Mushrooms are a popular food source as they are highly nutritious and flavorful with a high content of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Mushrooms could be an alternative solution to the world’s food crisis as they are inexpensive to grow on different types of substrates including waste materials. Pleurotus ostreatus, frequently known as oyster mushrooms, are the second most cultivated mushroom in the world. This species is known for its high protein content and easy cultivation. Oyster mushrooms have the potential to produce protein-rich biomass when grown on various substrates. There is a need to identify substrates that are cost-effective for the commercial production of nutritious oyster mushrooms as the substrates used currently are either costly or inadequate to produce oyster mushrooms in the required quantity or quality. Thus, the effects of 6 different lignocellulosic substrates on the growth and nutritional composition of P. ostreatus were reviewed and analyzed in this article. The substrates included in this review were wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, corncob, softwood sawdust, hardwood sawdust, and general sawdust. Based on the analyzed data, sugarcane bagasse was concluded as the most suitable substrate to grow P. ostreatus. These substrates contain a high amount of nutrients and are also likely to produce a significantly high yield of oyster mushrooms in addition to enhancing the nutritional quality of the mushroom. However, these findings must be evaluated and confirmed through further research in this field.

The ecological and children’s Health Risk Assessments (HRA) of Copper (Cu) in aquatic bodies ranging from rivers, mangrove, estuaries, and offshore areas were studied using the Cited Cu Data in The Sediments (CCDITS) from 125 randomly selected papers published from 1980 to 2022. The ecological and children’s HRA were assessed in all CCDITS. Generally, local point Cu sources (8%) and lithogenic sources were the main controlling factors of Cu concentrations. The present review revealed three interesting points. First, there were 11 papers (8%) documenting Cu levels of more than 500 mg/kg dw while China was the country with the highest number (26%) of papers published between 1980 and 2022, out of 37 countries. Second, with the Cu data cited from the literature not normally distributed, the maximum Cu level was higher than all the established guidelines. However, the median Cu concentration was lower than most of the established guidelines. The median values of the geoaccumulation index (I_geo) indicated a status of ‘unpolluted‘ and ‘moderate contamination’ for the contamination factor (CF), and ‘low potential ecological risk’ for the ecological risk (ER) of Cu. However, the Cu ER could be based at present on the above mentioned 8% of the literature in the present study. Third, the calculated hazard index (HI) values were found to be below 1, indicating no potential chance of Cu non–carcinogenic effects in both adults and children, except for children’s HI values from Lake Pamvotis of Greece, and Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong. Thus, regular monitoring (every 2 years), depending upon the available resources, is recommended to assess the ecological–health risk of Cu pollution in aquatic bodies to abate the risk of Cu exposure to children’s health and avoid injurious impacts on the biota. It can be concluded that there is always a need for the mitigation and management of a Cu exposure risk assessment that can be used successfully for screening purposes to detect important human health exposure routes. Consequently, any sediments contaminated with Cu require rapid sediment remediation techniques.

Background: Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) is a causative agent in the development of acne vulgaris, and this bacteria has been reported to show resistance against conventional antibiotics. One of the vital factors contributing to antibiotic resistance is the ability of C. acnes to form biofilms. Thus, the purpose of this review is to assess the efficacy of various recent developments and to identify acceptable methods for preventing infections associated with C. acnes biofilms. Methodology: A variety of criteria considered in the selection process, such as the site of infection, the mechanism of action against biofilms, and the methodology used to evaluate antibiofilm activity, were taken into consideration when choosing the studies. Results: The findings of existing research on the antibiofilm potential of conventional anibiotics, natural products and novel treatment strategies against C. acnes were compiled and compared. Clinical trials demonstrated that dalbavancin reduced biofilm formation while niosomes effectively decreased inflammation in acne lesions. Some studies have shown promising results with bacteriophages, plant-based and nanomaterial treatments, but lack further validation in the way of pre-clinical and clinical trials to accurately measure treatment effectiveness. Conclusions: The review examines a range of effective agents and explores their potential applications in acne management, offering valuable insights for clinicians—especially dermatologists—seeking to optimize patient care. In addition, this review provides an understanding about the different agents and their antibiofilm properties that enable researchers to develop effective therapeutic approaches against C. acnes biofilm-related infectious diseases for the benefit of human health.

Antimicrobial resistance among bacterial pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is a global problem that has led to research on naturally occurring compounds as an alternative source of antibacterial and anti-biofilm agents. This review focuses on determining plant extracts' antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities against P. aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen contributing to microbial and biofilm-associated infections in humans. Medicinal plants are being widely researched as they are rich sources of phytochemicals, including flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins and terpenoids. These phytochemicals have been well known for their antibacterial activity, which contributes to the effectiveness of certain plants, including Punica granatum and Triumfetta welwitschia, against P. aeruginosa. Hypericum perforatum and Berginia ciliata contains phytochemicals that directly inhibit the quorum sensing mechanism, inhibiting the direct cell-to-cell communication, thereby preventing or reducing biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa. Plant extracts also inhibit bacterial growth and should be considered an alternative to antibiotics. Furthermore, plant extracts can be used with antibiotics for better efficacy against P. aeruginosa. However, more research must be carried out to select plants with a broad spectrum of activity against not only P. aeruginosa infections but other gram-negative bacteria in general. It would be economically viable to develop as a therapeutic drug. This would align with the third United Nations sustainable development goals on good health and well-being and is a significant step forward in the battle against antibiotic resistance.

COVID-19 is a potentially fatal infectious disease that requires effective vaccines to keep the outbreak under control. Despite the ongoing efforts for an effective vaccine, public hesitancy towards vaccines is now one of the main concerns to the global health in containing this global pandemic. Thus, this preliminary study was carried out to assess the degree of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the general public in Malaysia and to identify the underlying reasons for their hesitancy by using 5C psychological antecedents of vaccination. This study was conducted by carrying out a cross-sectional online survey for approximately two months between January to February 2021, involving 385 participants. The survey contained questions based on the 5C model proffered by WHO. The data from the survey were analyzed using Smart PLS 3 for statistical analysis, with the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). According to the findings, only 62.5 percent out of the 385 participants had planned to get the COVID-19 vaccine, while the remaining 37.5 percent did not. The results also showed that confidence, calculation, collective responsibility, and constraints had a significant influence on vaccine hesitancy but not complacency. There is a degree of vaccine hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccines among the Malaysian population, although the data that we have obtained cannot be used to generalize for the entire Malaysian population due to the small sample size. Thus, for the vaccination campaign to be more effective, it should focus more on addressing the issue relating to confidence, calculation, collective responsibility, and constraints and less on complacency.

The psychometric properties of the Malay Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) need to be tested as it is increasingly utilized, and there is a lack of a brief, validated scale to examine suicidal behaviors in Malaysia. A total of 713 and 715 undergraduates answered the English and Malay SBQ-R, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis derived a one-factor solution, with a total explained variance of 58.0% accounted for by the four items. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the one-factor model for the Malay SBQ-R, with acceptable fit indices (χ²/df = 0.451, comparative and Tucker–Lewis fit indices = ≥1.000, standardized root mean square residual = 0.014, root mean square error of approximation = 0.000, and 90% CI [0.000, 0.083]). Measurement invariance was achieved when comparing the SBQ-R between the English and Malay versions, indicating that both versions are similar in Malaysian undergraduates. Convergent validity was established through a strong correlation between the Malay SBQ-R and the Malay Yatt Suicide Attitude Scale (r = 0.74; p < 0.001). Good internal consistency was achieved for both the English (α = 0.83; ω = 0.85) and Malay (α = 0.81; ω = 0.84) versions. The Malay SBQ-R has adequate validity and reliability for use in Malaysian undergraduates.