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Assessment of fish stock status is generally required for fisheries management, which is difficult when the data are limited. The length-based Bayesian Biomass (LBB) approach is a powerful and new method, where only the length-frequency data are used for estimating the status of fisheries resources. Here, we applied the LBB method to assess the status of seven commercially valuable marine fishes from the northern tip of the Bay of Bengal (BoB), Bangladesh. These species were Lepturacanthus savala, Pampus argenteus, Nemipterus japonicas, Nemipterus randalli, Ilisha filigera, Saurida tumbil, and Upeneus sulphurous. The current relative biomass (B/B0) ratios were smaller than the BMSY/B0 in five stocks, except for N. japonicas and N. randalli, and this indicates that, of the seven populations assessed, two are grossly overfished, three are overfished, and two are healthy stocks. Moreover, the length at first capture (Lc) was lower than the optimal length at first capture (Lc_opt) in all seven populations, which indicates growth overfishing, suggesting that increasing the mesh sizes would be beneficial. The present findings confirm that Bangladesh’s coastal water fishery resources are declining. More specific targeted management measures should be taken to recover the country’s marine fishery resources.

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The drugs used to treat cancer not only kill fast-growing cancer cells, but also kill or slow the growth of healthy cells, causing systemic toxicities that lead to altered functioning of normal cells. Most chemotherapeutic agents have serious toxicities associated with their use, necessitating extreme caution and attention. There is a growing interest in herbal remedies because of their pharmacological activities, minimal side effects, and low cost. Thymoquinone, a major component of the volatile oil of Nigella sativa Linn, also known as black cumin or black seeds, is commonly used in Middle Eastern countries as a condiment. It is also utilized for medicinal purposes and possesses antidiabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-microbial, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant properties. This review attempts to compile the published literature demonstrating thymoquinone’s protective effect against chemotherapeutic drug-induced toxicities.

Six most abundant and commercially valuable croakers (Sciaenidae) stocks in the coastal water of Bangladesh were evaluated using a length-based Bayesian Biomass (LBB) approach. The ratios B/B0 (current relative biomass) were smaller than the BMSY/B0 in five of the six stocks. For the six estimated populations, two (Otolithes ruber and Pterotolithus maculatus) are grossly overfished, one (Otolithoides pama) is overfished, two (Johnius belangerii and Panna heterolepis) are slightly overfished, and only donkey croaker (Pennahia anea) is in the healthy (B/B0 > BMSY/B0) status. Furthermore, the optimal length at first capture (Lc_opt) was higher than the length at first capture (Lc) in four populations, indicating growth overfishing, suggesting that increasing mesh size would benefit the catch and biomass. Findings from the present study confirm the declining trend of fisheries resources, particularly the croaker species in the BoB, Bangladesh coastal water. Management strategies (such as effort control, choosing the appropriate mesh size, total allowable catch limit, identify and enhance protection of the feeding, breeding, and nursery ground, etc.) should be taken for the sustainable management and recovery of the country’s marine fishing resources, particularly the valuable croaker species.

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Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO), complex glycans highly abundant in human milk, are thought to protect the breast‐fed infant from infectious diseases and diarrhea. For example, the concentration of alpha1‐2‐fucosylated HMO in human milk is inversely correlated to the incidence of infant diarrhea. Diarrhea poses a particular threat to infants in developing countries, where mothers are also often malnourished. Here, we studied whether a low body mass index (BMI) in mothers had any effect on the HMO concentration in their milk. As part of the MINIMat project, milk samples from mothers in rural Bangladesh with a BMI of either 14–18 (n=8) or 24–28 (n=8) were collected at 8 weeks post‐partum. All milk samples were spiked with raffinose as internal standard. Oligosaccharides were isolated as described before, tagged with 2‐aminobenzamide, and analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Milk from mothers with a BMI of 14–18 contained 42.4% less total HMO than milk from mothers with a BMI of 24–28 (P<0.001), which may put the infant at higher risk of developing infectious diseases and diarrhea. Most intriguingly, 50% of all Bangladeshi samples were from Secretor‐negative mothers (lacking alpha1–2‐fucosylated HMO), which exceeds the 23% average reported for American/European mothers. This study is the first to show a correlation between the mother's nutritional status and the oligosaccharide concentration in her milk.