The use of macronutrient and micronutrient foods is associated with the duration of sleep. This study aimed to determine the effect of zinc supplements on the sleep quality of older adults. The current parallel randomized clinical trial study was performed using a convenience sampling method. One hundred and fifty older adults who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to intervention and control group. The participants in the intervention group received a daily dose of 30 mg zinc supplementation pill for 70 days and the control group did not receive any supplement. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Serum zinc level in both groups was measured through the auto-analysis method. The questionnaire was completed and the serum level of zinc was measured twice, before the intervention and 70 days after the intervention. Both groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic variables, sleep quality, and serum zinc level before the intervention. Of all, 73.3% of older adults in the intervention group and 74.7% of older adults in the control group had poor sleep quality. Sleep quality in the intervention group, as compared with the control group, significantly improved after the intervention. Furthermore, serum zinc levels in older adults in the intervention group, as compared with the control group, significantly increased after the intervention. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended to utilize zinc supplementation as a new therapeutic approach for improving sleep quality in older adults.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, neurodegenerative disorder that in certain stages can present a series of acute symptoms and signs, the development of which lasts several hours or days. Emergencies in PD can be a direct consequence of the pathophysiology of the disease or a secondary consequence of the administration of antiparkinsonian drugs. Urgent conditions in PD can also occur due to falls, infectious diseases, after deep brain stimulation or surgical treatment of other accompanying diseases.This article describes the following emergency conditions: parkinsonism-hyperpyrexia syndrome, dyskinesia hyperpyrexia syndrome, occurrence of acute psychosis and delirium during PD. Morbidity and mortality in these disorders are a consequence of the inability to make a timely diagnosis and provide appropriate therapeutic treatment. Timely diagnosis and treatment are very important for reducing the mortality and morbidity rates.

In this study, the nutrient contents of "Kati", a fermented cereal-based food, was revealed and antifungal activity of bacteriocin producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from "Kati" was assessed against aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus). The protein content (9.29%) of "Kati" was higher than (p < 0.05) wet milled-fermented sorghum (6.17%). During fermentation of milled sorghum to ready-to-eat 'Kati', anti-nutrient contents was reduced (p < 0.05) from 1.22 to 0.72 mg/100 g, 3.13 to 1.13 mg/100 g and 7.31 to 3.02 mg/100 g for tannin, phenol and phytates, respectively. Molecular technique revealed the identity of isolated LAB as Lactobacillus pentosus BS MP-10, L. paracasei 4G330, L. brevis ABRIINW, L. casei KG-5, L. sakei strain RFI LAB03, L. fermentum JCM 8607, L. plantarum KLDS 1.0607, L. rhamnosus JCM 8602 and L. lactis XLL1734. Among the isolated LAB, L. plantarum, L. lactis and L. fermentum have significant (p < 0.05) zones of inhibition of 11.0 mm, 9.1 mm and 7.8 mm, respectively, against aflatoxigenic A. flavus. The pronounced antifungal potency of L. plantarum cell free supernatant could be attributed to the presence of 3-phenyllactic acid, benzeneacetic acid, plantaricin (bacteriocin) as revealed by gas chromatography/mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). LAB produced metabolites with antifungal property that contributed to shelf life, flavor and nutrient contents of fermented foods.