Farha Matin Juliana

Minerals, Toxic Heavy Metals, and Antioxidant Properties of Honeys from Bangladesh

The study reports on major and trace elements as well as antioxidant properties of honey samples from Bangladesh. Four major cationic elements, seven trace elements, and three heavy metals were determined in the 12 honey samples using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Nutritional values in these honey samples were further investigated according to their antioxidant properties. The content of major elements was in the range of 62.75–616.58, 579.48–2219.43, 69.42–632.25, and 0.13–1.20u2009mg/kg for sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, respectively. The trace elements varied in the range of 0.41–28, 0.12–3.54, 1.54–2.85, 0.29–0.59, 0.02–0.35, and 0.01–0.06u2009mg/kg for iron, zinc, copper, nickel, cobalt, and cadmium, respectively. Among the heavy metals, only lead (0.17–2.19u2009mg/kg) was detected. The results of antioxidant analysis based on phenolics, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, reducing sugar, and proteins (as nonphenolic antioxidants) revealed that multifloral raw honey samples contain significantly higher levels of reducing agents than monofloral and commercial brand honeys. The study provides a useful insight on the minerals, heavy metals, and antioxidant properties of honey samples commonly consumed in Bangladesh and found to be rich source of antioxidants and minerals. Some samples might pose some risk to the health due to lead contamination.

Nutritional Profile of Hilsa Fish [Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822)] in SixSelected Regions of Bangladesh

This study was conducted to determine the nutritional value of hilsa fish from the six selected regions in Bangladesh. The moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate and energy value were found 66.94 ± 7.34 to 72.04 ± 5.77%, 18.95 ± 3.97 to 20.56 ± 4.57%, 4.97 ± 0.89 to 8.21 ± 1.87%, and 3.08 ± 0.68 to 4.84 ± 1.22%, 0.35 ± 0.09 to 0.72 ± 0.05% and 128.38 ± 11.43 to 161.68 ± 13.21 kcal/100 g respectively. The pH, TVB-N and salt value were found 6.52 ± 0.07 to 6.84 ± 0.10, 2.01 ± 0.71 to 3.50 ± 0.33 mg/100 g and 2.05 ± 0.03 to 6.48 ± 0.07% respectively. The vitamin A and vitamin C value were found 33.50 ± 14.28 to 95.54 ± 11.69 μg/100 g and 11.20 ± 0.47 to 14.28 ± 1.93 μg/100 g respectively. The calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were found 144.21 ± 17.43 to 372.67 ± 17.44 mg/100 g, 9.04 ± 5.14 to 13.07 ± 5.17 mg/100 g, 118.17 ± 13.56 to 204.06 ± 5.89 mg/100 g, 34.18 ± 3.72 to 45.07 ± 9.22 mg/100 g, 8.54 ± 1.79 to 12.68 ± 4.3 mg/100 g, 0.95 ± 0.13 to 1.54 ± 0.29 mg/100 g and 0.94 ± 0.22 to 1.23 ± 0.19 mg/100 g respectively. These values are useful references for consumers in order to choose fish and shellfish based on their nutritional contents. These results also suggest that the proximate composition of hilsa fish greatly varies due to physiological reasons and changes in environmental conditions, i.e., spawning, migration, and starvation or heavy feeding.

The Combined Effect of Amniotic Membrane and Moringa oleifera Leaves Derived Gel for Wound and Burn Healing in Rat Model

A burn is a devastating phenomenon, especially in the developing countries. A bulk amount of medical resources is required to fulfill the demand of burned patients. So, it is very important to find another alternative for the treatment of burned patients. Recently, human amniotic membrane (AM) and Moringa oleifera (MO) are being used separately to treat wounds and burn. In this study, we tried to use a mix of AM and MO formulated to a gel with sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na), propylparaben, glycerin, distilled water, and triethanolamine and applied on the burned skin of Wistar rats. Second-degree burns were created using pieces of aluminum (2.5-cm diameter). Skin irritation study, physiological properties, the percentage of wound contraction, and epithelialization period were measured for all groups. AM+MO-treated group had maximum average body weight, food intake, and water intake. At day 24, AM+MO group showed a greater response (pu2009<u20090.00003667) than other groups. For complete epithelialization, AM+MO required only 19.6xa0days while AM, MO, and control group needed 23.2, 28.2, and 31.4xa0days, respectively. These results suggested that the combined composition of AM+MO may be used as a good therapeutic agent to treat burn and wound.Lay SummarySince burn injury is a major clinical concern throughout the world, we performed a study with 20 rats to treat burns with minimum cost and quick healing rate. Three types of burn healing gels (AM gel, MO gel, and AM+MO combined gel) were prepared. The second-degree burn was created on the dorsal part of each rat’s skin and gels were used for that portion twice a day while Povisep solution was used in the control group. The rats of combined group (AM+MO) showed the maximum healing rate (96u2009±u20091.96%), maximum epithelialization (19.6xa0days), progressively body weight gain, and increased food and water intake.

Study of IYCF Indicators on Practices and Knowledge of Mothers in Rural Areas

The IYCF practices have a great impact on the physical and mental development of the child. The objective of this study was to study the knowledge and compliance to IYCF practices along. The lactating mothers with the children in the age group 0-23 months were studied. Mother’s knowledge level is average about IYCF components; 55.5% mothers have proper knowledge about IYCF practice. 70.9% mothers have knowledge on initiation of breast-feeding within an hour of birth while 50.7% of the mothers initiated breast-feeding within an hour after birth. Exclusive breast-feeding for 6 months was practiced by the mothers of 69.1%. 69.1% of the mothers told that complimentary feeding should start at 6 months.64.6% of the mother will continue breast fed for 2 years of infants and 72.5% mothers practicing age appropriate meal frequency but only 37.3 children have minimum diet diversity.

Nutrition Education Effects on Better Hand Hygiene Practice Among Adolescent Girls

Personal hygiene including hand washing, food preparation, and food diversification consciousness can be grown through nutrition education. A randomized controlled trial study was conducted on five hundred adolescent girls. In baseline study participants were randomly assigned to a control and an intervention group where both groups had the same number of adolescent girls. The hand hygiene behavior of 250 adolescent girls was studied to determine how hand washing practice and hygienic materials using practice changed by nutritional education, focusing on hand hygiene. In end line, 241 adolescent girls from intervention group and 236 from control group were interviewed. Most of the adolescents (more than 60%) washed their hands 2 times after defecation and before eating both in the control and intervention group. In the intervention group, hand wash practice after defecation, before eating, and before food preparation increased in 16% of adolescents where baseline was 20.0% and the end line was 36.1%. In where the percentage was almost same in the control group at baseline (27.2%) and end line (27.5%). Almost everybody (97.5%) in the intervention group washed their hands with soap and water at the end line of the study which was slightly less by 5.6% percentage at the base line of the study. Nutrition education increased the hand washing practicing behavior of the adolescents and the tendency to use hygienic materials for hand washing.

Socio-Demography Characteristics of Parents of the Adolescent Girls in a Nutrition Education Based Intervention Study in Rural Bangladesh

Adolescence is age between 10 to 19years old. In this stage rapid physical, psychological and emotional changes occur in the human body system. For proper human development the stage demands balance of diet.1–3 About one-fifth of the world’s populations are adolescent girls and 84% lives in developing countries.4 Bangladesh has an adolescent and youth population of approximately 52million, which is quantifying to one third of the country’s total population. This major percentage, however, will not remain unchanged and it is proposed that by 2050, only ten to twenty percent of Bangladesh’s population will consist of young people.5 What this means for a country like Bangladesh is that it needs to spend in young people and focus on meeting their health and nutritional needs without further delay. Often health and nutritional status of adolescent girls are direct reflection of the cumulative effects of physical growth, the onset of menarche and increase in fat and muscle mass which place extra nutrition requirements on them. Physical growth of adolescent girls related to their dietary behaviour. If this dietary behaviour is compromised with unhealthy diet, adolescent girls are the worst sufferers of the ravages of various forms of malnutrition because of their increased nutritional needs and low social power. Further low literacy levels, lack of awareness about nutrition and health and poverty aggravate this dismal situation. The cycle of poor nutrition perpetuates itself across generations particularly in girls. The influence of socio-economic status (SES) on health and consequently nutritional status is assumed to begin early in life, perhaps even in the prenatal environment, and continue to accumulate throughout life. SES is thus more than financial well-being or educational achievement; it encompasses a lifetime of access to knowledge, resources, and opportunities.6,7 A large and growing body of evidence shows those socio demographic factorsage, race, ethnicity, and language, for example and socioeconomic status, such as income and education, can influence health and nutritional outcomes.8 Ever-increasing evidence suggests that the health and nutritional status of a population is greatly determined by the social and economic circumstances of that population, as well as its access to health care services.9,10

Assessment of Antenatal Care (ANC) and Demography Parameters on Pregnant Women in Bangladesh

In recent decades, the improvement of public health area is greatly excelled, but still the mortality rate of infant and child remains unacceptably high. In developing countries like Bangladesh, primary healthcare services including antenatal care (ANC) services are not universally available. In Bangladesh, it is very important to survey the different parameters of ANC that the pregnant women are taking from various maternity clinics and it is also important to know the demographic parameters of these pregnant women for healthy delivery. In this study, ANC and demographic scenario was surveyed on pregnant mothers by including the parameters of ANC such as medication, vaccination, growth monitoring information, resting time at day time, complications/physical problems, change of food intake, net weight gain; and demographic parameters such as religion, educational qualification, family members, marital age, monthly food expenditure. Among 147 studied respondent pregnant mothers, 92.5% were Muslims and 7.5% were Hindus; 52.4% had a family size of 1-3 members and only 6.8% had more than or equal to 7 members. 95.9% of respondents had formal education. It was also found that 81.6% of pregnant women did not take any medication during their gestational period, 97.3% had gone through vaccination program, 83% took 2 hours standard day time rest, 91.8% gained standard 11.0 kg weight, 75.5% were not concern about the nutritional care and the change of food intake during pregnancy. The ANC improved the maternal health and reduced the delivery related complications among the participating pregnant women. We hope this study will make the women much more aware for taking the antenatal care services for their healthy delivery.

Effect of Lemon, Mustard and Garlic Treatments on the Quality of SmokedHilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) During Storage Period

The effects of lemon, mustard and garlic treatments on smoked hilsa during storage condition were analyzed. Hilsa fish n was smoked, using a smoking kiln at 60°C to 70°C for 12 hours and stored in a polythene bag for further use. The proximate n compositions of the smoked hilsa were determined in different storage period. The percentage of moisture (39.42 ± 4.87 to 56.74 n ± 3.09), protein (31.01 ± 2.64 to 20.06 ± 9.87), lipid (16.12 ± 4.89 to 12.47 ± 3.09), ash (3.09 ± 0.27 to 4.19 ± 0.91), salt (5.27 ± n 0.32 to 1.02 ± 0.82) and pH (6.16 ± 0.12 to 6.84 ± 0.18) value were found from smoked hilsa during storage condition. Smoking n of hilsa showed high amount of protein value by the reduction of moisture. However, results of the study could be useful to fish nconsumers, processors and nutritionists to select their nutritional diet.