<p><em>Advanced glycation end products (AGE) are amalgamated in the development of certain pathophysiologies including diabetic retinopathy (DR). Procyanidin-B2 (PCB2), an active principle of cinnamon, has shown to inhibit AGE formation</em><em>. In current study we inspected the protective role of PCB2 to prevent DR in diabetic rats.<strong> </strong>Diabetes was induced in Wistar-NIN rats by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (35 mg/kg bodyweight) and the control rats received vehicle alone. The retinal morphology was studied by microscopy and immunohistochemistry of diabetic and control rats. The expression of retinal selective genes analysis was done via real-time PCR. Immunoblotting of diabetic and control rat retina was studied. Gene expression and immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analysis of diabetic retina from PCB2 and cinnamon fed rat showed declined expression of VEGF and GFAP and increased expression of NGF. Immunoblotting analysis resulted that feeding of PCB2 significantly reserved the formation of carboxy methyl lysine and RAGE in diabetic rats compare with controls. The results indicate that PCB2 was effective in protecting the diabetic retina from development of diabetic retinopathy in rats owing to its antiglycating potential. Thus, active principle of dietary sources, such as PCB2, may be explored for the prevention or delay of DR.<strong></strong></em></p>
COVID-19 is a worldwide emergency of public health that leads to lockouts, changes in the dietary pattern and life-style of the population. To assess the impact of COVID-19 mediated lockdown on nutrition, health and lifestyle patterns among teenagers aged ?18 years. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics (age, gender and place of residence), food system dimensions, dietary intake, physical activity, stress and anxiety, body image attitudes, lifestyle behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption, screentime and ease of access to health services. Most of the participants (n=537) were women (53.9%) aged 16 to 24. The lockdown has led to an increase in food prices (81.4%) and a decrease in the rate of physical activity (67.4%). Additionally, there is an increased intake of fruits (68.7%), meat (60%), eggs (75%) and leafy vegetables (49.9%). Around 44.5% of the people reported stress for some days. The majority of the students have increased their weight by 53.8%, weight loss by 10.6% and no change in weight by 30.2%. Approximately half (52.3%) reported challenging access to pharmaceuticals and 66.7% had medical emergency services. An increase in food price, decreased dietary diversification, unhealthy eating patterns, lack of physical activity and perceived weight gain were demonstrated during the COVID-19 induced lockdown period. Further research is needed from various socioeconomic backgrounds to obtain more definitive results which may improve the quality of life of the people.
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