Protein malnutrition is a major concern in Bangladesh where there is a high dependence on cereal-based diets. Use of protein-calorie sources of plants like soybean and mushroom as a dietary supplement may provide a solution. This study was designed to formulate a high protein and fibre enriched soy-mushroom health drink powder, and to compare its nutritional contents with locally available health drink powders. Methods: Soy-mushroom health drink powder was developed mainly from soy flour, mushroom, germinated wheat flour, malt extract and milk powder. Three locally available health drink powders were randomly selected. Proximate and microbiological analyses and sensory evaluation were undertaken by standard methods. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre, carbohydrate and energy contents of the developed soy-mushroom health drink powder ranged from 3.04-3.96%, 3.23-7.4%, 8.98-21.37%, 1.10-10.13%, 0.04%-1.50%, 59.93-81.58% and 363.54-416.40 kcal/100g, respectively. The soy-mushroom product had the highest content of protein, fibre, energy and the lowest content of carbohydrate compared to the other health drink powders. Based on sensory analysis, the soy-mushroom product showed high acceptability. Microbiological assessment showed the shelf life of this product to be one year. Conclusion: The soy-mushroom health drink powder was nutritionally superior to locally available health drink powders and could serve as a nutritional supplement.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of underweight in children under 5 years of age is anomalously high in Konawe District, Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. This state of affairs may be related to poor housing conditions, such as limited access to clean water, the absence of a sanitary latrine, and the use of poor housing materials. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of housing conditions on underweight in under-5 children in Konawe District. METHODS: This study was conducted in 2013 in 5 health centres in Konawe District, Southeast Sulawesi Province, and used a case-control study design. The study recruited 400 under-5 children, including 100 of whom were cases and 300 of whom were age-matched controls (1:3). Cases were underweight children, while the controls were children with a normal nutritional status. The independent variables were the availability and types of water and latrine facilities and housing materials (roof, wall, and floor). The statistical analysis used Cox regression. RESULTS: A lack of water availability (odds ratio [OR], 5.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7 to 9.5; p<0.001), a lack of latrine availability in the home (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5 to 4.0; p<0.001), and poor-quality roofing materials (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.7; p<0.02) significantly contributed to underweight in children. In contrast, the walls and the floors did not contribute to under-5 year children being underweight (p=0.09 and p=0.71, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Sanitation facilities and roofing were identified as important factors to address in order to improve children's nutritional status. Children's health status was directly impacted by food intake via their nutritional status.
Case-Control Studies ; Child Health ; Child* ; Eating ; Housing* ; Humans ; Indonesia* ; Nutritional Status ; Prevalence ; Sanitation ; Thinness* ; Toilet Facilities ; Water

Foot-and-mouth disease virus is a positive stand RNA virus that causes an acute vesicular disease of bovid wild and domesticated ruminants. Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) comprises of 7 antigenically distinct serotypes (Type O, A, Asia 1, C and SAT1-3) that do not provide cross-protection against one another. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a pandemic disease, accounting for a global loss of 6.5-21 billion US$ per annum. The present investigation aimed at the comparison of FMDV in Bangladesh with that of circulatory types in Asian continent. Categorization, estimation and demography of FMD in Asia continent are analyzed. Comparative genome and phylogeography of the FMDV in Asia is discussed. Three serotypes of FMDV are circulating in Asian territory, including mainland Southeast Asia, South Asia and Middle East with predominance of type O, whereas Serotype A and Asia1 are found to be confined to certain geographical regions. Cattle are most susceptible to FMD, whereas Pig serves as mixing vessel that may boost the emergence and re-emergence episode of several lineages/genotypes. Whole Genome and phylogeography analysis revealed that the transboundary movement of FMDVs are responsible for spreading of this disease in Asian regions. In 2013-2015, Saudi Arabia experienced the emergence of Ind-2001 lineage under Middle East South Asia (ME-SA) topotype of FMDV type O and Genotype VII of FMDV type A, which is normally endemic in the Indian subcontinent. Intrusion of type SAT1-3 in Arabian Peninsula occurred due to transboundary animal movement from FMDV enzootic African countries. Transboundary movement of FMDV, inappropriate vaccination and inadequate awareness are the main reasons for FMD spread in most of the Asian Countries.

INTRODUCTION: Fungal balls are commonly associated with the Aspergillus species. The hyaline hyphae is not diagnostic of a fungus ball's causative organism hence the need for fungal culture. Systemic fungal infections are rarely seen in immunocompetent persons. CASE: A 45-year-old male presented with a nine month history of nonproductive cough progressing to hemoptysis. His chest tomography with contrast revealed a mass measuring 6.5cm x 5.5cm x 6.9cm located in the left upper lobe, with a smooth lining and air crescent sign consistent with aspergilloma. Serum galactomannan assay was positive. Patient was treated medically for Aspergillus sp infection with voriconazole and itraconazole for six months with no response. A left upper lobectomy was done. Lung tissue biopsy and histopathologic examination showed hyphal elements with branching short lateral necks. Culture studies revealed a rare microorganism namely Coniochaetta hoffmannii. Post-operatively, our patient improved and was eventually discharged. DISCUSSION: Coniochaetta hoffmannii is a rare human pathogen and is only implicated in those immunocompromised. Thorough clinical investigation led to the identification of this organism. Literature review reveals scant inconclusive treatment approaches. Surgical intervention proved therapeutic for our patient. CONCLUSION Not all fungal balls are caused by Aspergillus sp. Culture studies remains the gold standard in identifying specific organism causing fungus balls. Rare micro-organisms such as Coniochaeta hoffmanii. can be isolated. Invasive fungal infection can occur in an immunocompetent host. The outcome of this study will contribute to the limited pool of information on the diagnosis and management of similar cases.

Lichen planus and vitiligo are common skin disorders. Colocalization which is rarely reported may consider the koebner phenomenon related to the photo damage causing initiation of lichen planus over vitiliginous skin. We report a 37-year-old mother and her 23-year-old daughter, both farmers and known cases of vitiligo with subsequent gradual onset of pruritic skin lesions of lichen planus starting first over previous vitiliginous skin on sun exposed areas. Coexistence and colocalization of lichen planus and vitiligo in two members of a family is very rare and has not been reported previously according to our knowledge. Predominant colocalization was on vitiliginous areas which may explain actinic damage as a triggering factor for inducing lichen planus in long-standing vitiligo and supports its pathogenic relationship.
Actins ; Humans ; Lichen Planus ; Lichens ; Mothers ; Nuclear Family ; Skin ; Solar System ; Vitiligo

Objectives: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, countries around the world framed specific laws and imposed varying degrees of lockdowns to ensure the maintenance of physical distancing. Understanding changes in temporal and spatial mobility patterns may provide insights into the dynamics of this infectious disease. Therefore, we assessed the efficacy of lockdown measures in 16 countries worldwide by analyzing the relationship between community mobility patterns and the doubling time of COVID-19. Methods: We performed a retrospective record-based analysis of population-level data on the doubling time for COVID-19 and community mobility. The doubling time for COVID-19 was calculated based on the laboratory-confirmed cases reported daily over the study period (from February 15 to May 2, 2020). Principal component analysis (PCA) of six mobility pattern-related variables was conducted. To explain the magnitude of the effect of mobility on the doubling time, a finite linear distributed lag model was fitted. The k-means clustering approach was employed to identify countries with similar patterns in the significant co-efficient of the mobility index, with the optimal number of clusters derived using Elbow’s method. Results: The countries analyzed had reduced mobility in commercial and social places. Reduced mobility had a significant and favorable association with the doubling time of COVID-19—specifically, the greater the mobility reduction, the longer the time taken for the COVID-19 cases to double. Conclusions COVID-19 lockdowns achieved the immediate objective of mobility reduction in countries with a high burden of cases.

The gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne intracellular pathogen that is widespread in the environment. The functions of hypothetical proteins (HP) from various pathogenic bacteria have been successfully annotated using a variety of bioinformatics strategies. In this study, a HP Imo0888 (NP_464414.1) from the Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e strain was annotated using several bioinformatics tools. Various techniques, including CELLO, PSORTb, and SOSUIGramN, identified the candidate protein as cytoplasmic. Domain and motif analysis revealed that the target protein is a PemK/MazFlike toxin protein of the type II toxin-antitoxin system (TAS) which was consistent with BLASTp analysis. Through secondary structure analysis, we found the random coil to be the most frequent. The Alpha Fold 2 Protein Structure Prediction Database was used to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the HP using the template structure of a type II TAS PemK/MazF family toxin protein (DB ID_AFDB: A0A4B9HQB9) with 99.1% sequence identity. Various quality evaluation tools, such as PROCHECK, ERRAT, Verify 3D, and QMEAN were used to validate the 3D structure. Following the YASARA energy minimization method, the target protein's 3D structure became more stable. The active site of the developed 3D structure was determined by the CASTp server. Most pathogens that harbor TAS create a crucial risk to human health. Our aim to annotate the HP Imo088 found in Listeria could offer a chance to understand bacterial pathogenicity and identify a number of potential targets for drug development.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not only caused significant challenges for health systems all over the globe but also fueled the surge of numerous rumors, hoaxes, and misinformation, regarding the etiology, outcomes, prevention, and cure of the disease. Such spread of misinformation is masking healthy behaviors and promoting erroneous practices that increase the spread of the virus and ultimately result in poor physical and mental health outcomes among individuals. Myriad incidents of mishaps caused by these rumors have been reported globally. To address this issue, the frontline healthcare providers should be equipped with the most recent research findings and accurate information. The mass media, healthcare organization, community-based organizations, and other important stakeholders should build strategic partnerships and launch common platforms for disseminating authentic public health messages. Also, advanced technologies like natural language processing or data mining approaches should be applied in the detection and removal of online content with no scientific basis from all social media platforms. Furthermore, these practices should be controlled with regulatory and law enforcement measures alongside ensuring telemedicine-based services providing accurate information on COVID-19.

The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is a strong candidate gene for myocardial infarction (MI). Insertion-deletion dimorphism in intron 16 of this gene has been inconclusively found to be associated with it. Several new polymorphisms in the ACE gene have been identified and among these, a dimorphism in exon 17, ACE G2350A, has a significant effect on plasma ACE concentrations. To assess the value of genotyping the ACE G2350A dimorphism in a genetically homogeneous population, we carried out a case-control study of dimorphism G2350A for a putative association with MI among Pakistani nationals. We investigated a sample population of 370 Pakistanis, comprising 163 controls, and 207 patients with clinical diagnosis of acute MI (AMI). ACE G2350A alleles were visualized by assays based on polymerase chain reaction and restriction endonuclease analysis. Frequencies of G alleles were 0.68 among controls and 0.72 among AMI patients. The ACE G2350A dimorphism showed no significant association with MI (c2=0.90, 2 df, P=0.64), plasma levels of homocysteine (P=0.52) or with serum levels of folate (P=0.299). The results indicate that ACE G2350A polymorphism is not associated with risk of myocardial infarction in the Pakistani population investigated here.
Adult ; Aged ; Exons/*genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genetics, Population ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Mutation ; Myocardial Infarction/blood/*genetics ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/blood/*genetics ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Predictive Value of Tests