Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 64 in total

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  1. Intertidal macroinvertebrate community structure in a subtropical channel is driven by sediment properties across different land-use types
    Abdullah Al M, Akhtar A, Barua H, Kamal AHM, Islam MS, AftabUddin S, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2022 Sep;29(44):66389-66404.
    PMID: 35501444 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20471-z
    Macroinvertebrate community in the intertidal setup plays an important role in coastal ecosystem functions and biogeochemical cycle. However, different land use pattern may influence on their community structure, diversity, and composition in the coastal ecosystems. Using Van-Veen grab sampler, 60 sediment samples were seasonally collected from mangroves-dominated, aquaculture-dominated, and anthropogenically affected area in the lower intertidal zone of the Kohelia channel of Bangladesh, the Northern Bay of Bengal. We have tasted the variation in sediment properties across three land-use types in this intertidal habitat. To understand the patterns of benthic macroinvertebrate distribution, a neutral community model was applied. Our results showed that community composition and biodiversity of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities varied significantly between mangrove-dominated area with anthropogenically affected areas among the four seasons. The neutral community model revealed that community assembly of benthic macroinvertebrates in the lower intertidal habitats is structured by stochastic processes while sediment properties have significant influence on species distribution and interactions. Results suggested that land-use changes altered sediment properties and could change the diversity and distribution of the macroinvertebrate communities in the lower intertidal habitats.
  2. Fulltext Frequency of gallbladder stones among patients underwent abdominal ultrasound in a tertiary hospital in Sana’a City, Yemen
    Hameed M. Aklan, Abdullah A. S. A. Esmail, Abdulrahman A. Al-Sadeq, Gebreel A. Eissa, Osamah A. Hassan, Abdullah A. Al-Mikhlafy, et al.
    Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(107):36-39.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: The Gallbladder stone (GBS) disease is most commonly asymptomatic that may lead to several complications such as ascending cholangitis and obstructive jaundice. In this study the frequency of gallblad- der stones among patients referred for abdominal ultrasound at the University of Science and Technology hospital (USTH), Sana’a – Yemen, have been estimated during the period between January and June 2013. Methods: This study is a record-based and conducted at the radiology department in USTH, on cases underwent abdominal ultrasound during the period from January – June 2013. Information were collected from abdominal ultrasonography reports. Results: In this study 4935 patients’ records are included. Of them, 2541 were males and 2394 were females. The frequency of patients with GBS was 5.53%. Multiple stones were observed in 3.57% of patients and 4.34% patients had large stones with size  5 mm. Females had significantly higher frequency of GBS (8.0%: 191/2394) than males (3.2%: 82/2541) (P < 0.001). It was found that, no significant difference between males and females in harboring small stones (< 5mm) (P = 0.251). However, significantly higher frequency of large GBS ( 5 mm) was found among females compared to males (P < 0.001). The frequencies of GBS, small size of GBS and large size of GBS have significantly increased with increasing age (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study it was found that females had significantly higher frequency of GBS than males. No significant difference between males and females in harboring small stones. There was a significantly higher frequency of large GBS was found among females compared to males. The frequencies of GBS, small size of GBS and large size of GBS have significantly increased with increasing age.
  3. Fulltext The impact of clinical teacher: the dental students’ perception
    Nur,Amni,Noor,Affendy, Syahirah,Mohd,Zol,, Nagham,M,Abdullah,Al,Jaf,, Mohamed,Ibrahim,Abu,Hassan,, Hazlina,Abdul,Ghani,, Indah,Yuri,Noviaranny,
    Compendium of Oral Science, 2021;8(1):70-75.
    MyJurnal
    ABSTRACT
    Aims: This study aims to evaluate the impact of the clinical teachers and the effectiveness of their supervisory
    skills in clinical settings from the dental students’ perception using the cognitive apprenticeship model. Materials
    and Methods: A total of 273 undergraduate clinical dental students, from Faculty of Dentistry UiTM, were asked
    to complete the modified and validated Maastricht Clinical Teaching Questionnaire (MCTQ) which consists of
    twenty-seven questions distributed on seven domains: Modelling, Coaching, Scaffolding, Articulation, Reflection,
    Exploration and General Learning Environment. The responses were descriptively analysed. Results: The clinical
    experience of 162 dental students, who responded, was evaluated. Overall, the students conveyed positive and
    neutral perceptions of their clinical experience in all criteria of the seven domains. Articulation domain showed
    the highest positive feedback (93.5%) while the general learning environment domain showed the highest negative
    feedback (28.1%). Conclusions: The clinical experience and the impact of the clinical teachers were mostly
    satisfactory. Further improvements of the clinical environment can be achieved regarding the areas of concern.
  4. Self-adjuvanting vaccine against group A streptococcus: application of fibrillized peptide and immunostimulatory lipid as adjuvant
    Azmi F, Ahmad Fuaad AA, Giddam AK, Batzloff MR, Good MF, Skwarczynski M, et al.
    Bioorg Med Chem, 2014 Nov 15;22(22):6401-8.
    PMID: 25438764 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2014.09.042
    Peptides are of great interest to be used as vaccine antigens due to their safety, ease of manufacturing and specificity in generating immune response. There have been massive discoveries of peptide antigens over the past decade. However, peptides alone are poorly immunogenic, which demand co-administration with strong adjuvant to enhance their immunogenicity. Recently, fibril-forming peptides such as Q11 and lipoamino acid-based carrier have been identified to induce substantial immune responses when covalently linked to peptide epitope. In this study, we have incorporated either Q11 or lipoamino acids to a peptide epitope (J14) derived from M protein of group A streptococcus to develop self-adjuvanting vaccines. J14, Q11 and lipoamino acids were also conjugated together in a single vaccine construct in an attempt to evaluate the synergy effect of combining multiple adjuvants. Physicochemical characterization demonstrated that the vaccine constructs folded differently and self-assembled into nanoparticles. Significantly, only vaccine constructs containing double copies of lipoamino acids (regardless in conjugation with Q11 or not) were capable to induce significant dendritic cells uptake and subsequent J14-specific antibody responses in non-sizes dependent manners. Q11 had minimal impact in enhancing the immunogenicity of J14 even when it was used in combination with lipoamino acids. These findings highlight the impact of lipoamino acids moiety as a promising immunostimulant carrier and its number of attachment to peptide epitope was found to have a profound effect on the vaccine immunogenicity.
  5. Computational-aided design: minimal peptide sequence to block dengue virus transmission into cells
    Arumugam AC, Agharbaoui FE, Khazali AS, Yusof R, Abd Rahman N, Ahmad Fuaad AAH
    J Biomol Struct Dyn, 2020 Dec 31.
    PMID: 33382015 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1866074
    Dengue virus (DV) infection is one of the main public health concerns, affecting approximately 390 million people worldwide, as reported by the World Health Organization. Yet, there is no antiviral treatment for DV infection. Therefore, the development of potent and nontoxic anti-DV, as a complement for the existing treatment strategies, is urgently needed. Herein, we investigate a series of small peptides inhibitors of DV antiviral activity targeting the entry process as the promising strategy to block DV infection. The peptides were designed based on our previously reported peptide sequence, DN58opt (TWWCFYFCRRHHPFWFFYRHN), to identify minimal effective inhibitory sequence through molecular docking and dynamics studies. The in silico designed peptides were synthesized using conventional Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis chemistry, purified by RP-HPLC and characterized using LCMS. Later, they were screened for their antiviral activity. One of the peptides, AC 001, was able to reduce about 40% of DV plaque formation. This observation correlates well with the molecular mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) analysis - AC 001 showed the most favorable binding affinity through 60 ns simulations. Pairwise residue decomposition analysis has revealed four key residues that contributed to the binding of these peptides into the DV2 E protein pocket. This work identifies the minimal peptide sequence required to inhibit DV replication and explains the behavior observed on an atomic level using computational study.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
  6. Fulltext Drinking water quality of Chattogram city in Bangladesh: An analytical and residents' perception study
    Debnath P, Mamun MMAA, Karmakar S, Uddin MS, Nath TK
    Heliyon, 2022 Dec;8(12):e12247.
    PMID: 36590549 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12247
    Residents of Chattogram city areas in Bangladesh use drinking water from three sources, namely CWASA (Chattogram Water supply and Sewerage Authority), groundwater (tube-well), and commercial jar. In this study, we examined the quality of drinking water from these sources following an analytical and residents' perception. Water samples (both untreated and treated) from above three sources were collected from six locations across Chattogram city, and pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), bicarbonate, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, and microbial load were studied following the state-of-art testing methods. A total of 149 respondents were interviewed to understand their perception on the physical properties of water. The pH value of water from all sources and locations and irrespective of treatments, varied from 6.54 to 7.02. TDS of tube-well water in two locations exceeded the standard limit (1000 mg/l). In most locations, TSS varied from 40 to 1888 mg/l (treated and untreated) against the standard value of 10 mg/l, while bicarbonate of CWASA and tube-well water in most locations was also higher than the permissible amount (500 mg/l). Except for jar water, EC of CWASA and tube-well water (treated and untreated) in most locations were higher than the standard value (500 μS) and a similar situation was observed for salinity content. The microbial load was found beyond the permissible limit (0 CFU/ml) for all sources and locations. These parameters of water quality have also been reflected in residents' perceptions of drinking water. Respondents reported an unpleasant odour (56%), the presence of suspended particles (17%), and so CWASA water is not good for drinking (76%). Authorities (CWASA) need to take action toward a safe drinking water supply for residents.
  7. Fulltext Modeling the adoption of medical wearable devices among the senior adults: Using hybrid SEM-neural network approach
    Xinyan Z, Mamun AA, Ali MH, Siyu L, Yang Q, Hayat N
    Front Public Health, 2022;10:1016065.
    PMID: 36388276 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1016065
    The world is witnessing an increasing number of senior adult residents who experience health issues. Healthcare innovation facilitates monitoring the health conditions of senior adults and reducing the burden on healthcare institutions. The study explored the effect of health improvement expectancy, effort expectancy, price value, perceived vulnerability, health consciousness, and perceived reliability on the intention and adoption of medical wearable devices (MWD) among senior adults in China. Furthermore, a cross-sectional design was adopted, while quantitative data was collected from 304 senior adults through an online survey. A hybrid approach of partial least square structural equational modeling and artificial neural network-based analysis technique was adopted. The findings demonstrated that health improvement expectancy, perceived vulnerability, price value, and perceived reliability significantly affected the intention to adopt MWDs. Moreover, the intention to adopt MWDs significantly positively affected the actual adoption of MWDs among senior adults. Although the moderating effect of the pre-existing conditions and income between the intention to use MWDs and actual adoption of MWDs was positive, it was not statistically significant. The artificial neural network analysis has proven that perceived reliability, price value, and vulnerability are the most critical factors contributing to the intention to use MWDs. The current study offered valuable insights into the factors affecting the intention and adoption of MWDs among senior adults. Following that, theoretical and practical contributions were documented to improve the ease of use and price value for the prospective users of MWDs. The correct healthcare policies could curtail the influx of senior adults into the hospital and empower these adults to track and manage their health issues at home.
  8. Fulltext Deep Learning-Based Segmentation of 3D Volumetric Image and Microstructural Analysis
    Mahmud BU, Hong GY, Mamun AA, Ping EP, Wu Q
    Sensors (Basel), 2023 Feb 27;23(5).
    PMID: 36904845 DOI: 10.3390/s23052640
    As a fundamental but difficult topic in computer vision, 3D object segmentation has various applications in medical image analysis, autonomous vehicles, robotics, virtual reality, lithium battery image analysis, etc. In the past, 3D segmentation was performed using hand-made features and design techniques, but these techniques could not generalize to vast amounts of data or reach acceptable accuracy. Deep learning techniques have lately emerged as the preferred method for 3D segmentation jobs as a result of their extraordinary performance in 2D computer vision. Our proposed method used a CNN-based architecture called 3D UNET, which is inspired by the famous 2D UNET that has been used to segment volumetric image data. To see the internal changes of composite materials, for instance, in a lithium battery image, it is necessary to see the flow of different materials and follow the directions analyzing the inside properties. In this paper, a combination of 3D UNET and VGG19 has been used to conduct a multiclass segmentation of publicly available sandstone datasets to analyze their microstructures using image data based on four different objects in the samples of volumetric data. In our image sample, there are a total of 448 2D images, which are then aggregated as one 3D volume to examine the 3D volumetric data. The solution involves the segmentation of each object in the volume data and further analysis of each object to find its average size, area percentage, total area, etc. The open-source image processing package IMAGEJ is used for further analysis of individual particles. In this study, it was demonstrated that convolutional neural networks can be trained to recognize sandstone microstructure traits with an accuracy of 96.78% and an IOU of 91.12%. According to our knowledge, many prior works have applied 3D UNET for segmentation, but very few papers extend it further to show the details of particles in the sample. The proposed solution offers a computational insight for real-time implementation and is discovered to be superior to the current state-of-the-art methods. The result has importance for the creation of an approximately similar model for the microstructural analysis of volumetric data.
  9. Fulltext Heterogeneous virus classification using a functional deep learning model based on transmission electron microscopy images
    Sikder N, Khan MA, Bairagi AK, Masud M, Tiang JJ, Nahid AA
    Sci Rep, 2024 Nov 22;14(1):28954.
    PMID: 39578636 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-80013-0
    Viruses are submicroscopic agents that can infect other lifeforms and use their hosts' cells to replicate themselves. Despite having simplistic genetic structures among all living beings, viruses are highly adaptable, resilient, and capable of causing severe complications in their hosts' bodies. Due to their multiple transmission pathways, high contagion rate, and lethality, viruses pose the biggest biological threat both animal and plant species face. It is often challenging to promptly detect a virus in a host and accurately determine its type using manual examination techniques. However, computer-based automatic diagnosis methods, especially the ones using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images, have proven effective in instant virus identification. Using TEM images collected from a recent dataset, this article proposes a deep learning-based classification model to identify the virus type within those images. The methodology of this study includes two coherent image processing techniques to reduce the noise present in raw microscopy images and a functional Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model for classification. Experimental results show that it can differentiate among 14 types of viruses with a maximum of 97.44% classification accuracy and F1-score, which asserts the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method. Implementing this scheme will impart a fast and dependable virus identification scheme subsidiary to the thorough diagnostic procedures.
  10. Fulltext Exploring the mass adoption potential of wearable fitness devices in Malaysia
    Hayat N, Salameh AA, Mamun AA, Alam SS, Zainol NR
    Digit Health, 2023;9:20552076231180728.
    PMID: 37325073 DOI: 10.1177/20552076231180728
    OBJECTIVE: The current study explores the formation of an intention to use wearable fitness devices (WFDs) with wearable fitness attributes and health consciousness (HCS). Moreover, the research examines the use of WFDs with the health motivation (HMT) and intention to use WFDs. The study also exposes the moderating effect of HMT between the intention to use WFDs and the use of WFDs.

    METHODS: Five hundred and twenty-five adults participated in the current study, and data were collected from January 2021 to March 2021 through the online survey of Malaysian respondents. The cross-sectional data was analyzed using the second-generation statistical method of partial least square structural equation modeling.

    RESULTS: HCS is insignificantly associated with the intention to use WFDs. Perceived compatibility, perceived product value, perceived usefulness, and perceived technology accuracy significantly influence the intention to use WFDs. HMT significantly impacts the adoption of WFDs; however, the intention to use WFDs negatively but significantly influences the use of WFDs. Lastly, the association between the intention to use WFDs and the adoption of WFDs is significantly moderated by HMT.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings illuminate the significant impact of technology-level attributes of WFDs on the intention to use WFDs. However, an insignificant impact of HCS on the intention to use WFDs was reported. Our result confirms that HMT plays a significant role in the use of WFDs. Such as the moderating role of HMT is vital to transform the intention to use WFDs into the adoption of WFDs.

  11. Deleterious Biological Effects of Endocrine Disruptors: An Insight into Human Health Risks
    Lawati AA, Hashmi LA, Aswami HA, Hadhrami AA, Chin KY, Das S, et al.
    Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets, 2024 Jan 30.
    PMID: 38299284 DOI: 10.2174/0118715303279298231228074222
    Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are environmental pollutants. Since EDCs are present in various consumer products, contamination of human beings is very common. EDCs have deleterious effects on various systems of the body, especially the endocrine and reproductive systems. EDCs interfere with the synthesis, metabolism, binding, or cellular responses of natural estrogens and alter various pathways. Biological samples such as blood, saliva, milk, placental tissue, and hair are frequently used for biomonitoring and the detection of EDCs. Early detection and intervention may help in preventing congenital anomalies and birth defects. The common methods for determining the presence of EDCs in body fluids include gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry. Understanding the health effects and dangers of EDC is important, given their widespread use. This mini-review aims to summarize the adverse biological effects of several important classes of EDCs and highlights future perspectives for appropriate control.
  12. Correction: Mechanism and principle of doping: realizing of silver incorporation in CdS thin film via doping concentration effect
    Najm AS, Aljuhani A, Naeem HS, Sopian K, Ismail RA, Holi AM, et al.
    RSC Adv, 2022 Nov 09;12(50):32327.
    PMID: 36425696 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra90111k
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D2RA04790J.].
  13. Fulltext Mechanism and principle of doping: realizing of silver incorporation in CdS thin film via doping concentration effect
    Najm AS, Aljuhani A, Naeem HS, Sopian K, Ismail RA, Holi AM, et al.
    RSC Adv, 2022 Oct 17;12(46):29613-29626.
    PMID: 36321103 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra04790j
    A high-quality buffer layer serves as one of the most significant issues that influences the efficiency of solar cells. Doping in semiconductors is an important strategy that can be used to control the reaction growth. In this study, the influence of Ag doping on the morphological, optical and electrical properties of CdS thin films have been obtained. Herein, we propose the mechanism of CdS film formation with and without Ag ions, and we found that changes in the reaction of preparing CdS by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method cause a shift in the geometric composition of the CdS film. XRD showed that the position of peaks in the doped films are displaced to wider angles, indicating a drop in the crystal lattice constant. The optical analysis confirmed direct transition with an optical energy gap between 2.10 and 2.43 eV. The morphological studies show conglomerates with inhomogeneously distributed spherical grains with an increase of the Ag ratio. The electrical data revealed that the annealed Ag-doped CdS with 5% Ag has the highest carrier concentration (3.28 × 1015 cm-3) and the lowest resistivity (45.2 Ω cm). According to the results, the optimal Ag ratio was obtained at Ag 5%, which encourages the usage of CdS in this ratio as an efficient buffer layer on photovoltaic devices.
  14. Fulltext Oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis induced by ethanolic mango seed extract in cultured estrogen receptor positive breast cancer MCF-7 cells
    Abdullah AS, Mohammed AS, Rasedee A, Mirghani ME
    Int J Mol Sci, 2015;16(2):3528-36.
    PMID: 25664859 DOI: 10.3390/ijms16023528
    Breast cancer has become a global health issue requiring huge expenditures for care and treatment of patients. There is a need to discover newer cost-effective alternatives for current therapeutic regimes. Mango kernel is a waste product with potential as a source of anti-cancer phytochemicals, especially since it is non-toxic towards normal breast cell lines at concentrations for which it induces cell death in breast cancer cells. In this study, the anti-cancer effect of mango kernel extract was determined on estrogen receptor-positive human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cells. The MCF-7 cells were cultured and treated with 5, 10 and 50 μg/mL of mango kernel extract for 12 and 24 h. In response to treatment, there were time- and dose-dependent increases in oxidative stress markers and pro-apoptotic factors; Bcl-2-like protein 4 (BAX), p53, cytochrome c and caspases (7, 8 and 9) in the MCF-7 cells treated with the extract. At the same time, there were decreases in pro-survival markers (Bcl-2 and glutathione) as the result of the treatments. The changes induced in the MCF-7 cells by mango kernel extract treatment suggest that the extract can induce cancer cell apoptosis, likely via the activation of oxidative stress. These findings need to be evaluated further to determine whether mango kernel extract can be developed as an anti-breast cancer agent.
  15. Improvement of production of citric acid from oil palm empty fruit bunches: optimization of media by statistical experimental designs
    Bari MN, Alam MZ, Muyibi SA, Jamal P, Abdullah-Al-Mamun
    Bioresour Technol, 2009 Jun;100(12):3113-20.
    PMID: 19231166 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2009.01.005
    A sequential optimization based on statistical design and one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method was employed to optimize the media constituents for the improvement of citric acid production from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) through solid state bioconversion using Aspergillus niger IBO-103MNB. The results obtained from the Plackett-Burman design indicated that the co-substrate (sucrose), stimulator (methanol) and minerals (Zn, Cu, Mn and Mg) were found to be the major factors for further optimization. Based on the OFAT method, the selected medium constituents and inoculum concentration were optimized by the central composite design (CCD) under the response surface methodology (RSM). The statistical analysis showed that the optimum media containing 6.4% (w/w) of sucrose, 9% (v/w) of minerals and 15.5% (v/w) of inoculum gave the maximum production of citric acid (337.94 g/kg of dry EFB). The analysis showed that sucrose (p<0.0011) and mineral solution (p<0.0061) were more significant compared to inoculum concentration (p<0.0127) for the citric acid production.
  16. Natural anti-aging skincare: role and potential
    Ahmed IA, Mikail MA, Zamakshshari N, Abdullah AH
    Biogerontology, 2020 06;21(3):293-310.
    PMID: 32162126 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-020-09865-z
    The deterioration of the skin morphology and physiology is the first and earliest obvious harbinger of the aging process which is progressively manifested with increasing age. Such deterioration affects the vital functions of the skin such as homeodynamic regulation of body temperature, fluid balance, loss of electrolytes and proteins, production of vitamin D, waste removal, immune surveillance, sensory perception, and protection of other organs against deleterious environmental factors. There are, however, harmful chemicals and toxins found in everyday cosmetics that consumers are now aware of. Thus, the natural beauty industry is on the rise with innovative technology and high-performance ingredients as more consumers demand healthier options. Therefore, the aims of this review are to give some critical insights to the effects of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors on excessive or premature skin aging and to elaborate on the relevance of natural beauty and natural anti-aging skincare approaches that will help consumers, scientists and entrepreneurs make the switch. Our recent investigations have shown the potential and relevance of identifying more resources from our rich natural heritage from various plant sources such as leaves, fruits, pomace, seeds, flowers, twigs and so on which can be explored for natural anti-aging skincare product formulations. These trending narratives have started to gain traction among researchers and consumers owing to the sustainability concern and impact of synthetic ingredients on human health and the environment. The natural anti-aging ingredients, which basically follow hormetic pathways, are potentially useful as moisturizing agents; barrier repair agents; antioxidants, vitamins, hydroxy acids, skin lightening agents, anti-inflammatory ingredients, and sunblock ingredients.
  17. Fulltext Effects of nanoplastics on the gut microbiota of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei
    Zhu C, Li Y, Liu G, Abdullah AL, Jiang Q
    PeerJ, 2024;12:e16743.
    PMID: 38188162 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16743
    Nanoplastics (NPs) are an abundant, long-lasting, and widespread type of environmental pollution that is of increasing concern because of the serious threats they might pose to ecosystems and species. Identifying the ecological effects of plastic pollution requires understanding the effects of NPs on aquatic organisms. Here, we used the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) as a model species to investigate whether ingestion of polystyrene NPs affects gut microbes and leads to metabolic changes in L. vannamei. The abundance of Proteobacteria increased and that of Bacteroidota decreased after NPs treatment. Specifically, Vibrio spp., photobacterium spp., Xanthomarina spp., and Acinetobacter spp. increased in abundance, whereas Sulfitobacter spp. and Pseudoalteromonas spp. decreased. Histological observations showed that L. vannamei exposed to NP displayed a significantly lower intestinal fold height and damaged intestinal structures compared with the control group. Exposure to NPs also stimulated alkaline phosphatase, lysozyme, and acid phosphatase activity, resulting in an immune response in L. vannamei. In addition, the content of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and glucose were significantly altered after NP exposure. These results provided significant ecotoxicological data that can be used to better understand the biological fate and effects of NPs in L. vannamei.
  18. Fulltext Internet Use Impact on Physical Health during COVID-19 Lockdown in Bangladesh: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study
    Abir T, Osuagwu UL, Nur-A Yazdani DM, Mamun AA, Kakon K, Salamah AA, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 10 13;18(20).
    PMID: 34682502 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010728
    Previous studies on internet use frequency were focused on mental health impact, with little known about the impact on physical health during the COVID-19 lockdown. This study examined the impact of internet use frequency on self-reported physical health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Bangladesh. A web-based cross-sectional study on 3242 individuals was conducted from 2 August-1 October 2020. The survey covered demographics, internet use frequency and self-reported physical health questions. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the impact of internet use frequency on physical health. 72.5%, 69.9%, 65.1% and 55.3% respondents reported headache, back pain, numbness of the fingers and neck pain, respectively. The analyses showed increased physical health impact among regular (coefficient β = 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18-0.85, p = 0.003), frequent (β = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.88-1.54, p < 0.001) and intense (β = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.91-2.57, p < 0.001) internet users. Other important predictors were gender, income, occupation, regions, and working status. Frequent and extensive uses of the internet were strong predictors of physical health problems, and our findings suggest the need for increased awareness about the physical health problems that can be triggered by excessive internet usage.
  19. Fulltext H-shaped modifiers loaded mirror symmetric resonator based double negative metamaterial for multi-band wireless communications
    Rahman AAM, Islam MT, Moniruzzaman M, Rahim SKA, Singh M, Misran N, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2023 Sep 24;13(1):15943.
    PMID: 37743360 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43182-y
    In this article, a unique metamaterial (MTM) structure is presented that exhibits four resonances of transmission coefficient (S21) that fall into S, X, and Ku bands. The MTM design is initiated on a Rogers (RT5880) substrate with an electrical dimension of 0.088 λ × 0.088 λ (λ is calculated at 3.424 GHz). The resonating patch contains four quartiles connected by a central metallic strip. The placement of each quartile is such that the whole resonator is mirror symmetric about the vertical axis. Two H-shaped modifiers connect two quartiles of each vertical half of the resonator. These H-shaped modifiers form the resonance cavity in its vicinity, and thus help significantly to orient the overall resonances of the proposed MTM at 3.424 GHz, 10 GHz, 14.816 GHz, and 16.848 GHz. The resonance phenomena are examined through equivalent circuit modeling and verified in Advanced Design Software (ADS). Metamaterial properties of the proposed MTM are extracted and it exhibits negative permittivity, permeability, and refractive index. The prototype of the MTM is fabricated and measurement is taken. The measured S21 shows a close similarity with the simulated result. Moreover, effective medium ratio (EMR) is calculated for the proposed MTM and a high EMR of 10.95 is obtained that expresses its compactness. This compact MTM with negative permittivity, permittivity, and refractive index can be important component for improving the performance of the miniaturized devices for multi-band wireless communication systems.
  20. Fulltext Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease by the anti-viral chimeric protein RetroMAD1
    Chan LC, Mat Yassim AS, Ahmad Fuaad AAH, Leow TC, Sabri S, Radin Yahaya RS, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2023 Nov 17;13(1):20178.
    PMID: 37978223 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47511-z
    COVID-19 results from SARS-CoV-2, which mutates frequently, challenging current treatments. Therefore, it is critical to develop new therapeutic drugs against this disease. This study explores the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and RetroMAD1, a well-characterized coronavirus protein and potential drug target, using in-silico methods. The analysis through the HDOCK server showed stable complex formation with a binding energy of -12.3, the lowest among reference drugs. The RetroMAD1-3CLpro complex underwent a 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) in an explicit solvation system, generating various trajectories, including RMSD, RMSF, hydrogen bonding, radius of gyration, and ligand binding energy. MDS results confirmed intact interactions within the RetroMAD1-3CLpro complex during simulations. In vitro experiments validated RetroMAD1's ability to inhibit 3CLpro enzyme activity and prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in human bronchial cells. RetroMAD1 exhibited antiviral efficacy comparable to Remdesivir without cytotoxicity at effective concentrations. These results suggest RetroMAD1 as a potential drug candidate against SARS-CoV-2, warranting further in vivo and clinical studies to assess its efficiency.
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