Acute liver failure is a rare condition involving the rapid development, progression, and worsening of liver dysfunction, characterised by coagulopathy and encephalopathy, and has a high mortality unless liver transplantation is performed. Population-based studies are scarce, and most published data are from high-income countries, where the main cause of acute liver failure is paracetamol overdose. This Review provides an overview of the scanty literature on acute liver failure in low-income and middle-income countries, where patients are often admitted to primary care hospitals and viral hepatitis (especially hepatitis E), tropical infections (eg, dengue), traditional medicines, and drugs (especially anti-tuberculosis drugs) have an important role. We discuss incidence, cause, occurrence in children and pregnant women, prognostic factors and scores, treatment, and mortality. To conclude, we advocate for international collaboration, the establishment of central registries for the condition, and better diagnostics.

published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology in November 2023 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37837969/

Giardia intestinalis (Giardia lambia, Giardia duodenalis) infections in humans may be asymptomatic or symptomatic and associated with diarrhea (without blood), abdominal cramps, bloating, flatulence, and weight loss. The protozoan Giardia is the third most common cause of diarrhea and death in children under five, preceded only by rotavirus and by Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis infections. Antimicrobial drugs, particularly 5-nitroimidazole (5-NIs), are used to treat giardiasis in humans. Immunologically naive or immunocompromised host are more vulnerable to Giardia infection, whereas a degree of resistance to this protozoan is present in humans living in endemic areas. This suggests that vaccination may be a potential and appropriate means to control this parasitic disease outbreak and protect the human population. This review discusses Giardia antigens related to vaccine development. Additionally, based on the latest development of nanoparticle technology, a combination of methods for future research and development is proposed for the design of the next generation of powerful immunogens and an effective vaccine against Giardia.

More can be found at Sangkanu S, Paul AK, Chuprom J, Mitsuwan W, Boonhok R, de Lourdes Pereira M, Sin Chea, et al. Conserved Candidate Antigens and Nanoparticles to Develop Vaccine against Giardia intestinalis. Vaccines [Internet]. 2022 Dec 31 [cited 2023 Feb 5];11(1):96. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9863896/

The purpose of this study is to investigate the students’ perception of choosing a health science major as a career choice for their higher education degree, to understand why and what motivates them, and to contextualize how these views would impact their studies. This study was a mixed-methods study consisting of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were collected using an anonymous Google-form questionnaire, and FGD was used to collect qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings categorized the students’ choice of a health science major based on their personal life experiences, role modules, family support, engagement, high school performance, and career viewpoints. Thus, results indicated that students’ enrollment in a health science major as a career choice was due to their interests in future career perspectives, academic performance, and life experience, with the support and encouragement of their families.

More detail can be found in Sorn V. Students’ Perceptions toward Health Science Career Choice: A Case from Cambodia. Journal of Education and Practice. 2023 Dec 17;7(8):40–56.

The non-nutritional health benefits of sprouts are unconfirmed. Thus, nine sprout methanolic extracts were tested for phytoconstituents and antioxidant activity. The TPC, TCC, TFC, TAC, and TALC were measured. ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assays were used to assess the antioxidant activity. HPLC detected gallic acid, vanillin, syringic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and rutin in the extracts. The sprout extracts contained six compounds, with caffeic acid being the most abundant. Gallic acid, syringic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, vanillin, and rutin were highest in soybean, black sesame, mustard, sunflower, white radish, and black sesame sprouts, respectively. Sunflower sprouts had the highest level of TCC while soybean sprouts had the highest level of TFC, Taiwanese morning glory had the highest level of TPC, mustard sprouts had the highest level of TALC, and black sesame sprouts had the highest level of TAC. Taiwanese morning glories scavenged the most DPPH and ABTS radicals. Colored and white radish sprouts had similar ferric-reducing antioxidant power. Antioxidation mechanisms varied by compound. Our findings demonstrated that sprouts have biological effects, and their short time for mass production offers an alternative food source for health benefits, and that they are useful for future research development of natural products and dietary supplements.

More can be found at So V, Poul P, Oeung S, Srey P, Mao K, Ung H, et al. Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Activities, and HPLC Analysis of Nine Edible Sprouts in Cambodia. Molecules. 2023 Mar 22;28(6):2874.

This study examined user preferences for ChatGPT-powered conversational interfaces vs traditional techniques. The study collected data from 175 selected volunteers utilizing a survey questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to detect user preferences and compare them to the literature review. The study found that 70% of users chose ChatGPT-powered conversational interfaces over traditional techniques, citing convenience, efficiency, and personalization. Demographic data was explored. The participants were evenly distributed between male and female (50%) and aged 18 to 55 (mean = 35 years). This study affects ChatGPT and conversational AI development. The results indicate that users want to use these technologies in their daily lives. To improve ChatGPT, further study is needed in this area. However, this study’s tiny sample size must be considered. To confirm these findings and investigate other factors affecting conversational interface user preferences, bigger and more diverse samples are needed.

More can be found at Sakirin T, Ben Said R. User preferences for ChatGPT-powered conversational interfaces versus traditional methods. Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science. 2023 Feb 7;24–31.

While there is a growing body of research on chat generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT) in education, there appears to be little research that provides a comprehensive review of challenges, opportunities, and strategies for the effective utilization of ChatGPT in higher education. This study aims to fill this research gap by focusing on the opportunities, challenges, and strategies for using ChatGPT in higher education. The study adopted a literature review approach and employed document analysis as a research design. It reviewed various types of documents, particularly research articles, published since 2022 when ChatGPT was launched. Based on the extensive review, the study shows that ChatGPT offers a variety of opportunities for higher education, including assessment innovation, instructional support, remote learning support, research design and development support, academic writing support, and administrative assistance and productivity. However, ChatGPT also presents a number of challenges and issues related to academic integrity, security and privacy, reliance on artificial intelligence, learning assessment, and information accuracy. The study offers a set of recommendations for the effective utilization of ChatGPT in higher education. It concludes that the application of ChatGPT in higher education presents both benefits and challenges; thus, efforts and strategies are needed to ensure the effective use of ChatGPT for academic purposes.

More can be found in Sok S, Heng K. Opportunities, challenges, and strategies for using ChatGPT in higher education: A literature review. Journal of digital educational technology. 2024 Jan 1;4(1):ep2401–1.

The Bolton analysis is one of the commonly used tooth size analysis or diagnostic tools in deriving a treatment plan for orthodontic patients. Many studies have indicated and concluded that normal measurements for one group should not be considered normal for other ethnic groups. The aims and objectives of this study were to investigate the applicability of Bolton’s ratios in the orthodontic population of Malaysian main ethnics, Malay, Chinese, and Indians. Comparisons were made in terms of size and distribution of tooth size discrepancy in the Malaysian orthodontic population and the findings were converted in terms of millimeters.

More can be found at Nur A, Siti Adibah Othman, Anand Marya. Measuring tooth size discrepancies using Bolton analysis: a comparative cross-sectional study among major ethnicity in Malaysia. BMC Oral Health. 2023 Aug 2;23(1).

The conventional solvent extraction (CSE) method is commonly used to extract oil from oilseeds. Even though the extraction of oil from soybean seeds using the CSE method has been studied extensively, the application of response surface methodology (RSM) has not yet been widely explored. In this paper, the CSE method was employed using three different types of solvents – ethanol (Eth), n-hexane (Hex), and a mixture of Hex:Eth in a ratio of 2:1 – and optimized using RSM to extract the oil from Cambodian soybean seeds. For each solvent, a central composite design (CCD) was applied to optimize the extraction conditions, such as the extraction times (15, 30, and 45 min) and solvent-to-solid ratios (5:1, 10:1, and 15:1 mL/g). This CCD generated 11 experimental runs for each type of solvent. The optimum oil yields when using ethanol, Hex:Eth, and n-hexane were 20.53%, 18.78%, and 17.39%, respectively. The optimum condition was obtained at 15 min extraction time and 15:1 (mL/g) solvent-to-solid ratio for all solvent types. The coefficients of determination of ethanol, Hex:Eth, and n-hexane were 0.9710, 0.9954, and 0.9263, respectively, which mathematically indicated a good model for the prediction. Therefore, the model was considered accurate and reliable for predicting oil yields in this study.

More can be found in Mich M, Kong S, Say M, Nat Y, Chin Ping Tan, Tan R. Optimization of solvent extraction conditions of Cambodian soybean oil using response surface methodology. Journal of food technology research. 2023 Jan 9;10(1):1–10.

Oral human papillomavirus (HPV), gonorrheal, chlamydial, syphilitic and trichomonas infections are very common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Africa. However, no known study has reviewed the available evidence concerning the preventative interventions by dental care professionals (DCPs) in Africa on oral STDs; hence, this scoping review was conducted to evaluate the research landscape of this topic area in Africa. The scoping review methodology and documentation were informed by the Arksey and O’Malley’s guideline, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for conducting Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist, and the AMSTAR-2 guideline. Ten electronic research databases were searched to retrieve literatures relevant to the scoping review question. The retrieved literature were deduplicated and screened for eligibility based on the review’s selection criteria. Data charting, collation and summarization were intended to be done in this review, but it could not be done because no relevant literature was found eligible for inclusion into this scoping review.

More can be found at Kanmodi KK, Amzat J, Salami AA, Egbedina EA, Braimah RO. Preventative interventions by dental care professionals in Africa on oral human papillomavirus, gonorrheal, chlamydial, syphilitic and trichomonas infections: A scoping review. Health Science Reports. 2023 May;6(5).

An effective space opening for band placement with minimal pain and gingival inflammation is a prime requisite during fixed orthodontic procedures. The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two types of separators, elastomeric and Kansal, in the amount of space opening, pain perception elicited, and gingival inflammation. A random split-mouth study was designed with 30 subjects undergoing Fixed orthodontic treatment. Two different separators(Elastomer and Kansal) were placed alternatively on the left and right sides around the mesial and distal sides of the first molars in the mandibular arch of each subject. After three days, the amount of separation after three days was assessed with a leaf gauge on both mesial and distal sides. The subjective pain perception by Visual analog Scale (VAS) at different points and during different functions for each of the three days was evaluated. A self-filled chart was utilized to be performed by the patients.

More can be found in Keerthipati Thejasri, Gowri Sankar Singaraju, Anand Marya, Yamini S, Shaik S, Mandava P. Separation Effect, Pain Perception During Functional Activity and Gingival Inflammation of Elastomeric and Kansal Separators- A Split Mouth Study. Research Square (Research Square). 2022 Oct 27;