Global uses of traditional herbs for hepatic diseases and other pharmacological actions: A comprehensive review.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 7th most common cancer and the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. It is resistant to the majority of chemotherapeutics and has a dismal prognosis. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a prevalent complication of chronic liver disease (CLD) in India. Primary liver cancer is the 6th most common cancer worldwide and the 4th most prevalent cause of cancer-related death. In 2018, it affected 841,000 people and caused 782,000 deaths around the world. Thus, research into the tumor cycle and its prevention through suitable herbal (Unani/Ayurvedic) medication is critical for reducing the impact of primary liver cancer. Treatment options for end-stage liver cancer are limited, necessitating costly liver transplantation, which is unavailable in most countries. Here, we present the results of a comprehensive literature survey to determine the benefits of using various herbs with liver protective and antioxidant properties. This information will be useful to researchers working on liver carcinoma and free radical scavenging, both of which are important in curbing potential carcinogens.

Association of access to water, sanitation and handwashing facilities with undernutrition of children below 5 years of age in Bangladesh: evidence from two population-based, nationally representative surveys.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between household access to water, sanitation and handwashing (WaSH) facilities and child undernutrition in Bangladesh. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional study of children less than 5 years using data collected from the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS). OUTCOME MEASURES: Stunting, wasting and underweight, defined as a Z-score <-2 SD for height-for-age, weight-for-height and weight-for-age, respectively. We applied hierarchical multiple binary logistic regression models. RESULTS: Among 30 514 children 0-59 months, there was a high prevalence of child undernutrition (MICS: 28.0% stunted, 9.8% wasted, 22.6% underweight; BDHS: 30.8% stunted, 8.4% wasted, 21.7% underweight). Most children came from households lacking basic sanitation (MICS: 39.1%, BDHS: 55.3%) or handwashing facilities (MICS: 43.8%, BDHS: 62.6%). Children from households without access to WaSH facilities experienced the highest rates of undernutrition. Exposure-specific adjusted logistic regression models showed that a lack of access to improved water sources was associated with greater odds of wasting (MICS: adjusted OR (AOR) 1.36, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.85, p<0.05); basic sanitation facility with higher rates of stunting (MICS: 1.13, 1.04 to 1.23, p<0.01) and underweight (BDHS: 1.18, 1.02 to 1.37, p<0.05); and a lack of handwashing facilities with stunting (BDHS: 1.27, 1.10 to 1.48, p<0.01) and underweight (MICS: 1.10, 1.01 to 1.19, p<0.05). In fully adjusted models, no basic sanitation facility was associated with higher odds of stunting (MICS: AOR 1.12, 1.03 to 1.22, p<0.01) and a lack of handwashing facilities with higher odds of underweight (BDHS: AOR 1.30, 1.10 to 1.54, p<0.01;MICS: AOR 1.09, 1.01 to 1.19, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate a significant association between poor household WaSH facilities and high prevalence of child undernutrition. Improving WaSH may help reduce child undernutrition in Bangladesh.

Serum leptin correlates in fertile and idiopathic infertile Yemeni males: a comparative cross-sectional study.

This comparative cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum leptin and testosterone, FSH, LH, PRL and semen quality in fertile and idiopathic infertile Yemeni men. A total of 30 infertile males with unknown causes and 30 age-matched healthy fertile males were enrolled in this study. The body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured. Semen samples were analyzed according to the WHO manual for semen analysis. Serum samples were tested for hormones. Subjects were then divided into subgroups and compared based on their main seminal findings. The WC, serum leptin, PRL, FSH and LH levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the infertile subjects than in the fertile group. Serum leptin demonstrated a significant positive correlation (p < 0.01) with body weight, BMI and WC in fertile males and a significant negative correlation (p < 0.01) with testosterone in fertile and infertile males. Similarly, a significant positive correlation was found between serum leptin and FSH (p < 0.01) and LH (p < 0.05) levels in the infertile subjects. The findings showed that non-obstructive azoospermic (NOA) patients have significant (p < 0.05) high levels of serum leptin, FSH, and LH. These findings may support the possibility of a direct peripheral negative effect of leptin on testicular steroidogenesis independent of the suggested indirect effect, and it could directly impact spermatogenesis without inhibiting testosterone production. This effect was accompanied by increasing serum PRL levels. Furthermore, serum leptin and gonadotropins were found to be increased in the idiopathic NOA group. The present study provided valuable insights into the fertile and idiopathic infertile Yemeni males and could establish an important foundation for future andrological-related studies such as investigating the relationship between leptin and other hormones; and infertility-related genetic and epigenetic factors.

Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Cultured Shrimp and Aquaculture Sludge.

Shrimp is one of the major export products in South Asian countries and also an eminent source of nutrition for humans. Hence, any negative effect of this industry may affect not only the country's economy but also human health. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess heavy metal contamination and associated human health risks in cultured shrimp (Penaeus monodon) and aquaculture sludge collected from three shrimp farms of the Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh. The results showed that among the eight metals studied, Pb (17.75 ± 1.5 mg/kg) and Cu (9.43 ± 2.8 mg/kg) levels in all shrimp samples were higher than the recommended limit, whereas the concentrations of Cd (0.09 ± 0.03 mg/kg), Mn (4.83 ± 2.2 mg/kg), As (0.04 ± 0.02 mg/kg), Hg (0.02 ± 0.006 mg/kg), Zn (18.89 ± 2.9 mg/kg) and Cr (0.69 ± 0.6 mg/kg) were within the permissible level. The concentrations of Mn (1043.37 ± 59.8 mg/kg), Cr (30.38 ± 2.1 mg/kg), Zn (74.72 ± 1.13 mg/kg) and Cu (31.14 ± 1.4 mg/kg) in the sludge of all farms were higher than the recommended limit, whereas the concentrations of Pb (20.23 ± 1.9 mg/kg), Cd (0.09 ± 0.2 mg/kg), As (0.44 ± 0.34 mg/kg) and Hg (0.08 ± 0.02 mg/kg) in all sludge samples were lower than the threshold limits. However, the estimated daily intake (EDI), targeted hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) assessed for potential human health risk implications suggested that Pb and Cr may pose non-carcinogenic health effects, although carcinogenic risks (CR) values were acceptable for consumers. However, the pollution load index (PLI) of the studied area was below 1, which indicates low deterioration of the area. Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and contamination factor (CF) analyses revealed that study area is unpolluted and sludge is enriched with metals in the following order: Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Cd > Hg > Pb > As.

Covid-19 fallout: Interplay between stressors and support on academic functioning of Malaysian university students.

Covid-19 has impacted the lives of everyone around the world, including university students. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on all economies, resulting in a huge loss of employment. As a result, university students are anxious about their job prospects upon graduation. The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of two stressors - employment anxiety and financial anxiety and two supports - university support and lecturer support on dropout intention and academic performance on university students with well-being and purpose in life being the mediators. This quantitative was carried out in Malaysia using 436 final-year undergraduate students. The full mediation model indicated that the university and lecturer support mitigates the two stressors' effects through well-being and purpose in life. Students who reported better support systems reported lower academic concerns and were less likely to drop out than those who reported less support from their university and lectures. The significance of this study and its implications are discussed, along with the findings.

Use of Machine Learning Algorithms for Prediction of Fetal Risk using Cardiotocographic Data.

BACKGROUND: A major contributor to under-five mortality is the death of children in the 1st month of life. Intrapartum complications are one of the major causes of perinatal mortality. Fetal cardiotocograph (CTGs) can be used as a monitoring tool to identify high-risk women during labor. AIM: The objective of this study was to study the precision of machine learning algorithm techniques on CTG data in identifying high-risk fetuses. METHODS: CTG data of 2126 pregnant women were obtained from the University of California Irvine Machine Learning Repository. Ten different machine learning classification models were trained using CTG data. Sensitivity, precision, and F1 score for each class and overall accuracy of each model were obtained to predict normal, suspect, and pathological fetal states. Model with best performance on specified metrics was then identified. RESULTS: Determined by obstetricians' interpretation of CTGs as gold standard, 70% of them were normal, 20% were suspect, and 10% had a pathological fetal state. On training data, the classification models generated by XGBoost, decision tree, and random forest had high precision (>96%) to predict the suspect and pathological state of the fetus based on the CTG tracings. However, on testing data, XGBoost model had the highest precision to predict a pathological fetal state (>92%). CONCLUSION: The classification model developed using XGBoost technique had the highest prediction accuracy for an adverse fetal outcome. Lay health-care workers in low- and middle-income countries can use this model to triage pregnant women in remote areas for early referral and further management.

The interplay of socio-psychological factors on school engagement among early adolescents.

The study examined a conceptual model integrating existing knowledge on the linkages between life satisfaction, affect, purpose in life, and resilience with school engagement. This model posits direct relationships between all the social psychological variables and school engagement, and also indirect relationships between life satisfaction and school engagement as mediated by all the other variables in the study. The participants were 2381 students (1119 boys and 1262 girls) with average age of 15 years, from 40 national secondary schools in Malaysia. The findings supported the theoretical conceptualization. All variables were positively associated with school engagement. The strongest relationship was observed between overall life satisfaction and school engagement. The mediating model was partially supported. The study reiterates the adage that "it takes a village to raise a child". Implications for practice and future research are discussed in the context of engagement in school learning.

Role of fixateur interne in thoracolumbar junction injuries.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of fixateur interne in thoracolumbar junction injuries. DESIGN: An interventional descriptive study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: This study was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery, PIMS from September 1996 to September 2001. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-nine patients with posttraumatic instability of lower thoracic or upper lumbar spine were surgically managed. Frankel grading was used to determine the neurological status of the patients. White and Panjabi criteria was used to determine the instability of the spine. All the patients with unstable spine undergoing surgery were included in the study. Open reduction and internal fixation using fixateur interne was done in all the cases. Changes in neurological status and complications were noted postoperatively and on subsequent follow-ups. RESULTS: Most of the patients undergoing surgery were young. The commonest mode of trauma was due to fall in 59 patients. None deteriorated postoperatively. Initially, there were only 19 patients in Frankel E whereas at 1-year follow-up, there were 27 patients in Frankel E. On an average, there was 0.9 Frankel improvement. Average blood loss in an operation was 250 ml, average time for operation was 70 minutes and the average postoperative hospital stay was 7.9 days. There were 02 (2.5%) implant failures and their implants were removed. There were 02 (2.5%) cases of wound infection. The hardware was removed in one patient while in the other, the infection was controlled with antibiotics and wound debridement alone. CONCLUSION: Fixateur interne may be useful choice for achieving reduction and stability in most thoracolumbar injuries for early ambulation and faster recovery.