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The canonical role of the transcription factor E2F is to control the expression of cell cycle genes by binding to the E2F sites in their promoters. However, the list of putative E2F target genes is extensive and includes many metabolic genes, yet the significance of E2F in controlling the expression of these genes remains largely unknown. Here, we used the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to introduce point mutations in the E2F sites upstream of five endogenous metabolic genes in Drosophila melanogaster . We found that the impact of these mutations on both the recruitment of E2F and the expression of the target genes varied, with the glycolytic gene, Phosphoglycerate kinase ( Pgk) , being mostly affected. The loss of E2F regulation on the Pgk gene led to a decrease in glycolytic flux, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates levels, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, and an abnormal mitochondrial morphology. Remarkably, chromatin accessibility was significantly reduced at multiple genomic regions in Pgk ΔE2F mutants. These regions contained hundreds of genes, including metabolic genes that were downregulated in Pgk ΔE2F mutants. Moreover, Pgk ΔE2F animals had shortened life span and exhibited defects in high-energy consuming organs, such as ovaries and muscles. Collectively, our results illustrate how the pleiotropic effects on metabolism, gene expression, and development in the Pgk ΔE2F animals underscore the importance of E2F regulation on a single E2F target, Pgk .

The tendo achilles is one of most important tendon in human body which often injured through direct trauma or indirect stress on a weakened tendon. Longer the duration after injury the injured parts likely to move apart, fibrosis and degeneration leading to difficulty in repair or reconstruction. Usually a phase of 4 weeks or more without specific treatment is regarded as chronic or neglected rupture. Different authors described many management protocols about the tendo achilles rupture but there is no procedure of choice for neglected rupture with long gap. Prospective case series of 21 patients of neglected tendo achilles rupture with long gap treated with flexor hallucis longus tendon (FHLT) transfer was taken for study from January 2019 to December 2020 in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh. Average age of patients was 39.47 years with range 22-65 years. Fifteen (15) cases of traumatic rupture in this study with average age 32.66 years and pathologic 6 cases with average age 56.5 years were recorded. We grafted FHLT from channel by incising Henry's knot. Krackow et al.'s technique was followed for tendon mobilization and bone fixation. We made procedure simpler and cheaper; instead of using interference screw the sutured tendon pulled through the heel and anchored over rubber tube or button by Cole method. Post-operative complications were less with one patient with superficial infection which eventually recovered 3 cases of mild pain and 2 cases of numbness. Questionnaire for surgical outcome measure are satisfactory in 19 patients (90.47%). Final follow up AOFAS score at 6 month (91.61±5.41) was highly significant (p0.001) in comparison to preoperative score (38.71±9.78). These are comparable to other study. Above mentioned scores indicate the reliability of the surgical system. But our study is a prospective case series with minimum cases. To establish the best procedure for neglected tendo achilles rupture with long gap we recommend further study with larger group and Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) study among different procedure.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor that is widely used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins and dental sealants. It has adverse effects on reproduction. Black seed oil is frequently used as folk medicine for the promotion of good health and treatment of many ailments. The study was carried out to investigate the effect of Bisphenol-A (BPA) and black seed oil (BSO) on hematological parameters, hormone, sperm parameters and patho-physiological changes of testis in mice. A total of 15 male Swiss Albino mice (Mus musculus), of 25-28 days were used and randomly divided into 3 groups consisting 5 mice in each group. Group A served as vehicle control whereas group B and group C were as BPA and BPA plus BSO group respectively. Both BPA @ 50 mg/kg/day and BSO @ 1ml/kg/day were administered orally. Results revealed that BPA caused reduced hematological parameters (Hb, TEC, and PCV) in mice. Inclusion of BSO in BPA treated mice prevented the alterations of those values. Serum T4 and testosterone concentration were significantly (p [J Bangladesh Agril Univ 2021; 19(2.000): 223-229]

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors were found to be clinically effective for treatment of patients with certain subsets of cancers carrying somatic mutations in receptor tyrosine kinases. However, the duration of clinical response is often limited, and patients ultimately develop drug resistance. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to demonstrate the existence of multiple cancer cell subpopulations within cell lines, xenograft tumors and patient tumors. These subpopulations exhibit epigenetic changes and differential therapeutic sensitivity. Recurrently overrepresented ontologies in genes that are differentially expressed between drug tolerant cell populations and drug sensitive cells include epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, epithelium development, vesicle mediated transport, drug metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis. We show analysis of identified markers using the LINCS database to predict and functionally validate small molecules that target selected drug tolerant cell populations. In combination with EGFR inhibitors, crizotinib inhibits the emergence of a defined subset of EGFR inhibitor-tolerant clones. In this study, we describe the spectrum of changes associated with drug tolerance and inhibition of specific tolerant cell subpopulations with combination agents., It has been proposed that resistance to targeted therapies in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is due to a nonhomogeneous cell population. Here the authors analyse preclinical NSCLC models using single-cell RNA-seq and identify drug tolerant cell states and subpopulations, as well as associated genes.

Pigeons are reared in Bangladesh principally with the interest of nutrition, recreation, religious attitude and an income source to earn a livelihood. The study was conducted for the assessment of characteristics of eggs and serum electrolytes concentration (Na, K, Ca and P) of Lakkha, Khaki and Shiraz pigeon’s breeds. Three pairs of each breed were reared in cage with commercial feed and water. After laying eggs, the length and width of eggs were recorded. After hatching of eggs, egg shell thickness was recorded. Thickness of eggshell was 0.20±0.01 mm, 0.13±0.00 mm, 0.21±0.01 mm for Lakkha, Khaki and Shiraz breeds respectively. The squabs were sacrificed on the 45th day after recording body weights and the blood sample was collected and serum sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus were analyzed. Serum sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus concentrations were: (96.35±5.20) mmol/L, (12.11±0.60) mmol/L, (5.89±0.67) mmol/L and (4.87±0.33) mmol/L for Lakkha breed; (102.96±2.14) mmol/L, (12.31±1.58) mmol/L, (5.80±0.76) mmol/L and (4.75±0.31) mmol/L for Khaki breed; (103.53±0.93) mmol/L, (12.23±0.60), (5.85±0.52) mmol/L and (4.68±0.17) mmol/L for Shiraz breed respectively. A positive correlation between serum calcium and thickness of eggshell was found in Shiraz and khaki breed respectively. On the other hand, a positive correlation was found between eggshell thickness and squab body weight only in the Shiraz breed. It could be concluded that serum calcium and body weight having a potential positive effect on eggshell thickness of corresponding pigeon breed.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a form of time restricted eating which has gained popularity in recent years and proposed benefits include the improvement of lipid profile and the body weight loss, has gained considerable scientific and popular repercussion. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of IF on lipid profile and histomorphological changes of heart in mice. A total of 18 Swiss Albino Mice (Mus musculus), 28-35 days old with an average body weight of 26.2 ± 1 gm were randomly divided into three groups. Group A was considered as control (n=6) and fed on standard mice pellet and fresh drinking water. Group B was considered as 14 hours fasting group (n=6), kept fasting for 14 hrs. and Group C was considered as 18 hours fasting group (n=6), kept fasting for 18 hrs. At the end of the experiment, blood and tissue were collected for biochemical and histomorphological examination. Data showed that Total cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) level (p

Bisphenol- A (BPA) is a multi-functional chemical produced in large volumes that is extensively used primarily in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Black seed oil (BSO) has been employed for many century as one of the main sources of nutrition and healthcare both for humans and animals. The study was carried out to investigate the effects of BPA and BSO on blood, hormone profile, and histopathological changes of ovary in female mice. Total 15 female Swiss Albino mice, aged between 6-8 weeks with an average body weight of 27.4±1g were randomly divided into 3 groups (5 mice/group). Group A act as vehicle control. Group B was administered 50 mg BPA /kg bw daily, while group C received both BPA and BSO and dose rate was 50 mg BPA /kg/day and 1ml BSO /kg/day respectively. Results revealed that Hb concentration, TEC and PCV (p [ J Adv Biotechnol Exp Ther 2020; 3(1.000): 43-48]

A field experiment was done to observe how sunflowers responded to varying irrigation intervals, as well as different quantities of processing poultry manure and inorganic fertilizers. The results demonstrated that the combined use of varying irrigation intervals, as well as variable quantities of poultry manure and NPK fertilizers, had a substantial impact on all growth and seed production features. The best sunflower yield and yield contributing characteristics were 91.67 cm plant height, 3.48 cm stem girth, 18.00 number of leaves per plant, 16.00 cm head diameter, 808.33 seeds per head, 54.00 g 1000-seed weight, and 1.70 tha-1 seed yield with a 10 day irrigation interval and 4 tha-1 processed poultry manure and NPK fertilizer combination of ten day irrigation interval and second place went to a 3 tha-1 processing poultry manure with NPK fertilizer, which yielded 801.00 g of seed per head and 1.60 ton seed output per hectare. In terms of sunflower growth and yield, all of the other treatments were found to be inferior. In comparison to other irrigation intervals and processing poultry manure treatments, a 10 day irrigation interval and 4 tha-1 processing poultry manure with adjusted amount of NPK fertilizers from 5 tha-1 poultry manure (recommended dose) exhibited more promising outcomes.

In this study, the Lee code is used to compute the characteristics soft x-ray yield (Ysxr) production for nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), neon (Ne), and argon (Ar) and bremsstrahlung radiation for hydrogen (H2), deuterium (D2), and helium (He) with pressure variation in PF1000 of 2.5–2.6 MA for D2. In the calculation of characteristic soft x-ray, the corresponding temperature windows of the said gases are set into the code at which they are ionized to their H-like and He-like levels. The focus pinch parameters such as radius ratio (minimum radius of plasma pinch column/anode radius), ion density, specific heat ratio, pinch energy density, self-absorption correction factor, and maximum induced voltage are computed at the optimum pressure of each gas. The obtained pinch plasma temperature range (1.2–2.2) × 106 K of H2, D2, and He is sufficiently high for fully ionized plasmas and the resulting bremsstrahlung radiation (14 J) for He is significantly larger than for H2 (0.26 J) and D2 (0.62 J). The optimum Ysxr of Ne(∼9314 J) at 0.51 Torr with pinch energy density (PED) (∼26 × 108 Jm−3) is found to be the highest whilst for Ar(∼7 J) at 0.019 Torr with (∼1.2 × 108 Jm−3) is the lowest. It is found that the radius ratio (∼0.05) of Ne is 3-fold smaller than that (∼0.16) in Ar. This enhancement of compression in pinch of Ne increases the ion density significantly by a factor of 253 than in Ar gas. Thus, the results show a strong correlation of plasma pinch properties with Ysxr for various gases.

Intramedullary nailing is a pillar in the treatment of femoral shaft fractures. But it is not possible in all cases especially in comminuted fractures. This study has been designed to explain the importance of Minimally Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis (MIPO) with the locking plate in the treatment of comminuted Femoral Shaft Fracture. Twenty (20) such patients were treated by MIPO and analysis has been done in this study to get fruitful result and to find out the effectiveness of this procedure who were admitted at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, a tertiary level hospital of Bangladesh from February 2018 to January 2019. Mean age of the patients were 49.20±14.41 years. Based on AO classification, there were 4, 8 and 8 patients belong to type A, B and C respectively. The union period for all the patients was in between 12 to 14 weeks. The mean union period was 12.90±1.997 weeks. Mean follow up period was 19.70±2.77 weeks. Mean full weight bearing period was 16.50±1.10 weeks. In Thoresen scoring system excellent result was 9(45%), good result was 10(20%) and fair result was 01(5%). Mal-alignment happened in two cases. However, delayed union and broken screws were found in two cases each of which was treated accordingly. Comminuted Femoral shaft fracture with MIPO procedure is more effective treatment than intramedullary nailing. Furthermore, mal-alignment is the basic complexity that must be taken away intraoperatively.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common complication in nephrotic children and leads to most morbidity and mortality in developing countries like Bangladesh. This case control study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Nephrology ward of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka from July 2016 to June 2018 to identify the risk factors of UTI in children with nephrotic syndrome. Total 90 patient of nephrotic children aged 2-12 years, who were fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected as Group I (case) and Group II (control) according to urine culture report. Group I was UTI positive and Group II was UTI negative. The mean age of Group I was 5.26±3.18 years and Group II was 6.03±2.85 years. There was male predominance in both groups. No significant difference has been found regarding age and sex (p0.05). No significant difference was also observed regarding economic status and educational level of mother among both groups (p0.05). Fever, dysuria, abdominal pain, anasarca, vomiting and pallor were found as common presentations in Group I. Children with dysuria and abdominal pain were significantly higher in Group I than Group II (p value0.001). UTI was found more in relapsed cases than initial attack. E. coli was the most common etiologic agent (37.8%). Mean Hb (gm/dl), serum total protein, serum albumin and serum IgG level were found significantly lower and spot urine protein creatinine ratio was significantly higher in Group I, which implies that those biochemical factors were associated with development of UTI in nephrotic children. Younger age group (6 years), Constipation and uncircumcised male were found as risk factors and has association with UTI in nephrotic children.

This paper analyses the available marine fish of Bay of Bengal and other coastal areas of Bangladesh and its supply in Dhaka city. The data is collected from fish wholesalers of three big markets of the city: Jatrabari, Gabtoli and Kawran Bazar. The collected data was analyzed using MATHEMATICA to determine the numbers of ocean species, their size, price and source of the coastal areas in Bangladesh. The results are presented both graphically and in tabular form. The Agriculturists 2019; 17(1-2) 112-120

Background Due to its rapid lethal effect in the early development stage of shrimp, acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) has been causing great economic losses, since its first outbreak in southeast China in 2009. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, carrying the pirA and pirB toxin genes is known to cause AHPND in shrimp. The overall objective of this study was to sequence the whole genome of AHPND positive V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from shrimp (Peneaus monodon) of the south-west region of Bangladesh in 2016 and 2017 and characterize the genomic features and emergence pattern of this marine pathogen. Results Two targeted AHPND positive V. parahaemolyticus strains were confirmed using PCR with 16S rRNA, ldh, AP3 and AP4 primers. The assembled genomes of strain MSR16 and MSR17 were comprised of a total of 5,393,740 bp and 5,241,592 bp, respectively. From annotation, several virulence genes involved in chemotaxis and motility, EPS type II secretion system, Type III secretion system-1 (T3SS-1) and its secreted effectors, thermolabile hemolysin were found in both strains. Importantly, the ~ 69 kb plasmid was identified in both MSR16 and MSR17 strains containing the two toxin genes pirA and pirB. Antibiotic resistance genes were predicted against β-lactam, fluoroquinolone, tetracycline and macrolide groups in both MSR16 and MSR17 strains. Conclusions The findings of this research may facilitate the tracking of pathogenic and/or antibiotic-resistant V. parahaemolyticus isolates between production sites, and the identification of candidate strains for the production of vaccines as an aid to control of this devastating disease. Also, the emergence pattern of this pathogen can be highlighted to determine the characteristic differences of other strains found all over the world.

Sustainable power generation, energy security, and global warming are the big challenges to the world today. These issues may be addressed through the increased usage of renewable energy resources and concentrated solar energy can play a vital role in this regard. The performance of a parabolic-trough collector’s receiver is here investigated analytically and experimentally using water based and therminol-VP1based CuO, ZnO, Al2O3, TiO2, Cu, Al, and SiC nanofluids. The receiver size has been optimized by a simulation program written in MATLAB. Thus, numerical results have been validated by experimental outcomes under same conditions using the same nanofluids. Increased volumetric concentrations of nanoparticle is found to enhance heat transfer, with heat transfer coefficient the maximum in W-Cu and VP1-SiC, the minimum in W-TiO2 and VP1-ZnO at 0.8 kg/s flow rate. Changing the mass flow rate also affects heat transfer coefficient. It has been observed that heat transfer coefficient reaches its maximum of 23.30% with SiC-water and 23.51% with VP1-SiC when mass-flow rate is increased in laminar flow. Heat transfer enhancement drops during transitions of flow from laminar to turbulent. The maximum heat transfer enhancements of 9.49% and 10.14% were achieved with Cu-water and VP1-SiC nanofluids during turbulent flow. The heat transfer enhancements of nanofluids seem to remain constant when compared with base fluids during either laminar flow or turbulent flow.

Osteoporosis is skeletal fragility caused by the excessive bone resorption due to osteoclastogenesis. But current drugs are less bioavailable and possess higher toxicity. Our study was conducted to identify safe oral bioavailable drugs from Fenugreek steroidal saponins and to delineate underlying mechanism of them to lower the osteoclastogenic bone resorption. We observed higher molecular docked binding affinities in finally selected eight hit compounds within the range of −11.0 to −10.1 kcal/mol which was greater than currently used drugs. Molecular Dynamics simulation with Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD), Root Mean Square Fluctuation (RMSF), Solvent Accessible Surface Area (SASA) and Gyration trajectory projection reinforced the stability of the protein-ligand complexes. Pharmacokinetics analysis confirmed bioavailability of seven compounds out of eight, and drug likeliness and bioavailability profile evaluation indicated that they all are eligible to be developed as a potent oral inhibitor of CSF-1R. By literature mining knowledge-driven analysis, RNAseq data and Molecular Dynamics Simulation, we proposed that, the hit derivatives block the CSF-1/CSF-1R induced phosphorylation signaling pathway in both osteoclast and osteoblast resulting in hindrance of RANK expression and formation of Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in osteoclast and osteoblast respectively, thus declines the RANKL/OPG ratio, lowering the osteoclast survival, proliferation and differentiation.

Antiprotozoal drug nitazoxanide (NTZ) has shown diverse pharmacological properties and has appeared in several clinical trials. Herein we present the synthesis, characterization, in vitro biological investigation, and in silico study of four hetero aryl amide analogs of NTZ. Among the synthesized molecules, compound 2 and compound 4 exhibited promising antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli), superior to that displayed by the parent drug nitazoxanide as revealed from the in vitro antibacterial assay. Compound 2 displayed zone of inhibition of 20 mm, twice as large as the parent drug NTZ (10 mm) in their least concentration (12.5 µg/ml). Compound 1 also showed antibacterial effect similar to that of nitazoxanide. The analogs were also tested for in vitro cytotoxic activity by employing cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8) assay technique in HeLa cell line, and compound 2 was identified as a potential anticancer agent having IC50 value of 172 µg which proves it to be more potent than nitazoxanide (IC50 = 428 µg). Furthermore, the compounds were subjected to molecular docking study against various bacterial and cancer signaling proteins. The in vitro test results corroborated with the in silico docking study as compound 2 and compound 4 had comparatively stronger binding affinity against the proteins and showed a higher docking score than nitazoxanide toward human mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK9) and fatty acid biosynthesis enzyme (FabH) of E. coli. Moreover, the docking study demonstrated dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and thymidylate synthase (TS) as probable new targets for nitazoxanide and its synthetic analogs. Overall, the study suggests that nitazoxanide and its analogs can be a potential lead compound in the drug development., Four heteroaryl nitazoxanide analogues were synthesized efficiently. Among the synthesized analogues, two compounds showed prominent antibacterial and anticancer potentials through in vitro and in silico studies.

Cellular death of bone due to impairment of the blood supply leading to collapse resulting in pain, and loss of joint function is known as avascular necrosis (AVN). The head of femur is the most common bone affected by avascular necrosis followed by talus and scaphoid. We evaluate the results of core decompression with non-vascularized fibular graft in avascular necrosis of femoral head. This quasi experimental study was done at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital and some other private hospitals of Bangladesh. The study includes patients who underwent core decompression and non-vascularized fibular grafting in avascular necrosis of femoral head from January 2017 to December 2018. In this study we evaluated total 20 patients and majority of the patients belongs to the group of 20-30 years. Out of 20 patients, 8 of them were unilaterally involved rest 12 had bilateral involvement. Out of 24 hips of bilateral involvement 4 were grade III and IV (Ficat and Arlet classification) therefore not included in the study. So, we study 28 hips only. The average success rate was 90% after core decompression and non-vascularized fibular bone grafting. Harris hip score of 60 on presentation had poorer outcome. Patients with less than 80 degrees of flexion had poorer outcome.

Background Although it is becoming evident that individual’s immune system has a decisive influence on SARS-CoV-2 disease progression, pathogenesis is largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to profile the host transcriptome of COVID-19 patients from nasopharyngeal samples along with virus genomic features isolated from respective host, and a comparative analyses of differential host responses in various SARS-CoV-2 infection systems. Results Unique and rare missense mutations in 3C-like protease observed in all of our reported isolates. Functional enrichment analyses exhibited that the host induced responses are mediated by innate immunity, interferon, and cytokine stimulation. Surprisingly, induction of apoptosis, phagosome, antigen presentation, hypoxia response was lacking within these patients. Upregulation of immune and cytokine signaling genes such as CCL4, TNFA, IL6, IL1A, CCL2, CXCL2, IFN, and CCR1 were observed in lungs. Lungs lacked the overexpression of ACE2 as suspected, however, high ACE2 but low DPP4 expression was observed in nasopharyngeal cells. Interestingly, directly or indirectly, viral proteins specially non-structural protein mediated overexpression of integrins such as ITGAV, ITGA6, ITGB7, ITGB3, ITGA2B, ITGA5, ITGA6, ITGA9, ITGA4, ITGAE, and ITGA8 in lungs compared to nasopharyngeal samples suggesting the possible way of enhanced invasion. Furthermore, we found comparatively highly expressed transcription factors such as CBP, CEBP, NFAT, ATF3, GATA6, HDAC2, TCF12 which have pivotal roles in lung injury. Conclusions Even though this study incorporates a limited number of cases, our data will provide valuable insights in developing potential studies to elucidate the differential host responses on the viral pathogenesis in COVID-19, and incorporation of further data will enrich the search of an effective therapeutics.

The constant rise of the death toll and cases of COVID-19 has made this pandemic a serious threat to human civilization. Understanding of host-SARS-CoV-2 interaction in viral pathogenesis is still in its infancy. In this study, we utilized a blend of computational and knowledgebase approaches to model the putative virus-host interplay in host signaling pathways by integrating the experimentally validated host interactome proteins and differentially expressed host genes in SARS-CoV-2 infection. While searching for the pathways in which viral proteins interact with host proteins, we discovered various antiviral immune response pathways such as hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signaling, autophagy, retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) signaling, Toll-like receptor signaling, fatty acid oxidation/degradation, and IL-17 signaling. All these pathways can be either hijacked or suppressed by the viral proteins, leading to improved viral survival and life cycle. Aberration in pathways such as HIF-1 signaling and relaxin signaling in the lungs suggests the pathogenic lung pathophysiology in COVID-19. From enrichment analysis, it was evident that the deregulated genes in SARS-CoV-2 infection might also be involved in heart development, kidney development, and AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications. Anomalies in these pathways might suggest the increased vulnerability of COVID-19 patients with comorbidities. Moreover, we noticed several presumed infection-induced differentially expressed transcription factors and epigenetic factors, such as miRNAs and several histone modifiers, which can modulate different immune signaling pathways, helping both host and virus. Our modeling suggests that SARS-CoV-2 integrates its proteins in different immune signaling pathways and other cellular signaling pathways for developing efficient immune evasion mechanisms while leading the host to a more complicated disease condition. Our findings would help in designing more targeted therapeutic interventions against SARS-CoV-2.

Sustainability is an important topic worldwide. The sustainable design will reduce the consumption of energy, water, land and raw materials. This ought to be taken into account when designing new structures and strengthening and renovating of existing deteriorated structures. This paper deals with the sustainable solution for the strengthening and renovating of the deteriorated or impaired structures. This is usually done through the use of FRP strips / sheets or bars that is bonded outside the member. Many researches have been conducted on this technique to observe its behaviour and ultimate strength. The materials used in research are steel, glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP), carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), aramid fibre reinforced polymer (AFRP) sheets or bars. These were used as side bonding, U-jacketing and wrapping of the members. A significant improvement in strength was observed in the strengthened members. Accordingly, these techniques have been suggested as a sustainable solution. Based on the investigations, different countries propose different design codes and standards. Some of them provide reliable predictions, but more research is needed for an accurate and consistent predictive model.

Background: The effect of zinc supplementation on birth weight, litter size, total erythrocyte count (TEC), hemoglobin estimation, total leukocyte count (TLC), blood glucose level, abnormal sperm count and histopathology of testis in mice was evaluated. Methods: 45 albino mice were randomly divided into 3 equal groups viz. control group, A; 10 mg zinc/kg feed treated group, B; 20 mg zinc/kg feed treated group, C. Each group was comprised of 10 male mice and 5 female mice. Then they are allowed to breed for about 25 days. After breeding males were withdrawn from each group and treated with zinc for 30 days. Then male mice were transferred back to female cage and were allowed to breed for 25 days. Results: Mice of group B and C showed a significant increase (p

Background: In open grazing dairy cattle farming, it is critical to identify and monitor health status and disease incidence. Testing of physiological parameters is essential to monitoring the health status of dairy herds. Therefore, the present study was carried out to evaluate the comparative status of serum chemistry and corresponding milk chemistry in cattle reared in open grazing system. Methods: The research was conducted in 10 clinically healthy cows reared under open grazing system from different commercial farms of Baghabari in Sirajganj district. Blood samples were collected from individual animal through the jugular vein puncture. Corresponding milk samples were collected directly from teat during the morning milking time. Blood and milk samples were brought to the laboratory in an ice cooled sample transportation box. Total serum protein, glucose, cholesterol, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride concentration and corresponding milk protein, lactose, cholesterol, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride concentration were measured by using standard analytical techniques. Results: Results showed that, there was a partially positive correlation among blood glucose and milk lactose (0.698), blood cholesterol and milk cholesterol (0.709), blood sodium and milk sodium (0.657). In addition, a strongly positive correlation was found between blood calcium and milk calcium (0.905). However, partially negative correlation between blood phosphorus and milk phosphorus (-0.688) was observed. Conclusions: The study shows the prospect of effectively using comparative analysis of serum and corresponding milk constituents to construct a comprehensive model or technology for the betterment of dairy farming in Bangladesh.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuro-psychiatric manifestation of chronic liver disease causing significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Though the exact mechanism is unknown but it is well accepted that various precipitating factors are involved in hepatic encephalopathy. Aim of the study was explore the precipitating factors of chronic hepatic encephalopathy. This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Medicine and Department of Hepatology, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh during the period from April 2016 to October 2016. One hundred patients with hepatic encephalopathy fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled. Inclusion criteria were designed for all diagnosed cases of hepatic encephalopathy associated with cirrhosis of liver aged 18 years or above irrespective of sex. Patients with acute fulminant hepatitis and non-cirrhotic hepatic encephalopathy were excluded. The result of the study was mean age of hepatic encephalopathy was 52.81±8.15 years and 94.0% patients were above 40 years. Male (66.0%) were predominant over female (34.0%). HBsAg and Anti HCV were positive in 49.0% and 11.0% patients respectively. Stage of hepatic encephalopathy was stage-I in 8.0%, stage-II in 37.0%, stage-III in 39.0% and stage-IV in 16.0% patients. Changes of biochemical parameters were low haemoglobin level (70.0%), raised total count of leukocyte (25.0%), low platelet count (68.0%), low serum albumin (98.0%) raised prothrombin time (60.0%), low serum sodium (34.0%) and low serum potassium (63.0%). The recoded precipitating factors were gastrointestinal bleeding (14.0%), constipation (37.0%), hyponatremia (34.0%), hypokalemia (28.0%) infections (20.0%), use of diruretics (8.0%), use of sedatives (4.0%) and excess intake of protein (6.0%). While precipitating factor was absent in 11.0% of cases. In conclusion there are different factors which play a key role in precipitating hepatic encephalopathy but electrolytes imbalance, constipation, infections, Upper GI bleed, diuretics are the most common precipitating factors.

Background Cervical cancer is a gynecologic cancer type that develops in the cervix, accounting for 8% mortality of all female cancer patients. Infection with specific human papillomavirus (HPV) types is considered the most severe risk factor for cervical cancer. In the context of our socioeconomic conditions, an increasing burden of this disease and high mortality rate prevail in Bangladesh. Although several researches related to the epidemiology, HPV vaccination, and treatment modalities were conducted, researches on the mutation profiles of marker genes in cervical cancer in Bangladesh remain unexplored. Methods In this study, five different genomic regions within the top three most frequently mutated genes (EGFR, KRAS and PIK3CA) in COSMIC database with a key role in the development of cervical cancers were selected to study the mutation frequency in Bangladeshi patients. In silico analysis was done in two steps: nucleotide sequence analysis and its corresponding amino acid analysis. Results DNA from 46 cervical cancer tissue samples were extracted and amplified by PCR, using 1 set of primers designed for EGFR and 2 sets of primers designed for two different regions of both PIK3CA and KRAS gene. In total, 39 mutations were found in 26 patient samples. Eleven different mutations (23.91%), twenty-four different mutations (52.17%) and four mutations (8.7%) were found in amplified EGFR, PIK3CA and KRAS gene fragments, respectively; among which 1 (EGFR) was common in seven patient samples and 2 (PIKCA) were found in more than 1 patient. Our study shows that except for KRAS, the frequency of observed mutations in our patients is higher than those reported earlier in other parts of the world. Most of the exonic mutations were found only in the PIK3CA and EGFR genes. Conclusions The study can be used as a basis to build a mutation database for cervical cancer in Bangladesh with the possibility of targetable oncogenic mutations. Further explorations are needed to establish future diagnostics, personalized medicine decisions, and other pharmaceutical applications for specific cancer subtypes.

Background MicroRNAs are ~ 22-nucleotide-long biological modifiers that act as the post-transcriptional modulator of gene expression. Some of them are identified to be embedded within the introns of protein-coding genes, these miRNAs are called the intronic miRNAs. Previous findings state that these intronic miRNAs are co-expressed with their host genes. This co-expression is necessary to maintain the robustness of the biological system. Till to date, only a few experiments are performed discretely to elucidate the functional relationship between few co-expressed intronic miRNAs and their associated host genes. Results In this study, we have interpreted the underlying modulatory mechanisms of intronic miRNA hsa-miR-933 on its target host gene ATF2 and found that aberration can lead to several disease conditions. A protein-protein interaction network-based approach was adopted, and functional enrichment analysis was performed to elucidate the significantly over-represented biological functions and pathways of the common targets. Our approach delineated that hsa-miR-933 might control the hyperglycemic condition and hyperinsulinism by regulating ATF2 target genes MAP4K4, PRKCE, PEA15, BDNF, PRKACB, and GNAS which can otherwise lead to the development of type II diabetes mellitus. Moreover, we showed that hsa-miR-933 can regulate a target of ATF2, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), to modulate the optimal expression of ATF2 in neuron cells to render neuroprotection for the inhibition of neurodegenerative diseases. Conclusions Our in silico model provides interesting resources for experimentations in a model organism or cell line for further validation. These findings may extend the common perception of gene expression analysis with new regulatory functionality.

Studies in three mouse models of breast cancer identified profound discrepancies between cell autonomous and systemic Akt1 or Akt2 deletion on breast cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis. First, unlike systemic Akt1 deletion, which inhibits metastasis, cell autonomous Akt1 deletion does not. Second, systemic Akt2 deletion does not inhibit mammary tumorigenesis and metastasis, but cell autonomous Akt2 deletion eliminates ErbB2 expressing cells in the mammary gland and prevents tumorigenesis. However, the elevation in insulin by Akt2 systemic deletion hyperactivates tumor Akt, enabling ErbB2 expression, and exacerbates mammary tumorigenesis. Decreasing insulin level inhibits accelerated tumorigenesis by systemic Akt2 deletion. Single cell mRNA sequencing revealed that systemic Akt1 deletion maintains the pro-metastatic cluster within primary tumors but ablates pro-metastatic neutrophils. Systemic Akt1 deletion inhibits metastasis by impairing the survival and mobilization of tumor-associated neutrophils. Importantly, neutrophil-specific deletion of Akt1 is sufficient to exert resistance to metastasis. The results underscore the importance of determining systemic effects rather than cell autonomous effects as a proof of concept for cancer therapy.

Bipolar Disorder is a major psychiatric disorder. It has a chronic course of remitting and relapsing episodes of mania and depression and tends to deteriorate mental and cognitive functions of patients. This disorder affects deeply the function and feelings of subjects and impacts negatively on quality of life. We found out the quality of life in patients with Bipolar Disorder with that of general population and order of impairment among domain of physical health, psychological health, social relationship and environment domain. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative and analytical study. The study was conducted in the department of Psychiatry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2015 to October 2016. Eighty (80) patients with Bipolar Disorder who fulfilled inclusion criteria were selected as sample from department of psychiatry in BSMMU and National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka. Clinical diagnosis of patients was done by consultant psychiatrist with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I CV). Then Bengali version of WHO Quality of Life Scale brief version (WHOQOL BREF 1998) was applied to evaluate quality of life in different domains including physical health, psychological health, social relationship and environment domain. Semi structural questionnaire were used for collecting sociodemographic information. In this process of study age and sex matched 80 healthy controls from hospital staff and patient's attendants without physical or psychiatric illness were recruited for comparison. Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Science Version 16. The study revealed that mean score of overall quality of life of patients were 3.11 and healthy controls were 3.95, mean score of overall health of patients were 2.94 and healthy control were 3.88, mean score of physical health domain of patients were 3.14 and healthy control were 4.00, mean score of psychological domain of patients were 3.01 and healthy control were 3.87, mean score of social relationship domain of patients were 2.31 and healthy control were 3.72, mean score of environment domain of patients were 2.73 and healthy control were 3.35. Among patients quality of life showed impaired in low socio-economic condition. Result of this study may help to encourage further research.

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, fatality and cases of new infections are also increasing at an alarming rate. SARS-CoV-2 follows a highly variable course and it is becoming more evident that individual’s immune system has a decisive influence on the progression of the disease. However, the detailed underlying molecular mechanisms of the SARS-CoV-2 mediate disease pathogenesis are largely unknown. Only a few host transcriptional responses in COVID-19 have been reported so far from the Western world, but no such data has been generated from the South-Asian region yet to correlate the conjectured lower fatality around this part of the globe. In this context, we aimed to perform the transcriptomic profiling of the COVID-19 patients from Bangladesh along with the reporting of the SARS-CoV-2 isolates from these patients. Moreover, we performed a comparative analysis to demonstrate how differently the various SARS-CoV-2 infection systems are responding to the viral pathogen. We detected a unique missense mutation at 10329 position of ORF1ab gene, annotated to 3C like proteinase, which is found in 75% of our analyzed isolates; but is very rare globally. Upon the functional enrichment analyses of differentially modulated genes, we detected a similar host induced response reported earlier; this response was mainly mediated by the innate immune system, interferon stimulation, and upregulated cytokine expression etc. in the Bangladeshi patients. Surprisingly, we did not perceive the induction of apoptotic signaling, phagosome formation, antigen presentation and production, hypoxia response within these nasopharyngeal samples. Furthermore, while comparing with the other SARS-CoV-2 infection systems, we spotted that lung cells trigger the more versatile immune and cytokine signaling which was several folds higher compared to our reported nasopharyngeal samples. We also observed that lung cells did not expressACE2in a very high amount as suspected, however, the nasopharyngeal cells are found overexpressingACE2. But the amount ofDPP4expression within the nasal samples was significantly lower compared to the other cell types. Surprisingly, we observed that lung cells express a very high amount of integrins compared to the nasopharyngeal samples, which might suggest the putative reasons for an increased amount of viral infections in the lungs. From the network analysis, we got clues on the probable viral modulation for the overexpression of these integrins. Our data will provide valuable insights in developing potential studies to elucidate the roles of ethnicity effect on the viral pathogenesis, and incorporation of further data will enrich the search of an effective therapeutics.

A detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis is still elusive, and there is a need to address its deadly nature and to design effective therapeutics. Here, we present a study that elucidates the interplay between the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses' and host's miRNAs, an epigenetic regulator, as a mode of pathogenesis; and we explored how the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infections differ in terms of their miRNA-mediated interactions with the host and the implications this has in terms of disease complexity. We have utilized computational approaches to predict potential host and viral miRNAs and their possible roles in different important functional pathways. We have identified several putative host antiviral miRNAs that can target the SARS viruses and also predicted SARS viruses-encoded miRNAs targeting host genes. In silico predicted targets were also integrated with SARS-infected human cell microarray and RNA-seq gene expression data. A comparison between the host miRNA binding profiles on 67 different SARS-CoV-2 genomes from 24 different countries with respective country's normalized death count surprisingly uncovered some miRNA clusters, which are associated with increased death rates. We have found that induced cellular miRNAs can be both a boon and a bane to the host immunity, as they have possible roles in neutralizing the viral threat; conversely, they can also function as proviral factors. On the other hand, from over representation analysis, our study revealed that although both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viral miRNAs could target broad immune-signaling pathways; only some of the SARS-CoV-2 miRNAs are found to uniquely target some immune-signaling pathways, such as autophagy, IFN-I signaling, etc., which might suggest their immune-escape mechanisms for prolonged latency inside some hosts without any symptoms of COVID-19. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 can modulate several important cellular pathways that might lead to the increased anomalies in patients with comorbidities like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, breathing complications, etc. This might suggest that miRNAs can be a key epigenetic modulator behind the overcomplications amongst the COVID-19 patients. Our results support that miRNAs of host and SARS-CoV-2 can indeed play a role in the pathogenesis which can be further concluded with more experiments. These results will also be useful in designing RNA therapeutics to alleviate the complications from COVID-19.

BackgroundSince December 2019, the world is experiencing an unprecedented crisis due to a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Owing to poor understanding of pathogenicity, the virus is eluding treatment and complicating recovery. Regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) during viral infection and associated antagonism of host antiviral immune responses has become more evident in last decade. To elucidate possible functions of lncRNAs in the COVID-19 pathobiology, we have utilized RNA-seq dataset of SARS-CoV-2 infected lung epithelial cells.ResultsOur analyses uncover 21 differentially expressed lncRNAs whose functions are broadly involved in cell survival and regulation of gene expression. By network enrichment analysis we find that these lncRNAs can directly interact with differentially expressed protein-coding genes ADAR, EDN1, KYNU, MALL, TLR2 and YWHAG; and also AKAP8L, EXOSC5, GDF15, HECTD1, LARP4B, LARP7, MIPOL1, UPF1, MOV10 and PRKAR2A, host genes that interact with SARS-CoV-2 proteins. These genes are involved in cellular signaling, metabolism, immune response and RNA homeostasis. Since lncRNAs have been known to sponge microRNAs and protect expression of upregulated genes, we also identified 9 microRNAs that are induced in viral infections; however, some lncRNAs are able to block their usual suppressive effect on overexpressed genes and consequently contribute to host defense and cell survival.ConclusionsOur investigation determines that deregulated lncRNAs in SARS-CoV-2 infection are involved in viral proliferation, cellular survival, and immune response, ultimately determining disease outcome and this information could drive the search for novel RNA therapeutics as a treatment option.

Since the first recorded case of the SARS-CoV-2, it has acquired several mutations in its genome while spreading throughout the globe. However, apart from some changes in protein coding, functional importance of these mutations in disease pathophysiology are still largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the significance of these mutations both from the host’s and virus’s perspective by analyzing the host miRNA binding and virus’s internal ribosome entry site (IRES), respectively. Strikingly, we observed that due to the acquired mutations, host miRNAs bind differently compared to the reference; where few of the miRNAs lost and few gained the binding affinity for targeting the viral genome. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis suggests that targets of both of these gained and lost miRNAs might be involved in various host immune signaling pathways. Also, we sought to shed some insights on the impacts of mutations on the IRES structure of SARS-CoV-2. Remarkably, we detected that three particular mutations in the IRES can disrupt its secondary structure which can further make the virus less functional. These results could be valuable in exploring the functional importance of the mutations of SARS-CoV-2 and could provide novel insights into the differences observed different parts of the world.

BackgroundmiRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of genes by RNA silencing method. Like eukaryotic organisms, some viruses also produce miRNAs. While contribution of host miRNA in the prevention of viral pathogenesis has been studied, it is not known very well how viral miRNA can confer its survival in the host. Here we hypothesized that viral miRNAs can bind to the host target genes to confer their pathogenicity by down-regulating specific pathways and related genes that otherwise pose threat to cell survival.Methods and ResultsUsing targets of 168 viral miRNAs from 13 different viruses overrepresentation analysis was done. Functional enrichment analysis of the genes targeted by the miRNAs indicates that viruses target specific immune system and host defense related pathways via miRNA mediated gene silencing. Integration and analysis of the publicly available experimental host gene expression data by RNA-seq provided insight that viruses target host apoptosis process by switching off related genes through miRNA induced mechanisms and thus probably ensure their survival.ConclusionsAs switching off the apoptosis of host cells would provide the viruses with selective advantages in surviving inside host, our findings therefore envisage an important function of viral miRNA which demands further in vivo experiments for better understanding in this regard.

An incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind impairment of lung pathobiology by COVID-19 complicates its clinical management. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression pattern of cells obtained from biopsies of COVID-19-affected patient and compared to the effects observed in typical SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-infected cell-lines. We then compared gene expression patterns of COVID-19-affected lung tissues and SARS-CoV-2-infected cell-lines and mapped those to known lung-related molecular networks, including hypoxia induced responses, lung development, respiratory processes, cholesterol biosynthesis and surfactant metabolism; all of which are suspected to be downregulated following SARS-CoV-2 infection based on the observed symptomatic impairments. Network analyses suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection might lead to acute lung injury in COVID-19 by affecting surfactant proteins and their regulators SPD, SPC, and TTF1 through NSP5 and NSP12; thrombosis regulators PLAT, and EGR1 by ORF8 and NSP12; and mitochondrial NDUFA10, NDUFAF5, and SAMM50 through NSP12. Furthermore, hypoxia response through HIF-1 signaling might also be targeted by SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Drug enrichment analysis of dysregulated genes has allowed us to propose novel therapies, including lung surfactants, respiratory stimulants, sargramostim, and oseltamivir. Our study presents a distinct mechanism of probable virus induced lung damage apart from cytokine storm.

Suicide is one of the important cause of death worldwide. The precise effect of childhood adversities as risk factors for the onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour are not well understood. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in the department of Psychiatry, Cumilla Medical College, Cumilla, Bangladesh. All cases were selected from patients attending at Cumilla Medical College hospital and Private Hospitals in Cumilla City from April 2017 to September 2018. We found out the association between childhood adversities and suicidal behaviour over the life course and delineated the types of suicidal behavior. Total 120 cases were included in the study. Respondents provided socio-demographic and diagnostic information, childhood adversities as well as an account of suicide-related thoughts and behaviours. A participation rate was 77.5% female. Of 120 suicidal behavior participants physical abuse was 2.5%, sexual abuse was 16.67%, parental death was 5%, parental divorce was 2.5%, other parental loss was 4.17%, family violence was 5%, physical illness was 1.67%, financial adversity was 3.33% and composite adversity was 59.16%. Among childhood adversities participants suicidal ideation was 70%, suicidal plans was 15.83%, suicidal attempts was 45%, ideators only proceeded to plans was 22.5%, ideation to attempt was 63.33%, planned attempts was 10.83% and impulsive attempts was 52.5%. Among suicidal behavior participant's psychiatric disorders were 65%. Where neurotic disorders were 17%, psychotic disorders were 13%, personality disorders were 44% and others disorder was 26%. Most of the suicidal behavior patients were female 77.5% and age group of 18-24 years. Childhood sexual abuse emerged as a particularly robust risk factor for suicide attempts in younger participants. Childhood physical and sexual abuse emerged as risk factors for the emergence and persistence of suicidal behaviour, especially in adolescence. Two or more childhood adversities were associated with a three fold higher risk of lifetime suicide attempts. Childhood adversities are main risk factors for the onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour. The risks being are the greatest in childhood, adolescence and early adult. A longitudinal follow-up study is required to give a more reliable in Bangladesh.

Amongst the anti-TNF-α therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, Adalimumab mAb is one of the best candidates. However, several risk factors are found to be associated with higher doses. Improvement of the binding properties will therefore significantly increase its therapeutic efficacy, reduce the dosage requirements, and ultimately the associated toxicity and treatment cost. Here, we proposed a systematic in silico approach of finding newer mAb variants with improved binding properties. Using various bioinformatics tools, we have identified the significant amino acid residues on Adalimumab mAb. Next, we searched for the suitability of the other residues for mutating the significant residues and from the combinations of suitable mutations, variants were designed. To find the most significant ones, binding properties of the variants were compared with the wild type Adalimumab mAb using molecular docking scrutiny and molecular dynamics simulation. Finally, structural properties between the variant and wild type were analyzed. We have identified the six most significant residues on Adalimumab mAb involved in the antigen-antibody interactions. Using the suitable mutations replacing each of these residues, we have modeled 143 variants. From several docking analyses, we have found five significant variants and after molecular dynamics simulation, one most significant variant with improved binding affinity was identified whose structural properties are similar to the wild type Adalimumab mAb. Designed variant from this study, may provide newer insights on the structure-based affinity improvements of monoclonal antibodies and likewise modifications of the Fc region will also improve the therapeutic effector functions of antibodies too.

Detailed molecular mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis is still elusive to address its deadlier nature and to design effective theraputics. Here, we present our study elucidating the interplay between the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses’; and host’s miRNAs, an epigenetic regulator, as a mode of pathogenesis, and enlightened how the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infections differ in terms of their miRNA mediated interactions with host and its implications in the disease complexity. We have utilized computational approaches to predict potential host and viral miRNAs, and their possible roles in different important functional pathways. We have identified several putative host antiviral miRNAs that can target the SARS viruses, and also SARS viruses’ encoded miRNAs targeting host genes. In silico predicted targets were also integrated with SARS infected human cells microarray and RNA-seq gene expression data. Comparison of the host miRNA binding profiles on 67 different SARS-CoV-2 genomes from 24 different countries with respective country’s normalized death count surprisingly uncovered some miRNA clusters which are associated with increased death rates. We have found that induced cellular miRNAs can be both a boon and a bane to the host immunity, as they have possible roles in neutralizing the viral threat, parallelly, they can also function as proviral factors. On the other hand, from over representation analysis, interestingly our study revealed that although both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viral miRNAs could target broad immune signaling pathways; only some of the SARS-CoV-2 miRNAs are found to uniquely target some immune signaling pathways like-autophagy, IFN-I signaling etc, which might suggest their immune-escape mechanisms for prolonged latency inside some hosts without any symptoms of COVID-19. Further, SARS-CoV-2 can modulate several important cellular pathways which might lead to the increased anomalies in patients with comorbidities like-cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, breathing complications, etc. This might suggest that miRNAs can be a key epigenetic modulator behind the overcomplications amongst the COVID-19 patients. Our results support that miRNAs of host and SARS-CoV-2 can indeed play a role in the pathogenesis which can be further concluded with more experiments. These results will also be useful in designing RNA therapeutics to alleviate the complications from COVID-19.

Vitamin D (Vit.D) has tantalizing effects as a neurosteroidal micronutrient in the brain...

SummaryMammalian IκB proteins (IκBs) exert their main function as negative regulators of NF-κB, a central signaling pathway controlling immunity and inflammation. An alternative chromatin role for IκBs has been shown to affect stemness and cell differentiation. However, the involvement of NF-κB in this function has not been excluded. NFKI-1 and IKB-1 are IκB homologs inCaenorhabditis elegans, which lacks NF-κB nuclear effectors. We found thatnfki-1andikb-1mutants display developmental defects that phenocopy mutations in Polycomb and UTX-1 histone demethylase, suggesting a role forC. elegansIκBs in chromatin regulation. Further supporting this possibility(i)we detected NFKI-1 in the nucleus of cells;(ii)NFKI-1 and IKB-1 bind to histones and Polycomb proteins,(iii)and associate with chromatinin vivo, and(iv)mutations innfki-1andikb-1alter chromatin marks. Based on these results, we propose that ancestral IκB inhibitors modulate Polycomb activity at specific gene subsets with an impact on development.

The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathway plays an essential role in development and disease by controlling cell proliferation and differentiation. Here, we profile the Drosophila larval brain by single cell RNA-sequencing and identify Amalgam (Ama), encoding a cell adhesion protein of the immunoglobulin IgLON family, that regulates the RTK pathway activity during glial cell development. Depletion of Ama reduces cell proliferation, affects glial cell type composition and disrupts the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that leads to hemocyte infiltration and neuronal death. We show that Ama depletion lowers RTK activity by upregulating Sprouty (Sty), a negative regulator of RTK pathway. Knockdown of Ama blocks oncogenic RTK signaling activation in the Drosophila glioma model and halts malignant transformation. Finally, knockdown of a human ortholog of Ama, LSAMP, results in upregulation of SPOUTY2 in glioblastoma cell lines suggesting that the relationship between Ama and Sty is conserved.

The field experiment was conducted at MLT site Pirganj, Rangpur and Hatibandha’ Lalmonirhat for two consecutive years 2015-16 and 2016-17 to introduce T. Aus in the fallow period and to study the comparative agronomic performance and economic return of two cropping sequences (viz. improved cropping pattern; Maize -T. Aus - T. Aman rice and existing cropping pattern; Maize-Fallow-T. Aman rice) for increasing cropping intensity, productivity and land use efficiency. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with six dispersed replications. Two years mean data showed that the improved management practices for the pattern provided significantly higher yield in improved pattern. Higher rice equivalent yield (REY) of cropping system (mean value 17.34 t ha -1 ) was recorded with the improved pattern over existing pattern at MLT site Pirganj. REY increased 4.60 t ha -1 by inclusion of T. Aus with improved production technologies for the component crops. Similar results were also found in Hatibandha. The gross return of the improved pattern was BDT 346764 ha -1 which was more than 33.56% higher than farmers’ pattern of BDT 259640 ha -1 at MLT site Pirganj and in Hatibandha gross return of the improved pattern was BDT 342800 ha -1 which was more than 27.77% higher than farmers’ pattern of BDT 268300 ha -1 . The gross margin was higher in improved cropping pattern in both locations than existing pattern due to addition of T. Aus. Progressive Agriculture 29 (2): 107-116, 2018

The paper focuses on the application of fuzzy logic as a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method to develop an idea of a managerial tool that can predict accidents in different industries. Accidents in industries are not directly dependent on the amount of expenses in different relevant sectors. Fuzzy logic enables us to quantify the opinion of experts with many years of experience and combine those quantified opinions with other parameter affecting the occurrence of accidents in industries which in this case are the amount of expenses in different relevant sectors. This combined assessment generates a relationship between the occurrence of accidents and the amount of expenses in different relevant sectors. The tool will help management to mitigate accidents which is more preferable than reacting to accidents.