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Fulltext Tobacco smoking and its association with illicit drug use among young men aged 15-24 years living in urban slums of Bangladesh

Kabir MA, Goh KL, Kamal SM, Khan MM

PLoS One, 2013;8(7):e68728.
PMID: 23935885 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068728

Tobacco smoking (TS) and illicit drug use (IDU) are of public health concerns especially in developing countries, including Bangladesh. This paper aims to (i) identify the determinants of TS and IDU, and (ii) examine the association of TS with IDU among young slum dwellers in Bangladesh.
Tobacco consumption and illegal drug use among Bangladeshi males: association and determinants

Kabir MA, Goh KL, Khan MM

Am J Mens Health, 2013 Mar;7(2):128-37.
PMID: 23065136 DOI: 10.1177/1557988312462737

This article aimed to identify the determinants of tobacco consumption and illegal drug use (IDU) as well as to examine the association between these two variables using a representative sample of 3,771 Bangladeshi males aged 15 to 54 years. Data were collected through Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2007. To identify the determinants, the patterns of tobacco consumption and IDU were analyzed by age, education and occupation, residence, mass media, premarital sex, wealth, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Prevalence of smoking cigarette and bidi was roughly 60%. However, the prevalence of IDU was 3.4%, and this proportion is statistically significant (Z = 11.32, p = .000). After bivariate analysis, almost all variables except STIs were significantly associated with tobacco consumption. Similarly, all variables except residence and mass media were associated with IDU. Based on multivariable adjusted logistic regression analysis, the likelihood of using IDU was approximately twofold (odds ratio [OR] = 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23-2.53) among bidi smokers and fourfold (OR = 3.8, 95% CI = 2.62-5.56) among cigarette smokers as compared with nonsmokers.
Adolescent tobacco use and its determinants: evidence from Global Youth Tobacco Survey, Bangladesh 2007

Kabir MA, Goh KL, Khan MM

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2015 Mar;27(2):NP1578-90.
PMID: 23359868 DOI: 10.1177/1010539512472357

Adolescent tobacco use (ATU) is on the rise worldwide and the problem is particularly severe in developing countries. Based on nationally representative data, this study aims to investigate the association between ATU and its possible correlates for Bangladesh, where the prevalence rate of ATU is high. The data set is extracted from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey for Bangladesh conducted in 2007. The survey collected information from a total of 3113 students from 52 schools, with a response rate of 100% at the school level, while a response rate of 88.9% was achieved from the students. Students covered in the survey were in grades 7, 8, 9, and 10, with age ranging from 11 to 17 years. The prevalence rate of ATU at the time of the survey was 8.4%, while 35.6% of the students had used at least a type of tobacco products before. Logistic regressions were used to obtain the odds ratios (ORs) in favor of ATU for each of the possible determinants and the confidence intervals (CIs) of these ratios. Use of tobacco among friends (OR = 3.46; CI = 2.37-5.05), the experience of seeing others smoking at home (OR = 2.10; CI = 1.36-3.22) or other places (OR = 1.6; CI = 1.02-2.57), receiving pocket money (OR = 7.6; CI = 4.59-13.28), receiving free tobacco from vendors (OR = 2.3; CI = 1.44-3.78), and exposure to advertisements and promotions of tobacco products (OR = 1.83; CI = 1.23-2.79) were associated with a higher likelihood of ATU. Increased awareness of health hazards of tobacco use through education in schools helped mitigate the problem of ATU. The findings of this study have ramifications for tobacco control prevention strategies in Bangladesh.
Safe delivery practices: experience from cross-sectional data of Bangladeshi women

Kabir MA, Goh KL, Khan MM, Al-Amin AQ, Azam MN

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2015 Mar;27(2):NP1170-81.
PMID: 22426560 DOI: 10.1177/1010539512437401

This study examines the safe delivery practices of Bangladeshi women using data on 4905 ever-married women aged 15 to 49 years from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Variables that included age, region of origin, education level of respondent and spouse, residence, working status, religion, involvement in NGOs, mass media exposure, and wealth index were analyzed to find correlates of safe delivery practices. More than 80% of the deliveries took place at home, and only 18% were under safe and hygienic conditions. The likelihood of safe deliveries was significantly lower among younger and older mothers than middle-aged mothers and higher among educated mothers and those living in urban areas. Economically better-off mothers and those with greater exposure to mass media had a significantly higher incidence of safe delivery practices. A significant association with religion and safe delivery practices was revealed. Demographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and programmatic factors that are strongly associated with safe delivery practices should be considered in the formulation of reproductive health policy.
Genetic differentiation of the Fejervarya limnocharis complex from Bangladesh and other Asian countries elucidated by allozyme analyses

Islam MM, Khan MM, Tjong DH, Alam MS, Sumida M

Zoolog Sci, 2008 Mar;25(3):261-72.
PMID: 18393563 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.25.261

The present study was conducted to elucidate the genetic divergence and the phylogenetic relationships in the F. limnocharis complex from Bangladesh and other Asian countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan by allozyme analyses. We used a total of 95 frogs of the F. limnocharis complex from these countries and F. cancrivora from the Philippines as an outgroup. Based on body size, the F. limnocharis complex from Bangladesh was divided into three distinct groups: large, medium and small types. Allozyme analyses were carried out with 28 loci encoding 20 enzymes and two blood proteins by horizontal starch-gel electrophoresis. When genetic distance was calculated, distinct divergence was found among the three types: mean genetic distance was 0.782 between the small and medium types, 1.458 between the large and medium types, and 1.520 between the large and small types. Phylogenetic trees based on genetic distance showed that all populations of Bangladesh small type strongly formed a cluster and were found to be most closely related to the Sri Lanka population; that all populations of Bangladesh large type formed a very strong cluster and were grouped with several populations from Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and Taiwan; and that the medium type was segregated from all other groups. This may imply that each of the three types is a different species, and that the medium type is possibly an undescribed taxon.
Association Between Oral Hygiene Status and Halitosis Among Smokers and Nonsmokers

Jiun IL, Siddik SN, Malik SN, Tin-Oo MM, Alam MK, Khan MM

Oral Health Prev Dent, 2015;13(5):395-405.
PMID: 25789356 DOI: 10.3290/j.ohpd.a33920

PURPOSE: To study the association of smoking with poor oral hygiene status and halitosis in a comparative cross-sectional study.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 100 smokers and 100 nonsmokers ages 18-50 years were recruited for this study in Kota Bharu, Malaysia. Oral hygiene (good/fair vs poor) was determined using the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, and the halitosis level was measured using a Halimeter. Subjects were instructed to refrain from consuming foods containing garlic, onions, strong spices, alcohol and using mouthwashes 48 h prior to the examination. The halitosis levels were quantified by recording volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) three times at 3-min intervals, resulting in a mean halitosis score. Various statistical analyses were performed, ranging from simple frequency analysis to multivariable modelling.
RESULTS: The proportions of subjects with poor oral hygiene and high halitosis were 24.0% and 41.5%, respectively. According to bivariate analyses, both problems were significantly less frequent among younger adults (halitosis), females, subjects with higher education, those with adequate habits to maintain good oral hygiene, those who had recent dental visits and those self-reporting fewer health problems. The percentages of poor oral hygiene and high halitosis were significantly higher in smokers (p < 0.001). However, almost all these variables failed to show significance in the multivariate analyses, with the exceptions of smoking for both poor oral hygiene and halitosis, education for poor oral hygiene, and age, self-reported health problems and time since the previous dental visit for halitosis.
CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate a significantly higher level of halitosis and poorer oral hygiene in smokers than nonsmokers.
Fulltext Road traffic accidents in Bangladesh: Why people have poor knowledge and awareness about traffic rules?

Islam MR, Ali Khan MM, Hossain MM, C Mani KK, Min RM

Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci, 2020 06 08;10(2):70-75.
PMID: 32904453 DOI: 10.4103/IJCIIS.IJCIIS_65_19

Purpose: The study aimed to identify the characteristics of road traffic accident (RTA) and to determine the role of different socioeconomic and demographic factors on the knowledge and awareness about traffic rules among people in Bangladesh.
Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study.
Methods: To conduct this study, 700 primary data were collected from respondents who were involved in RTA by interviewing in medical college hospitals and several private clinics of Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Khulna division in Bangladesh. For the achievement of the objective, the Chi-square test, Cramer's V correlation, and the logistic regression model have been applied in this study.
Results: Traffic rules violation was identified as the second-most important reason behind RTA. Respondent's age, gender, residence, education, occupation, awareness about RTA, etc., were significantly associated with having knowledge and awareness about traffic rules. The result of multivariate analysis showed that respondent's age (<30: odds ratio [OR] = 2.019, confidence interval [CI]: 1.377-2.960); residence (rural: OR = 0.288, CI: 0.193-0.431); education (literate: OR = 5.064, CI: 3.332-7.698); and categories of victims (driver: OR = 2.731, CI: 1.676-4.450 and passenger: 1.869, CI: 1.198-2.916) were the vital predictors of having knowledge and awareness about traffic rules.
Conclusions: By imposing strict traffic act, increasing public awareness through various types of education and awareness/outreach about traffic rules-related program, especially in rural areas, by strictly prohibiting the license giving to unskilled drivers or unfit vehicles, RTA can be minimized.
Optimization of co-culture inoculated microbial fuel cell performance using response surface methodology

Islam MA, Ong HR, Ethiraj B, Cheng CK, Rahman Khan MM

J Environ Manage, 2018 Nov 01;225:242-251.
PMID: 30092551 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.08.002

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are considered as promising technology to achieve simultaneous wastewater treatment and electricity generation. However, operational and technological developments are still required to make it as a sustainable technology. In the present study, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the effects of substrate concentration, co-culture composition, pH and time on the performance of co-culture (Klebsiella variicola and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) inoculated double chamber MFC. From the statistical analysis, it can be seen that the performance of MFC was not influenced by the interaction between the initial COD and time, pH and time, pH and initial COD, time and initial COD. However, the interaction between the inoculum composition and time, pH and the inoculum composition, initial COD and inoculum composition significantly influenced the performance of MFC. Based on the RSM results, best performance (power density and COD removal efficiency) was obtained when the inoculum composition, initial COD, pH and time were about 1:1, 26.690 mg/L, 7.21 and 15.50 days, respectively. The predictions from the model were in close agreement with the experimental results suggesting that the proposed model could adequately represent the actual relationships between the independent variables generating electricity and the COD removal efficiency.
Determination of urinary spermine using controlled dissolution of polysulfide modified gold electrode

Kannan SK, Esakkiappa S, Anthonysamy E, Sudalaimuthu S, Sulaiman Y, Khan MM, et al.

Mikrochim Acta, 2023 Feb 10;190(3):87.
PMID: 36759372 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-023-05664-8

Spermine (SPM) is considered a biomarker for prostate cancer and detecting it becomes highly challenging due to its electro- and optical-inactive nature. SPM has a tendency to interact with groups such as phosphates and sulfides to form macrocyclic arrangements known as nuclear aggregates of polyamines. Using this tendency, an electrochemical sensor has been developed using a polysulfide (PS) modified Au electrode (PS@Au electrode). PS has been synthesized from elemental sulfur by hydrothermal method and characterized using UV-Vis, fluorescence, FTIR, SEM, and XPS analyses. The PS@Au electrode was employed for electrochemical sensing of SPM. In the presence of SPM, a decrease in gold oxide reduction current was noted which is proportional to the concentration of SPM. The decrease in gold oxide reduction (0.5 V) current was attributed to the complexing nature of SPM-PS at the electrode interface. The reason for the decrease in current has been substantiated using XRF, XPS, and spectroelectrochemical studies. Under the optimized conditions, the PS@Au electrode exhibited a linear range of 1.55-250 µM with LOD of 0.511 ± 0.02 µM (3σ). The electrochemical strategy for SPM sensing exhibited better selectivity even in the presence of possible interferents. The selectivity stems from the selective interaction of SPM with PS on the Au electrode surface; the tested amino acids, and other molecules do not complex with PS and hence they could not interfere. The PS@Au electrode has been subjected to the determination of SPM in artificial urine samples and exhibited outstanding performance in the synthetic sample.
Exploring machine learning algorithms for accurate water level forecasting in Muda river, Malaysia

Adli Zakaria MN, Ahmed AN, Abdul Malek M, Birima AH, Hayet Khan MM, Sherif M, et al.

Heliyon, 2023 Jul;9(7):e17689.
PMID: 37456046 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17689

Accurate water level prediction for both lake and river is essential for flood warning and freshwater resource management. In this study, three machine learning algorithms: multi-layer perceptron neural network (MLP-NN), long short-term memory neural network (LSTM) and extreme gradient boosting XGBoost were applied to develop water level forecasting models in Muda River, Malaysia. The models were developed using limited amount of daily water level and meteorological data from 2016 to 2018. Different input scenarios were tested to investigate the performance of the models. The results of the evaluation showed that the MLP model outperformed both the LSTM and the XGBoost models in predicting water levels, with an overall accuracy score of 0.871 compared to 0.865 for LSTM and 0.831 for XGBoost. No noticeable improvement has been achieved after incorporating meteorological data into the models. Even though the lowest reported performance was reported by the XGBoost, it is the faster of the three algorithms due to its advanced parallel processing capabilities and distributed computing architecture. In terms of different time horizons, the LSTM model was found to be more accurate than the MLP and XGBoost model when predicting 7 days ahead, demonstrating its superiority in capturing long-term dependencies. Therefore, it can be concluded that each ML model has its own merits and weaknesses, and the performance of different ML models differs on each case because these models depends largely on the quantity and quality of data available for the model training.
Fulltext Mechanistic Approaches of Internalization, Subcellular Trafficking, and Cytotoxicity of Nanoparticles for Targeting the Small Intestine

Madni A, Rehman S, Sultan H, Khan MM, Ahmad F, Raza MR, et al.

AAPS PharmSciTech, 2020 Nov 22;22(1):3.
PMID: 33221968 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-020-01873-z

Targeting the small intestine employing nanotechnology has proved to be a more effective way for site-specific drug delivery. The drug targeting to the small intestine can be achieved via nanoparticles for its optimum bioavailability within the systemic circulation. The small intestine is a remarkable candidate for localized drug delivery. The intestine has its unique properties. It has a less harsh environment than the stomach, provides comparatively more retention time, and possesses a greater surface area than other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. This review focuses on elaborating the intestinal barriers and approaches to overcome these barriers for internalizing nanoparticles and adopting different cellular trafficking pathways. We have discussed various factors that contribute to nanocarriers' cellular uptake, including their surface chemistry, surface morphology, and functionalization of nanoparticles. Furthermore, the fate of nanoparticles after their uptake at cellular and subcellular levels is also briefly explained. Finally, we have delineated the strategies that are adopted to determine the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles.
Fulltext Cardiovascular and Diabetes Diseases Classification Using Ensemble Stacking Classifiers with SVM as a Meta Classifier

Khan A, Khan A, Khan MM, Farid K, Alam MM, Su'ud MBM

Diagnostics (Basel), 2022 Oct 26;12(11).
PMID: 36359438 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12112595

Cardiovascular disease includes coronary artery diseases (CAD), which include angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack), and coronary heart diseases (CHD), which are marked by the buildup of a waxy material called plaque inside the coronary arteries. Heart attacks are still the main cause of death worldwide, and if not treated right they have the potential to cause major health problems, such as diabetes. If ignored, diabetes can result in a variety of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure. Machine learning methods can be used to identify and diagnose diabetes and other illnesses. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease both can be diagnosed using several classifier types. Naive Bayes, K-Nearest neighbor (KNN), linear regression, decision trees (DT), and support vector machines (SVM) were among the classifiers employed, although all of these models had poor accuracy. Therefore, due to a lack of significant effort and poor accuracy, new research is required to diagnose diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study developed an ensemble approach called "Stacking Classifier" in order to improve the performance of integrated flexible individual classifiers and decrease the likelihood of misclassifying a single instance. Naive Bayes, KNN, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), and Decision Tree (DT) are just a few of the classifiers used in this study. As a meta-classifier, Random Forest and SVM are used. The suggested stacking classifier obtains a superior accuracy of 0.9735 percent when compared to current models for diagnosing diabetes, such as Naive Bayes, KNN, DT, and LDA, which are 0.7646 percent, 0.7460 percent, 0.7857 percent, and 0.7735 percent, respectively. Furthermore, for cardiovascular disease, when compared to current models such as KNN, NB, DT, LDA, and SVM, which are 0.8377 percent, 0.8256 percent, 0.8426 percent, 0.8523 percent, and 0.8472 percent, respectively, the suggested stacking classifier performed better and obtained a higher accuracy of 0.8871 percent.
Facile synthesis of CuO/CdS heterostructure photocatalyst for the effective degradation of dye under visible light

Hossain SS, Tarek M, Munusamy TD, Rezaul Karim KM, Roopan SM, Sarkar SM, et al.

Environ Res, 2020 09;188:109803.
PMID: 32590149 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109803

In this work, the photocatalytic property of p-type CuO was tailored by creating a heterojunction with n-type CdS. The CuO/CdS nanocomposite photocatalyst was synthesized by the ultrasound-assisted-wet-impregnation method and the physicochemical and optical properties of the catalysts were evaluated by using N2 physisorption, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD),X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) mapping, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy experiments. Detailed characterization revealed the formation of a nanocomposite with a remarkable improvement in the charge carrier (electron/hole) separation. The photocatalytic degradation efficiencies of CuO and CuO/CdS were investigated for different dyes, for instance, rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MLB), methyl blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. The obtained dye degradation efficiencies were ~93%, ~75%, ~83% and ~80%, respectively. The quantum yield for RhB degradation under visible light was 6.5 × 10-5. Reusability tests revealed that the CuO/CdS photocatalyst was recyclable up to four times. The possible mechanisms for the photocatalytic dye degradation over CuO/CdS nanocomposite were elucidated by utilizing various scavengers. Through these studies, it can be confirmed that the conduction band edges of CuO and CdS play a significant role in producing O2-. The produced O2- degraded the dye molecules in the bulk solution whereas the valence band position of CuO acted as the water oxidation site. In conclusion, the incorporation of CuO with CdS was demonstrated to be a viable strategy for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of dyes in aqueous solutions.
Hazardous wastewater treatment by low-cost sorbent with in situ regeneration using hybrid solar energy-electrochemical system

Khan MM, Asghar HMA, Saulat H, Chawla M, Rafiq S, Khan MM, et al.

Water Environ Res, 2021 Sep;93(9):1554-1561.
PMID: 33583113 DOI: 10.1002/wer.1537

Hazardous industrial wastes negatively impact the environment by creating issues for aquatic as well as human's life. This study investigates the treatment of hazardous industrial wastewater using cost-effective graphite adsorbent along with electrochemical regeneration integrated with renewable solar energy. The synthetic industrial effluent containing crystal violet dye was treated using an adsorbent (Nyex™ 1000) having a surface area of 1.0 m2 g-1 . The efficiency of removing solute was found to be more than 90%. The adsorbent regeneration efficiency was achieved at 99.5% by passing a charge of 100 C g-1 at current density of 10 mA cm-2 for 1 h. Solar energy was integrated with electrochemical reactor for the regeneration of adsorbent to make the system cost-effective and self-sustainable. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Industrial hazardous wastewater treatment with a cost-effective graphite integrated adsorbent. Development of renewable solar energy-integrated with electrochemical system for regeneration. Regeneration efficiency of adsorbent Nyex™ 1000 was achieved around 99.5% with integrated system. Sustainable system was introduced to incorporate with renewable energy for waste water treatment.
Environmental quality indicators and financial development in Malaysia: unity in diversity

Alam A, Azam M, Abdullah AB, Malik IA, Khan A, Hamzah TA, et al.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2015 Jun;22(11):8392-404.
PMID: 25537287 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3982-5

Environmental quality indicators are crucial for responsive and cost-effective policies. The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between environmental quality indicators and financial development in Malaysia. For this purpose, the number of environmental quality indicators has been used, i.e., air pollution measured by carbon dioxide emissions, population density per square kilometer of land area, agricultural production measured by cereal production and livestock production, and energy resources considered by energy use and fossil fuel energy consumption, which placed an impact on the financial development of the country. The study used four main financial indicators, i.e., broad money supply (M2), domestic credit provided by the financial sector (DCFS), domestic credit to the private sector (DCPC), and inflation (CPI), which each financial indicator separately estimated with the environmental quality indicators, over a period of 1975-2013. The study used the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to minimize the simultaneity from the model. The results show that carbon dioxide emissions exert the positive correlation with the M2, DCFC, and DCPC, while there is a negative correlation with the CPI. However, these results have been evaporated from the GMM estimates, where carbon emissions have no significant relationship with any of the four financial indicators in Malaysia. The GMM results show that population density has a negative relationship with the all four financial indicators; however, in case of M2, this relationship is insignificant to explain their result. Cereal production has a positive relationship with the DCPC, while there is a negative relationship with the CPI. Livestock production exerts the positive relationship with the all four financial indicators; however, this relationship with the CPI has a more elastic relationship, while the remaining relationship is less elastic with the three financial indicators in a country. Energy resources comprise energy use and fossil fuel energy consumption, both have distinct results with the financial indicators, as energy demand have a positive and significant relationship with the DCFC, DCPC, and CPI, while fossil fuel energy consumption have a negative relationship with these three financial indicators. The results of the study are of value to both environmentalists and policy makers.
Fulltext A Deep Learning-Based Automatic Segmentation and 3D Visualization Technique for Intracranial Hemorrhage Detection Using Computed Tomography Images

Khan MM, Chowdhury MEH, Arefin ASMS, Podder KK, Hossain MSA, Alqahtani A, et al.

Diagnostics (Basel), 2023 Jul 31;13(15).
PMID: 37568900 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13152537

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) occurs when blood leaks inside the skull as a result of trauma to the skull or due to medical conditions. ICH usually requires immediate medical and surgical attention because the disease has a high mortality rate, long-term disability potential, and other potentially life-threatening complications. There are a wide range of severity levels, sizes, and morphologies of ICHs, making accurate identification challenging. Hemorrhages that are small are more likely to be missed, particularly in healthcare systems that experience high turnover when it comes to computed tomography (CT) investigations. Although many neuroimaging modalities have been developed, CT remains the standard for diagnosing trauma and hemorrhage (including non-traumatic ones). A CT scan-based diagnosis can provide time-critical, urgent ICH surgery that could save lives because CT scan-based diagnoses can be obtained rapidly. The purpose of this study is to develop a machine-learning algorithm that can detect intracranial hemorrhage based on plain CT images taken from 75 patients. CT images were preprocessed using brain windowing, skull-stripping, and image inversion techniques. Hemorrhage segmentation was performed using multiple pre-trained models on preprocessed CT images. A U-Net model with DenseNet201 pre-trained encoder outperformed other U-Net, U-Net++, and FPN (Feature Pyramid Network) models with the highest Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and intersection over union (IoU) scores, which were previously used in many other medical applications. We presented a three-dimensional brain model highlighting hemorrhages from ground truth and predicted masks. The volume of hemorrhage was measured volumetrically to determine the size of the hematoma. This study is essential in examining ICH for diagnostic purposes in clinical practice by comparing the predicted 3D model with the ground truth.
Genetic divergence and evolutionary relationship in Fejervarya cancrivora from Indonesia and other Asian countries inferred from allozyme and MtDNA sequence analyses

Kurniawan N, Islam MM, Djong TH, Igawa T, Daicus MB, Yong HS, et al.

Zoolog Sci, 2010 Mar;27(3):222-33.
PMID: 20192690 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.27.222

To elucidate genetic divergence and evolutionary relationship in Fejervarya cancrivora from Indonesia and other Asian countries, allozyme and molecular analyses were carried out using 131 frogs collected from 24 populations in Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In the allozymic survey, seventeen enzymatic loci were examined for 92 frogs from eight representative localities. The results showed that F. cancrivora is subdivided into two main groups, the mangrove type and the large- plus Pelabuhan ratu types. The average Nel's genetic distance between the two groups was 0.535. Molecular phylogenetic trees based on nucleotide sequences of the 16S rRNA and Cyt b genes and constructed with the ML, MP, NJ, and BI methods also showed that the individuals of F. cancrivora analyzed comprised two clades, the mangrove type and the large plus Pelabuhan ratu / Sulawesi types, the latter further split into two subclades, the large type and the Pelabuhan ratu / Sulawesi type. The geographical distribution of individuals of the three F. cancrivora types was examined. Ten Individuals from Bangladesh, Thailand, and the Philippines represented the mangrove type; 34 Individuals from Malaysia and Indonesia represented the large type; and 11 individuals from Indonesia represented the Pelabuhan ratu / Sulawesi type. Average sequence divergences among the three types were 5.78-10.22% for the 16S and 12.88-16.38% for Cyt b. Our results suggest that each of the three types can be regarded as a distinct species.
Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Microstomia Patients: A Systematic Review of Published Case Reports and Case Series

Patil S, Raj AT, Sarode SC, Sarode GS, Menon RK, Bhandi S, et al.

J Contemp Dent Pract, 2019 Apr 01;20(4):508-515.
PMID: 31308286

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Prosthetic techniques commonly employed for the rehabilitation of edentulous patients might not be adequate in the treatment of patients with microstomia.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to systematically review all the prosthetic techniques that have been used in the oral rehabilitation of patients with microstomia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data sources, including PubMed, Google Scholar, SCOPUS and Web of Science, were searched for case reports and case series published through September 2017. Three investigators reviewed and verified the extracted data. Only case reports and case series on prosthetic rehabilitation in microstomia patients published in the English language were considered eligible.
RESULTS: A total of 212 records were identified from the database search. Forty duplicate records were removed. The remaining 172 articles were assessed for eligibility, and 139 articles were removed because they did not satisfy the inclusion criteria. A total of 34 cases (including 32 case reports and 1 case series) were finally included in the qualitative analysis. The review revealed the use of a modified impression technique with flexible and sectional trays to record impressions in patients with microstomia. Modified forms of oral prostheses ranging from sectional, flexible, collapsible and hinged dentures to implant-supported prosthesis were fabricated to overcome the limited mouth opening. The success of the prosthetic technique primarily depended on the extent of the microstomia and the nature of the cause of the microstomia.
CONCLUSION: Even though the patient acceptance of the prosthetic techniques summarized in the systematic review were high, long-term success rates for each option could not be assessed because of the short follow-up time in most of the included case reports and series.
Fulltext The impact of different plant extracts on population suppression of Helicoverpa armigera (Hub.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) yield under field conditions

Ali S, Li Y, Haq IU, Abbas W, Shabbir MZ, Khan MM, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(12):e0260470.
PMID: 34852006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260470

Helicoverpa armigera (Hub.) is a destructive pest of the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) crop in Pakistan. Although insecticides are the primary management strategy used to control H. armigera, most of them are not effective due to considerable toxic residual effects on the fruits. Nonetheless, H. armigera is rapidly evolving resistance against the available pesticides for its management. This situation calls upon the need of alternative management options against the pest. Different plant extracts have been suggested as a viable, environment-friendly option for plant protection with minimal side effects. Furthermore, the plant extracts could also manage the insect species evolving resistance against pesticides. This study evaluated the efficacy of different plant extracts (i.e., Neem seed, turmeric, garlic and marsh pepper) against H. armigera. Furthermore, the impact of the plant extracts on growth and yield of tomato crop was also tested under field conditions. The results revealed that all plant extracts resulted in higher mortality of H. armigera compared to control. Similarly, the highest plant height was observed for the plants treated with the plant extracts compared to untreated plants. Moreover, the highest tomato yield was observed in plants treated with plant extracts, especially with neem seed (21.013 kg/plot) followed by pepper extract (19.25 kg/plot), and garlic extract 18.4 kg/plot) compared to the untreated plants (8.9 kg/plot). It is concluded that plant extracts can be used as eco-friendly approaches for improving tomato yield and resistance management of H. armigera.
Spatiotemporal changes in future precipitation of Afghanistan for shared socioeconomic pathways

Rahimi ST, Safari Z, Shahid S, Hayet Khan MM, Ali Z, Ziarh GF, et al.

Heliyon, 2024 Apr 15;10(7):e28433.
PMID: 38571592 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28433

Global warming induces spatially heterogeneous changes in precipitation patterns, highlighting the need to assess these changes at regional scales. This assessment is particularly critical for Afghanistan, where agriculture serves as the primary livelihood for the population. New global climate model (GCM) simulations have recently been released for the recently established shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). This requires evaluating projected precipitation changes under these new scenarios and subsequent policy updates. This research employed six GCMs from the CMIP6 to project spatial and temporal precipitation changes across Afghanistan under all SSPs, including SSP1-1.9, SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5. The employed GCMs were bias-corrected using the Global Precipitation Climatological Center's (GPCC) monthly gridded precipitation data with a 1.0° spatial resolution. Subsequently, the climate change factor was calculated to assess precipitation changes for both the near future (2020-2059) and the distant future (2060-2099). The bias-corrected projections' multi-model ensemble (MME) revealed increased precipitation across most of Afghanistan for SSPs with higher emissions scenarios. The bias-corrected simulations showed a substantial increase in summer precipitation of around 50%, projected under SSP1-1.9 in the southwestern region, while a decline of over 50% is projected in the northwestern region until 2100. The annual precipitation in the northwest region was projected to increase up to 15% for SSP1-2.6. SSP2-4.5 showed a projected annual precipitation increase of around 20% in the southwestern and certain eastern regions in the far future. Furthermore, a substantial rise of approximately 50% in summer precipitation under SSP3-7.0 is expected in the central and western regions in the far future. However, it is crucial to note that the projected changes exhibit considerable uncertainty among different GCMs.

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