Abstract Clinical evidence suggests that T2DM and its complications can be prevented through regular intake of functional foods. This cost-effective way of managing T2DM in developing world might prove very beneficial. A randomized controlled trial was done to compare effects of Fenugreek and Cinnamon on treatment of newly diagnosed cases of T2 DM. Subjects were selected from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital, Islamabad. Study was carried out in three phases: Phase I, baseline; Phase II, after 90 days and Pahse III at end of washout period. Subjects, from both genders, were within the age range of 40-65 years. There were 26 subjects in each group. Serum levels of FPG, HbA1c, fasting insulin levels, lipid profile were measured at baseline and at the end of 2nd and 3rd phases. BMI, WC and WHR were also studied in all phases of the study. SPSS (version 22) was used for analysis. Cinnamon seemed to have more effect on both anthropometric (BMI & WC) and biochemical (FPG, HbA1c, serum Insulin, serum cholesterol, HDL & LDL) parameters, as compared to Fenugreek, which had effect on WC, FPG, HbA1c, serum cholesterol and TG only. Although, the magnitude of these effects was similar in both groups.

Abstract Present study was aimed to explore the impact of ginger and peppermint in adolescents suffering with primary dysmenorrhea. For that purpose, 150 adolescents, aged 13-22 years, with regular menstruation suffering with moderate to severe dysmenorrhea (scoring 3-5 on pain scale) and preferably not taking any medication were enrolled and randomly divided into three groups i.e. control, ginger and peppermint. Baseline data was collected with help of self-administered questionnaire. To determine comparative analgesic effect of ginger and peppermint, capsules were formulated, and each group received total number of 15 capsules in a month (3 capsules/day for consecutive 5 days). Compared with baseline data, ginger was found more effectual than peppermint in releasing dysmenorrhea i.e. observed scoring in case of ginger was reduced from mean value of 4.13 ± 0.63 to 2.10 ± 1.52 (p = 0.001). Similarly, ginger intervention exhibited gradual betterment of 10% in symptoms of dysmenorrhea but also affected blood pressure positively (p < 0.05). However, blood hemoglobin and serum calcium levels acted as independent variables in ginger and peppermint groups (p > 0.05), not affected by any mode of intervention. It was concluded that ginger exhibited superior impact in lowering pain as compared to peppermint and control groups.

Abstract The present study was designed to characterize oat bran for their biological attributes. The results showed that bran of Avon variety contained high TDF, SDF, β-glucan and extractability of β-glucan than bran of oat variety Sargodha-81. The extrusion process exhibited the highest extractability of β-glucan (45.37%) followed by cooking (37.28%) and baking methods (32.45%). Moreover, the glucose level reduction was found significantly different when raw and processed oat bran diets fed to normal, hypercholesterolemic and diabetic rats. The highest reduction was recorded when fed on diet containing 30% processed oat bran. The processed oat bran exhibited more reduction as compared to raw oat bran. Furthermore, addition of 20% oat bran in wheat grits porridge was found to have significant effect (p < 0.05) on appearance, mouth feel and overall acceptability. Convincingly, it is recommended that processed oat bran may be introduced in diet-based remedy to rheostat lifestyle-related disorders.

Abstract Almost entire segment of expecting and breastfeeding mothers in Pakistan are severely affected by iron deficiency anemia (IDA) with predictable prevalence of 50% and as severe public health problem in lactating mothers, has worldwide pervasiveness. Commonly used synthetic iron sources provoke complications. Thus, food sources are preferred due to high bioavailability and sustainability. The present study was done on various natural and synthetic iron sources evaluated for proximate composition, mineral matter, sensory attributes and storage stability. The treatments were fed for 90 days and their efficacy was tested among anemic lactating women. The blood samples of 862 women were taken to examine their hemoglobin level and pertinent biomarkers. Hence, 37.00% volunteers were found to be anemic (Hb < 11 g/dL) and 67.71% women showed IDA problem. Finally, 200 volunteers were strewn arbitrarily into 4 groups. All treatments provided 50% RDA of iron. Dietary intakes and biochemical investigations of T2 group showed momentous improvement (P < 0.05) while linear variations were recorded in anthropometrics, liver function tests (LFTs) and renal function tests (RFTs). Study revealed that food iron sources are easily accessible, cheaper, safe and has more bioavailable iron in skirmishing IDA among lactating women on sustained basis.

Abstract Present study was aimed to assess effect of walnut kernel with different dose on individuals with hyperlipidemia. Study was conducted at Fatima Memorial Hospital (FMH), Shadman, Lahore, Pakistan and 90 hyperlipidemic individuals were divided into 3 groups having no other disease. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were estimated in all three groups on 0 day (at start) 30th day and on 56th day of study. A significant (p < 0.05) result was observed and blood lipid profile of individuals were seen to improve by consuming walnuts. Group B who were fed 25 g walnuts kernel per day for 56 days a decrease of 21.6% in serum TC, 28.9% in serum TG, 26.5% in LDL-C; and an increase of 27.1% in HDL-C was observed as compared to control group. Whereas group C individuals who were fed 50 g walnut kernel per day showed a decrease of 30.3% in serum TC, 37.2% in serum TG, 33.8% in LDL-C and an increase of 50.0% in HDL-C was observed. It was concluded that consumption (25 g and 50 g) of walnut kernel showed significant (p < 0.05) improvements in lipid profile of hyperlipidemic individuals when consumed for 56 days.

Abstract Pumpkin seed oil (PSO) is high in unsaturated fatty acids and plant sterols, which have numerous cardiovascular benefits. The study explores the hypothesis by investigating effects of consumption of 1000 mg of PSO on total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure ((BP). PSO has high oxidative stability and contains favorable essential fatty acids profile along with sterols and tocopherols. One hundred and twenty-seven participants 39 to 63 years old, with varying degree of one or multiple medical conditions including dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes and obesity were randomly selected and assigned among case and control groups. Both groups were biochemically, anthropometrically and clinically assessed pre and post intervention. Group 1 (cases) (n=63) was administered 1000 mg of PSO along with recommendations for healthy diet and lifestyle whereas Group 2 (controls) (n=64), was only provided with dietary and lifestyle changes. Analysis of cases baseline and endpoint data revealed advantageous effect of intervention. Cases data showed a significant reduction in endpoint LDL and DBP values along with a likewise significant increase in HDL cholesterol. Experiment results revealed PSO possessed hypolipidemic and anti-hypertensive activity as it lowered DBP and LDL and increased HDL levels.

Este estudio trata con cartas de control acumuladas basadas en distribuciones Rayleigh y en mixturas de estas mismas. Las cartas se denominan SRCQC y MRCQC, respectivamente. Estas se fundamentan en cartas existentes como la carta de control de cantidades acumuladas (CQC), basada en modelos exponencial y Weibull en la carta de control de conteos acumulados (CCC), soportada en un modelo geométrico. Otra propuesta del estudio es la carta de control de mixtura de conteos acumulados (MCCC). Esta última es muy atractiva en procesos de monitoreo. La estructura de diseño de las cartas propuestas se deriva usando la función de distribución acumulada simple y la mixtura de dos distribuciones acumuladas. Se observa que las cartas propuestas son eficientes para detectar cambios en los parámetros del proceso. La aplicación del esquema propuesto es ilustrada usando un conjunto de datos reales.

This study deals with the cumulative charting technique based on a simple and a mixture of Rayleigh models. The respective charting schemes are referred as the SRCQC-chart and the MRCQC-chart. These are stimulated from existing statistical control charts in this direction i.e. the cumulative quantity control (CQC) chart, based on exponential and Weibull models, and the cumulative count control (CCC) chart, based on the simple geometric model. Another motivation for this study is the mixture cumulative count control (MCCC) chart based on the two component geometric model. The use of mixture cumulative quantity is an attractive approach for process monitoring. The design structure of the proposed control chart is derived by using the cumulative distribution function of simple, and two components of mixture distribution(s). We observed that the proposed charting structure is efficient in detecting the changes in process parameters. The application of the proposed scheme is illustrated using a real dataset.