Ishraga Eltayeb M. A-Elbasit

Background: Anemia is a global health problem especially affecting pregnant and non-pregnant women. Among many different causes of anemia, iron deficiency anemia is the most common cause. Hemoglobin concentration measurement is among the most commonly performed blood tests, usually as part of a complete blood count. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Rafha Central Hospital and three associated health centers. Pregnant and none pregnant women (400) were included in the study. The data were collected by using questionnaire prepared by the investigator in Arabic language. Informed consents were taken prior to taking data from each participant. Results: Out of the 400 women enrolled in this study, 235 were pregnant. Majority of the participants were married (86%), and 45% were university graduates. Most of the participants (77.25%) were in the anemic range. The prevalence of anemia was almost equally distributed among pregnant (75.31%) and non-pregnant (80%) women. The prevalence of anemia was significantly associated with the use of tea, coffee and soft drinks. Discussion and conclusion: Our results show much higher prevalence of anemia than reported by many other studies done inside and outside of Saudi Arabia. We conclude that anemia prevalence in the region is quite large. People must adopt eating and drinking habits which positively affect the absorption of iron from the food and therefore, increase hemoglobin levels in the body.

Background: The quality of medicinal/food products is directly related to the consumer’s safety. Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) is a widely used oil in Saudi Arabia for cooking, frying, and salad dressing. It is also an ingredient of many pharmaceutical products. Therefore, its regular quality assessment is essential for the consumer’s safety. Objective: To assess standard quality parameters of the marketed VOO brands in the Rafha City of Saudi Arabia and to perform their antioxidant activity evaluation. Methodology: The different brands of VOO sold in the Rafha City of Saudi Arabia were collected from two supermarkets and one local shop. The quality of the different brands of the VOO was assessed for their physical appearance, solubility, relative density, refractive index, absorbance, acid value, and peroxide value. The standard procedures provided in the British Pharmacopeia (BP) were used to assess these parameters. The antioxidant activity of the oils was performed by the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. Results: The VOO sample test results revealed no significant change in the studied parameter's standard values. The VOO samples presented compliance with the specification of VOO provided in the BP. The VOOs were also free of Sesame oil, which is one of the possible adulterants of the VOO. The antioxidant activity data of the VOO samples (IC₅₀ = 107 to 110 mg oil) also matched with antioxidant activity data of the reference VOO (IC₅₀ = 105 mg oil). The antimicrobial activity of the VOO samples and the reference VOO was also comparable. Conclusion: The different brands of the marketed VOO comply with the specification of VOO provided in the BP. They were suitable for their intended use/application.

Estimation of the prevalence of the molecular markers of sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) and chloroquine (CQ) resistance and validation of the association of mutations with resistance in different settings is needed for local policy guidance and for contributing to a global map for anti-malarial drug resistance. In this study, malaria patients treated with SP alone (60) and SP with CQ (194) had a total treatment failure (TF) of 35.4%, with no difference between the two arms. The polymerase chain reaction–enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (PCR-ELISA) method was used to identify polymorphisms in 15 loci in the dhfr, dhps and pfcrt genes in a subset of 168 infections. The results revealed a similar frequency of all single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the two arms, except dhps 581G, which was over-represented in infections that failed to respond to SP alone (TF). In all infections, a high frequency of dhfr CICNI haplotype (51I and 108N) was found, but without discrimination between the adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR, 75.6%) and TF (82.9%). Similarly, the dhps SGEAA haplotype (437G and 540E) (ACPR, 60.5%; TF, 65.9%) and the combined CICNI/SGEAA haplotype (ACPR, 50%; TF 55%) were not associated with TF. In contrast to other studies in Africa, the triple 51I/59R/108N mutation was rare (0.6%). In addition, the pfcrt CVIET haplotype (93%) was found to be associated with the CICNI/SGEAA haplotype. Finally, these data represent a baseline for SP resistance molecular markers needed before the deployment of SP/artesunate combination therapy in the Sudan

Background: The Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and dihydropteroate synthetase (DHPS) are enzymes of central importance in parasite metabolism. The dhfr and dhps gene mutations are known to be associated with sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) resistance. Objective: To investigate the effects of dhfr/dhps mutations on parasite characteristics other than SP resistance. Method: Parasite infections obtained from 153 Sudanese patients with uncomplicated falciparum malaria treated with SP or SP + chloroquine, were successfully genotyped at nine codons in the dhfr/dhps genes by PCR-ELISA. Results & conclusion: Mutations were detected in dhfr at N51I, S108N and C59R, and in at dhps at A/S436F, A437G, K540E and A581G, the maximum number of mutations per infection were five. Based on number of mutant codons per infection (multiplicity of mutation, MOM), the infections were organized into six grades: wild-types (grade 0; frequency, 0.03) and infections with MOM grades of 1 to 5, with the following cumulative frequency; 0.97, 0.931, 0.866, 0.719, 0.121, respectively. There was no significant association between the MOM and SP response. Importantly, immunity, using age as a surrogate marker, contributed significantly to the clearance of parasites with multiple dhfr/dhps mutations. However, these mutations have a survival advantage as they were associated with increased gametocytogenesis. The above implications of dhfr/dhps mutations were associated with MOM 2 to 5, regardless of the gene/codon locus.