Prevalence and factors associated with undernutrition among 6-59 months children in Tehsil Battagram, Pakistan.

Objective: To find out the prevalence and associated factors of undernutrition in a semi-rural setting. METHODS: The community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehsil Battagram of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, in January and February 2020 after approval from the ethics review committee of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, China, and comprised children aged 6-59 months who had no physical or mental disability. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric data was analysed using the World Health Organisation Anthro software. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find out the association between dependent variables, like wasting, underweight and stunting, and independent variables, like socioeconomic, child, maternal and environmental characteristics. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 504 children, 257(51%) were girls and 247(49%) were boys. The largest group was aged 36-47 months 127(25.2%), while the smallest group was aged 6-11 months 56(11.1%). Overall, 94(18.7%) children were wasted, 167(33.1%) were underweight and 248(49.2%) were stunted. Children whose family income was high had low odds for being wasted (odds ratio: 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.25-0.71), underweight (odds ratio: 0.30, 95% confidence interval: 0.08-0.72) and stunted (odds ratio: 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.30-0.80). Similarly, those children who were exclusively breastfed had low odds of being wasted were (odds ratio: 0.45, 95% confidence interval: 0.32-0.53), underweight (odds ratio: 0.56, 95% confidence interval: 0.42-0.78) and stunted (odds ratio: 0.62, 95% confidence interval: 0.51-0.97). Children who were not immunised had higher odds of wasting (odds ratio: 4.16, 95% confidence interval: 2.18-7.93), underweight (odds ratio: 4.45, 95% confidence interval: 2.77-7.14) and stunted (odds ratio: 4.36, 95% confidence interval: 2.32-8.71). Children of mothers who did not have antenatal care visits had higher odds of being wasted (odds ratio: 1.91, 95% confidence interval: 1.13-3.22), underweight (odds ratio: 1.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.22-2.13) and stunted (odds ratio: 1.48, 95% confidence interval: 1.32-2.62). Children who did not have a latrine facility had higher odds of being wasted (odds ratio: 1.63, 95% confidence interval: 1.29-1.58), underweight (odds ratio: 1.76, 95% confidence interval: 1.36-3.84) and stunted (odds ratio: 1.45, 95% confidence interval: 1.22-2.12). Conclusion: Undernutrition among children aged 6-59 months was widespread. Nutrition awareness, interventions and multi-sectoral approaches were found to be needed to cope with the problem in the study area.

Physicochemical characteristics, polyphenol compositions and antioxidant potential of pomegranate juices from 10 Chinese cultivars and the environmental factors analysis.

Various pomegranate cultivars are grown in several regions of China, but comparative study of their juice polyphenols, antioxidant potentials, and health benefits are few. In the present study, physicochemical characteristics, polyphenol compositions, and antioxidant potentials of pomegranate aril juices from 10 cultivars in 4 Chinese regions were investigated. The results showed that the soluble solid content, reducing sugar content, titratable acid content of them were 13.97-16.30°Brix, 62.82-110.70 g/L, 2.657-36.62 g/L, respectively. The total polyphenols, flavonoids, tannin and anthocyanin concentrations were 3.15-7.43 mg GaE/mL, 0.045-0.335 mg QuE/mL, 0.540-2.531 mg TaE/mL, and 0.004-0.160 mg CyE/mL, respectively. Sugar acid ratio, titratable acid content, total flavonoid concentration, and DPPH scavenging capacity were affected mainly by sweet and sour cultivar type, while soluble solid content and total anthocyanin concentration were affected by environment. Temperature in maturity period and latitude of growing region significantly effected on polyphenol and antioxidant potential levels of pomegranate juice.

Peel effects on phenolic composition, antioxidant activity, and making of pomegranate juice and wine.

Pomegranate peel was used in juicing to find out its effects on the juice products' (storable juice and wine) sensory property, polyphenols composition, and antioxidant ability. Macroporous resin was used to purify the polyphenols, and 6 different in vitro assays were used to comprehensively determine the antioxidant activity of each. The results showed that juicing with peel made the juice bitter and astringent, but contributed better sensory quality to wine. Peel contributed higher total polyphenols and flavonoids, but lower anthocyanins to the juice products, and caused the phenolics content to fluctuate more dramatically during making wine than the storable juice. Polyphenols purified from the juice products containing peel showed higher total reducing ability and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical elimination abilities, but their clearance activity of hydroxyl radicals was not positive, and their superoxide anion radical elimination ability showed no significant difference when compared to polyphenols purified from juice products without peel.