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Pharmacologists have been emphasizing and applying plant and herbal-based treatments in vascular diseases for decades now. Olives, for example, are a traditional symbol of the Mediterranean diet. Hydroxytyrosol is an olive-derived compound known for its antioxidant and cardioprotective effects. Acknowledging the merit of antioxidants in maintaining endothelial function warrants the application of hydroxytyrosol in endothelial dysfunction salvage and recovery. Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is an impairment of endothelial cells that adversely affects vascular homeostasis. Disturbance in endothelial functioning is a known precursor for atherosclerosis and, subsequently, coronary and peripheral artery disease. However, the effects of hydroxytyrosol on endothelial functioning were not extensively studied, limiting its value either as a nutraceutical supplement or in clinical trials. The action of hydroxytyrosol in endothelial functioning at a cellular and molecular level is gathered and summarized in this review. The favorable effects of hydroxytyrosol in the improvement of endothelial functioning from in vitro and in vivo studies were scrutinized. We conclude that hydroxytyrosol is capable to counteract oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular aging, and arterial stiffness; thus, it is beneficial to preserve endothelial function both in vitro and in vivo. Although not specifically for endothelial dysfunction, hydroxytyrosol safety and efficacy had been demonstrated via in vivo and clinical trials for cardiovascular-related studies.

Dengue fever (DF) is a mosquito-borne disease still with no effective treatment or vaccine available. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, parallel-group trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of oral intake of Lactococcus lactis strain plasma (LC-Plasma) on the presentation and severity of DF-like symptoms among healthy volunteers. Study participants (320) were assigned into two groups, and consumed either placebo or LC-Plasma tablets (approximately 100 billion cells/day) for 8 weeks. The clinical symptoms of DF were self-recorded through questionnaires, and exposure to DENV was determined by serum antibody and/or DENV antigen tests. No significant differences between groups were observed for exposure to DENV, or the symptomatic ratio. Results obtained showed that participants from the LC-Plasma group reported a significant reduction in the cumulative incidence days of DF-like symptoms, which include fever (p < 0.001), muscle pain (p < 0.005), joint pain (p < 0.001), and pain behind the eyes (p < 0.001), compared to that of the placebo group. Subgroup analysis revealed a significantly (p < 0.05) reduced severity score in the LC-Plasma group when study sites were separately analyzed. Overall, our findings suggest that LC-Plasma supplementation reduces the cumulative days with DF-like symptoms, and the severity of the symptoms. Daily oral intake of LC-Plasma, hence, is shown to mitigate the DF-like symptoms.

Biofloc is a new emergence technology in aquaculture industry that relies on the carbon and nitrogen ratio to remove the toxic nitrogenous waste from aquaculture water. This technology requires start-up period to achieve well-functioning system in maintaining the good water quality for sustainable aquaculture system. During this stage, ammonia fluctuation typically occurs due to bacteria development. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios, carbon sources, and aeration flow rates on the ammonia fluctuations during start-up period of biofloc formation using bioflocculant-producing bacteria, Bacillus infantis as inoculum. This experimental study was conducted in 25 L synthetic aquaculture water that initially contained ± 5 mg/L to study the ammonia trends in varied C/N ratio (5, 10, 15, 20), carbon sources (molasses, rice bran, glucose, and sucrose), and flow rates (< 2.5, 2.5–5.0, 5.0–7.5 L/min). The dynamic changes of ammonia and other water quality parameters were observed at every 2-h interval, up to 10 h during the experimental period. In various carbon source experiment, sucrose’s ammonia level showed significant changes and was reduced to 4.47 mg/L during the early stages. However, in different C/N ratios and flow rates experiment, the ammonia shows fluctuated result and gives insignificant changes to ammonia reading. Both experiments recorded the best ammonia trend at C/N 20 and flow rates of 5.0–7.5 L/min. Generally, within the first 10 h of the investigation, the fluctuated ammonia trend was caused by the lag phase of heterotrophic microorganisms in the BFT system. Thus, the alternative to overcome this issue is needed to rapidly reduce the effect of start-up stages and remove ammonia.

IntroductionMiddle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by the MERS-CoV. MERS was first reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2012. Every year, the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca attracts more than two million pilgrims from 184 countries, making it one of the largest annual religious mass gatherings (MGs) worldwide. MGs in confined areas with a high number of pilgrims’ movements worldwide continues to elicit significant global public health concerns. MERCURIAL was designed by adopting a seroconversion surveillance approach to provide multiyear evidence of MG-associated MERS-CoV seroconversion among the Malaysian Hajj pilgrims.Methods and analysisMERCURIAL is an ongoing multiyear prospective cohort study. Every year, for the next 5 years, a cohort of 1000 Hajj pilgrims was enrolled beginning in the 2016 Hajj pilgrimage season. Pre-Hajj and post-Hajj serum samples were obtained and serologically analysed for evidence of MERS-CoV seroconversion. Sociodemographic data, underlying medical conditions, symptoms experienced during Hajj pilgrimage, and exposure to camel and untreated camel products were recorded using structured pre-Hajj and post-Hajj questionnaires. The possible risk factors associated with the seroconversion data were analysed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The primary outcome of this study is to better enhance our understanding of the potential threat of MERS-CoV spreading through MG beyond the Middle East.Ethics and disseminationThis study has obtained ethical approval from the Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC), Ministry of Health Malaysia. Results from the study will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presented in conferences and scientific meetings.Trial registration numberNMRR-15-1640-25391.

Tour guides are the critical services for the Travel Bureau. Especially for the services, they provide to tourists. So, a realtime system is needed to be able to interact between the two parties, especially regarding service records in the field and information processing for the Bureau. Based on ScienceDirect library, unfortunately, until there was no reporting system facilitate both parties and recorded in realtime. This study discusses software development solutions that receive various field notes by workers and can be directly viewed online for employers. This research is in the form of a reporting model, which is a solution for the Travel Bureau to have data and be stored electronically on the server. The system was built using a platform that is on a smartphone, so the tour guide reporting system becomes a solution for the Travel Bureau and the Tour Guide to document the trips carried out.

This study provided a step-by-step procedure to investigate the distribution of 17 amino acids (AAs) in 50 fish, 50 bovine and 54 porcine gelatines using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Diode-Array Detector (UHPLC–DAD) with the incorporation of principal component analysis (PCA). Dataset pre-processing step, including outlier removal, analysis of variance (ANOVA), dataset adequacy test, dataset transformation and correlation test was performed before the PCA. The method rendered linearity range of 37.5–1000 pmol/µL and accuracy of 85–111% recovery. The bovine and porcine gelatines showed a similar ranking while the l -Alanine (Ala), l -Arginine (Arg) and l -Glutamic acid (Glu) concentrations had differed the fish gelatine from the bovine and porcine gelatines. The PCA, which explained 77.013% cumulative variability at eigenvalue of 5.436, showed AAs with strong FL in PC1 had polar and nonpolar side chains while AAs with strong FL in PC2 had polar side chain. The AAs with moderate and weak FL in PC1 had a nonpolar side chain. The AAs with strong FL of in PC1 were also the same AAs with 7, 6 and 5 strong CMs as determined in the correlation test. The second PCA showed that the l -Serine (Ser), Arg, Glycine (Gly), l -Threonine (Thr), l -Methionine (Met), l -Histidine (His) and L-Hydroxyproline (Hyp) were significant in fish gelatine; Hyp, Met, Thr, Ser, His, Gly, and Arg in bovine gelatine; and l -Proline (Pro), l -Tyrosine (Tyr), l -Valine (Val), l -Leucine (Leu), and l -Phenylalanine (Phe) in porcine gelatine. The 100% fish, bovine and porcine gelatines accommodated grouping 1, 2 and 3, respectively, which proved that AAs with strong FL (Hyp, His, Ser, Arg, Gly, Thr, Pro, Tyr, Met, Val, Leu and Phe) were the significant AAs and becomes the biomarkers to identify the gelatine source. From this study, the PCA was a useful tool to analyse a multivariate dataset that could provide an in-depth understanding of AA distributions as compared to ANOVA and correlation test.