Nutritional Supplement Management of Breast Pain

Breast pain, also known as mastalgia or mastodynia, is a common symptom that affects 70% of women during their lifetime [1]. It can impact quality of life and cause anxiety and distress for the patient [2]. Patients are most concerned about breast cancer as the cause of the pain [2]. Fortunately, the pain is rarely associated with breast cancer; it has been reported in only up to 7% of breast cancer patients in one population-based study.

Occurrence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Foodborne Bacteria (Campylobacter and E. coli): A Food Safety Issue and Public Health Hazard

Campylobacter and Escherichia coli (E. coli) are prominent bacterial causes of human gastroenteritis in the developing countries and the emergence of antibiotic resistance of these bacteria has been widely reported to be on the increase, particularly because of the increase in the number of resistant Campylobacter and E. coli isolated from human infections. The widespread use of antimicrobial drugs for therapeutic, prophylactic, and preventive purposes in modern food animal husbandry is a great concern in terms of the development of antibiotic resistance in many bacteria, and, therefore, a potential public health threat. This review simply describes the occurrence, spreading and public health significance of antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter and E. coli.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Nutrition among Adolescent Girls in Dhaka City: A Cross-sectional Study

Nutrition knowledge and positive attitude are known to influence dietary practices. Poor dietary practices are major contributors to the development of chronic non-communicable diseases. The aim of this study to explore the basic nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) among adolescent girls in Dhaka City. It was a cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach. A total of 500 adolescent girls (aged 10-19 yrs) from four schools and colleges were included in this study. The early adolescent and late adolescent girls’ age [yrs, (Mean ± SD)] was 12±1 and 17±1 respectively. About 31% of early adolescent girls were underweight according to different BMI categories (adapted from WHO guidelines-2004). The early adolescent girls’ 65% took breakfast before going to school but 43% skip to take lunch in school. And the late adolescent girl shows about 46% took breakfast before going to school but 30% skip to take lunch in school individually. The early adolescent girls’ nutritional knowledge score shows about 61.5% moderate, 86.5% remain positive attitude and 21.2% had good practices. Whereas late-adolescent girls’ nutritional knowledge score shows about 57.1% moderate, 90.1% remain positive attitude and 11.3% had good practices. Among the early adolescent girls shows the significant association of nutritional knowledge with attitude and practices (p=<0.001, p=0.005). Nevertheless, the late adolescent girls show only a significant association of nutritional knowledge with attitude (p=0.002). The results of the study revealed that adolescent girls having good knowledge, remain positive attitudes regarding nutrition, but practices were deficient in some aspects.

Bacteriophages as Preservation Agents to Promote Minimally Processed Food Safety

Foodborne disease related to ready to eat products contaminated by foodborne pathogens is a global concern due to its impact on human health and economy worldwide. Minimally processed food like ready to eat fruits and vegetables are not subjected to common preservation processes, additionally, the use of antibiotics and chemicals for pathogens eradication may affect consumers health. Baceriophages or viruses that infect bacteria have been suggested as bio-control tools and advantageous bio-preservation agents to promote minimally processed food safety. Recent studies show a reduction of pathogens after application of phages cocktails on fresh produce. Usefulness of broad-host range bacteriophages as bio-preservation agents needs more investigation.

Impact of Sous Vide Cooking on Nutritional Quality of Meat

Cooking becomes the meat more digestible, eating, and palatable. However, heat treatment can cause undesirable nutritional changes in meat, such as loss of minerals and vitamins, oxidation of lipids and changes in some segments of the protein fraction. The use of sous vide processing technology, which refers to cooking vacuum-sealed food in heat-stable plastic pouches under precisely monitored conditions, represents an interesting cooking alternative in terms of retains its natural sensory qualities of meat along with the nutritional value. In this paper, the research on the effect of sous vide cooking of meat on its nutritional quality is reviewed.

Biofilm Formation and Methylene Blue-mediated Photodynamic Inactivation of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus in the Sea Food Industry

This study was conducted to better understand the mechanism of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus biofilm formation and to assess the inactivation effects of methylene blue-mediated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) technology as a preventative measure. Optical microscopy, following crystal violet staining, was used to observe the kinetics of V. parahaemolyticus biofilm formation. The crystal violet-based assay was performed in microtiter plates, and it was employed to determine which factors were most influential in the formation of the biofilms. Colony counting and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were used to test the inactivation effect of methylene blue-mediated photodynamic technology on the biofilms. V. parahaemolyticus has the ability to form biofilms, as evidenced by their immediate adherence to glass surfaces and rapid maturity, within 24 h. High (7%) or low (0.5%) salinity was not conducive to the formation of biofilms, and rotational speed greater than 130 rpm also inhibited the process. A 4.05 log reduction in the concentration of viable biofilm cells was obtained with 100 μg/mL methylene blue and 20 min irradiation (24.996 J/cm2), but planktonic cells were more susceptible to the methylene blue-mediated photodynamic reaction (5.46 log reduction). The results presented here show that the methylene blue-mediated PDI technology is an effective means to inactivate V. parahaemolyticus by disrupting its membrane integrity and to inhibit the pathogen’s formation of protective biofilms. This technology is a valid tool that can be used to enhance food safety in the sea food industry.

Antiproliferative Effect of Green Papaya on Lymphocytic Leukemic Cells

Numerous edible plants have been reported to interfere with the carcinogenic process, and therefore, the regular consumption of these plant products may reduce the risk of developing cancer. We investigated the effect of papaya fruit and leaves on the cell proliferation of Jurkat T-lymphocytic and Daudi B-lymphocytic leukemia cells. Cells were treated with aqueous or methanolic extracts from leaves, skin, pulp, and seeds from green papaya. The papaya fractions were tested for total phenolic content, total flavonoids content, and anti-oxidation activity using chemical assays. Cell proliferation was measured using a WST-1 assay. Our data indicate that methanol and water extracts of seeds and leaves contained higher concentrations of total phenolic compounds and higher anti-oxidation activity than that of extracts from skin and pulp. Both methanol and water extracts from leaves and skin potently inhibited the proliferation of leukemic Jurkat T-cells and Daudi B-cells. However, the effect was more potent on Jurkat T-cells, and the leaf extracts were more effective than that of skin extracts. None of the pulp or seed extracts showed inhibitory activity on leukemic cell proliferation. Although papaya leaves are not consumed as a food, leaf extracts have been used for the treatment of various conditions, including dengue and malaria fevers, gastric ulcers, low platelet counts, and cancers of the breast, lung, and cervix. Our data suggest that the consumption of papaya leaf extracts may also be beneficial in preventing and/or treating lymphocytic cancer. Isolation of active compounds from papaya leaves will also help in developing new drugs for cancer treatment.