We aimed to assess whether anxiety and depression influence a patient's subjective symptom scores in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Fifty-seven consecutive patients referred with CRS were asked to complete Sinonasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT22) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) questionnaires. Spearman's rank correlation was used to test association between SNOT22 and HADS. Linear regression was used to simultaneously analyse SNOT, HADS, patient age and gender. Mean anxiety score was 7.9 (range 0-19) with 32 % scoring over 11 (A score of ≥ 11 for either anxiety or depression is suggestive). Mean depression score was 5.0 (range 0-17), with 11 % scoring over 11. Five patients scored over 11 for both domains in the HADS questionnaire. Total SNOT22 and both anxiety (Spearman's ρ = 0.48, p = 0.0002) and depression scores (ρ = 0.44, p = 0.0007) revealed a strong association. We also identified a very strong association between psychological symptoms (questions 11-20) in SNOT22 and anxiety (ρ = 0.60, p = 0.0001) and depression scores (ρ = 0.341, p = 0.002). However, there was no association between nose-specific symptoms in SNOT22 and anxiety score in HADS (ρ = 0.18, p = 0.1775), but there was a strong association between nose-specific symptoms of SNOT22 and depression score in HADS (ρ = 0.32, p = 0.02). There is a strong association between total SNOT 22 and HADS score, but this appears to be due to the impact on generic quality of life items rather than disease-specific symptoms. This supports inclusion of global items in the SNOT22, but also use of two separate subscales when interpreting data.

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Flours produced from the seeds of Cleome rutidosperma (DC), Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.), and Cucurbita maxima (Duch) were evaluated for proximate and elemental compositions. Preliminary phytochemical screening was also carried out on the seed flours, which revealed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, pentose, and reducing sugars in all the seed types. Tannins, flavonoids, and cardiac glycosides were also detected in only C. rutidosperma seed. The results also showed that the seeds of C. rutidosperma, L. siceraria, and C. maxima contained carbohydrates (74.43%, 45.93%, and 24.30%), fats (7.20%, 38.92%, and 51.49%), and proteins (11.73%, 8.93%, and 16.80%), respectively. The major mineral contents of the three defatted seed flours were found to include potassium (39.00 ppm, 19.50 ppm, and 39.00 ppm), sodium (23.00 ppm, 11.50 ppm, and 11.50 ppm), and calcium (18.00 ppm, 12.00 ppm, and 15.00 ppm), respectively. They were also found to contain zinc (0.013 ppm, 0.04 ppm, and 0.084 ppm) and iron (0.014 ppm, 0.028 ppm, and 0.032 ppm), respectively. The proximate and mineral compositions suggest that the seeds are potential sources of carbohydrate, fats, protein, and micro- and macrominerals and may find use as human food or for incorporation into livestock feed. However, the seeds were revealed to also contain slight traces of lead, although at such very low concentrations they may be artifacts. This calls for further research into possible lead toxicity after prolonged consumption of these seeds.

Background: Increasing incidence of malnutrition occasioned by high incidence of hunger, worsening food situation in the world, insufficient availability and high cost of animal protein sources, has necessitated extensive research into and use of alternative plant protein sources especially underexploited leguminous seeds.Methods: Flours from raw, boiled and fermented seeds of Prosopis africana and Ricinus communis were evaluated for crude protein and amino acid (AA) profiles, and their protein qualities determined. Results: Fermentation improved the protein contents of raw seeds of P. africana and R. communis by 18.70% and 3.95% respectively. In the raw and fermented P. africana seeds, glutamate at 132.60 ± 1.30 and 182.70 ± 3.02 mg/g crude protein (mg/gcp) was the most abundant amino acid (AA), while leucine (62.80 ± 0.60 and 79.50 ± 2.01 mg/gcp) was the most concentrated essential amino acid (EAA). Aspartate (151.90 ± 2.01 and 170.10 ± 2.00 mg/gcp) and arginine (72.80 ± 2.01 and 78.60 ± 2.00 mg/gcp) were the most concentrated and abundant non-essential amino acid (NEAA) and EAA in the raw and fermented samples of R. communis respectively. The total AA concentrations (mg/gcp) of raw and fermented P. africana were 733.00 and 962.60 respectively, while those of R. communis were 823.50 and 894.10 respectively. The total EAA contents (mg/gcp) for P. africana were 311.00 (raw) and 404.50 (fermented), and for R. communis; 401.10 (raw) and 430.30 (fermented). Threonine was the limiting EAA in raw and fermented P. africana, whereas lysine was the limiting EAA in R. communis raw sample. Fermentation significantly (p<0.05) increased the individual AA compositions of P. africana and R. communis by 94% and 53% respectively, while boiling reduced these parameters significantly (p<0.05) by 47% and 82% respectively.Conclusion: P. africana and R. communis seeds are potentially important plant sources of protein and essential amino acids, and so could be of great importance in combating malnutrition and food security problems generally.Key words: Amino acid score; condiments; crude protein; fermentation; legumes; nutrition

The calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn) and phytate contents of raw, boiled, and boiled plus 72 h fermented samples of four lesser-known African seeds – Citrullus colocynthis, Cucumeropsis edulis, Ricinus communis  and Prosopis africana – locally used for production of condiments in Nigeria were evaluated. Zinc bioavailability of the samples were also estimated using molar ratios per kg dry weight of [phytate]:[Zn], [Ca]:[phytate] and [phytate][Ca]:[Zn]. The levels of phytate, Zn and Ca of the raw seed samples varied from 150.01 ± 11.00 mg/100g (C. colocynthis) to 170.10 ± 10.01 mg/100g (C. edulis), 1.22 ± 0.10 mg/100g (C. colocynthis) to 4.79 ± 0.14 mg/100g (R. communis), and 28.33 ± 2.58 mg/100g (C. colocynthis) to 98.24 ± 15.19 mg/100g (R. communis) respectively. The calculated values of [phytate]:[Zn], [Ca]:[phytate] and [phytate][Ca]:[Zn] molar ratios for the raw seeds indicated that the samples have low Zn bioavailability. However, a combined processing technique of boiling and fermentation together, unlike boiling alone, significantly (p<0.05) improved these molar ratio markers, indicating high Zn bioavailability in condiments produced from these seeds.  The implications of these findings with regards to management of Zn deficiency and the superabundance of these seeds are enormous.