Background: The Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) was the first to be introduced in Bangladesh to fight the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. As this vaccine had shown some side-effects in its clinical trial, we aimed to conduct a study assessing short-term adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) in Bangladesh. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on social and electronic media platforms by delivering an online questionnaire among people who had taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The collected data were then analysed to evaluate various parameters related to the AEFIs of the respondents. Results: A total of 626 responses were collected. Of these, 623 were selected based on complete answers and used for the analysis. Most of the respondents were between 30–60 years of age, and 40.4% were female. We found that a total of 8.5% of the total respondents had been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Our survey revealed that out of 623 volunteers, 317 reported various side-effects after taking the vaccine, which is about 50.88% of the total participants. The majority of participants (37.07%, 231/623) reported swelling and pain at the injection site and fever (25.84%, 162/623); these were some of the common localized and generalized symptoms after the COVID-19 vaccine administration. Conclusion: The side-effects reported after receiving the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) are similar to those reported in clinical trials, demonstrating that the vaccines have a safe therapeutic window. Moreover, further research is needed to determine the efficacy of existing vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections or after-infection hospitalization.

Nanoparticles offer enhanced interactions with other materials owing to their enlarged surface area. This property makes them stronger, more stable and ideal for biomedical applications. Among the various synthetic methods for nanoparticles, biosynthetic method stands out due to its cost-effectiveness and environmentally friendly nature. In this context, we developed novel biosynthetic procedures for iron oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles using the extract of Hylocereus undatus (dragon fruit) peel, which acted as a reducing agent and capping agent. The biosynthesized nanoparticles were characterized using different techniques, such as ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). To evaluate their anticancer properties, the nanoparticles were tested on HeLa cells (derived from human cervical carcinoma) and BHK-21 cells (obtained from baby hamster kidney fibroblasts) and compared with the negative control group (dimethyl sulfoxide) and standard group (Hylocereus undatus fruit peel extract). Results showed that only less than 5% HeLa cells survived in both cases, and less than 5% and 60% BHK-21 cells survived on administering magnesium oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles, respectively, which were quite better than the results obtained for the standard and negative control groups. This study reports a safe and rapid method for the biosynthesis of iron oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles using Hylocereus undatus fruit peel extract and demonstrates their potential as anticancer agents. These findings suggest that iron oxide and magnesium oxide nanoparticles warrant further investigation for the development of more effective and safe anticancer drug formulations.

Seaweeds provide a range of crucial vitamins, among them water-soluble B complex vitamins such as thiamine (vitamin B1) and riboflavin (vitamin B2). The study focuses on the accurate quantification of thiamine and riboflavin in seaweed samples through an accurate and precise analytical process involving acid and enzymatic hydrolysis followed by HPLC analysis with a fluorescence detector. The applied methods were very accurate and precise as it performed recovery percentage about 99.06% for thiamine and 95.81% for riboflavin and RSD percentage less than 2% on average. Our findings reveal significant levels of thiamine and riboflavin present in the seaweeds which emphasis the nutritional value of seaweeds. Our study says that seaweeds contain up to 2.3 mg thiamin /100g and 0.9 mg riboflavin/100 g. The level of vitamins content varied with the variety of species and the environmental condition. Although with relatively lower riboflavin content, Seaweeds are very good source of vitamins. This study highlights the nutritional value of seaweeds which can be consider as powerhouse in nutritional context. Further exploration into other vitamins (water and fat soluble) and essential minerals would enhance our understanding of their nutritional significance.

Viral diseases are prevalent among humans, and antiviral medications treat these infections. Each year, billions of people suffer from a variety of viral diseases, and the COVID-19 pandemic alone caused the death of more than a million people worldwide in 2020. New viruses and viral strains continue to be discovered every year, and to keep up with the constantly changing nature of these infections, more and more antiviral drugs are being invented. This review examined recent advances in the area of dengue, hepatitis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), focusing on their epidemiological features, pathological characteristics, and treatment strategies. Furthermore, it explores antiviral drugs used to treat and manage these diseases, highlighting their mechanisms of action and approaches to destroy or inhibit different pathogens. Biological therapies, which represent the future of antiviral treatments, are also discussed. This review summarized current information on how these viral infections continue to claim thousands of lives and aimed to assist researchers in finding new ways to invent newer and more effective antivirals. It also aimed to guide healthcare professionals in determining the probable ways to manage these viral infections, resulting in fewer deaths and minimized suffering.

The search for antidiabetic drugs from natural sources has been carried out since diabetes has become a prevalent chronic disease, whose conventional therapy causes several complications in long-term use. Gynura procumbens (GP), a well-known herb for its various activities, has shown promising results against diabetes in several studies. To find whether the mechanism of activity behind this antidiabetic effect is underpinned by the upregulation of a particular glucose transporter (GLUT-4), this experiment was conducted. The GLUT-4 expression levels in Alloxan-induced diabetic rats were compared with untreated healthy rats and rats treated with different doses of G. procumbens extract using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specified for rat GLUT-4. All four test groups including the metformin control group showed elevated expression of GLUT-4 in the liver tissue compared to the diabetic control group (p < 0.05, one-way ANOVA). The serum-glucose modulatory antidiabetic activity of ethanolic extract of G. procumbens was therefore mediated though the upregulation of GLUT-4 expression, and consequent increased uptake of glucose.