In recent decades, minimizing the frequency of nutrient deficiency and malnutrition in rural areas of developing
countries becomes an alarming issue. Oyster mushrooms are rich source of both macro and micro nutrients. The
objective of this paper was to evaluate the yield of newly introduced oyster mushroom strains viz. Pleurotus sajorcaju
(PSC), Pleurotus flabellatus (FLB), Pleurotus florida (FLO), Pleurotus ostreatus (PO2
and PO3
), Pleurotus ostreatus
(HK-51) and Pleurotus geesteranus (PG1
and PG3
) and to justify their nutritional values when grown in the climatic
condition of Bangladesh. Strain HK-51 produced the highest amount of fresh sporophore (197.80 g). In contrast, the
highest number of fruiting body was obtained from the strain FLO (82 g) followed by strain PSC (69 g). Strain PG1 has
recorded the highest biological yield (278 g), productivity (55%) and biological efficiency (96%). Nutrient and mineral
analysis of sporophore of strain PG1 showed protein (31.80%), lipid (3.6%), potassium (1.3 mg/100 g), phosphorus
(0.8 mg/100 g), calcium (32 mg/100 g), iron (43 mg/100 g), magnesium (12 mg/100 g), copper (3.5 mcg/100 g), zinc
(12.5 mcg/100 g) and manganese (2.3 mcg/100 g). This study showed that the strain PG1
performed well with regard to
quality and productivity as compared to other strains. Hence, oyster mushroom strain PG1
is a potential cheap source
of nutrients and minerals to combat socioeconomic problems including malnutrition, diseases linked to malnutrition,
poverty reduction and agricultural diversity.
The production of wheat crop is below average in many regions of the world which is ascribed to adverse environmental
conditions including drought stress. The present study was conducted to appraise the beneficial role of exogenouslyapplied
5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on growth, yield and some key physio-biochemical characteristics of two commercially
important wheat cultivars (Shafaq-06 and Uqab-2000) under well watered [100% field capacity (FC)] and water-deficit
(60 and 80% FC) conditions. Imposition of varying water regimes significantly decreased fresh and dry weights of shoots,
photosynthetic pigments (a and b), non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (NPQ), quenching coefficient
for non-photochemical (N) of chlorophyll fluorescence (qN), K+ (potassium ion), Ca2+ (calcium ion) and P (phosphorus)
accumulation in shoot and root and yield-related attributes. In contrast, water deficit regimes caused improvement in
Fv/Fm (chlorophyll fluorescence measurement), coefficient of photochemical quenching (qP), proline, glycinebetaine
(GB) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents. Foliar spray of ALA at the rate of 50, 100 and 150 mg/Lalong with control
(no spray (NS) and/or water spray (WS)) significantly enhanced chlorophyll a and b pigments, qN, NPQ, qP, K+, Ca2+
and P accumulation in both roots and shoots, proline, GB, total phenolics and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and
yield. The wheat Shafaq-06 was better in shoot dry weight, qN, NPQ and Fv/Fm, shoot and root K+, root Ca2+, proline,
GB accumulation and yield attributes, while Uqab-2000 was better in chlorophyll a contents, root P and MDA contents.
Overall, better growth and yield of Shafaq-06 than Uqab-2000 under water deficit regimes was found to be associated
with ALA improved leaf fluorescence (qN, NPQ and Fv/Fm), shoot and root K+, root Ca2+, proline and GB accumulation.
Background: During the progress and resolution of a diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) episode, potassium levels are significantly affected by the extent of acidosis. However, none of the current guidelines take into account acidosis during resuscitation of potassium level in DKA management, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular adverse events.
Objective: To assess literature regarding the adjustment of potassium level using pH to calculate pH-adjusted corrected potassium level, and to observe the relationship of cardiovascular outcomes with reported potassium level and pH-adjusted corrected potassium in DKA.
Methodology: Seven databases were searched from inception to January 2018 for studies which had reported people with diabetes developing diabetic ketoacidosis, in relation to prevalence or incidence, fluid resuscitation or potassium supplementation treatment, treatment or cardiovascular outcomes, and experimentation with DKA management or insulin. Quality of studies was evaluated using Cochrane Risk of Bias and Newcastle Ottawa Scale.
Results: Forty-seven studies were included in qualitative synthesis out of a total of 10,292 retrieved studies. Forty-one studies discussed the potassium level and blood pH at the time of admission, ten studies discussed cardiovascular outcomes, and only four studies concurrently discussed potassium level, pH, and cardiovascular outcomes. Only two studies were graded as good on the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. The reported potassium level was well within normal range (5.8 mmol/L), whereas pH rendered patients to be moderately acidotic (7.13). Surprisingly, none of the included studies mentioned pH-adjusted corrected potassium level and, hence, this was calculated later. Although mean corrected potassium was within the normal range (3.56 mmol/L), 13 studies had corrected potassium below 3.5 mmol/L and five had it below 3.0 mmol/L. Nevertheless, with the exception of one study, none discussed cardiovascular outcomes in the context of potassium or pH-adjusted potassium level.
Conclusion: The evidence surrounding cardiovascular outcomes during DKA episodes in light of a pH-adjusted corrected potassium level is scarce. A prospective observational, or preferably, an experimental study in this regard will ensure we can modify and enhance safety of existing DKA treatment protocols.
Osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) may occur as a consequence of a
rapid change in serum osmolality. We report a case of a 32-year-old woman
who presented to the hospital with symptoms suggestive of severe
hyperemesis gravidarum. Blood investigation results showed that patient had
severe hyponatraemia (serum sodium 109 mmol/L) and hypokalaemia
(serum potassium 1.7 mmol/L). Active and vigorous corrections to these
electrolyte imbalances had led to an overly increased of serum sodium levels
within a short duration of time. Four days after the rapid correction, patient
started exhibiting neuropsychiatric manifestations. Radiological findings
were consistent with the diagnosis of ODS. The neuropsychiatric symptoms
experienced by patient gradually worsened with time. Subsequently,
intravenous methylprednisolone was administered to patient. Patient showed
marked response to the steroid given. At the time of discharge, twenty-seven
days later, patient had recovered from most of the neuropsychiatric sequelae;
but still required assistance during ambulation. In conclusion, correction of
electrolyte imbalances should be done in a more judicious manner. Prudent
corrections of electrolyte alterations could have possibly prevented the onset
of ODS and its’ devastating neuropsychiatric sequelae in this patient.
The chemical reactions of dry-disposed ash dump, ingressed oxygen, carbon dioxide, and infiltrating rainwater affect mineralogical transformation, redistribution, and migration of chemical species. Composite samples of weathered coal fly ash taken at various depths and fresh coal fly ash were examined using organic petrographic, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence techniques, and successive extraction procedures. Results obtained show relative enrichment of glass, Al-Fe-oxides, calcite, and tridymite in the weathered CFA, but the fresh CFA is enriched in mullite, inertinite, maghemite, and ettringite. The enrichment of the weathered CFA in amorphous glass suggests higher reactivity when compared to fresh CFA. The evident depletion of soluble oxides in the weathered CFA is attributed to flushing of the soluble salts by percolating rainwater. Comparative enrichment of examined elements in water-soluble, exchangeable, reducible, and residual fractions of the weathered CFA is partly due to the slow release of adsorbed chemical species from the alumina-silicate matrix and diffusion from the deeper sections of the particles of coal fly ash. Sodium and potassium show enrichment in the oxidisable fraction of fresh CFA. The estimated mobility factor indicates mobility for Ca, Mg, Na, Se, Mo, and Sb and K, Sr, V, Cu, Cr, Se, and B in fresh and weathered CFAs, respectively.
Data on the mineral composition and content of one heavy metal measured in three different fruit flours prepared from ripe and unripe fruits (pulp and peel) are presented. The mineral composition (sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn)) and content of one heavy metal (lead (Pb)) of the flours were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The analysis showed that the data can be used for differentiation between different fruits and stages of ripeness, as revealed by discriminant analysis and cluster analysis. The data provided can be used by researchers and scientists in the differentiation of fruits based on major and minor mineral elements.
Selected Australian native fruits such as Davidson's plum, finger lime and native pepperberry have been reported to demonstrate potent antioxidant activity. However, comprehensive metabolite profiling of these fruits is limited, therefore the compounds responsible are unknown, and further, the compounds of nutritional value in these native fruits are yet to be described. In this study, untargeted and targeted metabolomics were conducted using the three fruits, together with assays to determine their antioxidant activities. The results demonstrate that targeted free and hydrolysed protein amino acids exhibited high amounts of essential amino acids. Similarly, important minerals like potassium were detected in the fruit samples. In antioxidant activity, Davidson's plum reported the highest activity in ferric reducing power (FRAP), finger lime in antioxidant capacity (ABTS), and native pepperberry in free radical scavenging (DPPH) and phosphomolybdenum assay. The compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity were tentatively identified using untargeted GC×GC-TOFMS and UHPLC-QqQ-TOF-MS/MS metabolomics. A clear discrimination into three clusters of fruits was observed using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) analysis. The correlation study identified a number of compounds that provide the antioxidant activities. GC×GC-TOFMS detected potent aroma compounds of limonene, furfural, and 1-R-α-pinene. Based on the untargeted and targeted metabolomics, and antioxidant assays, the nutritional potential of these Australian bush fruits is considerable and supports these indigenous fruits in the nutraceutical industry as well as functional ingredients for the food industry, with such outcomes benefiting Indigenous Australian communities.
Limited information is available that seed biopriming with plant growth-promoting Enterobacter spp. play a prominent role to enhance vegetative growth of plants. Contrary to Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter hormaechei is a less-studied counterpart despite its vast potential in plant growth-promotion mainly through the inorganic phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) solubilization abilities. To this end, 18 locally isolated bacterial pure cultures were screened and three strains showed high P- and K-solubilizing capabilities. Light microscopy, biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that strains 15a1 and 40a were closely related to Enterobacter hormaechei while strain 38 was closely related to Enterobacter cloacae (Accession number: MN294583; MN294585; MN294584). All Enterobacter spp. shared common plant growth-promoting traits, namely nitrogen (N2) fixation, indole-3-acetic acid production and siderophore production. The strains 38 and 40a were able to produce gibberellic acid, while only strain 38 was able to secrete exopolysaccharide on agar. Under in vitro germination assay of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) seeds, Enterobacter spp. significantly improved overall germination parameters and vigor index (19.6%) of seedlings. The efficacy of root colonization of Enterobacter spp. on the pre-treated seedling root tips was confirmed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The pot experiment of bioprimed seeds of okra seedling showed significant improvement of the plant growth (> 28%) which corresponded to the increase of P and K uptakes (> 89%) as compared to the uninoculated control plants. The leaf surface area and the SPAD chlorophyll index of bioprimed plants were increased by up to 29% and 9% respectively. This report revealed that the under-explored species of P- and K-solubilizing Enterobacter hormaechei sp. with multiple plant beneficial traits presents a great potential sustainable approach for enhancement of soil fertility and P and K uptakes of plants.
Introduction: Artemether and lumefantrine was registered as Riamet in Switzerland in 1999 and is commonly used in Keningau Hospital for managing uncomplicated malaria. Riamet works at the food vacoule of the malarial parasite, where they interfere with the conversion of heme into haemozoin. Case description: We report a case of Riamet induced prolonged corrected QT interval (QTc) in a 37 year old gentleman admitted for severe malaria (hypotension) with normal QTc of 420msc on presentation. Upon starting Riamet, he developed bradycardia and ECG showed sinus bradycardia with prolonged QTc of 551msec and no arrythmias. Echocardiography showed no structural heart abnormalities. All electrolytes were within normal range. He was monitored in cardiac care unit with decision to complete 6 doses of Riamet. Patient was started on Dopamine infusion which maintained his blood pressure and heart rate within normal range. 5 days post Riamet completion, his heart rate improved and dopamine infusion was tapered off and QTc normalized to 407msc. Discussion: The most common mechanism of drugs causing QT inter-val prolongation is by blocking the human ether-à-go-go related gene (hERG) potassium channel. Blockage of the hEGR channel lengthens ventricular re-polarization and duration of ventricular action potential which is reflected in ECG as prolonged QT interval. In the in-vitro whole cell patch clamp study, lumefantrine and its metabolite desbu-tyl-lumefantrine showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of the hERG current. The period of QTc prolongation was 3.5 to 4 days after the last dose of the standard 6 dose regimen. Conclusion: Riamet induced prolonged QTc is a very rare complication. A baseline electrocardiography is therefore imminent for every patient prior to initiation of this medication to avoid cardiac arrythmias.
An all-solid-state potentiometric electrode system for aluminium ion determination was developed with a new aluminium ion sensor as the working electrode based on a new ionophore for aluminium ion, 1,1'-[(methylazanediyl)bis(ethane-2,1-diyl)]bis[3-(naphthalen-1-yl)thiourea] (ACH). The reference electrode was a potassium ion sensor, which acts as a pseudo-reference. Both electrodes were made from Ag/AgCl screen-print electrodes fabricated from a non-plasticized and photocurable poly(n-butyl acrylate) membrane that contained various other membrane components. The pseudo-reference potential based on the potassium ion sensor was fixed in 0.050 M KNO3, and such concentration of K+ ion did not interfere with the measurement of the Al3+ ion using the aluminium sensor. With such a pseudo-reference and in the presence of 0.050 M KNO3 as a background medium, the aluminium sensor measured changes of aluminium ion concentrations linearly from 10-6 to 10-2 M Al3+ ion with a Nernstian response of 17.70 ± 0.13 mV/decade. A low detection limit of 2.45 × 10-7 M was achieved with this all-solid-state potentiometric system. The aluminium sensor was insensitive to pH effects from 2.0 to 8.0 with a response time of less than 50 s. Under optimum conditions, a lifetime of 49 days was achieved with good sensor selectivity, reversibility, repeatability, and reproducibility. The all-solid-state electrode system was applied to analyze the Al3+ ion content of water samples from a water treatment plant. Compared with the conventional potentiometric detection system for aluminium ions, the new all-solid-state aluminium ion sensor incorporating a pseudo-reference from the potassium sensor demonstrated similar analytical performance. It thus provided a convenient means of aluminium content analysis in water treatment plants.
This study develops a method to reuse aquaculture wastewater and sediment from a catfish pond in order to increase agricultural productivity and protect the environment. Material flow analysis (MFA) is a central concept of this study that involves collecting catfish pond wastewater (CPW) and reusing it to irrigate five water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic) ponds before discharging it into a river. Typically, catfish pond sediment (CPS) was collected and composted to produce organic fertilizer for cornfields. The results revealed that pollutant removal efficiency of wastewater from CPW (by using water spinach) were total organic carbon (TOC) = 38.78%, nitrogen (N) = 27.07%, phosphorous (P) = 58.42%, and potassium (K) = 28.64%. By adding 20 tons of CPS compost per hectare of the cornfield, the corn yield boosted 15% compared to the control field. In addition, the water spinach grew and developed well in the medium of wastewater from the fish pond. Altogether, the results illustrate that catfish pond wastewater and sediment can act as organic fertilizers for crops meanwhile reduce environmental pollution from its reuse.
The Malaysian state of Sabah on the Island of Borneo has recently emerged as a global hotspot of nickel hyperaccumulator plants. This study focuses on the tissue-level distribution of nickel and other physiologically relevant elements in hyperaccumulator plants with distinct phylogenetical affinities. The roots, old stems, young stems and leaves of Flacourtia kinabaluensis (Salicaceae), Actephila alanbakeri (Phyllanthaceae), Psychotria sarmentosa (Rubiaceae) and young stems and leaves of Glochidion brunneum (Phyllanthaceae) were studied using nuclear microprobe (micro-PIXE and micro-BS) analysis. The tissue-level distribution of nickel found in these species has the same overall pattern as in most other hyperaccumulator plants studied previously, with substantial enrichment in the epidermal cells and in the phloem. This study also revealed enrichment of potassium in the spongy and palisade mesophyll of the studied species. Calcium, chlorine, manganese and cobalt were found to be enriched in the phloem and also concentrated in the epidermis and cortex of the studied species. Although hyperaccumulation ostensibly evolved numerous times independently, the basic mechanisms inferred from tissue elemental localization are convergent in these tropical woody species from Borneo Island.
The acrylated palm oil (APO) nanoparticle is a potential product that can be used as carriers in
medical field. The main focus of the present study was to study the potential of the APO
nanoparticles for used in a controlled drug delivery system. The microemulsion system is used as a
medium to incorporate an active substance such as Thymoquinone (TQ) into the APO polymeric
micelle and then the radiation technique is used as a tool for the synthesis of TQ-loaded APO
nanoparticle. The nano-size TQ-loaded APO particles resulted the particle size of less than 150 nm
with spherical in shape. The TQ release profile was carried out in potassium buffer saline (PBS)
solutions (pH 7.4) at 37
oC. And, the zero-order model has been used to determine the mechanism
of the drug release from the corresponding nanoparticles, respectively. The TQ release was found
to be sustained and controlled in pH 7.4. At pH 7.4, the release of TQ followed the zero-order
model. The in-vitro drug release study showed a good prospect of the APO nanoparticle on being a
potential drug carrier as there are toxic against colon cancer cells and not toxic towards normal
cells. This suggested that the APO product produce using this radiation technique can be
developed into different type of carrier systems for controlled drug release applications.
Backgrounds & Objective: Antimicrobial resistance is an alarming public health threat that requires urgent global solution. Implementation of antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) is an essential practice element for healthcare institutions in gate-keeping judicious antimicrobial use. This study highlighted the development, first year experience, and result of the implementation of ASP utilizing persuasive and restrictive approaches in a Malaysian district hospital.
Methods: An observational study was conducted between January 2015 to December 2015 on implementation of ASP among hospitalized inpatients age 12 years old and above.
Results: Recommendations were provided for 60% of cases (110 patients) with the average acceptance rate of 83.33%. Majority of the interventions were to stop the antimicrobial therapy (30.3%), and the most common audited antimicrobials was Piperacillin/Tazobactam (25.5%), followed by Meropenem (11.82%), Amoxicillin/Clavulanate and Vancomycin (8.18%) respectively. The concordance rate towards authorization policy was increased in 2015 (71.59% of cases) as compared before the implementation of ASP in 2014 (60.6% of cases). Restrictive enforcement under ASP had been shown to improve significantly adherence rate towards antimicrobials authorization policy (p-value: 0.004).
Conclusion: ASP was successfully implemented in a district hospital. Future studies on its clinical outcomes are important to evaluate its effectiveness as well as focus on the improvement to the pre-existing strategies and measures.
KEY WORDS: Antimicrobial stewardship, Anti-Infective agents, Drug resistance, Malaysia, Rural hospital
Deep sea water (DSW) commonly refers to a body of seawater that is pumped up from a depth of over 200 m. It is usually associated with the following characteristics: low temperature, high purity, and being rich with nutrients, namely, beneficial elements, which include magnesium, calcium, potassium, chromium, selenium, zinc, and vanadium. Less photosynthesis of plant planktons, consumption of nutrients, and organic decomposition have caused lots of nutrients to remain there. Due to this, DSW has potential to become a good source for health. Research has proven that DSW can help overcome health problems especially related to lifestyle-associated diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and skin problems. This paper reviews the potential health benefits of DSW by referring to the findings from previous researches.
Oil palm fibres are easy to degrade, eco-friendly in nature and once composted, they can be categorized under nutrient-enriched biocompost. Biocompost is not only a good biofertilizer but also a good biocontrol agent against soil-borne pathogens. In this research, experimental works on the composting of empty fruit bunches (EFB) from the oil palm industry were conducted using two potential Trichoderma strains. Analysis of pH initially found the soils to be slightly acidic. However, after composting, the soils were found to be alkaline. Trichoderma propagules increased by 72% in the soils compared to other fungi. Soil electrical conductivity was found to be 50.40 μS/cm for compost A, 42.10 μS/cm for compost B and 40.11 μS/cm for the control. The highest C:N ratio was obtained for compost A at 3.33, followed by compost B at 2.79, and then the control at 1.55. The highest percentages of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were found in compost A (0.91:2.13:6.68), which was followed by compost B (0.46:0.83:5.85) and then the control (0.32:0.26:5.76). Thus, the biocomposting of oil palm fibres shows great potential for enhancing soil micronutrient, plant growth performance, and crop yield production.
Redox polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) with ethyl acrylate (EA) and fumaronitrile (FN), as comonomer and termonomer respectively, were carried out using sodium bisulfite (SBS) and potassium persulphate (KPS) as initiators at 40°C. The actual composition of monomers in copolymers and terpolymers has been characterized by gas chromatography (GC). The effects of EA and FN on the glass transition temperature (Tg) and stabilization temperature have been studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The degradation behaviour and char yield were obtained by thermogravimetric analysis. Meanwhile, incorporation of 10 mol% of EA in homoPAN system was found to greatly reduce Tg to 66°C as compared to that of the homoPAN (Tg=105°C). The initial cyclization temperature (Ti) was found to be higher (264°C) in comparison to that of homoPAN (246°C). In addition, the incorporation of EA was also shown to reduce the char yield of copolymer to 40%. When FN was incorporated as termonomer, the char yield of poly(AN/EA/ FN) 90/4/6 increased up to 44% after the heat treatment with the lowest Ti (241°C).
Quality attributes of steamed bread without green banana flour (BF) (CON), substituted with 30%
BF (BBFI) and 30% BF + 8% gluten (BBFII) were determined. The green banana flour (BF) and the mixture of wheat flour (WF) substituted with 30% BF + 8% gluten (FBFII) was significantly highest in water holding capacity and oil holding capacities, respectively. Potassium, calcium and magnesium were significantly higher in BBFI and BBFII than CON. Significantly highest insoluble dietary fibre and total dietary fibre shown in BBFI. Steaming resulted significant reduction in resistant starch content in BBFI as compared with the dough of BBFI I. The specific volume of BBFII and CON showed significant different compared to the BBFI. The BBFII spread ratio was significantly highest and steamer spring lowest than CON. BBFII showed significantly highest in hardness and adhesiveness values but CON was significantly highest in cohesiveness, elasticity and chewiness. L and Hue values was shown highest in CON. BBFII indicated highest acceptability score than other samples.
Vigna sinensis also known as long-podded cowpea or Chinese long bean (Family:Fabaceae) is most widely grown in Southeast Asia. They are a good source of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. The antioxidant potential of crude methanol extract, chloroform, and ethyl acetate soluble fractions of Vigna sinensiswas screened for in- vitro antioxidant activity using total phenolic content, ferric reducing power, 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) assay, ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) tests. It was found that ethyl acetate fraction have maximum amount of polyphenolics compounds (2.69 mg/g GAE in concentration 0.5 mg/mL); more effective than methanol and chloroform extract.This fraction also exhibited fairly good antioxidant activity with in both TBA (17.39% mg/g GAE) and FTC (12.65% mg/g GAE) methods.
The banana pseudo-stem is not currently utilised in the food industry. The aim of this research was to investigate the chemical and pasting profile of banana pseudo-stem flour (BPF). Wheat flour were substituted with BPF (0, 5, 15 and 30%) and the pasting profile were determined. Results from mineral analysis showed that the levels of sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and phosphorus (P) were higher than those of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn). The BPF had a 0.04% total titratable acidity (TTA) and a total soluble solid (TSS) of 1.30⁰ Brix with pH 5.41. BPF contained 28.26% total starch, 12.81% resistant starch and a total digestible starch value of 15.45%. An increased substitution level of BPF into wheat flour significantly (p