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The characterization of bacteria with hydrolytic potential significantly contributes to the industries. Six cellulose-degrading bacteria were isolated from mixture soil samples collected at Kingfisher Lake and the University of Manitoba campus by Congo red method using carboxymethyl cellulose agar medium and identified as Paenarthrobacter sp. MKAL1, Hymenobacter sp. MKAL2, Mycobacterium sp. MKAL3, Stenotrophomonas sp. MKAL4, Chryseobacterium sp. MKAL5, and Bacillus sp. MKAL6. Their cellulase production was optimized by controlling different environmental and nutritional factors such as pH, temperature, incubation period, substrate concentration, nitrogen, and carbon sources using the dinitrosalicylic acid and response surface methods. Except for Paenarthrobacter sp. MKAL1, all strains are motile. Only Bacillus sp. MKAL6 was non-salt-tolerant and showed gelatinase activity. Sucrose enhanced higher cellulase activity of 78.87 ± 4.71 to 190.30 ± 6.42 U/mL in these strains at their optimum pH (5-6) and temperature (35-40 °C). The molecular weights of these cellulases were about 25 kDa. These bacterial strains could be promising biocatalysts for converting cellulose into glucose for industrial purposes.

Background and Aims Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] has been associated with spondyloarthritis [SpA], but population-based estimates are scarce. Here we compare the occurrence of SpA before and after a diagnosis of IBD with the general population, overall and by IBD subtype and age. Methods We used a nationwide register-based cohort study of 39 203 patients diagnosed with IBD during 2006-2016, identified from Swedish registers and gastrointestinal biopsy data, and 390 490 matched reference individuals from the general population. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios [ORs] for a prior [prevalent] SpA diagnosis and conditional Cox regression to calculate hazard ratios [HRs] for a subsequent [incident] SpA diagnosis in IBD patients. Results IBD patients were more likely to have prevalent SpA at IBD diagnosis [2.5%] compared with reference individuals [0.7%] with an OR of 3.48 [95% CI: 3.23, 3.75]. They also more often received an incident diagnosis of SpA; during 23 341 934 person-years of follow-up in IBD patients, there were 1030 SpA events [5.0/1000 person-years] compared with 1524 SpA events in the reference group [0.72/1000 person-years], corresponding to an HR of 7.15 [95% CI: 6.60, 7.75]. In subgroup analyses, associations were most pronounced among patients with Crohn’s disease ([OR = 5.20; 95% CI: 4.59, 5.89], and [HR = 10.55; 95% CI: 9.16, 12.15]) and paediatric onset IBD ([OR = 3.63; 95% CI: 2.35, 5.59] and [HR = 15.03; 95% CI: 11.01, 20.53]). Conclusions IBD patients more frequently experience SpA both before and after the diagnosis of IBD compared with the general population, supporting evidence of a shared pathophysiology. The variation in SpA comorbidity, across IBD subtypes and age groups, calls for targeted approaches to facilitate timely diagnosis and intervention.

Enzymatic saccharification of corn stover can be enhanced by partially replacing commercial enzymes with bacterial crude enzyme extracts. Thus, in this study, three bacteria (Bacillus sp. A0, Bacillus sp. CH20S1, and Exiguobacterium sp. AS2B) were cultured in a media with corn stover as the substrate to produce crude enzyme extract and saccharify corn stover. The cultural conditions were monitored and optimized to maximize CMCase and xylanase activity in the crude enzyme extracts. After 72 h of hydrolysis of corn stover with diluted crude enzymes (DCE) from the three strains, reducing sugars ranging from 48.2 to 71.7 mg g-1 were released from non-pretreated and pretreated corn stover. Furthermore, the maximum reducing sugars of 316 and 321 mg g-1 were observed when 12 and 4 FPU g-1 of commercial cellulase were added to the DCE of the CH20S1 strain, respectively. It was shown that an effective combination of bacterial DCE with commercial enzymes could achieve higher saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass, which might be cost-efficient compared to their single-use. Overall, this study aims to show the enhanced enzymatic saccharification of corn stover.

Objectives: To assess the awareness and attitude regarding teenage pregnancy among adolescent girls. Methods: A descriptive cross- sectional design was carried out among 334 adolescent girls of school students of Chandannath Municipality, Jumla. Results: Awareness of teenage pregnancy was inadequate in 68% of adolescent girls, moderate in 26% and adequate in only 6%. Attitude to denounce teenage pregnancy was good in 58.1%, neutral in 34.4% and unfavorable in7.5%. There was no relation between awareness and attitude regarding teenage pregnancy and types of family, level of education of father and mother. Conclusion: Despite of favourable attitude against teenage pregnancy, the awareness level is low in adolescent girls. There was no significant difference between demographic variables with awareness and attitude regarding teenage pregnancy.

Soil bacteria participate in self-immobilization processes for survival, persistence and producing virulence factors in some niches or hosts through their capacities of autoaggregation, cell surface hydrophobicity, biofilm formation, and antibiotic and heavy metal resistance. This study investigated potential virulence, antibiotics and heavy metals resistance, solvent adhesion, and biofilm-forming capabilities of six cellulolytic bacteria isolated from soil samples: Paenarthrobacter sp. MKAL1, Hymenobacter sp. MKAL2, Mycobacterium sp. MKAL3, Stenotrophomonas sp. MKAL4, Chryseobacterium sp. MKAL5 and Bacillus sp. MKAL6. Strains were subjected to phenotypic methods, including heavy metal and antibiotic susceptibility and virulence factors (protease, lipase, capsule production, autoaggregation, hydrophobicity and biofilm formation). The effect of ciprofloxacin was also investigated on bacterial susceptibility over time, cell membrane and biofilm formation. Strains MKAL2, MKAL5 and MKAL6 exhibited protease and lipase activities, while only MKAL6 produced capsules. All strains were capable of aggregating, forming biofilm and adhering to solvents. Strains tolerated high amounts of chromium, lead, zinc, nickel and manganese and were resistant to lincomycin. Ciprofloxacin exhibited bactericidal activity against these strains. Although the phenotypic evaluation of virulence factors of bacteria can indicate their pathogenic nature, an in-depth genetic study of virulence, antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes is required.

Pectinase, a group of pectin degrading enzymes, is one of the most influential industrial enzymes, helpful in producing a wide variety of products with good qualities. These enzymes are biocatalysts and are highly specific, non-toxic, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Consequently, both pectin and pectinase are crucially essential biomolecules with extensive applicatory perception in the biotechnological sector. The market demand and application of pectinases in new sectors are continuously increasing. However, due to the high cost of the substrate used for the growth of microbes, the production of pectinase using microorganisms is limited. Therefore, low-cost or no-cost substrates, such as various agricultural biomasses, are emphasized in producing pectinases. The importance and implications of pectinases are rising in diverse areas, including bioethanol production, extraction of DNA, and protoplast isolation from a plant. Therefore, this review briefly describes the structure of pectin, types and source of pectinases, substrates and strategies used for pectinases production, and emphasizes diverse potential applications of pectinases. The review also has included a list of pectinases producing microbes and alternative substrates for commercial production of pectinase applicable in pectinase-based industrial technology. Key points • Pectinase applications are continuously expanding. • Organic wastes can be used as low-cost sources of pectin. • Utilization of wastes helps to reduce pollution.

The cultural parameters of Streptomyces sp. for pectinase production were optimized using the Box-Behnken design. The maximum pectinase production was obtained after 58 hours at 35℃ and pH 7 upon submerged fermentation in yeast extract-containing media. The enzymes were partially purified with acetone precipitation and the analysis by SDS-PAGE and zymogram revealed that Streptomyces sp. produced two pectinases with molecular weights of about 25 and 75 kDa. The pectinase activity was detected in a wide range of temperatures (30℃ to 80℃) and pH (3 to 9) with maximum pectinase activities observed at 70℃ and pHs 5 and 9. The enzymes retained about 30 to 40% of their activities even after incubating the enzyme at different temperatures for 120 mins. The pectinase activities of Streptomyces sp. were enhanced in the media containing 1.5% pectin, 1% casein as a nitrogen source, 0.5 mM MgSO4, and 5 mM NaCl. Further, the addition of Tween-20, amino acids, and vitamins to the media also enhanced the pectinase activity. Moreover, the bacterium illustrated the ability to decolorize crystal violet dye efficiently. The decolorization rate ranged from 39.29 to 53.75% showing the highest bacterial decolorization in the media containing 2mg/mL crystal violet at 144 hours. Therefore, the bacterium has the potential in treating wastewater produced by industries like textile industries.

The ultrafast internal conversion and intersystem crossing dynamics of 2-thiouracil (2TU) and 2-thiothymine (2TT) are studied using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the effect of methylation on the deactivation mechanism. Like other thiobases, the triplet manifold is populated with high quantum yields via the lowest singlet excited state, which is dark in absorption. This study focuses on the lowest triplet state and the role of two minima, with sulfur-out-of-plane and slightly boat-like geometries, in the intersystem crossing dynamics back to the ground state.

Introduction: Junk food consumption among adolescents has become a serious issue that may lead to harmful effects on health. Dietary patterns of people are shifting from homemade foods to junk foods. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess the awareness and practice of junk foods among adolescents. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents of secondary level students. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample and the sample size was 237. Data collection was done from April 15, 2019 to May 14, 2019. A set of semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse and interpret the findings. Results: The findings showed that more than three-fifth (67.9%) of adolescents had a moderate level of awareness about junk foods. Half (49.4%) of them consumed junk foods highly. All (100%) adolescents have consumed junk foods regularly whereas two-fifth (42.2%) replaced meals once a week with junk foods. Four-fifth (82.3%) of adolescents did not bring tiffin from home. There was no significant association between the awareness and practice of junk foods (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study concludes that most of the adolescents possessed a moderate level of awareness of junk foods. Majority of them did not bring tiffin from their home. Around half of them consumed junk foods in their daily life. Majority of them were aware of junk foods, although they still consumed junk foods.

Background: COVID-19 has become a global health threat and the disease burden is expected to increase more. Nurses are the front lines of COVID management. Because this work requires close personal exposure to patients with COVID-19, nurses are at high risk of infection, contributing to further spread. Nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices can influence the prevention and control of pandemic. Thus, the aim of the study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the prevention and control of COVID-19 among nurses. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study design was carried out among 141 nurses from the central hospital, Kathmandu. A purposive sampling technique was used and the data collection date was June 5 to July 20, 2020. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The study showed that 60.3% of the participants had good knowledge, 53.2% of them had acceptable practice and a cent percent (100%) of them had a positive attitude on the preventive and control measures against COVID-19. More than 3/4th (75.8%) of them were agreed to handle the COVID-19 outbreak confidently in their healthcare setup. Although, 85.8% of participants were worried that they and their family members will probably get infected with COVID-19 while working in the hospital. However, 39% of them were feeling isolated by their community, and relatives due to their profession. Conclusions: Nurses have good knowledge, a positive attitude, and acceptable practice about prevention and control of COVID-19. However, the level of some knowledge and practice was still lower than that expected. Keywords: Attitude; COVID; Knowledge; nurses; prevention and control; practice

Modern society has a great challenge to decrease waste and minimize the adverse effects of wastes on the economy, environment, and individual health. Thus, this study focuses on the use of eight agro-wastes (banana peel, barley straw, canola straw, pomegranate peel, orange peel, pumpkin pulp+seeds, maple leaf, and brewer's spent grains) by a novel bacterium (Streptomyces thermocarboxydus) for enzymes production. Further, the study explored the subsequent degradation of those wastes by the bacterium. This bacterium was isolated from forest soil and identified as Streptomyces thermocarboxydus by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The biodegrading capability of S. thermocarboxydus was determined by observing the clear zone around the colony cultured on the agar plate containing the different biomasses as sole carbon sources and calculating the substrate degradation ratios. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy images of eight agro-wastes before and after bacterial treatment and weight loss of agro-wastes revealed the bacterium degraded the biomasses. The different trends of enzyme activities were observed for various wastes, and the maximum activity depended on the type of agro-wastes. Overall, S. thermocarboxydus was found to be a potential candidate for pectinase and xylanase production. The enzyme production varies with the concentration of the biomasses.

The plant matter, lignocellulosic biomass, is a renewable and inexpensive abundant natural resource in the world. The development of inexhaustible energy rehabilitated from agricultural waste is an alternative for fossil fuel to reduce CO2 emission and prevent global warming. The amount of waste generated has a direct correlation with the human population. Thus, the waste generated by the community is being added to the environment as the municipal, agricultural waste, and waste produced from forest-based industries. Moreover, there are high possibilities of having environment-friendly valuable bio-based products, including biofuels, biogas, enzymes, and biochar from biomass without competing with the food supply chain. However, only a few or limited kinds of products are produced industrially. This review highlights the significance of lignocellulosic biomass. It describes the different valuable products like biochemicals, biochar, enzymes, single-cell protein, dye dispersant, and bioplastic from lignocellulosic biomass, emphasizing their applications briefly. Besides, this review also highlights the pretreatment of biomass, mainly focusing on biological pretreatment. Natural biomass utilization would lead to solving the energy shortage, food security issues, and obstacles for developing technological solutions in agriculture, agro-processing, and other related manufacturing sectors.

ObjectiveOur objective was to estimate the relative risk of IBD among first-generation and second-generation immigrants in Denmark compared with native Danes.DesignUsing national registries, we established a cohort of Danish residents between 1977 and 2018. Cohort members with known country of birth were followed for Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) diagnoses. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) served as measures of relative risk and were calculated by log-linear Poisson regression, using rates among native Danes as reference, stratified by IBD risk in parental country of birth, and among first-generation immigrants by age at immigration and duration of stay in Denmark.ResultsAmong 8.7 million Danes, 4156 first-generation and 898 second-generation immigrants were diagnosed with CD or UC. Overall, comparing first-generation immigrants with native Danes, the IRR was 0.80 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.84) for CD and 0.74 (95% CI 0.71 to 0.77) for UC. The IRR of IBD increased with ≥20 years stay in Denmark. The IRR of CD increased with immigration at ≥40 years of age. Comparing second-generation immigrants with native Danes, the IRR of IBD was 0.97 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.04). There was significant interaction with sex, with higher IRR of IBD in male than in female immigrants.ConclusionRelative to native Danish men and women, IBD risk among first-generation immigrants was lower, reflected the risk in their parental country of birth and increased with ≥20 years stay in Denmark. For second-generation immigrants, relative risk of IBD was lower only among women. These complex patterns suggest the role of environmental IBD risk factors.

Background: Women in the postpartum period need effective contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies soon after child birth. This helps to promote the mother health as well as to reduce the child mortality and morbidity rate. The objective of study was to find out the awareness and practice regarding postpartum family planning among postpartum mothers. Methods: A descriptive study design was carried among 241 postpartum mothers having under6monthsage child came for vaccination at Sunaulo Bhabisya Nepal, Chitwan. Postpartum mothers were selected using purposive sampling technique. All the postpartum mothers were interviewed through semi structured questionnaire for data collection. Data collection was done from17th December 2019 to 14th January 2020. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20. Results: The findings of the study revealed that the mean age of the mothers was 25.36 years. Regarding the awareness on postpartum family planning,most of the mothers had below average (39%) and average (36.9%) level of awareness. Whereas few (24.1%) had above average level of awareness. More than one third of mothers (37.8%) were used family planning method. Conclusions: The study concluded that only few postpartum mothers had above average awareness. Practice of family planning method was low. Therefore it is recommended that routine counseling on postpartum family planning (PPFP) among antenatal and postnatal mother in health institute should be done. Keywords: awareness; practice; postpartum family planning.

The ultrafast internal conversion (IC) and intersystem crossing (ISC) dynamics of 2-thiouracil (2TU) and 2-thiothymine (2TT) are studied with time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) to investigate the effect of methylation on the deactivation mechanism.

Pectinase, a group of pectin degrading enzymes, is one of the most influential industrial enzymes, helpful in producing a wide variety of products with good qualities. These enzymes are biocatalysts and are highly specific, non-toxic, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Consequently, both pectin and pectinase are crucially essential biomolecules with extensive applicatory perception in the biotechnological sector. The market demand and application of pectinases in new sectors are continuously increasing. However, due to the high cost of the substrate used for the growth of microbes, the production of pectinase using microorganisms is limited. Therefore, low-cost or no-cost substrates, such as various agricultural biomasses, are emphasized in producing pectinases. The importance and implications of pectinases are rising in diverse areas, including bioethanol production, extraction of DNA, and protoplast isolation from a plant. Therefore, this review briefly describes the structure of pectin, types and source of pectinases, substrates and strategies used for pectinases production, and emphasizes diverse potential applications of pectinases. The review also has included a list of pectinases producing microbes and alternative substrates for commercial production of pectinase applicable in pectinase-based industrial technology.Key points• Pectinase applications are continuously expanding.• Organic wastes can be used as low-cost sources of pectin.• Utilization of wastes helps to reduce pollution.

Background: Worldwide, Neonatal Jaundice is one of the most common disorders and causes of avoidable brain damage and physical and mental impairment, and probable death in newborns. It is an important contributor to the high neonatal morbidity and mortality in Nepal. Objective: To assess among mothers the knowledge about neonatal jaundice. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 177 mothers in selected village with convenient sampling technique. Results: Findings revealed that around half of the mothers (49.90%) had low level of knowledge (score 75%) regarding neonatal jaundice. A large proportion of mothers (84%) believed that danger sign of neonatal jaundice was unable to feed the baby. Few 11% mothers believed that mental retardation and death was the complication of neonatal jaundice. Few mothers (12%) were aware about the cause of neonatal jaundice. Around 74% believed that exposing the baby to the sunlight is the primary management of neonatal jaundice but only 2%heard about the phototherapy. Conclusion: Knowledge about neonatal jaundice was low among Nepalese mothers. Awareness should be created among the expecting mothers about neonatal jaundice and encourage them to take preventive measures to avert neonatal mortality and morbidity.

Enzymatic saccharification of corn stover can be enhanced by partially replacing commercial enzymes with bacterial crude enzyme extracts. Three bacteria, Bacillus sp. A0, Bacillus sp. CH20S1, and Exiguobacterium sp. AS2B, were cultured in a media with corn stover as the substrate. The cultural conditions were monitored and optimized to maximize CMCase and xylanase activity in the crude enzyme extracts. After 72 h of hydrolysis of corn stover with diluted crude enzymes (DCE) from the three strains, reducing sugars were released from non-pretreated and pretreated corn stovers. Values of the released sugars ranged from 48.23–71.69 mg g− 1, which were lower than those released by commercial cellulase (100–400 mg g− 1). The synergistic effects were observed when 12 FPU g− 1 and 4 FPU g− 1 of commercial cellulase were added to the DCE of the CH20S1 strain producing 315.90 mg g− 1 and 320.65 mg g− 1 reducing sugars, respectively. It was shown that an effective combination of bacterial DCE with commercial enzymes could achieve more cost-efficient saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass compared to either of the two enzymes used alone.

Pectinases are a group of enzymes with broad application, including in plant fiber processing, pectic wastewater treatment, paper pulping, fruit juice extraction, and clarification. With an increasing industrial demand for these enzymes, it is useful to isolate organisms that produce large amounts of pectinase and possess wide ranges of stability factors like temperature and pH. In this study, 17 out of 29 bacteria (58.62%) from forest soil samples were pectinolytic. However, only four bacteria (S-5, S-10, S-14, and S-17) showed high pectin hydrolysis zones (ranging from 0.2 cm to 1.7 cm). These four bacteria were identified based on colony morphology, microscopic characterization, biochemical characteristics, and 16S rDNA sequencing. They were designated as Streptomyces sp. (S-5, S-14), Cellulomonas sp. (S-10), and Bacillus sp. (S-17). Interestingly, bacteria showed cellulase and xylanase activity in addition to pectinase. The quantitative assay for pectinase activity of the four isolates provided proof that they are pectinase producers and can be considered potential candidates for industrial uses. The crude enzyme extracts of these bacteria are applicable in oil and juice extraction from sesame seeds and apples, respectively.

Hydrogen is a promising alternative to fossil fuels because of its environment-friendly characteristics. It has been used widely in varied sectors such as chemical production, electronic devices, food industries, desulfurization of crude oil, and steel industries. Due to its increasing use and demand, it is essential to develop a cheaper and energy-efficient source of hydrogen production. This review synthesizes and discusses various aspects of hydrogen production methods and processes, the challenges, and economic perspective for sustainable production of biohydrogen. Compared to electrolysis, thermochemical and electrochemical processes, the biohydrogen production is environment friendly and energy efficient. Various factors such as feedstock, pH, temperature, partial pressure of hydrogen, and hydraulic retention time are responsible for the biological process and yield of biological hydrogen production. This review suggests that lignocellulosic biomass is commonly available, cheaper and eco-friendly source of hydrogen production.

Introduction: Whether data on International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-codes from the Swedish National Patient Register (NPR) correctly correspond to subtypes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and phenotypes of the Montreal classification scheme among patients with prevalent disease is unknown. Materials and methods: We obtained information on IBD subtypes and phenotypes from the medical records of 1403 patients with known IBD who underwent biological treatment at ten Swedish hospitals and retrieved information on their IBD-associated diagnostic codes from the NPR. We used previously described algorithms to define IBD subtypes and phenotypes. Finally, we compared these register-generated subtypes and phenotypes with the corresponding information from the medical records and calculated positive predictive values (PPV) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Among patients with clinically confirmed disease and diagnostic listings of IBD in the NPR (N = 1401), the PPV was 97 (96–99)% for Crohn’s disease, 98 (97–100)% for ulcerative colitis, and 8 (4–11)% for IBD-unclassified. The overall accuracy for age at diagnosis was 95% (when defined as A1, A2, or A3). Examining the validity of codes representing disease phenotype, the PPV was 36 (32–40)% for colonic Crohn’s disease (L2), 61 (56–65)% for non-stricturing/non-penetrating Crohn’s disease behaviour (B1) and 83 (78–87)% for perianal disease. Correspondingly, the PPV was 80 (71–89)% for proctitis (E1)/left-sided colitis (E2) in ulcerative colitis. Conclusions: Among people with known IBD, the NPR is a reliable source of data to classify most subtypes of prevalent IBD, even though misclassification commonly occurred in Crohn’s disease location and behaviour and also among IBD-unclassified patients.

Amylases account for about 30% of the global market of industrial enzymes, and the current amylases cannot fully meet industrial needs. This study aimed to identify a high α-amylase producing bacterium WangLB, to clone its α-amylase coding gene, and to characterize the α-amylase. Results showed that WangLB belonged to Bacillus velezensis whose α-amylase gene was 1980 bp coding 659 amino acids designated as BvAmylase. BvAmylase was a hydrophilic stable protein with a signal peptide and a theoretical pI of 5.49. The relative molecular weight of BvAmylase was 72.35 kDa, and was verified by SDS-PAGE. Its modeled structure displayed that it was a monomer composed of three domains. Its optimum temperature and pH were 70 °C and pH 6.0, respectively. It also showed high activity in a wide range of temperatures (40–75 °C) and a relatively narrow pH (5.0–7.0). It was a Ca2+-independent enzyme, whose α-amylase activity was increased by Co2+, Tween 20, and Triton X-100, and severely decreased by SDS. The Km and the Vmax of BvAmylase were 3.43 ± 0.53 and 434.19 ± 28.57 U/mg. In conclusion, the α-amylase producing bacterium WangLB was identified, and one of its α-amylases was characterized, which will be a candidate enzyme for industrial applications.

Tomatoes are widely consumed, however, studies on tomato seeds are limited. In this study, we isolated 11 compounds including saponins and flavonol glycosides from tomato seeds and evaluated their effects on epidermal hydration. Among the isolated compounds, tomato seed saponins (10 µM) significantly increased the mRNA expression of proteins related to epidermal hydration, including filaggrin, involucrin, and enzymes for ceramide synthesis, by 1.32- to 1.91-fold compared with the control in HaCaT cells. Tomato seed saponins (10 µM) also decreased transepidermal water loss by 7 to 13 g/m2·h in the reconstructed human epidermal keratinization (RHEK) models. Quantitative analysis of the ceramide content in the stratum corneum (SC) revealed that lycoperoside H (1–10 µM) is a promising candidate to stimulate ceramide synthesis via the upregulation of ceramide synthase-3, glucosylceramide synthase, and β-glucocerebrosidase, which led to an increase in the total SC ceramides (approximately 1.5-fold) in concert with ceramide (NP) (approximately 2-fold) in the RHEK models. Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of lycoperoside H demonstrated that lycoperoside H is suggested to act as a partial agonist of the glucocorticoid receptor and exhibits anti-inflammatory effects (10 mg/kg in animal test). These findings indicate that lycoperoside H can improve epidermal dehydration and suppress inflammation by increasing SC ceramide and steroidal anti-inflammatory activity.

Background and objective: The ingestion of plant-derived glucosylceramides (GlcCer) has been reported to contribute to skin barrier function and hydration of the epidermis. b-sitosterol glucoside (BSG) colocalized with GlcCer in the rice hydrophobic fraction has been shown to increase ceramides in the stratum corneum in vitro . Although clinical studies demonstrated that GlcCer reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL), the contribution of BSG to epidermal dehydration when applied with GlcCer remains unknown. Therefore, we herein conducted a clinical trial on the effects of a rice-derived mixed fraction of GlcCer and BSG (Oryza Ceramide ® ) on TEWL and other skin parameters. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design was used. Oryza Ceramide ® (type PCD, 40 mg daily) containing 1.2 mg of GlcCer and 40 mg of BSG was used as the active sample. We enrolled 44 healthy Japanese women with epidermal dehydration. All subjects were randomly allocated to an active group (n=22) or placebo group (n=22) using a computerized random number generator. Capsules containing the active sample or placebo were administered for 12 weeks between August and December 2020. Cheek TEWL after 12 weeks was assessed as the primary outcome, and TEWL on a different part of the skin and various skin parameters, including epidermal moisture, pigmentation, pores, and elasticity, were measured before and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of the intervention. Blood, urine, and body parameters were also examined to evaluate safety. Results: Forty-four subjects completed the trial, and the per protocol set comprised 22 each in the active and placebo groups. Cheek TEWL significantly reduced after the Oryza Ceramide ® intervention for 4 and 12 weeks. Among the secondary outcomes examined, lip moisture (12 weeks) and visible pore number (4 weeks) were improved by Oryza Ceramide ® . Laboratory tests revealed no abnormalities to suggest any adverse effects of Oryza Ceramide ® . Conclusions: Oryza Ceramide ® (40 mg/day) consisting of GlcCer and BSG improved facial TEWL, lip moisture, and visible pores, and these effects may be attributed to increases in epidermal ceramides. The combination of rice GlcCer and BSG appears to be beneficial for improving facial skin conditions. Trial Registration : UMIN-CTR: UMIN000041295 Foundation : The study was funded by Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical Co., Ltd. and Aichi Prefectural Subsidies for Research and Development of Creative Products in 2020. Keywords: rice; glucosylceramide; β -sitosterol glucoside; trans epidermal water loss; pore

Background & Objectives: Breast self-examination (BSE) is an inspection by a woman of her breasts to detect breast problem and cancer. The objective of the study was to identify awareness on breast self-examination among the reproductive age women.Materials & Methods: A descriptive study was carried out to find out the awareness on Breast Self-Examination among Reproductive Age Group Women in Kusunti, Lalitpur. 50 women (20 to 45 years) were selected by using purposive sampling technique. Semi structured interview questionnaire was used for data collection.Results: This study showed that more than three fourth respondents (78%) said breast cancer is growth of extra lump in breast. More than three fourth respondents (82%) said diagnosis of breast cancer in early stage by BSE and only 10% of respondents had knowledge about diagnosing by mammogram. Nearly three fourth (72%) of the respondents had knowledge about meaning of BSE. More than half of the respondents (60%) got the information from health workers. One fourth of the respondents (32%) said that they don’t know about palpation in circular motion.Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is concluded women have awareness on BSE but least only know how to perform it in step wise and majority of women neglects in practicing in period basis. It is recommended that further awareness program should be conducted to fulfill the gap on BSE.

Background The incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) among immigrants and in countries with historically low IBD risk is rising, implicating environmental risk factors in IBD pathogenesis. The purpose of our study was to determine the incidence rates of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), among immigrants to Denmark, a high IBD incidence country, according to the country of birth and age at immigration, in comparison with the corresponding incidence rates in the Danish host population. Methods Using the Danish Civil Registration System, we identified all residents in Denmark with a known country of birth between January 1977 and December 2018. First-generation immigrants were persons who, along with parents, were born outside Denmark; second-generation immigrants were Danish-born persons whose parents were born outside Denmark. We recorded immigrants’ (or parents’) country of birth, age at immigration and duration of stay in Denmark. Study participants were followed for CD and UC diagnosis in the Danish National Patient Registry. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) according to immigration status were estimated using log-linear Poisson regression analysis, and stratified by IBD prevalence in the country of birth (low, intermediate and high), and among first-generation immigrants, by age at immigration and duration of stay in Denmark. Results In this cohort of 9,038,025 subjects, among 1,295,518 first-generation and 208,826 second-generation immigrants eligible for inclusion, 4,805 first-generation and 898 second-generation immigrants were diagnosed with CD or UC. The risk of IBD among first-generation immigrants reflected risk in the country of birth (low, intermediate or high, Table 1), and increased with >20 years stay in Denmark (Table 2). Among second-generation immigrants, the risk of CD and UC was comparable to that in Danish natives (Table 1). Younger age at immigration did not impact IBD risk. Conclusion In this population-based study, the risk of IBD among first-generation immigrants reflected that in their country of birth, and increased with >20 years stay in Denmark. Among second-generation immigrants, the risk was comparable to native Danes. These findings underscore the role of environmental risk factors in the aetiology of IBD. Further studies to determine risk factors for IBD among immigrants to Denmark are ongoing.

BackgroundAlthough short adult height is generally associated with increased risks of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), there are large inconsistencies across studies. The aims of this study were to describe and quantify currently available evidence on the association between adult height and T2DM, to examine whether the reported associations differ by sex, and to examine the shapes of the height and T2DM associations.MethodsRelevant literature was identified using PubMed (1966–May 2018), EMBASE (1947–May 2018) and Google Scholar (May 2018). We identified cross-sectional and cohort studies with original publications on human subjects, which were included in a random-effects meta-analysis.ResultsFrom 15 971 identified sources, 25 studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review (N=401 562 individuals). From these 25 studies, 16 (9 cross-sectional studies and 7 cohort studies) were included in the meta-analysis (n=261 496 individuals). The overall random-effects meta-analysis indicated an inverse association between adult height and T2DM (effect estimate=0.88, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.95). No sex differences in the associations between adult height and T2DM were found (effect estimate for men: 0.86, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.99; effect estimate for women: 0.90; 95% CI 0.80 to 1.01; p value for sex interaction=0.80). Due to lack of data, results on the shape of the association between height and T2DM were inconclusive.ConclusionsShorter height is associated with an increased risk of T2DM and the association does not significantly differ by sex. The currently available data are insufficient to support conclusions regarding the shape of the association between height and T2DM.Trial registration numberCRD42017062446.

Background a mother׳s lack of confidence in the early postnatal period may negatively influence their ability to care for their infant. Parenting confidence contributes to the parent-infant relationship and other aspects of infant development. The Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale is a 15-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure parents' subjective confidence in their parenting abilities, or ‘perceived parenting self-efficacy', and is designed for mothers with infants aged 0–12 months. Objectives to translate the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale into Nepali language and assess the validity and reliability among Nepalese postnatal mothers. Design cross-sectional study. Setting outpatient department of maternity and women׳s hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. Participants one hundred postnatal mothers within 5–6 weeks of childbirth were recruited using the convenience sampling method. Methods following back-translation procedures, mothers completed questionnaires during follow-up visit at immunisation/postnatal clinics. For the validity and reliability have been assessed internal consistency, discriminant validity, and construct validity. Results the translated Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale mean score was 35.47±5.48, ranging from 32 to 42. Cronbach׳s alpha coefficient for internal consistency was 0.87. A difference was found between primiparous and multiparous mothers׳ confidence scores. There was a significant correlation between maternal confidence and anxiety scores. Demographic response patterns suggest that the maternal confidence level was affected by education level. Conclusions the Nepali version of Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale showed adequate reliability and validity. Therefore, the Nepali Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale is considered a suitable instrument to assess maternal confidence in Nepali postnatal mothers.