Effect of fly ash as filler in mechanical properties of HDPE is described in this study

, an increasing number of cases of novel coronavirus, designated SARS-CoV-2, has caused worldwide outbreak of respiratory infection now termed coronavirus disease 2019

Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) is a plant-derived naphthoquinones obtained mainly from three families, including Plumbaginaceae, Droseraceae, and Ebenaceae. Plumbagin has exhibited its potential therapeutic benefits on numerous chronic diseases, i.e., breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, ovarian, squamous cell carcinomas, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer. In addition, its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities as well as control of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases have been reported. Thus, plumbagin is a promising agent for development as a new drug for the treatment or control of chronic diseases. Studies on controlled drug release or drug delivery systems have been involved for improvement of its therapeutic efficacy as well as for the reduction of its toxicity. However, most of the recent research information is from in vitro and in vivo studies. Further clinical studies are therefore required for its developments and applications as a novel drug used to treat chronic diseases.

Within just a month of the first case of idiopathic pneumonia, on 30 January 2020, WHO declared the outbreak, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. On 11 February 2019, the Internal Committee on Taxonomy of Virus (ICTV) announced the name of the novel virus as "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)" and on 11 March 2020, WHO declared it a global pandemic. As a preventive measure, the government of several countries has imposed quarantine and isolation for preventing the further spread of disease. Both of these restrict outdoor activities, which can directly affect the lifestyle of citizens. Quarantine for the long term can result in increased lifestyle disease, mainly cardiovascular diseases, and obesity.

Axial compression tests have shown fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) tubes to significantly enhance both strength and ductility of concrete columns. However, most experiments and associated models typically do not account for the internal reinforcement, size effect of the column, and the end load-bearing conditions of the tube. An experimental program was undertaken to evaluate the effect of these parameters on the performance of CFFT columns. Glass FRP tubes filled with plain, steel-reinforced, and glass FRP-reinforced concrete were tested with and without end grooves, which would prevent the tube from directly bearing of the axial load. The experiments showed the dowel action of the internal reinforcement to improve the ductility of the columns by restraining the lateral dilation of concrete core. Anempirically derived confinement model, augmented with the stress-strain response of the internal reinforcement, showed close agreement with test results.

Several studies have demonstrated an association between individual zinc status and viral respiratory infections; however, evidence regarding COVID-19 is still missing or insufficient. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the prevalence of zinc deficiency and COVID-19 cases and deaths per million population in the Asian and European countries. The COVID-19 data from two different time points, that is, May 30 and June 30, 2020 for the Asian population and May 15 and June 15, 2020 for the European population, were analyzed to determine the correlation with the estimated zinc deficiency for these two continents.

It is considered that cow's milk is almost complete food for human as it provides most of the micronutrients and macronutrients. The cow's milks are essential for the growth and development especially for children. The main compositions of cow's milk are protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals which are well defined. Presently, the study of micronutrients and toxic elements in cow's milk has been widely carried out particularly in the industrialized and polluted regions because of its possibility of contamination, and thereby health risk of the consumers. The elemental composition in local cow's milk samples in Bangladesh is not well studied yet. The present study was therefore aimed to determine the level of heavy metals (Cr, Ni, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe) in cow's milk using EDXRF technique. Subsequently, the experimental data was used to calculate the human health risk through the intake of both powder and liquid cows’ milk available in Bangladesh. The results showed that powder milk contains significantly higher concentration of heavy metals than liquid milk samples. The HRI (health risk index) and HI (hazard index) values for most of the elements in all milk samples were within the safe limit (<1.0) or close to safe limit (≤1.0) with an exception of Hg. However, HRI value for Hg in powder milk samples for both children and adult showed a value higher than one (>1). MPI (metal pollution index) value for powder milk samples are very high compared to other type of milk samples analyzed in this study. Therefore, it has been suggested that heavy metal contamination through local powder milk samples might have significant negative impact (threat) on human health.

Dried rhizome of Bergenia ligulata (pashanbhed) is commonly used as a traditional herbal medicine with a wide range of therapeutic applications including urolithiasis. Aqueous extract of B. ligulata was prepared through maceration followed by decoction (mother extract, 35.9% w/w). Further, polarity based fractions were prepared successively from mother extract which yielded 3.4, 2.9, 5.4, 7.5, and 11.3% w/w of hexane, toluene, dichloromethane (DCM), n-butanol, and water fractions, respectively. The in vitro, ex vivo, and real-time antiurolithiasis activity of mother extract and fractions were carried out using aggregation assay in synthetic urine and in rat plasma. The study revealed that DCM fraction has significantly (p < 0.05) greater inhibitory potential than other fractions. Ethylene glycol in drinking water (0.75%, v/v) for 28 days was used for induction of urolithiasis and the curative effects of mother extract and DCM fraction were checked for the level of oxalate, calcium, creatinine, uric acid, and urea of both urine and serum. Treatment with mother extract and DCM fraction at a dose of 185 mg/kg and 7 mg/kg, respectively, in ethylene glycol induced rats resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in serum and urine markers. Histological study revealed lower number of calcium oxalate deposits with minimum damage in the kidneys of mother extract and DCM fraction treated rats. This result provides a scientific basis for its traditional claims.