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The results of human studies evaluating the efficacy of plant Phytosterols on liver function were inconsistent. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to eliminate these controversies about the Phytosterols consumption on liver serum biochemistry in adult subjects.

The literatures systematically searched throughout PubMed and Scopus databases up to June 2018; it was conducted by using related keywords. Estimates of effect sizes were expressed based on weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CI from the random-effects model (erSimonian and Laird method). Heterogeneity across studies was assessed by using I2 index. Eighteen studies reported the effects of Phytosterols (PS) supplementation on liver serum biochemistry.

The current meta-analysis did not show a significant effect on ALT (MD: 0.165 U/L, 95% CI: −1.25, 1.58, p = 0.820), AST (MD: −0.375 IU/Liter, 95% CI: −1.362, 0.612, p = 0.457), ALP (MD: 0.804 cm, 95% CI: −1.757, 3.366, p = 0.538), GGT (MD: 0.431 U/L, 95% CI: −1.803, 2.665, p = 0.706) and LDH (MD: 0.619 U/L, 95% CI: −4.040, 5.277, p = 0.795) following PS consumption.

The authors found that no protective or toxic effects occur after the consumption of Phytosterols on liver enzymes including ALT, AST, ALP, LDH and GGT.

This review aims to evaluate and review literature published in the area of rising concerns that red meat consumption may be associated with risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), although there have been discrepancies between study findings, and put the findings into context.

Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic literature review was undertaken to locate and summarise relevant studies which included epidemiological and clinical studies published between 2004 and 2014.

A total of 23 studies were found, with 21 epidemiological and two clinical studies meeting the criteria. Overall, the totality of the evidence indicates that while processed meat consumption appears to be associated with T2DM risk, the effect is much weaker for red meat, with some associations attenuated after controlling for body weight parameters. Where studies have considered high intakes in relation to T2DM risk, meat intake has tended to exceed 600 g per week. Therefore, keeping red meat intakes within recommended guidelines of no more than 500 g per week, while opting for lean cuts or trimming fat, would seem to be an evidence-based response.

The majority of studies conducted to date have been observational cohorts which cannot determine cause and effect. Most of these used food frequency questionnaires which are known to be subject to misclassification errors (Brown, 2006). Clearly, more randomised controlled trials are needed to establish whether red meat consumption impacts on markers of glucose control. Until then, conclusions can only be viewed as speculative.

This paper provides an up-to-date systematic review of the literature, looking at inter-relationships between red meat consumption and T2DM risk.

This paper examines the accounts of three women, taken from the general population, who will not seek help for their alcohol problems. The narrative construction of their drinking forms a bricolage from the babble of discourses around alcohol that they encounter in their everyday lives. Much of the literature on alcohol & alcohol problems is written from the point of view of subjective experience mapped onto an objective definition which may show that they are not offering a true account of themselves, that they are in denial, or that they are displacing their (real) problem with alcohol onto something else. In this scenario, a cure can only be effected by first making the women understand, & then admit, what their real problem is. It is suggested that the reason these women, & possibly others, do not seek help is precisely because they fear that their own stories will be denied as untrue & that in this process, their own identities & personal accounts will be lost. In the confusion & difficulty they experience in defining the problem, they need an open space where they can explore their drinking & increase their knowledge from the many knowledges available, but free from the constraints & risks that they feel access to these knowledges would inevitably involve.

Coping behaviors are a popular area of research in relation to construction professionals, who are often compelled to face a great deal of stress while striving for good performance in a dynamic and demanding industry. The effectiveness of various coping behaviors on stress and performance of construction professionals have long been identified. However, factors associating with individual adoption of various coping behaviors are still uncertain. People from different cultural environments have different values and hence different preferences for coping strategies, which have different effects on construction professionals. Hence, the papers’ primary contribution to the overall body of knowledge is the establishment of statistical evidence that desired cultural values of construction professionals can influence their adoption of coping behaviors. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

A questionnaire survey was designed and conducted to investigate the relationships between cultural values and coping behaviors of construction professionals in Hong Kong (HK). Surveys were distributed to 500 HK construction professionals by fax, e-mail, or personal contact. Of these, 139 were returned, giving a response rate of 28.0 percent. Based on the data collected, a series of systematic statistical analyses, including factor analyses, regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM), were conducted using SPSS 15.0 and Lisrel 8.5.

Based on the results of factor analyses and regression analysis, a SEM was developed which reveals the following: first, interpersonal integration triggers planful problem solving; second, a disciplined work ethos triggers positive reappraisal and alleviates emotional discharge; and third, interpersonal integration triggers a disciplined work ethos. A series of personal-, interpersonal-, task-, and organizational-level recommendations are given on how to encourage construction stakeholders to adopt adaptive coping behaviors through cultivating their cultural values.

The current study adopted a series of systematic analysis approaches to provide empirical support of how Chinese values of construction professionals predict their adoption of various coping behaviors in the dynamic and stressful industry. Since different coping behaviors have different impact on performance of construction professionals, the findings provide indications for future studies on enhancing performance through the cultivation of various cultural values and the coping behaviors they thereby adopt.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of Citrus maxima juice on fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, liver enzyme and body weight of alloxan-induced diabetic adult wistar rats.

The fruits were thoroughly washed with potable water. They were peeled; the epicarp and seeds were removed. Fruit juice was extracted from the pulp. Animal experiment was carried out using 21 adult male wistar rats weighing about 110-130 g. The rats were categorized into three groups (A-C), with each group consisting of seven rats of similar body weights. Diabetes was induced using alloxan. Rats in Groups A and B were administered 300 mg and 600 mg of C. maxima fruit juice/kg body weight/day, respectively, for 14 days, while Group C rats acted as control and received placebo. Biochemical analysis was performed using standard procedures. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 21.

Blood glucose of rats in the treated groups decreased significantly (p < 0.05) from 454.7 and 569.7 mg/dl to 149.3 and 297.3 mg/dl, respectively, while the control increased from 257.0 to 46.57 mg/dl. Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels of Group B rats reduced significantly (p < 0.05), while the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased (p < 0.05). Body weight of rats in the treated groups increased significantly (p < 0.05) by 30.1 and 20.2 per cent in Groups A and B, respectively, compared to the control group, which reduced by 0.21 per cent. There was no significant effect on markers of liver damage.

The rate at which diabetes and other non-communicable diseases increase recently calls for affordable and sustainable management.

Diabetes is one of the major health and development challenges of the 21st century, its complications are disabling and life threatening.

The hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic properties demonstrated by C. maxima fruit juice suggest its potential contribution in reducing/stabilizing blood glucose level and managing complications of diabetes.