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Proper management and selection of a single drug or multiple drugs for the treatment of diabetes is very important. The choice of treatment depends on a number of factors. With the proper treatment, the state of diabetes can be managed very smoothly. The main objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of insulin, biguanides and sulfonylurea on HbA1C in diabetic patients. This interventional type of study was carried out among 102 diabetic patients attending at different hospitals in Rajshahi of Bangladesh. In this case purposive sampling technique was followed and data revealed that mean age of the patients was 45.98±11.23 years and most of them (35.30) were housewife. Among the insulin receiving group, 41.18% were male and 58.82% were female. In case of the biguanide receiving taking group 44.12% were male and 55.88% were female while for the sulfonylurea receiving group 35.29% were male and 64.71% were female. Regarding body mass index (BMI) among the respondents, it was found that 0.98% had BMI

Context: Abuse of the drug, Phensedyl like any other drug might exert adverse effects on vital organs of th e h u m an body like liver, kidney and heart. Objectives: To determine the effects of Phensedyl intake on the serum biochemical parameters of the addicts in order to access for damages of vital human organs like liver, kidney and heart. Materials and Methods: Study population consisted of 127 male Phensedyl addicts within the ages of 18–55 years of defined criteria from Gaibandha district, a Northern part of Bangladesh, during July 2009 to December 2011. Fifty (50) non-drug dependent healthy men of matched age, height, and socioeconomic status were included as controls from the same community. Biochemical parameters analyzed were – Serum creatinine, SGOT, SGPT and Lipid profiles (total serum cholesterol (TC), Serum triglyceride (TG), serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol determined by semiautomatic biochemistry analyzer using commercially available kits Results : Abuse of Phensedyl appears not to hamper the normal renal and liver function in most of the addicts even after 8 years of Phensedyl intake irrespective of age except in case of 4 abusers. Serum total cholesterol (TC) remained almost unchanged among the addicts abusing Phensedyl for less than 8 years. But very strikingly, addicts taking Phensedyl for more than 8 years had higher trends in serum cholesterol i.e. more than 200 ml/dl. Of the addict’s, 44.36% abusing Phensedyl for less than 8 years had normal triglyceride (TG) values whereas, in 45.66% addicts abusing the drug for more than 8 years had clinically very significantly elevated triglyceride levels, which was also found to be statistically very significant (p value =0.0001), indicating the risk of developing cardiac diseases. Of the total addicts 53.53% had low levels of HDL cholesterol, which is clinically and statistically found to be very significant (p value =0.002). Of the addict’s 43% taking the drug for less than 8 years had normal LDL levels but significantly elevated values were recorded in 34% of the abusers who had been taking the drug for more than 8 years. Conclusion: Long time (> 8 years) Phensedyl abusers are at the high risk of developing Brain stroke, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), Ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) as there is the triad of: Elevated LDL cholesterol, Low HDL cholesterol and elevated Triglyceride. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v20i0.17656 J. bio-sci. 20: 57-65, 2012

The effect of gamma radiation on the shelf life extension of Bananas was studied. Bananas were treated with three gamma radiation doses of 0.30k Gy; 0.40k Gy and 0.50k Gy for 5 mins respectively and stored in a dry place under room conditions (25±2°C/ 80± 5% RH). The physical conditions of the radiation treated and control bananas were observed at every 2 days interval for their organoleptic properties till spoilage. The control bananas ripened within 6 days while the gamma irradiated bananas ripened within 26 days, indicating that the shelf life of banana was extended by 20 days thereby delaying banana ripening. The nutrient contents as well as some important physico-chemical parameters of the irradiated Bananas and the control Bananas were analyzed quantitatively at an interval of 2-4 days throughout the experimental period. A minor decrease in the ascorbic acid content was the only adverse effects observed in irradiated bananas and no other major changes occured in nutritional and organoleptic qualities and the chemical constituents of banana is maintained. A taste-testing panel of 16 panelists determined the acceptability of the fruit. The scores given by the panelists were statistically analyzed and the treated bananas were found to be acceptable up to 26 days at room temperature whereas in the case of control the fruits were spoiled within 6 days. Thus, radiation can be used for the shelf life extension of Bananas and is not harmful to health.  Key words: Banana, gamma-irradiation, shelf life extension.  doi: 10.3329/jbs.v15i0.2202 J. bio-sci. 15: 47-53, 2007

Context: Worldwide emergence of plasmid mediated multi drug resistant bacterial strain is a growing concern, especially in hospital infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Relation of plasmid and drug resistance in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa by curing and transformation experiments is scanty. Objectives: To isolate, purify and characterize plasmid DNA harbored in a selected Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain encoding multiple drug resistance and to perform transformation of the isolated plasmid into a sensitive strain of Escherichia coli LE 392 to judge transformation potential of the donor P. aeruginosa strain. Materials and Methods: Plasmid DNA was isolated from a multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain of P. aeruginosa obtained from swab of a hospitalized burn patient by mini-scale method. DNA was purified, quantitatively estimated and electrophoresed on 0.8% agarose gel. Transformation was done as per Cohen and co-workers using plasmid DNA isolated from MDR P. aeruginosa strain as the donor and the E. coli LE 392 strain. The presence of plasmid in transformants checked through electrophoresis and the transformants was also tested for each drug resistance already recorded for the donor strain by disc diffusion method and again confirmed by spreading its culture on the selected antibiotic plate of different concentrations. Results: A single plasmid of nearly 29.5 kb mass was isolated from MDR P. aeruginosa strain from clinical swab. This plasmid was transferred into sensitive and plasmid lacking recipient E. coli LE 392. Subsequent experiments on the transformed strain revealed that it acquired MDR and harbored a 29.5 kb plasmid which resembled to that of the donor strain proving that it encodes transferable MDR. Conclusion: The MDR P. aeruginosa strain contained a transferable plasmid conferring resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin. Key words: Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Multidrug–resistance; plasmid isolation; transformation. DOI: 10.3329/jbs.v17i0.7113 J. bio-sci. 17: 95-100, 2009

A study was carried out on four papaya varieties namely, Bombai, Deshi, Shahi (Yellow) and Shahi (Red) for their physico-chemical composition grown at Rajshahi. The results showed that maximum fruit weight was observed in Bombai and lowest in Shahi (Red). It was also found that recovery of pulp, TSS and total sugar were 80.46-87.41%, 9.0-13.0% and 6.96-10.50% respectively. Key words: Papaya, physical composition and chemical composition. J. bio-sci. 14: 83-86, 2006

Serum thyroid hormone levels have been assayed to evaluate the thyroid hormonal function in Vitiligo patients of Bangladesh. The levels of TSH, T 3 and T 4 in the serum of Vitiligo patients have been analyzed in both the male and female subjects. Results of hormonal assay indicated that some hormonal changes occurred in the Vitiligo patients as compared with the healthy control. In female Vitiligo patient's, TSH level was increased remarkably as compared to the control male patients, but T 3 and T 4 became lower than the normal range whereas, in case of male patients, T 4 level was significantly higher than the T 3 and TSH level. TSH level was significantly elevated in the female patients compared with the male patients. Key words: Thyroid hormones, Vitiligo, TSH, T 3 and T 4 levels. DOI:10.3329/jbs.v16i0.3749 J. bio-sci. 16: 101-103, 2008