This review explores the nutritional and pharmacological aspects of banana, as well as their prospective applications in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Banana is a widely consumed staple food in several countries and is popular for its pharmacological, nutritional and bioactive profile. Banana is ranked as the fifth most cultivated agricultural crop in terms of global trade. It is consumed in both raw and processed form. Banana comprises an immense amount of bioactive compounds including phytosterols, carotenoids, phenols, and biogenic amines that have a very effective role in health-promoting phenomena. Several bioactive compounds show antioxidant activities to reduce the disease risk. Banana has very effective pharmacological activities like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic. Banana has unique health-promoting aspects as well as used in the development of many food products like bread, pasta, confectionaries, and gluten-free products.

Introduction: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels overproduction and promoter polymorphisms at TNF-α 238 alleles may play central role in reduced red cell production and malaria-related anemia through suppression of bone marrow erythropoiesis and dyserythropoiesis. This study aimed to evaluate the TNF-α 238 allele’s polymorphism and its association with TNF-α levels in the children with falciparum malaria. Methods: A longitudinal hospital-based study was conducted among 100 children with severe falciparum malaria (mean age 8.63±3.40 years) and 100 children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria (mean age 8.83±4.20 years). TNF-α level was measured using Human TNF-α ELISA MAX™ Deluxe Sets. PCR was used for detecting TNF-α 238 allele’s polymorphism. Obtained data were analyzed by SPSS (Version 20.0) and StatDisk (Version 13.0). Results: TNF-α 238A allele was a common allele (66.8%). Falciparum malaria-related anemia accounted for 32%, commonly in severe malaria (SM) (55%) compared to uncomplicated malaria (UM) (9%) (P=0.000). Otherwise, the average of TNF-α levels strongly positively correlated with the severity of anemia (r+0.309; P=0.000). The TNF-α 238 A allele accounts for 83.6% of malaria anemia (P=0.000) and 100% severe anemia (P=0.000). Conclusion: Overproduction of TNF-α is essential for the elimination and clearance of falciparum parasite but may be associated with severity of malaria and malaria anemia. Overproduction of TNF-α in children with TNF-α 238 A allele may result in falciparum malaria-related anemia among children. These findings will assist clinicians in better managing severe malaria-related anemia cases.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) have been accepted as having an etiologic role in gastro-duodenal diseases as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric carcinoma. Methylation of CGI has been correlated with the tumorigenic process since it can inactivate tumor suppressor genes. CDH1 is a tumor suppressor gene that encodes the E-cadherin protein, which is preserving cell-cell connections. Early stages of gastric carcinogenesis may be affected by the promoter methylation-mediated inactivation of this gene. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the methylation status of CDH1 using Methylation-Specific PCR (MSP) technique in clinical suspected patients with H. pylori infection who undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and correlated it with H. pylori detection by glmM PCR test. Methods: Fifty gastric mucosal biopsies were selected from one hundred and five samples included in this study. The detection of H. pylori was performed with the PCR primers specific to glmM gene. Bisulfite modification was done and the methylation status of the CDH1 gene was detected using MSP reaction. Results: H. pylori was detected in 36% (18/50) of study population using glmM gene PCR test, 89% (16/18) of H. pylori positive cases were CDH1 methylated positive (chi-square, p-value=0.002). CDH1 methylation can be present in cancerous and noncancerous gastric mucosa, where 60% (18/30) of CDH1 methylation positive gastric mucosa showed gastritis as an endoscopy finding and gastric cancer in 6% (2/30). There was a significant correlation between and CDH1 methylation positive results and age group (P-value = 0.02). There was no significant correlation between CDH1 methylation positive results and participants gender (p-value=0.431) and clinical symptoms (all P-value > 0.05). Conclusion: This work suggested strong significance association between H. pylori infection and CDH1 methylation.

The impact of genetic variation in sickle cell patients plays a significant role in opioid therapy individual response and pain management. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the importance of exploring genetic variability and its impact on pain management in patients with sickle cell disease. It also explores opioid therapy variability and opioid Safety. With respect to literature, the polymorphisms in the key metabolic enzymes CYP2D6, UGT2B7, and COMT, as well as variations in the OPRM1, are important modifiers of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of opioids. Variations in the COMT gene can influence how the body manages certain brain chemicals and how pain is experienced, while changes in the OPRM1 gene can alter how well opioids bind to their receptors. They help determine how opioids are broken down in the body, how well they attach to pain receptors, and how pain is felt by someone with sickle cell disease. Patients with reduced-function and ultra-rapid CYP2D6 alleles have a modified metabolism of codeine and tramadol, which presents either a reduced analgesic response or a risk for increased toxicity. These observations support the case for the need for tailored opioid prescriptions in a population that is genetically diverse, as well as the risk of not having standardized pain measurement, and the absence of clinical implementation. There remains the risk of unrecognized pharmacogenomics, lack of data, and personalized opioid descriptions persist. Future research should focus on integrating genetic testing into clinical practice to optimize opioid selection, personalize medicine, minimize adverse effects, and ensure each patient receives treatment that is both effective and safe to enhance quality of life for individuals with sickle cell disease.

Severe Falciparum Malaria: An Overview