Most Viewed Articles

During the last three decades, there has been an interesting debate on the intake of A1 ‘like” milk and incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in genetically predisposed individuals. The epidemiological, ecological and case-control studies have concrete pieces of evidences in favor of the hypothesis that is further supported by animal trials in mice and rat and in vitro trials on cell lines. But on the other hand, European Food Safety Authority reported that there isn’t sufficient data to draw a final recommendation at this stage in terms of contradictory results, lack of cause-effect relationship and being a mere suggestive evidence [1]. However, the report itself states that these studies are strong enough to formulate a concrete hypothesis and further research is needed to confirm the same. Keeping in view the published data in favor of the hypothesis and the counter-arguments, it is suggested that further research with well-designed animal and in vitro trials with intact proteins and peptides is needed to fully confirm the hypothesis. Until the issue is fully resolved, it’s the personal choice of the individuals at risk to T1D (genetically predisposed) to either remove A1 “like” or increase the A2 “like” milk from their diet. 

Five experimental feeding trials were conducted to investigate the performance of Heterobranchus Bidorsalis fingerlings to graded levels (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) of Sphenostylis Stenocarpa seed meal diets. Complete randomized design with triplicate groups of fingerlings was used for the study for ten weeks. The proximate, anti-nutritional factor and amino acid profile of the S. stenocarpa was analysed. The study showed that treatment C with 50% inclusion of Sphenostylis Stenocarpa meal was significantly different (p < 0.05) and performed best among other treatments in terms of the net weight gain, standard growth rate, and survival. The feed conversion ratio was best in treatment C but not significantly different (p > 0.05) to other treatments.

Prostate specific membrane antigen, a type II transmembrane protein is an excellent target for the radionuclide therapy in advanced prostate cancer patients due to its high expression in the prostate cancer cells. We present the case of a 69-year old man with advanced metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer. In view of rising serum PSA levels despite hormonal and chemotherapy, we decided to perform a 68Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT scan (prostate specific membrane antigen). It revealed intense radiotracer uptake in the prostate, lymph nodes and multiple skeletal sites. Five cycles of 177Lu-PSMA-DKFZ-617 radioligand therapy were administered in the patient followed by an intrim 68Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT. Intrim 68Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT scan demonstrated a near complete remission of disease with a corresponding decrease in the sPSA levels. During the follow-up duration of 12 months, the patient did not develop haematological, kidney and liver toxicity during the course of treatment and follow-up. 177Lu-PSMA-DKFZ-617 is a promising therapeutic option in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients.

This paper investigates the effect of coating concentration (ppm), and coating thickness (µm) on the anti-microbial properties of polycarbonate sheets using a variety of anti-microbial agents (Cu-infused Mg(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, Cu(OH)2, MgO, CuCl2.2H2O, and ZnO). In addition, a complete analysis was performed for all agents to rank the best agent in terms of the highest anti-microbial performance against E. coli K-12 MG1655 in two time intervals (4 and 24 hours). The coating concentration (ppm) was found to be a significant factor in the anti-microbial characteristics for Cu-infused Mg(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, Cu(OH)2, MgO, CuCl2.2H2O, and ZnO (p = 0.004, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.0297, p = 0.0011, and p = 0.0130 respectively). The coating thickness (µm), on the other hand, was found to be a major contributor to the anti-microbial properties of Cu-infused Mg(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, Cu(OH)2, MgO, and CuCl2.2H2O (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0004, p = 0.0011, p = 0.0310, and p < 0.0001 respectively). The analysis determined that the coating did not influence the anti-microbial properties of ZnO. The interaction between the coating concentration (ppm), and the coating thickness (µm) was found to be a significant factor for Cu-infused Mg(OH)2, Cu(OH)2, MgO, CuCl2.2H2O, and ZnO (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0001, p = 0.0004, p < 0.0001, and p < 0.0001 respectively), however, this was not a significant factor for Mg(OH)2.Highlights•    The anti-microbial activity of the inorganic material is dependent on the particle shape and size.•    Particles with sharp edges will provide additional physical injuries to the microorganisms.•    Smaller particle size will provide higher surface area therefore better interaction with microorganisms.•    The coating concentration and coating thickness will be crucial to the anti-microbial activity.•    The thermal embossing techniques demonstrate good adhesion to the surface.

The use of cell phones has remarkably increased in the last two decades with several pros and cons. The negative consequences of cell phones on mental health have not been studied widely. Aggression, in this regard was a completely neglected area. The present study, therefore, was carried out to investigate the relationship between cell phone use and aggression and to further identify the moderating roles of gender and marital status between cell phone use and aggression. The inquiry included 500 young adults from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire was administered. It was hypothesized that there would be a strong positive relationship between cell phone use and aggression. It was further hypothesized that gender and marital status would be significant moderators between cell phone use and aggression. The results supported the hypotheses on significant differences and made a significant contribution in the existing scientific literature.

Anatomical separation of the retinal pigment epithelium from the Bruch membrane is defined as retinal pigment epithelial detachment (PED) andit is classified as drusenoid, serous, and vascularized. Vascularized PED is mostly associated with choroidal neovascularmembrane due to age-related macular degeneration and the risk of vision loss is high in this situation. Studies show that all of baseline values including BCVA, PED height, subretinal fluid, central macular thickness, PED volume, vertical dimension, presence of coincident macular pathology, reflectivity and morphology on optical coherence tomography have prognostic importance. Current treatment protocols mainly based on intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).Even the bevacizumab was the first anti-VEGF that was used for treatment in PED, there are several reports show the insufficiency of bevacizumab. In treatment-naïve eyes, both of ranibizumab and aflibercepthave similar effect in vascularized PED. In treatment-resistant eyes, high dose bevacizumab or switching therapy of anti-VEGF procedures can be effective when considering of all cases, aflibercept seems more effective than other options.We aimed in this manuscript, to give a general information about different characteristics of PEDs and to investigate the treatment strategies in the light of current literature.

Beta thalassemia major is a genetic disorder requiring recurrent blood transfusion leading to iron overload in endocrine glands and major organs like the heart. Iron overload in the heart may lead to many conduction abnormalities. This is a case report of a 20-year-old female who was on recurrent blood transfusion. She was on chelation therapy for iron overload. She developed Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Tachycardia (RVOT) which could not be managed with chemical or electrical cardioversion. Her condition was successfully managed with an Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD) implantation and no ventricular tachycardia was observed even after four years of follow-up.

Visualizing a nodule in the liver parenchyma of a patient with chronic liver disease raises the suspicion of hepatic malignancy. We report here the case of a 63-year-old female with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in whom a hepatic pseudolymphoma (HPL) was incidentally detected. This fairly rare lesion mimics primary liver cancer, has no specific radiological features, and requires histology for a definite diagnosis. This tumor-like lymphoid liver proliferation has been reported in clinical situations with immune-mediated inflammation including PBC. It can be observed in many organs but very rarely in the liver. The diagnosis of HPL should be considered when detecting a liver nodule in a patient with this particular chronic cholestatic liver disease.

Coffee is one of the most essential crops that generate income for Ethiopian economic growth. However, its production faced with many factors primarily biotic entities. Among these, the fungal pathogen /Colletotrichum kahawae/ that induce coffee berry disease (CBD) is the main constraint of coffee production in the country. The pathogen is a very specialized and infects the green berries/fiscal par/which diminishes the income gained from it and disturbs the country’s economy in general and the producers in particular. Regarding to the disease level and related factors, little information is available in Western Ethiopia. Hence, this study was initiated to assess the magnitude of CBD in coffee fields, to characterize and evaluate the virulence of C. kahawae isolates from the study areas of Gidami district. Assessment was done in 9 selected kebeles of 45 total farms starting from July 2017. The results indicated that CBD was prevalence in all assessed areas with the range of 66% to 86% and 16% to 50% disease incidence and severity index (SI), respectively. The highest CBD intensity was observed in higher altitude with a significant positive correlation between disease incidence (r = 0.61) and severity (r = 0.55). Macro and microscopic characterization results revealed isolates diversity in terms of colony color, density, mycelia growth rate and conidial production. Moreover, mycelia growth rate differs significantly (p < 0.001) in the range between 2.2 to 4.3 mm/24 hrs. Similarly, the sporulation capacity widely ranged from 186.1 to 572.3 spores/ml. This were strongly agreed with the virulence test that revealed significant variation (p < 0.001) among isolates and infection percentage also ranged between 34.8% and 88.7%. In all, the study was not only showed the CBD is very important disease of coffee in the study area but also determines the virulence disparity among isolates. To be honest, the diversity/identity of C. kahawae isolates should be confirmed using more other reliable methods thru including additional sample areas as well.

Photocatalysis has attracted a lot of attention in recent years due to its potential in solving energy and environmental issues. Efficient light absorption and charge separation are two of the key factors for the exploration of high-performance photocatalytic systems, which are generally difficult to obtain from a single photocatalyst. The combination of various materials to form heterojunctions provides an effective way to better harvest solar energy and facilitate charge separation and transfer, thus enhancing photocatalytic activity and stability. This review concisely summarizes the recent development of visible light responsive heterojunctions, including the preparation and performance of semiconductor/semiconductor junctions and semiconductor/metal junctions and their mechanism for enhancing light harvesting and charge separation/transfer. In this regard, this review presents some unitary, binary and ternary CeO2 photocatalysts used for the degradation of organic pollutants. We expect this review to provide the type of guidelines for readers to gain a clear picture of nanotechnology and the fabrication and application of different types of heterostructured photocatalysts.