Mushroom cultivation has become an important component of agriculture, providing food and contributing to the global economy. It uses vertical space and addresses issues of food quality, health improvement, and environmental sustainability. Auricularia mushrooms are popular ingredients in traditional Chinese cuisine. The objective of this study was to determine yield and evaluate radical scavenging capacity of A. polytricha cultivated on rubberwood sawdust on a large scale; we measured total phenolic content; DPPH, hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and peroxyl radical scavenging; and reducing power. Cultivation on rubberwood sawdust produces an average of 4 harvests per bag and a biological efficiency of 80-82%. The antioxidant capacity investigations revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction was the most potent radical scavenger in all assays except that for superoxide anions, whereas the aqueous fraction exhibited mild to moderate antioxidant capacity in scavenging the various radicals. Artificial cultivation of A. polytricha on rubberwood sawdust yields many sporophores with potent antioxidant capacity.
INTRODUCTION: E-cigarette use is an emerging phenomenon with increasing recognition and acceptance globally. This study aims to create a profile of e-cigarette users among university students in Malaysia.
METHODS: The study was conducted using a cross-sectional research involving six universities in Malaysia. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to 1302 randomly selected students, who either smoked cigarettes and/or e-cigarettes. The 2011 version of Global Adult Tobacco Surveys (GATS) tool was used to record the respondents' sociodemographic data.
RESULTS: The study revealed that 74.9% of the respondents smoked e-cigarettes; 40.3% used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes (dual users), and 34.5% were exclusive e-cigarette users. The exclusive use of e-cigarettes was related to gender (OR=0.18, 95% CI: 0.09-0.39). Also, male respondents were the majority users (95%). Of the respondents, 75.2 % were Malays, 98.0% single and most believed they have no health problems (92.1%). Further findings revealed the occurrence of adverse effects, dizziness 14.4%, cough 14.1%, and headaches 12.4%. Overall, 57.8% of the respondents used e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool, while others consider e-cigarettes a self-image enhancing tool or as part of social activities.
CONCLUSIONS: Further research on the use of e-cigarettes should be conducted on a large number of respondents in other settings to augment the findings of this study, and also guide policy making on and prevention practice of e-cigarette use, among the general student population in Malaysia.