Effective composting of oil palm industrial waste by filamentous fungi: A review.

Palm oil production is a major agricultural industry in Malaysia, in which palm oil mill effluent (POME) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) are considered as major waste products from the palm oil industry. These waste products create an environmental hazard and entail high disposal costs every year. Composting is a biologically based process which is practiced to stabilize the organic matter for soil amendment (producing compost) and to protect the environment from the detrimental effects of these waste products. This study reviews the composting process of EFB and POME as a single substrate and/or their mixture by using potential filamentous fungi that are especially lignocellulolytic and antibiotic (in a matured stage) in nature within several effective parameters, for example, C/N ratio, moisture content, pH, temperature, etc. Several studies record the mature composting process as being 60 days. In most cases, temperature and moisture content was maintained up to 70 °C and 60–75%, respectively. In addition, this study reviews EFB and POME with their constituents for an efficient composting process

Municipal solid waste recycling in Malaysia: present scenario and future prospects

This paper presents a current state-of-the art of municipal solid waste (MSW) management and recycling in Malaysia. It was revealed that mainly four sources were involved in the recycling program, e.g. recycle centers, recycle boxes, waste collectors and paper recyclers (by door to door collection system). On average, paper, aluminum, glass and plastic account for 63, 21, 15 and 1% of the recycled materials, respectively. The total waste generation was estimated to be 144 tons/day in Serdang and Seri Kembangan areas based on the number of collection vehicles, trips per day and vehicle capacity. The total recycled quantity was, however, about 2678 kg/day. Only 1.8% of total generated MSW was recycled, which is deemed to be very low compared to developed countries. Therefore, it is recommended to educate, motivate and encourage the citizens of Malaysia for reusing, recovering and recycling. It requires collaborative and consistent efforts, and technical know-how for a successful recycling program. Finally, some possible means of promoting the recycling program were recommended based on the current practice of developed countries. The first step would be the separation of recyclable items at sources or generation points. The local authorities and recycling organizations can play an important role in educating/motivating general mass through producing and disseminating appropriate guidelines

Shared decision making and experiences of patients with long-term conditions : has anything changed?

Background Medication problems among patients with long-term conditions (LTCs) are well documented. Measures to support LTC management include: medicine optimisation services by community pharmacists such as the Medicine Use Review (MUR) service in England, implementation of shared decision making (SDM), and the availability of rapid access clinics in primary care. This study aimed to investigate the experience of patients with LTCs about SDM including medication counselling and their awareness of community pharmacy medication review services. Methods A mixed research method with a purposive sampling strategy to recruit patients was used. The quantitative phase involved two surveys, each requiring a sample size of 319. The first was related to SDM experience and the second to medication counselling at discharge. Patients were recruited from medical wards at St. George’s and Croydon University Hospitals.The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 18 respiratory patients attending a community rapid access clinic. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis using inductive/deductive approaches was employed. Survey results were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results The response rate for surveys 1 and 2 survey was 79% (n = 357/450) and 68.5% (240/350) respectively. Survey 1 showed that although 70% of patients had changes made to their medications, only 40% were consulted about them and two-thirds (62.2%) wanted to be involved in SDM. In survey 2, 37.5% of patients thought that medication counselling could be improved. Most patients (88.8%) were interested in receiving the MUR service; however 83% were not aware of it. The majority (57.9%) were interested in receiving their discharge medications from community pharmacies. The interviews generated three themes; lack of patient-centered care and SDM, minimal medication counselling provided and lack of awareness about the MUR service. Conclusion Although patients wanted to take part in SDM, yet SDM and medication counselling are not optimally provided. Patients were interested in the MUR service; however there was lack of awareness and referral for this service. The results propose community pharmacy as a new care pathway for medication supply and counselling post discharge. This promotes a change of health policy whereby community-based services are used to enhance the performance of acute hospitals

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Presence of Viral RNA and Proteins in Exosomes from Cellular Clones Resistant to Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection

Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) is a RNA virus that belongs to the genus Phlebovirus, family Bunyaviridae. It infects humans and livestock and causes Rift Valley fever. RVFV is considered an agricultural pathogen by the USDA, as it can cause up to 100% abortion in cattle and extensive death of newborns. In addition, it is designated as Category A pathogen by the CDC and the NIAID. In some human cases of RVFV infection, the virus causes fever, ocular damage, liver damage, hemorrhagic fever, and death. There are currently limited options for vaccine candidates, which include the MP-12 and clone 13 versions of RVFV. Viral infections often deregulate multiple cellular pathways that contribute to replication and host pathology. We have previously shown that latent HIV-1 and HTLV-1 infected cells secrete exosomes that contain short viral RNAs, limited number of genomic RNAs, and viral proteins. These exosomes largely target neighboring cells and activate the NF-кB pathway, leading to cell proliferation and overall better viral replication. In this manuscript, we studied the effects of exosome formation from RVFV infected cells and their function on recipient cells. We initially infected cells, isolated resistant clones, and further purified using dilution cloning. We then characterized these cells as resistant to new RVFV infection, but sensitive to other viral infections, including Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV). These clones contained normal markers (i.e. CD63) for exosomes and were able to activate the TLR pathway in recipient reporter cells. Interestingly, the exosome rich preparations, much like their host cell, contained viral RNA (L, M, and S genome). The RNAs were detected using qRT-PCR in both parental and exosomal preparations as well as in CD63 immunoprecipitates. Viral proteins such as N and a modified form of NSs were present in some of these exosomes. Finally, treatment of recipient cells (T- cells and monocytic cells) showed drastic rate of apoptosis through PARP cleavage and caspase 3 activation from some but not all enriched exosomes. Collectively, these data suggest that exosomes from RVFV infected cells alter the dynamics of the immune cells and may contribute to pathology of the viral infection