Chitinases (designated as SPCs) were isolated from „Shilbilati‟ potatoes, a potato prototype cultivated in Bangladesh by affinity chromatography on a chitin column. SPCs agglutinated rat erythrocytes at the minimum concentration of 7 μg/mL and showed toxicity against brine shrimp nauplii with the LC50 value of 20 μg/mL. The chitinases also agglutinated seven bacterial strains among the twelve as studied. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi were the most sensitive towards the SPCs and were agglutinated at 1.2, 2.5 and 5.0 μg/mL protein concentrations respectively. Antibacterial tests demonstrated that SPCs showed inhibitory activity against the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi. Antifungal activity was investigated by the disc diffusion method. Five fungal species (Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium vasinfectum, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus) and two fungal genus (Penicillium and Mucor sp.) were examined in the assay. SPCs showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Fusarium vasinfectum and Penicillium sp.

Artemisia capillaris has been widely used as an alternative therapy for treating obesity and atopic dermatitis. It has been used as a hepatoprotactant. It is also used for ameliorating inflammatory reactions. Although there are several investigations on other Artemisia species, there is no systematic study describing the role of A. capillaris MeOH extract, its solvent soluble fractions, or derived anti-inflammatory principal components in regulating inflammatory conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to elucidate anti-inflammatory mechanisms of A. capillaris. Results revealed that MeOH extract of A. capillaris could decrease LPS-stimulated NO secretion. Of tested fractions, CH₂Cl₂, EtOAc, and n-BuOH strongly inhibited NO release from RAW264.7 cells. Bioactive mediators derived from CH₂Cl₂ and n-BuOH fractions elicited potent anti-inflammatory actions and strikingly abrogated LPS-triggered NO accumulation in RAW264.7 cells. Of particular interest, capillin and isoscopoletin possessed the most potent NO suppressive effects. Western blot analysis validated the molecular mechanism of NO inhibition and showed that capillin and isoscopoletin significantly down-regulated iNOS and COX-2 protein expression. Taken together, our results provide the first evidence that MeOH extract, CH₂Cl₂, EtOAc, and n-BuOH fractions from A. capillaris and its derived lead candidates can potently suppress inflammatory responses in macrophages by hampering NO release and down-regulating iNOS and COX-2 signaling.
Artemisia ; Blotting, Western ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Flavonoids ; Inflammation ; Macrophages ; Obesity

Objective: To evaluate inhibitory potential of seven Korean thistles against the advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) formation as well as to identify responsible compounds from the most active species. Methods: We used an in vitro AGE inhibition assay to evaluate the anti-diabetic complication potential of the methanol extracts of the selected Korean thistles. Results: Among the seven Korean thistles, the leaves of Cirsium maackii (C. maackii) exhibited the most significant inhibitory activity against AGE formation. By means of bioassay-directed fractionation, a lignan, chlorogenic acid and 14 flavonoids were isolated from the active ethyl acetate soluble fraction of a methanol extract from C. maackii leaves. Luteolin and its 5-O-glucoside have been previously isolated; however, a lignan and 13 known compounds were isolated for the first time from C. maackii leaves in this study. Most of the isolated compounds exhibited inhibitory activities against potential AGE formation. Among them, cernuoside was shown to be the most potent AGE inhibitor with an IC50 value of 21.21 μ mol/L. Most importantly, two major flavonoids, luteolin and its 5-O-glucoside, also significantly inhibited AGE formation, with IC50 values of 36.33 and 37.47 μ mol/L, respectively. Structure activity relationship revealed that the presence of free 3' and 4' dihydroxyl group in flavonoids skeleton played an important role in AGE inhibition. Conclusions: These results indicate that C. maackii and C. maackii-derived flavonoids might be explored further to develop therapeutic agents for the prevention of diabetic complications due to their significant inhibitory activity against AGE formation.

Introduction: The use of assessment tools to measure postnatal mental illness is essential in healthcare settings. However, variations in the types of tools and their reliability in a particular population lead to under-recognition of mental health status in postnatal mothers. The aim of this review is to evaluate the most recent 10 year of research on the validity and reliability of postnatal mental illness assessment tools. Methods: A literature search of studies from online databases PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct was conducted. Results: A total of 59 studies were selected for this review. Several studies utilised multiple assessment tools, and a total of 96 assessment tools were identified and classified into six domains: postnatal blues, postnatal stress, postnatal anxiety, postnatal depression, postnatal psychosis, and postnatal psychological disorder. In this review, EPDS was the most common tool used to identify postnatal depression and anxiety while DASS 21 was the most common tool used to identify postnatal psychological disorder. There is a wide range in preponderance of evidence for the reliability of each assessment tool and there were inconsistencies in assessing the validity of the assessment tools. Conclusion This review provides information regarding some of the main assessment tools currently available to measure postnatal mental illnesses. There were no standardised tools that were used in a particular setting. The results may differ in different population because there are differences in not only languages and dialects, but also cultural and racial backgrounds, which greatly influences their perception and interpretation of postnatal mental illness.
Mental Disorders

The issue of food waste has garnered much attention globally due to its adverse impacts on the economy, food security, natural resources, the environment, and human health. Despite this, the academic literature lacks systematic, historical, and synthesising investigations on healthcare food waste. This bibliometrics analysis study aims to summarise the growing trends of food waste publications and highlight common and potential research topics of food waste in healthcare settings. The Scopus database analysed 193 journal articles published between 1952 and 2022. We identified several common and potential research topics for future research in the area, including food waste and malnutrition, related intervention strategies, the impact of healthcare food service systems on food waste, and their economic and environmental impact. Healthcare food waste research in developing nations is still limited. Thus, it is recommended that policymakers support its development as one of the steps to encounter food waste.