Considering the severity of the effects of COVID-19 on psychological health and quality of life, the present study investigates the direct effects of government strategies and social distancing and the moderating effect of emotional recovery on psychological distress and quality of life using the tenets of the theory of attachment and learned helplessness. The snowball sampling technique was used to recruit respondents from Bangladesh who completed a self-administered questionnaire via Google Forms, which provided cross-sectional data. The results revealed that both social distancing and government strategies have significant negative influences on psychological distress. Besides, government strategies have a significant positive influence on social distancing. Although psychological distress has a significant negative influence on quality of life, emotional recovery shows no moderating effect on the relationship between psychological distress and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study provides insights for regulatory bodies and policymakers for developing effective policy interventions to ensure the well-being of people during this pandemic. Finally, the study highlights the implications for both theory and practice and a few notes for further research.

Many CRISPR/Cas platforms have been established for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. But the detection platform of the variants of SARS-CoV-2 is scarce because its specificity is very challenging to achieve for those with only one or a few nucleotide(s) differences. Here, we report for the first time that chimeric crRNA could be critical in enhancing the specificity of CRISPR-Cas12a detecting of N501Y, which is shared by Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Mu variants of SARS-CoV-2 without compromising its sensitivity. This strategy could also be applied to detect other SARS-CoV-2 variants that differ only one or a few nucleotide(s) differences.

Introduction: Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most serious health problems in developing countries. This study aims to explore the comparative figure of vitamin A knowledge, household consumption frequency of vitamin A-rich foods, and association of socio-demographic factors with knowledge and consumption in four residential areas in Tangail district, Bangladesh. Methods: This study used a population-based cross-sectional design with 400 study participants selected using purposive sampling technique. Knowledge and consumption frequency were assessed by a structured questionnaire along with food frequency table. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Only 33.5% participants had primary vitamin A knowledge, where most from urban (48.5%) and semi-urban (30.6%) areas had comparatively higher knowledge than those from rural (11.2%) and slum (9.7%) areas. Specific knowledge level was also poorer in rural and slum areas than urban and semi-urban areas. Most of the participants received knowledge through commercial advertisements (65.7%). Household consumption frequency of vitamin A-rich foods (plant and animal) was comparatively lower in rural and slum areas than in urban and semi-urban areas. Different socio-demographic factors (place of residence, education and household income) significantly influenced participant’s vitamin A knowledge and household consumption of vitamin A-rich foods (p<0.05). Conclusion: In general, the study population lacked knowledge regarding the importance of vitamin A. Consumption frequency of vitamin A-rich foods was still poorer in slum and rural areas than in urban and semi-urban areas.

Rapid differentiation and detection tests that can directly identify SARS-CoV-2 variants must be developed in order to meet the demands of public health or clinical decisions. This will allow for the prompt treatment or isolation of infected people and the implementation of various quarantine measures for those exposed.

In the present study rice bran protein concentrate (RBPC) was extracted from defatted rice bran by alkali extraction method and the extracted protein concentrate was characterized and utilized in biscuit production. Protein concentrate was extracted from rice bran at different rice bran water ratio (25.86-54.14) and solution pH (8.09-10.91). The extraction parameters were optimized by response surface methodology. Optimum conditions for protein concentrate extraction ratio were 1:40.77 bran/water and 9.55 pH of solution. At the optimum conditions the extraction yield of protein concentrate was 11.76% and protein content was 36.29% where native rice bran contained 20.78% protein. RBPC contained most of essential amino acids except tryptophan and phenylalanine, among them arginine was the highest 2.27 mg/100g and the lowest was histidine 0.59 mg/100g. RBPC also contained non-essential amino acid like aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, alanine, glycine and tyrosine. The emulsifying capacity, emulsion stability, water absorption capacity, bulk density and oil absorption capacity of RBPC were 56 percent, 36 min, 3.02 g/g, 0.49 g/ml and 1.72 g/g respectively. A 5% rice bran protein concentrate supplemented biscuits upgrade the total protein content in biscuits from 7.54 to 9.13. Therefore, utilization of RBPC can be beneficially achieved through formulation of protein enriched biscuits with enhanced nutritional value especially for malnourished or undernourished people.

No abstract

No abstract

Tea is one of the most popular and oldest beverages available in many varieties and the use of different flavoring ingredients is becoming more common. The present study aimed to examine tea consumption behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzed the bioactive compounds of tea flavoring ingredients. At first, a cross-sectional study was carried out with 140 randomly selected participants to determine tea consumption patterns and data was collected through face-to-face interviews. Then 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test, the Folin-Ciocalteu technique, and the quercetin method were used to assess antioxidant activity, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) of tea flavoring ingredients. The study found that 57.86% of the participants increased their tea consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas 22.80% increased their tea consumption by at least one more cup per day. It was also found that ginger was the most popular (29.5%) among fifteen tea flavoring agents. By analyzing tea flavoring ingredients, the maximum antioxidant activity found in cinnamon was 87%, and lemon leaves had the lowest, which was 60%. On a dry weight basis, the TPC of the tea flavoring components ranged from 36.52 mg GAE/g for cloves to 9.62 mg GAE/g for ginger. The maximum TFC was also found in clove with 13.68 mg QE/g, and moringa was the second highest with 12.26 mg GAE/g. The antioxidant activity of flavoring compounds has a significant correlation (p<0.05) with TPC and TFC. Overall, tea consumption behavior with tea flavoring ingredients increased during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Tea with flavoring ingredients may be one of the best dietary sources of antioxidants, TPC, and TFC which are important for strengthening the immune system and controlling different physiological and metabolic disorders.