The effect of polycystic ovarian syndrome on the mental health of women of reproductive age

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is defined as a hormonal disorder that is prevalent among women of reproductive age. It affects the metabolic, endocrine, and reproductive systems of the body as well as mental health. We compared up to 20 peer-reviewed literature that displayed the relationship between PCOS and mental health. We searched the PMC/NCBI/NIH database and we used the following keywords while searching the database: "polycystic ovarian syndrome" or "PCOS" and "mental health" or "depression" or "anxiety" or "low self-esteem" were included in the search for articles. Women of reproductive age are seen to be affected by PCOS. The effect of polycystic ovarian syndrome on the mental health of women of reproductive age has serious complications. Complications include an increased rate of anxiety and depression in the individual. When there is an increase in depression and anxiety, it tends to affect the physical changes and the confidence of women with PCOS. PCOS has been proven to be incurable but its symptoms can be managed. PCOS is linked with mental health and it has serious implications on the psychological health of the individual. Management of PCOS should include an early assessment of the patients’ mental health. If required, medications for mental health improvement should be prescribed in addition to medication for treating the physical and biochemical symptoms of PCOS.

Aflatoxin in chili peppers in Nigeria: extent of contamination and control using atoxigenic aspergillus flavus genotypes as biocontrol agents

Open Access Journal; Published online: 22 July 2019Across sub-Saharan Africa, chili peppers are fundamental ingredients of many traditional dishes. However, chili peppers may contain unsafe aflatoxin concentrations produced by Aspergillus section Flavi fungi. Aflatoxin levels were determined in chili peppers from three states in Nigeria. A total of 70 samples were collected from farmers’ stores and local markets. Over 25% of the samples contained unsafe aflatoxin concentrations. The chili peppers were associated with both aflatoxin producers and atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus genotypes. E cacy of an atoxigenic biocontrol product, Aflasafe, registered in Nigeria for use on maize and groundnut, was tested for chili peppers grown in three states. Chili peppers treated with Aflasafe accumulated significantly less aflatoxins than nontreated chili peppers. The results suggest that Aflasafe is a valuable tool for the production of safe chili peppers. Use of Aflasafe in chili peppers could reduce human exposure to aflatoxins and increase chances to commercialize chili peppers in premium local and international markets. This is the first report of the e cacy of any atoxigenic biocontrol product for controlling aflatoxin in a spice crop

Soliton-dependent plasmon reflection at bilayer graphene domain walls

Layer-stacking domain walls in bilayer graphene are emerging as a fascinating one-dimensional system that features stacking solitons structurally and quantum valley Hall boundary states electronically. The interactions between electrons in the 2D graphene domains and the one-dimensional domain-wall solitons can lead to further new quantum phenomena. Domain-wall solitons of varied local structures exist along different crystallographic orientations, which can exhibit distinct electrical, mechanical and optical properties. Here we report soliton-dependent 2D graphene plasmon reflection at different 1D domain-wall solitons in bilayer graphene using near-field infrared nanoscopy. We observe various domain-wall structures in mechanically exfoliated graphene bilayers, including network-forming triangular lattices, individual straight or bent lines, and even closed circles. The near-field infrared contrast of domain-wall solitons arises from plasmon reflection at domain walls, and exhibits markedly different behaviours at the tensile- and shear-type domain-wall solitons. In addition, the plasmon reflection at domain walls exhibits a peculiar dependence on electrostatic gating. Our study demonstrates the unusual and tunable coupling between 2D graphene plasmons and domain-wall solitons