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Mycotoxins represent an assorted range of secondary fungal metabolites that extensively occur in numerous food and feed ingredients at any stage during pre- and post-harvest conditions. Zearalenone (ZEN), a mycotoxin categorized as a xenoestrogen poses structural similarity with natural estrogens that enables its binding to the estrogen receptors leading to hormonal misbalance and numerous reproductive diseases. ZEN is mainly found in crops belonging to temperate regions, primarily in maize and other cereal crops that form an important part of various food and feed. Because of the significant adverse effects of ZEN on both human and animal, there is an alarming need for effective detection, mitigation, and management strategies to assure food and feed safety and security. The present review tends to provide an updated overview of the different sources, occurrence and biosynthetic mechanisms of ZEN in various food and feed. It also provides insight to its harmful effects on human health and agriculture along with its effective detection, management, and control strategies.

Mycotoxins are fungi-produced secondary metabolites that can contaminate many foods eaten by humans and animals. Deoxynivalenol (DON), which is formed by Fusarium, is one of the most common occurring predominantly in cereal grains and thus poses a significant health risk. When DON is ingested, it can cause both acute and chronic toxicity. Acute signs include abdominal pain, anorexia, diarrhea, increased salivation, vomiting, and malaise. The most common effects of chronic DON exposure include changes in dietary efficacy, weight loss, and anorexia. This review provides a succinct overview of various sources, biosynthetic mechanisms, and genes governing DON production, along with its consequences on human and animal health. It also covers the effect of environmental factors on its production with potential detection, management, and control strategies.

Rice bean (Vigna umbellata) is a legume that belongs to Vigna genus. Native to Indo-Chinese region, it is considered to be an ‘under-utilized’ or ‘orphan’ crop. Rice bean is known to possess high nutritional potential and antioxidant activity. But the use of rice bean supplementation in routine diet is limited despite its high nutritional profile due to the presence of non-nutritional factors. Thus, various pre-treatments like soaking, germination, oven roasting, sand roasting, boiling and pressure cooking at different time and temperature were carried out to reduce the anti-nutritional content of rice bean and to study its effect on antioxidant activity and phytochemical content. All the pre-treatments were able to significantly reduce the anti-nutrient content in rice bean, but germination showed the maximum reduction. Also germinated rice bean showed the maximum antioxidant potential and maximum content of total phenols, total flavonoids, vitamin C and carotenoids. Rice bean has been underutilized so far, owing to its antinutrient content and low popularity. This experiment attempted to use low cost processing to reduce the content of antinutrients and track the antioxidant content in rice bean. The concluded processing could be adopted for commercial applications for dietary supplementation.

Foeniculum vulgare, also known as fennel, is a medicinal herb belonging to the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family. The present study examined the effect of different processing techniques (sun- and tray-drying, and roasting) on fennel seeds and aimed to find the best method for incorporation of powder in the formulation of hard candy to deliver phytochemicals and bioactive compounds that it possesses, thus rendering health benefits. The proximate and physico-chemical evaluation of fennel-seed powder showed that sun-drying is the most effective technique. It retains most of the nutrients of fennel seeds. It also requires less technical know-how, no sophisticated equipment and is economical. Thus, sun-dried fennel-seed powder was used in the formulation of hard candy and DF11 (5% fennel-seed powder) was the best formulation deemed to be optimized with physico-chemical and sensory characteristics that were found acceptable.

Foreign bodies are objects that do not typically belong in the human body but can be ingested, inserted, or entered due to injuries. This article presents various cases and examples of foreign bodies, including objects swallowed, objects inserted into the rectum, vagina, urethra, ear, and nose, or due to injuries caused by falls, puncture wounds, and gunshot wounds. Foreign bodies can be difficult to detect, particularly if they are not inherently radio-opaque, and may be overlooked by patients who cannot provide an adequate history. These foreign bodies may cause harm to the patient. Interpretation is done on radiographs, computed tomography (CT), Ultrasonography (USG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Most foreign objects pass through the gastrointestinal tract without problem; sharp and elongated objects can cause significant injury, and even if they only partially perforate the bowel wall, they can produce chronic inflammatory processes that produce symptoms months or years later. Hence, searching for foreign bodies should be done throughout the gastrointestinal tract, particularly in children and people with mental illness who are more likely to swallow multiple items more than once. Although rare, various materials can be left behind in the body of a patient after surgery, including large and small wire sutures, surgical drains, and retained sponges, which can cause potential complications and foreign body reactions. This article highlights the importance of being aware of the presence of foreign bodies in clinical practice, and a thorough search should be carried out using different modalities, especially CT. Great suspicion and early diagnosis of foreign bodies can avoid potential complications and morbidity. In general, it provides information on the diagnosis and treatment of various types of foreign bodies.

Colo-vesical fistula (CVF) is usually encountered in severe inflammatory and malignant conditions. Radiological imaging is crucial to the diagnosis of a colo-vesical fistula and helps gastroenterologists and surgeons select the best treatment option. This disorder is typically identified during follow-up of treatments for diverticulitis or chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The patients present with symptoms of pneumaturia and fecaluria. The most accurate imaging modality for diagnosing CVF is CT with rectal contrast.  In this case report, we present a case of a 58-year-old male patient with complaints of fecaluria and pneumaturia for three months. Ultrasonography and barium enema revealed a clear fistulous tract between the sigmoid colon and the urinary bladder. Subsequently, the patient underwent exploratory laparotomy and the specimen was sent for histopathological evaluation to rule out malignancy. The diagnosis on imaging was consistent with post-operative findings of a CVF. This case report will add to the knowledge of radiologists about the imaging features of CVFs and their identification on imaging.

Peyronie's disease (PD) usually affects middle-aged men. This condition is characterized by fibrosis and plaque in the tunica albuginea that results in deformity of the penis and makes sexual intercourse difficult. We report a case of a 52-year-old male who presented with complaints of curvature of the erect penis and erectile dysfunction. Based on our imaging findings, the patient was diagnosed with PD. ultrasonography (USG), elastography, and CT findings are described.

Foreign bodies are objects that do not typically belong in the human body but can be ingested, inserted, or entered due to injuries. This article presents various cases and examples of foreign bodies, including objects swallowed, objects inserted into the rectum, vagina, urethra, ear, and nose, or due to injuries caused by falls, puncture wounds, and gunshot wounds. Foreign bodies can be difficult to detect, particularly if they are not inherently radio-opaque, and may be overlooked by patients who cannot provide an adequate history. These foreign bodies may cause harm to the patient. Interpretation is done on radiographs, computed tomography (CT), Ultrasonography (USG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Most foreign objects pass through the gastrointestinal tract without problem; sharp and elongated objects can cause significant injury, and even if they only partially perforate the bowel wall, they can produce chronic inflammatory processes that produce symptoms months or years later. Hence, searching for foreign bodies should be done throughout the gastrointestinal tract, particularly in children and people with mental illness who are more likely to swallow multiple items more than once. Although rare, various materials can be left behind in the body of a patient after surgery, including large and small wire sutures, surgical drains, and retained sponges, which can cause potential complications and foreign body reactions. This article highlights the importance of being aware of the presence of foreign bodies in clinical practice, and a thorough search should be carried out using different modalities, especially CT. Great suspicion and early diagnosis of foreign bodies can avoid potential complications and morbidity. In general, it provides information on the diagnosis and treatment of various types of foreign bodies.

Foreign bodies are objects that do not typically belong in the human body but can be ingested, inserted, or entered due to injuries. This article presents various cases and examples of foreign bodies, including objects swallowed, objects inserted into the rectum, vagina, urethra, ear, and nose, or due to injuries caused by falls, puncture wounds, and gunshot wounds. Foreign bodies can be difficult to detect, particularly if they are not inherently radio-opaque, and may be overlooked by patients who cannot provide an adequate history. These foreign bodies may cause harm to the patient. Interpretation is done on radiographs, computed tomography (CT), Ultrasonography (USG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Most foreign objects pass through the gastrointestinal tract without problem; sharp and elongated objects can cause significant injury, and even if they only partially perforate the bowel wall, they can produce chronic inflammatory processes that produce symptoms months or years later. Hence, searching for foreign bodies should be done throughout the gastrointestinal tract, particularly in children and people with mental illness who are more likely to swallow multiple items more than once. Although rare, various materials can be left behind in the body of a patient after surgery, including large and small wire sutures, surgical drains, and retained sponges, which can cause potential complications and foreign body reactions. This article highlights the importance of being aware of the presence of foreign bodies in clinical practice, and a thorough search should be carried out using different modalities, especially CT. Great suspicion and early diagnosis of foreign bodies can avoid potential complications and morbidity. In general, it provides information on the diagnosis and treatment of various types of foreign bodies.

Sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is an uncommon infantile tumor. It has a female preponderance with malignant variants being more common in males. These usually manifest as palpable masses over the sacral region in infancy which may or may not be associated with neural tube defects. An initial radiological investigation is warranted to analyze the extent and components of the mass to guide an approach for surgical excision. We present a classic case of an SCT in a female infant born as a twin. This mass was evaluated radiologically by X-ray and ultrasound followed by histopathological correlation. This is a case of Altman Type-I lesion and was confirmed as a mature teratoma on histopathological examination.