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Background and objectives: There are few details available regarding the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the general Bangladeshi population. There is a dearth of data on prevalence of HBV infection in children and adolescents who were born before the hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). The objective of the current study was to use archived data to describe the seroepidemiology of HBV infection (HBsAg and anti-HBc Antibody) among school children in a particular rural area of Bangladesh. Also, the study correlated serum vitamin A level with the HBV infection status among a subset of children. Materials and method: The study analyzed the archived data of a study conducted in 2003 and 2004. The samples were collected from 1995 children, aged 5 to 15 years, from a purposively selected rural area located about 100 km north-east of capital Dhaka. HBsAg (HBV surface antigen) and anti-HBc antibody were determined by ELISA method. Vitamin A (retinol) in blood was assayed by HPLC technique. The prevalence rates of HBsAg and anti-HBc antibody was determined by simple percentages. All associations between different characteristics were tested by Chi square test. Results: Of the total 1995 children, 988 (49.5%) and 1007 (50.5%) were male and female respectively. Among them, 23 (1.2%) were HBsAg positive or HBV carriers and 79 (8.1%) were anti-HBc antibody positive. Neither HBsAg nor anti-HBc antibody positivity rate showed any difference in male and female children. There was also no significant difference of HBsAg positivity rate amongst children of different age groups; whereas, anti-HBc antibody positivity rate increased significantly (p

Background and objectives: Recent publications have reported alarming prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in South Asian countries including Bangladesh. But, data on vitamin D levels in different occupational groups are lacking. This study addressed the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in different occupational groups of Bangladesh. Additionally, the study estimated parathyroid hormone, phosphate, calcium and metabolic syndrome in these groups to see the effect of hypovitaminosis D on these parameters. Materials and method: Seven diverse occupational groups (agrarian workers, rickshaw-pullers, young cricketers and footballers, fishermen, dry fish industry workers, garment-workers and medical students) of Bangladesh were selected based on grade of physical activity and level of sun exposure. Blood was collected for the estimation of 25(OH) vitamin D, fasting glucose,lipid profiles, calcium, phosphate, magnesium and intact parathyroid (iPTH) hormone. Multiple comparisons of these variables among the 7 groups were estimated by ANOVA. Results: A total of 785 (m / f = 359 / 426) participants volunteered. Of them, 54.2% had vitamin D deficiency. Metabolic syndrome was 5% and showed no significant association with hypovitaminosis D (x2 = 0.9, p=0.43). For biophysical characteristics, the mean (±SD) values of age, body mass index, waist to hip ratio and waist to height ratio were – 33.8±16.3y, 22.3±4.1 kg/m2, 0.87±0.06 and 0.39±0.16, respectively. The values for vitamin D (ng/ml), calcium (mg/dl), iPTH (pgm/ml) and phosphate (mg/dl) were 20.25±13.1, 9.57±1.85, 38.22±24.54 and 4.18±0.81, respectively. The comparisons of vitamin D and other related variables among the groups (ANOVA) showed vitamin D level in the garments worker was significantly (p

Background and objectives: For decades the global population has been experiencing diabetic epidemic. The risks related to obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM) and coronary artery diseases (CAD) are well known. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and its related risks in Bangladeshi diabetics. Materials and methods: The study was conducted at Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM), a largest referral center for diabetes in Bangladesh. Socio-demographic and clinical history including biochemical investigation report were collected from the BIRDEM registry. The eligible criteria of study participants were: age 30 – 60 year, having DM, non-smoker, free from retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy. The prevalence of CAD, systolic hypertension (SHTN) and diastolic hypertension (DHTN) in the registered diabetic patients were estimated. Additionally, the study addressed the risk and predictors of CAD among those with DM. Investigations included – anthropometry, blood pressure, blood glucose, serum lipids and electrocardiogram (ECG). CAD was diagnosed on: (a) history of angina plus positive ECG - either on rest or on stress, post-myocardial infarction (MI) with Q-wave MI or non-Q-MI or echocardiographic evidences. Lipids namely triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (T-Chol), high density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) were estimated by Hitachi-704 auto-analyzer using enzymatic method. Results: A total of 693 (M /W =295/398) participants volunteered. The prevalence of CAD, SHTN, DHTN and mean arterial hypertension (MAH) were 18.6%, 23.2%, 13.6% and 17.7%, respectively. Their mean (±SD) values of age, body mass index (BMI - kg/m2), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were 47 (8.6) years, 24.6 (3.5), 0.98(0.05), 0.56(0.06) and 101(11.3) mmHg, respectively. The mean (±SD) of FBG (mmol/L), T-Chol, TG and HDL (mg/dl) were 10.2 ± 4.0, 206 ± 44, 218 ± 86 and 47.5 ± 9.3 respectively. The women had significantly higher BMI (p55y: 95% CI: 1.09 - 43.7) and highest TG-quintile (281mg/dl: 95% CI: 1.45-59.7) were proved to be significant predictor of CAD and HDL highest quintile (>54mg/dl) was proved to be significant protecting factor for CAD (95% CI: 0.005-0.583). Conclusion: The study observed the importance of MAP, TG, HDL, T-Chol/HDLR (T-Chol -to HDL ratio) and TG/HDLR (triglycerides-to HDL ratio) as risks for CAD among diabetics. Further study with investigations of echocardiogram, ETT, coronary angiogram and coronary calcium scoring would be helpful in confirming these findings related to CAD risks. IMC J Med Sci. 2023; 17(1): 002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.17.002 *Correspondence: M Abu Sayeed, Department of Community Medicine, Ibrahim Medical College, 1/A, Ibrahim Sarani, Segunbagicha, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. Email: sayeed1950@gmail.com

Background and objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health problem in South Asian Region including Bangladesh. Increasing prevalence of DM is likely to cause higher morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence and incidence of diabetic complications in a Bangladeshi diabetic cohort attending BIRDEM, a largest referral center in Bangladesh for endocrine and metabolic diseases. Methodology: The study was conducted in BIRDEM-OPD (outpatient department) from 1 January to 31 December of 1995 and analyzed the data of diabetic cases preserved in BIRDEM registry since 1956. Up to 31 December 1985, the REFERENCE NUMBER (Ref No) of last case was ‘49,510’. Therefore, this retrospective cohort comprised of all those patients having Ref No 49,510 or less and attending BIRDEM-OPD for follow-up. In the year 1995, the cohort had follow-up for at least ten years. The duration of follow-up was 39 years (1956 to 1995). The study also retrieved follow-up data from the guidebook of each registered diabetic patient. All data regarding clinical, anthropometric and biochemical investigations preserved in BIRDEM registry and in the patient's guidebook were retrieved and analyzed. The cohort was categorized into three groups (Gr1, 2 and 3) based on follow-up duration: >15, 10-15 and 15y and Gr2 with follow-up 10-15y. Compared with the Gr2, retinopathy (34.4 vs. 48.5 %: c2 =11.5, p

Background and objectives: The developing countries are facing the double burden of the communicable (CD) and non-communicable (NCD) diseases. The initiation of primary health care (PHC) adopted in the past century, which included sanitation and immunization, remarkably reduced the load of CDs in the least developing nations. The burden of NCDs remained the same or showed an increasing trend. Of the NCDs, diabetes has become a serious threat to human health and the related morbidity and mortalities are affecting the younger people. As a consequence, the disease complications render huge number of people to disabilities and unusual enormous health expenditures. Very few studies addressed the prevalence of complications among the diabetes patients in a rural community. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sequels (morbidity and mortality) among the diabetic cases eight years after the initial diagnosis of diabetes in a rural community cohort Subjects and Methods: A rural community survey in 10 villages was conducted in 1993. The survey screened 1319 (797 men, 522 women) for diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Those who were diagnosed DM and IGT referred to a referral center (BIRDEM) for registration. A retrospective cohort was designed in 2001. The addresses of the patients were retrieved from the BIRDEM registry. These registered patients, both survivors and non-survivors, were traced in ten villages. The survivors were investigated (anthropometry, glycemia, fundoscopy, urine protein etc.). A verbal autopsy was performed to determine the cause(s) of death in the non-survivors. Results: Of the188 registered cases, 79 were found and located (survivors 43 (54.4%, non-survivors 36 (45.6%). Of the survivors, 44.2% developed complications. The observed complications were sensory neuropathy 16.3%, CAD 9.3%, retinopathy 7% and nephropathy 4.7%. Among the non-survivors, 19.4% were found to have nephropathy leading to end-stage renal disease. Conclusions: The study cohort revealed that more than one-third of the people with diabetes died in less than ten years after being diagnosed. The cohort also revealed that diabetic nephropathy (end-stage renal disease) and dearth of dialysis facilities contributed to early death in the rural community. Among the complications, most frequent incidence was neuropathy and neuro-psychiatric disorders. IMC J Med Sci 2021; 15(1): 005 *Correspondence: M. Abu Sayeed, Department of Community Medicine, Ibrahim Medical College, 1/A Ibrahim Sarani, Segunbagicha, Dhaka-1000. email: sayeed@imc.ac.bd

Background and objective– Disaster prone coastal population has least accessibility to health care and very little is known about the prevalence of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy (DR) and visual impairment. This study addressed the prevalence of visual impairment and DR and risk factors related to DR among population residing in disaster prone areas of Bangladesh. Methods: Thirty-two coastal communities in six coastal districts were purposively selected. All coastal people of age 18 years or more were considered eligible. Investigations included clinical history, anthropometry (height, weight, waist- and hip-girth), blood pressure and fasting blood glucose (FBG). The participants with hyperglycemia (FBG ≥5.6mmol/l) were undertaken for eye examination. Visual acuity was measured bilaterally using the Snellen chart. An Early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) cut out chart with E Optotypes was used. Results: A total of 7567 participants volunteered and 1540 had hyperglycemia (FBG ≥5.6mmol/l). Of the hyperglycemic participants, 1214 (91.7%) participated for complete eye examination. Visual impairment of any type was found in 14.1%, any type cataract in 27.8% and any type DR in 18%. The participants of advancing age of higher social class and higher central obesity had excess risk for developing DR. The participants with known family history of diabetes also had greater risk. Compared with the group having FBG 5.6 – 6.9mmol/l those having FBG >6.9mmol/l had significant risk for DR (OR 3.11, 95%CI 2.04 – 4.76). Conclusion: The study concludes that visual impairment and cataract of any type is almost comparable with other coastal populations. The coastal people had higher prevalence of DR compared to rural population from other areas of Bangladesh and it was also higher than global estimate. The persons with higher age from higher social class with higher central obesity had excess risk for DR. The risk of DR increased with increasing hyperglycemia. Further study may be undertaken to confirm these findings. IMC J Med Sci 2016; 10(1): 10-17

The prevalence of hypertension was reported higher in the coastal areas in different populations of the world. There was no study on the prevalence of hypertension among the coastal people in Bangladesh. This study addressed the prevalence and risk of hypertension among people living in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Total 32 different coastal communities were selected purposively in the six coastal districts (Barisal, Borguna, Vola, Pirojpur, Potuakhali and Jhalukathi) of Bangladesh. All people over 18 years were considered eligible. Social, clinical and family histories were taken. Height, weight, waist- and hip-girths were measured including systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP). Fasting blood glucose and lipids were also estimated. The accepted cut offs for systolic hypertension (sHTN) was ³135mmHg and diastolic hypertension (dHTN) was ³85 mmHg. Overall, 7058 (m / f = 2631 / 4427) people volunteered to participate in the study. The crude prevalence of sHTN was 17.8% [95% CI, 17.39 – 18.21] and dHTN was 19.0% [95% CI 18.08 – 19.92]. Compared to female, the male participants had higher prevalence of both sHTN (16.4 v. 20.2 %, p

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) with diabetes mellitus is one of the most common and major public health problems globally. In Bangladesh, several studies indicate an increasing prevalence of diabetes though very few studies are available on CKD. For CKD, diagnostic method, criteria or cutoffs still remained undecided. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CKD among the hospitalized patients and to compare the diagnostic approach practiced in the hospital. Methods: All patients admitted to the Department of Nephrology at BIRDEM from May 1 to July 31, 2012 were selected for investigation. An almost equal number of patients were also selected from other units of Medicine. The information included were age, sex, social class, blood pressure, height, weight, blood glucose, creatinine, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins and electrolytes. The CKDcreat was diagnosed based on creatinine (>1.2mg/dl) and the CKDgfr based on estimated GFR (1.2 mg/dl) groups. Similar comparisons were also made between CKDgfr and non-CKDgfr (>60 vs. £ 60 ml/min/1.732) groups. Results: A total of 4172 patients got admitted in the study period of 90 days; and 442 patients (m / f = 256 / 186) were investigated. Of the total (n=4172), 241 (5.8%) had CKDcreat and 272 (6.5%) had CKDgfr. Of the investigated 442 patients, 241 (54.5%) had CKDcreat and 272 (61.5%) had CKDgfr. The differences of characteristics between CKDcreat and non-CKDcreat groups were almost similar to the differences between CKDgfr and non-CKDgfr groups. Higher age, higher social class and higher blood pressure showed significant (p1.2 mg/dl and CKDgfr:

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) like diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are on the increase globally and predominantly in the South East Asian Region (SEAR). The increasing NCD and its complications burdened the health cost of Bangladesh. The available literatures suggest that edible mushrooms are effective in controlling metabolic risks like hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia. The study addressed the metabolic effects of edible oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) in diabetic individuals and to assess the undesirable effects of mushroom. A total of 5000 newly registered diabetic women were screened for eligible participants (urban housewives, age 30 – 50y, BMI 22 – 27, FBG 8 – 12 mmol/l; free from complications or systemic illnesses and agreed to adhere to the study for 360 days). The investigations included weight and height for BMI, waist- and hip-girth for WHR, BP, FBG, 2ABF, T-chol, TG, HDL, LDL, ALT and Creatinine starting from the day 0 (baseline) and each subsequent follow-up days: 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 and 360 for comparison between placebo and mushroom groups and also within group (baseline vs. follow up days), individually for placebo and mushroom. The daily intake of mushroom was 200g for the mushroom group and an equivalent calorie of vegetables for the placebo group. Overall, 73 diabetic housewives (mushroom / placebo = 43 /30) volunteered. The mean (with SEM) values of BMI, WHR, BP, FBG, 2ABF, T-chol, TG, HDL, LDL, ALT and Creatinine of the placebo group were compared with the mushroom group. Compared with the placebo, the mushroom group showed significant reductions of FBG (p

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or hyperglycemia in pregnancy is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes such as large for gestational age (LGA), excess fetal adiposity and cesarean delivery. This study addressed the prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy and to compare the perinatal outcomes between GDM and non-GDM in a rural pregnancy cohort of Bangladesh. Ten villages were purposively selected in a rural area about 100 km off Dhaka City. A population census was conducted. A randomized sample of married women of age 15-45y was drawn from the census data. These women having either regular menstruation (non-regnant) or cessation of menstruation for ³24weeks (pregnant) were considered eligible. Both the pregnant and non-pregnant women were invited to volunteer the study. Weight, height, waist- and hip-girth and blood pressure were taken. Fasting blood sample was collected for the estimation of plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (chol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL). FPG >5.1 mmol/L was taken as cut-off for hyperglycemia in non-pregnant and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) for the pregnant women. The biophysical characteristics were compared between pregnant and non-pregnant; and then GDM and non-GDM. Only the pregnant women were taken as a pregnancy cohort. The cohort had follow-up from 24wks of pregnancy through 28 post-natal days. Results The census yielded 23545 (m / f=11896 / 11649) people of all ages. The married women of age 15-45y were 4526. Of them, 2100 were randomly selected for investigation and 1585 (75.5%) volunteered. The overall prevalence (95% CI) of hyperglycemia (FPG >5.1 mmol/L) was 18.5% (16.7 – 20.3). The prevalence of GDM was 8.9% (7.0 – 10.8) and non-GDM was 19.8% (18.8 – 20.8). The BMI and WHR were significantly higher in the pregnant than non-pregnant women; whereas, there was no significant difference between GDM and non-GDM group. The prevalence rates of abortions, stillbirths, hospital delivery, cesarean delivery, hospital stay ³7days, puerperal sepsis and neonatal death did not differ between GDM and non-GDM subjects significantly. The prevalence of GDM in rural Bangladesh is comparable with any other population with higher prevalence of GDM. The prevalence of hyperglycemia was found significantly higher in the non-pregnant than the pregnant women. The anthropometric measures did not differ significantly between GDM and non-GDM though FPG was found significantly higher in the former. Compared with the non-GDM the GDM subjects had no significantly higher fetomaternal morbidity and mortality possibly due to non-sedentary habit, non-obesity, non-dyslipidemia or may be due to inherent genetic makeup. A well designed study in a larger sample may explain our findings. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2013; 7(2): 21-27

Many studies reported a high prevalence of undernutrition in the under-5 children in Bangladesh. But very few information are available about undernutrition and adiposity among school children and adolescents in Bangladesh. This study addressed the prevalence of undernutrition and obesity among school going children and adolescents. A total of 15 secondary schools were purposively selected from rural, suburban and urban areas. The teachers were detailed about the study protocol. Then the teachers volunteered to register the eligible (age 10 – 18y) students for the study. Each student’s parent was interviewed for family income. Height (ht), weight (wt), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and blood pressure were taken. Fasting blood samples were collected for fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol (Chol), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated (ht/wt in met. sq) for diagnosis of undernutrition (BMI 25.0). A total of 2151 (m-1063, f-1088) students volunteered the study. Of them, the poor, middle and rich social classes were 25.4, 53.1 and 21.5%, respectively. Overall, the prevalence of underweight, normal, overweight and obesity were 57.4%, 35.0%, 4.9% and 2.7%, respectively. For gender comparison, there has been no significant difference of BMI between boys and girls. By social class, the prevalence of underweight was significantly higher in the poor than in the rich (62.2% v. 43.6%) and obesity was higher in the rich than in the poor (6.1% v. 1.2%) [for both, p

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major global health problem with the majority of burden observed increasingly in the developing countries. There has been no estimate of CHD in Bangladesh. This study addresses the prevalence of CHD in a Bangladeshi rural population which also aimed to determine the risk factors related to CHD. Ten villages of Nandail sub-district under Mymensingh were selected purposively. All subjects of age ³20y were considered eligible and were interviewed about family income, family history of T2DM, CHD and HTN. The investigations included height, weight, waist-girth, hip-girth, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP & DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (Chol) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) were also estimated. Finally, electrocardiography (ECG) was undertaken in all participants who had family history of diabetes or hypertension or CHD. Diagnosis of CHD was based on history of angina or changes in ECG or diagnosed by a cardiologist. A total of 6235 subjects were enlisted as eligible (age ³20y) participants. Of them, 4141 (m / f: 1749 / 2392) subjects volunteered for the study. The age-adjusted (20-69y) prevalence of CHD was 1.85 with 95% CI, 1.42 – 2.28. There was no significant difference between men and women. The mean (SD) values of age (p

Bangladeshis are prone to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension (sHTN and dHTN) and atherosclerotic heart diseases, observed more predominantly in the urban population. Though metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a related disorder, there are few studies in this regard. The prevalence of obesity, T2DM and MetS in three urban communities of Bangladesh were addressed in this study. Nine hundred non-slum urban households in three Dhaka City Wards were randomly selected. One member (age ³ 25y) from each household was invited for investigation with an overnight fast. Socio-demographic information as well as height, weight, waist-girth, hip-girth and blood pressure were measured. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (chol), triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoproteins-c (HDL) were estimated. A total of 705 (m / f = 239 / 466) subjects volunteered for the study. The mean value with 95% confidence interval (CI) of age was 42.4 (40.9 – 43.1) years for men and 37.8 (36.8 – 38.7) for women. The mean (CI) body mass index (BMI) was 21.0 (20.6 – 21.5) and 22.6 (22.2 – 22.9) and waist hip ratio (WHR) was 0.84 (0.83 – 0.84) and 0.82 (0.81 – 0.83), respectively for men and women. The mean (CI) FPG (fasting plasma glucose) was 5.5 (5.2 – 5.7) for men and 5.2 (5.0 – 5.4) for women. The prevalence of obesity (BMI ³ 25.0) was 21%, T2DM (FPG ³ 6.1 mmol/l) was 22.2%, triglyceridemia (TG ³ 150mg/dl) was 45.1% and low HDL-c (HDL

Abstract: The Plant Ca2+ATPases are members of the P-type ATPase superfamily and play essential roles in pollen tube growth, vegetative development, inflorescence architecture, stomatal opening or closing as well as transport of Ca2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+. Their role in abiotic stress adaptation by activation of different signaling pathways is emerging. In Arabidopsis, the P-type Ca2+ATPases can be classified in two distinct groups: type IIA (ECA) and type IIB (ACA). The availability of rice genome sequence allowed performing a genome-wide search for P-type Ca2+ATPases proteins, and the comparison of the identified proteins with their homologs in Arabidopsis model plant. In the present study, we identified the P-type II Ca2+ATPases from rice by analyzing their phylogenetic relationship, multiple alignment, cis-regulatory elements, protein domains, motifs and homology percentage. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that rice type IIA Ca2+ATPases clustered with Arabidopsis type IIA Ca2+ATPases and showed high sequence similarity within the group, whereas rice type IIB Ca2+ATPases presented variable sequence similarities with Arabidopsis type IIB members. The protein homology modeling, identification of putative transmembrane domains and conserved motifs of rice P-type II Ca2+ATPases provided information on their functions and structural architecture. The analysis of P-type II Ca2+ATPases promoter regions in rice showed multiple stress-induced cis-acting elements. The expression profile analysis indicated vital roles of P-type II Ca2+ATPases in stress signaling, plant development and abiotic stress responses. The comprehensive analysis and expression profiling provided a critical platform for functional characterization of P-type II Ca2+ATPase genes that could be applied in engineering crop plants with modified calcium signaling and homeostatic pathways. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Fusarium wilt is an economically important disease of cucumber caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (Foc). It causes severe losses in the yield and quality of cucumber and is extremely difficult to control conventionally using chemical fungicides. Biological control offers an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticide for sustainable plant disease management. In this context, biocontrol activity of rhizosphere soil bacteria was investigated against Foc in vitro. Thirty-five rhizobacterial isolates were screened for antagonistic activity in dual culture, and isolate BA5 showed the highest antagonistic activity (58.33% mycelial growth inhibition) against Foc. Maximum fungal biomass reduction (90.20%) was found in King’s B broth in shake flask culture. Cell-free culture filtrate and ethyl acetate crude extract inhibited mycelial growth of Foc by 56.66 and 25.0%, respectively. Further, the selected isolate produced siderophores, volatile compound(s), hydrocyanic acid, and protease. Siderophores and volatile compound(s) were involved in the isolate-induced antagonism. In addition, the isolate exhibited several plant growth-promoting traits, including phosphate and zinc solubilization, ammonia production, organic acid production, and in vitro biofilm formation. Based on the morphological, physiological, biochemical characteristics, and phylogeny analysis, the isolate BA5 was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the 16S rDNA sequence was submitted in the NCBI GenBank under the strain name RKA5. Because of the novel antifungal and plant growth promotion potentials, the strain can be used as a promising biocontrol agent against the fungal pathogen Foc.

Abstract The study was conducted to select the best promising keratinolytic bacterial strain. A good keratinase positive bacterium isolated from the soil samples of Hazaribagh tannery industrial zone, Dhaka was identified as Arthrobacter genus depending on the conventional techniques and confirmed as Arthrobacter sp. by sequencing 16S rRNA gene. The medium components and culture conditions were optimized to enhance keratinase production through shake flask culture. Keratin and feather powder (10 g/l or 1%) were good substrates for the highest keratinase production along with yeast extract (0.2 g/l or 0.02%) as an organic nitrogen source and potassium nitrate (1 g or 0.1%) as an inorganic nitrogen source. Maximum yield of keratinase was found after 24 h of incubation at 37 °C with an initial pH of 7.0 and inoculums volume 5% under 150 rpm when keratin, yeast extract and potassium nitrate were used as nutrient sources. Keratinase production was more than 5.0-fold increased when all optimized parameters were applied simultaneously. The optimum reaction temperature and pH were determined to be 40 °C and 8.0 respectively for crude keratinase activity. Therefore, Arthrobacter sp. NFH5 might be used for large scale production of keratinase for industrial purposes in less time.

Background: As hypofractionated radiotherapy for post-operative breast cancer patients safe, effective and more convenient, it might be beneficial for patients of developing countries like ours. Objective: This study was done to evaluate the safety and efficacy of hypofractionated whole breast radiation therapy in patients who underwent breast conserving surgery and hypofractionated radiation therapy in patients who underwent mastectomy and axillary clearance. Materials and method: This cross sectional study was conducted in Delta Hospital Ltd, Dhaka, Bangladesh, including 50 postoperative patients, (12 patients in Breast Conservation Therapy group and 38 in Post Mastectomy Radiation Therapy group), with invasive ductal carcinoma of breast treated with this hypofractionated radiotherapy protocol during the last 1.5 year. The patients were treated with 3DCRT, LINAC, 6 MV photon and appropriate electron energy. Results: Minimal post treatment acute morbidity was observed. Forty seven patients (94%) had grade-I acute skin toxicity and only 3 patients (6%) developed grade-II acute skin toxicity. Conclusion: Hypofractionated radiotherapy is as safe and effective as conventional fractionated radiotherapy and superior in terms of convenience.

Importance of imaging in all clinical or medical research, and especially, of Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT scan), has demonstrated a unique place in diagnostic or radiation therapy. Two-dimensional images of internal structures of the body are examined and reported. This process of imaging, any anatomical location, viz. head and neck, thorax, pelvis, etc. takes about 30 seconds to perform with a minimal dose of less than 1.6- 2.0 mGy. The images are constructed by the hardware with software algorithm, using the attenuation and absorption of X rays of tissues, of varying electron densities of the anatomical structures. Sometimes a contrast dye is injected to a patient intravenously, rectally or orally, to make hollow or fluid-filled structures such as blood vessels more visible. Radiologists and radiation oncologists are confronted with a task to delineate the information of the CT images to a meaningful diagnosis. The images are, therefore, valuable for diagnostic reports, some of these may relate to cancerous tumors and tissues. Cancer treatment, radiation therapy or else, from such observations may start. But an artifact and distortion on such images will contribute to erroneous and/or unusable interpretations in offering a clinical report to provide wrong clinical decisions. The implications of the presence of distortion in CT images is, for a patient, described here so as to instruct the experts, in medical and clinical fields, to rectify the situation in acquiring a sharp and flawless image or in reaching the correct clinical goal.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the world, but early diagnosis ameliorates the survival of CRC. This report aimed to identify molecular biomarker signatures in CRC. We analyzed two microarray datasets (GSE35279 and GSE21815) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to identify mutual differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We integrated DEGs with protein–protein interaction and transcriptional/post-transcriptional regulatory networks to identify reporter signaling and regulatory molecules; utilized functional overrepresentation and pathway enrichment analyses to elucidate their roles in biological processes and molecular pathways; performed survival analyses to evaluate their prognostic performance; and applied drug repositioning analyses through Connectivity Map (CMap) and geneXpharma tools to hypothesize possible drug candidates targeting reporter molecules. A total of 727 upregulated and 99 downregulated DEGs were detected. The PI3K/Akt signaling, Wnt signaling, extracellular matrix (ECM) interaction, and cell cycle were identified as significantly enriched pathways. Ten hub proteins (ADNP, CCND1, CD44, CDK4, CEBPB, CENPA, CENPH, CENPN, MYC, and RFC2), 10 transcription factors (ETS1, ESR1, GATA1, GATA2, GATA3, AR, YBX1, FOXP3, E2F4, and PRDM14) and two microRNAs (miRNAs) (miR-193b-3p and miR-615-3p) were detected as reporter molecules. The survival analyses through Kaplan–Meier curves indicated remarkable performance of reporter molecules in the estimation of survival probability in CRC patients. In addition, several drug candidates including anti-neoplastic and immunomodulating agents were repositioned. This study presents biomarker signatures at protein and RNA levels with prognostic capability in CRC. We think that the molecular signatures and candidate drugs presented in this study might be useful in future studies indenting the development of accurate diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker screens and efficient therapeutic strategies in CRC.

BackgroundThe DEAD-box helicases are required mostly in all aspects of RNA and DNA metabolism and they play a significant role in various abiotic stresses, including salinity. The p68 is an important member of the DEAD-box proteins family and, in animal system, it is involved in RNA metabolism including pre-RNA processing and splicing. In plant system, it has not been well characterized. Here we report the cloning and characterization of p68 from pea (Pisum sativum) and its novel function in salinity stress tolerance in plant.ResultsThe pea p68 protein self-interacts and is localized in the cytosol as well as the surrounding of cell nucleus. The transcript of pea p68 is upregulated in response to high salinity stress in pea. Overexpression of p68 driven by constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus-35S promoter in tobacco transgenic plants confers enhanced tolerances to salinity stress by improving the growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant machinery. Under stress treatment, pea p68 overexpressing tobacco accumulated higher K+ and lower Na+ level than the wild-type plants. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation was remarkably regulated by the overexpression of pea p68 under salinity stress conditions, as shown from TBARS content, electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide accumulation and 8-OHdG content and antioxidant enzyme activities.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge this is the first direct report, which provides the novel function of pea p68 helicase in salinity stress tolerance. The results suggest that p68 can also be exploited for engineering abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants of economic importance.

Plasma membrane Ca(2+)ATPase is a transport protein in the plasma membrane of cells and helps in removal of calcium (Ca(2+)) from the cell, hence regulating Ca(2+) level within cells. Though plant Ca(2+)ATPases have been shown to be involved in plant stress responses but their promoter regions have not been well studied.The 1478 bp promoter sequence of rice plasma membrane Ca(2+)ATPase contains cis-acting elements responsive to stresses and plant hormones. To identify the functional region, serial deletions of the promoter were fused with the GUS sequence and four constructs were obtained. These were differentially activated under NaCl, PEG cold, methyl viologen, abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate treatments. We demonstrated that the rice plasma membrane Ca(2+)ATPase promoter is responsible for vascular-specific and multiple stress-inducible gene expression. Only full-length promoter showed specific GUS expression under stress conditions in floral parts. High GUS activity was observed in roots with all the promoter constructs. The -1478 to -886 bp flanking region responded well upon treatment with salt and drought. Only the full-length promoter presented cold-induced GUS expression in leaves, while in shoots slight expression was observed for -1210 and -886 bp flanking region. The -1210 bp deletion significantly responded to exogenous methyl viologen and abscisic acid induction. The -1210 and -886 bp flanking region resulted in increased GUS activity in leaves under methyl jasmonate treatments, whereas in shoots the -886 bp and -519 bp deletion gave higher expression. Salicylic acid failed to induce GUS activities in leaves for all the constructs.The rice plasma membrane Ca(2+)ATPase promoter is a reproductive organ-specific as well as vascular-specific. This promoter contains drought, salt, cold, methyl viologen, abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate related cis-elements, which regulated gene expression. Overall, the tissue-specificity and inducible nature of this promoter could grant wide applicability in plant biotechnology.