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  1. Leave methamphetamine to be alive--Part II
    Islam MN, Khan J, Jaafar H
    Leg Med (Tokyo), 2009 Apr;11 Suppl 1:S143-6.
    PMID: 19345604 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2009.02.045
    Series of experiments have been completed with Methamphetamine (MA). Some were with the higher, medium or lower duration of MA administration and some were with acute or chronic doses. Whatever may be the dose or duration the ultimate result came out with the further establishment of cardio-toxic effect of this drug. Cardiovascular symptoms related to MA toxicity include chest pain, palpitations, dyspnoea, hypertension, tachycardia, atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, and myocardial ischemia. MA abusers often go through a repeated pattern of frequent drug administrations followed by a period of abstinence. Previous studies have focused largely upon the chronic effect of MA intake to major organs, such as the brains and the heart, by using animal experiments. However, there is a lack of research into the effects of acute dose of MA, especially pertaining to the heart. To clarify the effect of MA on myocardium, 22 male Wister rats aged six weeks were divided into MA, Placebo (P) and Control (C) group were examined following single intraperitoneal administration of MA at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight. Normal saline was similarly injected in P group. Light microscopic changes was seen in the myocardium of MA treated group including cellular infiltration, with clusters of macrophage-like cells having large nuclei and little cytoplasm evident in the sub-endocardium region. There were presence of few macrophages, leucocytes, and spindle-like fibroblasts. Bringing in to account of cardiac changes by a single dose of MA, slogan should be voiced out to leave methamphetamine.
  2. Dental education: geopolitical crises
    Simon SS, Ramachandra SS, Abdullah DF, Islam MN
    Br Dent J, 2014 Aug;217(3):106.
    PMID: 25104668 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2014.654
  3. Factors associated with the timing of antenatal care seeking in Bangladesh
    Kamal SM, Hassan CH, Islam MN
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2015 Mar;27(2):NP1467-80.
    PMID: 24097925 DOI: 10.1177/1010539513485786
    This study investigates the factors affecting the timing of antenatal care (ANC) seeking among Bangladeshi women using the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data. Overall, 52% of the most recently pregnant women sought skilled ANC. The most pronounced reason for not receiving the services was that it was "not needed." Of the women who sought ANC, 57% entered for ANC at the fourth month or later. The multivariate regression analysis revealed that maternal age, women's education, residence, wealth index, pregnancy intention status, child's birth order, and wanting more children were the important determinants of ANC services utilization. Wanting more children and contraception use were no longer independent contributors to late ANC entry. These barriers should also be addressed as part of health interventions through information education and communication programs to early entry to ANC. The need to reduce financial barriers to care is a major implication of this study.
  4. Histopathological studies of cardiac lesions after long term administration of methamphetamine in high dosage--Part II
    Islam MN, Jesmine K, Kong Sn Molh A, Hasnan J
    Leg Med (Tokyo), 2009 Apr;11 Suppl 1:S147-50.
    PMID: 19345131 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2009.02.035
    A small amount of Methamphetamine (MA) can produce behavioural changes such as euphoria, increased alertness, paranoia, decreased appetite and increased physical activity. In cardiovascular system, it can produce chest pain and hypertension which can result in cardiovascular collapse. In addition, MA causes accelerated heartbeat, elevated blood pressure. It can also cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain. A number of sympathomimetic amines are capable of causing myocardial damage, but the cardio-toxic action of MA has been of particular interest since standardized dosage consistently produces myocardial lesions. As this drug is a choice of many teenagers and young adults, the damage to their health, as well as their future aspects could be greatly affected, therefore more evidence must be sought to convince them the negative root and show them the optimism of recovery and salvation. To clarify the effect of Methamphetamine (MA) on myocardium, 56 male Wister rats aged four weeks were divided equally into MA, Methamphetamine withdrawal (MW), Placebo (P) and Control (C) group were examined following daily intra-peritoneal administration of MA at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight for 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Normal saline was similarly injected in P group. Light microscopic changes was seen in the myocardium of MA treated group including eosinophilic degeneration, atrophy, hypertrophy, disarray, edema, cellular infiltration, myolysis, granulation tissue, fibrosis and vacuolization. On the other hand, the withdrawal group showed evidence of gradual recovery of those myocardial changes. Optimism is therefore generated about possibility of returning towards normal by withdrawing of this drug by the addicts.
  5. Fulltext Pattern of Sexual Offences Attended at Accident and Emergency Department of HUSM from Year 2000 to 2003: A Retrospective Study
    Islam MN, See KL, Ting LC, Khan J
    Malays J Med Sci, 2006 Jan;13(1):30-6.
    PMID: 22589588
    This paper investigates the pattern of sexual offence cases attended at the One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC) of the Accident and Emergency Department, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan. A total of 439 reported sexual offence cases were examined over a period of 4 years from 2000 to 2003. Sexual offence constituted by male partner or boyfriend in 18.9%, by relatives in 27.3% and by "others" in 53.8% of cases. Only 0.7% of victims did not attempt to lodge a police report. There is a significant relationship between occupation and the risk of experiencing sexual violence. Students were mostly targeted by the perpetrator throughout the study period. Among the offences, rape cases were the highest in number, among those who attended at the OSCC, HUSM with a total of 72.7%; followed by 27.3% of incest; 26.4% of child sexual abuse; 4.8% of sodomy and lastly 1.6% of gerontophilia cases. Only 70% of the specimens obtained from sexual offences victims were sent for laboratory analysis. The result remained negative in 82.4% specimens and thus the laboratory analysis result is merely functioning as a supportive evidence for sexual offence cases attended at OSCC. The studies showed that most of the sexual assault perpetrators were known to the victims. The place of crime was also known to the perpetrators. Health sectors of various levels should be working in conjunction to promote a societal changes to improve more of the women's right and thus to reduce the violence crime.
  6. Fulltext Effects of an indigenous contraceptive herbal formulation on gonadotrophs of the pituitary gland of the rat
    Islam MN, Sulaiman SA, Kapitonova MY, Jamallullail SM
    Malays J Med Sci, 2007 Jan;14(1):23-7.
    PMID: 22593648
    An indigenous contraceptive herbal formulation consisting of a mixture of Lepidagathis longifolia, Palaquium sp and Phyllagathis rotundifolia is being used by the Temuan Aborigins of Malaysia. Although the previous studies demonstrated that this contraceptive herbal formulation causes anovulatory estrous cycle, altered circulating hormone levels and fetal resorption in rats, but the effects of this formulation on the gonadotrphs of the pituitary gland are yet to be evaluated. The present study was designed to observe the morphometric changes of the gonadotrophs and the plasma concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone and leutinizing hormone. Thirty five Sprague-Dawley adult female rats were randomly divided into 5 groups. Experimental animals were given a combined herbal extract or individual herbal extract at a dose of 540 mg/kg/day subcutaneously for 7 days. Immunostained gonadotrophs were studied by using image analyzer. FSH and LH serum concentrations were determined using RIA. The FSH and LH concentrations were low in animals that received combined herbal extract (p<0.01). FSH concentration was noted to be significantly low in animals that received P. rotundifolia (p<0.05). The mean cell area and cell density of gonadotrophs of animals that received combined herbal extract were significantly low compared to control group (p<0.05). It was concluded that the herbal extracts do suppress the production of gonaotrophins along with the demonstrable suppresive effect on the FSH cells.
  7. Students' perceptions of 'technology-based' lecture handouts
    Islam MN, Majumder MA, Ja'afar R, Rahman S
    Malays J Med Sci, 2005 Jan;12(1):26-8.
    PMID: 22605944
    Lecture handouts are widely used instructional tools. Handouts supplement rather than substitute students' regular reading. It is now a common practice to supply PowerPoint handouts and publish lecture handouts on the web for students' access. A study was conducted among the first year medical students (n=142) of School of Medical Sciences (SMS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in order to determine their perceptions and expectations with regards to lecture handouts provided to them. The majority of the students reported that they read the lecture handouts as a reference and found them useful as a guide for future learning. More than half (68%) of the students expressed dissatisfaction with the overall presentation format of the handouts which is mainly technology-related i.e. PowerPoint and photocopying. This study indicated that students' expectations and experiences were positive towards the use of handouts. They used handouts as a means of supplementing rather than substituting their learning. Much care is needed when educators supply computer-based handouts, as this study shows a number of limitations when students use them. Medical schools should consider publishing web-based handouts with online and other facilities to make it interesting and effective.
  8. Design and synthesis of mono and bicyclic tetrapeptides thioester as potent inhibitor of histone deacetylases
    Hoque MA, Islam MS, Islam MN, Kato T, Nishino N, Ito A, et al.
    Amino Acids, 2014 Oct;46(10):2435-44.
    PMID: 25048030 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-014-1800-5
    Inhibitors of histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a promising class of anticancer agents that have an effect on gene regulation. The naturally occurring cyclic depsipeptide FK228 containing disulfide and Largazole possessing thioester functionalities act as pro-drugs and share the same HDAC inhibition mechanism in cell. Inspired from these facts, we have reported bicyclic tetrapeptide disulfide HDAC inhibitors resembling FK228 with potent activity and enhanced selectivity. In the present study, we report the design and synthesis of several mono and bicyclic tetrapeptide thioester HDAC inhibitors that share the inhibition mechanism similar to Largazole. Most of the compounds showed HDAC1 and HDAC4 inhibition and p21 promoting activity in nanomolar ranges. Among these the monocyclic peptides 1, 2 and bicyclic peptide, 4 are notable demanding more advanced research to be promising anticancer drug candidates.
  9. Production and modification of nanofibrillated cellulose using various mechanical processes: a review
    Abdul Khalil HP, Davoudpour Y, Islam MN, Mustapha A, Sudesh K, Dungani R, et al.
    Carbohydr Polym, 2014 Jan;99:649-65.
    PMID: 24274556 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.08.069
    Nanofibrillated cellulose from biomass has recently gained attention owing to their biodegradable nature, low density, high mechanical properties, economic value and renewability. Although they still suffer from two major drawbacks. The first challenge is the exploration of raw materials and its application in nanocomposites production. Second one is high energy consumption regarding the mechanical fibrillation. However, pretreatments before mechanical isolation can overcome this problem. Hydrophilic nature of nano-size cellulose fibers restricts good dispersion of these materials in hydrophobic polymers and therefore, leads to lower mechanical properties. Surface modification before or after mechanical defibrillation could be a solution for this problem. Additionally, drying affects the size of nanofibers and its properties which needs to study further. This review focuses on recent developments in pretreatments, nanofibrillated cellulose production and its application in nanopaper applications, coating additives, security papers, food packaging, and surface modifications and also for first time its drying.
  10. Fulltext Natural weathering studies of oil palm trunk lumber (OPTL) green polymer composites enhanced with oil palm shell (OPS) nanoparticles
    Islam MN, Dungani R, Abdul Khalil H, Alwani MS, Nadirah WW, Fizree HM
    Springerplus, 2013;2:592.
    PMID: 25674417 DOI: 10.1186/2193-1801-2-592
    In this study, a green composite was produced from Oil Palm Trunk Lumber (OPTL) by impregnating oil palm shell (OPS) nanoparticles with formaldehyde resin. The changes of physical, mechanical and morphological properties of the OPS nanoparticles impregnated OPTL as a result of natural weathering was investigated. The OPS fibres were ground with a ball-mill for producing nanoparticles before being mixed with the phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin at a concentration of 1, 3, 5 and 10% w/w basis and impregnated into the OPTL by vacuum-pressure method. The treated OPTL samples were exposed to natural weathering for the period of 6 and 12 months in West Java, Indonesia according to ASTM D1435-99 standard. Physical and mechanical tests were done for analyzing the changes in phenol formaldehyde-nanoparticles impregnated (PF-NPI) OPTL. FT-IR and SEM studies were done to analyze the morphological changes. The results showed that both exposure time of weathering and concentration of PF-NPI had significant impact on physical and mechanical properties of OPTL. The longer exposure of samples to weathering condition reduced the wave numbers during FT-IR test. However, all these physical, mechanical and morphological changes were significant when compared with the untreated samples or only PF impregnated samples. Thus, it can be concluded that PF-NP impregnation into OPTL improved the resistance against natural weathering and would pave the ground for improved products from OPTL for outdoor conditions.
  11. A model of chlorpyrifos distribution and its biochemical effects on the liver and kidneys of rats
    Tanvir EM, Afroz R, Chowdhury M, Gan SH, Karim N, Islam MN, et al.
    Hum Exp Toxicol, 2016 Sep;35(9):991-1004.
    PMID: 26519480 DOI: 10.1177/0960327115614384
    This study investigated the main target sites of chlorpyrifos (CPF), its effect on biochemical indices, and the pathological changes observed in rat liver and kidney function using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Adult female Wistar rats (n = 12) were randomly assigned into two groups (one control and one test group; n = 6 each). The test group received CPF via oral gavage for 21 days at 5 mg/kg daily. The distribution of CPF was determined in various organs (liver, brain, heart, lung, kidney, ovary, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle), urine and stool samples using GCMS. Approximately 6.18% of CPF was distributed in the body tissues, and the highest CPF concentration (3.80%) was found in adipose tissue. CPF also accumulated in the liver (0.29%), brain (0.22%), kidney (0.10%), and ovary (0.03%). Approximately 83.60% of CPF was detected in the urine. CPF exposure resulted in a significant increase in plasma transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin levels, a significant reduction in total protein levels and an altered lipid profile. Oxidative stress due to CPF administration was also evidenced by a significant increase in liver malondialdehyde levels. The detrimental effects of CPF on kidney function consisted of a significant increase in plasma urea and creatinine levels. Liver and kidney histology confirmed the observed biochemical changes. In conclusion, CPF bioaccumulates over time and exerts toxic effects on animals.
  12. Fulltext Efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy for treatment of dental phobia: a randomized control trial
    Raghav K, Van Wijk AJ, Abdullah F, Islam MN, Bernatchez M, De Jongh A
    BMC Oral Health, 2016 Feb 27;16:25.
    PMID: 26920573 DOI: 10.1186/s12903-016-0186-z
    BACKGROUND: Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is found to be a promising and a viable alternative for in vivo exposure in the treatment of specific phobias. However, its usefulness for treating dental phobia is unexplored. The aims of the present study are to determine: (a) the efficacy of VRET versus informational pamphlet (IP) control group in terms of dental trait and state anxiety reductions at 1 week, 3 months and 6 months follow-up (b) the real-time physiological arousal [heart rate (HR)] of VRET group participants during and following therapy (c) the relation between subjective (presence) and objective (HR) measures during VRET.

    METHODS: This study is a single blind, randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms in which participants will be allocated to VRET or IP with a ratio of 1:1. Thirty participants (18-50 years) meeting the Phobia Checklist criteria of dental phobia will undergo block randomization with allocation concealment. The primary outcome measures include participants' dental trait anxiety (Modified Dental Anxiety Scale and Dental Fear Survey) and state anxiety (Visual Analogue Scale) measured at baseline (T0), at intervention (T1), 1-week (T2), 3 months (T3) and 6 months (T4) follow-up. A behavior test will be conducted before and after the intervention. The secondary outcome measures are real-time evaluation of HR and VR (Virtual Reality) experience (presence, realism, nausea) during and following the VRET intervention respectively. The data will be analyzed using intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis.

    DISCUSSION: This study uses novel non-invasive VRET, which may provide a possible alternative treatment for dental anxiety and phobia.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN25824611 , Date of registration: 26 October 2015.

  13. Formulation and Characterization of Formaldehyde-Free Chemically Modified Bone-Based Adhesive for Lignocellulosic Composite Products
    Islam MN, Liza AA, Khatun ML, Faruk MO, Das AK, Dey M, et al.
    Glob Chall, 2021 Sep;5(9):2100002.
    PMID: 34504715 DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202100002
    This study investigates the efficacy of chemically modified bone adhesive as a formaldehyde-free binder for wood-based industries. Two different types of adhesive are formulated after chemical modification of bone powder using sulfuric acid (0.5 m) and polyvinyl acetate (PVA). Gel time, solid content, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), viscosity, and single lap joint test for shear strength are analyzed in order to assess the adhesive properties. To analyze the efficacy of the formulated adhesive, particleboards are fabricated using boiled and unboiled sugarcane bagasse. The physical and mechanical properties of the fabricated panels are measured following ASTM standards. It is found that adhesive Type C (T-C) has the shortest gel time of 4.2 min for the highest shear strength, i.e., 5.31 MPa. The particleboard (BTC-2) fabricated using T-C adhesive shows a highest density of 0.73 g cm-3, a modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 1975 N mm-2, and a modulus of rupture (MOR) of 11.80 N mm-2. The dimensional stability of the fabricated particleboards does not follow the standard requirements; however, further study might be helpful for using the chemically modified bone adhesive as a biobased adhesive.
  14. Fulltext Lessons learned from the disruption of dental training of Malaysian students studying in Egypt during the Arab spring
    Simon SS, Ramachandra SS, Abdullah DD, Islam MN, Kalyan CG
    Educ Health (Abingdon), 2016 May-Aug;29(2):124-7.
    PMID: 27549650 DOI: 10.4103/1357-6283.188753
    BACKGROUND: Political crisis and worsening security situation in Egypt in late 2013 resulted in Malaysian students who were pursuing their dental education in Egypt being recalled home to Malaysia. The Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia took steps to integrate these students into public and private universities in Malaysia.

    METHODS: We used a questionnaire and informal interviews to learn from students returning from Egypt about their experiences transitioning from dental schools in Egypt to Malaysia.

    RESULTS: We discuss the challenges students faced with regards to credit transfer, pastoral care, the differences in the curriculum between the dental faculties of the two nations, and the financial implications of this disruption of their training.

    DISCUSSION: We live in a fragile world where similar political situations will surely arise again. The approaches used by the Malaysian government and the lessons learned from these students may help others. The perspectives of these students may help educators reintegrate expatriate students who are displaced by political instability back into the education system of their own countries.
  15. MULTILEVEL LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING BODY MASS INDEX AMONG BANGLADESHI MARRIED NON-PREGNANT WOMEN
    Kamruzzaman M, Mamun ASMA, Bakar SMA, Saw A, Kamarul T, Islam MN, et al.
    J Biosoc Sci, 2017 Jul;49(4):498-508.
    PMID: 27866490 DOI: 10.1017/S0021932016000572
    The aim of this study was to investigate the socioeconomic and demographic factors influencing the body mass index (BMI) of non-pregnant married Bangladeshi women of reproductive age. Secondary (Hierarchy) data from the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, collected using two-stage stratified cluster sampling, were used. Two-level linear regression analysis was performed to remove the cluster effect of the variables. The mean BMI of married non-pregnant Bangladeshi women was 21.60±3.86 kg/m2, and the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity was 22.8%, 14.9% and 3.2%, respectively. After removing the cluster effect, age and age at first marriage were found to be positively (p<0.01) related with BMI. Number of children was negatively related with women's BMI. Lower BMI was especially found among women from rural areas and poor families, with an uneducated husband, with no television at home and who were currently breast-feeding. Age, total children ever born, age at first marriage, type of residence, education level, level of husband's education, wealth index, having a television at home and practising breast-feeding were found to be important predictors for the BMI of married Bangladeshi non-pregnant women of reproductive age. This information could be used to identify sections of the Bangladeshi population that require special attention, and to develop more effective strategies to resolve the problem of malnutrition.
  16. Fulltext Prevalence and associated factors of contraceptive discontinuation and switching among Bangladeshi married women of reproductive age
    Mahumud RA, Hossain MG, Sarker AR, Islam MN, Hossain MR, Saw A, et al.
    Open Access J Contracept, 2015;6:13-19.
    PMID: 29386920 DOI: 10.2147/OAJC.S76070
    Introduction: Contraceptive discontinuation is a worldwide incident that may be connected with low incentive to avoid pregnancy. Contraceptive discontinuation highly contributes to unplanned pregnancy and unwanted births.

    Objectives: The objective of this study was to observe the prevalence of discontinuation and switching of contraceptive methods among Bangladeshi married women. In addition, the sociodemographic factors associated with contraceptive discontinuation and switching were assessed.

    Methods: Secondary cross-sectional data was used in this study. A total of 16,273 married Bangladeshi women of reproductive age (15-49 years) were considered in the present study, from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2011. Logistic regression models were used to determine the relationships between key sociodemographic factors and user status.

    Results: The prevalence of discontinuation and switching of contraceptive method among women were 38.4% and 15.4%, respectively. The logistic regression model demonstrated that women in early reproductive years (25-29 years and 30-34 years) significantly more often (odds ratio [OR] =0.84 and 0.71, respectively) discontinued use of contraceptives. Significantly higher rates of discontinuation were pronounced among women who used the pill (OR =0.72) and injectable contraception users (OR =0.60), had small family size (OR =0.49), lived in a rural community (OR =1.65), and who were less educated (OR =1.55).

    Conclusion: Contraceptive discontinuation may reflect an association among less education, currently married, and smaller family size. Awareness of contraceptive methods can decrease the burden of unplanned pregnancies and thus progresses the family planning program.
  17. Fulltext Control of Plant Viral Diseases by CRISPR/Cas9: Resistance Mechanisms, Strategies and Challenges in Food Crops
    Shahriar SA, Islam MN, Chun CNW, Rahim MA, Paul NC, Uddain J, et al.
    Plants (Basel), 2021 Jun 22;10(7).
    PMID: 34206201 DOI: 10.3390/plants10071264
    Protecting food crops from viral pathogens is a significant challenge for agriculture. An integral approach to genome-editing, known as CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR associated protein 9), is used to produce virus-resistant cultivars. The CRISPR/Cas9 tool is an essential part of modern plant breeding due to its attractive features. Advances in plant breeding programs due to the incorporation of Cas9 have enabled the development of cultivars with heritable resistance to plant viruses. The resistance to viral DNA and RNA is generally provided using the Cas9 endonuclease and sgRNAs (single-guide RNAs) complex, targeting particular virus and host plant genomes by interrupting the viral cleavage or altering the plant host genome, thus reducing the replication ability of the virus. In this review, the CRISPR/Cas9 system and its application to staple food crops resistance against several destructive plant viruses are briefly described. We outline the key findings of recent Cas9 applications, including enhanced virus resistance, genetic mechanisms, research strategies, and challenges in economically important and globally cultivated food crop species. The research outcome of this emerging molecular technology can extend the development of agriculture and food security. We also describe the information gaps and address the unanswered concerns relating to plant viral resistance mediated by CRISPR/Cas9.
  18. Diagnosis of hearing deficiency using EEG based AEP signals: CWT and improved-VGG16 pipeline
    Islam MN, Sulaiman N, Farid FA, Uddin J, Alyami SA, Rashid M, et al.
    PeerJ Comput Sci, 2021;7:e638.
    PMID: 34712786 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.638
    Hearing deficiency is the world's most common sensation of impairment and impedes human communication and learning. Early and precise hearing diagnosis using electroencephalogram (EEG) is referred to as the optimum strategy to deal with this issue. Among a wide range of EEG control signals, the most relevant modality for hearing loss diagnosis is auditory evoked potential (AEP) which is produced in the brain's cortex area through an auditory stimulus. This study aims to develop a robust intelligent auditory sensation system utilizing a pre-train deep learning framework by analyzing and evaluating the functional reliability of the hearing based on the AEP response. First, the raw AEP data is transformed into time-frequency images through the wavelet transformation. Then, lower-level functionality is eliminated using a pre-trained network. Here, an improved-VGG16 architecture has been designed based on removing some convolutional layers and adding new layers in the fully connected block. Subsequently, the higher levels of the neural network architecture are fine-tuned using the labelled time-frequency images. Finally, the proposed method's performance has been validated by a reputed publicly available AEP dataset, recorded from sixteen subjects when they have heard specific auditory stimuli in the left or right ear. The proposed method outperforms the state-of-art studies by improving the classification accuracy to 96.87% (from 57.375%), which indicates that the proposed improved-VGG16 architecture can significantly deal with AEP response in early hearing loss diagnosis.
  19. A real-time approach of diagnosing rice leaf disease using deep learning-based faster R-CNN framework
    Bari BS, Islam MN, Rashid M, Hasan MJ, Razman MAM, Musa RM, et al.
    PeerJ Comput Sci, 2021;7:e432.
    PMID: 33954231 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.432
    The rice leaves related diseases often pose threats to the sustainable production of rice affecting many farmers around the world. Early diagnosis and appropriate remedy of the rice leaf infection is crucial in facilitating healthy growth of the rice plants to ensure adequate supply and food security to the rapidly increasing population. Therefore, machine-driven disease diagnosis systems could mitigate the limitations of the conventional methods for leaf disease diagnosis techniques that is often time-consuming, inaccurate, and expensive. Nowadays, computer-assisted rice leaf disease diagnosis systems are becoming very popular. However, several limitations ranging from strong image backgrounds, vague symptoms' edge, dissimilarity in the image capturing weather, lack of real field rice leaf image data, variation in symptoms from the same infection, multiple infections producing similar symptoms, and lack of efficient real-time system mar the efficacy of the system and its usage. To mitigate the aforesaid problems, a faster region-based convolutional neural network (Faster R-CNN) was employed for the real-time detection of rice leaf diseases in the present research. The Faster R-CNN algorithm introduces advanced RPN architecture that addresses the object location very precisely to generate candidate regions. The robustness of the Faster R-CNN model is enhanced by training the model with publicly available online and own real-field rice leaf datasets. The proposed deep-learning-based approach was observed to be effective in the automatic diagnosis of three discriminative rice leaf diseases including rice blast, brown spot, and hispa with an accuracy of 98.09%, 98.85%, and 99.17% respectively. Moreover, the model was able to identify a healthy rice leaf with an accuracy of 99.25%. The results obtained herein demonstrated that the Faster R-CNN model offers a high-performing rice leaf infection identification system that could diagnose the most common rice diseases more precisely in real-time.
  20. Fulltext Resveratrol treatment modulates several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory genes expression and ameliorated oxidative stress mediated fibrosis in the kidneys of high-fat diet-fed rats
    Chowdhury FI, Yasmin T, Akter R, Islam MN, Hossain MM, Khan F, et al.
    Saudi Pharm J, 2022 Oct;30(10):1454-1463.
    PMID: 36387333 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2022.07.006
    Objective: Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound that possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study evaluated the effects of resveratrol on oxidative stress, fibrosis and multiple genes regulation in the kidneys of high fat (HF) diet-fed rats.

    Methods: Wistar rats were fed with HF diet for eight weeks. These rats were also treated with resveratrol for eight weeks. Finally, kidney tissue samples were isolated from all sacrificed rats. The histological changes, creatinine and uric acid levels, oxidative stress parameters such as malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide, and advanced oxidation protein product (AOPP) levels were analyzed. The antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels; gene expression of inflammatory and fibrosis-related genes namely, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1), and collagen-1 were assessed. Moreover, gene expression of oxidative stress-related genes such as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), SOD, catalase, and glutathione reductase, were also assessed.

    Results: HF diet-fed rats showed increased creatinine and uric acid levels in plasma which were lowered by resveratrol treatment. The study findings also revealed that resveratrol counterbalanced the oxidative stress and prevented the expression of the inflammatory genes; restored the catalase and SOD activities followed by the up-regulation of antioxidant genes expression in the kidneys of HF diet-fed rats. HF diet caused the Nrf-2 down-regulation followed by the decreased expression of HO-1 and HO-2 genes, which was restored by resveratrol treatment. Moreover, the histological assessment showed lipotoxicity and increased fibrosis in the kidneys of HF diet-fed rats. Resveratrol prevented the kidney fibrosis probably by limiting oxidative stress, inflammation, and down-regulating TGF-β1 mediated signaling pathway.

    Conclusion: In conclusion, resveratrol treatment showed beneficial effects in preventing oxidative stress and fibrosis in the kidneys of HF diet-fed rats probably by modulating the gene expression of oxidative stress and inflammation related factors and enzymes.

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