Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterization of One-dimensional Ceria Nanorod for Chromium Ion Removal from Wastewater

Remediation of wastewater contaminated with Cr(VI) species by ceria particles has received considerable attention in recent years. The main objectives of the present study were to investigate the adsorption of Cr(VI) species on the one-dimensional (1-D) ceria nanorod (CeNR). In where, CeNR has 20–40 nm in diameter and 200–300 nm in length, as confirmed through FE-SEM and TEM images. Higher surface area of CeNR is insisted to the remediation of Cr(VI)-contaminated wastewaters. This work exemplifies the utilization of XAS and BET to reveal the speciation of CeNR for further understands of the very complex adsorption process. It is also very clear that decontamination of Cr species in wastewater via the in-situ remediation with CeNR permeable reactive barriers would be environmentally attractive in the near future. Keywords: Cr(VI)-contaminant, One-dimensional Ceria, Wastewater treatment; XANES/EXAFS

A comprehensive in vitro biological investigation of metal complexes of tolfenamic acid

Objective: The inquisitive objective of the study was to observe the antimicrobial, cytotoxicity, and antioxidant activities of some newly synthesized metal complexes of tolfenamic acid.Methods: While antimicrobial activity was studied by disk diffusion method, cytotoxicity was studied by performing brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Moreover, DPPH radical scavenging potential was observed to determine the antioxidant property of the complexes.Results: From the disk diffusion antimicrobial screening of tolfenamic acid and its metal complexes, it was found out that considerable antimicrobial activity in terms of zone of inhibition against the tested organisms had been demonstrated by Cu and Zn complex of tolfenamic acid. In addition, the brine shrimp lethality bioassay corroborated that tolfenamic acid and Cu, Co, Zn complexes of the parent NSAID exhibited cytotoxicity with LC50 values 1.23 ± 0.91 lg/ml, 1.12 ± 0.12 lg/ml, 1.17 ± 0.56 lg/ml, 1.35 ± 0.24 lg/ ml respectively, compared to the vincristine sulfate had LC50 value of 0.82 ± 0.09 lg/ml. Furthermore, 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay revealed that in comparison with standard BHT had IC50 of 11.84 ± 0.65, Cu and Co complex of tolfenamic acid exhibited significant antioxidant or radical-scavenging properties with IC50 values 13.61 ± 0.58 lg/ml and 15.38 ± 0.09 lg/ml, respectively.Conclusion: It can be postulated that metal complexes of tolfenamic acid have auspicious pharmacological effects: antimicrobial, cytotoxicity, and antioxidant potency. Hence, these complexes might have better therapeutic responses in future; notwithstanding, it needs further detailed analysis in other pharmacological perspectives.Keywords: Tolfenamic acid, Metal complex, Antimicrobial screening, Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant activit

Does household food insecurity influence nutritional practice of children age 6 to 23 months in Bangladesh?

To examine the prevalence of household food insecurity (HHFI) among children aged between 6-23 months in Bangladesh. This paper also aims to identify the individual, household and community levels determinants of HHFI and the association between nutritional behavior and HHFI. Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey (BDHS), 2011 was used for this research. A total of 2,344 children were selected for analysis. Statistical analysis and tests were guided by the nature of the variables. Finally, logistic regression analysis was used to find out the association between independent variables and outcome. The overall prevalence of HHFI was 36.3% (95% CI: 33.6-39.0) among the participants (children). The prevalence of HHFI was significantly higher among children who did not receive nutritional items. In contrast, HHFI was more prevalent among children who were breastfed (37.0%) as compared to non-breastfed. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that children of illiterate mothers (adjusted OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.17-4.10), illiterate fathers (adjusted OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.41-3.66) and socio-economically poor families (adjusted OR: 11.35, 95% CI: 7.20-17.91) were more at risk of experiencing HHFI, whereas, rural children (adjusted OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.57-0.93) were more protective. In the adjusted logistic regression model, children who did not receive juice (adjusted OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.09-2.16) had experienced HHFI. The prevalence of HHFI among children is still high in Bangladesh. Therefore, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the Government of Bangladesh should priorities HHFI as a major public health issue. Strong collaborations among various stakeholders are also crucial to improve the situation

Depression and Associated Factors among International Students in a Private University of Bangladesh

Background: Depression is the second major cause of disability and is a principal source of disease burden worldwide which is quite common among international students. Aim: This study explored the depression and its associated factors among international students of a private university in Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 149 international students at a private university in Dhaka, Bangladesh using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D 10) Scale. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among international students was 47.7%. Students’ age, marital status, satisfaction with living conditions and problems concerning studies, food, homesickness, finances, accommodation, and health were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: This study concluded that there is an unmet need for psychological support for international students studying in Bangladesh. Appropriate support services should be directed to them to help and to overcome the challenges they face

Impact of Intimate Partner violence on ever married women and utilization of antenatal care services in Tanzania

Background and Objectives: Sub Saharan Africa region is considered as one of the deprived regions of this world and women from this part of the world are suffering from intimate partner violence. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of intimate partner violence on utilization of antenatal care services among the ever married women. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study design. The data used in this research was extracted from the Tanzania Demographic Health Survey 2015-16. A total of 13, 266 women were interviewed. Results: The mean age of the respondents is 28.69 years. About 74% women visited antenatal care services more than 4 times. Logistic regression results indicate that the middle-aged adult women (35-49 years age group) were identified having lower odds (Odds ratio: 0.807, 95% CI: 0.693-0.940, P<0.001) than women in younger age group. Women who did not complete their secondary education were less likelihood to experience IPV (Odds ratio: 0.705, 95% CI: 0.540-0.922, P<0.010). Conclusion: Intimate partner violence is one main challenge to women’s health and wellbeing during pregnancy period. Proper implementation and community based interventions to support pregnant women to seek antenatal care services and to raise awareness regarding intimate partner violence are advocated

Harmonization of maternal balanced energy-protein supplementation studies for individual participant data (IPD) meta-analyses - finding and creating similarities in variables and data collection

Background: Public health and clinical recommendations are established from systematic reviews and retrospective meta-analyses combining effect sizes, traditionally, from aggregate data and more recently, using individual participant data (IPD) of published studies. However, trials often have outcomes and other meta-data that are not defined and collected in a standardized way, making meta-analysis problematic. IPD meta-analysis can only partially fix the limitations of traditional, retrospective, aggregate meta-analysis; prospective meta-analysis further reduces the problems. Methods: We developed an initiative including seven clinical intervention studies of balanced energy-protein (BEP) supplementation during pregnancy and/or lactation that are being conducted (or recently concluded) in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, and Pakistan to test the effect of BEP on infant and maternal outcomes. These studies were commissioned after an expert consultation that designed recommendations for a BEP product for use among pregnant and lactating women in low- and middle-income countries. The initiative goal is to harmonize variables across studies to facilitate IPD meta-analyses on closely aligned data, commonly called prospective meta-analysis. Our objective here is to describe the process of harmonizing variable definitions and prioritizing research questions. A two-day workshop of investigators, content experts, and advisors was held in February 2020 and harmonization activities continued thereafter. Efforts included a range of activities from examining protocols and data collection plans to discussing best practices within field constraints. Prior to harmonization, there were many similar outcomes and variables across studies, such as newborn anthropometry, gestational age, and stillbirth, however, definitions and protocols differed. As well, some measurements were being conducted in several but not all studies, such as food insecurity. Through the harmonization process, we came to consensus on important shared variables, particularly outcomes, added new measurements, and improved protocols across studies. Discussion: We have fostered extensive communication between investigators from different studies, and importantly, created a large set of harmonized variable definitions within a prospective meta-analysis framework. We expect this initiative will improve reporting within each study in addition to providing opportunities for a series of IPD meta-analyses