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The recent thrust in research has projected the type II clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system as an avant-garde plant genome editing tool. It facilitates the induction of site-specific double-stranded DNA cleavage by the RNA-guided DNA endonuclease (RGEN), Cas9. Elimination, addition, or alteration of sections in DNA sequence besides the creation of a knockout genotype (CRISPRko) is aided by the CRISPR-Cas9 system in its wild form (wtCas9). The inactivation of the nuclease domain generates a dead Cas9 (dCas9), which is capable of targeting genomic DNA without scissoring it. The dCas9 system can be engineered by fusing it with different effectors to facilitate transcriptional activation (CRISPRa) and transcriptional interference (CRISPRi). CRISPR-Cas thus holds tremendous prospects as a genome-manipulating stratagem for a wide gamut of crops. In this article, we present a brief on the fundamentals and the general workflow of the CRISPR-Cas system followed by an overview of the prospects of bioinformatics in propelling CRISPR-Cas research with a special thrust on the available databases and algorithms/web-accessible applications that have aided in increasing the usage and efficiency of editing. The article also provides an update on the current regulatory landscape in different countries on the CRISPR-Cas edited plants to emphasize the far-reaching impact of the genomic editing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberose flowers (Calcutta Single variety) valued as ornamentals globally, have short shelf-lives of 8 days at 4 ± 1 °C and are therefore discarded post senescence. Previous investigations from our laboratory have established that a combination treatment using GRAS preservatives [(sucrose (4%) and CaCl2 (0.02%)]-cum-gamma-irradiation (0.02 kGy) could extend its shelf-life to 24 days, when stored at 4 ± 1 °C with concomitant enhancement in the content of its bioactive principle, viz. methyl eugenol. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extract of the tuberose flower wastes post combination treatment therefore had a higher methyl eugenol content (4.11 ± 0.05 µg/g), vis-à-vis its non-treated counterpart (2.03 ± 0.03 µg/g), and thus significantly higher antioxidant and antimicrobial potencies (MIC values of 1.83 ± 0.02 mg/ml and 1.98 ± 0.03 mg/ml against S. aureus ATCC 25923 strain and MDR strain, respectively). The microencapsulated powder of the extract (MEp) obtained by spray drying was applied for healing of epidermal wounds created on New Zealand white rabbits, post skin irritancy test (wherein no clinical sign of toxicity, redness or swelling was observed). When MEp was applied, accelerated healing occurred which commenced on day 2 and was completed by day 6 vis-à-vis that of the control powder set (without extract) which showed no signs of wound healing. Therefore, the sensorially compromised-senesced tuberose flowers, a rich source of methyl eugenol, has been successfully valorized through utilization of the same in developing a novel topical antibiotic powder against potent skin pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertension is a major public health concern in low-and middle-income countries. A nationwide Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Development Program in Bangladesh has been shown to be effective in resource-poor settings. This article aims to investigate whether the prevalence and determinants of adult hypertension changed from 2011 to 2018. Methods: The determinants of adult hypertension were assessed in 2011 and 2018 data of Bangladesh Demographic and Health surveys. These two surveys included both men and women over the age of 34 years and measured their blood pressure, weight, height, and other covariates. For both surveys, we estimated the age-standard prevalence of hypertension and relative, attributable and mediated risk of determinants of hypertension using hierarchical mixed-effects sequential Poisson regression models. Results: The prevalence of adult hypertension increased by 10.9% from 29.5% in 2011 to 40.4% in 2018. The nationwide awareness program on the Health, Population and Nutrition Sector changed the risks associated with hypertension determinants over the years. During 2011, Socio-economic status (SES) was a major distal determinant of adult hypertension, explaining 21% of population-attributable risk (ART). However, other factors accounted for 90% of risk, mainly by excessive body weight (51%) and awareness of hypertension (39%). In contrast, SES only explained 16% of ART risk, with 97% of the risk mediated by excessive body weight (55%) and awareness of hypertension (41%). Conclusion: The study results highlight that hypertension among older adult was significantly increased over the six-year period. Specially, the socio-economic status, awareness of hypertension and excessive body weight were the significant determinants. Being awareness of hypertension and excessive body weight changed the causal pathways of socio-economic status. The results also highlight the value of studying the effect of non-communicable disease awareness programs to enhance our comprehension of factors influencing health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Norovirus is a major cause of endemic acute gastroenteritis (AGE) worldwide. We described the epidemiology, risk factors, and genotypic distribution of noroviruses among hospitalized patients of all ages in Bangladesh. Methods From March 2018 to October 2021, 1250 AGE case patients and controls (age, sex, season, and site matched) were enrolled at 10 hospitals. Demographic and clinical information was collected; real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) used to test stool specimens, and positive samples were genotyped. Results Norovirus was detected in 9% of cases (111 of 1250) and 15% (182 of 1250) of controls. Eighty-two percent of norovirus-positive cases were in children <5 years old. Norovirus-positive AGE hospitalizations occurred year-round, with peaks in April and October. Risk factors for norovirus included age <5 years (adjusted odds ratio, 3.1 [95% confidence interval, 1.9–5.2]) and exposure to a patient with AGE in the 10 days before enrollment (3.8 [1.9–7.2]). GII.3[P16] and GII.4 Sydney[P16] were the predominant genotypes. Conclusions We highlight the burden of norovirus in hospital settings. Young age and recent exposure to a patient with AGE were risk factors for norovirus. A high prevalence of norovirus among controls might represent asymptomatic reinfections or prolonged shedding from a previous infection; carefully designed longitudinal studies are needed to improve our understanding of norovirus infections in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) can survive extreme environmental condition and is known for its fodder potential in many parts of the world. The morphological diversity of 15 introduced accessions was evaluated at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The plants were established in 2013. Survival and nutrient status were evaluated after two years. Above-ground plant height, biomass, primary and secondary cladode numbers, primary and secondary cladode lengths and below-ground root length, weight, and surface area measurements were done six years after cladode planting. Yellow San Cono, White Roccapalumba, and Seedless Roccapalumba survived 100%. The discriminant traits according to principal component analysis were: primary cladodes plant−1 (component loading, 0.87), primary cladodes biomass (0.95), secondary cladodes plant−1 (0.83), canopy width (0.84), and plant biomass (0.92). Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped 15 accessions into two main clusters based on 17 morphological traits. Cluster I showed favorable values for many above- and below-ground morphological traits while Cluster II showed higher performance for root system width, height, and biomass, and primary and secondary cladode numbers. The results indicate that cactus pear accessions have considerable morphological variability and genetic diversity suitable for promotion as alternative fodder resources in semi-arid regions of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) disease of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is one of the most destructive diseases worldwide in rice-growing regions. The Ineffectiveness of chemicals in disease management has increased the interest in phage therapy. In this study, we isolated 19 bacteriophages, infecting Xoo, from a rice field, which belonged to phage families Siphoviridae, Myoviridae, and Podoviridae on the basis of electron microscopy. Among 19 phages, Phage vB_XooS_NR08, a member of the Siphoviridae family, expressed antibacterial activity against all Xoo strains tested and did not lyse X. campestris and other unrelated bacterial hosts. Phage NR08 showed more than 80% viability at a temperature range of 4°C–40°C, pH range of 5–9, and direct exposure to sunlight for 2 h, whereas UV light and chemical agents were highly detrimental. In a one-step growth curve, NR08 has a 40-min latent period, followed by a 30-min burst period with a burst size of 250 particle/bacterium. The genome of NR08 is double-stranded DNA, linear having a size of 98,812 bp with a G + C content of 52.9%. Annotation of the whole-genome sequence indicated that NR08 encodes 142 putative open reading frames (ORFs), including one ORF for tRNA, namely, trna1-GlnTTG. Comparative genome analysis of NR08 showed that it shares maximum similarity with Pseudomonas phage PaMx42 (40% query coverage, 95.39% identity, and acc. Length 43,225) and Xanthomonas phage Samson (40% query coverage, 96.68% identity, and acc. Length 43,314). The average alignment percentage (AP) of NR08 with other Xoophages was only 0.32 to 1.25 since the genome of NR08 (98.8 kb) is almost double of most of the previously reported Xoophages (43–47 kb), thus indicating NR08 a novel Xoophage. In in vitro bacterial challenge assay, NR08 showed bacteriostasis up to 24 h and a 99.95% reduction in bacterial growth in 48 h. In rice pot efficacy trials, single-dose treatment of NR08 showed a significant reduction in disease up to 90.23% and 79.27% on 7 and 21 dpi, respectively. However, treatment using 2% skim milk-supplemented phage preparation was significantly less effective as compared to the neat phage preparation. In summary, this study characterized a novel Xoophage having the potential as a biocontrol agent in the mitigation of BLB in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Whiteflies not only damage plants directly, they also transmit phytopathogenic viruses. To facilitate whitefly studies, we made microcages from a microcentrifuge tube with a ring-shaped base of muslin and sealed the base to a leaf using wheat gum. Whitefly retention in the cages was high, leaf surfaces were not damaged during the experiment, no external support was required to hold the cages in place, and the cages worked on other crop plants. Acquisition and inoculation efficiency for begomoviruses, mungbean yellow mosaic India virus and tomato leaf curl Karnataka virus was higher in microcages than in macrocages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For supporting antibiotic stewardship interventions, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified antibiotics through the AWaRe (Access, Watch, and Reserve) classification. Inappropriate use of antimicrobials among hospital-admitted patients exposes them to the vulnerability of developing resistant organisms which are difficult to treat. We aimed to describe the proportion of antibiotic use based on the WHO AWaRe classification in tertiary and secondary level hospitals in Bangladesh. A point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted adapting the WHO PPS design in inpatients departments in 2021. Among the 1417 enrolled patients, 52% were female and 63% were from the 15–64 years age group. Nearly 78% of patients received at least one antibiotic during the survey period. Third-generation cephalosporins (44.6%), penicillins (12.3%), imidazoles (11.8%), aminoglycosides (7.2%), and macrolides (5.8%) were documented as highly used antibiotics. Overall, 64.0% of Watch, 35.6% of Access, and 0.1% of Reserve group antibiotics were used for treatment. The use of Watch group antibiotics was high in medicine wards (78.7%) and overall high use of Watch antibiotics was observed at secondary hospitals (71.5%) compared to tertiary hospitals (60.2%) (p-value of 0.000). Our PPS findings underscore the need for an urgent nationwide antibiotic stewardship program for physicians including the development and implementation of local guidelines and in-service training on antibiotic use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil-test crop response (STCR) approach is aiming to precise adjustment of fertilizers under varying soil-test values for targeted-yield, presently gaining recognitions for sustainable nutrient management. The study aimed to envisage the precision scale of STCR targeted-yield models in maize-lentil rotation in alkaline Fluvisol under sole-fertilizer and integrated nutrient management (with farmyard manure). Fertility-gradient, test-crop diagnostic, and validation trials were conducted following STCR technical program. Soil fertility gradient and variable fertilizer doses had caused a large variation in grain yield of maize (0.99–4.94 t ha−1, CV = 30%) and lentil (1.11–2.02 t ha−1, CV = 13%). Lentil had increased potential to utilize soil nutrient pools; in contrast, maize was highly responsive to fertlizer nutrients. Multivariate-regression analysis revealed that fertilizers N, P, and S had a strong and direct influence on maize yield; where fertilizer-P was the primary yield-determining variable for lentil. Both sole-fertilizer and integrated STCR-based treatments attained the targeted-yields in maize. However, STCR treatments could not attain the targeted-yields in lentil (17–29% deviation), but had yield advantage over the blanket recommended fertilizer dose. Hence, in tropical-alkaline soils, integrated STCR targeted-yield approach could be the sustainable nutrient management option(s) for improving the productivity of the maize-lentil system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mungbean is one of the important food legumes in the Indian–sub-continent. Yellow mosaic disease, caused by Mungbean yellow mosaic virus and Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) poses a severe threat to its production. Agroinoculation has been the most preferred way to test the function of genomic components of these viruses. However, the available inoculation methods are not as efficient as whitefly transmission, thereby limiting their usage for screening and biological studies. We hereby report an efficient and reproducible agroinoculation method for achieving maximum (100%) efficiency using tandem repeat infectious agro-constructs of DNA A and DNA B of MYMIV. The present study targeted wounding of various meristematic tissues of root, shoot, parts of germinating seeds and also non-meristematic tissue of stem to test the suitable tissue types for maximum infection. Among the various tissues selected for, the inoculation on the epicotyl region showed maximum infectivity. Further, to enhance the infectivity of MYMIV, different concentrations of acetosyringone, incubation time and Agrobacterium cell density were also standardized. The incubation of wounded sprouted seeds in 1.0 OD of agroculture containing repeat construct of MYMIV for 2–4 h without acetosyringone followed by sowing in soil showed maximum infection of MYMIV within 10–12 days on the first trifoliate leaf. This standardized method is reproducible and has potential to screen germplasm lines and will be useful in mungbean biological/virological studies and breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mungbean is one of the important food legumes in the Indian–sub-continent. Yellow mosaic disease, caused by Mungbean yellow mosaic virus and Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) poses a severe threat to its production. Agroinoculation has been the most preferred way to test the function of genomic components of these viruses. However, the available inoculation methods are not as efficient as whitefly transmission, thereby limiting their usage for screening and biological studies. We hereby report an efficient and reproducible agroinoculation method for achieving maximum (100%) efficiency using tandem repeat infectious agro-constructs of DNA A and DNA B of MYMIV. The present study targeted wounding of various meristematic tissues of root, shoot, parts of germinating seeds and also non-meristematic tissue of stem to test the suitable tissue types for maximum infection. Among the various tissues selected for, the inoculation on the epicotyl region showed maximum infectivity. Further, to enhance the infectivity of MYMIV, different concentrations of acetosyringone, incubation time and Agrobacterium cell density were also standardized. The incubation of wounded sprouted seeds in 1.0 OD of agroculture containing repeat construct of MYMIV for 2–4 h without acetosyringone followed by sowing in soil showed maximum infection of MYMIV within 10–12 days on the first trifoliate leaf. This standardized method is reproducible and has potential to screen germplasm lines and will be useful in mungbean biological/virological studies and breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degenerating soil properties, low diversification, and productivity are the major issues for keeping large areas as fallow after rainy season rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Southeast Asia. Long‐duration rice cultivars along with conventional till farming and lack of irrigation facilities limit the chances of growing succeeding crops like pulses in rice fallow areas. Therefore, a field study was conducted to test the hypothesis that cultivating short‐duration rice and lentil (Lens culinaris Medic.) cultivars along with residue retention through mulching or standing rice stubble under no‐till (NT) farming for lentil can enhance the productivity in rice fallow areas and improve economic returns from the cropping system by conserving soil moisture and improving soil properties and carbon stocks. Two rice cultivars (namely, Shahsarang‐1: high yielding and medium duration; and Mendri: local, low yielding, and long‐duration variety), two high biomass lentil varieties (DPL‐81: early duration and IPL‐406: medium duration), and three rice residue management practices (namely, residue removal, 20 cm standing stubble, and mulching at 5 Mg ha−1 in lentil) were tested in the rice–lentil system. After harvest of rainy season rice, lentil was sown under NT using a manually operated furrow opener. Results of a 3‐year study revealed that rice residue retention as mulch at 5 Mg ha−1 and 20 cm standing stubbles (~2 Mg ha−1) conserved residual soil moisture and recorded significantly lower bulk density (1.10 and 1.09 Mg m−3), increased water‐holding capacity (57.05% and 55.14%), and improved water infiltration rate (3.47 and 3.30 cm hr−1) compared to residue removal. Soil organic carbon (SOC), soil microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase enzyme activity, available nitrogen, and phosphorus contents at 0–15 cm soil depth were significantly higher by 7.2%–11.1%, 3.9%–6.8%, 4.1%–6.7%, 2.7%–6.4%, and 2.7%–8.0%, respectively, under standing rice stubbles/mulching than residue removal. The SOC stock (25.3 Mg ha‐1) under mulching was significantly higher than that recorded under residue removal at 0–15 cm (23.4 Mg ha−1) and remained non‐significant at 15–30 cm depth. A significantly higher mean seed yield of lentil was obtained under mulching (1.68 Mg ha−1) and standing stubbles (1.49 Mg ha−1) than that under removal (1.27 Mg ha−1). Average productivity of lentil (1.53 Mg ha−1) after medium‐duration rice variety Shahsarang‐1 was greater than that grown after local long‐duration rice variety Mendri (1.43 Mg ha−1). The mean seed yield of early lentil variety DPL‐81 grown after medium‐duration rice was significantly higher (1.60 Mg ha−1) than medium‐duration lentil variety IPL‐406 (1.36 Mg ha−1). Thus, cultivating medium‐duration rice (Shahsarang‐1) followed by early‐duration lentil variety (DPL‐81) and rice residue retention either through mulching or standing rice stubble is recommended for improving soil properties, carbon stock, and productivity of lentil in rice fallow areas of the Eastern Himalayan region of India and other similar agro‐ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is highly sensitive to land use change and helps in maintaining soil quality. Changes in soil fertility status, SOC dynamics, and carbon indices were studied in a four-year experiment with nine sets of food-fodder cropping systems (CS) and three resource conservation techniques like rainfed (RC1), life saving irrigation (RC2) and in-situ moisture conservation practices (RC3). Results showed that the CS5 [Tri-Specific Hybrid (TSH) + Desmanthus virgatus+ (Sorghum + Cowpea – Chickpea)] recorded the highest values 12.25 g kg−1, 41.5 mg kg−1, 3.5 g kg−1, 289.5 mg kg−1, 424.8 µg g−1 soil, 54.69% and 39.31% of total carbon (TC), hot water-soluble carbon (HWSC), particulate organic carbon (POC), labile carbon (LC), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), humic acid carbon (HA-C) and fulvic acid carbon (FA-C), respectively. Among resources conservation practices, RC3 improved the SOC (56.16%) and other carbon fractions significantly as compared to RC1. Significant and positive correlations (P < 0.05) were found between carbon pools and available nutrients. The carbon management index (CMI) was also maximum (193) with CS5 and CS9 [TSH + Sesbania sesban+ (Sorghum + Cowpea – Barley)] and RC3 (232). Therefore, promoting cultivation of food-fodder system with in-situ moisture conservation practices is considered as sustainable management option for sequester more carbon, sustainability and soil quality in rainfed semi-arid ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We explored the maternal characteristics that mediate the effect of household poverty on childhood undernutrition. Methods: We used the population-based Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey data from 2014 for demographic characteristics, child and maternal factors. Results: Of the 7173 under-5 children, 3456 (48.2%) had undernutrition. The prevalence of undernutrition was less common in wealthy households (poorest vs richest: adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.37), mothers having history of antenatal care (ANC) visits (no visit vs ≥ 4 visits: aPR = 1.22), maternal higher education (no education vs higher education: aPR = 1.54), and mothers with good nutritional status (underweight vs healthy: aPR = 1.13). The risk of undernutrition (37.1%) was attributed to household wealth, mediated 55% by maternal factors; of which 20% by maternal education, 21% by ANC visits, and 14% by maternal nutritional status. Conclusions: Our study findings outlined higher maternal education, ≥ 4 ANC visits and good maternal nutritional status in mediating the impact of household wealth on childhood nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pteropus bats are the natural reservoir for Nipah virus, and in Bangladesh, it is transmitted to people through consumption of raw or fermented date palm sap. Our objective was to understand seasonal patterns of bat feeding on date palm sap at a location where sap is collected year-round. Seven nights each month over three years, we mounted infrared cameras in four trees to observe bats' feeding behavior at date palm trees harvested for fermented sap production. We described the frequency of bat visits, duration of bat visits, and duration of bat-sap contact by month and by year. We captured 42,873 bat visits during 256 camera-nights of observation, of which 3% were Pteropus and 94% were non-Pteropus bats. Though the frequency of Pteropus bat visits to each tree/night was much lower than non-Pteropus bat visits, Pteropus bats stayed in contact with sap longer than non-Pteropus bats. Frequency of bat visits was higher during winter compared to other seasons, which may arise as a consequence of limited availability of food sources during this period or may be related to seasonal characteristics of the sap. Seasonal alignment of sap consumption by humans and bats may have consequences for viral spillover into humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: During the 2019 novel coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, limited data from several countries suggested reduced seasonal influenza viruses' circulation. This was due to community mitigation measures implemented to control the pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We used sentinel surveillance data to identify changes in the 2020 influenza season compared with previous seasons in Bangladesh. Methods: We used hospital-based influenza surveillance (HBIS) data of Bangladesh that are generated year-round and are population-representative severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) data for all age groups from seven public and two private tertiary care level hospitals data from 2016 to 2019. We applied the moving epidemic method (MEM) by using R language (v4.0.3), and MEM web applications (v2.14) on influenza-positive rates of SARI cases collected weekly to estimate an average seasonal influenza curve and establish epidemic thresholds. Results: The 2016–2019 average season started on epi week 18 (95% CI: 15–25) and lasted 12.5 weeks (95% CI: 12–14 weeks) until week 30.5. The 2020 influenza season started on epi week 36 and ended at epi week 41, lasting for only five weeks. Therefore, influenza epidemic started 18 weeks later, was 7.5 weeks shorter, and was less intense than the average epidemic of the four previous years. The 2020 influenza season started on the same week when COVID-19 control measures were halted, and 13 weeks after the measures were relaxed. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that seasonal influenza circulation in Bangladesh was delayed and less intense in 2020 than in previous years. Community mitigation measures may have contributed to this reduction of seasonal influenza transmission. These findings contribute to a limited but growing body of evidence that influenza seasons were altered globally in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The illness cost borne by households, known as out-of-pocket expenditure, was 74% of the total health expenditure in Bangladesh in 2017. Calculating economic burden of diarrhea of low-income urban community is important to identify potential cost savings strategies and prioritize policy decision to improve the quality of life of this population. This study aimed to estimate cost of illness and monthly percent expenditure borne by households due diarrhea in a low-income urban settlement of Dhaka, Bangladesh. We conducted this study in East Arichpur area of Tongi township in Dhaka, Bangladesh from September 17, 2015 to July 26, 2016. We used the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of three or more loose stool in 24 hours to enroll patients and enrolled 106 severe patients and 158 non-severe patients from Tongi General Hospital, local pharmacy and study community. The team enrolled patients between the first to third day of the illness (≤ 72 hours) and continued daily follow-up by phone until recovery. We considered direct and indirect costs to calculate cost-per-episode. We applied the published incidence rate to estimate the annual cost of diarrhea. The estimated average cost of illness for patient with severe diarrhea was US$ 27.39 [95% CI: 24.55, 30.23] (2,147 BDT), 17% of the average monthly income of the households. The average cost of illness for patient with non-severe diarrhea was US$ 6.36 [95% CI: 5.19, 7.55] (499 BDT), 4% of the average monthly income of households. A single diarrheal episode substantially affects financial condition of low-income urban community residents: a severe episode can cost almost equivalent to 4.35 days (17%) and a non-severe episode can cost almost equivalent to 1 day (4%) of household's income. Preventing diarrhea preserves health and supports financial livelihoods. Author summary: The illness cost borne by households, known as out-of-pocket expenditure was 74% of the total health expenditure in Bangladesh in 2017. Most of the studies in Bangladesh that estimated the cost of diarrheal illness collected data from hospital patients and mostly targeted under-five children. Information on economic burden of diarrhea borne by households of low-income urban communities who commonly had ≤ 2 US$ dollar income per capita per day still remained unknown. We conducted this study in East Arichpur area of Tongi township in Dhaka, Bangladesh from September 2015 to July 2016 to estimate cost of illness and monthly percent expenditure borne by households due diarrhea in a low-income urban settlement of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The estimated average cost of illness for patient with severe diarrhea was US$ 27.39 (2,147 BDT) and non-severe diarrhea was US$ 6.36 (499 BDT). A single diarrheal episode substantially affects financial capability of the low-income urban community: a severe episode can cost 4.35 days (17%) and a non-severe episode can cost 1 day (4%) of income of a households. Preventing diarrhea preserves health and supports financial livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vitamin D is important for its immunomodulatory role and there is an independent association between vitamin D deficiency and pneumonia. We assessed the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the outcome in children hospitalized for severe pneumonia. Methods: This was a randomised, double blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial in children aged >2–59 months with severe pneumonia attending Dhaka Hospital, icddr,b. Children received age-specific megadose of vitamin D3 (20,000IU: <6 months, 50,000 IU: 6–12 months, 100,000 IU:13–59 months) or placebo on first day and 10,000 IU as maintenance dose for next 4 days or until discharge (if discharged earlier) along with standard therapy. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02185196. Findings: We enrolled 100 children in placebo group and 97 in vitamin D group. On admission, 50 (52%) and 49 (49%) of children in vitamin D and placebo groups, respectively were vitamin D deficient. Among children with a sufficient serum vitamin D level on admission, a lower trend for duration of resolution of severe pneumonia in hours [72(IQR:44–96)vs. 88(IQR:48–132);p = 0.07] and duration of hospital stay in days [4(IQR:3–5)vs.5(IQR:4–7);P = 0.09] was observed in vitamin D group compared to placebo. No beneficial effect was observed in vitamin D deficient group or irrespective of vitamin D status. Conclusion: Age-specific mega dose of vitamin D followed by a maintenance dose shown to have no statistical difference between the two intervention groups, however there was a trend of reduction of time to recovery from pneumonia and overall duration of hospital stay in under-five children with a sufficient serum vitamin D level on hospital admission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a paucity of data regarding acute phase (in-hospital and 30-day) major adverse cardiac events (MACE) following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Bangladesh. This study aimed to document MACE during the acute phase post-STEMI to provide information.Methods: We enrolled STEMI patients of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from August 2017 to October 2018 and followed up through 30 days post-discharge for MACE, defined as the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and coronary revascularization. Demographic information, cardiovascular risk factors, and clinical data were registered in a case report form. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for univariate and multivariate analysis to identify potential risk factors for MACE.Results: A total of 601 patients, mean age 51.6 ± 10.3 years, 93% male, were enrolled. The mean duration of hospital stay was 3.8 ± 2.4 days. We found 37 patients (6.2%) to experience an in-hospital event, and 45 (7.5%) events occurred within the 30 days post-discharge. In univariate analysis, a significantly increased risk of developing 30-day MACE was observed in patients with more than 12 years of formal education, diabetes mellitus, or a previous diagnosis of heart failure. In a multivariate analysis, the risk of developing 30-day MACE was increased in patients with heart failure (hazard ratio = 4.65; 95% CI 1.64-13.23).Conclusions: A high risk of in-hospital and 30-day MACE in patients with STEMI exists in Bangladesh. Additional resources should be allocated providing guideline-recommended treatment for patients with myocardial infarction in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low productivity and energy use efficiency (EUE) of rice farming are the major concerns for agricultural sustainability in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. A field experiment on rice (Oryza sativa L.)-pea (Pisum sativum L) system was conducted for three consecutive years during 2012–15 in lowland ecosystem to assess the direct and residual impact of tillage and residue management (RM) practises on productivity and sustainability. Significantly higher grain yield of rice was achieved under no-till (NT) than minimum tillage (MT) and conventional tillage (CT). Among RM practises, 50% NPK + green leaf manure, 50% NPK + weed biomass and 50% NPK + in-situ residue retention recorded significantly higher mean grain yields than application of 50% NPK and 100% NPK without residues. Residual effect of MT in preceding rice gave significantly higher green pod yield of succeeding pea than NT and CT. The system EUE was significantly higher under MT (rice)-NT (pea) compared to those of NT-NT and CT-NT systems. The sustainable yield index of rice and pea was maximum under MT-NT followed by NT-NT. Thus, NT/MT with suitable RM practises is a pertinent strategy for sustainable productivity of rice-pea system in the Eastern Himalayas and in similar adjoining regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Bangladesh, pneumonia has a higher mortality among malnourished children aged <5 years. Evaluating pneumonia etiology among malnourished children may help improve empiric treatment guidelines. Methods: During April 2015—December 2017, we conducted a case-control study among severe acute malnourished (SAM) children aged <5 years admitted to the Dhaka hospital of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). We enrolled hospital admitted SAM children with clinical or radiological pneumonia as cases (during April 2015 to March 2017) and hospital admitted SAM children without any respiratory symptom in the past 10 days before admission as controls (during February 2016 to December 2017). We tested nasopharyngeal wash from both case and control for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), influenza viruses, human parainfluenza viruses (HPIV), rhinovirus and adenovirus by singleplex real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. To identify the independent association of pneumonia with viral pathogens during February 2016 to March 2017, we used multivariable logistic regression for calculating adjusted odds ratios. Results: We enrolled 360 cases and 334 controls. For case and control the median age was 8 months (IQR: 5–13) and 11 months (IQR: 6–18) (p = 0.001) respectively. Weight/age Z-score was -4.3 (SD ±0.7) for cases and -4.1 (SD ±1.1) for controls (p = 0.01). Among cases 68% had both clinical and radiological pneumonia, 1% had clinical pneumonia and 31% had only radiological pneumonia. Respiratory virus detection was high in cases compared to controls [69.9% (251) vs. 44.8% (148), p = 0.0001]. The most frequently detected viruses among cases were rhinoviruses (79, 22.0%) followed by RSV (32, 8.9%), adenovirus (23, 6.4%), HPIV (22, 6.1%), influenza virus (16, 4.5%), and HMPV (16, 4.5%). Among the controls, rhinoviruses (82, 24.8%) were most commonly detected one followed by adenovirus (26,7.9%), HMPV (5, 1.5%), HPIV (4, 1.2%), RSV (3, 0.9%), and influenza virus (2, 0.6%). RSV (OR 13.1; 95% CI: 1.6, 106.1), influenza virus (OR 8.7; 95% CI: 1.0, 78.9), HPIV (3.8; 95% CI: 1.0, 14.8), and HMPV (2.7; 95% CI: 1.3, 5.5) were independently associated with pneumonia while compared between 178 cases and 174 controls. Conclusion: Viral etiology of pneumonia in SAM children were mainly attributable to RSV, influenza, HPIV and HMPV. Our study findings may help in planning further studies targeting vaccines or drugs against common respiratory viruses responsible for pneumonia among SAM children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability of cereal-based cropping systems remains crucial for food security in South Asia. However, productivity of cereal–cereal rotations has declined in the long run, demonstrating the need for a sustainable alternative. Base crop, that is, common crop in different crop rotations, productivity could be used as a sustainability indicator for the assessment of different long-term crop rotations. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of grain legume inclusion in lowland rice–wheat (R-W) and upland maize–wheat (M-W) rotation on system's base crop (rice in lowland and wheat in upland crop rotations) productivity and sustainability and also in soil fertility. Mung bean (April–May) inclusion in R-W rotation increased rice grain yield by 10–14%. In upland, mung bean inclusion in M-W rotation increased wheat grain yield by 5–11%. Replacing wheat with chickpea in R-W rotation increased rice grain yield by 5–8%. Increased base crop productivity in legume inclusive rotations was attributed to significant improvement in panicle (rice) or spike (wheat) attributes. Increased soil organic carbon and available nitrogen and phosphorus in the legume inclusive rotations significantly influenced the base crop productivity in both the production systems. Among the crop rotations, R-W-Mb (in lowland) and M-W-Mb (in upland) rotations had the highest system productivity and net return. Therefore, intensification/diversification of cereal–cereal rotations with grain legume could improve soil fertility and sustain crop productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term effect of mungbean inclusion in lowland rice-wheat and upland maize-wheat systems on soil carbon (C) pools, particulate organic C (POC), and C-stabilization was envisaged in organic, inorganic and without nutrient management practices. In both lowland and upland systems, mungbean inclusion increased very-labile C (Cfrac1) and labile C (Cfrac2) in surface soil (0-0.2 m). Mungbean inclusion in cereal-cereal cropping systems improved POC, being higher in lowland (107.4%). Lowland rice-based system had higher passive C-pool (11.1 Mg C ha−1) over upland maize-based system (6.6 Mg C ha−1) indicating that rice ecology facilitates the stabilization of passive C-pool, which has longer persistence in soil. Organic nutrient management (farmyard manure + full crop residue + biofertilizers) increased Cfrac1 and carbon management index (CMI) over inorganic treatment. In surface soil, higher CMI values were evident in mungbean included cropping systems in both lowland and upland conditions. Mungbean inclusion increased grain yield of cereal crops, and yield improvement followed the order of maize (23.7-31.3%) > rice (16.9-27.0%) > wheat (lowland 7.0-10.7%; upland 5.4-16.6%). Thus, the inclusion of summer mungbean in cereal-cereal cropping systems could be a long-term strategy to enrich soil organic C and to ensure sustainability of cereal-cereal cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigation, the long-term effect of pulse crop inclusion in the maize-wheat rotation was assessed for the nutrient availability and soil-plant nutrient cycling under different nutrient management practices. Including pulses in the maize-wheat rotation improved soil organic carbon (SOC) and plant available macronutrients being higher in maize-wheat-mungbean rotation. Inclusion of mungbean to maize-wheat rotation enhanced the nitrogen (33.9%), phosphorus (46.4%), potassium (36.3%), and sulphur (55.5%) uptake in maize crop; likewise, alternate-year chickpea inclusion increased the uptake of these nutrients by 18.2, 19.1, 21.7, 32.1%, respectively. Inorganic fertilization maintained the positive annual balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and zinc. By contrast, the nutrient balance under organic nutrient management was mostly negative. The magnitude of negative balance of potassium and sulphur was higher in inorganic than that of organic nutrient management. The low nutrient supply (particularly nitrogen) in organic fertilization largely inhibited the yield of cereal crops but not that of pulses. In view of this, the inclusion of pulses in the cereal-cereal systems could cause substantial improvement in soil fertility and sustainability in Indo-Gangetic plains. We infer that supply of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus in organic, and potassium and sulphur in recommended inorganic fertilization merit special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Soil resources are prone to degradation in harsh hill environment. Conservation tillage and residue mulching play an important role in protecting and improving soil quality. A 4-year study was conducted in Meghalaya, India, involving maize ( Zea mays L.)-rapeseed ( Brassica campestris L.) cropping system, to evaluate the impact of no till (NT) and mulching on productivity of maize-rapeseed system and to assess the effect of management on soil organic carbon (SOC) and quality. Two tillage practices, conventional tillage (CT) and NT, were compared under six mulching rates: control (no mulching); M, maize stover retention; MA5, M + ragweed (RW; Ambrosia artemisiifolia) 5 Mg ha−1; MA10, M + RW 10 Mg ha−1; MF10, M + farmyard manure 10 Mg ha−1; and MA5P5, M + RW 5 Mg ha−1 + poultry manure 5 Mg ha−1. Grain yields of maize and rapeseed under CT were similar to those under NT. Mulching had a significant effect on the productivity of maize and rapeseed. Mulching treatment MA5P5, MF10 and MA10 produced significantly ( p = 0·05) higher yield of maize and rapeseed than that of other treatments. Maize and rapeseed productivity under control was the lowest. There was a marked increase in SOC concentration (8·4%), water stable aggregates (9·3%), mean weight diameter (42·6%) and soil microbial biomass carbon (66·8%) under NT, with respect to CT. Mulching treatment MA5P5 enhanced mean SOC concentration by 30·4% and mean weight diameter by 100% compared with those under control. Thus, NT and mulching are recommended measures for protecting soil and improving its quality in the studied area. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coconut copra from West coast tall variety, cultivated in Kerala, India, was subjected to aqueous and solvent extractions (using nhexane). Additionally, oil was extracted fromthe copra in Soxhlet assembly using petroleum ether (b.p. 60-80°C). Physicochemical and phytochemical analyses were conducted for the extracts and the oil, with commercial coconut oil as the experimental control. Thephysicochemical analyses showed that the aqueous extract of copra wasmilky-white in color with a sweet odor, while the solvent extract was pale yellow and odorless. The commercial oil had 0.08 ± 0.02% oleic acid and a TOTOX value of 7.73 ± 0.78, lower than the Soxhlet extracted oil. Among all the extracts and oils, best phytochemical properties, antioxidant activity (DPPH activity, IC50 value 0.04 ± 0.01 mg/mL), total phenol (0.96 ± 0.04mg gallic acid eq./g dry copra), reducing power (40.49 ± 1.84 mg BHT eq./g dry copra), and anti-inflammatory activity (NO activity, IC50 value 0.77 ± 0.06mg/mL) were obtained in the commercial coconut oil, followed by the Soxhlet extracted oil, aqueous extract, and solvent extract. Fatty acid composition analyses showed mainly medium chain fatty acids in the copra oil with lauric acid as the predominant fatty acid (51.88% and 44.84% in Soxhlet extracted and commercial oils, resp.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The WHO Essential Medicines List Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) classification could facilitate antibiotic stewardship and optimal use. In Bangladesh, data on antibiotic dispensing in pharmacies according to the AWaRe classification are scarce. We aimed to explore antibiotic dispensing pattern in pharmacies according to the WHO AWaRe classification to aid pharmacy-targeted national antibiotic stewardship program (ASP). From January to July 2021, we interviewed drug-sellers from randomly selected pharmacies and randomly selected customers attending the pharmacies. We collected data on demographics and medicines purchased. We classified the purchased antibiotics into the Access, Watch, and Reserve groups among 128 pharmacies surveyed, 98 (76.6%) were licensed; 61 (47.7%) drug-sellers had pharmacy training. Of 2686 customers interviewed; 580 (21.6%) purchased antibiotics. Among the 580 customers, 523 purchased one, 52 purchased two, and 5 purchased three courses of antibiotics (total 642 courses). Of the antibiotic courses, the Watch group accounted for the majority (344, 53.6%), followed by the Access (234, 36.4%) and Reserve (64, 10.0%) groups. Approximately half of the antibiotics (327/642, 50.9%) were purchased without a registered physician's prescription. Dispensing of non-prescribed antibiotics was higher in the Access group (139/234, 59.4%), followed by Watch (160/344, 46.5%) and Reserve (28/64, 43.8%) groups. These findings highlight the need to implement strict policies and enforce existing laws, and pharmacy-targeted ASP focusing on proper dispensing practices to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melioidosis is an under-recognized fatal disease in humans, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. Globally, more than 35,000 human melioidosis cases have been reported since 1911. Soil acts as the natural reservoir of B. pseudomallei. Humans may become infected by this pathogen through direct contact with contaminated soil and/or water. Melioidosis commonly occurs in patients with diabetes mellitus, who increase the occurrence of melioidosis in a population. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate to what extent diabetes mellitus affects the patient in getting melioidosis. We selected 39 articles for meta-analysis. This extensive review also provided the latest updates on the global distribution, clinical manifestation, preexisting underlying diseases, and risk factors of melioidosis. Diabetes mellitus was identified as the predominant predisposing factor for melioidosis in humans. The overall proportion of melioidosis cases having diabetes was 45.68% (95% CI: 44.8–46.57, p < 0.001). Patients with diabetes mellitus were three times more likely to develop melioidosis than patients with no diabetes (RR 3.40, 95% CI: 2.92–3.87, p < 0.001). The other potential risk factors included old age, exposure to soil and water, preexisting underlying diseases (chronic kidney disease, lung disease, heart disease, and thalassemia), and agricultural activities. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for melioidosis in patients with diabetes mellitus may be developed and shared with healthcare professionals of melioidosis endemic countries to reduce morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif (rainy) seasons of 2005-2006 to study the effect of eight composts prepared from four different types of plant biomass (rice straw (Oryza sativa), Eupatorium adhenophorum, Lantana camara and grass/weed mixtures) following two composting procedures: (i) Microbial Enriched Compost (MEC) [biomass + cow dung + compost culture (formulations of cellulose decomposers, P-solubilizing microbes and free-living N-fixers], and (ii) Microbial and Nutrient Fortified Compost (MNFC) [MEC + rock phosphate at 2.5% (w/w) + neem cake 1%] on productivity of lowland rice. Recommended NPK (80:60:40 kg ha-1) and farmyard manure (FYM) at 10t ha-1 (similar to compost dose) treatment were also kept for comparison. In general, the performance of rice under MNFC composts was superior to MEC composts. The results revealed that the grain yield of rice with rice straw MNFC compost and Eupatorium MNFC compost were 5% and 3% higher than recommended NPK, respectively. The nutrient uptake and post-harvest soil fertility status were also significantly higher under these treatments compared to recommend NPK. In the present study, although the increments in grain yield of rice with various composts were not much during two years experimentation, substantial improvement in soil fertility in terms of available NPK was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]