[ association between dietary patterns and bone mineral density in a sample of postmenopausal women living in Tehran]

Few studies have examined the association between dietary patterns and bone mineral density [BMD]. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between dietary patterns and BMD in a sample of postmenopausal women living in Tehran. A group of 160 postmenauposal women participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected on their general characteristics, physical activity, and food consumption frequency using questionnaires, and their lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD were measured by dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry. Dietary patterns were identified using factor analysis, and multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio [OR] for having lower BMD [values less than the median] as related to dietary patterns. Six dietary patterns were identified. The first [high consumption of high-fat dairy products, organ meats, red and processed meats, and whole grains] and the second [high consumption of French fries, mayonnaise, sweets and desserts, and liquid oils] patterns were associated with a lower BMD. Analysis of the data, after adjustment for potential confounders, showed that women in the second median of the first or the second dietary pattern scores were more likely to have a lower BMD at lumbar spine [OR=2.29, 95% CI: 1.05-4.96, P=0.04] and femoral neck [OR=2.83, 95% CI: 1.31-6.09, P<0.01], respectively. Dietary patterns rich in foods with a high content of saturated fats [similar to the first pattern] or those with a low density of essential nutrients for bone health [similar to the second pattern] may be negatively associated with BMD in postmenopausal women living in Tehran

[Non-aqueous titration for the determination of azelaic acid: introduction and method validation]

Alpha-hydroxylic acids are widely used in the treatment and control of skin disorders. Azelaic acid is a naturally occurring Alpha-hydroxy acid that can be formed endogenouslyfi.om long-chain dicarboxylic acids, metabolism of oleic acid or omega oxidation of mono carboxylic acids. It shows bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities against aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms present on acne-bearing skins. The beneficial effects of azelaic acid have been lead to deferent pharmaceutical formulations such as creams, gels, etc. HPLC and GC techniques are mostly used for the determination of Azelaic acid in plasma. These techniques are very accurate but they are expensive and time consuming due to the lack of chromophore and consequently the necessity of pre-column sample preparation. For the determination of azelaic acid in pharmaceutical dosage forms, a simple method with suitable accuracy and precision is needed. In this research, no aqueous titration was used for the determination of azelaic acid For this purpose, azelaic acid was titrated by sodium methoxide in the presence of thymol blue. The results of method validation by considering various parameters showed the accuracy of the suggested method in the determination of azelaic acid in pharmaceutical formulations