The 17th Congress of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of Asia (PENSA 2016) and the first Symposium on Fasting and Health will be held on 6th to 8th December 2016 at Olympic Hotel, Tehran, Iran. The congress is hosted by Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Semnan University of Medical Sciences and Scientific Committee of Iranian Nutrition Society. This congress is organized with the partnership of Mashhad and Kermanshah Universities of Medical Sciences, Journal of Fasting and health, Nutrition and Health technology Assessment (HTA) Departments in Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education as well as National Nutrition & Food Technology Research Institute (NNFTRI). The 17th congress of PENSA presents the first symposium on "Fasting and Health", which includes all relevant research reports about fasting and its effects on human health, fasting and diseases and update guidelines related to fasting. Dr. Nematy who is chairperson of “Journal of Fasting and Health” is the manager of this symposium and several experts from different countries are co-chairpersons. Accepted abstracts in the symposium will be published in winter issue of Journal of Fasting and Health.

For the importance of specialized web sites, the purpose of this study is link analysis of food science & technology institutes websites based on webometrics scales to propose a pattern website for National Nutrition & Food Technology Research Institute in Iran. visibility, the web impact factor (WIF), self link and total link of websites of the food science & technology institutes via webometrics has been Studied in this Research. Cluster analysis and Multi- dimentional scales Studied the Main Clusters and Drawing Two- dimentional Map of Website Based On Co-links. Also has been used to find out the main Clusters and to draw tow- dimentional map for websites based on Co-links as well. Services provided by the websites has been investigated through their inlinks and visibility to identify the most effective elements of Food Research Institutes in Iran. The statistical population is 63 active websites searched and downloaded by google search engine. in the period of one month The data were collected using webometrics formula via yahoo search engine & yahoo explorer during December 2010 to Januar 2011. The results indicated that the FOI website has the highest impact factor among the sites research sample with WIF of 72, while the NIFA with %57/41 received the highest number of inlinks having the highest visibility. The Cluster analysis results of the website showed that websites had collaborated in five major clusters in the Web environment but seven website have remained independent. Multi- dimentional analysis map also confirmed the existence of five categories. this study showed that there has been a relation between inlinks with types of presented services and the content of websites. Finally an appropriate model was presented for the website of National Nutrition & Food Technology Research Institute.

In order to attain the suitable position in research we need to monitor the scientific production trend. This study designed to assess scientific productions of National Nutrition And Food Technology Research Institute in Scopus and ISI databases during 2009 to mid-2012. Through a descriptive study on all faculty members of Nutrition faculty, their scientific productions and H-index were assessed in Scopus and ISI databases during 2009 to mid-2012 divided by years. Data were presented using means of total articles, articles during 3.5 years ago divided by years and H-index in Scopus and ISI. Means for articles during 2009-2011 was 0.69, 0.94 and 1.69 respectively article per faculty member. This numbers were 1.19, 0.69 and 1.81 for ISI. Mean for H-index in Scopus was 3 (SD=2.58) and for ISI was 1.88 (SD=2.22). scientific productions had variable situation and citations had an increasing trend in Scopus and ISI during last 3 years.

Regarding the increasing usage of pesticides to a broad variety of crops in Iran، and the importance of public concerns about possible health risks from pesticide residues، chlorinated pesticide residues in vegetables were determined in National Nutrition & Food Technology Research Institute in 2005. Thirty samples (melon، maskmelon، watermelon) were evaluated by an descriptive method. Sample extraction was carried out with ethyl acetate، and the extracts were cleaned up by high performance gel permeation chromatography. Pesticide residues were identified and quantified using gas chromatography ion trap mass spectrometry detector. Recoveries of chlorinated pesticides were within a range from 95-178%. Detection limit of pesticide residues were from 0. 01 to 0. 05 mgkg-1. The data demonstrated that the samples analysed did not contain residues of the monitored pesticides above the accepted maximum residue limit (MRL) as adapted by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. This method proves to be successful in analyzing pesticides in vegetables and provides reliable and accurate results.

This commentary situates the comments submitted in response to the World Health Organization (WHO) draft guidance on conflicts of interest in national nutrition programs in light of: (1) WHO policies to protect WHO integrity; (2) the Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA); (3) WHO’s attempt to seek funds due to cuts in member contributions; and (4) attempts — often by corporate entities — to redefine conflicts of interest to avoid oversight of conflicts of interest and increase corporate influence. The WHO guidance defines conflicts of interest in ways that deviate from standard legal usage which confuses its analysis and facilitates the creation of conflicted public-private partnerships. The guidance suggests that nations can allow engagement with non-state actors when the benefits are greater than risks without separate check due to conflicts of interest. Instead, the WHO should have recommended that nations seek alternative ways to achieve their goals when non-state actors have significant institutional conflicts of interest.

Iodine fortification is widespread. Systematic monitoring of iodine fortification programs should be carried out to secure an optimal fortification level. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of iodine fortification program by evaluation of goiter prevalence, median urinary iodine excretion of School children in Iranat baseline until now according to national studies data. In this study, all scientific papers of IDD surveillance system, results of IDD-related surveys at national levels searched by Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, ScienceDirect, SID and IranMedex in English and Persian with no time limitation. National studies data are summarized, interpreted, and then organized. According to national nutrition and food safety document criteria, Goiter prevalence, urinary iodine excretion in schoolchildren and iodine content of salt at household, factory and distribution sites were acceptable, however lack of adequate iodine nutrition (insufficient or above requirement median urinary iodine) in some provinces were detectable yet. It seems Iran has made strong progress in the development of universal salt iodization strategy and meets all criteria for sustainable elimination of iodine deficiency. However, lack of adequate iodine nutrition in some provinces necessitates special attention and proper. Also according to systematic monitoring of iodine fortification programs importance, fifth national monitoring seems necessary.

Imbalanced diet, as it may cause micronutrient malnutrition has been known as a causal factor for several chronic diseases. Several studies in Iran have shown that some micro-nutrient deficiencies are prevalent and of high concern. Minerals such as calcium and iron can supply physical and mental health as well as survival, and growth development. In this study, Nutrient density analysis was used to display Iranian household's diet quality.
In this descriptive-analytical study, the diet quality of seven provinces, namely Eastern Azarbaijan, Isfahan, Tehran, Khorasan, Khouzestan, Sistan Balochestan and Fars was assessed in terms of calcium and iron. To do so, the data were obtained through national household food consumption survey conducted by National Nutrition & Food Technology Research Institute, 2000-02, in Iran.
Generally, 80% of household's calcium density was less than the standard value and this rate was 40-70% for iron. Index of nutrition quality (INQ) for calcium and iron were respectively almost 1/2 and 1/3 of requirements in all provinces.
There were significant differences in calcium intake density between the rural and urban households however; there were no differences between the selective provinces and all over the country.

Micronutrient deficiency in Tanzania is a significant public health problem, with vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affecting 34% of children aged 6 to 59 months. Since 2007, development partners have worked closely to advocate for the inclusion of twice-yearly vitamin A supplementation and deworming (VASD) activities with budgets at the subnational level, where funding and implementation occur. As part of the advocacy work, a VASD planning and budgeting tool (PBT) was developed and is used by district officials to justify allocation of funds. Helen Keller International (HKI) and the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) conduct reviews of VASD funds and health budgets annually in all districts to monitor the impact of advocacy efforts. This paper presents the findings of the fiscal year (FY) 2010 district budget annual review. The review was intended to answer the following questions regarding district-level funding: (1) how many funds were allocated to nutrition-specific activities in FY 2010? (2) how many funds were allocated specifically to twice-yearly VASD activities in FY 2010? and (3) how have VASD funding allocations changed over time?
Budgets from all 133 districts in Tanzania were accessed, reviewed and documented to identify line item funds allocated for VASD and other nutrition activities in FY 2010. Retrospective data from prior annual reviews for VASD were used to track trends in funding. The data were collected using specific data forms and then transcribed into an excel spreadsheet for analysis.
The total funds allocated in Tanzania’s districts in FY 2010 amounted to US$1.4 million of which 92% were for VASD. Allocations for VASD increased from US$0.387 million to US$1.3 million between FY 2005 and FY 2010. Twelve different nutrition activities were identified in budgets across the 133 districts. Despite the increased trend, the percentage of districts allocating sufficient funds to implement VAS (as defined by cost per child) was just 21%.
District-driven VAS funding in Tanzania continues to be allocated by districts consistently, although adequacy of funding is a concern. However, regular administrative data point to fairly high and consistent coverage rates for VAS across the country (over 80% over the last 10 years). Although this analysis may have omitted some nutrition-specific funding not identified in district budget data, it represents a reliable reflection of the nutrition funding landscape in FY 2010. For this year, total district nutrition allocations add up to only 2% of the amount needed to implement nutrition services at scale according to Tanzania’s National Nutrition Strategy Implementation Plan.
VASD advocacy and planning support at the district level has succeeded in ensuring district allocations for the program. To promote sustainable implementation of other nutrition interventions in Tanzania, more funds must be allocated and guidance must be accompanied by tools that enable planning and budgeting at the district level.

In the presence of significant differences in the level of regional development, and where climatic zones are varying considerably and the relative food prices are different in the regions, determining one national poverty line for all the regions may not disclose regional disparities and does not provide a true picture of poverty in the country. In such circumstances, specific regional poverty lines are preferred and more appropriately reveal the reality of poverty in the country. The present study tries to test the suitability of the national poverty line in measuring the level of poverty in the provinces of Iran, using the revealed preference principles. To this end, provincial absolute poverty lines are estimated and tested for utility based consistency using revealed preference theory and data on food consumption patterns of Iranain households, generated by the National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute and Statistical Centre of Iran in 2012. Results indicate that most of the provinces, the estimated absolute poverty lines are not consistence. Consequently, the use of one national poverty line would not appropriately reflect the povertly lines in different provinces of Iran. This suggests that a separate poverty food basket is required to be specified for each of the provinces based on the available food items in each provinces, and a provincial poverty line has to be defined accordingly.

Managing conflict of interest (CoI) among the interested stake-holders in nutrition policy is a vexed and controversial issue. This commentary builds on Ralston and colleagues’ highly informative analysis of the 44 submissions to the World Health Organization (WHO) draft tool on preventing and managing CoI in national nutrition programs. The commentary proposes that the commercial sector actors are, by definition, too conflicted to objectively respond to the draft tool. The responses of the commercial sectors are predictable, as they mimic their positions during the prior negotiation for the development of the Framework for Engagement of Non-State Actors (FENSA). Their overall approach, and specific responses, are typical of the now standard methods of the ultra-processed food and beverage industry’s ‘corporate playbook.’ In addition, Ralston et al’s analysis raises a number of other issues, such as: why these corporations are so keen to be included in the world of multi-stakeholder partnerships, why so few member states responded to the draft tool, and problems with the term ‘private sector.’ The commentary ends with a suggestion for WHO to seek broader involvement from the 160+ member states who have yet to participate in the consultations regarding the draft tool.