Compositional analysis of Swertia chirayita medicinal plant using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and ICP-MS.

One of the most significant medicinal plants used to treat numerous illnesses is Swertia chirayita. The present study demonstrated the compositional analysis of the Swertia chirayita (S. chirayita) plant using an emerging and non-destructive laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique.

Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Pure and Ni-Fe-Codoped Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized by a Sol-Gel Autocombustion Method.

Pure and Ni-Fe-codoped ZnNiFeO ( = 0.01, 0.02, 0.

Unraveling the genetic enigma of rice submergence tolerance: Shedding light on the role of ethylene response factor-encoding gene SUB1A-1.

The world's low-lying rice (Oryza sativa) cultivation areas are under threat of submergence or flash flooding due to global warming. Rice plants manifest a variety of physiological and morphological changes to cope with submergence and hypoxia, including lowering carbohydrate consumption, inhibiting shoot elongation, and forming a thicker leaf gas film during submergence. Functional studies have revealed that submergence tolerance in rice is mainly determined by an ethylene response factor (ERF) transcription factor-encoding gene, namely SUBMERGENCE 1A-1 (SUB1A-1) located in the SUB1 quantitative trait locus.

Disparities in Compliance with Colorectal Cancer Screening: Evidence from Two US National Surveys.

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most preventable cancer if adherence to its screening guidelines through compliance with physician recommendations are met. Lack of access to care is the most significant barrier which was decreased by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), that may influence healthcare behaviors/practices. The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting compliance with recommendations for CRC screening between two US National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) in 2010 and 2015.

The availability of essential medicines for cardiovascular diseases at healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries: The case of Bangladesh.

Long-term, often lifelong care for cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients requires consistent use of medicine; hence, the availability of essential medicine for CVD (EM-CVD) is vital for treatment, quality of life, and survival. We aimed to assess the availability of EM-CVD and explore healthcare facility (HCF) characteristics associated with the availability of those medicines in Bangladesh. This study utilized publicly available cross-sectional data from the 2014 and 2017 waves of the Bangladesh Health Facilities Survey (BHFS).

The Variation in Outcomes of Septic Patients: A Dual-Centre Comparative Study.

Introduction Despite significant advances in the field of medicine, sepsis is constantly growing as a major public health concern. The global epidemic of sepsis imposes a significant economic burden on healthcare systems world-over. Furthermore, its high prevalence in society is inevitably paralleled by an excessive mortality rate, with approximately six million deaths reported every year.

Enhanced Thermal Stability and Synergistic Effects of Magnesium and Iron Borate Composites against Pathogenic Bacteria.

A simple process based on the dual roles of both magnesium oxide (MgO) and iron oxide (FeO) with boron (B) as precursors and catalysts has been developed for the synthesis of borate composites of magnesium and iron (MgBO-FeBO) at 1200°C. The as-synthesized composites can be a single material with the improved and collective properties of both iron borates (FeBO) and magnesium borates (MgBO). At higher temperatures, the synthesized MgBO-FeBO composite is found thermally more stable than the single borates of both magnesium and iron.

Aging and the COVID-19 pandemic: The inter-related roles of biology, physical wellbeing, social norms and global health systems.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating and disproportionate impact on the elderly population. As the virus has swept through the world, already vulnerable elderly populations worldwide have faced a far greater burden of deaths and severe disease, crippling isolation, widespread societal stigma, and wide-ranging practical difficulties in maintaining access to basic health care and social services - all of which have had significant detrimental effects on their mental and physical wellbeing. In this paper, we present an overview of aging and COVID-19 from the interrelated perspectives of underlying biological mechanisms, physical manifestations, societal aspects, and health services related to the excess risk observed among the elderly population.

COVID-19 morbidity in Afghanistan: a nationwide, population-based seroepidemiological study.

Objective: The primary objectives were to determine the magnitude of COVID-19 infections in the general population and age-specific cumulative incidence, as determined by seropositivity and clinical symptoms of COVID-19, and to determine the magnitude of asymptomatic or subclinical infections.

Design, Setting And Participants: We describe a population-based, cross-sectional, age-stratified seroepidemiological study conducted throughout Afghanistan during June/July 2020. Participants were interviewed to complete a questionnaire, and rapid diagnostic tests were used to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Assessing Silicon-Mediated Growth Performances in Contrasting Rice Cultivars under Salt Stress.

Silicon (Si) application has great potential to improve salt tolerance in a variety of crop plants. However, it is unclear how Si influences the responses of contrasting rice cultivars when exposed to excessive salt. Here, we investigated the functions of Si in alleviating the negative effects of salt stress on two contrasting rice cultivars, namely BRRI dhan48 (salt-sensitive) and Binadhan-10 (salt-tolerant).

The availability of essential medicines for diabetes at health facilities in Bangladesh: evidence from 2014 and 2017 national surveys.

Background: Bangladesh ranks among the world's top ten countries in the number of diabetic patients. The prevention of this disease requires treating patients with essential medicines, and the first crucial step in the uptake of these medicines is availability. We aimed to assess the availability of essential medicines for diabetes (EM-Diabetes) and to explore health facility characteristics associated with the availability of those medicines.

Measurement of age-dependent radiation ingestion doses due to gross alpha and gross beta exposure from medicinal plants.

This article presents the results of a study conducted to measure the gross alpha, gross beta activities in medicinal plant samples collected from different districts of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The ASC-950-DP gasless high-speed counter was used for the measurement of gross / activities. Measured activities have been used to assess age-dependent annual effective doses for infants, one-, five-, ten-, and fifteen-year-old and adult people.

Detection and Quantification of Precious Elements in Astrophyllite Mineral by Optical Spectroscopy.

With many advantages over well-established methods, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has emerged as a useful analytical technique for the compositional analysis of multi-elemental geological materials. In this study, LIBS was employed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of a rare mineral, astrophyllite, bearing precious elements of industrial and technological interest. The experiment was carried out using second harmonic generation of Nd:YAG laser of pulse width 5 ns and repetition rate of 10 Hz.

A novel index-based decision support toolkit for safe reopening following a generalized lockdown in low and middle-income countries.

While the effectiveness of lockdowns to reduce Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) transmission is well established, uncertainties remain on the lifting principles of these restrictive interventions. World Health Organization recommends case positive rate of 5% or lower as a threshold for safe reopening. However, inadequate testing capacity limits the applicability of this recommendation, especially in the low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Changes in prevalence, and factors associated with tobacco use among Bangladeshi school students: evidence from two nationally representative surveys.

Background: Globally, tobacco kills more than nine million people per year. Annually in Bangladesh, smoking accounts for 1.2 million illnesses and over one hundred fifty thousand deaths.

The Devastating Cost of Racial and Ethnic Health Inequity in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the devastating truth about pervasive health inequity in the United States. As the virus swept through the country, underserved racial and ethnic minority populations disproportionately bore the brunt of the hospitalizations, severe illness, and fatalities. The devastation among these groups far outstripped their privileged counterparts due to convergence of disadvantages that created a perfect storm of exposures.

Cesarean delivery and early childhood diseases in Bangladesh: An analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS).

Introduction: The rate of cesarean delivery (C-section) has been increasing worldwide, including Bangladesh, and it has a negative impact on the mother and child's health. Our aim was to examine the association between C-section and childhood diseases and to identify the key factors associated with childhood diseases.

Methods: We used four nationally representative data sets from multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS, 2012 and 2019) and Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS, 2011and 2014) and analyzed 25,270 mother-child pairs.

Correction: Iqbal, S. et al. Empirical Modeling of Zn/ZnO Nanoparticles Decorated/Conjugated with Fotolon (Chlorine e6) Based Photodynamic Therapy towards Liver Cancer Treatment. , 2019, , 60.

In the published paper [...

Empirical Modeling of Zn/ZnO Nanoparticles Decorated/Conjugated with Fotolon (Chlorine e6) Based Photodynamic Therapy towards Liver Cancer Treatment.

The current study is based on Zn/ZnO nanoparticles photodynamic therapy (PDT) mediated effects on healthy liver cells and cancerous cells. The synthesis of Zn/ZnO nanoparticles was accomplished using chemical and hydrothermal methods. The characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles was carried out using manifold techniques (e.

Chagas Disease Prevalence in Colombia: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

Background And Objectives: Chagas disease is a major public health problem in Latin America. A neglected disease of poor and rural Latin American populations, it has now emerged in other regions and urban areas due to international migration. In Colombia, systematic data pertaining to the disease's magnitude in the general population and its distribution within regions are lacking.

Elemental composition analysis of granite rocks using LIBS and LA-TOF-MS.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the raw granite rocks acquired from deposits in the Hunza district, Gilgit area of Pakistan were studied using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and laser ablation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-TOF-MS). The optical emission spectra of the granite rocks used in artificial jewelry and for flooring tiles show the emission lines of (Si, Ca, K, Fe, Mg, Al, Na, and Li) and (Si, Ca, K, Fe, Mg, Al, Ti, Na, Ba, and Li), respectively. The mass spectra of these granite rocks were also studied with the LA-TOF-MS, revealing analogous elemental compositions.

The Role of HIV in the Progression through the Stages of the Human Papillomavirus to Cervical Cancer Pathway.

Globally, an estimated 36.9 million persons are living with HIV/AIDS, and approximately 291 million women worldwide are carriers of human papillomavirus (HPV). A large number of women currently infected with either or both viruses constitute a large burden on the national health care system.

A Review: Associations Between Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder, Physical Activity, Medication Use, Eating Behaviors and Obesity in Children and Adolescents.

Unlabelled: In the past few years we have become increasingly aware of strong associations between obesity and ADHD. Both conditions are major public health issues, affecting children, adolescents and adults alike.

Objective: This review seeks to (1) examine prior research on the association between ADHD and obesity in children and adolescents; (2) discuss mechanisms and consequent behavioral attributes to gain understanding of the path association between ADHD and obesity, (3) review studies examining the role of physical activity, medication, eating behavior and gender on the relationship between ADHD and obesity in children and adolescents.

State-Mandated Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Screen Time Policies in Child Care Centers.

Background: The child care center (CCC) environment presents opportunities for healthy weight promotion in preschoolers. Our study examined the current state of CCC adherence to nutrition, physical activity, and screen time legislative regulations and the differences in their adherence by center socioeconomic position (SEP: low, middle, high) in Miami-Dade County.

Method: In 34 CCC, we used the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation tool to evaluate nutrition, physical activity, and screen time practices during 1-school day.