ACTUAL INTAKE VERSES RECOMMENDED INTAKE AMONGST FEMALE ADOLESCENTS

Background: The study was conducted to determine the dietary intake patterns of young females and to compare them with recommended servings. It was a descriptive quantitative study, in which a total of 100 girls of age 18-22 years participated from the Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore. Methods: Data was collected by taking dietary recall of the previous day using a 24 recall form. A food frequency questionnaire was also handed out to determine the dietary intake patterns and in order to validate the 24 hour recall. Before giving them a four day food diary which was collected after four days, they were explained about the serving sizes of different foods. Results: Approximately 50% of the respondents met the requirements of the food groups with the exception of vegetable group as only 2 % were taking according to the standards. When the validity of 24 hour with the food diary was checked, the insignificant p values being more than 0.05 indicated that their daily consumption was similar to the 24 hour recall. Conclusions: There should be more focus on eating a well balanced diet. Half of the young female adults are meeting the recommendations of the food groups with the exception of vegetable groups. It was concluded that the individuals had wrong perceptions about portion sizes and serving sizes thus awareness programs should also focus on that. A revised tool for the implementation of the dietary guidelines was recommended

Antidiabetic activity of aqueous extract of Sigesbeckia orientalis (St. Paul’s Wort) in alloxan-induced diabetes model

The current study evaluated antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic activities of aqueous extract of Sigesbeckia orientalis L. (St. Paul’s Wort) (AESO) in an alloxan-induced diabetic rat model. Following OECD guidelines safe doses of AESO were assessed in rats for the main study. Serum/bood glucose, α-amylase, and lipids levels and histopathological evaluations were conducted to assess antidiabetic and associated antihyperlipidemic efficacies of AESO. AESO was found to be safe up to the dose of 2000 mg/kg. Significant (p < 0.05) reduction in glucose and lipids (total cholesterol, triglycerides, low‑density lipoproteins) levels was observed in AESO treatment groups. Serum α-amylase, high‑density lipoproteins, and total body weight was increased significantly (p < 0.05) in diabetic rats treated with AESO. Histopathological data showed improvement in hepatocyte and pancreatic β-cells islets architecture. HPLC analysis identified quercetin, gallic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, m-coumaric acid and cinnamic acid in AESO which are suggested to be responsible for observed antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic attributes. Further studies to standardise the extract and evaluation of safety profile in long-term toxicity studies are recommended for safe and effective antidiabetic nutraceuticals development

Pathological Mechanism of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial, smoldering, focal (intima of bifurcated blood arteries), chronic, progressive asymptotically, immune-inflammatory, disorder driven by lipid imbalance, in the large to medium sized (upto3mm external diameter) arteries with many cardiovascular clinical manifestations. Atherosclerosis developmentinvolves many cells, organs and even disturbed blood flow. The progression of atherosclerotic disease depends on the presence, degree, and persistence of risk factors like high-fat diet, smoking, hypertension, history of heart diseases, or diabetes. Endothelial dysfunction, ROS, accumulation of LDL, recruitment of Monocytes and T cells, differentiation of monocytes into macrophages and foam cells, formation of plaque and rupturing of plaque are key steps behind the clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis in cardiovascular diseases. This article describes the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, possibility of therapeutically targeting mechanism and interventions which can be helpful to reverse or slower the atherosclerosis.

Genetic Association of Beta-Myosin Heavy-Chain Gene (MYH7) with Cardiac Dysfunction

Cardiac dysfunction accelerates the risk of heart failure, and its pathogenesis involves a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Variations in myosin affect contractile abilities of cardiomyocytes and cause structural and functional abnormalities in myocardium. The study aims to find the association of MYH7 rs121913642 (c.1594 T>C) and rs121913645 (c.667G>A) variants with cardiac dysfunction in the Punjabi Pakistani population. Patients with heart failure (n = 232) and healthy controls (n = 205) were enrolled in this study. MYH7 variant genotyping was performed using tetra ARMS-PCR. MYH7 rs121913642 TC genotype was significantly more prevalent in the patient group (p < 0.001). However, MYH7 rs121913645 genotype frequencies were not significantly different between the patient and control groups (p < 0.666). Regression analysis also revealed that the rs121913642 C allele increases the risk of cardiac failure by ~2 [OR:1.98, CI: 1.31–2.98, p < 0.001] in comparison to the T allele. High levels of the cardiac enzymes cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and CK-MB were observed in patients. There was also an increase in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and uric acid in patients compared to the healthy control group (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the MYH7 gene variant rs121913642 is genetically associated with cardiac dysfunction and involved in the pathogenesis of HF