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Herein, we have developed a fully automated optofluidic device to execute enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using an active 96-well hybrid lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device. To automate the solution loading into the reaction zone of the device and the post-assayed signal analysis, laser irradiation-induced image whitening was utilized with a smartphone-based optical platform. Two optical phenomena were utilized in our platform to detect the liquid in the reaction chamber using a smartphone. First, by Fresnel's equation, the refraction difference between air and water resulted in the intensity change of the reflected light from the reaction chamber. Therefore, when the liquid was entering into the reaction chamber, the intensity of the reflected light was changed. Second, when the light intensity increases, the smartphone-captured image whitens out due to saturation, even when the red color light was incident. Therefore, by measuring the RGB value of the smartphone image, the intensity changes by the liquid movement in the reaction chamber were successfully monitored. Our platform showed a low detection limit of 7.81 pg/mL for the detection of the NT-proBNP human cardiac biomarker with almost a half standard deviation, compared to the manually operated LOC-based ELISA. As a fully automated LOC adopting a conventional 96-well ELISA platform, we thus concluded that the developed platform can be widely applied for point-of-care clinical tests.

Background: It is well known that coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is considered as gold standard treatment of left main (LM) stem disease. Over the years PCI of left main (LM) stem disease, proved its non-inferiority to CABG in treating LM stem disease Objectives: Exact data of LM stem PCI and its procedural success, in-hospital, and post-procedural one-year survival outcome in-terms of repeat hospitalization due to re-infarction, LVF and death, in our population not known clearly. Therefore, we have carried out this prospective observational cohort to see the overall outcomes of LM Stem, PCI in our population Methods and materials: Patients who underwent elective CAG and found LM stem disease and planned for PCI, were enrolled in this non-randomized observational study between November 2013 to September 2019. Total 146 patient (F 29; Male 117) were enrolled in this study. Results: Out of 146 patients, female :19.8% (n=29) vs Male: 80.1% (n=117). Among, these patient females were more obese (BMI: Female 29.8 ± 3.6 vs male 26.8 ± 3.8). Male patients were older than female; Male 59 yrs. vs female 56 yrs. Among the CAD risk factors Hypertension (HTN) 67.8% (n=99), dyslipidemia 56.2% (n=82), Diabetes Mellitus (DM) 51.4% (n=75), smoking 31.5% (n=46), Family history of CAD (FH) 21.2% (n=31). In this study, 19.2%(n=28) patient had CABG in the past. Common Stented territories were ostial LM 6.8%(n=10), shaft of LM 28.8% (n=42), distal LMLAD 47.3% (n=69), distal LM-LCX 15.1% (n=22) and distal LM-RI 2.7% (n=4). Common DES were Everolimus 69.9% (n=102), Sirolimus 12.3% (n=18), Zotarolimus 9.6%(n=14), BMS 4.8% (n=7), Sirolimus with Epithelial Progenitor Cell 3.4% (n=5), and Biolimus 2.1% (n=3). In terms of post procedural dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), patients receiving Clopidogrel were 57.5% (n=85), Ticagrelor 28.8% (n=42), and Prasugrel 13.7% (n=20). Total 12 patient died due to acute, sub-acute stent thrombosis or reinfarction with or without arrhythmia. Relook CAG done was only in 14.4% (n=21) patients, Stent patency 80.9% (n=17), significant ISR, later went to CABG 14.3%(n=3) and mild ISR 4.7% (n=1). IVUS guided PCI were done only in 10.9% (n=16) patients. Major adverse cardiac events in terms of periprocedural MI, repeat hospitalization or death were not common in this study. Conclusion: PCI of LM stem disease is one of the important treatment modalities over CABG in our patient population. Very few patients developed re-stenosis, that needs repeat revascularization either by PCI or CABG. Thus, we may conclude, PCI of LM stem disease might be an alternative to CABG and needs comparative multicenter study to justify its superiority outcome in our patient population. Bangladesh Heart Journal 2020; 35(2) : 78-86

Ganglioside GD3/GD2 are over-expressed in various neuroectoderm-derived tumors. Previous studies indicated that GD3 is involved in the enhancement of cancer properties such as rapid growth and increased invasiveness. However, little is known about the functions of GD3/GD2 in glioma cells and glioma microenvironments. To clarify the functions of GD3/GD2 in gliomas, we used a mouse glioma model based on the RCAS/Gtv-a system. At first, we compared the gliomas size between wild-type (WT) and GD3 synthase (GD3S) knockout (KO) mice, showing a less malignant histology and slower tumor growth in GD3S-KO mice than in WT mice. Immunohistochemistry of glioma sections from WT and GD3S-KO mice revealed that reactive microglia/macrophages showed different localization patterns between the two genetic types of mice. CD68+ cells were more frequently stained inside glioma tissues of GD3S-KO mice, while they were stained mainly around glioma tissues in WT mice. The number of CD68+ cells markedly increased in tumor tissues of GD3S-KO mice at 2 weeks after injection of transfectant DF-1 cells. Furthermore, CD68+ cells in GD3S(-/-) glioma tissues expressed higher levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase. We observed higher expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes in primary-cultured glioma cells of WT mice than in GD3S-KO mice. DNA microarray data also revealed differential expression levels of various cytokines and chemokines in glioma tissues between WT and GD3S-KO mice. These results suggest that expression of GD3S allows glioma cells to promote polarization of microglia/macrophages towards M2-like phenotypes by modulating the expression levels of chemokines and cytokines.

Dimolar pentanoylation of methyl α-D-glucopyranoside using direct method furnished the 2,6-di-O-pentanoate indicating regioselectivity at C-6 and C-2 positions. To develop glucopyranoside based potential antimicrobial agents, 2,6-di-O-pentanoate was further converted into eight newer 3,4-di-O-acyl esters reasonably in good yields. Both prediction of activity spectra for substances (PASS) and in vitro antimicrobial activity test established them as better antifungals than antibacterials. PASS predication also indicated that these sugar esters (SEs) are more potent as anticarcinogenic agents than as antioxidant agents. Structure activity relationship along with in silico ADMET studies clearly indicated that combination of pentanoyl (C5) and lauroyl (C12) in the glucopyranoside framework could be a potential antifungal agent especially against Macrophomina phaseolina.

ABSTRACT: The research is focused on investigating if insufficiently preserved shale can still be valuable in a correct geomechanical characterization of the material. This is achieved by targeted attempts leading to reverse the processes that diminished the quality of the material in the first place, allowing the shale to regain the original rock properties. The focus is limited, for now, to recapture the saturation state by investigating the fluid effect on the mechanical and acoustic response. A considerable number of basic mechanical and acoustic tests were conducted on poorly preserved Opalinus clay to identify the pristine properties of this material. Among these, the strength of the shale was measured by unconfined compressive strength, scratch, and punch tests, whereas the acoustic wave velocity was tested by continuous-wave technique and through-transmission method. The experiments were performed for three saturation states: ‘as-received’, dry and re-saturated. To confront the outcome, the same test campaign was conducted on well-preserved Opalinus clay from a nearby location, at the Mont Terri underground laboratory in Switzerland. Results show that obtaining valuable data on the damaged cores, such as unpreserved shale, is possible by utilizing adequate testing methods. One example are tests on the small-size samples that provide reliable information regarding the acoustic and mechanical properties of the material. It is, however, disputable to what extent one can recover the original properties from the unpreserved material. 1. INTRODUCTION Shales make up more than 70% of drilled formations. Therefore, understanding shale properties is crucial for many subsurface activities. These include operations such as gas storage (carbon dioxide or hydrogen), well-integrity, borehole stability prediction, evaluation of shale as a permanent barrier, as well as infill drilling and mining activities. Characterization of the shale can be carried out by both direct and indirect methods. The first relies on conventional core analysis, whereas the others are based on petrological models of log data. Although the direct methods are seemingly more reliable, they require access to material with sufficient quality and being well-preserved. The shale core extraction is, however, a very costly and demanding process. Therefore, finding the way to obtain data from (i) insufficiently preserved cores, e.g., dried out due to inadequate sealing, (ii) post-tested samples and remnants, or even (iii) cuttings collected on well-site, is of great interest to the industry. Input from the petroleum industry and literature search gives the impression of a clear knowledge gap on understanding the effect that insufficient preservation has on the results and how to achieve fast, inexpensive, and reliable geochemical, mineralogical, petrophysical, or mechanical data from poor-quality material.

PCR is a powerful tool for the amplification of genetic sequences but sometimes, even though using an established PCR protocol that had been optimized and successful for the amplification of a particular DNA segment, use of that same protocol on a different region can result in a less than desirable outcome. Therefore, an experiment was conducted at Molecular biology laboratory of Malaysian Nuclear Agency during December 2016 to January 2017 used seeds of 6 indica rice cultivars. To conduce RAPD experiments for the rice species it was established the following reaction conditions for the final volume of 20 μl where 0.1 unit of Taq DNA polymerase, 0.4 μl of each dNTP, 2.5 mM MgCl2, 1 μl primer and 2.0 μl of DNA template. From this experiment, it is clear that after mutation the parent MR219 performed some genetic modification and produce genetically different variety namely NMR151, NMR152, ML3, ML10 and ML30. These mutant varieties have two different groups based on their mutation source and it is clear enough from their RAPD profile. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 9 (1): 1-7, June, 2019

Covid-19 pandemic has affected millions of patients, killed more than half a million, and poses major health threat globally. There is high demand for clinical resources and bed space for COVID- 19 patients. Admission of patient of any cardiac emergency in a common block of hospital, country like Bangladesh, may exposes the risk of infection among non-COVID patient. Patient with COVID- 19 and pre-existing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have increased risk of further aggravation and death. COVID-19 infection is usually associated with multiple direct and indirect cardiovascular complications, such as acute myocardial injury, myocarditis, arrhythmias, heart failure and venous thromboembolism. Health care worker may pose themselves in vulnerability as they become host or vectors of virus transmission. Defeating COVID-19 and managing acute cardiovascular emergencies in COVID-19 era exposes non-COVID-19 patient, may need dramatic reshaping of care delivery, novel approaches to patient’s management and large-scale reallocation of resources. Cardiovasc. j. 2020; 13(1): 75-80

Different esters were found potential against microorganisms, and could be a better choice to solve the multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogenic global issue due to their improved biological and pharmacokinetic properties. In this view, several 4-t-butylbenzoyl uridine esters 4–15 with different aliphatic and aromatic groups were synthesized for antimicrobial, physicochemical and biological studies. In vitro antimicrobial tests against nine bacteria and three fungi along with prediction of activity spectra for substances (PASS) indicated promising antifungal functionality of these uridine esters compared to the antibacterial activities. In support of this observation their cytotoxicity and molecular docking studies have been performed against lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51A1) and Aspergillus flavus (1R51). Significant binding affinities were observed against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (7BQY) considering hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as standard. ADMET predictions were investigated to evaluate their absorption, metabolism and toxic properties. Most of the uridine esters showed better results than that of the HCQ. Overall, the present study might be useful for the development of uridine-based novel MDR antimicrobial and COVID-19 drugs., Graphical Abstract Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

The structural, elastic, electronic, vibrational, optical, thermodynamic, and superconducting properties of potentially technologically important superconductors CaIrSi3, CaPtSi3, LaIrSi3, and LaRhSi3 have calculated by using density functional theory (DFT) with CASTEP code. The investigated results are compared with available experimental and theoretical values. All the calculated values are well agreed with the experimental and theoretical values. The single elastic moduli for all the compounds show mechanical stabilities under the Born stability conditions. The ductility nature appears from the value of Pugh ratio. The band structure shows that the material behaves metallic nature. The overall superior discussion of charge density and charge density difference map reveals the ionic, covalent, and metallic nature of noncentrosymmetric superconductors. The Fermi surface shows the hole and electron-like sheets. Various optical parameters are also investigated. The different optical and thermodynamic properties have also been observed in the present study. The reflectance spectrum reveals that these compounds have the influence to be used as a proficient solar reflector. The analyzed minimum thermal conductivity denotes the low thermal conductivity at ambient conditions. The Debye temperature has also been evaluated by using present single elastic constants data. The detailed study of the superconducting parameter indicates the phonon-mediated medium coupled BCS superconductors. The acquired knowledge in the present inquiry could provide a prominent encouragement for future theoretical studies.

A number of plant-derived drugs have been prescribed for treating atherothrombotic disorders such as myocardial or cerebral infarction. Therefore, this study investigated the individual and combined antithrombotic effects of six Asian plants on individuals with various BMIs. Venous blood drawn from healthy volunteers was allowed to form clots and treated with six organic fractions of Ophiorrhiza harrisiana Heyne, Haldina cordifolia (Roxb.) Ridsdale, Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk, Syzygium operculatum L., Lantana camara L., and Acanthus ilicifolius Linn. using the clot-lysis method. The weight of the clot before and after treatment provided the percentage of clot lysis. Variations in clot lysis in different BMI groups were assessed. A. ilicifolius induced the most thrombolytic activity, whereas L. camara showed slightly lower thrombolytic activity. The maximum clot-lysis activity was primarily observed in different fractions of O. harrisana, H. cordifolia, E. alba, S. operculatum, and A. ilicifolius. However, chloroform fractions of all plants except O. harrisana and L. camara showed maximum activity in individual plants. O. harrisana, H. cordifolia, E. alba, S. operculatum, L. camara, and A. ilicifolius showed the highest significant (P < 0.5 and P < 0.001) clotlysis activity viz., 46.60±0.79% (ethyl acetate), 55.40±1.023% (chloroform), 48.86±1.35% (CCl4 ), 44.89±1.76% (chloroform), 29.17±1.12% (ethanol), and 56.318±1.64% (chloroform). Obtained results were verified by ligandreceptor interaction through in silico approach. In conclusion, H. cordifolia, E. alba, and A. ilicifolius demonstrated promising thrombolytic effects; therefore, it is recommended that they be studied further for their therapeutic potential.

Background: Several studies has shown that impaired renal function might be an important predictor of adverse cardiovascular events in patient with ST elevated myocardial Infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous intervention (pPCI). Exact data on clinical impact of baseline or admission serum creatinine level of STEMI patient undergoing pPCI in our patient population not well established. Therefore, we have carried out this non-randomized study to see the effects of S. creatinine level on major adverse cardiovascular outcomes among STEMI patient undergoing pPCI. Methods: Patients were enrolled in this observational non-randomized prospective cohort between November 2017-July 2019, who were presented into our emergency department with acute onset of severe chest pain or angina with ECG evidenced of acute ST elevated myocardial infarction. Total 137 patient (F 12; Male 125) were enrolled in this study. Results: Out of 137 patients, female :12 (8.75%) vs Male: 125 (91.2%). Among, these patient females were more obese (BMI: Female 27.0 ± 2.2 vs male 25.4 ± 4.9) and developed CAD in advance age (Female 59.1 ± 14.5 vs Male 53.4 ± 10.5). Among the 137 patients, 89 (65%) were dyslipidemia, 72 (52.6%) were hypertensive, Diabetic 66(48%), Smoker 70 (51%) and FH positive for CAD were 31 (22.6%). According to the involvement of myocardium infarction, STEMI diagnosis of Anterior MI were 48.9% (n=67) and Inferior MI 51.1% (n=70). An elevated serum creatinine level was defined as creatinine >1.2mg/dl. Based on baseline serum creatinine level, patients were divided into group-A and Group-B. In Group-A. Total 68 patients have S. Creatinine level 1.2. Anterior MI were higher in group -B patient than Group-A; Ant MI as 35 (50.4%) vs 31(45.6%), Inf MIL: 34 (49.35) vs 34 (50%), Shock 11 (15.9%) vs 6 (8.8%0, CHB 4 (5.8%) vs 4 (5.9%), Death 12 (17.4%) vs 2 (2.9%) and LVF 5(7.2%) vs 1(1.5%) with 7 days in-hospital stay after primary PCI. Territory wise involvement of vessel in Group-B patient has more involvement of LAD 35 (50.7%) and Group-A has RCA 26(38.2%). Conclusion: In this present study, we found, that in acute STEMI patients, baseline higher serum creatinine level is associated with more AMI related complications and death than in lower serum creatinine level. Thus, we may conclude that baseline admission serum creatinine level may be an important predictor for both in-hospital and 12-month survival outcomes in STEMI patients undergoing pPCI. Cardiovasc. j. 2020; 12(2): 135-142

The readthrough of premature termination codon (PTC) by ribosome sometimes produces full-length proteins. We previously reported a readthrough of PTC of glycosyltransferase gene B4GALNT1 with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). Here we featured the readthrough of B4GALNT1 of two mutants, M4 and M2 with PTC by immunoblotting and flow cytometry after transfection of B4GALNT1 cDNAs into cells. Immunoblotting showed a faint band of full-length mutant protein of M4 but not M2 at a similar position with that of wild-type B4GALNT1. AGC sequences at immediately before and after the PTC in M4 were critical for the readthrough. Treatment of cells transfected with mutant M4 cDNA with aminoglycosides resulted in increased readthrough of PTC. Furthermore, treatment of transfectants of mutant M2 cDNA with G418 also resulted in the induction of readthrough of PTC. Both M4 and M2 cDNA transfectants showed increased/induced bands in immunoblotting and GM2 expression in a dose-dependent manner of aminoglycosides. Results of mass spectrometry supported this effect. Here, we showed for the first time the induction and/or enhancement of the readthrough of PTCs of B4GALNT1 by aminoglycoside treatment, suggesting that aminoglycosides are efficient for patients with HSP caused by PTC of B4GALNT1, in which gradual neurological disorders emerged with aging.

Background Justicia adhatoda and Ocimum tenuiflorum, locally known as bashok and tulsi, are two ethnomedicinally important herbs that have been using as dietary supplements for several therapeutic applications. This study evaluated the combined effect of both the herbs as an antioxidative and antihyperlipidemic agent. Methods Antihyperlipidemic effect was assessed in a high‐fat diet‐induced hyperlipidemic model in Wistar albino rats. The rats were treated orally with extracts of bashok (J adhatoda, 200 mg/kg bw), tulshi (O tenuiflorum, 200 mg/kg bw), and a combination of bashok and tulshi (50:50), as well as with a reference drug, atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day), with or without high‐fat diet for 14 days. The antioxidative effect was studied using established in vitro models. The studies were supported by experimentally testing the effects of the extracts on membrane stabilization and inhibition of protein denaturation. Results The results showed that the serum lipid profile was significantly decreased in the different treatment groups, with bashok having the greatest effect. Body weights, total serum protein, LDH, and relative liver and adipose tissue weights were markedly restored towards baseline values, the lowest atherogenic index being achieved with the combined extract. The combination treatment significantly enhanced total phenolic content and antioxidative capacity and greatly potentiated membrane stabilization, but inhibition of protein denaturation was not significantly affected. Conclusion The data demonstrate that a combination of Justicia adhatoda and Ocimum tenuiflorum could be developed as a food supplement with antioxidative and antihyperlipidemic benefits.

It is essential to develop high salt-tolerant rice varieties in order to cultivate the salt-affected lands. In this study, Na

SPAK inhibitor ZT-1a was previously shown to be neuroprotective in murine ischemic stroke models. In this study, we further examined the efficacy of four ZT-1a derivatives (ZT-1c, -1d, -1g and -1h) on reducing stroke-induced sensorimotor function impairment and brain lesions. Vehicle control (Veh) or ZT-1 derivatives were administered via osmotic pump to adult C57BL/6J mice during 3-21 h post-stroke. Neurological behavior of these mice was assessed at days 1, 3, 5, and 7 post-stroke and MRI T2WI and DTI analysis was subsequently conducted in ex vivo brains. Veh-treated stroke mice displayed sensorimotor function deficits compared to Sham mice. In contrast, mice receiving ZT-1a derivatives displayed significantly lower neurological deficits at days 3-7 post-stroke (p 0.05), with ZT-1a, ZT-1c and ZT-1d showing greater impact than ZT-1h and ZT-1g. ZT-1a treatment was the most effective in reducing brain lesion volume on T2WI and in preserving NeuN + neurons (p 0.01), followed by ZT-1d -1c -1g -1h. The Veh-treated stroke mice displayed white matter tissue injury, reflected by reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) or axial diffusivity (AD) values in external capsule, internal capsule and hippocampus. In contrast, only ZT-1a-as well as ZT-1c-treated stroke mice exhibited significantly higher FA and AD values. These findings demonstrate that post-stroke administration of SPAK inhibitor ZT-1a and its derivatives (ZT-1c and ZT-1d) is effective in protecting gray and white matter tissues in ischemic brains, showing a potential for ischemic stroke therapy development.

Background The mechanisms underlying dysfunction of choroid plexus (ChP) blood–cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier and lymphocyte invasion in neuroinflammatory responses to stroke are not well understood. In this study, we investigated whether stroke damaged the blood–CSF barrier integrity due to dysregulation of major ChP ion transport system, Na+–K+–Cl− cotransporter 1 (NKCC1), and regulatory Ste20-related proline-alanine-rich kinase (SPAK). Methods Sham or ischemic stroke was induced in C57Bl/6J mice. Changes on the SPAK–NKCC1 complex and tight junction proteins (TJs) in the ChP were quantified by immunofluorescence staining and immunoblotting. Immune cell infiltration in the ChP was assessed by flow cytometry and immunostaining. Cultured ChP epithelium cells (CPECs) and cortical neurons were used to evaluate H2O2-mediated oxidative stress in stimulating the SPAK–NKCC1 complex and cellular damage. In vivo or in vitro pharmacological blockade of the ChP SPAK–NKCC1 cascade with SPAK inhibitor ZT-1a or NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide were examined. Results Ischemic stroke stimulated activation of the CPECs apical membrane SPAK–NKCC1 complex, NF-κB, and MMP9, which was associated with loss of the blood–CSF barrier integrity and increased immune cell infiltration into the ChP. Oxidative stress directly activated the SPAK–NKCC1 pathway and resulted in apoptosis, neurodegeneration, and NKCC1-mediated ion influx. Pharmacological blockade of the SPAK–NKCC1 pathway protected the ChP barrier integrity, attenuated ChP immune cell infiltration or neuronal death. Conclusion Stroke-induced pathological stimulation of the SPAK–NKCC1 cascade caused CPECs damage and disruption of TJs at the blood–CSF barrier. The ChP SPAK–NKCC1 complex emerged as a therapeutic target for attenuating ChP dysfunction and lymphocyte invasion after stroke.

Immunotherapy of malignant cancers is now becoming one of representative approaches to overcome cancers. To construct strategies for immunotherapy, presence of tumor-specific antigens should be a major promise. A number of cancer specific- or cancer-associated antigens have been reported based on various experimental sets and various animal systems. The most reasonable strategy to define tumor-specific antigens might be "autologous typing" performed by Old's group, proposing three classes of tumor-antigens recognized by host immune systems of cancer patients. Namely, class 1, individual antigens that is present only in the patient's sample analyzed; class 2, shared antigens that can be found only in some group of cancers in some patients, but not in normal cells and tissues; class 3, universal antigens that are present in some cancers but also in normal cells and tissues with different densities. Sen Hakomori reported there were novel carbohydrates in cancers that could not be detected in normal cells mainly by biochemical approaches. Consequently, many of class 2 cancer-specific antigens have been revealed to be carbohydrate antigens, and been used for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Not only as cancer markers, but roles of those cancer-associated carbohydrates have also been recognized as functional molecules in cancer cells. In particular, roles of complex carbohydrates in the regulation of cell signaling on the cell surface microdomains, glycolipid-enriched microdomain (GEM)/rafts have been reported by Hakomori and many other researchers including us. The processes and present status of these studies on cancer-associated glycolipids were summarized.

The heavy-metal-associated (HMA) family plays a major role in the transportation of metals. Despite having the genome sequence of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), the HMA gene family has not been studied yet. In this study, we identified 48 HMA genes and categorized them into Cu/Ag P1B-ATPase and Zn/Co/Cd/Pb P1BATPase sub-families according to their phylogenic relationship with Arabidopsis and rice. The SlHMA genes were distributed throughout the 12 chromosomes. Analysis of gene structure, chromosomal position, and synteny, revealed that segmental duplications bestowed their evolution. The high numbers of stress-related cis-elements were found to be present in the putative promoter regions indicate the involvement of SlHMAs in stress modulation pathways. RNA-seq data revealed that SlHMAs had divergent expression in different tissues and developmental stages, where members of Cu/Ag P1B-ATPase subfamily were strongly expressed in the roots. RT-qPCR analysis of nine selected SlHMAs showed that most of the genes were up-regulated in response to heavy metals and moderately regulated in response to different abiotic stresses such as salt, drought, and cold.

Site selective acylation of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides are very necessary for the preparation of both natural and novel synthetic carbohydrate compounds, synthetic intermediates, postglycosylation modifications, and for the preparation of therapeutic agents including research tools for glycobiology. Hence, site selective octanoylation of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-D-glucofuranose was conducted. Under low temperature in anhydrous pyridine direct unimolar octanoylation of this glucofuranose without any catalyst exhibited selectivity at C-6 hydroxyl group. The C-6 O-octanoylglucofuranose, thus obtained, was then used for the preparation of three 3,5-di-O-acyl esters in a similar direct method to get novel esters of glucofuranose. Characterization of all the glucofuranose esters by 1D and 2D spectroscopic technique is also discussed herein.

Incidents of fire are in increasing trend in developing countries. Exposure to fire may lead to a decrease in load carrying capacity and stiffness of a reinforced concrete (RC) structure. The degree of damage is related to the fire intensity in terms of temperature and duration of fire. Assessment of the residual capacity of a fire-damaged RC structure is difficult since there is no direct method to identify the extent of damage in the structural member. Sustained high temperature on a RC beam surface leads to progressive heating of the inner layers of concrete. Consequently, reinforcement bars get exposed to excessive high temperature which reduces the strength of rebars. In this article, an attempt was made to determine the post-fire residual capacity of a RC beam subjected to fire using finite element (FE) model. For this, FE models of 4 (four) RC beams with different clear cover thickness and depth subjected to fire were developed. After model validation, these were used to determine the residual capacity of RC beams exposed to fire for a duration of 30 min to 4 h. Results show that exposure to fire reduces the residual capacity and stiffness of a RC beam significantly. The nature of failure of a RC beam may become brittle after exposure to fire for longer period. Effect of increased clear cover on the residual capacity of the RC beam was found insignificant. Comparing the post fire residual capacity of RC beams obtained from FE analysis and simplified method showed that simplified method may overestimate the residual capacity of RC beams when they are exposed in fire for long duration.

The articles of this special issue explore the problems of public policy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (including Turkey, excluding Iran) as well as why the role of public polic...

Methyl α- D -mannopyranoside (MDM, 1) was subjected to direct unimolar lauroylation in pyridine at low temperature (0-20 °C) with lauroyl chloride. It showed regioselectivity at C-6 position and furnished 6-O-lauroyl-α- D -mannopyranoside 3 in 59% yield. For structural elucidation as well as to get newer mannopyranosides of biological importance compound 3 was converted to eight newer 2,3,4-tri-O-acylates 4-11 in good yields. PASS predication and antimicrobial studies showed that these compounds possess better antifungal activities than that of antibacterial functionalities. ADMET, PASS prediction and antimicrobial study have performed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and microbial properties of MDM esters.

Herein, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been sensitized with natural red dye (extracted from red spinach) and yellow dye (extracted from turmeric) and five different combinations of red and yellow dyes (at different volume ratios) to determine the optimum combination of red and yellow dyes for the maximum cell efficiency. In addition, the effect of post-TiCl4 treatment in improving cell efficiency has been studied. From UV-vis absorption spectrum, higher absorbance and cumulative absorption properties over the entire visible region show that the combination of red and yellow dyes absorbs light better than the individual red or yellow dyes. DSSCs sensitized with red and yellow dyes have a photoconversion efficiency of 0.416% and 0.921%, respectively. DSSCs sensitized with the combination of red and yellow dyes showed higher cell parameters than the DSSCs sensitized with the individual yellow or red dye. The photoelectrical parameters of DSSCs cosensitized with the optimum combination of dyes (40% red + 60% yellow) were as follows: short-circuit current (Isc) = 5.343 mA, open-circuit voltage (Voc) = 0.493 V, fill factor (FF) = 0.481, and overall photoconversion efficiency = 1.267%. However, after the treatment of FTO (fluorine doped tin oxide) / TiO2 with TiCl4, a significant amount of improvement in the Isc, Voc, and FF was observed. DSSCs fabricated with TiCl4-treated FTO/TiO2 and sensitized with the optimum combination of red and yellow dyes showed the following cell parameters: Isc= 5.829 mA, Voc= 0.498 V, and F·F = 0.541. Hence, the efficiency obtained was 1.572%, which is almost 1.24 times higher than that of the DSSCs fabricated without TiCl4 treatment. Finally, the possible effect of water content in the combination of dyes has been observed with a fixed amount of red dye in the combination.

To analyze the binding specificity of a sialic acid–recognizing lectin, sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin 7 (SIGLEC7), to disialyl gangliosides (GD3s), here we established GD3-expressing cells by introducing GD3 synthase (GD3S or ST8SIA1) cDNA into a colon cancer cell line, DLD-1, that expresses no ligands for the recombinant protein SIGLEC7-Fc. SIGLEC7-Fc did not recognize newly-expressed GD3 on DLD-1 cells, even though GD3 was highly expressed, as detected by an anti-GD3 antibody. Because milk-derived GD3 could be recognized by this fusion protein when incorporated onto the surface of DLD-1 cells, we compared the ceramides in DLD-1–generated and milk-derived GD3s to identify the SIGLEC7-specific GD3 structures on the cell membrane, revealing that SIGLEC7 recognizes only GD3-containing regular ceramides but not phytoceramides. This was confirmed by knockdown/knockout of the sphingolipid delta(4)-desaturase/C4-monooxygenase (DES2) gene, involved in phytoceramide synthesis, disclosing that DES2 inhibition confers SIGLEC7 binding. Furthermore, knocking out fatty acid 2-hydroxylase also resulted in the emergence of SIGLEC7 binding to the cell surface. To analyze the effects of binding between SIGLEC7 and various GD3 species on natural killer function, we investigated cytotoxicity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors toward GD3S-transfected DLD-1 (DLD-1–GD3S) cells and DLD-1–GD3S cells with modified ceramides. We found that cytotoxicity is suppressed in DLD-1–GD3S cells with dehydroxylated GD3s. These results indicate that the ceramide structures in glycosphingolipids affect SIGLEC7 binding and distribution on the cell surface and influence cell sensitivity to killing by SIGLEC7-expressing effector cells.

This study was conducted mainly to have an understanding about the participation of rural women in Bangladesh in income generating activities initiated by Agricultural Model Farm (AMF) project of Sabalamby Unnayan Samity (SUS), a famous NGO in Bangladesh. This also explained the relationship between extent of women participation in income generating activities initiated by AMF project of SUS and their selected characteristic. Data were collected from a sample of 90 rural women from 12 selected SUS groups in two unions namely Amtala and Singher Bangla of Sadar upazila of Netrokona district in Bangladesh. Data were collected through interview schedule during 20 April 2008 to 20 May 2008. Majority (47.78 percent) rural women had favorable participation, while 36.67 percent had moderate favorable participation and there was no respondent under unfavorable participation. Findings also indicate that 80 percent rural women had high participation in AMF project activities, (81.11 percent) had medium training exposure. Correlation analysis indicates that the characteristics of the rural women such as age, family size, family farm size, farming experience, duration of involvement with SUS and training exposure had no significant relationship with the extent of participation in AMF project activities. On the other hand farming experience had positive relationship with their participation in income generating activities initiated by AMF project of SUS.

Background and Purpose— Inhibition of brain NKCC1 (Na + -K + -Cl − cotransporter 1) with bumetanide (BMT) is of interest in ischemic stroke therapy. However, its poor brain penetration limits the application. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of 2 novel NKCC1 inhibitors, a lipophilic BMT prodrug STS5 (2-(Dimethylamino)ethyl 3-(butylamino)-4-phenoxy-5-sulfamoyl-benzoate;hydrochloride) and a novel NKCC1 inhibitor STS66 (3-(Butylamino)-2-phenoxy-5-[(2,2,2-trifluoroethylamino)methyl]benzenesulfonamide), on reducing ischemic brain injury. Methods— Large-vessel transient ischemic stroke in normotensive C57BL/6J mice was induced with 50-min occlusion of the middle cerebral artery and reperfusion. Focal, permanent ischemic stroke in angiotensin II (Ang II)–induced hypertensive C57BL/6J mice was induced by permanent occlusion of distal branches of middle cerebral artery. A total of 206 mice were randomly assigned to receive vehicle DMSO, BMT, STS5, or STS66. Results— Poststroke BMT, STS5, or STS66 treatment significantly decreased infarct volume and cerebral swelling by ≈40% to 50% in normotensive mice after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion, but STS66-treated mice displayed better survival and sensorimotor functional recovery. STS5 treatment increased the mortality. Ang II–induced hypertensive mice exhibited increased phosphorylatory activation of SPAK (Ste20-related proline alanine-rich kinase) and NKCC1, as well as worsened infarct and neurological deficit after permanent distal middle cerebral artery occlusion. Conclusions— The novel NKCC1 inhibitor STS66 is superior to BMT and STS5 in reducing ischemic infarction, swelling, and neurological deficits in large-vessel transient ischemic stroke, as well as in permanent focal ischemic stroke with hypertension comorbidity.

Cancer-associated glycosphingolipids have been used as markers for diagnosis and targets for immunotherapy of malignant tumors. Recent progress in the analysis of their implications in the malignant properties of cancer cells revealed that cancer-associated glycosphingolipids are not only tumor markers, but also functional molecules regulating various signals introduced by membrane microdomains, lipid rafts. In particular, a novel approach, enzyme-mediated activation of radical sources combined with mass spectrometry, has enabled us to clarify the mechanisms by which cancer-associated glycosphingolipids regulate cell signals based on the interaction with membrane molecules and formation of molecular complexes on the cell surface. Novel findings obtained from these approaches are now providing us with insights into the development of new anticancer therapies targeting membrane molecular complexes consisting of cancer-associated glycolipids and their associated membrane molecules. Thus, a new era of cancer-associated glycosphingolipids has now begun.

A pot experiment was carried out in the nethouse of Soil Science Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur during 2014-2015 through 2015-2016. The design of the experiment was factorial randomized completely block design with 4 replications. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the potential of Arbuscular mycorrhization (AM) on the germination, nodulation and sporulation of lentil treated with different concentration of NaCl. Five NaCl treatments (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4%) possessed NaCl level as the first factor that were treated with soils before sowing of lentil seeds pivotal pulse crop in Bangladesh. The second factor consists of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal treatments. Mycorrhizal plants showed better performance in terms of germination (%), nodule number, nodule weight, spore population/100 g soil and root colonization (%) than non-mycorrhizal plants. With increasing NaCl concentration, germination (%), nodule number, nodule weight, spore population/100 g soil and root colonization (%) in the rhizosphere soil, decreased significantly (p

The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Rhizobium (R) on plant growth and their biocontrol against grasspea foot and root rot disease caused by Sclerotium rolfsii. The bio-control potential of these bio-agents against foot and root rot pathogen was carried out under pot culture condition using AMF alone or in combination with rhizobial inoculum in the nethouse of Soil Science Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur during 2014-2015 through 2015-2016. The experiment was designed in RCBD with 8 treatments and 4 replications. Grasspea variety BARI Khesari-1 was used as a test crop. Peat based rhizobial inoculum (BARI RLs-10) was used in this experiment @ 50 g kg-1 seed. The AM fungi used in this experiment were Glomus fusianum, Glomus macrocarpum, Glomus warcuppi, Acaulospora foveata, Acaulospora denticulate, Gigaspora albida, Gigaspora rosea, Glomus spp. etc. Soil based AM inoculum containing about approximate 252 spores and infected root pieces of the host plant was used pot-1. There were eight treatments viz. T1: Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM), T2: Rhizobium, T3: AM + Rhizobium, T4: Sclerotium rolfsii, T5: Sclerotium rolfsii + AM, T6: Sclerotium rolfsii + Rhizobium, T7: Sclerotium rolfsii + AM + Rhizobium and T8: Control. Dual inoculation (AM + Rhizobium) increased 20-25% germination, 50-100% seed yield and 36-98% stover yield compared to control. Dual inoculation reduced 44-48% foot and root rot disease compared to control. On the contrary, Sclerotium rolfsii + Rhizobium, Sclerotium rolfsii + AM, and Sclerotium rolfsii + AM + Rhizobium reduced 12-17%, 16-20% and 28-31% foot and root rot disease, respectively compared to only Sclerotium rolfsii trearment. Therefore, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species and its combination with rhizobial inoculum were significant both in the formation and effectiveness of AM symbiosis and the reduction of foot and root rot incidence in grasspea plants. Use of these bio-control agents could be promoted as an active component of bio-intensive Integrated Disease Management Program (IDMP) under organic mode. Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 34 Number 2 December 2017, pp 109-117

ObjectivesDue to low health literacy and adverse situation in the camps, there are possibilities of misconceptions related to COVID-19 among the older Rohingya (forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals or FDMNs) adults in Bangladesh. The present research aimed to assess the level of misconceptions and the factors associated with it among the older FDMNs in Bangladesh.DesignCross-sectional.SettingA selected Rohingya camp situated in Cox’s Bazar, a southeastern district of Bangladesh.ParticipantsInformation was collected from 416 conveniently selected FDMNs who were aged 60 years and above.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome was misconceptions related to the spread, prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Information on 14 different locally relevant misconceptions was gathered, each was scored as one, and obtained a cumulative score, ranging from 0 to 14, with a higher score indicating a higher level of misconceptions. A multiple linear regression model explored the factors associated with misconceptions.ResultsThe participants had an average of five misconceptions. The most prevalent misconceptions were: everyone should wear personal protective equipment when outside (84.6%) and its prevention by nutritious food (62.5%) and drinking water (59.3%). Other notable misconceptions included the spread of COVID-19 through mosquito bites (42%) and its transmissions only to the non/less religious person (31.4%). In regression analyses, memory or concentration problems, communication frequency with social networks, pre-existing conditions and receiving information from health workers were significantly associated with higher COVID-19 misconceptions. These misconceptions were less likely among those overwhelmed by COVID-19, having COVID-19 diagnosed friends or family members and receiving information from friends and family.ConclusionsOverall, we found that misconceptions were prevalent among the older FDMNs in Bangladesh. The associations have important implications for programmes to prevent and manage COVID-19 in these settings. Health workers need to be adequately trained to provide clear communication and counter misconceptions.

Voltage-gated sodium channels are membrane proteins that play an important role in the propagation of electrical signals by mediating the rising phase of an action potential. Numerous diseases, including epilepsy, extreme pain, and certain cardiac arrhythmias have been linked to defects in these channels. The S3b-S4a helix-turn-helix motif (paddle motif) is a region of the channel that is involved in voltage sensing and undergoes significant structural changes during gating. It is also the binding site for many gating-modifier toxins. We determined the solution structure of the paddle motif from the fourth repeat of NaV1.5 in dodecylphosphocholine micelles by NMR spectroscopy and investigated its dynamics and micelle interactions. The structure displays a helix hairpin with a short connecting loop, and likely represents the activated conformation with three of the first four gating charges facing away from S3. Furthermore, paramagnetic relaxation measurements show that the paddle motif is mainly interacting with the interface region of the micelle. NMR relaxation studies reveal that the paddle motif is mostly rigid, with some residues around the loop region and the last 4 residues on the C-terminus displaying heightened mobility. The structural findings reported here allowed the interpretation of three disease-causing mutations in this region of the human cardiac sodium channel, S1609W, F1617del and T1620M. The establishment of this model system for NMR studies of the paddle region offers a promising platform for future toxin interaction studies in the cardiac sodium channels, and similar approaches may be applied to other sodium channel isoforms.

This study describes the genome sequence of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strain detected in the nasopharyngeal swab sample of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient from the southeastern Khagrachari District of Bangladesh.

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and ischemic stroke accounts for the vast majority of stroke cases. Currently, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and endovascular thrombectomy are the two primary therapy strategies for acute ischemic stroke patients. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress can cause brain injury during reperfusion. We have shown that the Ste20/SPS1-related proline-alanine-rich protein kinase/oxidative stress-responsive kinase-1 (SPAK/OSR1) are activated in ischemic stroke brains, resulting in worsened outcomes in murine stroke models. SPAK activation induces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Post-stroke administration of a novel SPAK inhibitor ZT-1a attenuates cerebral edema and protects against brain damage in in vivo model of ischemic stroke. However, whether ROS mediated oxidative stress directly activate SPAK/OSR1 pathway and induces SPAK pro-inflammatory cytokine production in ischemic brains remains unknown. In our extended study, we examined activation of SPAK/OSR1 and its substrate Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC1) in cultured mouse primary neurons in response to hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )-mediated oxidative stress. We found that exposure of neurons to H 2 O 2 for 24 hrs triggered upregulation of protein expression and phosphorylation activation of SPAK/OSR1 and NKCC1 ( p < 0.05), which are accompanied with an increase in intracellular Na + concentration and neuronal death ( p < 0.01). These changes were blocked by an ROS scavenger ebselen. Interestingly, both novel SPAK inhibitor ZT-1a and NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide are able to block H 2 O 2 -induced neuronal damage. We are in the process to assess effects of SPAK inhibitor ZT-1a in reducing ROS-mediated inflammation and brain injury in in vivo model of ischemic stroke. Together, our study suggests that ROS can activate SPAK/OSR1 complex during reperfusion injury and the therapeutic potentials of SPAK inhibitor ZT-1a for ischemic stroke.

Na + -K + -2Cl-cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) plays an important role in intracellular ionic homeostasis and cell volume regulation in the brain. Pathological activation of brain NKCC1 is associated with many brain disorders, including ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, neonatal seizure and autism, suggesting NKCC1 as a potential drug target. Several preclinical and clinical studies used Bumetanide, one of the “loop” diuretic drugs, to inhibit brain NKCC1 activity in neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders. However, poor brain penetration and potent diuretic effect limit its use. Thereby, we selected 1930 compounds, each having the capacity to penetrate into the brain to unmask the best candidates that can act as potent inhibitors for NKCC1 to curb this problem. Molecular docking was performed using PyRx to determine the maximum binding affinities (ranging from −9.3 to 9.0 kcal/mol)among the compounds and the NKCC1 to finally lay out the four top ranked compounds. ADMET analysis revealed that all the four compounds are safer drug candidates and that none of them posed either AMES toxicity or carcinogenicity when filtered on toxicological properties. Selected top-ranked each four compounds along with control (Bumetanide) underwent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for 100ns each to validate the docking interactions where all four compounds with pubchem CID: (71753382), Pubchem CID:(5740383), Pubchem CID: (71692222) and Pubchem CID: (3442850) are highly supported by root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (Rg), SASA (Solvent accessible Surface Area) value and Hydrogen bond analysis. Thus, our in silico investigation exhibits all four compounds as potent inhibitors for NKCC1.