Heavy metal toxicity from the leather industry in Bangladesh: a case study of human exposure in Dhaka industrial area.

Activities in the Bangladeshi leather industries have the potential to cause chemical pollutions thereby deteriorating the working environments, the surrounding residential areas, or even foodstuffs. Therefore, it is important to determine the chemical exposures among the industry workers and residents of the surrounding areas who may be directly or indirectly impacted by the contaminated environment. This study focused on evaluating the hazard arising from exposure to metals due to industrial contamination. Tissue samples of hair and nails were collected from both the leather industry workers and residents in the vicinity of the industries. Using chromium as an indicator of contamination/exposure from the leather industry, it was the most significant metal contaminant for industry workers ranging from 21.85 to 483 mg/kg and for industry-neighboring residents at 6.01 to 296.16 mg/kg. Both the workers and neighboring residents were found to be excessively exposed (P < 0.05) to chromium compared with the investigated control group of people living in a distant village area which had no industrial establishments.

Monitoring the curing efficiency of a plant-based green engineered additive on caprine skin: a spectroscopic and chemometric novel approach.

Environmental sustainability in industrial processing is one of the most fundamental requirements for sustainable development. The leather industry is known for its vast environmental pollution. But, green engineering may occur a paradigm shift in this sector. Plant-based goatskins curing is a cutting-edge green technology that holds the concept of pollution reduction through prevention on the upper stream of leather processing. The successful and rapid monitoring of the efficiency of this technology is the foremost demand for mass-level applications. In this study, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was employed to monitor this technology's efficiency using a plant Polygonum hydropiper. Chemometrics was also applied to extract information from spectral data leading to an understanding of the inherent effect of studying preservatives on goatskins collagen chemistry. 10% plant-paste +5% NaCl, 10% plant-paste +10% NaCl, and 15% plant-paste +5% NaCl on goatskin were assessed by ATR-FTIR on 0th, 10th, and 30th days of preservation. The Spectral peak fitting (R2 = 0.99) area of amide I and II of collagen peptide bands revealed 2.73 to 1.33 times more structural suitability of studied goatskins than the control. Principal component analysis and Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that, after 30 days of curing, 15% paste +5% salt-rubbed goatskin collagen matrix significantly (around 50%) interacted with P. hydropiper. The interaction was superficial, as it happened before the opening up of collagen fibers. In conclusion, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy with Chemometrics can be an effective tool in evaluating the efficiency of goatskin curing and understanding the entire effect on collagen chemistry quickly.

The protective effects of nerol to prevent the toxicity of carbon tetrachloride to the liver in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Introduction: Carbon-tetrachloride (CCl4) is well-known to cause liver damage due to severe oxidative stress. Nerol, on the other hand, is a monoterpene that is antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anxiolytic. This study set out to determine if nerol may be used as a prophylactic measure against the oxidative stress mediated hepatic injury caused by CCl4. Materials and methods: For the aim of this experiment, 35 male Sprague-Dawley rats ranging in body weight (BW) from 140 to 180 g were split into five separate groups. With the exception of vehicle control group 1, all experimental rats were subjected to carbon tetrachloride exposure through intra-peritoneal injection at a 0.7 mL/kg body weight dose once a week for 4 weeks (28 days). The treatment groups 3 and 4 received oral administration of nerol at 50 and 100 mg/kg BW for 28 days. In the same time period, the standard control group received 100 mg/kg BW silymarin. Results: Serum hepatic markers, lipid profiles, albumin, globulin, bilirubin, and total protein were all substantially improved in nerol-treated rats in a dose-dependent manner that had been exposed to CCl4 compared to the only CCl4-treated group. Carbon tetrachloride-exposed rats had lower glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase levels and higher thio-barbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels than normal rats. In contrast, administration of nerol shown a significant augmentation in the concentrations of these antioxidant compounds, while concurrently inducing a decline in the levels of TBARS in the hepatic tissue. In a similar vein, the histo-pathological examination yielded further evidence indicating that nerol offered protection to the hepatocyte against damage generated by CCl4. Conclusion: According to the findings of our investigation, nerol has potential as a functional element to shield the liver from harm brought on by ROS that are caused by CCL4.

Toxicity Analysis of Some Frequently Used Food Processing Chemicals Using Allium cepa Biomonitoring System.

Frequent use of various food processing chemical agents sometimes causes damage to our bodies by inducing cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and mutagenesis. In Bangladesh, among various chemical agents, formalin, saccharin, and urea are vastly used for processing foodstuffs by industry and local people. This study is focused to assess the toxic effects of formalin, saccharin, and urea on the popularly used eukaryotic test model, Allium cepa L. The assay was carried out by exposing different concentrations of test samples to A. cepa at 24, 48, and 72 h, where distilled water and CuSO4·5H2O (0.6 µg/mL) were utilized as the vehicle and positive control, respectively. The root length of the onions was measured in mm, and the results propose that all the chemical agents demonstrated toxicity in onions in a concentration- and exposure-time-dependent manner. The highest root length was examined at the lower concentrations, and with the increase in the concentration of the test sample and exposure time, the RG (root growth) was inhibited due to the deposition of chemicals and hampering of cell division in the root meristematic region of A. cepa. All the chemical agents also revealed a concentration- and time-dependent adaptive effect up to 72 h inspection of 24 h and a depletion of % root growth at 72 h inspection of 48 h. Our study suggests that sufficient precautions should be confirmed during its industrial and traditional usage as a toxicological response to the chemical agents observed in the A. cepa assay.

Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Therapeutic Potentials of Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C. B. Robinson: A Literature-Based Review.

Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C. B. Robinson, belonging to the family Lauraceae, is a multipurpose and fast-growing evergreen or deciduous tree that has been traditionally used for numerous purposes such as treatment for diarrhea, dysentery, abdominal pain, indigestion, gastroenteritis, edema, traumatic injuries, colds, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, pain relief, and poignant sexual power. This study aimed to summarize the chemical reports, folk values, and phytopharmacological activities of L. glutinosa, based on available information screened from diverse databases. An up-to-date electronic-based search was accomplished to obtain detailed information, with the help of several databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, SpringerLink, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, PubMed, ChemSpider, Elsevier, BioMed Central, and the USPTO, CIPO, INPI, Google Patents, and Espacenet, using relevant keywords. Outcomes advocate that, up to the present time, alkaloids, glycosides, and terpenoids are abundant in, and the most bioactive constituents of, this natural plant. Results demonstrated that L. glutinosa has various remarkable biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anticancer, antipyretic, anti-diabetic, analgesic, hepatoprotective, and wound-healing activity. One study revealed that L. glutinosa exhibited significant aphrodisiac and anti-infertility activity. Nevertheless, no clinical studies have been cited. Taken together, L. glutinosa may be one of the significant sources of bioactive constituents that could potentially lead to different effective pharmacological activities. On the other hand, future research should focus on clinical studies and several toxicity evaluations, such as sub-chronic toxicity, teratogenicity, and genotoxicity.

GC-MS analysis, and evaluation of protective effect of Piper chaba stem bark against paracetamol-induced liver damage in Sprague-Dawley rats: Possible defensive mechanism by targeting CYP2E1 enzyme through in silico study.

The present study attempted to scrutinize the protective effect of the methanolic extract of P. chaba stem bark against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats, along with the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis to identify phytochemicals, which were further docked in the catalytic site of CYP2E1 and the MD simulation for system that plays a major role in the bio-activation of toxic substances that produce reactive metabolites, leading to hepatotoxicity. P. chaba stem methanol extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) were treated orally with the negative control and the negative control silymarin (50 mg/kg) groups. Phytochemical profiling was conducted using GC-MS. In in-silico studies, PyRx software was used for docking analysis and the stability of the binding mode in the target active sites was evaluated through a set of standard MD-simulation protocols using the Charmm 27 force field and Swiss PARAM. Co-administration of P. chaba at both doses with APAP significantly reduced the APAP-augmented liver marker enzymes ALT, AST, ALP, and LDH, along with serum albumin, globulin, hepatic enzymes, histopathological architecture, lipid profiles, total protein, and total bilirubin, and elevated the levels of MDA. The GC-MS analysis indicated that P. chaba extract is enriched in fatty acid methyl esters (46.23 %) and alkaloids (10.91 %) and piperine is represented as a main phytochemical. Among all the identified phytochemicals, piperine (-8.0 kcal/mol) was found to be more interacting and stable with the binding site of CYP2E1. Therefore, all of our findings may conclude that the P. chaba stem extract and its main compound, piperine, are able to neutralize APAP-induced hepatic damage.

A questionnaire-based study to develop an instrument measuring poor interest in biostatistics among postgraduate medical students and faculties.

BACKGROUND: It has been realized by senior researchers that interest in biostatistics is very poor among medical professionals. Knowledge of biostatistics plays an important role in medical research. Studies conducted about knowledge, attitude toward biostatistics by many researchers, but there were no works about factors in relation to it. Considering this gap, we tried to develop a new instrument. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Item generation and questionnaire formation were done using focus group discussion involving seven experts from different departments of medical colleges. Face validity and content validity and pilot testing were carried out step by step. In estimating reliability, internal consistency measured after collecting data from 66 study participants. Data were collected through self-administered paper-based questionnaire where response in each item was in five-point Likert scale. Cronbach's alpha for reliability analysis was used. RESULTS: In first stage, item generation through FGD, then face validity was assessed by senior faculties. Content validity was checked by Aiken's V index. In initial stages, with six items, Cronbach's alpha was 0.805. Scale mean and variance were 24.24 and 27.26. After final reliability testing, it became 0.866 with four items where scale mean and variance came to 15.85 and 16.38. CONCLUSION: All the six items were important factors. Reliability improved when knowledge in statistics in higher secondary level and biostatistics classes in PG course were eliminated as factors. More qualitative research is needed for better understanding of this concept.

A Comparative Study on Intranasal Versus Intravenous Lorazepam in the Management of Acute Seizure in Children.

INTRODUCTION: The acute seizure in childhood is a medical emergency which is usually managed by benzodiazepines used as a first line of therapy. There are no strict guidelines of using intranasal lorazepam in India. Many paediatricians use it in an emergency situation as it is inexpensive, easy to administer and even treatment can be started at home. Very few studies are available to compare efficacy and safety of intravenous lorazepam with intranasal lorazepam in childhood seizure, though both routes have comparable pharmacokinetic profile. Intravenous lorazepam (0.1 mg/kg) is already recommended as a first-line treatment of acute childhood seizures in India. There are very few studies regarding the usefulness of intranasal lorazepam. With this background, we compared intranasal lorazepam with the more widely accepted intravenous lorazepam for control of acute seizure. AIM: To compare effectiveness and safety of intranasal and intravenous lorazepam in acute seizure in children aged 5-12 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an analytical observational cross-sectional study involving patients with acute seizure who received lorazepam via either the intravenous or intranasal route. Formulation and dosage of lorazepam were the same in both routes. RESULTS: Distributions of patient groups according to sex, age, and weight were statistically not significant (p=0.42, p=0.391, and p=0.605, respectively). Time to control seizure within 10 min and persistent cessation of seizure activity were similar in both groups. Safety parameters showed no differences statistically. CONCLUSIONS: Though intravenous lorazepam is recommended as first-line treatment, intranasal lorazepam may be a good alternative choice in a convulsing child.

Effectiveness and adverse drug reactions of levetiracetam and midazolam in refractory neonatal seizure: A cross-sectional comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal seizure (NS) reflects serious underlying brain injury, requiring immediate evaluation and early treatment. In neonates, phenobarbitone and phenytoin are used primarily to control the seizures. If uncontrolled, widespread off-label use of midazolam and levetiracetam was practiced. These drugs gained popularity though there are no such studies available on literature search comparing them. The present study was designed to explore these lacunae using these two drugs in refractory cases. To study the efficacy and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of midazolam and levetiracetam not responding to usual line of therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted on 69 neonates in the NICU and Department of Pharmacology in Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal. Patients receiving midazolam or levetiracetam when uncontrolled with first line antiepileptics, namely, phenobarbitone and phenytoin, were considered eligible. The study variables were time to control seizure, seizure recurrence and frequency, and treatment-related adverse events. analysis used Mann-Whitney U-test were applied Comparison with respect to time to control and Chi-square test were applied to detect difference in proportion for ADRs. The SPSS Statistics 17.0 was used for analysis. RESULTS: We compared the time periods to control neonatal seizure for effectiveness between levetiracetam and midazolam showing no significant difference (P = 0.190). Comparing the portion of recurrences in two groups gives statistically nonsignificant (P = 0.878) result. Only respiratory depression was seen in the levetiracetam group (12.90%) and midazolam group (18.42%). All adverse events were 'probable' as per the WHO-UMC criteria, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two drugs (P = 0.533). CONCLUSIONS: Both midazolam and levetiracetam are equally effective and safe in NS not responding to usual line of treatment.

Study of the human liver by ultrasound examination to search for variations of venous anatomy.

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge about venous patterns (especially portal and hepatic venous) and their variations are extremely crucial for liver transplantation and other surgical procedures on liver. Studies have been done at national or international level on variations of hepatic venous patterns by CT or MRI or by dissection on cadaveric liver. No definitive or authentic study on this topic could be noted in electronic and print media, as well as in standard textbook. Considering low cost and noninvasive nature, we utilized ultrasonography to bridge this lacuna. AIM: To estimate prevalence and types of anatomical variations of hepatic venous system and to determine association of among variations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is an observational cross-sectional study where ultrasonographic evaluation of hepatic venous pattern on adult population of either sex (consecutive sampling) without any major liver disorders was done in RG Kar Medical College and data were analyzed with appropriate statistical procedures. RESULTS: Normal hepatic venous pattern along with normal portal venous pattern is much higher in our study, which is a unique finding. The proportion of normal portal venous pattern is more in extra hepatic bifurcation group. Variations of portal vein and normal hepatic venous pattern are more in case of intrahepatic bifurcation of portal venous branching group. Overall presence of intrahepatic bifurcation of portal vein is significantly higher than extrahepatic bifurcation. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an updated database for the prevalence and distribution of anatomic variations of the hepatic venous and portal venous system.