Kappaphycus alvarezii is a species of red algae, and one of the most important carrageenan
sources for food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. It is commercially cultivated in the
eastern part of Malaysia. Although K. alvarezii is rich in nutrients, it is limited in its integration
into Malaysian food products. Therefore, the present work was conducted to investigate the
quality characteristics, sensorial attributes, and antioxidant activity of K. alvarezii in Malaysian
food products. Seaweed puree (SP) from K. alvarezii at 10%, 20% and 30% concentrations were
prepared in the formulations of fish sausages, flat rice noodles and yellow alkaline noodles.
Proximate analysis, physicochemical analysis, microbial count, total phenolic content (TPC),
sensory evaluation, and consumer acceptance survey of the formulated food were conducted.
The incorporation of K. alvarezii significantly increased the fibre, moisture, and ash content in
formulated foods. In addition, the TPC content of K. alvarezii food also significantly increased
up to 42 mg GAE/100 g. The presence of SP in food at higher concentration decreased the
microbial counts. Sensory analysis confirmed that only fish sausages added with SP was
overall acceptable as compared to control. Based on customer survey, functional foods that are
“research proven” were the most preferred. In conclusion, K. alvarezii has the potential to be
incorporated in Malaysian food products and developed as functional food.
Mangrove land use changes of varied intensities have long been a problem in tropical mangrove forests. This has resulted in various degrees of mangrove land use modification, which catch many interests in the region for research. The research provided here is a bibliometric analysis of scholarly articles published around the world in various publication document types on changes in land use of tropical mangrove forests based on remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS). Scientific data analysis was undertaken by using bibliometric approaches on 6,574 papers extracted from the Scopus databases between 2010 and 2020. The findings revealed that the number of publications continuously climbed from under 400 to an average of 50-60 per year till 2019. The data showed that the mangrove forest modifications study gained traction when the highest number of citations, 9,236 in 2015, were observed. We can also notice that the overall number of citations fluctuated a lot during the first five years (2010-2015) but increased from 2013 to 2015. The findings demonstrate how remote sensing satellites have aided vegetation and land study in recent years. The findings also revealed that the analysis tools of Land Use Change, Vegetation Index, Mangrove, Tropical Country, Remote Sensing, and Tropical contributed to scientific knowledge of current issues of mangrove land use change in the tropical region. The authors' keywords, Remote Sensing in particular, supplied roughly 43%, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (13%), Vegetation Index (9%), and other keywords contributed less than 7%. The growth pattern of the keywords "MODIS" and "Landsat" implies that both will stay important over the next five years, according to an analysis of the type of satellite used in land use assessment. Meanwhile, papers pertaining to policy on land use change, food security, and forest resources were evaluated in order to highlight policy and academic research findings on the topics. The application of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, which is a very relevant tool that can be used in monitoring land use changes and assessing vegetation status because it is a desirable technique in measuring plant health and vigour, can help fill the research gaps presented in this study. This review can help with the development of better mangrove land use change approaches in tropical mangroves and around the world using satellite remote sensing and GIS.
Purpura fulminans (PF) is a severe clinical manifestation of Neisseria meningitides infection that is associated with high mortality rates in children. Survivors are frequently left with debilitating musculoskeletal sequelae. There is a paucity of reports on the musculoskeletal pathology of purpura fulminans. We report on a 2-year-old boy with purpura fulminans due to meningococcemia. The child developed distal gangrene in both the upper and lower limbs. Amputations were done for both lower limbs. Histological examination of the amputated specimens showed an inflammatory process and features of osteonecrosis. The latest follow-up at the age of 6 years showed a right knee valgus due to asymmetrical growth arrest of the proximal tibia. PF and its complications are challenging to treat and may require a multidisciplinary approach to improve patient's functional ability.