Nymphoides is an aquatic genus consisting about 50 species, of which few were accepted as traditional medicinal plants in Asia. The literature review revealed that Nymphoides species are widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as a popular drug, i.e. Tagara. They are also utilized by the traditional local healers of different Asian countries to treat various diseases, like convulsion, jaundice, fever, headache, etc. According to the in vivo and in vitro pharmacological studies, Nymphoides species have been claimed to possess major biological activities like anticonvulsant, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, cytotoxic, antitumor, etc. Biochemical profiling of different aquatic plants of this genus revealed the presence of some important phytochemicals as polyphenolic component, flavonoids, triterpenes, carbohydrates, glycosides, etc. Several valuable bioactive compounds including ephedrine, coumarin, secoiridoid glucosides, methyl quercetin, ferulic acid, foliamenthoic acid, etc. were also known to be isolated and identified from different Nymphoides species. The aim of this review is to analyze the published report based on the medicinal values of different Asian Nymphoides species, to provide the updated information about the ethnomedicinal, pharmacological as well as the phytochemical properties for the first time.

Objective To explore the presence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Bangladesh and to understand the associated risk factors. Methods A retrospective sero-surveillance was performed on stored serum samples of dengue surveillance conducted from 2013 to 2016. Real time RT-PCR was performed on randomly selected acute serum samples to detect the Zika virus nucleic acid. Results Of 200 samples screened, one was found positive for ZIKV by real time RT-PCR and further confirmed by genome sequencing. The case was a 65 years old male from a metropolitan city of Bangladesh who had no history of travel outside Bangladesh. Phylogenetic analysis of partial E gene sequences from Bangladeshi isolates demonstrated a close relationship with ZIKV from Brazil and current South American strains clustering within a monophyletic clade distinct from African lineage. Conclusions Presence of ZIKV raises serious public health concerns in Bangladesh owing to its association with congenital anomalies/neurological-manifestations. We, therefore, recommend every suspected viral fever patient, particularly pregnant women be screened for ZIKV infection to rule out yet another emerging infection in Bangladesh.

Over the past few decades, complementary and alternative treatments have become increasingly popular worldwide. The purported therapeutic characteristics of natural products have come under increased scrutiny both in vitro and in vivo as part of efforts to legitimize their usage. One such product is tea tree oil (TTO), a volatile essential oil primarily obtained from the native Australian plant, Melaleuca alternifolia, which has diverse traditional and industrial applications such as topical preparations for the treatment of skin infections. Its anti-inflammatory-linked immunomodulatory actions have also been reported. This systematic review focuses on the anti-inflammatory effects of TTO and its main components that have shown strong immunomodulatory potential. An extensive literature search was performed electronically for data curation on worldwide accepted scientific databases, such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and esteemed publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, Frontiers, and Taylor & Francis. Considering that the majority of pharmacological studies were conducted on crude oils only, the extracted data were critically analyzed to gain further insight into the prospects of TTO being used as a neuroprotective agent by drug formulation or dietary supplement. In addition, the active constituents contributing to the activity of TTO have not been well justified, and the core mechanisms need to be unveiled especially for anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects leading to neuroprotection. Therefore, this review attempts to correlate the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity of TTO with its neuroprotective mechanisms.
Tea Tree Oil/therapeutic use* ; Melaleuca ; Neuroprotection ; Drug Repositioning ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases ; Australia ; Oils, Volatile ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology*

The aim of this narrative review is to discuss on different approaches of the flapless corticotomy techniques to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement. There was limited understanding about the effect of the surgical procedures because of the great variations in the procedures between the flapless corticotomy techniques. Hence, no specific technique can be claimed to be superior to another. Eleven clinical trials have been reviewed from PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar using the keywords such as accelerated, orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), minimally invasive corticotomy, RAP, corticision, piezocision, lasercision/laser assisted flapless corticotomy (LAFC), micro-osteoperforations (MOPs), discision and their combinations in the last 10 years. Early reports showed that Piezocision, MOPs and LAFC procedures are comparatively less aggressive flapless corticotomy procedure to accelerate OTM and more comfortable to the patient.

Introduction: Literature revealed that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience significantly more feeding problems and obesity compared to their peers. This study was designed to investigate the nutritional status and dietary patterns of children with autism in different age groups in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 individuals with ASD. A questionnaire was used as a tool to collect information from the mother of the respondents and anthropometric assessments were conducted by measuring height and weight. The dietary patterns of the respondents were taken using a food frequency questionnaire. Results: The age range of the participants were between 3-18 years. It was found that 11.9%, 19.7% and 23.3% of the participants were underweight, overweight and obese, respectively according to Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age. About 70% of the respondents had medium Individual Dietary Diversity Score (IDDS). In addition, the association between IDDS and obesity was significantly correlated (p=0.00). Individuals with ASD exhibited similar food preferences across most age groups with little changes. Conclusion: Our study figured out that the prevalence of overweight increased in accordance with age among children with ASD. They have a tendency to prefer likeness and routine in their diet, which expands the tendency to have an imbalanced diet. A dietary guideline including seven food groups should be followed to improve their nutritional status and dietary practices.

Introduction: Three selected dietary supplements (DS), barley grass (BG), wheatgrass (WG), and Chlorella vulgaris (CV), are commercially available. However, more information is needed about the antioxidant properties of the three DS and their potential health benefits on adults’ health and well-being. Thus, this study aimed to determine the antioxidant properties and adults’ knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the three selected DS. Methods: In phase 1, an experimental study was conducted on antioxidant analysis, total phenolic content (TPC) and DPPH radical scavenging activity for the three DS. For phase 2, a cross-sectional survey (n=338) was conducted for the three DS through an online platform where convenience sampling was performed. Results: In phase 1, BG (2.83±0.50mg GAE/g DW) had the highest TPC, followed by WG (2.02±0.20mg GAE/g DW) and CV (1.74±0.65mg GAE/g DW); DPPH radical scavenging activity, BG (198.23±0.15µg/mL) and WG (177.25±0.17µg/mL) had lower IC50 compared to CV (1185.84±0.28µg/mL). Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between IC50 of the three DS and standards, butylated hydroxytoluene (24.51±0.37µg/mL) and quercetin (26.04±0.55µg/mL). While in phase 2, poor knowledge (51.5%), moderate attitude (39.6%), and poor practice (43.2%) levels were observed in most of the participants. Moreover, working adults reported higher scores in knowledge (3.70±1.51) compared to students (3.33±1.63, p=0.037). Males had higher scores (29.27±2.42) in attitude compared to females (28.49±2.68, p=0.030). Besides, participants who were single and completed tertiary education with 4-6 years of working experience showed better practice scores. The overall knowledge (r=0.134, p=0.013) and attitude (r=0.273, p<0.001) scores correlated significantly with practice scores. Conclusion: Participants’ poor knowledge, moderate attitude, and inadequate practice in phase 2 caution against over-reliance on supplements, emphasizing the importance of an active lifestyle and balanced diet for optimal health and longevity.