The COVID-19, also known as a coronavirus, is currently wreaking havoc on livelihood, food security, and nutrition security around the world. In developing countries like Bangladesh the situation is far worse. The purpose of this perspective is to highlight the current state and changes of food security in Bangladesh in the context of COVID-19. During the COVID-19 period, the income of a certain set of people fell, which may have contributed to the growth in the poverty rate. It also had an impact on the agro-food systems, supply-value chain, and market levels as a result of the lockdown, movement and social gathering restrictions. The COVID-19 pandemic has an impact on the total food consumption status of the entire country, affecting all segments of the population. To obtain a greater understanding, our analysis identifies current gaps and the pandemic's potential impact from previously published works and reports.

No abstract

Aloe Vera leaves have great potential as an economic supplement with an adequate nutritional profile. The current study aimed to fortify plain (loaf) cakes with Aloe Vera leaf gel (AVG) powder. AVG was freeze-dried to produce Aloe Vera powder (ALP), and four plain (loaf) cakes were prepared with different proportions of ALP (0, 4, 6, and 8%). ALP contained significantly (p < 0.05) more protein (22.23 vs. 12.24), ash (19.83 vs. 0.64), and iron (175 vs. 3.05) than refined wheat flour (RWF). Along with total polyphenols and total flavonoids, ALP demonstrated good antioxidant activity. ALP-cakes and RWF-cakes were also evaluated for their nutritional and functional properties. The addition of 6 and 8% ALP to the formulation increased total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity in plain (loaf) cakes. Hardness and chewiness increased in ALP-cakes but decreased in RWF-cakes, while cohesiveness and springiness decreased in ALP-cakes. In conclusion, the best formulation was a 4% ALP incorporated cake, and ALP can be supplemented in plain cakes at a rate of up to 8% to improve nutrient value. This is the first study to evaluate the quality characteristics of fortified plain (loaf) cakes using ALP.

Abstract:Background: Microalbuminuria is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Carotid intima media thickness reflects index of cardiovascular disease. There is increased prevalence of microalbuminuria found in type 2 diabetes. So there is a positive correlation between microalbuminuria and carotid intima media thickness in type 2 diabetic subjects.Objective: This study was performed to find out correlation between microalbuminuria and ultrasonographically measured carotid intima media thickness in type 2 diabetic subjects.