, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Injury poses a major threat to health and longevity in adults aged 50 years or older. The increased life expectancy in the Eastern Mediterranean region warrants a further understanding of the ageing population's inevitable changing health demands and challenges. We aimed to examine injury-related morbidity and mortality among adults aged 50 years or older in 22 Eastern Mediterranean countries. Methods: Drawing on data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we categorised the population into adults aged 50–69 years and adults aged 70 years and older. We examined estimates for transport injuries, self-harm injuries, and unintentional injuries for both age groups, with sex differences reported, and analysed the percentage changes from 1990 to 2019. We reported injury-related mortality rates and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). The Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index were used to better understand the association of socioeconomic factors and health-care system performance, respectively, with injuries and health status in older people. Healthy life expectancy (HALE) was compared with injury-related deaths and DALYs and to the SDI and HAQ Index to understand the effect of injuries on healthy ageing. Finally, risk factors for injury deaths between 1990 and 2019 were assessed. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) are given for all estimates. Findings: Estimated injury mortality rates in the Eastern Mediterranean region exceeded the global rates in 2019, with higher injury mortality rates in males than in females for both age groups. Transport injuries were the leading cause of deaths in adults aged 50–69 years (43·0 [95% UI 31·0–51·8] per 100 000 population) and in adults aged 70 years or older (66·2 [52·5–75·5] per 100 000 population), closely followed by conflict and terrorism for both age groups (10·2 [9·3–11·3] deaths per 100 000 population for 50–69 years and 45·7 [41·5–50·3] deaths per 100 000 population for ≥70 years). The highest annual percentage change in mortality rates due to injury was observed in Afghanistan among people aged 70 years or older (400·4% increase; mortality rate 1109·7 [1017·7–1214·7] per 100 000 population). The leading cause of DALYs was transport injuries for people aged 50–69 years (1798·8 [1394·1–2116·0] per 100 000 population) and unintentional injuries for those aged 70 years or older (2013·2 [1682·2–2408·7] per 100 000 population). The estimates for HALE at 50 years and at 70 years in the Eastern Mediterranean region were lower than global estimates. Eastern Mediterranean countries with the lowest SDIs and HAQ Index values had high prevalence of injury DALYs and ranked the lowest for HALE at 50 years of age and HALE at 70 years. The leading injury mortality risk factors were occupational exposure in people aged 50–69 years and low bone mineral density in those aged 70 years or older. Interpretation: Injuries still pose a real threat to people aged 50 years or older living in the Eastern Mediterranean region, mainly due to transport and violence-related injuries. Dedicated efforts should be implemented to devise injury prevention strategies that are appropriate for older adults and cost-effective injury programmes tailored to the needs and resources of local health-care systems, and to curtail injury-associated risk and promote healthy ageing. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation