Assessment of serum, dietary zinc levels, and other risk factors during the third trimester among pregnant women with and without pregnancy-induced hypertension: a case-control study.

Background: This study assessed serum, dietary zinc levels, and other risk factors during the third trimester among pregnant women with and without pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Methods: This case-control study was conducted in 2022, in the three main Obstetrics and Gynecology departments in Gaza Strip, Palestine. One hundred sixty pregnant women, during the third trimester, aged ≥20 years, were selected using a convenient sampling method. Data were obtained using an interview-based questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire, anthropometric measures, and biochemical tests. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 24. Results: The participants' mean age was 30.7 ± 5.6 years. A total of 47 (58.8%) of cases and 6 (7.5%) of controls were insufficiently active; and the mean of blood pressure (mmHg) was 133.3 ± 11.9/85.11 ± 10.0 for cases and 112.8 ± 9.5/68.02 ± 7.2 for controls with significant differences between the two groups (P = <0.005). The mean serum zinc level (µg/dl) was 67.15 ± 16.5 for cases and 68.45 ± 18.0 for controls without significant differences between the two groups (P = 0.636). For newborns, the mean birth weight (g) was 2,904.6 ± 486 for cases, and 3,128.3 ± 501 for controls, and the mean Apgar score was 8.03 ± 0.62 for cases and 8.30 ± 1.17 for controls, with significant differences between the two groups (P = <0.005). Furthermore, 43 (53.8%) of cases have family history of hypertension; 5 (6.2%) were primiparous; 19 (23.8%) have previous caesarian section; 33 (41.2%) have history of preeclampsia; and 62 (77.5%) have edema, with significant differences between the two groups (P = <0.005). Additionally, the total zinc dietary daily intake (mg/day) was 4.15 ± 2.10 for cases and 4.88 ± 3.02 for controls, with significant differences between the two groups (P = 0.041). After adjustment for confounding variables, participants in the case group have higher odds of having low total zinc dietary intake compared to those in the control group [OR = 1.185, 95% CI = (1.016-1.382), P = 0.030]. Conclusion: The current study showed the main risk factors of PIH among pregnant women in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Furthermore, low maternal dietary zinc intake was associated with a high level of PIH. Moreover, having PIH could increase the risk of low birth weight and low Apgar scores. Therefore, reducing the main risk factors of PIH could reduce the adverse effect on both mother and birth outcomes.

Barriers toward the practice of healthy behaviors among patients with non-communicable diseases in Gaza Strip, Palestine.

OBJECTIVES: Non-communicable diseases are non-infectious health conditions caused by genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors. Currently, non-communicable diseases account for almost two-thirds of deaths globally. This study aimed to explore the patients' adherence level to the key recommendations, and the main barriers toward the practice of healthy behaviors among non-communicable diseases patients. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample of non-communicable diseases patients, receiving care in five primary healthcare centers in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. An interview-based questionnaire about demographics, medical history, and barriers toward the practice of healthy behaviors was developed and collected based on the health belief model and the theory of planned behaviors. Independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, chi-square, and Fisher's exact test were used for analysis. RESULTS: Four hundred patients with non-communicable diseases, aged (53.06 ± 10.03) years old, (56.8% females and 43.3% males) were included in this study. The patient's adherence was reported as 50.1%, standard deviation = 18.3 in terms of attended regular physical activity, and 44.0%, standard deviation = 15.4 in terms of eating a healthy diet. The main barriers to being active among patients were lack of accessibility to materials, lack of social support, and lack of reminder; while in terms of eating a healthy diet were lack of accessibility to materials, lack of social support, and lack of self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: The non-communicable diseases patients' adherence to healthy behaviors is suboptimal. Varied implementation strategies targeting the main barriers are extremely required to enhance the access to physical activity infrastructure, affordable healthy diet options, and to reinforce the change toward healthy behaviors at all levels.

Barriers of Adherence among Palestinian Healthcare Professionals towards the Protocol of Health Education and Counselling on Healthy Behaviours for Non-Communicable Diseases.

BACKGROUND: Despite the huge numbers of the universally produced and employed protocols, the adherence with them is still low to moderate in the healthcare settings. This study was employed to assess the attitudes of Palestinian healthcare professionals in Gaza Strip to health education and counseling on healthy behaviours protocol (WHO-PEN Protocol 2), for patients with non-communicable diseases in the Ministry of Health primary healthcare centers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with a census sample of all governmental family physicians and nurses (n=175). The study questionnaire was developed based on Cabana theoretical framework. The Arabic version questionnaire was developed based on the cross-cultural adaptation framework. The psychometric properties of the Arabic version questionnaire was finally evaluated. RESULTS: The psychometric properties of the Arabic version questionnaire showed good construct validity and internal consistency reliability. The overall adherence level to WHO-PEN Protocol 2 was 70.0, SD=6.9. The main perceived barriers were lack of incentive, patients' factors, and lack of time. In general, most of healthcare professional respondents had a positive attitude toward the protocol, but this attitude was not predictor to protocol adherence. CONCLUSION: The good validity and reliability of the questionnaire can provide support for the accuracy of the study results. Varied implementation strategies targeting the major barriers derived from the study are extremely required for addressing the lack of incentives, patients' factors and time constraints.

Vitamin C deficiency and risk of metabolic complications among adults with chronic respiratory diseases: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic respiratory disease (CRD) is an airflow limitation that represents a wide array of serious diseases. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of vitamin C deficiency on metabolic health-related quality in individuals with and without chronic respiratory disease in the Gaza Strip. METHODS: A matched case-control study including 52 cases of CRD and 52 controls of healthy participants were matched by age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumferences (WC). The study was conducted at the Ministry of Health secondary health-care centers in Gaza strip, Palestine. The biochemical data included Protein Carbonyl (PC), high sensitivity C reactive protein (CRP), vitamin C, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and markers of the lipid profile. RESULTS: By the qualitative estimation of vitamin C consumption, there was a significantly lower consumption of foods that are rich in vitamin C by CRD patients than the matched controls. By comparing the results between both groups, CRD patients had significantly lower plasma concentrations of vitamins C than the control group (18.43 ± 11.93 µgm/ml vs. 24.06 ± 11.19 µgm/ml, P = 0.025), but significantly higher in PC (3.86 ± 4.21 µgm/ml vs. 2.11 ± 0.97 µgm/ml, P = 0.005), CRP (5.98 ± 8.84 mg/l vs. 1.87 ± 1.96 mg/l, P = 0.001), and FBG (102.46 ± 15.09 mg/dl vs. 95.92 ± 10.88 mg/dl, P = 0.017). The results revealed that CRD patients had significantly lower blood oxygen saturation than the control group (96.36 ± 3.81 vs. 98.51 ± 0.75, P < 0.001), whereas no significant differences were observed regarding the lipid profiles markers. CONCLUSION: CRD patients have lower levels of vitamin C in their plasma and their diet than do healthy matched people; they also have higher oxidative stress and inflammatory markers than healthy people, which are risk factors for predicting metabolic complications.

Public Sector Capacity to Prevent and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in Twelve Low- and Middle-Income Countries Based on WHO-PEN Standards: A Systematic Review.

This review was conducted to assess the capacity of the public sector to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) based on WHO-PEN standards. A PRISMA systematic search appraisal of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase was conducted during May-2020 for original articles conducted in LMIC and reported the capacity of the public sector to prevent and control NCDs. The country readiness score was calculated as the mean score of items for each domain. The indices were compared to an agreed cutoff at 80% the WHO optimal target of availability of affordable essential medicines and basic technologies required to treat NCDs. The literature search yielded 5 original studies, conducted in twelve countries, and surveyed 304 public health facilities. All countries failed to reach the WHO optimal target of availability of affordable essential medicines and basic technologies. The readiness index score according to WHO-PEN standards among countries in terms of essential medicines, diagnostic investigations, and basic equipment were range from 13.5% to 51%, 0.0% to 59.4%, and 29.2% to 51.2% respectively. This review revealed critical gaps in the twelve LMIC public sector capacity to prevent and control of NCDs in terms of essential medicines, basic equipment, and diagnostic investigations.

Effects of Ramadan fasting on anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and lipid profile among hypertensive patients in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

OBJECTIVE: This study was employed to assess the effects of Ramadan fasting on anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and lipid profile among hypertensive patients. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample, which was selected using a census survey of hypertensive patients (both gender, aged 25-50 years, on regular antihypertensive drugs (atenolol: 50 mg orally once a day)), during Ramadan month that was falling in April to May 2020. The patients were receiving care at Halabja hospital in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. All patients were assessed in two phase's baseline (a week before Ramadan) and end stage (a week after Ramadan), using anthropometric indices, physical examination, biochemical tests, and a structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 21. RESULTS: A total of 120 hypertensive patients were included in the study (50% females and 50% males), with a mean age of 37.5 ± 6.6 years. The major finding of our study was the significant decrease in blood pressure (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference of the participants decreased after Ramadan fasting in a significant approach (P < 0.001 for all). However, for the lipid profile components, the total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol change persisted not statistically significant (P > 0.05), while only triglyceride decreased drastically after Ramadan fasting (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Ramadan fasting could contribute in the improvement of blood pressure and lowers triglyceride levels, body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference of adult hypertensive patients.

Prevalence and Novel Mutations of Lysosomal Storage Disorders in United Arab Emirates : LSD in UAE.

Lysosomal storage disorders (LSD) are rare entities of recessive inheritance. The presence of a "founder" mutation in isolated communities with a high degree of consanguinity (e.g., tribes in the Middle East North Africa, MENA, region) is expected to lead to unusually high disease prevalence. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of LSD and report their mutation spectrum in UAE. Between 1995 and 2010, 119 patients were diagnosed with LSD (65 Emiratis and 54 non-Emiratis). Genotyping was performed in 59 (50 %) patients (39 Emirati from 17 families and 20 non-Emiratis from 17 families). The prevalence of LSD in Emiratis was 26.9/100,000 live births. Sphingolipidoses were relatively common (9.8/100,000), with GM1-gangliosidosis being the most prevalent (4.7/100,000). Of the Mucopolysaccharidoses VI, IVA and IIIB were the predominant subtypes (5.5/100,000). Compared to Western countries, the prevalence of fucosidosis, Batten disease, and α-mannosidosis was 40-, sevenfold, and fourfold higher in UAE, respectively. The prevalence of Pompe disease (2.7/100,000) was similar to The Netherlands, but only the infantile subtype was found in UAE. Sixteen distinct LSD mutations were identified in 39 Emirati patients. Eight (50 %) mutations were reported only in Emirati, of which three were novel [c.1694G>T in the NAGLU gene, c.1336 C>T in the GLB1 gene, and homozygous deletions in the CLN3 gene]. Twenty-seven (42 %) patients were clustered in five of the 70 Emirati tribes. These findings highlight the need for tribal-based premarital testing and genetic counseling.