The fumonisins producing fungi,
spp., are ubiquitous in nature and contaminate several food matrices that pose detrimental health hazards on humans as well as on animals. This has necessitated ...profound research for the control and management of the toxins to guarantee better health of consumers. This review highlights the chemistry and biosynthesis process of the fumonisins, their occurrence, effect on agriculture and food, along with their associated health issues. In addition, the focus has been put on the detection and management of fumonisins to ensure safe and healthy food. The main focus of the review is to provide insights to the readers regarding their health-associated food consumption and possible outbreaks. Furthermore, the consumers' knowledge and an attempt will ensure food safety and security and the farmers' knowledge for healthy agricultural practices, processing, and management, important to reduce the mycotoxin outbreaks due to fumonisins.
Aflatoxins produced by the
Aspergillus
species are highly toxic, carcinogenic, and cause severe contamination to food sources, leading to serious health consequences. Contaminations by aflatoxins ...have been reported in food and feed, such as groundnuts, millet, sesame seeds, maize, wheat, rice, fig, spices and cocoa due to fungal infection during pre- and post-harvest conditions. Besides these food products, commercial products like peanut butter, cooking oil and cosmetics have also been reported to be contaminated by aflatoxins. Even a low concentration of aflatoxins is hazardous for human and livestock. The identification and quantification of aflatoxins in food and feed is a major challenge to guarantee food safety. Therefore, developing feasible, sensitive and robust analytical methods is paramount for the identification and quantification of aflatoxins present in low concentrations in food and feed. There are various chromatographic and sensor-based methods used for the detection of aflatoxins. The current review provides insight into the sources of contamination, occurrence, detection techniques, and masked mycotoxin, in addition to management strategies of aflatoxins to ensure food safety and security.
The aflatoxin producing fungi,
, are widely spread in nature and have severely contaminated food supplies of humans and animals, resulting in health hazards and even death. Therefore, there is great ...demand for aflatoxins research to develop suitable methods for their quantification, precise detection and control to ensure the safety of consumers' health. Here, the chemistry and biosynthesis process of the mycotoxins is discussed in brief along with their occurrence, and the health hazards to humans and livestock. This review focuses on resources, production, detection and control measures of aflatoxins to ensure food and feed safety. The review is informative for health-conscious consumers and research experts in the fields. Furthermore, providing knowledge on aflatoxins toxicity will help in ensure food safety and meet the future demands of the increasing population by decreasing the incidence of outbreaks due to aflatoxins.
Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy) is a medicinal plant used in folk and Ayurvedic medicines throughout India since ancient times. All the parts of the plant are immensely useful due to the presence of ...different compounds of pharmaceutical importance belonging to various groups as alkaloids, diterpenoid lactones, glycosides, steroids, sesquiterpenoid, and phenolics. These compounds possess pharmacological properties, which make it anti-diabetic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, hepato-protective, and immuno-modulatory. However, due to the increasing population, there is an inadequate supply of drugs. Therefore, this review focuses on phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, clinical application and its conservation strategies so that the plant can be conserved for future generations and utilized as alternative medicine as well as to design various pharmacologically important drugs.
The genus
is predominant in tropical and subtropical regions of India, China, Taiwan, and Japan. The plant possesses medicinal properties and has been traditionally used for curing various ...gastro-intestinal ailments (e.g., diarrhea, stomachache, indigestion, and gastroenteritis) along with diabetes, edema, cold, arthritis, asthma, and traumatic injury. Besides its medicinal properties,
is known for its essential oil, which has protective action against several bacteria, possesses antioxidant and antiparasitic properties, exerts acute and genetic toxicity as well as cytotoxicity, and can even prevent several cancers. Here we summarize the ethnopharmacological properties, essentials oil, medicinal uses, and health benefits of an indigenous plant of northeast India, emphasizing the profound research to uplift the core and immense potential present in the conventional medicine of the country. This review is intended to provide insights into the gaps in our knowledge that need immediate focus on in-situ conservation strategies of
due to its non-domesticated and dioecious nature, which may be the most viable approach and intense research for the long-term benefits of society and local peoples.
The rapid development of nanotechnology has transformed many domains of food science, especially those that involve the processing, packaging, storage, transportation, functionality, and other safety ...aspects of food. A wide range of nanostructured materials (NSMs), from inorganic metal, metal oxides, and their nanocomposites to nano-organic materials with bioactive agents, has been applied to the food industry. Despite the huge benefits nanotechnology has to offer, there are emerging concerns regarding the use of nanotechnology, as the accumulation of NSMs in human bodies and in the environment can cause several health and safety hazards. Therefore, safety and health concerns as well as regulatory policies must be considered while manufacturing, processing, intelligently and actively packaging, and consuming nano-processed food products. This review aims to provide a basic understanding regarding the applications of nanotechnology in the food packaging and processing industries and to identify the future prospects and potential risks associated with the use of NSMs.
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•Nanotechnology has transformed many domains of food science, especially preservation and safety of food.•A wide range of nanomaterials have witnessed their applications in food industry.•Nanotechnology also offers advantageous benefits on human health than conventional approaches.•Encapsulation of nutraceuticals improves their stability, and bioavailability leading to beneficial effects to humans.
Proteins serve as an imperative macronutrient in human nutrition and well-being. Their nutritional quality substantially varies with their digestibility, amino acid profile, bioavailability, ...processing and purity. From a nutritional viewpoint, the ideal integration of proteins from diverse plant sources can supply an adequate amount of essential amino acids to fulfil human health needs. The use of plant-derived proteins has recently gained momentum due to their multifaceted edible and nonedible applications and their biodegradable nature. The use of plant proteins will be essential when animal-derived proteins fail to satisfy the requirements of the global population. Physicochemical properties, structural properties, amino acid composition and functional attributes of plant-based proteins are of great interest to the food and processing industries. This review presents various applications of plant-based proteins as food supplements in human nutrition, edible coating materials for fruits and vegetables, emulsifiers in numerous food products, sources of bioactive peptides in nutra- and pharmaceutical products, hydrogels in drug delivery and nonedible applications as wood adhesives. Distinct biological properties of proteins obtained from plant sources such as peanuts, soybeans, kidney beans, rice, quinoa, sunflowers, cottonseed, camelina, maize and others are also conceptually discussed based on their diverse applications in human health and nutrition.
•Application of plant-based proteins is outlined in the review.•Edible use of plant proteins (supplement, emulsifier) is discussed.•Application of plant proteins in edible coatings/films is highlighted.•Plant proteins hydrogels as nutrient delivery agent is discussed.•Non-edible application of plant protein is also presented in the review.
Few seroprevalence studies have been conducted on coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) in Nepal. Here, we aimed to estimate seroprevalence and assess risk factors for infection in the general population of ...Nepal by conducting two rounds of sampling. The first round was in October 2020, at the peak of the first generalized wave of COVID‐19, and the second round in July–August 2021, following the peak of the wave caused by the delta variant of SARS‐CoV‐2. We used cross‐sectional probability‐to‐size (PPS)‐based multistage cluster sampling to estimate the seroprevalence in the general population of Nepal at the national and provincial levels. We tested for anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 total antibody using the WANTAI SARS‐CoV‐2 Ab ELISA kit. In Round 1, the overall national seroprevalence was 14.4%, with provincial estimates ranging from 5.3% in Sudurpaschim to 27.3% in Madhesh Province. In Round 2, the estimated national seroprevalence was 70.7%, with the highest in the Madhesh Province (84.8%) and the lowest in the Gandaki Province (62.9%). Seroprevalence was comparable between males and females (Round 1, 15.8% vs. 12.2% and Round 2, 72.3% vs. 68.7%). The seroprevalence in the ecozones—Terai, hills, and mountains—was 76.3%, 65.3%, and 60.5% in Round 2 and 17.7%, 11.7%, and 4.6% in Round 1, respectively. In Nepal, COVID‐19 vaccination was introduced in January 2021. At the peak of the first generalized wave of COVID‐19, most of the population of Nepal remained unexposed to SARS‐CoV‐2. Towards the end of the second generalized wave in April 2021, two thirds of the population was exposed.
Blunt traumatic injury to the genitourinary system is uncommon. Urinoma formation may occur in patients with blunt trauma after high grade renal injuries. In such cases, the presence of solitary ...kidney must be ruled out as it may affect treatment decisions.
A 21 years old male presented to our facility with complaints of abdominal pain and frank hematuria following physical assault. Physical examination revealed tenderness at the right flank. Laboratory evaluation showed a decreased hemoglobin level and urinalysis showed proteinuria and marked hematuria. Imaging findings were consistent with AAST Grade IV right renal injury affecting the renal pelvis with urinoma formation and congenital megacalyces. Incidental finding of unilateral renal agenesis on the left side was also noted. Our patient underwent Ureteroscopy with double-J stenting. Subsequent ultrasonography after the procedure showed resolution of the perirenal collection.
The presence of solitary kidney must be ruled out in cases of high grade renal trauma as operative procedures may lead to catastrophic consequences in such cases. Urinoma formation after renal trauma may occur if the renal pelvis is injured and should be managed preferably by urinary diversion in the form of ureteral stenting over other operative procedures, especially in patients with anomalous solitary kidney.
Presence of bilateral kidneys should be confirmed before subjecting patients with high grade renal injury to operative procedures. Early ureteric stenting appears to be an effective method of urinary diversion for management of symptomatic urinomas in patients with anomalous solitary kidney.
•Urinoma can form in patients after high grade renal injuries.•Presence of solitary kidney should be taken into account while making treatment decisions.•Ureteric stenting may be an effective method of urinary diversion in such cases.
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