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The concentrations of manganese, iron, copper, lead, nickel, cadmium, arsenic, copper and mercury were determined in 10 cultured fish species, which were collected from local markets of Chittagong, Bangladesh, in June 2021. Measurements were performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, after acid digestion of the samples. In some cases, the concentration of the investigated elements was more than the maximum limit set by the WHO. Although the concentration of toxic elements in fishes was relatively high in some species, no health risk has been identified in comparison to the estimated daily intake and the maximum limit. Calculated hazard indices were below 1, which indicates the investigated fish would not cause human health risks. Carcinogenic risk indices for Cr, As, and Cu in all species were considered to be significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic Crystal Fiber Technology (PCF) based terahertz (THz) communication is widely considered the key component of future generation high capacity communication and biomedical engineering. The most difficult aspect of employing this technology is minimizing material losses and dispersion over longer distances. In PCF modeling, a wide variety of materials are considered (Zeonex, Silica, Cyclic Olefin Copolymer, etc.). The Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC) stands out as a highly flexible material that is both easily fabricable and inexpensive. This study proposed hexagonal porous cladding and core using the Finite Element Method (FEM). A fiber with an optimal core diameter of 300 µm, a low Effective Material Loss (EML) of 0.039456 cm-1, a low Confinement Loss (CL) of 2.264 × 10-5 dBcm-1, dispersion of 0.8594 psTHz-1cm-1 and V-parameter of 1.42 are obtained for 1 THz operating frequency. The suggested fiber's propagation parameters have been diligently analyzed and obtained promising values. A significant porosity of 65% and power fraction of 29.88% was recorded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preeclampsia (PreE), the de novo onset of hypertension and proteinuria at 20 weeks of gestation, is a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. This study compared inflammatory biomarkers in PreE and normal pregnancies using paired samples of mothers and neonates. Twenty normal pregnant and 27 PreE patients were monitored for biomarkers, neonatal outcomes, and placental morphologies. Fetal and maternal serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble endoglin (sENG), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Placental thickness was 25 mm in early PreE subjects compared to 32 mm in late PreE subjects (P < 0.05). Placental volume was 296 cm3 in early PreE compared to 393 cm3 in late PreE (P < 0.05). The average hospital stay for PreE babies was longer (20 ± 5 days) compared to babies from normal pregnancies (2 ± 1 days; P < 0.05). PreE babies had a lower Ponderal index (2.28 ± 0.3) than those from normal pregnancies (2.95 ± 0.2; P < 0.05). sENG and sFLT-1 had cord values like the maternal values, while VEGF and PlGF did not. PreE alters the intrauterine environment by activating chemical mediators that result in maternal and fetal complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]