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Fulltext Boron-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide with Tunable Bandgap and Enhanced Surface Plasmon Resonance

Junaid M, Khir MHM, Witjaksono G, Tansu N, Saheed MSM, Kumar P, et al.

Molecules, 2020 Aug 11;25(16).
PMID: 32796504 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25163646

Graphene and its hybrids are being employed as potential materials in light-sensing devices due to their high optical and electronic properties. However, the absence of a bandgap in graphene limits the realization of devices with high performance. In this work, a boron-doped reduced graphene oxide (B-rGO) is proposed to overcome the above problems. Boron doping enhances the conductivity of graphene oxide and creates several defect sites during the reduction process, which can play a vital role in achieving high-sensing performance of light-sensing devices. Initially, the B-rGO is synthesized using a modified microwave-assisted hydrothermal method and later analyzed using standard FESEM, FTIR, XPS, Raman, and XRD techniques. The content of boron in doped rGO was found to be 6.51 at.%. The B-rGO showed a tunable optical bandgap from 2.91 to 3.05 eV in the visible spectrum with an electrical conductivity of 0.816 S/cm. The optical constants obtained from UV-Vis absorption spectra suggested an enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) response for B-rGO in the theoretical study, which was further verified by experimental investigations. The B-rGO with tunable bandgap and enhanced SPR could open up the solution for future high-performance optoelectronic and sensing applications.
Fulltext Honey and its nutritional and anti-inflammatory value

Ranneh Y, Akim AM, Hamid HA, Khazaai H, Fadel A, Zakaria ZA, et al.

BMC Complement Med Ther, 2021 Jan 14;21(1):30.
PMID: 33441127 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-020-03170-5

Inflammation is the main key role in developing chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases which possess a huge challenge for treatment. With massively compelling evidence of the role played by nutritional modulation in preventing inflammation-related diseases, there is a growing interest into the search for natural functional foods with therapeutic and preventive actions. Honey, a nutritional healthy product, is produced mainly by two types of bees: honeybee and stingless bee. Since both types of honey possess distinctive phenolic and flavonoid compounds, there is recently an intensive interest in their biological and clinical actions against inflammation-mediated chronic diseases. This review shed the light specifically on the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of honey polyphenols and highlight their roles in targeting inflammatory pathways in gastrointestinal tract disorders, edema, cancer, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and gut microbiota.
Fulltext Optimization of operating parameters for xylose reductase separation through ultrafiltration membrane using response surface methodology

Krishnan S, Suzana BN, Wahid ZA, Nasrullah M, Abdul Munaim MS, Din MFBM, et al.

Biotechnol Rep (Amst), 2020 Sep;27:e00498.
PMID: 32670809 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2020.e00498

The application of the xylose reductase (XR) enzyme in the development of biotechnology demands an efficient and large scale enzyme separation technique. The aim of this present work was to optimize xylose reductase (XR) purification process through ultrafiltration membrane (UF) technology using Central composite design (CCD) of response surface methods (RSM). The three effective parameters analyzed were filtration time (0-100), transmembrane pressure (TMP) (1-1.6 bar), cross flow velocity (CFV) (0.52-1.2 cm/s-1) and its combined effect to obtain high flux with less possibility of membrane fouling. Experimental studies revealed that the best range for optimization process for filtration time, operational transmembrane pressure and cross flow velocity was 30 min, 1.4 bars and 1.06 cm/s, respectively as these conditions yielded the highest membrane permeability (56.03 Lm-2h-1 bar-1) and xylitol content (15.49 g/l). According to the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the p-value (<0.0001) indicated the designed model was highly significant. The error percentage between the actual and predicted value for membrane permeability and xylitol amount (2.21 % and 4.85 % respectively), which both were found to be close to the predicted values. The verification experiments gave membrane actual permeability of 57.3 Lm-2h-1 bar-1 and 16.29 g/l of xylitol production, thus indicating that the successfully developed model to predict the response.
Fulltext Investigating the Properties of Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide/Hydroxylated Graphene Quantum Dots Thin Film for Potential Optical Detection of Heavy Metal Ions

Anas NAA, Fen YW, Yusof NA, Omar NAS, Ramdzan NSM, Daniyal WMEMM

Materials (Basel), 2020 Jun 06;13(11).
PMID: 32517196 DOI: 10.3390/ma13112591

The modification of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) may drastically enhance their properties, therefore resulting in various related applications. This paper reported the preparation of novel cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/hydroxylated graphene quantum dots (CTAB/HGQDs) thin film using the spin coating technique. The properties of the thin film were then investigated and studied. The functional groups existing in CTAB/HGQDs thin film were confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, while the atomic force microscope (AFM) displayed a homogenous surface of the thin film with an increase in surface roughness upon modification. Optical characterizations using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy revealed a high absorption with an optical band gap of 4.162 eV. Additionally, the photoluminescence (PL) spectra illustrated the maximum emission peak of CTAB/HGQDs thin film at a wavelength of 444 nm. The sensing properties of the as-prepared CTAB/HGQDs thin film were studied using a surface plasmon resonance technique towards the detection of several heavy metal ions (HMIs) (Zn2+, Ni2+, and Fe3+). This technique generated significant results and showed that CTAB/HGQDs thin film has great potential for HMIs detection.
Fulltext Eco-Friendly CuO/Fe3O4 Nanocomposite synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxicity study

Dwivedi P, Malik A, Fatima Hussain HZ, Jatrana I, Imtiyaz K, Rizvi MMA, et al.

Heliyon, 2024 Mar 30;10(6):e27787.
PMID: 38496878 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27787

The current study report a convenient, simple, and low cost approach for the biogenic synthesis of CuO/Fe3O4 nanocomposites (NCs) from pumpkin seeds extract and their vitro cytotoxicity. The characterization of finally obtained CuO/Fe3O4 nanocomposites (NCs) performed using UV-Visible, FT-IR, XRD, XPS, GC-MS, SEM-EDX and TEM analysis. The formation and elemental analysis were determined using the energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis technique. The formation of rod-like monoclinic and spherical, having size range 5 nm-20 nm confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) respectively. Finally, the MTT assay of the synthesized composites was evaluated for toxicity against cancerous cell lines HCT-116 (Colon cancer cell) and A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma cell). The synthesized composite material showed moderate (IC50 = 199 μg/mL) to low (IC50 = 445 μg/mL) activity against HCT-116 and A549 cell lines, respectively.
Fulltext In vitro antioxidant and, α-glucosidase inhibitory activities and comprehensive metabolite profiling of methanol extract and its fractions from Clinacanthus nutans

Alam MA, Zaidul IS, Ghafoor K, Sahena F, Hakim MA, Rafii MY, et al.

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2017 Mar 31;17(1):181.
PMID: 28359331 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1684-5

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to evaluate antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, with a subsequent analysis of total phenolic and total flavonoid content of methanol extract and its derived fractions from Clinacanthus nutans accompanied by comprehensive phytochemical profiling.
METHODS: Liquid-liquid partition chromatography was used to separate methanolic extract to get hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol and residual aqueous fractions. The total antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazy (DPPH) radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). The antidiabetic activity of methanol extract and its consequent fractions were examined by α-glucosidase inhibitory bioassay. The chemical profiling was carried out by gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC Q-TOF MS).
RESULTS: The total yield for methanol extraction was (12.63 ± 0.98) % (w/w) and highest fractionated value found for residual aqueous (52.25 ± 1.01) % (w/w) as compared to the other fractions. Significant DPPH free radical scavenging activity was found for methanolic extract (63.07 ± 0.11) % and (79.98 ± 0.31) % for ethyl acetate fraction among all the fractions evaluated. Methanol extract was the most prominent in case of FRAP (141.89 ± 0.87 μg AAE/g) whereas most effective reducing power observed in ethyl acetate fraction (133.6 ± 0.2987 μg AAE/g). The results also indicated a substantial α-glucosidase inhibitory activity for butanol fraction (72.16 ± 1.0) % and ethyl acetate fraction (70.76 ± 0.49) %. The statistical analysis revealed that total phenolic and total flavonoid content of the samples had the significant (p
Fulltext First Report of Fusarium equiseti, Causing Fruit Rot Disease of Watermelon in Malaysia

Rahman MZ, Ahmad K, Siddiqui Y, Saad N, Hun TG, Mohd Hata E, et al.

Plant Dis, 2021 Aug 02.
PMID: 34340562 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-05-21-1027-PDN

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) accounts for almost 13% of all tropical fresh fruit production in Malaysia. They are grown, mostly in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, and Terengganu areas of Malaysia on 10,406 ha and yielding 172,722 Mt. In 2019, a new fruit rot disease was observed in two major production areas in Peninsular Malaysia. Disease symptoms included water-soaked brown lesions on the fruit surface in contact with the soil. The lesions enlarged gradually and ultimately covered the whole fruit with white mycelium leading to internal fruit decay. Disease surveys were conducted in December 2019 and November 2020 in fields at Kuantan, Pahang and Serdang, Selangor. Disease incidence was 10% in 2019 and 15% in 2020. Infected fruits were collected and washed under running tap water to wash off adhering soil and debris. Fruit tissue sections 1 to 2 cm in length were surface sanitized with 0.6% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) for 3 min. and washed twice with sterile distilled water. The disinfected air-dried tissues were then transferred onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) media and incubated at 25±2℃ for 3 days. Fungal colonies with whitish mycelium and pink pigment isolated using single spore culture. The pure cultures were placed onto carnation leaf agar (CLA), and the culture plates were incubated at 25±2℃ for 15 days for morphological characterization. On CLA, macroconidia were produced from monophialides on branched conidiophores in orange sporodochia. Macroconindia were thick-walled, strong dorsiventral curvature, 5 to 7 septate with a tapered whip-liked pointed apical cell and characteristic foot-shaped basal cell, 21.9 to 50.98 μm long and 2.3 to 3.60 μm wide. Typical verrucose thick chlamydospores with rough walls were profuse in chains or clumps, sub-globose or ellipsoidal. Based on morphological characteristics they were identified as Fusarium equiseti (Leslie and Summerell 2006). Molecular identification of both U4-1 and N9-1 pure culture isolates were carried out using two primer pair sets; internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ITS-1/ ITS-4 and translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF1-α) (EF-1/EF-2). A Blastn analysis of the ITS gene sequence of U4-1(MW362286) and N9-1 (MW362287) showed >99% similarity index to the reference gene sequence of F. equiseti isolate 19MSr-B3-4 (LC514690). The TEF1-α sequences of U4-1 (accession no. MW839563) and N9-1 (accession no. MW839564) showed 100% identity; with an e-value of zero, to the reference gene sequence of F. equiseti isolate URM: 7561 (accession no. LS398490). Each isolate also had a >99% identity with isolate NRRL 34070 (accession no. GQ505642) in Fusarium MLST database that belongs to the F. incarnatum-equiseti species complex (O'Donnell et al. 2015). Based on phylogenetic analysis of the aligned sequences (TEF1-α) by the maximum likelihood method, the U4-1 and N9-1 isolates were confirmed to be F. equiseti as was reported in Georgia, USA (Li and Ji 2015) and in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China (Li et al. 2018). Finally, the two pure culture isolates of U4-1 and N9-1 were used to fulfill Koch's postulates. Stab inoculations of five healthy watermelon fruits (cv. 345-F1 hybrid seedless round watermelon) were performed with a microconidial suspension of individual isolates (4x106 spores/mL). Five control fruits were stabbed with double distilled water. The inoculated fruits were incubated under 95% relative humidity at a temperature of 25±2℃ for 48 h followed by additional incubation inside an incubator at 25±2℃ for 8 days. Ten days post-inoculation, the control fruits showed no disease symptoms. However, inoculated fruits exhibited typical symptoms of fruit rot disease like water-soaked brown lesions, white mycelium on the fruit surface and internal fruit decay, which is similar to the farmer's field infected fruits. The suspected pathogen was successfully re-isolated from the symptomatic portion of inoculated fruit and morphologically identified for verification. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. equiseti causing fruit rot of watermelon in Malaysia. Malaysia exports watermelon year-round to many countries around the world. The outbreak of this new fruit rot disease could potentially pose a concern to watermelon cultivation in Malaysia.
Fulltext Recent advances in application of biosensors in tissue engineering

Hasan A, Nurunnabi M, Morshed M, Paul A, Polini A, Kuila T, et al.

Biomed Res Int, 2014;2014:307519.
PMID: 25165697 DOI: 10.1155/2014/307519

Biosensors research is a fast growing field in which tens of thousands of papers have been published over the years, and the industry is now worth billions of dollars. The biosensor products have found their applications in numerous industries including food and beverages, agricultural, environmental, medical diagnostics, and pharmaceutical industries and many more. Even though numerous biosensors have been developed for detection of proteins, peptides, enzymes, and numerous other biomolecules for diverse applications, their applications in tissue engineering have remained limited. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in application of novel biosensors in cell culture and tissue engineering, for example, real-time detection of small molecules such as glucose, lactose, and H2O2 as well as serum proteins of large molecular size, such as albumin and alpha-fetoprotein, and inflammatory cytokines, such as IFN-g and TNF-α. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent advancements in biosensors for tissue engineering applications.
Fulltext Triglyceride to HDL-C Ratio is Associated with Insulin Resistance in Overweight and Obese Children

Iwani NA, Jalaludin MY, Zin RM, Fuziah MZ, Hong JY, Abqariyah Y, et al.

Sci Rep, 2017 Jan 06;7:40055.
PMID: 28059134 DOI: 10.1038/srep40055

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of triglyceride to hdl-c ratio (TG:HDL-C) as an insulin resistance (IR) marker for overweight and obese children. A total of 271 blood samples of obese and overweight children aged 9-16 years were analysed for fasting glucose, lipids and insulin. Children were divided into IR and non-insulin resistance, using homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). The children were then stratified by tertiles of TG: HDL-C ratio. The strength between TG:HDL-C ratio and other parameters of IR were quantified using Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Odds ratio was estimated using multiple logistic regression adjusted for age, gender, pubertal stages and IR potential risk factors. Children with IR had significantly higher TG:HDL-C ratio (2.48) (p = 0.01). TG:HDL-C ratio was significantly correlated with HOMA-IR (r = 0.104, p
Fulltext Cross-species analysis of apical asparagine-rich protein of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi

Muh F, Ahmed MA, Han JH, Nyunt MH, Lee SK, Lau YL, et al.

Sci Rep, 2018 04 10;8(1):5781.
PMID: 29636493 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-23728-1

The Plasmodium falciparum apical asparagine (Asn)-rich protein (AARP) is one of malarial proteins, and it has been studied as a candidate of malaria subunit vaccine. Basic characterization of PvAARP has been performed with a focus on its immunogenicity and localization. In this study, we further analyzed the immunogenicity of PvAARP, focusing on the longevity of the antibody response, cross-species immunity and invasion inhibitory activity by using the primate malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi. We found that vivax malaria patient sera retained anti-PvAARP antibodies for at least one year without re-infection. Recombinant PvAARP protein was strongly recognized by knowlesi malaria patients. Antibody raised against the P. vivax and P. knowlesi AARP N-termini reacted with the apical side of the P. knowlesi merozoites and inhibited erythrocyte invasion by P. knowlesi in a concentration-dependent manner, thereby suggesting a cross-species nature of anti-PvAARP antibody against PkAARP. These results can be explained by B cell epitopes predicted in conserved surface-exposed regions of the AARP N-terminus in both species. The long-lived anti-PvAARP antibody response, cross-reactivity, and invasion inhibitory activity of anti-PvAARP support a critical role of AARP during the erythrocyte invasion and suggest that PvAARP induces long-lived cross-species protective immunity against P. vivax and P. knowlesi.
Fulltext Melastoma malabathricum (L.) Smith Ethnomedicinal Uses, Chemical Constituents, and Pharmacological Properties: A Review

Joffry SM, Yob NJ, Rofiee MS, Affandi MM, Suhaili Z, Othman F, et al.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2012;2012:258434.
PMID: 22242040 DOI: 10.1155/2012/258434

Melastoma malabathricum L. (Melastomataceae) is one of the 22 species found in the Southeast Asian region, including Malaysia. Considered as native to tropical and temperate Asia and the Pacific Islands, this commonly found small shrub has gained herbal status in the Malay folklore belief as well as the Indian, Chinese, and Indonesian folk medicines. Ethnopharmacologically, the leaves, shoots, barks, seeds, and roots of M. malabathricum have been used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, hemorrhoids, cuts and wounds, toothache, and stomachache. Scientific findings also revealed the wide pharmacological actions of various parts of M. malabthricum, such as antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antidiarrheal, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activities. Various types of phytochemical constituents have also been isolated and identifed from different parts of M. malabathricum. Thus, the aim of the present review is to present comprehensive information on ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical constituents, and pharmacological activities of M. malabathricum.
Comparative study of ovarian development in wild and captive-reared long-whiskered Sperata aor (Hamilton, 1822)

Kabir MA, Iqbal MM, Nandi SK, Khanam M, Sumon MAA, Tahiluddin AB, et al.

BMC Zool, 2023 Jul 24;8(1):10.
PMID: 37488631 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-023-00172-x

Long-whiskered catfish Sperata aor is a freshwater catfish known for its supreme flesh quality and fast growth, whose captive-reared broodstock denotes a difficult challenge for aquaculture. The reproductive dysfunctions in long-whiskered catfish raised in tank conditions were observed by comparing tissue biochemical composition and ovarian histology of wild female broodstock. Sixty (60) female broodstocks were used in the current study, consisting of 30 reared at sandy-muddy soil tank bottoms in captive conditions and 30 wild individuals collected from the haor basin during the breeding season. The fish reproductive state was investigated using the biometric and reproductive parameters, biochemical composition and levels of amino acids in the different tissues, and histological analysis of ovarian development. Results revealed that the biometrical parameters of wild and captive female broodstocks exhibited no remarkable difference (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, the wild fish had remarkably higher (p 0.05). However, two essential amino acids (EAA), i.e., lysine and phenylalanine, and two non-essential amino acids, i.e., glutamic acid and glycine, were highly significant differences (p
Fulltext A comparative study on characteristics of composite (Cr3C2-NiCr) clad developed through diode laser and microwave energy

Hebbale AM, Kumar M, Soudagar MEM, Ahamad T, Kalam MA, Mubarak NM, et al.

Sci Rep, 2023 Jul 04;13(1):10778.
PMID: 37402883 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37991-4

A typical ferrite/martensitic heat-resistant steel (T91) is widely used in reheaters, superheaters and power stations. Cr3C2-NiCr-based composite coatings are known for wear-resistant coatings at elevated temperature applications. The current work compares the microstructural studies of 75 wt% Cr3C2- 25 wt% NiCr-based composite clads developed through laser and microwave energy on a T91 steel substrate. The developed clads of both processes were characterized through a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) attached with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and assessment of Vickers microhardness. The Cr3C2-NiCr based clads of both processes revealed better metallurgical bonding with the chosen substrate. The microstructure of the developed laser clad shows a distinctive dense solidified structure, with a rich Ni phase occupying interdendritic spaces. In the case of microwave clad, the hard chromium carbide particles consistently dispersed within the soft nickel matrix. EDS study evidenced that the cell boundaries are lined with chromium where Fe and Ni were found inside the cells. The X-ray phase analysis of both the processes evidenced the common presence of phases like chromium carbides (Cr7C3, Cr3C2, Cr23C6), Iron Nickel (FeNi3) and chromium-nickel (Cr3Ni2, CrNi), despite these phases iron carbides (Fe7C3) are observed in the developed microwave clads. The homogeneous distributions of such carbides in the developed clad structure of both processes indicated higher hardness. The typical microhardness of the laser-clad (1142 ± 65HV) was about 22% higher than the microwave clad (940 ± 42 HV). Using a ball-on-plate test, the study analyzed microwave and laser-clad samples' wear behavior. Laser-cladding samples showed superior wear resistance due to hard carbide elements. At the same time, microwave-clad samples experienced more surface damage and material loss due to micro-cutting, loosening, and fatigue-induced fracture.
Morphological and molecular identification of lymnaeid snail and trematodes cercariae in different water bodies in Perak, Malaysia

Tookhy NA, Isa NMM, Mansor R, Rahaman YA, Ahmad NI, Bui DT, et al.

Parasitol Res, 2023 Jul;122(7):1475-1488.
PMID: 37145225 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07845-z

Lymnaeid snails play a crucial role in the transmission of trematode cercariae as an intermediate host that can infect humans, ruminants like buffalo, and other animals, resulting in serious economic losses. The purpose of the study was to identify the morphological and molecular characteristics of snails and cercariae collected from water bodies near buffalo farms that were integrated with palm oil in Perak, Malaysia. The presence or absence of snails in 35 water bodies was examined via cross-sectional study. From three marsh wetlands, 836 lymnaeid snails were gathered in total. Each snail's shell was morphologically identified to determine its family and species. The cercarial stage inside each snail's body was observed using the crushing method and trematode cercariae types were determined. In addition, the target gene Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (Cox1) and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region were used to identify the snail species and cercarial types according to the species level. The findings indicated that the collected snails belong to the family lymnaeidae and Radix rubiginosa species. In snails, the cercarial emergence infection rate was 8.7%. Echinostome, xiphidiocercariae, gymnocephalous, brevifurcate-apharyngeate distome cercariae (BADC), and longifurcate-pharyngeal monostome cercariae (LPMC) are the five morphological cercarial types that were observed. The cercariae were identified using morphological and molecular techniques, and they are members of the four families which are Echinostomatidae, Plagiorchiidae, Fasciolidae, and Schistosomatidae. Interestingly, this is the first study on R. rubiginosa and several trematode cercariae in Perak water bodies near buffalo farms that are integrated with palm oil. In conclusion, our research shown that a variety of parasitic trematodes in Perak use R. rubiginosa as an intermediate host.
Fulltext Worldwide Prevalence of Epstein-Barr Virus in Patients with Burkitt Lymphoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Al-Khreisat MJ, Ismail NH, Tabnjh A, Hussain FA, Mohamed Yusoff AA, Johan MF, et al.

Diagnostics (Basel), 2023 Jun 15;13(12).
PMID: 37370963 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13122068

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a form of B-cell malignancy that progresses aggressively and is most often seen in children. While Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a double-stranded DNA virus that has been linked to a variety of cancers, it can transform B lymphocytes into immortalized cells, as shown in BL. Therefore, the estimated prevalence of EBV in a population may assist in the prediction of whether this population has a high risk of increased BL cases. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus in patients with Burkitt lymphoma. Using the appropriate keywords, four electronic databases were searched. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool. The results were reported as percentages with a 95% confidence interval using a random-effects model (CI). PROSPERO was used to register the protocol (CRD42022372293), and 135 studies were included. The prevalence of Epstein-Barr virus in patients with Burkitt lymphoma was 57.5% (95% CI: 51.5 to 63.4, n = 4837). The sensitivity analyses demonstrated consistent results, and 65.2% of studies were of high quality. Egger's test revealed that there was a significant publication bias. EBV was found in a significantly high proportion of BL patients (more than 50% of BL patients). This study recommends EBV testing as an alternative for predictions and the assessment of the clinical disease status of BL.
Evaluation of transfer factors of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K radionuclides from soil to grass and mango in the northern region of Bangladesh

Siraz MMM, Das SK, Mondol MS, Alam MS, Al Mahmud J, Rashid MB, et al.

Environ Monit Assess, 2023 Apr 17;195(5):579.
PMID: 37067680 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11223-8

Bangladesh is a rapidly developing country, which is vulnerable to various types of pollution due to the large-scale industrial and associated human activities that might potentially affect the locally harvested foodstuffs. Therefore, the transfer factor is an essential tool to assess the safety of foodstuffs due to the presence of natural radioactivity in environmental matrix and/or strata. This is a first study of its kind conducted in a well-known region for mango farming in Bangladesh, measuring the uptake of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) by grass and mango from soil to assess the ingestion doses to humans. The HPGe gamma-ray detector was used to determine the concentrations of NORMs in samples of soil (20), grass (10), and mango (10), which were then used to calculate the transfer factors of soil to grass and soil to mango. Average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in associated soil samples (47.27 ± 4.10, 64.49 ± 4.32, 421.60 ± 28.85) of mango and 226Ra and 232Th in associated soil samples (45.07 ± 3.93, 52.17 ± 3.95) of grass were found to exceed the world average values. The average transfer factors (TFs) for mango were obtained in the order of 40K(0.80) > 226Ra (0.61) > 232Th (0.31), and for grass, it shows the order of 40K (0.78) > 232Th (0.64) > 226Ra (0.56). However, a few values (3 mango samples and 3 grass samples) of the estimated TFs exceeded the recommended limits. Moreover, Bangladesh lacks the transfer factors for most of the food crops; therefore, calculation of TFs in the major agricultural products is required all over Bangladesh, especially the foodstuffs produced near the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, which is scheduled to be commissioned in 2023.
Risk assessment of bisphenol analogues towards mortality, heart rate and stress-mediated gene expression in cladocerans Moina micrura

Razak MR, Aris AZ, Yusoff FM, Yusof ZNB, Abidin AAZ, Kim SD, et al.

Environ Geochem Health, 2023 Jun;45(6):3567-3583.
PMID: 36450975 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-022-01442-2

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine-disrupting compound that causes several toxic effects on human and aquatic organisms. The restriction of BPA in several applications has increased the substituted toxic chemicals such as bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS). A native tropical freshwater cladoceran, Moina micrura, was used as a bioindicator to assess the adverse effects of bisphenol analogues at molecular, organ, individual and population levels. Bisphenol analogues significantly upregulated the expressions of stress-related genes, which are the haemoglobin and glutathione S-transferase genes, but the sex determination genes such as doublesex and juvenile hormone analogue genes were not significantly different. The results show that bisphenol analogues affect the heart rate and mortality rate of M. micrura. The 48-h lethal concentration (LC50) values based on acute toxicity for BPA, BPF and BPS were 611.6 µg L-1, 632.0 µg L-1 and 819.1 µg L-1, respectively. The order of toxicity based on the LC50 and predictive non-effect concentration values were as follows: BPA > BPF > BPS. Furthermore, the incorporated method combining the responses throughout the organisation levels can comprehensively interpret the toxic effects of bisphenol analogues, thus providing further understanding of the toxicity mechanisms. Moreover, the output of this study produces a comprehensive ecotoxicity assessment, which provides insights for the legislators regarding exposure management and mitigation of bisphenol analogues in riverine ecosystems.
Risk of colorectal cancer due to Streptococcus gallolyticus: a systematic review

Mohammad Aidid E, Shalihin MSE, Md Nor A, Hamzah HA, Ab Hamid NF, Saipol Bahri NAN, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2023 May;78(3):404-410.
PMID: 37271851

INTRODUCTION: World Health Organization (2019) has declared colorectal cancer (CRC) as the second most common cancer in females and third in males, where the incidence seems to rise year by year. One of the very few potential pathogens specifically associated with malignant colonic diseases is Streptococcus gallolyticus (Sg). Sg is a part of the intestinal flora which formerly known as biotype I of Streptococcus bovis, belongs to Group D streptococci. Owing to only a few researches done in determining evidence to support Sg as a determinant of CRC, a systematic review is constructed.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Full-text articles on case-control and cohort studies published from 1st January 2010 to 1st October 2020 were searched using Google Scholar, PubMed and JSTOR. People of all age groups and Sg bacteraemia or colonisation were the type of participant and exposure used for the search strategy, respectively. Data collection was done by three reviewers and checked by two reviewers for discrepancies. All the papers were critically appraised using the STROBE statement. Qualitative synthesis was done by descriptive comparison, distribution of Sg according to stage comparison, method used for Sg detection comparison and risk of bias comparison.
RESULT: Seven out of 11 articles that fulfil the eligibility criteria were selected. Four papers have low overall risk of bias due to low confounding or selection bias. Sg is found to be a risk factor for CRC from three papers studied, whereas the other four papers did not include the strength of association. Only two papers studied the association between the distribution of Sg and stages of CRC, where the results were contradictory from each other, making it to be inconclusive. The most common method used for Sg detection is a culturing technique, followed by molecular and biochemical techniques.
CONCLUSION: There is insufficient evidence to prove the association between Sg bacteraemia as the risk factor for CRC as well as the association between the Sg distribution and stages of CRC. Culturing technique is the most common method used for the detection of bacteria, but it requires subsequent investigations to confirm the presence of Sg. Thus, it is recommended that more studies need to be done using strong statistical analysis to control for most of the confounders with comprehensive explanation and use of more methods in the detection of Sg.
Fulltext Hydroxylated polymethoxyflavones reduce the activity of pancreatic lipase, inhibit adipogenesis and enhance lipolysis in 3T3-L1 mouse embryonic fibroblast cells

Ahmad B, Friar EP, Vohra MS, Khan N, Serpell CJ, Garrett MD, et al.

Chem Biol Interact, 2023 Jul 01;379:110503.
PMID: 37084996 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2023.110503

Hydroxylated polymethoxyflavones (HPMFs) have been shown to possess various anti-disease effects, including against obesity. This study investigates the anti-obesity effects of HPMFs in further detail, aiming to gain understanding of their mechanism of action in this context. The current study demonstrates that two HPMFs; 3'-hydroxy-5,7,4',5'-tetramethoxyflavone (3'OH-TetMF) and 4'-hydroxy-5,7,3',5'-tetramethoxyflavone (4'OH-TetMF) possess anti-obesity effects. They both significantly reduced pancreatic lipase activity in a competitive manner as demonstrated by molecular docking and kinetic studies. In cell studies, it was revealed that both of the HPMFs suppress differentiation of 3T3-L1 mouse embryonic fibroblast cells during the early stages of adipogenesis. They also reduced expression of key adipogenic and lipogenic marker genes, namely peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α and β (C/EBP α and β), adipocyte binding protein 2 (aP2), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBF 1). They also enhanced the expression of cell cycle genes, i.e., cyclin D1 (CCND1) and C-Myc, and reduced cyclin A2 expression. When further investigated, it was also observed that these HPMFs accelerate lipid breakdown (lipolysis) and enhance lipolytic genes expression. Moreover, they also reduced the secretion of proteins (adipokines), including pro-inflammatory cytokines, from mature adipocytes. Taken together, this study concludes that these HPMFs have anti-obesity effects, which are worthy of further investigation.
Fulltext Provision of renal-specific nutrition knowledge for changing dietary practice in Bangladeshi hemodialysis patients

Rahman T, Ahmed S, Kabir MR, Akhtaruzzaman M, Mitali EJ, Rashid HU, et al.

PEC Innov, 2022 Dec;1:100028.
PMID: 37213733 DOI: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100028

OBJECTIVE: Studies show that provision of nutrition knowledge help renal patients make informed food choices. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of nutrition knowledge for changing dietary practice among Bangladeshi dialysis patients.
METHODS: Following development of a renal-specific nutrition booklet, a pilot study was conducted among 50 hemodialysis patients from a single dialysis setting. Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, biochemical, dietary data, and a 10-item MCQ on renal-specific nutrition information were collected before and 3 months after the provision of the booklet.
RESULTS: 52% of the participants were male, 54% had twice weekly dialysis, age 53 ± 12 years, and dialysis vintage was 46 ± 25 months. Serum potassium and phosphorous, dietary potassium, phosphorous, and phosphorous to protein ratio were significantly reduced after the provision of the booklet. Additionally, patients consuming >3 meals/day increased to 66% while adherence to renal-specific cooking method and vegetable preference were significantly increased to 70% and 62%, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Provision of knowledge via renal-specific nutrition booklet was able to improve patients' dietary practice and enhance their dietary adherence to renal specific recommendations.
INNOVATION: The booklet was developed using locally available food items in local language and was found beneficial in low-resource settings where overall health care facilities, including nutrition support are limited.

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