Incidence and prevalence rates of coronary artery disease in women with and without rheumatoid arthritis in Kentucky Women's Health Registry.

Aim: To investigate the incidence and prevalence rates of coronary artery disease (CAD) in women with and without rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Data was collected from the Kentucky Women's Health Registry (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) with 3982, 6730, 6898 and 7944, respectively. Results: Women with RA and reported CAD were over 45 years. 10% of women with RA reported CAD, while 4% of women without RA reported CAD. The incidence of CAD in women with RA were 10, 5.2 and 3.4% while the incidence of CAD in women without RA were 2.2, 2.2 and 1.4% in 2007-2010, 2008-2010 and 2009-2010, respectively. Conclusion: The incidence and prevalence of CAD was greater in women with RA compared with women without RA.

Genetic diversity of the chemical composition and pod production of Prosopis juliflora trees grown in Saudi Arabia.

This investigation was conducted to evaluate pod and chemical component traits and the genetic diversity of Prosopis juliflora genotypes at two locations. The selected locations were in the middle (Qassim region) and western (Jeddah region) areas, representing two agro-climatic zones of Saudi Arabia. The measured pod characteristics included production, weight, length, filling period, and chemical composition. A wide range of variations in pod yield and chemical traits were observed in the different agro-climatic regions. The results revealed that the mean values ranged from 9.5 kg tree-1 (Jeddah) to 14.2 kg tree-1 (Qassim) for pod yield, 3.1 g pod-1 (Qassim) to 3.7 g pod-1 (Jeddah) for pod weight, and 14.8 cm (Qassim) to 16.6 cm (Jiddah) for pod length. The results of genetic diversity indicated that Prosopis genotypes in each location were distributed in three different clusters in the two regions at 60 Euclidean distances. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the two components (PC1 and PC2) explained 25.03 % and 20.03 % of the overall variance, respectively, which is over 45 % of the variability. The heatmap revealed that genotypes Q20, Q21, and Q24 at the Qassim location and genotypes J1, J6, and J7 at the Jiddah location exhibited positive and significant correlations with pod yield. It can be concluded that superior Prosopis genotypes (Q20, Q21, Q24, J1, J6, and J7) were identified with good traits (pod yield, pod-filling period, and protein %) in each location and may be used in the future for the selection of elite genotypes.

Molecular Identification of Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis Using Small Subunit rRNA Gene Sequence in Kerbala, Iraq.

This study was conducted to confirm the phenotypic diagnosis of two Candida species, including Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Candida dubliniensis (C. dubliniensis). They were previously isolated in another study from cases of oral candidiasis using polymerase chain reaction and determining the nitrogenous base sequences of the 18 SrRNA product duplication using the NS1 and NS8 primers. The sequences of the multiple bases were analyzed using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool program (BLAST), which proved that the two diagnosed Candida strains belong to two species, including C. albicans and C. dubliniensis, respectively. Additionally, the comparison of these sequences to the data available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database showed that C. albicans strains in this study were 99% similar to the universal strains of C. albicans from Japan, Brazil, the United States, Germany, India, China, Pakistan, and Egypt. The C. dubliniensis strains in this study also had the highest genetic similarity rate of 99% to the C. dubliniensis strains isolated from the United States, Netherlands, France, and Germany. The study strains were recorded in the GenBank database with the sequence codes MZ574137 and MZ574410.1 for C. albicans and C. dubliniensis, respectively. The results of the 18 SrRNA region's duplication also showed variations between C. albicans and C. dubliniensis, represented by the presence of three mutations of the first type and two mutations in the second type at different sequence sites.

Hypolipidemic, Hypoglycemic, and Ameliorative Effects of Boiled Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) and Mallow (Corchorus olitorius) Leaf Extracts in High-Fat Diet-Fed Rats.

Obesity is a major health concern associated with serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated the potential anti-obesity effects of heat-treated parsley and mallow extracts (PE and ME, respectively) in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed rats. The selected herbs underwent three heat treatments (boiling, blanching, and microwaving), and the most effective treatment was orally administered to the HFD rats for eight weeks. All three treatments effectively increased the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity of the herbs, with boiling treatment exhibiting the most significant increase. Boiled herbs demonstrated approximately 29% higher TPC and an impressive 348% increase in antioxidant activity compared to the other treatments. Oral administration of the boiled herb extracts to the HFD rats resulted in significant reductions in body weight, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol levels, while elevating the HDL cholesterol levels compared to the positive control rats. Additionally, the boiled herb extracts exhibited antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective effects. Notably, PE displayed more significant anti-obesity properties compared to ME, potentially due to higher TPC and antioxidant activity observed in PE compared to ME. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential positive effects of boiled parsley against obesity and recommends boiling treatment as the preferred method when heat treatment is required for herbs.

Study of the Expected Impact of Palm Pollen on Human Respiratory Tract Allergy.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Date-Palm trees (<i>Phoenix dactylifera</i> L.) are the most abundant crop in Saudi Arabia. Date Palm Pollen (DPP) are considered an important allergens. The reasons for the increase in susceptibility to allergy are not clear. This investigation aimed to link the size, shape, moisture contents and biogenic contents of the collected pollens to susceptibility. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Pollens were collected from three different regions in the Kingdom. Date palm pollen sizes were determined in wet and dry states by Microtrac. A microscope with a camera was used to image the forms of date palm pollens. The biogenic amines were determined after extraction using HPLC. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), using SPSS version 16.0. <b>Results:</b> There was a variation in the sizes of pollens from different regions ranging between 3.3-704 µm. Most pollen grains are spherical. The concentrations of six biogenic amines were detected in all samples but with different concentrations. They included B-phenyl ethylamine, Putrescine, Cadaverine, Histamine, Tyramine and Spermidine. <b>Conclusion:</b> The shape and size of the pollen grains studied were variable and will not facilitate deep penetration into the respiratory system but their biogenic contents were very high and suggested to cause allergy.

Nutritional and sensory characteristics of bread enriched with roasted prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) seed flour.

The present study aims to investigate the nutritional, antioxidative, and sensory characteristics of bread enriched with roasted prickly pear seed (RPPS) flour. Six flour blends were formulated by partial replacement of wheat flour with 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% RPPS flour. Proximate composition, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant activity measured using a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical of wheat and RPPS flours were determined. Nutritional and sensory characteristics of bread enriched with different levels of RPPS flour were evaluated. The results show that the content of total phenolics, flavonoids and radical scavenging activity in RPPS flour were about 4.5, 4.7 and 4.0 fold higher, respectively, when compared to wheat flour. The incorporation of different levels of RPPS flour in bread formulation significantly increases the dietary fibers, fat, and ash contents and reduces the carbohydrate content of the produced breads. The highest (p ≤ 0.05) phenolic concentrations and antioxidant activity values were found in bread enriched with 6, 8 and 10% RPPS flour. Generally, the replacement of wheat flour with RPPS flour results in a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in the specific volume, however, no significant difference (p ≥ 0.05) was observed between the 2% RPPS-enriched flour and control breads. The sensory properties of breads were not affected at low levels up to 6% supplementation, but at more than 6% RPPS flour supplementation, the bread became unacceptable.

Isolation and identification of allergens and biogenic amines of Prosopis juliflora genotypes

Background: Prosopis, or mesquite (Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC.), was introduced in Saudi Arabia several decades ago and is heavily used in street, roadside, and park plantations. It shows great adaptation to the prevailing climatic conditions such as high temperature, severe drought, and salinity and spreads naturally in many parts of the Kingdom. This research was conducted to isolate allergen proteins and biogenic amines from the pollen grains of P. juliflora genotypes in Saudi Arabia from two regions, namely Al-Qassim and Eastern regions. Results: The results showed that 18 different allergen proteins were detected in P. juliflora genotypes, with molecular weight ranging from 14 to 97 kDa. Moreover, P. juliflora genotypes from the two studied regions contained eight biogenic amines, namely histamine, tyramine, tryptamine, ß-phenylethylamine, butricine, codapherine, spermidine, and spermine. All genotypes from the Al-Qassim region were found to contain all eight amines, while in the Eastern region, histamine was absent in three genotypes, spermine was absent in six genotypes, and spermidine was absent in three genotypes. Genotypes B23, E20, and E21 had the lowest biogenic amine quantity. Conclusions: All identified proteins from mesquite trees from both regions (Eastern and Al-Qassim) cause allergies in patients who are sensitive to pollen grains. Bioamines, except histamine and tyramine, were recorded at varying concentrations in different genotypes.

High fiber probiotic fermented mare's milk reduces the toxic effects of mercury in rats.

BACKGROUND: Since the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, we have all been unfortunately exposed to an increasingly toxic and polluted world. Among the most dangerous of these pollutants is mercury, which is considered to be the most toxic non-radioactive heavy metal. Fermented foods may help cleanse the body of heavy metals. Fermentation breaks down the nutrients in foods by the action of beneficial microorganisms and creates natural chelators that are available to bind toxins and remove them from the body. AIMS: The current study was designed to determine the impact of feeding a high fiber probiotic fermented mare's milk on the biological effects of mercury toxicity in rat model. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The high fiber fermented mare's milk containing probiotics was prepared and its sensory properties, chemical composition, and antioxidant activity were determined. A rat model of mercury toxicity was used. The effect of feeding the high fiber probiotic fermented mare's milk to rats, along with mercury ingestion, was determined by the analysis of several biochemical markers in serum and histopathological examinations of brain and kidney. RESULTS: The high fiber fermented mare's milk containing probiotics was found to be acceptable by all test panels and volunteers. Mercury ingestion was found to cause biochemical and histopathological alterations in rat serum and tissues. The mercury-treated rats showed a decrease in body weight and an increase in kidney weight. Sera of the mercury treated rats showed alterations in biochemical parameters, and histopathological changes in brain and kidney. However, the rats fed high fiber fermented mare`s milk along with mercury ingestion showed improved histopathology of kidney and brain, and there was restoration of the biochemical parameters in serum to almost normal values. CONCLUSIONS: Feeding high fiber fermented mare`s milk may reduce the toxic effects of mercury.