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Background Several methodological tests are available to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibody. Tests are mostly used in the aid of diagnosis or for serological assessment. No tests are fully confirmatory and have variable level of diagnostic ability. We aimed at assessing agreement with three serological tests: quantitative anti receptor binding domain ELISA (Q-RBD), qualitative ELISA (WANTAI SARS-CoV-2 Ab) and qualitative chemiluminescence assay (CLIA). Methods This study was a part of a large population based sero-epidemiological cohort study. Participants aged 1 year or older were included from 25 randomly selected clusters each in Delhi urban (urban resettlement colony of South Delhi district) and Delhi rural (villages in Faridabad district, Haryana). Three type of tests were applied to all the baseline blood samples. Result of the three tests were evaluated by estimating the total agreement and kappa value. Results Total 3491 blood samples collected from March to September, 2021, out of which 1700 (48.7%) from urban and 1791 (51.3%) from rural. Overall 44.1% of participants were male. The proportion of sero-positivity were 78.1%, 75.2% and 31.8% by Wantai, QRBD and CLIA tests respectively. The total agreement between Wantai and QRBD was 94.5%, 53.1% between Wantai and CLIA, and 56.8% between QRBD and CLIA. The kappa value between these three tests were 0.84 (95% CI 0.80–0.87), 0.22 (95% CI 0.19–0.24) and 0.26 (95% CI 0.23–0.28). Conclusions There was strong concordance between Wantai and QRBD test. Agreement between CLIA with other two tests was low. Wantai and QRBD tests measuring the antibody to same S protein can be used with high agreement based on the relevant scenario.

Research on Phubbing has received a lot of attention in recent years from the research community. However, the studies conducted are mainly based on linear statistics, which is a very conservative method for data analysis. To overcome this limitation, we adopted a data mining and machine learning-based approach to identify the patterns related to Phubbing behavior. We developed several models on online survey data that we collected for our analysis purposes. The results highlighted that addiction measures fail to predict Phubbing fully. Indeed, Phubbing appeared to be linked in a nonlinear way to both Information and Communication Technology (ICT) measures that do not imply a dysfunctional use of technology and social anxiety. Moreover, the machine learning approach appeared more suitable than traditional linear statistics methods to predict Phubbing, as highlighted by a much higher explained variance. Phubbing is not solely attributable to addiction dynamics. Phubbing is indicated by a series of predictors that cannot be reduced to addiction (e.g., age, social anxiety, ICT services owned). Modeling procedures able to account for nonlinearity are also required to accurately assessing users’ Phubbing levels. The patterns produced by our modeling procedure may help scholars in accounting for phubbing definition, detection, and prediction more accurately.

Routine monitoring for subclinical infection is one of the key mastitis control approaches. However, the accuracy of the most commonly used screening tests has not yet been established. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the accuracy of three screening tests, namely California mastitis test (CMT), white side test (WST), and surf field mastitis test (SFMT) for the screening of subclinical caprine mastitis. A cross-sectional study based on 484 randomly collected milk (242 goats) samples from three districts of Bangladesh was conducted for the screening of subclinical mastitis by the aforementioned tests. The Bayesian latent class model was implemented in WinBUGS to estimate the tests' characteristics and true prevalence of subclinical mastitis. The Bayesian posterior estimates of sensitivities with a 95% credible intervals (CrIs) were 98.60% (95.18-99.95%), 98.28% (94.56-99.92%), and 89.98% (83.39-95.03%), and specificities with 95% CrIs were 99.19% (98.11-99.96%), 99.27% (97.34-99.98%), and 99.28% (97.35-99.98%), respectively for CMT, WST, and SFMT. The true prevalence of subclinical caprine mastitis was estimated to be 43.49% (95% CrI 37.46-48.98%). The positive predictive values (PPV) of the three tests were similar. The serial and parallel interpretation of any test pairs increased the PPV and negative predictive value respectively close to 100%. Based on the simplicity, cost and performance as well WST and SFMT simultaneously could be recommended for the screening of caprine subclinical mastitis in Bangladesh.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease characterised by vascular thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity in the presence of persistently positive serum tests for antiphospholipid antibodies. Management of APS centres on preventing these clinical events and in preventing chronic damage caused by these events. In patients with thrombotic APS, long-term anticoagulation is recommended in the majority of cases. Although there were hopes that direct-acting oral anticoagulants could replace warfarin for prevention of thrombosis in patients with APS, this now seems less likely due to recent trial results. There is no evidence for use of anticoagulation in people who are aPL-positive but have never had a thrombosis but low-dose aspirin may be beneficial in those who have a higher-risk aPL profile. Management of obstetric APS is with daily subcutaneous heparin and low-dose aspirin. This gives a live birth rate of 70% or more. Catastrophic APS is rare, occurring in 1% of patients with APS. It is characterised by thrombosis in multiple organs simultaneously, with a high mortality rate. The management is with corticosteroids, anticoagulation, and immunoglobulins or plasma exchange.

Background Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that affects different immune cells. It is also associated with the stimulation of the T and B cells for the production of antibodies. Several genetic polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene have been reported to cause or aggravate certain diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, asthma, etc. However, the disease susceptibility and abnormal function of the mutated IL-10 variants remain obscure. Results In this study, we used seven bioinformatics tools (SIFT, PROVEAN, PMut, PANTHER, PolyPhen-2, PHD-SNP, and SNPs&GO) to predict the disease susceptible non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) of IL-10. Nine nsSNPs of IL-10 were predicted to be potentially deleterious: R42G, R45Q, F48L, E72G, M95T, A98D, R125S, Y155C, and I168T. Except two, all of the putative deleterious mutations are found in the highly conserved region of IL-10 protein structure, thus affecting the protein's stability. The 3-D structure of mutant proteins was modeled by project HOPE, and the protein–protein interactions were assessed with STRING. The predicted nsSNPs: R42Q, R45Q, F48L, E72G, and I168T are situated in the binding site region of the IL-10R1 receptor. Disruption of binding affinity with its receptor leads to deregulation of the JAK-STAT pathway and results in enhanced inflammation that imbalance in cellular signaling. Finally, Kaplan–Meier Plotter analysis displayed that deregulation of IL-10 expression affects gastric and ovarian cancer patients' survival rate. Thus, IL-10 could be useful as a potential prognostic marker gene for some cancers. Conclusion This study has determined the deleterious nsSNPs of IL-10 that might contribute to the malfunction of IL-10 protein and ultimately lead to the IL-10 associated diseases.

The rapidly declining fossil fuels are no longer able to meet the ever-increasing energy demand. Moreover, they are considered responsible for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, contributing to the global warming. On the other hand, organic wastes, such as kitchen waste (KW) and poultry manure (PM), represent considerable pollution threat to the environment, if not properly managed. Therefore, anaerobic co-digestion of KW and PM could be a sustainable way of producing clean and renewable energy in the form of biogas while minimizing environmental impact. In this study, the anaerobic co-digestion of KW with PM was studied to assess the rate of cumulative biogas (CBG) production and methane percentage in four digester setups (D1, D2, D3, and D4) operated in batch mode. Each digester setup consisted of five parallelly connected laboratory-scale digesters having a capacity of 1 L each. The digester setups were fed with KW and PM at ratios of 1:0 (D1), 1:1 (D2), 2:1 (D3), and 3:1 (D4) at a constant loading rate of 300 mg/L with 50 gm cow manure (CM) as inoculum and were studied at both room temperature (28 °C) and mesophilic temperature (37 °C) over 24 days. The co-digestion of KW with PM demonstrated a synergistic effect which was evidenced by a 16% and 74% increase in CBG production and methane content, respectively, in D2 over D1. The D3 with 66.7% KW and 33.3% PM produced the highest CBG and methane percentage (396 ± 8 mL and 36%) at room temperature. At mesophilic condition, all the digesters showed better performance, and the highest CBG (920 ± 11 mL) and methane content (48%) were observed in D3. The study suggests that co-digestion of KW and PM at mesophilic condition might be a promising way to increase the production of biogas with better methane composition by ensuring nutrient balance, buffering capacity, and stability of the digester.

Bangladesh produces an abundant amount of agricultural residues (crops and livestock) in the rural areas every year. An innovative and sustainable method is presented in this study for assessing their countrywide sustainable energy potentiality and to utilize these residues to meet the energy demand of households of rural Bangladesh. In this study, available data in published literature regarding residue characteristic factors along with their processing techniques were collected and used. The proposed method has been applied to estimate the energy potentials of agricultural residues in Bangladesh in the cropping season 2015–2016. The results show that the available agricultural residues in the rural areas of Bangladesh have the potentiality of producing 9693 million m3/year of biogas and were calculated to be 223 PJ/year equivalents to 7075 MW, close to the (88%) national energy demand. The proposed method could be the best option for meeting the rural energy demand, and a case study was depicted to validate the approach and a proof for sustainable technology.

This study investigated trace elements in the different organs of Eonycteris spelaea, a hill cave from the Bhuban Hills of Sonai Reserve Forest, Cachar, Assam (India). Six bats were collected from the site and concentrations of four trace elements (Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn) were examined from the tissues of liver, lungs, kidney, and patagium using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (graphite furnace model—Analytic Jena Vario-6). The results of the study revealed that concentration of essential trace elements in the body tissues of E. spelaea were less than the maximum permissible limit. During the study, it was found that the concentration of copper in all the four organs are of the following order: liver (3 ± 0.11 μg/g dw) > lungs (2.4 ± 0.14 μg/g dw) > kidney (1.8 ± 0.10 μg/g dw) > patagium (1.8 ± 0.06 μg/g dw). For zinc, this sequence was kidney (61.8 ± 0.32 μg/g dw) > liver (61.2 ± 0.14 μg/g dw) > lungs (58.8 ± 0.19 μg/g dw) > patagium (46.8 ± 0.16 μg/g dw). For manganese, kidney (1.2 ± 0.15 μg/g dw) > lungs (0.6 ± 0.13 μg/g dw) > liver (0.6 ± 0.11 μg/g dw) > patagium (0.6 ± 0.10 μg/g), and for iron, it was liver (98.4 ± 0.22 μg/g) > lungs (78.6 ± 0.47 μg/g dw) > kidney (25.8 ± 0.23 μg/g dw) > patagium (16.2 ± 0.26 μg/g dw). Analysis of variance revealed significant differences (d.f. = 15, F = 44.84, P

The pungency level of green peppers is dependent on the amounts of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin they contain. This study was conducted to develop a non-destructive method for the prediction and mapping of the capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents in green pepper. Hyperspectral images of 200 total green peppers of three varieties were acquired in the wavelength range of 1000–1600 nm, from which the mean spectra of each pepper variety were extracted. The reference capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents of the samples were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Quantitative calibration models were built using partial least squares (PLS) regression with different spectral preprocessing techniques; the best performance was found by normalizing the preprocessed spectra with correlation coefficients (rpred) of 0.86 and 0.59, which showed the standard errors of prediction (SEPs) of 0.09 and 0.03 mg/g for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, respectively. Seventeen and 16 optimal wavebands were selected using the successive projections algorithm; rpred of 0.88 and 0.68 and SEPs of 0.084 and 0.027 mg/g were obtained for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, respectively, from the newly developed PLS calibration models using these optimal wavebands. The successive projections algorithm (SPA)-PLS model was used to map the capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents of the green peppers. These maps provided detailed information on the pungency levels of the tested green peppers. The results of this study indicated that hyperspectral imaging is useful for the rapid and non-destructive evaluation of the pungency of green peppers.

A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate the true prevalence of Brucella spp. and identify allied risk factors/indicators associated with brucellosis in the Dinajpur and Mymensingh districts of Bangladesh. A total 320 stratified random blood samples were collected and tested in parallel for Brucella antibodies using Rose Bengal (RBT), slow agglutination (SAT), and indirect and competitive ELISA. In addition, a structured questionnaire was administered to each household herd owner to gather information regarding potential risk factors. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify potential risk factors or indicators at animal level. A Bayesian approach was used to estimate the true prevalence of brucellosis along with the test performances (Se and Sp). The estimated animal level true prevalence in cattle was 9.70 % (95 % CPI 5.0–16 %) and in goat 6.3 % (95 % CPI 2.8–11.0 %). The highest sensitivity was achieved by SAT ranges from 69.6 to 78.9 %, and iELISA was found to be more specific (97.4 to 98.8 %) in comparison with other tests. On the other hand, a significant level of (P

The role of exogenous spermine (0.25 mM Spm, a type of polyamine (PA) in reducing Cd uptake and alleviating Cd toxicity (containing 1 and 1.5 mM CdCl2 in the growing media) effects was studied in the mung bean (Vigna radiata L. cv. BARI Mung-2) plant. Exogenously applied Spm reduced Cd content, accumulation, and translocation in different plant parts. Increasing phytochelatin content, exogenous Spm reduced Cd accumulation and translocation. Spm application reduced the Cd-induced oxidative damage which was reflected from the reduction of H2O2 content, O2•– generation rate, lipoxygenase (LOX) activity, and lipid peroxidation level and also reflected from the reduction of spots of H2O2 and O2•– from mung bean leaves (compared to control treatment). Spm pretreatment increased non-enzymatic antioxidant contents (ascorbate, AsA, and glutathione, GSH) and activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and glutathione reductase (GR) which reduced oxidative stress. The cytotoxicity of methylglyoxal (MG) is also reduced by exogenous Spm because it enhanced glyoxalase system enzymes and components. Through osmoregulation, Spm maintained a better water status of Cd-affected mung bean seedlings. Spm prevented the chl damage and increased its content. Exogenous Spm also modulated the endogenous free PAs level which might have the roles in improving physiological processes including antioxidant capacity, osmoregulation, and Cd and MG detoxification capacity. The overall Spm-induced tolerance of mung bean seedlings to Cd toxicity was reflected through improved growth of mung bean seedlings.

Fe43 M 5Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 (M = Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu in at.%) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are synthesized using the suction casting technique, and the glass-forming ability (GFA), microstructure, and thermal and magnetic properties of these glasses are extensively examined using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimeter, and vibrating sample magnetometer techniques. Among the four BMG alloys, Fe43Ni5Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 exhibits the lowest coercivity and the highest saturation magnetization, Curie temperature, effective magnetic moment, and GFA. By contrast, Fe43Mn5Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 presents the poorest magnetic properties, such as the highest coercivity and the lowest saturation magnetization, Curie temperature, and effective magnetic moment. Fe43Cu5Cr15Mo14C15B6Y2 demonstrates the lowest thermal stability and GFA. The observed thermal, structural, and magnetic properties of these BMG alloys are discussed in terms of the kinetics of BMG synthesization and the formation of different ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic, and antiferromagnetic phases.

High temperature and drought stress often occur simultaneously, and due to global climate change, this kind of phenomenon occurs more frequently and severely, which exerts devastating effects on plants. Polyamines (PAs) play crucial roles in conferring abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Present study investigated how exogenous pretreatment of spermine (Spm, 0.2 mM) enhances mung bean (Vigna radiata L. cv. BARI Mung-2) seedlings tolerance to high temperature (HT, 40 °C) and drought [induced by 5 % polyethyleneglycol (PEG)] stress individually and in combination. Spm pretreatment reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production including H2O2 and O2 •−, lipoxygenase (LOX) activity, and membrane lipid peroxidation (indicated by malondialdehyde, MDA) under HT and/or drought stress. Histochemical staining of leaves with diaminobenzidine and nitro blue tetrazolium chloride also confirmed that Spm-pretreated seedlings accumulated less H2O2 and O2 •− under HT and/or drought stress. Spermine pretreatment maintained the ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) levels high, and upregulated the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and glutathione reductase (GR) which were vital for imparting ROS-induced oxidative stress tolerance under HT and/or drought stress. The cytotoxic compound methylglyoxal (MG) was overproduced due to HT and/or drought, but exogenous Spm pretreatment reduced MG toxicity enhancing the glyoxalase system. Spermine pretreatment modulated endogenous PA levels. Osmoregulation and restoration of plant water status were other major contributions of Spm under HT and/or drought stress. Preventing photosynthetic pigments and improving seedling growth parameters, Spm further confirmed its influential roles in HT and/or drought tolerance.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the regulatory role of exogenous application of calcium (Ca) in enhancing the antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems in mitigating cadmium (Cd) stress in rice. Hydroponically grown 14-day-old rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. BRRI dhan29) seedlings were exposed to 0.25 and 0.5 mM CdCl2 alone and in combination with 2.5 mM CaCl2 for 3 days. Exposure to Cd caused chlorosis, leaf rolling symptoms, and growth inhibition. A higher concentration of Cd in the growth medium resulted in higher Cd accumulation, which induced oxidative stress through overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by disrupting the antioxidant defense system. Cadmium treatment increased the methylglyoxal (MG) level. Calcium supplementation in the Cd-treated growth medium reduced Cd uptake. Application of Ca also significantly increased the (ascorbate) AsA content, increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) in the antioxidant system, and increased the glyoxalase I (Gly I) and glyoxalase II (Gly II) activities in the glyoxalase system in rice seedlings exposed to both levels of Cd. Exogenous Ca application regulated the antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems, which reversed overproduced ROS and detoxified MG, which in turn reduced Cd toxicity.

Background Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for large numbers of hospital-related and community-acquired infections. In this study, we investigated the presence of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in 100 samples from animals (55 cattle, 36 dogs, and 9 cats) and 150 samples from hospitalized human patients. The samples were collected from healthy and diseased animals and from diseased humans and included milk, wound swab, pus, exudates, nasal swab and diabetic ulcer. Initially, S. aureus was isolated and identified by colony morphology, Gram staining, and biochemical tests (catalase and coagulase tests). The S. aureus-positive samples were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine their MRSA status. Results Of the 100 animal samples, 29 were positive for S. aureus. Four samples (13.8%) from dogs were MRSA-positive, but samples from cattle and cats were MRSA-negative. Of the 150 human samples we collected, 64 were S. aureus-positive and, of these, 34 (53.1%) were MRSA-positive. Most (28%) of the MRSA samples were isolated from surgical wound swabs, followed by the pus from skin infections (11%), exudates from diabetic ulcers (6%), exudates from burns (4%), and aural swabs (3%). By contrast, a low MRSA detection rate (n = 4) was seen in the non-human isolates, where all MRSA bacteria were isolated from nasal swabs from dogs. The antimicrobials susceptibility testing results showed that S. aureus isolates with mecA genes showed resistance to penicillin (100%), oxacillin (100%), erythromycin (73.5%), ciprofloxacin (70.6%), and gentamicin (67.7%). The lowest resistance was found against ceftazidime, and no vancomycin-resistant isolates were obtained. Conclusions We detected S. aureus and MRSA in both human and canine specimens. Isolates were found to be resistant to some of the antimicrobials available locally. MRSA carriage in humans and animals appears to be a great threat to effective antimicrobials treatment. The prudent use of antimicrobials will reduce the antimicrobial resistance. Our findings will help to find the most appropriate treatment and to reduce antimicrobial resistance in the future by implementing prudent use of antimicrobials. Further studies are required to better understand the epidemiology of MRSA human–animal inter-species transmission in Bangladesh. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-018-1611-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bismuth sulphide nanoparticles are prepared by sol–gel method using gelatine as capping agent. Synthesized nanoparticles are well dispersed in water and the medium is nearly neutral, both essential for biological application. Triethanolamine is used as a complexing agent for solubilization of Bi3+ in water and sodium sulphide as a sulphur source. Nanoparticles are well characterized by standard methods and show marked cytotoxicity and alter membrane potentials of both mitochondria and HeLa cells. Schematic route to synthesize water-soluble Bi2S3 nanoparticles

A pyridoxal-based fluorescent probe HL was synthesized for the detection of Cu(2+) in methanol with moderate selectivity. Upon addition of Cu(2+), to the solution of the probe in methanol exhibited a remarkable change in emission at 500 nm. With the limit of detection of 10 μM, the probe could well meet the recommended (less than 32 μM in drinking water) of the World Health Organization (WHO). The intracellular Cu(2+) imaging behaviour of HL was carried out on HeLa cells.

Drought is the major abiotic stress limiting sugarcane growth and productivity. ERF proteins regulate a variety of stress responses in plant. Overexpression of TERF1 can enhance the tolerance of transgenic sugarcane to drought stress. To improve the efficiency of sugarcane breeding, better understanding of the tolerance mechanism at molecular level is required. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analyses were conducted to compare the leaf proteome of the TERF1 OE and WT sugarcane plants to PEG stress. Using statistical program, 50 significantly differential protein spots were detected, of which 36 spots were identified by PMF and MS/MS fragmentation. Most of the identified proteins corresponded to metabolism, energy, protein synthesis, and disease/defense. Results implicated that the involvement of different metabolic pathways that may be activated in the TERF1 overexpressed transgenic sugarcane to cope with drought environment. Of the identified proteins, abundance of pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) containing protein and peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) were decreased, but the abundance of vital proteins, such as metabolism protein (14-3-3 like protein), photosynthetic protein (RuBisCO large subunit, PEP carboxylase), ferredoxin, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, elongation factor Tu, several small heat shock proteins, and peroxidases were increased. Analysis of protein properties showed that majority of the differentially abundant proteins associated with drought were stable, hydrophilic, and transmembrane proteins. Thus, the results of our study unravel the regulatory mechanism of TERF1 for drought stress tolerance of transgenic sugarcane and provide new insight into adaptation to osmotic stress through altering the expression of particular proteins.

Chronic intake of alcohol is known to be the third most harmful risk factor for some serious diseases including cancer. Though chronic abuse of alcohol in high dose is reported to cause progressive damage and organ failure mainly affecting liver, whether the same in a low dose can produce any hepatotoxic or genotoxic effect is not precisely known. Therefore, in this study, effects of chronic feeding of low dose alcohol were critically assessed at both genotoxic and hepatotoxic levels in a mammalian model—mice. Mice were chronically fed 0.6 ml of 0.85 M ethanol daily for 7 days onward through 120 days and sacrificed at six fixation intervals, namely at 7, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days. Cytogenetical endpoints like chromosome aberrations, micronuclei, mitotic index from bone marrow cells and sperm head abnormality from epididymis of males were studied and for assessment of genotoxicity and several toxicity markers like acid and alkaline phosphatases, alanine and aspartate amino transferases, lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione, glutathione reductase, succinate dehydrogenase and catalase were analyzed for assessment of hepatotoxicity. Additionally, liver histology, lymphocyte viability and hepatic cell viability were also studied. In this study, although chronic consumption of the low dose of alcohol did not produce significant changes in parameters like histology, percentages of hepatic cell and lymphocyte viability but certain clastogenic changes were observed at longer intervals (60 day onward). Thus, overall results suggested possible generation of hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in chronically fed low alcohol consumption group, which could also increase cancer risk.

In homeopathy, ultra-low doses of drugs at ultra-high dilutions are often used with great benefits to patients although at such dilutions physical existence of even a single molecule of the original drug substance is highly improbable. Despite serious challenges thrown by scientists and rationalists from time to time, homeopathy has managed to survive over 200 years now, and is no more considered a myth. Research activities on homeopathy in recent years, at clinical, physical, chemical, biological and medical levels with acceptable scientific norms and approach have paved the way for more rigorous research, particularly at the molecular level to understand the physico-chemical nature and mechanism of action of ultra-high dilutions. Although major breakthrough has been made in understanding many physical aspects and interactions between the “drug” and “aquatic ethanol” used as vehicle/solvent/diluents, certain aspects in regard to structure of water/aquatic ethanol and the latter’s changing structural organization still remain unclear. In recent years, the quest for understanding the mechanism of biological action of the ultra-high dilutions has made homeopathy a hot bed of research. Much progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanism in the light of the “gene regulatory hypothesis” that can explain the action of the homeopathic high dilutions in all living organisms, both in higher and lower animals as well as in plants. The present review focuses mainly on research in support of the gene regulatory hypothesis, and mention has been made of some relevant physical and biological aspects at cellular and molecular levels.

The purpose of the study was to identify the potential risk factors for subclinical mastitis (SCM) in lactating dairy cows in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was carried out on randomly selected 212 smallholder dairy farms of Sadar upazilas of Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Satkhira districts of Bangladesh during January to October 2011. The direct interview using a structured questionnaire and physical examination of the cows were done to collect data on 15 variables. Milk samples collected from study cows were subjected to California Mastitis Test (CMT). The diagnosis of SCM was based on the results of CMT and physical examination of udder and milk. The bivariable followed by multivariable analysis was done using SPSS 17.0. Of the total cows examined, 20.2 % had subclinical mastitis. In bivariable analysis, eight risk factors were identified. However, in the final model of multivariable analysis, four potential risk factors were identified. These were history of previous clinical mastitis (odds ratio (OR) 10.51, p

Background A Bayesian latent class evaluation was used to estimate the true prevalence of brucellosis in livestock farmers and patients with prolonged pyrexia (PP) and to validate three conditionally dependent serological tests: indirect ELISA (iELISA), Rose Bengal Test (RBT), and standard tube agglutination (STAT). A total of 335 sera from livestock farmers and 300 sera from PP patients were investigated. Results The true prevalence of brucellosis in livestock farmers and PP patients was estimated to be 1.1 % (95 % credibility interval (CrI) 0.1–2.8) and 1.7 % (95 % CrI 0.2–4.1), respectively. Specificities of all tests investigated were higher than 97.8 % (95 % CrI 96.1–99.9). The sensitivities varied from 68.1 % (95 % CrI 54.5–80.7) to 80.6 % (95 % CrI 63.6–93.8). The negative predictive value of all the three tests in both populations was very high and more than 99.5 % (95 % CrI 98.6–99.9). The positive predictive value (PPV) of all three tests varied from 27.9 % (95 % CrI 3.6–62.0) to 36.3 % (95 % CrI 5.6–70.5) in livestock farmers and 39.8 % (95 % CrI 6.0–75.2) to 42.7 % (95 % CrI 6.4–83.2) in patients with PP. The highest PPV were 36.3 % for iELISA and 42.7 % for RBT in livestock farmers and pyrexic patients, respectively. Conclusions In such a low prevalence scenario, serology alone does not help in diagnosis and thereby therapeutic decision-making. Applying a second test with high specificity and/or testing patients having history of exposure with known risk factors and/or testing patients having some clinical signs and symptoms of brucellosis may increase the positive predictive value of the serologic tests. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s41182-016-0031-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The pure ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) and ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) added ADP crystals were grown by isothermal evaporation method. The solubility of ADP was determined for five different temperatures. Metastable zone width of aqueous solutions of ADP saturated at different temperatures was determined by nucleation method in pure form and adding with 0.5 mol.% EDTA. The induction period τ was measured and experiments were performed at selected degrees of supersaturation (C/C*) and the critical nucleation parameters like interfacial energy (σ), energy of formation of the critical nucleus (ΔG*) were calculated based on the classical theory of nucleation. The grown crystals have been subjected to study the structural, optical and mechanical properties. FTIR analysis has been carried out to characterize the grown crystals. The transmission spectra from (100) planes of the grown crystals show that the transmission increases from 55.86 to 83.23% due to addition of EDTA in the visible region and band gap was found to increase from 1.31 to 1.41 eV. The microhardness test was carried out on (100) plane. The load dependent hardness and work hardening coefficient were measured.

The task of combining data residing at different sources to provide the user a unified view is known as data integration. Schema mappings act as glue between the global schema and the source schemas of a data integration system. Global-and-local-as-view (GLAV) is one the approaches for specifying the schema mappings. Tableaux are used for expressing queries and functional dependencies on a single database. We investigate a general technique for expressing a GLAV mapping by a tabular structure called mapping assertion tableaux (MAT). In a similar way, we also express the tuple generating dependency (tgd) and equality generating dependency (egd) constraints by tabular forms, called tabular tgd (TTGD) and tabular egd (TEGD), respectively. A set consisting of the MATs, TTGDs and TEGDs are called schema mapping tableaux (SMT). We present algorithms that use SMT as operator on an instance of the source schema to produce an instance of the target schema. We show that the target instances computed by the SMT are `minimal' and `most general' in nature. We also define the notion of equivalence between the schema mappings of two data integration systems and present algorithms that optimize schema mappings through the manipulation of the SMT.

Young children with severe malnutrition usually have poor mental development. Psychosocial stimulation may reduce their cognitive deficit, but it is not usually provided. The aim of the study was to incorporate stimulation into the routine treatment of severely malnourished children in a nutrition unit and evaluate the impact on their growth and development.Time-lagged controlled study.Nutritional Rehabilitation Unit (NRU) in ICDDR,B Dhaka Hospital.Severely malnourished children, aged 6-24 months, admitted to the NRU were enrolled. All received standard nutritional care. A control group of 43 children was studied initially, followed by an intervention group of 54 children. The intervened mothers and children participated in daily group meetings and individual play sessions for 2 weeks in hospital and were visited at home for 6 months. Children's growth was measured and development assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.Twenty-seven children were lost to the study. In the remaining children, both groups had similar developmental scores and anthropometry initially. After 6 months, the intervention group had improved more than the controls did by a mean of 6.9 (P0.001; 95% CI: 3.9, 10.0) mental and 3.1 (P=0.024; 95% CI: 0.4, 5.7) motor raw scores and a mean of 0.4 (P=0.029; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.8) weight-for-age z scores, controlling for background variables.Psychosocial stimulation integrated into treatment of severely malnourished children in hospital, followed by home visits for 6 months, was effective in improving children's growth and development and should be an integral part of their treatment.

We investigated the physiological and biochemical mechanisms by which H2S mitigates the cadmium stress in rice. Results revealed that cadmium exposure resulted in growth inhibition and biomass reduction, which is correlated with the increased uptake of cadmium and depletion of the photosynthetic pigments, leaf water contents, essential minerals, water-soluble proteins and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Excessive cadmium also potentiated its toxicity by inducing oxidative stress, as evidenced by increased levels of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal and malondialdehyde. However, elevating endogenous H2S level improved physiological and biochemical attributes, which was clearly observed in the growth and phenotypes of H2S-treated rice plants under cadmium stress. H2S reduced cadmium-induced oxidative stress, particularly by enhancing redox status and the activities of reactive oxygen species and methylglyoxal detoxifying enzymes. Notably, H2S maintained cadmium and mineral homeostases in roots and leaves of cadmium-stressed plants. By contrast, adding H2S-scavenger hypotaurine abolished the beneficial effect of H2S, further strengthening the clear role of H2S in alleviating cadmium toxicity in rice. Collectively, our findings provide an insight into H2S-induced protective mechanisms of rice exposed to cadmium stress, thus proposing H2S as a potential candidate for managing toxicity of cadmium and perhaps other heavy metals, in rice and other crops.

For this study, characteristics and trends of the chemical constituents in bulk precipitation and streamwater were observed in a small mountainous watershed on the Shikoku Island of Japan, which covered an area of 27.4 hectares. Bulk precipitation and streamwater chemistry data spans from May 1997 to October 2004, and January 1996 to October 2004, respectively. The data were tested for two types of trends: (1) a monotonic trend to determine if concentrations of the chemical constituents were generally decreasing, increasing, or stable during the study period, and (2) a step trend to determine if a change occurred following the December 1999-January 2000 forest thinning. Both parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses were carried out in this study. Although the study area is only 35 km away from the Pacific Ocean, bulk precipitation chemistry was also influenced by terrestrial sources to a large extent. Streamwater chemistry was influenced by bedrock weathering, which was dominated by Ca2+ and HCO3−, and was not strongly related top recipitation chemistry.Non−parametric Seasonal Kendall Test(SKT)showedadeceasingtr end of Ca2+and anincreasing tr end of K+in bulk precipitation.Despite the decreasing trend of Mg2+, an increasing trend of pH was found in the stream water.Non−paramet ric Mann−Whit ney−Wilcoxon Rank Sum test showed statistically sign if icantin creases of NO3−and Ca2+ in stream water followed by a moderate thinning operation.

Currently available therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus are limited by side effects and poor response rates. A number of large-scale, double-blind, randomized, controlled trials assessing new treatments for this disease commenced in 2005, which, as discussed in this Review, suggests that we are about to enter a new era for the management of systemic lupus erythematosus. We are about to enter a new era in the treatment of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For the past 40 years hydroxychloroquine sulfate and corticosteroids, together with varying combinations of immunosuppressive drugs, have been the main treatments for SLE. Although effective for many patients, some patients fail to respond to these drugs and even more suffer from major side effects due to the generalized nature of the immunosuppression. In this article we review the remarkable confluence of new therapies ranging from newer immunosuppressive drugs with fewer side effects, such as mycophenolate mofetil, to the more targeted approaches offered by biological agents. These agents have been designed to block molecules such as CD20, CD22 and interleukin-10 that are thought to have an integral part in the development of SLE. This wolf might not yet be about to become extinct but its survival is increasingly under threat!

The general theory for quantum simulation of cubic semiconductor n-MOSFETs is presented within the effective mass equation approach. The full three-dimensional transport problem is described in terms of coupled transverse subband modes which arise due to quantum confinement along the body thickness direction. Couplings among the subbands are generated for two reasons: due to spatial variations of the confinement potential along the transport direction, and due to non-alignment of the device coordinate system with the principal axes of the constant energy conduction band ellipsoids. The problem simplifies considerably if the electrostatic potential is separable along transport and confinement directions, and further if the potential variations along the transport direction are slow enough to prevent dipolar coupling (Zener tunneling) between subbands. In this limit, the transport problem can be solved by employing two unitary operators to transform an arbitrarily oriented constant energy ellipsoid into a regular ellipsoid with principal axes along the transport, width and confinement directions of the device.

Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3-BaTi4O9 composite thin films with different BaTi4O9 concentrations were deposited on (100) LaAlO3 (LAO) single crystal substrates via a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using a combined target configuration of Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3 and BaTi4O9 ceramics. The Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3-BaTi4O9 thin films showed good crystal growth with c-orientation on (100) LAO substrates, which were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). From scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements, we could see that the crystal grains of the Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3-BaTi4O9 thin films changed from small ordered clusters to big triangle clusters with the increase of BaTi4O9 concentration. The microwave dielectric properties of the Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3-BaTi4O9 thin films under low temperature range from 65 to 120 K were measured at 7.7 Ghz and the results showed that all the thin films were in the paraelectric state. The dielectric constant and loss tangent of the Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3-BaTi4O9 thin films were modified by the addition of BaTi4O9. Specifically, the loss tangent of the composite thin films was greatly decreased from 0.025 for pure Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3 to 0.020 for the 4.7% BaTi4O9 doped Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3, and finally to 0.010 for the 15.9% BaTi4O9 doped Ba0.1Sr0.9TiO3 sample.

The homeopathic mode of treatment often encourages use of drugs at such ultra-low doses and high dilutions that even the physical existence of a single molecule of the original drug substance becomes theoretically impossible. But homeopathy has sustained for over two hundred years despite periodical challenges thrown by scientists and non-believers regarding its scientificity. There has been a spurt of research activities on homeopathy in recent years, at clinical, physical, chemical, biological and medical levels with acceptable scientific norms and approach. While clinical effects of some homeopathic drugs could be convincingly shown, one of the greatest objections to this science lies in its inability to explain the mechanism of action of the microdoses based on scientific experimentations and proofs. Though many aspects of the mechanism of action still remain unclear, serious efforts have now been made to understand the molecular mechanism(s) of biological responses to the potentized form of homeopathic drugs. In this communication, an overview of some interesting scientific works on homeopathy has been presented with due emphasis on the state of information presently available on several aspects of the molecular mechanism of action of the potentized homeopathic drugs.

Summary Background: Evidence points to a link between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and an increased risk of lung cancer. Our objective was to provide a brief report of the lung cancer cases from an SLE cohort, with respect to demographics, histology, and exposures to smoking and immunosuppressive medications. Methods: Data were obtained from a multi-site international cohort study of over 9500 SLE patients from 23 centres. Cancer cases were ascertained through linkage with regional tumor registries. Results: We analyzed information on histology subtype for 30 lung cancer cases that had occurred across five countries. Most (75%) of these 30 cases were female, with a median age of 61 (range 27—91) years. In eight cases, the histological type was not specified. In the remainder, the most common histological type reported was adenocarcinoma (N = 8; two of the adenocarcinomas were bronchoalveolar carcinoma) followed by small cell carcinoma (N = 6), and squamous cell carcinoma (N = 6) with one case each of large cell carcinoma and carcinoid tumor. Most (71%)

Clinical, basic and translational research in systemic lupus erythematosus are fast-moving fields. 2013 has seen the publication of some potentially landmark papers, which not only explore the potential of novel agents but also glean new insights from past trials.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a clinically heterogeneous disease, which is autoimmune in origin and is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies directed against nuclear antigens. It is a multi-system disease, and patients can present in vastly different ways. Prevalence varies with ethnicity, but is estimated to be about 1 per 1000 overall with a female to male ratio of 10:1. The clinical heterogeneity of this disease mirrors its complex aetiopathogenesis, which highlights the importance of genetic factors and individual susceptibility to environmental factors. SLE can affect every organ in the body. The most common manifestations include rash, arthritis and fatigue. At the more severe end of the spectrum, SLE can cause nephritis, neurological problems, anaemia and thrombocytopaenia. Over 90% of patients with SLE have positive anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA). Significant titres are accepted to be of 1:80 or greater. SLE is a relapsing and remitting disease, and treatment aims are threefold: managing acute periods of potentially life-threatening ill health, minimizing the risk of flares during periods of relative stability, and controlling the less life-threatening, but often incapacitating day to day symptoms. Hydroxychloroquine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for milder disease; corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapies are generally reserved for major organ involvement; anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody is now used in patients with severe disease who has not responded to conventional treatments. Despite enormous improvements in prognosis since the introduction of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs, SLE continues to have a significant impact on the mortality and morbidity of those affected.

Background Arsenic in groundwater and its accumulation in plants and animals have assumed a menacing proportion in a large part of West Bengal, India and adjoining areas of Bangladesh. Because of the tremendous magnitude of the problem, there seems to be no way to tackle the problem overnight. Efforts to provide arsenic free water to the millions of people living in these dreaded zones are being made, but are awfully inadequate. In our quest for finding out an easy, safe and affordable means to combat this problem, a homeopathic drug, Arsenicum Album-30, appears to yield promising results in mice. The relative efficacies of two micro doses of this drug, namely, Arsenicum Album-30 and Arsenicum Album-200, in combating arsenic toxicity have been determined in the present study on the basis of some accepted biochemical protocols. Methods Mice were divided into different sets of control (both positive and negative) and treated series (As-intoxicated, As-intoxicated plus drug-fed). Alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) level in liver and blood were analyzed in the different series of mice at six different fixation intervals. Results Both Arsenicum Album-30 and Arsenicum Album-200 ameliorated arsenic-induced toxicity to a considerable extent as compared to various controls. Conclusions The results lend further support to our earlier views that microdoses of potentized Arsenicum Album are capable of combating arsenic intoxication in mice, and thus are strong candidates for possible use in human subjects in arsenic contaminated areas under medical supervision.

Do high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels help predict risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with osteoarthritis?

Previously we reported that the variable heavy chain region (VH) of a human beta2 glycoprotein I-dependent monoclonal antiphospholipid antibody (IS4) was dominant in conferring the ability to bind cardiolipin (CL). In contrast, the identity of the paired variable light chain region (VL) determined the strength of CL binding. In the present study, we examine the importance of specific arginine residues in IS4VH and paired VL in CL binding. The distribution of arginine residues in complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of VH and VL sequences was altered by site-directed mutagenesis or by CDR exchange. Ten different 2a2 germline gene-derived VL sequences were expressed with IS4VH and the VH of an anti-dsDNA antibody, B3. Six variants of IS4VH, containing different patterns of arginine residues in CDR3, were paired with B3VL and IS4VL. The ability of the 32 expressed heavy chain/light chain combinations to bind CL was determined by ELISA. Of four arginine residues in IS4VH CDR3 substituted to serines, two residues at positions 100 and 100 g had a major influence on the strength of CL binding while the two residues at positions 96 and 97 had no effect. In CDR exchange studies, VL containing B3VL CDR1 were associated with elevated CL binding, which was reduced significantly by substitution of a CDR1 arginine residue at position 27a with serine. In contrast, arginine residues in VL CDR2 or VL CDR3 did not enhance CL binding, and in one case may have contributed to inhibition of this binding. Subsets of arginine residues at specific locations in the CDRs of heavy chains and light chains of pathogenic antiphospholipid antibodies are important in determining their ability to bind CL.

When purified under rigorous conditions, some murine anti-double-stranded-DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies actually bind chromatin rather than dsDNA. This suggests that they may actually be antinucleosome antibodies that only appear to bind dsDNA when they are incompletely dissociated from nucleosomes. Experiments in murine models suggest that antibody–nucleosome complexes may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus. Some human monoclonal anti-DNA antibodies are pathogenic when administered to mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Our objective was to achieve stable expression of sequence-altered variants of one such antibody, B3, in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Purified antibodies secreted by these cells were tested to investigate whether B3 is actually an antinucleosome antibody. The pathogenic effects of the antibodies were tested by implanting CHO cells secreting them into SCID mice. Purified B3 does not bind to dsDNA unless supernatant from cultured cells is added, but does bind to nucleosomes. The strength of binding to dsDNA and nucleosomes is dependent on the sequence of the light chain. Mice that received CHO cells secreting wild-type B3 developed more proteinuria and died earlier than control mice that received nonsecreting CHO cells or mice that received B3 with a single light chain mutation. However, none of the mice had histological changes or deposition of human immunoglobulin G in the kidneys. Sequence changes may alter the pathogenicity of B3, but further studies using different techniques are needed to investigate this possibility.

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of some weed extracts against field dodderCuscuta campestris Yunck. on alfalfa (Medicago stiva L.) and to identify and quantify the phytotoxic agents of these extracts. All concentrations of aqueous extract of every weed showed significant effectiveness on dodder when compared to the untreated plant under lath house and field conditions. Control percentages of the (0.5 g) of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) and wall goosefoot (Chenopodium murale) ranged between 83 and 96, and the same concentration caused injury to alfalfa foliage up to 43% when applied in the field. Phytotoxic agents were identified as phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic, isochlorogenic,p-coumaric acids, and scopoletin. Their quantities varied with species; Bermuda grass had the highest content (32.2 μg/g dry weight) followed by Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), well goosefoot, and tumble pigweed (Amaranthus albus). These results might aid in screening for effective alternate approaches for controlling dodder on alfalfa planted for seeds.

We may conclude as follows: 1. A comparative advantage in agriculture, if it exists, does not necessarily warrant complete specialization in agriculture in the best interests of an expanding country. The technical rate of substitution between agricultural and Industrial products is only one among several considerations that should enter into a decision to keep on specializing in agriculture or to move towards industrialization. 2. The case for keeping on specializing in agriculture is strongest if the expected demand for exports of agricultural products from the country is perfectly elastic at a terms of trade favourable to agriculture. Even in this case, with a long-term multi-period plan, concentration of investment in agriculture throughout the plan-period is not necessarily the best policy if rate of saving in industry is higher than that in agriculture. 3. With a downward falling export demand function for agriculture, even in a short run one-period plan, a move towards industrialization may be warranted depending on the relative values of the ‘constants’ of the planning model. These values can even be such as to call for a halt to agricultural expansion altogether and concentration ofall investment in industry. 4. With the export demand function falling downward thevolume of resources planned for investment has a significant role in dictating the direction in which expansion should be planned.Greater the volume of investment, i. e., faster the rate of growth of real national income planned, stronger is the case for industrialization in a one-period as well as in a multi-period plan. This incidentally has interesting bearing on flows of large foreign aid from advanced to underdeveloped countries.