Study of the fluctuation of serum vitamin D concentration with time during the same day and night on a random sample of healthy adults.

Background And Aims: A common practice in the assessment of vitamin D is to measure its blood level in the morning after overnight fasting. The aim of this study was to measure vitamin D during different times of the day and night for a random sample of healthy individuals, to see if there are significant changes throughout the day and night.

Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out on a total of 52 randomly selected Jordanian healthy volunteers (26 women and 26 men) aged between 18 and 45 years.

The Combined Effect of Vitamin D Deficiency and Hyperparathyroidism on Postural Stability among Healthy Adult Males.

Background And Objective: Vitamin D has been shown to improve muscle strength and bone health; consequently, be important for maintaining good balance. Possible risk factors related to postural stability in young adults still underdetermined. However, this study was designed to determine the effect of vitamin D status on postural stability.

Fast Foods, Sweets and Beverage Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Case-Control Study in Jordan.

Background: The effects of consuming fast foods, sweets and beverages on the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) are unclear. The aim of this case-control study was to assess possible associations between the consumption of different fast foods, sweets and beverages and CRC risk in a Jordanian population. Methods: Two hundred and twenty diagnosed CRC cases and 281 controls were enrolled.

Food-based dietary guidelines for the arab gulf countries.

The concept of food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) has been promoted by several international organizations. However, there are no FBDG for the countries in the Arab region. As the Arab Gulf countries share similar a socioeconomic and nutrition situation, an attempt was made to develop FBDG for these countries.

Effect of Dehulling and Cooking of Lentils (Lens Culinaris, L.)on Serum Glucose and Lipoprotein Levels in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lentils on serum glucose and serum lipid levels in diabetic rats. Forty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, 12 weeks of age weighing 220-290g, were used. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin at a level of 35 mg/kg intra-peritoneally.

Chemopreventive effect of raw and cooked lentils (Lens culinaris L) and soybeans (Glycine max) against azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci.

Although lentils (Lens culinaris L) contain several bioactive compounds that have been linked to the prevention of cancer, the in vivo chemopreventive ability of lentils against chemically induced colorectal cancer has not been examined. Our present study examined the hypothesis that lentils could suppress the early carcinogenesis in vivo by virtue of their bioactive micro- and macroconstituents and that culinary thermal treatment could affect their chemopreventive potential. To accomplish this goal, we used raw whole lentils (RWL), raw split lentils (RSL), cooked whole lentils (CWL), and cooked split lentils (CSL).

Protein digestibility using corrected amino acid score method (PDCAAS) of four types of mushrooms grown in Jordan.

This study was conducted to evaluate the protein quality of four types of edible mushrooms common in Jordan in terms of protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), which is a combination of the chemical score of the limiting amino acid multiplied by true digestibility of the protein. True protein digestibility values were low (61.4, 73.

Protein quality of four types of edible mushrooms found in Jordan.

This study was conducted to determine the protein quality of four types of edible mushrooms, Terfezia claveryi, Pleurotus ostreatus, Tricholoma terreum and Agaricus macrosporus that are common in Jordan. Protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net protein utilization methods (NPU) were used. The four mushroom types failed to support growth as reflected by negative values for PER; -1.

The effect of browning intensity on the protein quality of qurshallah.

The effect of browning intensity of qurshallah, a popular bakery product in Jordan leavened by ammonium bicarbonate and baked twice, on the protein quality was investigated. Light, medium and dark toasted qurshallah samples baked at the same temperature but for different times were used. Data on the proximate analysis of the three different levels of toasted qurshallah indicated significant differences (P < 0.

Bioavailability of iron from four different local food plants in Jordan.

The bioavailability of iron from local plants (black cumin seeds, milk thistle seeds, sesame seeds and thyme leaves) was investigated. Apparent absorption of iron was calculated by subtracting fecal iron (using total collection of feces) from iron intake in Sprague-Dawley rats. Two trials of animal feeding were performed.

The use of wild edible plants in the Jordanian diet.

In Jordan, large numbers of wild edible plants are widely distributed throughout the country and consumed in various ways. In this study 56 wild edible plants used in local meals were surveyed to determine the plant parts used, the detailed methods of their preparation and preservation as well as their uses. The study showed that the plants used are either eaten raw, cooked by boiling in water, frying in fat or baking to be served as dishes such as stew, turnovers, stuffed and rolled vegetable foods or as cold or hot drinks for certain occasions and seasons.

Effects of four penetration enhancers on corneal permeability of drugs in vitro.

The usefulness of penetration enhancers in promoting drug permeation across the cornea was investigated for drugs varying from hydrophilic to lipophilic. Four purported penetration enhancers [Azone (laurocapram), hexamethylenelauramide, hexamethyleneoctanamide, and decylmethylsulfoxide] were employed. Corneal permeability coefficients of drugs that were either hydrophilic (acetazolamide, cimetidine, guanethidine, and sulfacetamide), moderately lipophilic (bunolol and prednisolone), or lipophilic (flurbiprofen and its amide analogue) were measured in the absence or in the presence of various Azone concentrations.

Enhancement of the ocular bioavailability of topical tobramycin with use of a collagen shield.

We compared the ocular bioavailability in rabbits of 0.3% tobramycin applied with a collagen shield with eyedrop tobramycin application. Groups of rabbits received either (1) a collagen shield presoaked in tobramycin with a tobramycin drop before and after shield application (Shield) or (2) three drops of tobramycin (Drops).

Nabali olive oil ripening and oil properties.

The effect of ripening of "Nabali" olives on the yield and some properties of the extracted oil was examined. Seven samples were harvested every 2 weeks and analyzed for moisture and oil content. The extracted oil was subjected to chemical analysis.

Nitrate levels in edible wild herbs and vegetables common in Jordan.

Forty six selected species of wild edible herbs and vegetables common in Jordan were collected from their natural growing places; twelve of them were collected from more than one location. The nitrate contents of the edible parts, and in some cases non-edible parts, were determined using the cadmium reduction method. The nitrate level varied widely ranging from 29 mg/kg in the leaves of tetragonolbus (Tetragonolobus Palaestinus) to 6743 mg/kg in star fenugreek (Trigonella Stellata).

Dermal penetration enhancement profile of hexamethylenelauramide and its homologues: in vitro versus in vivo behavior of enhancers in the penetration of hydrocortisone.

Several amides of cyclic amines were prepared and tested as penetration enhancers in the diffusion of various drugs through hairless mouse skin in vitro. Hexamethylenelauramide (hexahydro-1-lauroyl-1H-azepine) was selected as a broad spectrum penetration enhancer worthy of further study. Later, the duration of the effect of various enhancers on the penetration barrier in vivo was determined by evaluating the in vitro diffusion of hydrocortisone through skins that had been pretreated in vivo.

Water as a nonpolar partition medium.

Coacervates have been suggested as models for cytoplasm since cytoplasm is also essentially an aqueous phase of water-protein-colloid complexes. This study on partition coefficient properties made use of coacervate phases as the nonpolar phases in equilibrium with polar water phases. The partition coefficients of four barbiturates were obtained, and their values correlated with those reported in the literature for systems using organic solvents as the nonpolar medium.