Simulation of Mass and Heat Transfer of Orange Slice during Drying Process under Vacuum Condition Using Finite Element Method

One of the most popular and oldest ways to preserve fruits and vegetables out of season is drying. The mass and heat transfer mechanisms during the drying of food products are complex. In this study, orange slices were dried by the natural convection with a vacuum dryer and the heat and mass transfer process of slices during drying were simulated and predicted by the finite element method using Comsol Multiphysics software. The simulation was done for temperatures of 45, 65, and 85 °C and pressure of 60 kPa. The results showed that the predicted model simulated moisture transfer (R2 between 0.92 and 0.97) and heat transfer (R2 between 0.97 and 0.99) with appropriate accuracy. The simulation showed that after the surface moisture drying, the moisture gradient was from the center to the surface, while the temperature gradient was from the surface to the center

Comparison of Formulas for Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Calculation for Predicting the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

Background: The correlation between serum cholesterol level and the risk of developing atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome has been well established in previous studies. Serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) measurement is conducted using different methods which are generally divided into two groups, namely direct and indirect. Using indirect methods or calculations such as the Friedewald or Iranian formula for measuring LDL, particularly in developing countries, is quite common. The present study has stepped in to compare the robustness of the extant formulas in prognosticating and determining the incidence of metabolic syndrome. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the target population was the community of Fasa cohort study. According to the views of the statistical advisor, 9530 people were included in the study and clinical laboratory examinations were done for each person. Their serum LDL level was measured using the existing formulas. Then, the results of the serum LDL level that was computed with different formulas, were compared with both the status of metabolic syndrome and laboratory tests of individuals. Results: The Iranian formula has the highest area under curve, the sensitivity of 0.73, and specificity of 0.77, higher positive and negative predictive values among other formulas. In Friedewald formula, for example, sensitivity and specificity equal 0.28 and 0.80, respectively. After further analysis, two new models proposed for predicting metabolic syndrome. The results revealed that these two models even outperform the Iranian formula. Conclusion: The Iranian formula for plasma LDL calculation has higher precision and application for predicting and measuring the metabolic syndrome in the Iranian population due to its considerable features. It is required to develop a new formula for each population and even for each sex, if possible. Keywords:Cholesterol; LDL; Lipoproteins; Metabolic Syndrome; Friedwal

Relationship between metabolic syndrome and osteoarthritis: The Fasa Osteoarthritis Study

An association between metabolic syndrome (MeS) and osteoarthritis (OA) has been reported in recent years; however, conflicting findings have been reported regarding this matter. Inhere we evaluated the relationship between different components of MeS and OA in a Fasa osteoarthritis registry (FOAS). Methods: The registry includes all OA cases who referred to Fasa hospital (Iran) since 2013. Overall, 131 patients with OA with a Kellgren & Lawrence (K&L) score >1 and 261 controls were compared. Results: Overall, 82.4% of individuals in the OA group and 40.8% of participants in the control group had MeS (P < 0.001). Patients with OA had a 6.8 (95% CI: 4.1–11.4) higher chance of acquiring MeS. After adjusting for sex, age, and BMI, odds’ ratio (OR) for acquiring MeS in OA group increased to 10.9 (95% CI: 5.5–21.8). Among MeS criteria’s, high waist circumference (WC) has strongest correlation for acquiring OA (OR = 27.535, 95% CI: 6.003–126.306). Conclusion: Our findings revealed that metabolic markers are strongly associated with OA and the addition of each component of the MeS, significantly increases the risk of developing OA, therefore control of metabolic factors and appropriate screening must be considered in health policy making and prevention programs

Validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire assessing food group intake in the PERSIAN Cohort Study

PurposeA semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed for use in the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN Cohort), investigating non-communicable disease risk factors. This study aimed to assess the validity and reproducibility of this FFQ, through food group intake.MethodsParticipants, recruited from seven PERSIAN cohort centers, completed the FFQ at the beginning of the study (FFQ1) and at the end (FFQ2), with a 12-month interval in between, during which two 24-h dietary recalls (24 h) were completed each month. Correlation coefficients of the median intake of food groups recorded by the FFQs were compared to those of the 24 h to assess validity, and the two FFQs were compared to assess reproducibility of findings.ResultsOverall, data from 978 participants were included in this validation analysis. Of the 26 food groups assessed, Tea, Sugars, Whole/Refined Grains, and Solid Fats/Oils, had the strongest correlations (0.6–0.79), while Red Meat, Chicken and Eggs showed moderate correlations (0.42–0.59). The weakest correlations observed belonged to Fresh fruit Juice and Other Meats (0.23–0.32). Reproducibility was assessed among those who completed both FFQ1 and FFQ2 (n = 848), revealing moderate to strong correlations in all food groups, ranging from 0.42 in Legumes to 0.72 in both Sugar and Sweetened Drinks.ConclusionThe PERSIAN Cohort FFQ is appropriate to rank individuals based on food group intake

The Association of Diet Quality Indices with Metabolic Syndrome Components: A PERSIAN Cohort Study in Fasa, Iran

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a significant health concern both in developed and developing countries. This cohort Prospective Epidemiological Research Study in Iran (PERSIAN) aimed to determine the association of diet quality, assessed by the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), with MetS components among individuals with MetS in Fasa, southern Iran.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 907 individuals with MetS aged 35-65 years were recruited from the Fasa PERSIAN Cohort Study, Fasa, Iran. The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) and Iranian National Committee of Obesity criteria were used to define MetS. A 125-item food frequency questionnaire wasemployed to evaluate dietary intake. The association between the quartiles of dietary scores and MetS components analyzed by Multivariate linear regression with the backward method.Results: The mean age of the individuals (67.3% female) was 48.75±8.22 years. After adjusting for covariates, the highest HEI-2015 quartile was positively correlated with fasting blood sugar (FBS, β=7.30, 95%CI=1.03, 13.58) and triglyceride levels (β=32.71, 95%CI=9.09, 56.33). The MDShad a significant negative association with the systolic blood pressure (SBP) in both crude and adjusted models (β=-3.14, 95%CI=-6.2, -0.019). The triglyceride (TG, β=26.008, 95%CI=4.32, 47.69) and FBS (β=5.77, 95%CI=0.057, 11.49) levels also were positively correlated with thehighest MDS quartile.Conclusion: The SBP was shown to be inversely associated with the MDS, wherease higher adherence to HEI-2015 and MDS values were also linked with increased FBS and TG levels

Vitamin K and D Status in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: An Analytical Cross-sectional Study

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and it has been known as the main factor of lower limb disability. The aim of the study is evaluating the level of vitamin K and D status as well as determining cut-off point of these vitamins for predicting knee OA and also pain severity in these patients. In this analytical cross-sectional study, participation included knee OA patients and individuals without it who referred to Fasa Osteoarthritis Clinic, Iran. OA was diagnosed according to criteria based on Kellgren and Lawrence rating and the WOMAC score was used for pain evaluation. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 18 (P> 0.05). In our study, 150 knee OA patients and 300 individuals without it, were participated. The mean of vitamin K and D in OA patients was significantly lower than the group without it (P<0.001). Furthermore, logistic regression showed that after adjustment, each unit decrease in vitamin D and K level leads to an increase the odds ratio of OA to 0.67 and 0.002 times respectively. In receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the cutoff-point for vitamin D and K was determined 12.68 and 0.87 nmol/L respectively. We also observed that although with a decreased level of two vitamins, the score of pain significantly increases, the only effective factors in pain score were disease status. These findings suggest that the deficiency of vitamin K and D is likely associated with a higher risk of O

The Association Between Serum Vitamin D Level and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition, in which triglyceride accumulates in hepatic cells without a history of alcohol consumption and is strongly associated with insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia. The potential role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of NAFLD has been reported. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the optimal vitamin D levels for prevention of NAFLD. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 2,160 cases who referred to a university-affiliated health center were randomly selected and their demographic information, anthropometric and metabolic indices and also vitamin D levels were collected. Fatty liver was assessed by fatty liver index (FLI) and confirmed by FibroScan using controlled attenuation parameter (CAP). Based on the NAFLD score, the subjects were divided into two groups and the vitamin D cutoff point was calculated by ROC curve. Results: Based on the results, 745 patients (34.5%) had different degrees of fatty liver. Significant differences in the stiffness of liver tissue were observed between vitamin D categories (285.10 +/- 30.56 for severe, 251.82 +/- 42.63 for moderate and 201.02 +/- 36.08 for mild deficiency). According to the multivariate analysis, age, fasting insulin and vitamin D levels were found as the most significant factors in NAFLD pathogenesis. Vitamin D cutoff point was obtained 18 nmol/L in women and 21 nmol/L in men. Conclusions: The results indicated a significant association between vitamin D level and NAFLD score. Accordingly, increasing the public awareness to maintain a proper level of vitamin D may be a preventative strategy against NAFLD. Keywords Author Keywords:25-Hydroxyvitamin D; Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis; Obesity; Vitamin D Deficiency KeyWords Plus:25-HYDROXYVITAMIN D-3; INSULIN-RESISTANCE; STEATOHEPATITIS; EXPRESSION; SEVERITY; ALPHA; NAFLD; HISTOLOGY; CHILDREN; IMPAC

Dietary inflammatory index and metabolic syndrome in Iranian population (Fasa Persian Cohort Study)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the risk factors for all causes of mortality. Inflammation is an important risk factor for MetS. The present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between MetS and pro-inflammatory diet by using the food inflammation index (DII). This study consists of 10,017 participants with an age range of 35 to 70 years. The Fasa Cohort Study (FACS) population (Fars Province, Iran) was used to collect data. The DII was estimated according to Shivappa et al. method using a validated 125-item FFQ. To determine the association between MetS components and DII Logistic regression was used (P>0.05). The overall mean of DII was-0.89 +/- 1.74. However, adjusted multinomial logistic regression indicates each unit increase in waist circumference (WC) (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99) and HDL-C (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-0.99) was associated with significantly decreased odds of being in the 4th DII quartile in men and all participations respectively, there is no statistically significant relationship between MetS and DII. Overall, although people in the highest quartile of inflammatory food consumption had more likely to develop MetS, this relationship was not statistically significant among males and females. Plus:CARDIOVASCULAR RISK; ASSOCIATION; PATTERNS; DISEASE; OBESITY; HEALTH; STRATEGIES; MORTALITY; CANCE