Relationship between obesity indices [BMI, WHR and FAT %] in a group of aleppo university students in comparison with international values

In Order to create certain relationships between international obesity indices to examine the importance and usefulness of each indicator in the assessment of obesity, we have conducted measurements of obesity for 127 students from the students of the College of Pharmacy, University of Aleppo, including 80 females and 47 Male between the ages of 20 to 32 years. These measurements are: weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, the area around the hip and the percentage of fat. And after analysis of data for each student we found that the trend in the resulting averages were closer to normal values in both sexes, with some samples anomalies [increase or decrease of weight or obesity]. We have noted the absence of any benefit of weight measurement alone, and that it is essential to enter the length account by calculating the so-called a body mass index [BMI], as was shown through researches that BMI alone is not enough to judge the seriousness of the existence or not of obesity. We have noted that waist circumference was the most important indicator of obesity and its health gravity. We have emerged a clear positive relationship between BMI and measure waist circumference [WC] [P <0.01], while we did not find such relationship between the proportion of fat percentage and BMI or between the proportion of fat and waist to hip ratio [WHR], or between BMI and waist to hip ratio [P>0.1]. As we concluded through research that the incidence of central obesity [high waist circumference or high waist to hip ratio], which is usually accompanied a high or sometimes with normal fat percentage, this is the type of the danger obesity that can lead to some complications such as heart and arteries diseases, hypertension, diabetes type II and other diseases

[Determination of caffeine content in some beverages]

Caffeine [1,3,5-trimethylxanthine], a mild addicting drug was isolated and characterized from soft drinks, tea, coffee, mate and cacao commercially available in Syria. Isolation was done by liquid-liquid extraction using chloroform as an extracting solvent. Quantification of the caffeine isolated was done by High performance liquid chromatography with UV/Vis detector [275 nm] and UV/Vis spectrophotometer at the same lamda[max]. In HPLC, acetate buffer [pH=4.5] and methanol [1:1] was used as mobile phase. The obtained results were compared with caffeine content in various beverages as mentioned in US Food and Drug Administration tables

presence of some micro organisms in birds meat. The presence of Yersinia enterocolitica in fresh and frozen birds meat from local supermarkets

A total of 129 meat product samples of frozen and fresh birds [ducks and chicken] entire and section, were collected from several local supermarkets in Hessen [Germany] and tested for the presence of Yersinia enterocolitica and other Yersinia species. The analytical method prescribed from food and drugs administration was validated and performed after few modifications. In the present study, we have followed the cold enrichment method using alkaline treatment and isolating in two selective fluid broth mediums and two selective solid broth mediums. Overall, Yersinia organisms were found on 6 of 67 fresh ducks samples, all of them below to the biogroup 1 A and the serotype o:5 and were nonpathogen [39]. Also Yersinia enterocolitica was found on 6 of 34 fresh chicken samples and all of them were nonpathogen from the same bio and serotype. Other side, all frozen samples were negative. The positive samples were distributed in thighs of chicken and ducks who included skin and this result accord to previous studies. The presence of Yersinia in raw chicken and duck meats represents a health risk for consumers, where further clinical studies are needed to assess the epidemiological importance of this pathogen