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The present investigation "Effect of essential oils and chia seed ( Salvia hispanica ) in fortification of pineapple jam." was conducted during the year 2022-2023 at the Post harvest laboratory of Horticulture Department, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka. The study investigated the effects of essential oil and chia seeds on the quality of pineapple jam. In this research, pineapple jam samples were prepared with varying essential oil such as Cinnamon essential oil and Lemongrass essential oil at range of 1000 ppm. The addition of essential oil significantly impacted the flavour profile of the jam, enhancing the fruity notes and providing a pleasant aroma in sustainable and eco-friendly way. Moreover, it exhibited antimicrobial properties, extending the shelf life of the jam. Chia seeds were incorporated into the jam at different levels (6.25 %, 12.5 %, 25 % and 50 %) to assess their influence on texture and nutritional content. The results indicated that chia seeds contributed to a thicker consistency and increased protein content, making the jam a potential source of dietary protein. The maximum pH was found to be 4.90 from treatment ( C 4 E 0  = 50 % chia and no Essential oil). The lowest pH was recorded at 3.63 for C o E 2  = No chia seed and 1000 ppm Lemongrass Essential oil). The investigation shows that lemongrass essential oil (E 2 ) showed the best result in vitamin C retention. In case of chia seed 50 % (C 4 ) treatment showed the best protein content. Additionally, the seeds added a subtle crunch and nutty undertone to the product. From the research it can be concluded that the treatment ( C 4 E 2  = 50 % chia seed and 1000 ppm Lemongrass Essential oil) showed the best result in case of vitamin C retention and protein incorporation. But considering spread ability and appearance ( C 3 E 2  = 25 % chia seed and 1000 ppm Lemongrass Essential oil) can be considered as best treatment for consumers. This research is motivated by the need to develop healthier, nutrient-dense pineapple jam using natural preservatives and fortifying agents. By exploring the combined effects of essential oils and chia seeds in preserving vitamin C and improving the jam's overall nutritional value, this study aims to meet the increasing demand for functional foods that prioritize both health and taste. The outcomes could offer valuable insights into natural preservation techniques and fortification strategies, potentially contributing to more sustainable and consumer-friendly food products in the market., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This study aims to advance honey authentication in Bangladesh by developing a reliable, cost-effective, and user-friendly system capable of distinguishing floral sources and purity. We analyzed various physicochemical parameters and bioactive compounds in honey samples from diverse floral sources across Bangladesh during different floral seasons, including deliberately adulterated samples. Results showed clear distinctions among the tested parameters. Notably, moisture content exhibited considerable variability, with the highest levels found in kholisha (24.07%-24.99 %) and the lowest in black cumin honey (17.80%-27.46 %). Jujube honey exhibited the highest protein content at 10 % adulteration, whereas mustard honey showed the least at 20 % adulteration. Generally, adulterated honey samples showed a considerable deviation in protein content compared to known standards for pure honey, suggesting adulteration significantly impacts protein levels. Black cumin honey showed the highest electrical conductivity, followed by jujube. Antioxidant levels were highest in litchi honey, followed by ayurvedic and kholisha. Multivariate analysis revealed that two principal components explained 65 % of total variances and could separate the various clusters of honey samples. The pH values, total phenolic, total flavonoid, protein content, electrical conductivity, color intensity at 360 nm and 635 nm, and antioxidant properties of all tested honey samples showed a strong positive correlation. Overall, the manuscript strategically combines experimental findings with detailed analyses to explore the complex nature of honey composition, adulteration issues, and the significance of authenticating honey to maintain quality and ensure consumer trust in the market. This study is the first to employ a comprehensive set of physicochemical and bioactive indicators with multivariate analysis for honey authentication in Bangladesh, offering a novel and systematic approach to identifying purity and floral sources., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Yogurt, a popular dairy product renowned for its nutritional benefits and probiotic content, serves as a functional food with potential health-promoting properties. The objective of this study was to investigate whether incorporating green banana peel polyphenol extract (GBPPE) into yogurt formulations enhances the viability and functionality of probiotics while also potentially improving the overall quality and health-promoting properties of the yogurts. GBPPE was extracted and added to the yogurt formulation at 0.0 %, 0.5 %, 1 %, and 2 %. Various physico-chemical properties of GBPPE as well as a range of physical, biochemical, sensory, and microbial assessments of formulated yogurts were carried out. Compared to the control, yogurt containing GBPPE improves functional characteristics by increasing antioxidant activity while having no detrimental impact on physicochemical and organoleptic properties. In terms of antioxidant capabilities, all fortified yogurts showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher total phenolic, flavonoid contents and antioxidant activities than the control yogurt. The addition of GBPPE also affected (p < 0.05) pH, titratable acidity, viscosity, water-binding capacity, syneresis, and total soluble solids, while no significant differences in the color parameters were detected in both control and all fortified yogurts with reduced brightness ( L∗ ) and increased redness ( a∗ ) of the product. The initial viable counts of all yogurt samples were almost similar, and the maximum and minimum viability loss of probiotics were observed in control and 2 % GBPPE fortified samples, respectively. Sensory assessment revealed that yogurt with 0.5 % banana peel extract outperformed all other treatments except the control. These findings support the sustainable use of GBPPE to create probiotic yogurt with improved physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory qualities., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Canavalia rosea is a common tropical seacoast flowering plant from the family of Fabaceae which is reported as bay bean and coastal jack bean; has a wide range of therapeutic and nutraceutical properties., Aim: The present research aims to explore some pharmacological insights of the methanol extract C. rosea of leaves (MECR) and its chloroform fraction (CFCR) and n-hexane fraction (NFCR) through in-vitro and in-silico approaches., Methods: Different fractions of C. rosea were subjected to ferric reduction assay and total phenolic and flavonoid content assay to explore their antioxidant potential. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed on the hypotonic-induced human erythrocyte-lysis model, while the protein denaturation method was applied for screening anti-arthritis properties of plant extract; and the cytotoxic activity was evaluated by brine shrimp lethality bioassay. In the in-silico study, molecular docking, pass prediction and ADME/T, analysis was used to investigate anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytotoxic potency of five selected compounds of C. rosea . Finally, the quantum chemical density functional test analysis was applied to investigate the chemical and physical properties of those compounds., Results: All the soluble organic extracts of C. rosea demonstrated moderate toxicity with strong antioxidants potential, in which MECR manifested the peak level of scavenging activity (2.49) on ferric reduction assay. MECR, CFCR & NFCR significantly protected lysis of human erythrocyte membrane induced by hypotonic solution, whereas MECR and CFCR were exhibited partially equal inhibitory activity. The in-vitro anti-arthritis assay, MECR, NFCR and CFCR showed strongly significant (p˂0.001) inhibitory potency at 500 μg/mL & 1000 μg/mL concentrations. The molecular docking simulations revealed strong binding of all compounds to specific receptors, with Rutin showing the highest biological reactivity followed by Daucosterol, β-Sitosterol, Stigmasterol, and Guanidine. All the compounds showed favorable reactivity patterns, with O and H atoms poised for nucleophilic and electrophilic attacks in chemical density functional calculations., Conclusion: The recent investigation suggests that C. rosea could have the potential source of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritis and cytotoxic activity , prompting further investigation into their mechanisms., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Bangladesh's burgeoning focus on power generation has prompted the government to implement ambitious plans to install power plants. Among these developments is the impending operation of a 2∗660 MW coal-power station in Patuakhali, which will operate at the end of the month in December 2024. The proposed technology addresses concerns about CO 2 emissions from a plant, potentially causing health issues and threatening plant biodiversity, but may present challenges compared to other technologies. Monoethanolamine (MEA), eutectic, and potassium taurate are potential solvents for CO 2 capture in coal power plants due to their power absorption rate, capacity, and resilience to oxidative as well as thermal degradation. However, the significant challenges include corrosiveness, solvent loss, and high energy demand. By contrast, advanced research includes fixed and capture level reduction operating modes for carbon dioxide removal in natural gas combined cycle power plants, which is appropriate for use in natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants where further research is needed for coal-fired power plants. The current generation of CO 2 removal equipment, such as electrostatic precipitators (ESP) and flue gas desulphurization units (FGD), can remove CO 2 at 99 % and 80 %-99 %, respectively. These devices have several serious drawbacks, including high water consumption, high costs, complex waste management, and operational errors. Additionally, equipment must be modified to increase efficiency and maximize heat rate. Notably, the moisture content in coal must be reduced from 0.6 to 5.9 %, heat must be recycled from 1.2 to 3.6 %, the steam turbine loop must be improved from 2 to 4.5 %, and advanced controls and sensors must be replaced or used up to 1.5 times. Our study, utilizing an established operational model sanctioned within the country and assessment, revealed an approximate daily carbon emission of 4.806 million kilograms from the power plant. Employing the Sundarbans' sequestration rate, we calculated a carbon tolerance level of around 4.2 million kilograms daily for the plant area. This study also highlights the potential of computerized carbon capture and storage (CCCS) technology to significantly reduce emissions in the Sundarbans, which have nearly zero levels. It compares a computerized CCS model with an existing model, estimating over 90 % reduction considering 10 % mechanical faults. Implementing a computerized system can reduce CO 2 leaks, risks, operational efficiency, costs, and policy compliance. It ensures the security of carbon capture, transportation, and storage processes, balancing environmental preservation and economic development. Advanced technologies can reduce emissions to zero, and the captured carbon can be used for petroleum-enhanced oil recovery techniques, which are briefly described. It also offers economic benefits and carbon credits, improving air quality and ocean health by mitigating pollutants and CO 2 emissions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationship that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension are global public health concerns and major metabolic disorders in humans. Experimental evidence indicates considerable hereditary influences on the etiology of T2D and hypertension, but the molecular basis of these diseases is still limited. Thus, the current study analyzed 185 (132 T2D and 53 hypertension) GWAS catalog datasets and identified 83 common genes linked to T2D and hypertension pathogenesis. These genes were further examined using various bioinformatics approaches to elucidate their molecular mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of T2D and hypertension. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed the biological, cellular, and molecular functions of these genes, which were also linked to different T2D and hypertension pathways. Specifically, seven genes were found to be crucial for T2D, and nine were directly associated with hypertension. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis identified 28 candidate genes and seven hub genes through 11 topological methods. Among 231 miRNAs, seven were significant in interacting with the hub genes, and nine transcription factors (TFs) out of 36 were linked to these hub genes. Additionally, two of the seven hub genes were downregulated by 43 FDA-approved drugs. These findings elucidate the molecular processes underlying T2D and hypertension, suggesting that targeting these genes could lead to future drug development and therapeutic strategies to treat T2D and hypertension., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Bangladesh is making progress toward achieving zero dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2030, a global goal set in 2015., Methods: Drawing from multiple datasets, including patient immunisation record books and mass dog vaccination (MDV) databases, we conducted a comprehensive analysis between 2011 and 2023 to understand the effectiveness of rabies control programmes and predict human rabies cases in Bangladesh by 2030 using time-series forecasting models. We also compared rabies virus sequences from GenBank in Bangladesh and other South Asian countries., Findings: The estimated dog population in Bangladesh was determined to be 1,668,140, with an average dog population density of 12.83 dogs/km 2 (95% CI 11.14-14.53) and a human-to-dog ratio of 86.70 (95% CI 76.60-96.80). The MDV campaign has led to the vaccination of an average of 21,295 dogs (95% CI 18,654-23,935) per district annually out of an estimated 26,065 dogs (95% CI 22,898-29,230). A declining trend in predicted and observed human rabies cases has been identified, suggesting that Bangladesh is poised to make substantial progress towards achieving the 'Zero by 30' goal, provided the current trajectory continues. The phylogenetic analysis shows that rabies viruses in Bangladesh belong to the Arctic-like-1 group, which differs from those in Bhutan despite sharing a common ancestor., Interpretation: Bangladesh's One Health approach demonstrated that an increase in MDV and anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) resulted in a decline in the relative risk of human rabies cases, indicating that eliminating dog-mediated human rabies could be achievable., Funding: The study was supported by the Communicable Disease Control (CDC) Division of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the People's Republic of Bangladesh., Competing Interests: The authors declared that they have no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Developing countries with predominantly agricultural economies are particularly vulnerable to short-term climate variability and long-term climate change adversities. This provides the context for adopting climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices to ensure consistent agricultural product supply and food security. Although concepts of CSA tools and strategies are well-established, their adoption trends in developing regions are still undesirable, with little to no empirical understanding of factors contributing to these trends. The current research aims to address this gap of knowledge by assessing the nature of climate change impacts, adaptation strategies, and socio-economic characteristics of the farmers influencing the adoption of CSA techniques in a rural cohort in Southwestern Bangladesh. Systematically designed interview schedules revealed that the most common and devastating consequences of climate change in the study area were increased infestation of pests and diseases. Other overlooked hazards including water-logging, cyclones and cold waves, are posing new threats to regional agriculture by changing conventional patterns. Contrary to the status quo, many CSA technologies, especially indigenous approaches, are widely and effectively adopted by farmers in the studied area to cope with climate change. These adoption tendencies and innovations in CSA were found to be significantly driven by factors such as extension and training programs, education of farmers, and dependence on on-farming income. The findings of the current study provide a preliminary analysis of the attitude, knowledge and trends of CSA technology adoption by farmers in a less-saline floodplain niche of a predominantly salinity-impacted coastal region. The study acts as a model for future relevant investigations and implementations for stakeholders with supply of inputs, technologies and expertise in finding sustainable solutions and appropriate extension for communities around the world confronted with similar challenges., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

In response to environmental concerns, researchers explore fly ash as a cement replacement material, and crushed bricks as a cost-effective and load-reducing aggregate, particularly where stone chips are scarce. Therefore, this study investigates the mechanical properties and microstructure of brick aggregate concrete (BAC) with raw fly ash (FA) as a partial replacement of cement. The research involved casting raw FA based BAC (FBAC) cylinders (100 mm diameter and 200 mm height) and prism (100 × 100 × 500 mm) with varying levels of FA (0-25%) using a constant mix proportion by volume of 1:1.5:3 (cement : fine aggregate : coarse aggregate) with a water to binder (w/b) ratio of 0.50 and three curing ages (7, 28, and 90 days). Tests for mechanical properties, including compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, and Poisson's ratio were conducted to assess the behavior of FBAC, and microstructure were then investigated at 28 days. The results indicated that increasing the FA content up to 15% led to gradual improvement in compressive strength and tensile strength values. At 28 days, the highest values of compressive strength and split tensile strength were observed at 10% FA, with 7.9% and 14.2% increase, respectively, compared to the control concrete. However, the flexural strength of FBAC decreased gradually with cement replacement. On the other hand, modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio increased gradually up to 20% and 25% cement replacement, respectively. Up to 15% FA enhanced a more uniform and compact microstructure than that of control concrete. Several equations have been developed to express relationship between compressive strength and other mechanical properties of FBAC. Hence, up to 15% raw FA as a partial replacement of cement improved the mechanical properties and microstructure of BAC., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Introduction: An upsurge of diarrheal cases occurred in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with approximately 30% of the cases being identified as cholera in 2022. To combat this situation, a reactive Oral Cholera Vaccination campaign was organized in five highly cholera-affected areas of Dhaka city. The paper is a descriptive tale of experience gathering, organization and implementation of reactive oral cholera vaccination campaign., Study Design: This is a descriptive report of a reactive oral cholera vaccination campaign., Methods: Population density maps were generated using GIS technology before launching the campaign. The target population comprised individuals aged over one year, excluding pregnant women, totaling 2,374,976 people residing in above mentioned areas. The campaign utilized Euvichol-Plus, an OCV with adherence to the necessary cold chain requirements. Total 700 teams, each consisting of six members, were deployed across the five zones. The campaign was conducted in two rounds, where first round took place in June-July 2022, followed by second round in August 2022. During the campaign, data on adverse events following immunization (AEFI) was collected. Expert teams from various government and non-government organizations monitored regularly and ensured the campaign's success., Results: The first round achieved a coverage rate of 99%, whereas in the second round, 86.3% of individuals among the first dose recipients. During the campaigns, a total of 57 AEFIs were reported., Conclusions: This campaign serves as a model for a multispectral approach in combating cholera epidemics, highlighting the collaborative efforts of policymakers, health authorities, local communities, and health partners., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Royal Society for Public Health.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of l-carnitine (L-CAR) treatment on isoprenaline (ISO) administered kidney and heart impairment in male Long Evans rats. Four groups of rats were engaged in this study such as control, ISO, control + L-CAR, and ISO + L-CAR, where n = 6 in each group. The rats were also provided with chow food and water ad libitum. At the end of the study, all rats were sacrificed, and blood and tissue samples were collected for bio-chemical analysis. Oxidative stress parameters and antioxidant enzyme activities were determined in plasma and tissues. Antioxidant and inflammatory genes expression were analyzed in the kidney cortex, and histopathological studies of kidney tissues were performed. This study showed that creatinine and uric acid in plasma were significantly increased in ISO-administered rats. l-carnitine treatment lowered the uric acid and creatinine level. ISO-administered rats showed increased lipid peroxidation and declined levels of antioxidant enzymes activities in kidneys and heart. l-carnitine treatment restored antioxidant enzymes activities and protect against oxidative stress in kidney and heart. This effect is correlated with the restoration of Nrf-2-HO-1 genes expression followed by increased SOD and catalase genes expression in the kidney. l-carnitine treatment also prevented the TNF-α, IL-6, and NF-кB expression in kidneys of ISO administered rats. Histopathology staining showed that l-carnitine treatment prevented kidney damage and collagen deposition in ISO administered rats. The result of this study exhibited that l-carnitine treatment reduced oxidative stress and increased antioxidant enzyme activities by enhancing antioxidant genes expression in ISO administered rats., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables can occur due to cell breakdown and browning during controlled atmosphere storage as a result of low oxygen (O 2 ) stress. Therefore, the study was designed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of the response of isolated tomato fruit cells incubated at low O 2 (hypoxic and anoxic) conditions as a model system. The O 2 stress conditions used for the experiment were based on the results of the Michaelis-Menten constant ( K m ) of respiration. A total of 56 polar metabolites belonging mainly to different functional groups, including amino acids, organic acids, sugars and sugar alcohols, were identified using GC-MS. O 2 stress stimulated the biosynthesis of most of the free amino acids while decreasing the synthesis of most of the organic acids (especially those linked to the tricarboxylic acid cycle), sugars (except for ribose) and other nitrogen-containing compounds. The down-regulation of these TCA cycle metabolites served to provide energy to ensure the survival of the cell. Increases in the sugar alcohol levels and induction of fermentative metabolism were observed under low O 2 stress. By employing multivariate statistics, metabolites were identified that were essential to the oxygen stress response and establishing the correlation between metabolite abundance, oxygen levels, and incubation period were achievable. A higher correlation was observed between the O 2 levels and most of the metabolites., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Md. Sultan Mahomud reports equipment, drugs, or supplies was provided by Laboratory of Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors, KULeuven, Belgium., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is among the most prevalent endocrinological abnormalities seen in reproductive female bodies posing serious health hazards. The correctness of interpreting this condition depends heavily on the wide spectrum of associated symptoms and the doctor's expertise, making real-time clinical detection quite challenging. Thus, investigations on computer-aided PCOS detection systems have recently been explored by several researchers worldwide as a potential replacement for manual assessment. This review study's objective is to analyze the relevant research works on computer-assisted methods for automatically identifying PCOS through a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology as well as investigate the research limitations and explore potential future research scopes in this domain. 28 articles have been selected using the PRISMA approach based on a set of inclusion-exclusion criteria for conducting the review. The data synthesis of the selected articles has been conducted using six data exploration themes. As outcomes, the SLR explored the topical association between the studies; their research profiles; objectives; data size, type, and sources; methodologies applied for the detection of PCOS; and lastly the research outcomes along with their evaluation measures and performances. The study also highlights areas for future research directions examining the study gaps to enhance the current efforts for autonomous PCOS identification; such as integrating advanced techniques with the current methods; developing interactive software systems; exploring deep learning and unsupervised machine learning techniques; enhancing datasets and country context; and investigating more unknown factors behind PCOS. Thus, this SLR provides a state-of-the-art paradigm of autonomous PCOS detection which will support significantly efficient clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment of PCOS., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

This research was done to evaluate the feasibility of using Albizia procera for manufacturing glulam beams. The physical and mechanical properties of the A. procera glulam beam were evaluated, and these properties were compared to those of the solid A. procera solid timber. The A. procera glulam beam's physical and mechanical properties were all superior to solid A. procera timber. In comparison to A. procera solid timber, A. procera glulam's density, water absorption (WA), linear expansion (LE), and thickness swelling (TS) all improved by 11.1, 48.4, 44.6, and 37.0%, respectively. Again, compared to A. procera solid timber, the modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the A. procera glulam beam increased by 27.6 and 29.2%, respectively. Additionally, the ASTM specifications were met by the A. procera glulam beam. As a result, based on the properties, it is possible to make A. procera glulam beams as structural timber products., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (© 2023 The Authors.)

Food pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites are agents present in food or water that can cause foodborne illness. Some of these pathogens have been identified in Ghanaian foods and were responsible for the major foodborne disease outbreaks in Ghana. Thus, the current study assessed the awareness of foodborne pathogens and food safety knowledge of students in Ghana. The study employed non-probability techniques, as well as purposive and convenient techniques, to recruit institutions and students for the study. Out of 803 students, the majority (52.3%) were male, between the ages of 20 and 25 (52.8%), attended Ho Technical University (49.8%), and offered non-science-related courses (45.1%). The majority of the respondents were aware of foodborne pathogens, particularly Staphylococcus aureus (53.4%) and Salmonella typhimurium (53.5%). The mean overall score of foodborne pathogen awareness was 14.36 ± 4.57; the passing rate was 73.6%; tribe, institution, field of study, and level of study all had a significant ( p  < 0.05) effect on awareness of foodborne pathogens. The mean overall score of food safety knowledge was 12.43 ± 3.27; the passing rate was 77.3%; age, tribe, institution, field of study, and level of study all had a significant ( p  < 0.05) effect on food safety knowledge. Hence, food safety courses should be extended to all levels of education to increase awareness., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder among women (4%-20%) when the ovaries create abnormally high levels of androgens, the male sex hormones that are typically present in women in trace amounts. The primary characteristics of PCOS include oxidative stress, inflammation, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, hyperandrogenism, and insulin resistance. Generally, metformin, spironolactone, eflornithine and oral contraceptives are used to treat PCOS, despite their several side effects. Therefore, finding a potential candidate for treating PCOS is necessary. Curcumin is a major active natural polyphenolic compound derived from turmeric ( Curcuma longa ). A substantial number of studies have shown that curcumin has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress, antibacterial, and anti-apoptotic activities. In addition, curcumin reduces hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, hyperandrogenism, and insulin resistance in various conditions, including PCOS. The review highlighted the therapeutic aspects of curcumin against the pathophysiology of PCOS. We also offer a hypothesis to improve the development of medicines based on curcumin against PCOS., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Due to their inherent plasticity, dermal fibroblasts hold great promise in regenerative medicine. Although biological signals have been well-established as potent regulators of dermal fibroblast function, it is still unclear whether physiochemical cues can induce dermal fibroblast trans-differentiation. Herein, we evaluated the combined effect of surface topography, substrate rigidity, collagen type I coating and macromolecular crowding in human dermal fibroblast cultures. Our data indicate that tissue culture plastic and collagen type I coating increased cell proliferation and metabolic activity. None of the assessed in vitro microenvironment modulators affected cell viability. Anisotropic surface topography induced bidirectional cell morphology, especially on more rigid (1,000 kPa and 130 kPa) substrates. Macromolecular crowding increased various collagen types, but not fibronectin, deposition. Macromolecular crowding induced globular extracellular matrix deposition, independently of the properties of the substrate. At day 14 (longest time point assessed), macromolecular crowding downregulated tenascin C (in 9 out of the 14 groups), aggrecan (in 13 out of the 14 groups), osteonectin (in 13 out of the 14 groups), and collagen type I (in all groups). Overall, our data suggest that physicochemical cues (such surface topography, substrate rigidity, collagen coating and macromolecular crowding) are not as potent as biological signals in inducing dermal fibroblast trans-differentiation., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

E-ticketing as a self-service technology has become very popular in tourism, especially in the airline industry. But, the e-ticketing adoption behavior of heritage visitors received very little attention from tourism researchers, especially in developing countries. This research applied the technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior to investigate heritage visitors' self-service e-ticketing adoption behavior. This research used primary data collected from visitors at five heritage sites in Bangladesh. The PLS-based structural equation modeling technique was applied to test the structural model. This research has found that ease of use and subjective norm have significant positive associations with attitude and intention to use e-ticketing. But, privacy concern has a significant negative association with attitude and e-ticketing intention. Perceived usefulness has a significant positive association with attitude but not e-ticketing intention. Attitude plays an important role in e-ticketing adoption behavior by moderating the relationships between e-ticketing intention and other constructs (ease of use, subjective norm, and privacy concern). This research provides valuable insights into visitors' technology adoption behavior for the academics and authorities of heritage sites in developing countries. This paper has discussed the theoretical and practical implications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Author.)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent endocrinological anomaly in reproductive women that causes persistent hormonal secretion disruption, leading to the formation of numerous cysts within the ovaries and serious health complications. But the real-world clinical detection technique for PCOS is very critical since the accuracy of interpretations being substantially dependent on the physician's expertise. Thus, an artificially intelligent PCOS prediction model might be a feasible additional technique to the error prone and time-consuming diagnostic technique. In this study, a modified ensemble machine learning (ML) classification approach is proposed utilizing state-of-the-art stacking technique for PCOS identification with patients' symptom data; employing five traditional ML models as base learners and then one bagging or boosting ensemble ML model as the meta-learner of the stacked model. Furthermore, three distinct types of feature selection strategies are applied to pick different sets of features with varied numbers and combinations of attributes. To evaluate and explore the dominant features necessary for predicting PCOS, the proposed technique with five variety of models and other ten types of classifiers is trained, tested and assessed utilizing different feature sets. As outcomes, the proposed stacking ensemble technique significantly enhances the accuracy in comparison to the other existing ML based techniques in case of all varieties of feature sets. However, among various models investigated to categorize PCOS and non-PCOS patients, the stacking ensemble model with 'Gradient Boosting' classifier as meta learner outperforms others with 95.7% accuracy while utilizing the top 25 features selected using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) feature selection technique., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

The growing demand for energy and environmental issues are the main concern for the sustainable development of modern society. Replacing toxic and expensive materials with inexpensive and biodegradable biomaterials is the main challenge for researchers. Nanocomposites are of the utmost consideration for their application in energy storage devices because of their specific electrochemical properties. Cellulose-based bionanocomposites have added a new dimension to this field since these are developed from available renewable biomaterials. Studies on developing electrodes, separators, collectors, and electrolytes for the batteries have been conducted based on these composites rigorously. Electrodes and separators made of these composites for the supercapacitors have also been investigated. Researchers have used a wide range of micro- and nano-structural cellulose along with nanostructured inorganic materials to produce cellulose-based bionanocomposites for energy devices, i.e., supercapacitors and batteries. The presence of cellulosic materials enhances the loading capacity of active materials and uniform porous structure in the electrode matrix. Thus, it has shown improved electrochemical properties. Therefore, these can help to develop biodegradable, lightweight, malleable, and strong energy storage devices. In this review article, the manufacturing process, properties, applications, and possible opportunities of cellulose-based bionanocomposites in energy storage devices have been emphasized. Its challenges and opportunities have also been discussed., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Our study aimed to examine the practices and knowledge of food handling and safety among 1534 university students in Bangladesh (mean age 22.09 ± 1.78), as well as the relationship between these factors and their academic and demographic backgrounds. Participants in this study were undergraduate and graduate students from four public universities in Bangladesh from different religions, income levels, years and majors of study, residential areas, living alone or not, and whose mothers are working or non-working. The questionnaire included 14 questions on food handling practices and 16 on knowledge. Questions were related to food preparation, hygiene, cross-contamination, and storage. The overall mean score for food handling practices was 34.9% (SD = 13.7), while that of knowledge was 41.8% (SD = 16.5). Female students, those from food-related majors, and those engaged in cooking activities scored significantly higher in the knowledge and practice sections ( p < 0.05) . Students who lived with their families performed significantly better on the knowledge parts, while those who shared a home with roommates in mess performed significantly better on the practice part ( p < 0.05) . Students having housewife mothers, personal poisoning experience, and continuous involvement in food purchasing scored significantly higher ( p < 0.05) in the practices section but not in the knowledge one. On the other hand, students living in urban areas scored significantly higher ( p < 0.05) in the knowledge section but not in the practices one. Our results highlight the importance of educational interventions and initiatives to enhance food safety awareness among Bangladeshi university students., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: Despite the high prevalence of healthcare-acquired infection in resource-limited settings, healthcare workers' (HCWs') knowledge and practices of infection prevention and control (IPC) and triage are not well-researched. We examined thisin Bangladesh's primary healthcare facilities (HCFs) during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: We surveyed 312 HCWs in 94 community clinics (CCs) and 90 family welfare centres (FWCs) in six districts from February to April 2021. We assessed HCWs' self-reported knowledge and observed practices in four domains: personal hygiene, medical instrument processing, waste management, and triage. We constructed a weighted composite knowledge score and estimated the association between knowledge and background characteristics using a generalised linear mixed effects model. Practices were described through univariate analysis., Findings: On a scale of 100, the mean composite knowledge score was 38.3 (SD: 13.3) overall and 44.0 (SD: 13.1) and 33.8 (SD: 11.6) for FWCs and CCs, respectively. The HCWs of FWCs were more aged, experienced, and educated than those of CCs. Knowledge score was the highest in personal hygiene and the lowest in medical waste segregation. Knowledge was significantly associated with HCWs' designation and education. Concerning practices, not more than one-third of the HCWs or HCFs, on average, followed the recommended protocols, except for wearing face masks while on duty (87.1%) and referring potential COVID-19 patients to higher-level facilities (68.3%)., Conclusions: HCWs' capacity in instrument processing, waste management, and triage needs to be improved through formal education and training initiatives. Our study can contribute to the under-researched IPC and triage domains in resource-limited settings., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Purchase intention has become a critical issue to the marketers of smartphones as the market has become very competitive, volatile, uncertain and dynamic during Covid-19 than ever before. For sustaining in the competitive market, every marketer is trying to upgrade its product appearance, product quality, service quality, attractive features, and latest version of software as a whole. This study has investigated the effects of product features, brand image, product price, and social influences on young customers' purchase intention of smartphone during this Covid-19 pandemic time. Survey was conducted using structured questionnaire by collecting data from 305 respondents by using convenience sampling technique. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) integrated with AMOS was employed for data analysis. Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability and average variance extracted (AVE) were used to test the reliability and validity of the collected data while hypotheses were tested by using Structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings of the study shows that, there is a significant effect of product features, brand image, and product price on purchase intention of a smartphone but social influences has no significant impact on young customers' purchase intention. The study results will help the smartphone marketers to redesign their pandemic and post pandemic segmenting, targeting, differentiation and positioning strategies. Practical and managerial implications along with the future research directions have been discussed at the end of this paper also., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: Depression in physicians emerges early in their academic and professional careers. Lengthy and irregular duty time, high levels of obligation, job dissatisfaction, workstation culture, organizational rules, and so on significantly increased the psychological pressure on physicians., Objectives: The study's aim was to measure the level of depression, association, and influence of socio-demographic characteristics and job satisfaction on depression among physicians in Bangladesh, as well as to explore the factor structure of job satisfaction measure and examine its internal reliability., Methods: Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional survey of 301 physicians. The factors related to depression were investigated using a multivariable logistic regression model, and factor analysis was done to identify the important factors associated with job satisfaction., Results: Male respondents made up 49.5 percent of the sample overall, while female respondents made up 50.5 percent. 24.58% of the physicians had mild depression, whereas 13.29%, 7.31%, and 0.66% of the participants had moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively. In multivariable analysis, sex (male vs. female, AOR: 2.16, 95% CI:1.28-3.62), monthly income <15000 BDT vs. >40000 BDT, (AOR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14-0.89), and income <15000 BDT vs. 15,000-24,999 BDT (AOR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.15-0.89) were the essential factors associated with depression. Furthermore, with each unit increase in the job satisfaction score was related to a 71% decrease in the odds of physicians having depression., Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that providing appropriate organizational support, proper work assignments, and an adequate opportunity to develop their professional skills and career irrespective of sex may increase overall job satisfaction. Ultimately, this will serve to improve patient care as well as the whole health system's output., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Purely cotton fabric lacks different functional and physical properties than cotton-flax blends fabric. The experimental part of the present study is to investigate the influence of flax fibres content in cotton-flax blended yarn quality. Five ring yarn samples of the same count, 16/1Ne but from different blend ratios (100C, 80C:20F, 70C:30F, 45C:55F, and 100F) were produced from the same spinning preparatory conditions. The primary outcome was measured by analyzing test results obtained from different testing instruments (Uster Evenness tester, Mesdan Tensile Tester, and Instron Lea strength tester). The secondary outcome was measured by statistical analysis. Evenness properties were better for 80:20 blends in CVm% (17.13), IPI (1346), and H (6.89). 100% cotton yarn possessed the richest evenness quality CVm% (13.23), IPI (168.4), and H (7.97) in contrast to the poorest result of 100% flax yarn. On the other hand, the highest strength (CSP 4631, RKM 30.22) and the lowest elongation, 2.29%, were both achieved for 100% flax yarn. Evenness properties and elongation deteriorated with the gradual increase in flax content. In terms of strength, tenacity and CSP both decreased with an increase in flax content, but 100% flax yarn exhibited the highest performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Double halide perovskites (A 2 M + M 3 + X 6 ) have been considered as high-performance material for optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. Here, we investigate the structural, thermodynamic, optical, mechanical and electronic properties of pressure-induced Cs 2 AgBiCl 6 samples. The phase stability is confirmed by the tolerance and octahedral factor calculations. The thermodynamic potentials such as enthalpy, free energy, entropy, and heat capacity are observed in the phonon modes. The indirect to direct band gap is observed due to disorders of Ag + /Bi 3+ cations in their sub-lattice. In this study, the induced pressure was varied between 0 and 80 GPa and the transition of the band gap energy from semiconductor to metal was observed at a hydrostatic pressure of 80 GPa. The bond length in between Ag and Bi atoms is reduced due to crystal defect, occurred under induced pressure. The narrow band gap energy and the partial density of states of the disordered Cs 2 AgBiCl 6 samples refer to the relocation of charge carriers to facilitate the photocatalytic reaction. As the pressure changes, the absorbing edge also moves into the lower energy region. The pressure-inducted Cs 2 AgBiCl 6 sample has a strong absorption in the range of visible wavelength of light and shifted in the ultraviolet region. Simultaneously, the pressure-driven material extend the symmetry breaking of [AgBi] -6 and [AgCl] -6 octahedra and hence the total energy decreased due to narrow band gap energy. Phase-change dihalide materials have excellent properties, opening up new avenues for device applications. The mechanical properties suggest that the pure and pressure-inducted Cs 2 AgBiCl 6 samples have potential characteristics for an optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

The COVID-19 outbreak has created effects on everyday life worldwide. Many research teams at major pharmaceutical companies and research institutes in various countries have been producing vaccines since the beginning of the outbreak. There is an impact of gender on vaccine responses, acceptance, and outcomes. Worldwide promotion of the COVID-19 vaccine additionally generates a huge amount of discussions on social media platforms about diverse factors of vaccines including protection and efficacy. Twitter is considered one of the most well-known social media platforms which have been widely used to share a public opinion on vaccine-related problems in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a lack of research work to analyze the public perception of COVID-19 vaccines systematically from a gender perspective. In this paper, we perform an in-depth analysis of the coronavirus vaccine-related tweets to understand the people's sentiment towards various vaccine brands corresponding to the gender level. The proposed method focuses on the effect of COVID-19 vaccines on gender by taking into account descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics on the Twitter dataset. We also conduct experiments with deep learning models to determine the sentiment polarities of tweets, which are positive, neutral, and negative. The results reveal that LSTM performs better compared to other models with an accuracy rate of 85.7%., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

During in vitro culture, bereft of their optimal tissue context, tenocytes lose their phenotype and function. Considering that tenocytes in their native tissue milieu are exposed simultaneously to manifold signals, combination approaches (e.g. growth factor supplementation and mechanical stimulation) are continuously gaining pace to control cell fate during in vitro expansion, albeit with limited success due to the literally infinite number of possible permutations. In this work, we assessed the potential of scalable and potent physicochemical approaches that control cell fate (substrate stiffness, anisotropic surface topography, collagen type I coating) and enhance extracellular matrix deposition (macromolecular crowding) in maintaining human tenocyte phenotype in culture. Cell morphology was primarily responsive to surface topography. The tissue culture plastic induced the largest nuclei area, the lowest aspect ratio, and the highest focal adhesion kinase. Collagen type I coating increased cell number and metabolic activity. Cell viability was not affected by any of the variables assessed. Macromolecular crowding intensely enhanced and accelerated native extracellular matrix deposition, albeit not in an aligned fashion, even on the grooved substrates. Gene analysis at day 14 revealed that the 130 kPa grooved substrate without collagen type I coating and under macromolecular crowding conditions positively regulated human tenocyte phenotype. Collectively, this work illustrates the beneficial effects of combined physicochemical approaches in controlling cell fate during in vitro expansion., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Background: Although therapeutic hypothermia reduces death or disability after neonatal encephalopathy in high-income countries, its safety and efficacy in low-income and middle-income countries is unclear. We aimed to examine whether therapeutic hypothermia alongside optimal supportive intensive care reduces death or moderate or severe disability after neonatal encephalopathy in south Asia., Methods: We did a multicountry open-label, randomised controlled trial in seven tertiary neonatal intensive care units in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. We enrolled infants born at or after 36 weeks of gestation with moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy and a need for continued resuscitation at 5 min of age or an Apgar score of less than 6 at 5 min of age (for babies born in a hospital), or both, or an absence of crying by 5 min of age (for babies born at home). Using a web-based randomisation system, we allocated infants into a group receiving whole body hypothermia (33·5°C) for 72 h using a servo-controlled cooling device, or to usual care (control group), within 6 h of birth. All recruiting sites had facilities for invasive ventilation, cardiovascular support, and access to 3 Tesla MRI scanners and spectroscopy. Masking of the intervention was not possible, but those involved in the magnetic resonance biomarker analysis and neurodevelopmental outcome assessments were masked to the allocation. The primary outcome was a combined endpoint of death or moderate or severe disability at 18-22 months, assessed by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (third edition) and a detailed neurological examination. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02387385., Findings: We screened 2296 infants between Aug 15, 2015, and Feb 15, 2019, of whom 576 infants were eligible for inclusion. After exclusions, we recruited 408 eligible infants and we assigned 202 to the hypothermia group and 206 to the control group. Primary outcome data were available for 195 (97%) of the 202 infants in the hypothermia group and 199 (97%) of the 206 control group infants. 98 (50%) infants in the hypothermia group and 94 (47%) infants in the control group died or had a moderate or severe disability (risk ratio 1·06; 95% CI 0·87-1·30; p=0·55). 84 infants (42%) in the hypothermia group and 63 (31%; p=0·022) infants in the control group died, of whom 72 (36%) and 49 (24%; p=0·0087) died during neonatal hospitalisation. Five serious adverse events were reported: three in the hypothermia group (one hospital readmission relating to pneumonia, one septic arthritis, and one suspected venous thrombosis), and two in the control group (one related to desaturations during MRI and other because of endotracheal tube displacement during transport for MRI). No adverse events were considered causally related to the study intervention., Interpretation: Therapeutic hypothermia did not reduce the combined outcome of death or disability at 18 months after neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries, but significantly increased death alone. Therapeutic hypothermia should not be offered as treatment for neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries, even when tertiary neonatal intensive care facilities are available., Funding: National Institute for Health Research, Garfield Weston Foundation, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation., Translations: For the Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Singhalese, Tamil, Marathi and Bangla translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests JW reports a grant from the National Institutes for Health (number 1R21HD093563-01) outside the submitted work. RP reports personal fees from UCB and Kephala outside the submitted work. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Gender differences in mate selection criteria across cultures are common. In various cross-cultural research, these gender differences are explained by different socio-cultural theories. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate gender differences in mate selection criteria in Bangladeshi culture and to explain these differences by the social homogamy theory. An unstructured interview method was followed to obtain the aim of the study. A total of 120 unmarried Bangladeshi university students were chosen to participate the study whose age were ranging from 21 to 24 years ( M = 22.45, SD = 1.75). The participants were selected by a convenient sampling method from four universities in Bangladesh. They were equally divided in terms of gender and university. A total of twelve mate selection criteria were found in the study, in which each student averagely responded 7.23 criteria. The highest and lowest number of responses were observed in education ( n = 108) and residential status ( n = 33) criterion, respectively. The top-ranked criterion considered by male and female students was physical attractiveness and education respectively. Gender difference in mate selection preferences was found to be significant in the study. Though, gender difference was significant in age, education, financial status, physical appearance, physical attractiveness, and profession criterion; however, the gender difference was not significant in character, in-law family's education, in-law family's social approval, religion, region, and residential status. Mate selection criteria considered by Bangladeshi students are explained by the social homogamy theory. The study would help Bangladeshi people to be aware of their mate selection in their own Bangladeshi culture., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

MicroRNAs play a crucial role in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis, and thus they contribute in development of different malignancies including cervical cancer (CC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Through integrated strategies of computational biology, this study aims to identify prognostic biomarkers responsible for CRC and CC prognosis, and potential therapeutic agents to halt the progression of these cancers. Expression analysis of miRNA datasets of CRC and CC identified 17 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). SYNPO2 , NEGR1 , FGF7 , LIFR , RUNX1T1 , CFL2 , BNC2 , EPHB2 , PMAIP1 , and CDC25A differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated by these DEMs were classified as candidate genes responsible for CRC and CC. Down-regulation of Synaptopodin-2 ( SYNPO2) is involved in emergence and progression of these cancers by activating ER, PI3K/AKT, and EMT pathways as well as by suppressing DNA damage response, and cell cycle pathways. Higher methylation rate in promoter region of SYNPO2 could be a possible reason for lowering the expression of SYNPO2 in tumor stages. Hence, the lower expression of SYNPO2 is associated with poor prognosis of CRC and CC and could function as prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target. Fourteen transcription factors were recognized which can activate/inhibit the transcription of SYNPO2 and may be a potential target to regulate expression of SYNPO2 in CRC and CC. Retinoic acid and Estradiol were identified as putative therapeutic drugs for CRC and CC patients. This study will thus help in understanding the underlying molecular events in CRC and CC that may improve the detection of malignant lesions in primary screening and will broaden the clinical applications., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

The outbreak of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has triggered a global panic, affecting the mental well-being of people of all ages, including students. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between self-reported mental health concerns and subjective sleep quality of the Bangladeshi university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted to maintain the social distancing recommended by the World Health Organization. There were 1,317 student responses from 49 universities across Bangladesh. Data was analyzed by executing both bi-variate and multivariate analysis. Findings indicate that 27.1%, 51.0%, 45.9%, and 86.0% of students had poor subjective sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and fear of COVID-19, respectively. Anxiety (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.06-1.12, p < 0.001) was a risk factor for increasing the poor subjective sleep quality of university students. In contrast, the odds of poor subjective sleep quality were lower with increasing the score of depression (AOR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.86-0.90, p < 0.001) and fear of COVID-19 (AOR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.94-0.99, p < 0.05). Compared to public university students, private university students were more likely to report poor subjective sleep quality since the pandemic began. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that psychiatric conditions of university students should be monitored during the COVID-19 epidemic, and necessary strategies, such as allocation of resources, implementation of awareness programs, establishment of psychological counselling unit, should carefully be devised., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

The erratic nature of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) forced the Bangladeshi government to shut down all the educational institutions since March 18, 2020. This prolonged closure not only detached the students from their study but also increased anxiety among them regarding their future academic as well as professional careers. The present study aimed to explore the perception and understanding of the students and teachers regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the academic life and career pursuit of university students in Bangladesh. With a semi-structured interview schedule, data for this qualitative study were collected from 8 purposively selected participants, using telephone interviews, affiliated with a public university in Bangladesh. Students argued that the extended closure is responsible for the delayed graduation of the senior students, thereby, mounting mental stress and frustration among them. The informants unequivocally opposed the online education platform, as a solution for the ongoing gap, due to scarcity of the resources, and unequal accesses and opportunities for all. It has been suggested that the education gap can be reduced by shortening the term, curtailing the preparatory leave, and taking extra classes over the weekends when the universities re-open together with enforced collective health hygiene., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Genomic data analysis is a fundamental system for monitoring pathogen evolution and the outbreak of infectious diseases. Based on bioinformatics and deep learning, this study was designed to identify the genomic variability of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide and predict the impending mutation rate. Analysis of 259044 SARS-CoV-2 isolates identified 3334545 mutations with an average of 14.01 mutations per isolate. Globally, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is the most prevalent mutational event. The prevalence of C > T (52.67%) was noticed as a major alteration across the world followed by the G > T (14.59%) and A > G (11.13%). Strains from India showed the highest number of mutations (48) followed by Scotland, USA, Netherlands, Norway, and France having up to 36 mutations. D416G, F106F, P314L, UTR:C241T, L93L, A222V, A199A, V30L, and A220V mutations were found as the most frequent mutations. D1118H, S194L, R262H, M809L, P314L, A8D, S220G, A890D, G1433C, T1456I, R233C, F263S, L111K, A54T, A74V, L183A, A316T, V212F, L46C, V48G, Q57H, W131R, G172V, Q185H, and Y206S missense mutations were found to largely decrease the structural stability of the corresponding proteins. Conversely, D3L, L5F, and S97I were found to largely increase the structural stability of the corresponding proteins. Multi-nucleotide mutations GGG > AAC, CC > TT, TG > CA, and AT > TA have come up in our analysis which are in the top 20 mutational cohort. Future mutation rate analysis predicts a 17%, 7%, and 3% increment of C > T, A > G, and A > T, respectively in the future. Conversely, 7%, 7%, and 6% decrement is estimated for T > C, G > A, and G > T mutations, respectively. T > G\A, C > G\A, and A > T\C are not anticipated in the future. Since SARS-CoV-2 is mutating continuously, our findings will facilitate the tracking of mutations and help to map the progression of the COVID-19 intensity worldwide., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1) is a polyglutamine (polyQ) length-dependent interactor with causal agents in several neurodegenerative diseases and has been regarded as a protective factor against neurodegeneration. In normal rodent brain and spinal cord, HAP1 is abundantly expressed in the areas that are spared from neurodegeneration while those areas with little HAP1 are frequent targets of neurodegeneration. We have recently showed that HAP1 is highly expressed in the spinal dorsal horn and may participate in modification/protection of certain sensory functions. Neurons in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) transmits sensory stimuli from periphery to spinal cord/brain stem. Nevertheless, to date HAP1 expression in DRG remains unreported. In this study, the expression of HAP1 in cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral DRG in adult male mice and its relationships with different chemical markers for sensory neurons were examined using Western blot and immunohistochemistry. HAP1-immunoreactivity was detected in the cytoplasm of DRG neurons, and the percentage of HAP1-immunoreactive (ir) DRG neurons was ranged between 28-31 %. HAP1-immunoreactivity was comparatively more in the small cells (47-58 %) and medium cells (40-44 %) than that in the large cells (9-11 %). Double-immunostaining for HAP1 and markers for nociceptive or mechanoreceptive neurons showed that about 70-80 % of CGRP-, SP-, CB-, NOS-, TRPV1-, CR- and PV-ir neurons expressed HAP1. In contrast, HAP1 was completely lacking in TH-ir neurons. Our current study is the first to clarify that HAP1 is highly expressed in nociceptive/proprioceptive neurons but absent in light-touch-sensitive TH neurons, suggesting the potential importance of HAP1 in pain transduction and proprioception., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

Background: In Bangladesh, treatment for urinary tract infection has become increasingly difficult due to antibiotic resistance. In addition, the prescription of age and gender-specific drugs is still far from being practiced in Bangladesh. We are examining trends of antibiotic resistance per age and gender in patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by the most frequent agent, Escherichia coli ., Methods: We determined the resistance of 1663 E. coli isolates obtained from urine cultures. A sensitivity study using the Kirby-Bauer method was carried out to identify the antibiotic resistance trends., Results: Imipenem with 1.9% resistance of all isolates found to be the lowest percentage of resistance. Meropenem (2.8%), amikacin (2.8%), colistin (2.9%), and nitrofurantoin (15.8%) showed low resistance percentages. The sensitivity analysis suggests that age and gender (area under curve = 0.67) should be taken into consideration to prescribe amikacin. The increasing odds ratios (OR) by age groups suggest that amikacin is a less effective agent for older patients with UTIs. Moreover, nitrofurantoin (OR = 1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.95) and colistin (OR = 2.09, CI = 1.13-3.76) were less effective against isolates obtained from males compared to isolates obtained from females. Meropenem was effective against bacteria obtained from all age groups and genders. On the other hand, efficacy of imipenem was lower in isolates obtained from adults older than 40 years (OR: 0.44 for < = 18 years, OR = 0.47 for 19-40 years, OR = 0.86 for 41-60 years; reference: > = 61 years)., Conclusion: In Bangladesh, meropenem, imipenem, amikacin, colistin, and nitrofurantoin are suitable therapeutic alternatives against urinary tract pathogens. Among the oral agents, amikacin, colistin, and nitrofurantoin should be prescribed, taking consideration of age and gender. These results will assist physicians in prescribing effective primary care antibiotics for UTI patients and encouraging the implementation of health policies for a safe prescription of antibiotics., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

The aim of this study was to investigate the pozzolanic effect (PE) and filler effect (FE) of rice husk ash (RHA) on the mechanical properties and microstructure of brick aggregate concrete (BAC). For this, concrete cylinders (100 mm × 200 mm) were prepared with 0-25% RHA with water-to-binder ratios of 0.50 at a constant mix-ratio of 1:1.5:3 and cured in water. Test results revealed that the mean particle size of RHA decreases with increasing grinding time. The compressive strength ( f c ' ) of BAC due to filler effect are 58.56-94.62% less compared to the pozzolanic effect of RHA for the 10%-25% replacement of cement. Meanwhile, the 15% RHA showed the maximum f c ' of BAC due to pozzolanic effect of RHA. The tensile strength ( f s p ) and flexural strength ( f r ) of BAC due to pozzolanic effect are 60%-150% and 25%-150% higher than that of filler effect of RHA for the 10%-25% replacement of cement respectively. The modulus of elasticity ( E c ) and Poisson's ratio ( ν ) of BAC due to pozzolanic effect are 2%-29% and 27%-43% greater than that of filler effect of RHA for the 10%-25% replacement of cement respectively. BAC with 10-20% RHA shows a dense and homogeneous microstructure. Therefore, inclusion of RHA as a partial replacement of cement possesses a significant pozzolanic effect than the filler effect on the mechanical properties and microstructure of BAC.