Publications by authors named "Sadia Afrin"

Objective: The objective of this review is to identify which environmental toxicants are linked to infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by synthesizing available evidence. It aims to summarize key findings, identify research gaps and provide policy recommendations based on the associations between specific toxicants and disease outcomes.

Study Design: Systematic review.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The growing demand for Lithium-Ion batteries (LIBs) for use within varied electronics and electric vehicles (EVs) has raised concerns about the sustainability of lithium extraction from natural deposits. This study provides a comprehensive comparison of lithium recovery through mining of spodumene deposits, and the recovery of lithium from used batteries via recycling, in terms of technological, economic and environmental impacts. Lithium recovered through mining and refining operations prompt significant land disruption and soil contamination and possess large ecological, water and carbon footprints.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Detecting skin melanoma in the early stage using dermoscopic images presents a complex challenge due to the inherent variability in images. Utilizing dermatology datasets, the study aimed to develop Automated Diagnostic Systems for early skin cancer detection. Existing methods often struggle with diverse skin types, cancer stages, and imaging conditions, highlighting a critical gap in reliability and explainability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Endothelialization is crucial for tissue bioengineering, particularly in developing functional blood vessel linings to ensure proper vascularization. Effective re-endothelialization of the vasculature in bioengineered organs is challenging, often leading to blood coagulation and hindering successful engraftment. Endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis are essential processes for constructing functional and vascularized bioengineered organs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The expanding worldwide population has increased the meat demand, prompting efforts to find alternatives. A promising approach is the cultivation of animal cells on edible biomaterials for cultured meat production. However, those biomaterials face challenges in their mechanical properties, cytotoxicity, and ability to support optimal cell growth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microalgae are natural producers of essential nutrients and pigments for both human and animal nutrition as well as medical applications. This study aimed to characterize some microalgae by their taxonomy and biochemical composition. Molecular techniques were used to categorize the microalgal strains into the genera of Chlorococcum, Coccomyxa, and Ochromonas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Decellularized liver scaffolds offer a promising foundation for liver tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, several challenges such as poor cell adhesion, inefficient reseeding, inadequate vascularization, and a high risk of blood clot formation continue to hinder their clinical application. While fibronectin (FN) has been widely used to enhance scaffold functionality, its potential for liver-specific applications remains largely unexplored.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To systematically understand age-induced molecular changes, we performed spatial transcriptomics of young, middle-aged, and old mouse brains and identified seven transcriptionally distinct regions. All regions exhibited age-associated upregulation of inflammatory mRNAs and downregulation of mRNAs related to synaptic function. Notably, aging white matter fiber tracts showed the most prominent changes with pronounced effects in females.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Gender differences affect exposure to infections, including drug-resistant ones. However, data on the relationship between gender and antibiotic use are limited. This systematic review examines gender differences in antibiotic prescribing patterns in community and primary care settings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Natural killer (NK) cells are a promising approach for cellular cancer immunotherapy and are being investigated to treat patients with multiple myeloma (MM). We found that MM patient blood NK cell frequencies were normal with increased activating receptors and cytotoxic granules, without evidence of functional exhaustion. Despite this activated state, MM target cells were resistant to conventional NK cells by unclear mechanisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Biofilm formation by bacteria is highly recognized for virulence factors resulting in their resistance to antimicrobials that lead to biofilm-associated infections. In this study, we isolated Escherichia fergusonii from soil, characterized its biofilm-associated growth, and evaluated the inhibitory potential of anti-biofilm compounds. Test isolate ACE12 was precisely identified as E.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diseases, overfishing, and habitat loss are constantly reducing oyster populations. Moreover, environmental pollution and natural disasters also hinder offshore shellfish cultivation. Therefore, filter-feeding bivalves could be cultivated on land-based system to maintain the culture condition and secure food safety.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Refugee or immigrant women residing in conflict prone countries portray elevated mental health related vulnerabilities during their peripartum periods and require effective interventions for improved maternal and child well-being. The objective of this systematic review is to generate evidence on effective interventions for managing peripartum mental health issues among refugee women from conflicted settings.

Study Design: Systematic review.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Foodborne illness is a significant public health concern, particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh. Young adults, aged 18-26 (including undergraduates and recent graduates), are especially vulnerable to the onset of unhealthy eating habits and nutritional imbalances as they begin living independently, often away from their families. This research aims to identify the risk factors associated with the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to safe food handling among residential university students.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Exopolysaccharides (EPS) derived from microbial sources hold great promise for various industrial applications due to their biodegradability and diverse biological activities.

Methods And Results: In this study, EPS was isolated and characterized from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain BDIFST240014, a Gram-positive bacterium known for its robust EPS production. Taxonomic classification was confirmed through 16 S rRNA gene sequencing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Bioengineered livers are being studied as alternatives to traditional liver transplants, addressing donor shortages, but they face issues like thrombosis due to incomplete endothelial layers.
  • This study focuses on applying heparin to decellularized liver scaffolds to improve blood compatibility, cell adhesion, and new blood vessel formation.
  • Results showed that heparin not only reduced blood clotting and increased cell attachment but also significantly enhanced the growth of blood vessels in the scaffolds when tested in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * It focuses on the promising anticancer properties of mangrove plants and their compounds, which have been shown to have multiple beneficial biological effects such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.
  • * The study reviews the preclinical evidence gathered from various academic sources to suggest that mangrove-derived compounds could be valuable in developing new cancer therapies through several mechanisms, including inducing cell death and inhibiting tumor growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the United States, there are nearly 53 million informal or unpaid caregivers, many of whom experience mental and physical stress related to their caregiving duties and increased financial responsibility. We identified federal and state informal caregiver support policies authorized by specific legislation along with their key provisions and conducted a systematic review of the academic literature related to quantitative evaluations of these policies. Twenty policies, eight academic studies, and four gray literature reports were included in the study, with half of the policies introduced since 2000.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Foxtail millet (FM) and green banana (GB) are rich in health-promoting nutrients and bioactive substances, like antioxidants, dietary fibers, and various essential macro and micronutrients. Utilizing GB and FM flour as prebiotics is attributed to their ability to support gut health and offer multiple health benefits. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of incorporating 10% GB flour (GBF) and different proportions (10-40%) of FM flour (FMF) on the prebiotic potential, antioxidant, nutrient, color, cooking quality, water activity and sensory attributes of noodles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Biosurfactants are naturally occurring compounds synthesized by micro-organisms that increasingly attract attention due to both their living area and application in various industries. In this study, we explore and characterize a novel bacterium, strain BDIFST24001, isolated for its ability to produce rhamnolipid biosurfactants, with the aim of facilitating oil remediation processes. The isolation of this bacterium was carried out using Luria-Bertani (LB) broth media from environmental samples collected from oil-contaminated sites in Dhaka City.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO) in the atmosphere, primarily due to the use of fossil fuels, pose a significant threat to the environment and necessitate urgent action to mitigate climate change. Carbon capture and utilization technologies that can convert CO into economically valuable compounds have gained attention as potential solutions. Among these technologies, biocatalytic CO hydrogenation using bacterial whole cells shows promise for the efficient conversion of CO into formate, a valuable chemical compound.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ompok pabda is gaining popularity in the aquaculture industry due to its increasing demand; however research on microbial diversity and antibiotic susceptibility remains limited. The present study was designed to identify the bacterial pathogens commonly found in the pabda farming system with their biofilm forming potential and antibiotic susceptibility. Different bacterial strains were isolated from water, sediments and gut, gill of pabda fish and the isolates were identified based on their morphological traits, biochemical and molecular analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: opendir(/var/lib/php/sessions): Failed to open directory: Permission denied

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 365

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 317
Function: require_once