Introduction:Normal consumption of lipids is essential for optimal baby growth and neurological development, yet comprehensive analysis of lipid content in commercial baby foods remains limited. This study provides the first systematic, AI-enhanced assessment of lipid profiles across commercially available infant food products. Methods:A cross-sectional analysis of 245 commercial baby food products was conducted using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for data processing and pattern recognition. Among the 245 commercial baby food products in the United States, 25 products have zero lipid content, while 220 products contain lipids ranging from 0.1 to 28.58 g of lipids. Products were categorized by total lipid content per 100g into four groups: Zero (0.0g), Low (≤ 1.0g), Moderate (>1.0-5.0g), and High (>5.0g). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and correlation analysis between ingredient profiles and lipid content. Results:Our analysis revealed that zero-lipid foods for infants comprised 10.2% of food products and were exclusively fruit-based, naturally low in fat, and suitable for early feeding, but limited in energy input. Low-lipid foods for infants accounted for the largest dataset and represented 45.3%, consisting of vegetable purées, fruit purées, and diluted fruit formulations, which reflect typical plant-based lipid profiles yet potentially require complementary higher-fat foods to meet caloric needs. The moderate-lipid food products accounted for 33.9% of the dataset. These food products included grain-vegetable mixtures, fortified fruit blends, and enriched beverages, indicating the incorporation of added oils and/or higher-fat natural ingredients to provide balanced energy.High-lipid foods such as fortified cereals, meat-based meals, and snack-type products made up 10% of the dataset. These items provide significant energy, which is especially important for infants between 6 months and 2 years old, as they have increased caloric needs relative to their size. Conclusion:Using AI and machine learning, this analysis revealed that baby foods on the market show clear variations in fat content linked to their main ingredients. Since many foods are high in fat, caregivers may need to make intentional choices to ensure infants receive adequate energy. These findings offer valuable reference points for parents, pediatric nutrition advice, and future regulatory decisions.
Garlic (Allium sativum) is one of the oldest medicinal plants that has received great attention throughout ancient and modern history. It has been used for the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of ailments, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and hepatic and microbial infections. Although garlic shows potential in the prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases, little is known about its therapeutic mechanisms of action. Here, we hypothesized that Garlic Extract (GE) induces cytotoxicity, DNA damage, and cell cycle arrest in Human Leukemia (HL-60) cells through oxidative stress. To test our hypothesis, HL-60 cells were treated with different concentrations (2 mg/mL, 4 mg/mL, and 6 mg/mL) of GE for 24 hours. Cell viability and cell morphology were analyzed by MTT, trypan blue, and Acridine Orange and Propidium Iodide (AO/PI) assays, respectively. The extent of oxidative stress was measured by the lipid peroxidation and glutathione peroxidase assays. The degree of DNA damage was evaluated by single-cell gel electrophoresis. Cell cycle arrest was assessed by the Cellometer Vision. Data obtained from the MTT assay, trypan blue dye, and AO/PI dye assessment indicated that GE significantly reduced the number of live cells in a concentration-dependent manner, showing a gradual increase in the loss of viability in GE-treated cells. MTT assay results also revealed that GE inhibits the viability of HL-60 cells, resulting in an IC50 of 4.72 mg/mL. Tests for oxidative stress indicated significant increases (p<0.05) in the production of Malondialdehyde (MDA) and activity of glutathione peroxidase in GE-treated cells compared to the control group. Data obtained from the comet assay indicated that GE causes DNA damage in HL-60 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. GE treatment modulated cell cycle progression in HL-60 cells, leading to an arrest at the G2/M phase. In summary, our current investigation underscores that GE effectively curbs cell proliferation, induces DNA damage, and enforces cell cycle arrest of HL-60 cells, with these primary effects associated with oxidative stress. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the potential therapeutic role of GE in combating acute promyelocytic leukemia and other health challenges.
Introduction:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a profound impact globally, causing the death of millions of people and deeply affecting socio-psychological, human health, and economic systems, with some nations bearing a disproportionate burden. Despite obesity having been established as one of the major risk factors of COVID-19 severity and other degenerative diseases, the effects that dietary pattern intake plays in COVID-19 outcomes remain poorly understood. The goal of this study is to look into the connection between eating habits, the number of non-obese and obese people, and COVID-19 outcomes in countries with populations exhibiting normal Body Mass Index (BMI), which is an indicator of obesity. Methods:The analysis includes data from 170 countries. From the 170 countries, we focused on 53 nations where the average, BMI falls within the normal range (18.5 to 24.9). A subset of 20 nations was selected for a more detailed examination, comprising 10 nations with the lowest BMI values within the normal range (18.5-19.8) and 10 nations with the highest BMI values within the normal range (23.5-24.9). We used Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) applications to evaluate key metrics, including dietary patterns (sugar and vegetable intake), obesity prevalence, incidence rate, mortality rate, and Case Fatality Rate (CFR). Results:The results demonstrate a significant correlation between higher obesity prevalence and increased COVID-19 severity, evidenced by elevated incidence, mortality, and CFRs in countries like North Macedonia and Italy. In contrast, nations such as Iceland and New Zealand with well-established healthcare systems revealed low mortality rate and case fatality rate despite variations in dietary habits. The study also revealed that vegetable consumption appears to provide a slight to significant protective effects, suggesting that dietary patters alone do not consistently predict COVID-19 Outcomes. Conclusion:Data generated from this study showed the crucial role of healthcare infrastructure along with the testing capacity and data reporting in influencing the success of pandemic responses. It also highlights the need of integrating public health strategies, which focus on obesity management and improvement of healthcare preparedness. In addition, AI-driven predictive modeling offers valuable insights that may guide pandemic response efforts in the future, thereby enhancing global health crisis management and mitigating the impact of future health emergencies.
Usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) has been classified as social important species from Lake Malawi but not economically important and has thus improved food and nutrition security and livelihoods of the local communities. A study was carried to analyse the value chain of Usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) of Lake Malawi for improving economic, social and environment performance and sustainable management of natural resources. The study objectives were: to map out Usipa value chain actors and to measure performance of Usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) value chain of Lake Malawi. The study was conducted at Mwawa beach, M’baluku, Mwawa and Mangochi markets in Mangochi district. The study adopted design for all of the objectives as research was in the form of a survey. The type of sampling was simple random sampling and sample size was 39. Data was collected by conducting interviews with fishers, wholesalers and retailers through questionnaires. Four actors were identified through mapping out value chain. On gross income fishers get USD 23.04, whole salers get USD 36.64 and retailers get USD 17.66. Gross margin fishers get 21.55%, wholesalers get 33.68% and retailer gets 44.90%. In value added fishers USD 4.28, wholesalers USD 3.38 and retailers USD 5.53. In terms of value share fishers get 32.44%, wholesalers 25.64% and retailers 41.92%. Fishers and retailers were dominated with males while wholesalers were dominated with females. Wholesalers and retailers of Usipa had high level of education while fishers had low level of education. Fishers and wholesalers highly dependence on forestry product compared to retailers. Usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) value chain on short run is profitable, social unbalance and does not promote green sustainability, sanitation and hygiene. DoF and stakeholders should participate in sustainable management of natural resources, implementation of solar tent dryer and enhanced marketing facility for fresh fish and promotes women entrepreneurship for improving Usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) value chain.
Background: Researchers had shown that essential phospholipids and virgin coconut oil are the very effective agents used for the treatment of several liver disorders. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate the ameliorating effect of Phoscoliv (PL), a novel formulation using the combination of essential phospholipids enriched with virgin coconut oil. Methods: In the study, adult wistar rats were grouped into three as Normal (N), Ethanol Treated (ET) (12.5 g/ kg body weight of 90% [v/v]) and ET+ PL (0.5 mL/100g body weight) for 30 days. Chronic administration of ethanol induced severe damage to the liver which leads to the imbalance of normal cellular and metabolic activities. It was determined by evaluating the antioxidant status, liver marker enzymes, lipid peroxidation product, pro-inflammatory cytokines and histopathological analysis. Results: Results revealed that the supplementation of PL enhance the antioxidants thereby reduced the oxidative stress associated liver damages by inhibiting lipid peroxidation product, pro-inflammatory cytokines release and leakage of liver marker enzymes. Thereby, improve the regeneration capacity of hepatic cells and maintain its normal functioning. Conclusion: Hence, PL exhibited its potent hepatoprotective activity as well as antioxidant effect against alcohol induced liver toxicity.
