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Microalgae, a versatile source of biofuels, chemicals, and nutraceuticals, necessitates efficient drying for subsequent applications. Extensive studies have been done on the benefits and uses of microalgae, but very few are focusing on drying. This research focused on a specific microalga, Chlorella vulgaris, to analyze the drying kinetics involved in the moisture removal process. Data on drying behavior were collected using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As the temperature rose, the moisture content of the biomass rapidly decreased and peaked between 65 and 80 °C. From four widely used drying kinetics models, which are typically used to analyze the drying kinetics of agricultural goods, four non-isothermal drying models were derived. These models were assessed using the coefficient of determination (R2) and reduced chi-square (χ2). Page's model emerged as the best fit for describing drying kinetics. This study introduces a novel approach to characterize the intrinsic properties of freshly harvested Chlorella vulgaris by employing TGA and DSC. Unlike other studies focusing on conventional drying methods, our investigation provides real-time insights into the microalgae's thermal behavior during drying.

Phages are the most diversified and dominant members of the gut virobiota. They play a crucial role in shaping the structure and function of the gut microbial community and consequently the health of humans and animals. Phages are found mainly in the mucus, from where they can translocate to the intestinal organs and act as a modulator of gut microbiota. Understanding the vital role of phages in regulating the composition of intestinal microbiota and influencing human and animal health is an emerging area of research. The relevance of phages in the gut ecosystem is supported by substantial evidence, but the importance of phages in shaping the gut microbiota remains unclear. Although information regarding general phage ecology and development has accumulated, detailed knowledge on phage-gut microbe and phage-human interactions is lacking, and the information on the effects of phage therapy in humans remains ambiguous. In this review, we systematically assess the existing data on the structure and ecology of phages in the human and animal gut environments, their development, possible interaction, and subsequent impact on the gut ecosystem dynamics. We discuss the potential mechanisms of prophage activation and the subsequent modulation of gut bacteria. We also review the link between phages and the immune system to collect evidence on the effect of phages on shaping the gut microbial composition. Our review will improve understanding on the influence of phages in regulating the gut microbiota and the immune system and facilitate the development of phage-based therapies for maintaining a healthy and balanced gut microbiota.

The study aimed to address the pervasive issue of inadequate nutrition in Bangladesh by analyzing eight distinct fish species, a pivotal step toward developing fish powder as a promising dietary supplement for nutritional enhancement. Samples from the Mathabhanga River in Chuadanga were rigorously processed and oven-dried to assess their nutritional properties, focusing on proximate composition, mineral content, and amino acid profile. Among the studied fish species, C. reba demonstrated the highest energy content (198.56 Kcal/100 g, p < 0.001), with notably elevated crude protein content (16.99 g/100 g, p < 0.001) compared to all except N. notopterus. The mineral composition order in fish powders was Ca > P > Fe > Na > Mg. Leucine emerged as the predominant essential amino acid (EAA) (6.84 to 32.15 mg/g, p < 0.001) among the species. O. pabo exhibited notably higher total EAA (∑EAA) levels (124.30 mg/g, p < 0.05) compared to other species. P. ticto showed a significantly higher ratio of total essential and non-essential amino acid content (∑EAA/∑NEAA) (0.41, p < 0.05) compared to other species. These findings underscored the nutritional value of the studied fish species, advocating their utilization as a dietary supplement to address malnutrition in Bangladesh.

Commercial microalgae cultivation is a dynamic field with ongoing efforts to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and explore new applications. We conducted a study to examine how different light exposure periods affect Chlorella vulgaris's growth. We employed a Phyto tank batch system of approximately 3.5 L with LED light control, controlled airflow, and sterilized bags, maintained at 22.0 ± 2.0 °C indoors. Various methods, including spectrophotometry, and cell counter were employed to monitor Chlorella vulgaris growth under different light exposure cycles. Additionally, quality analysis as feed source was employed by proximate, amino acid, beta-glucan, and microbial content analysis. The results revealed significant variations in C. vulgaris biomass production based on light exposure duration. Notably, the 16:8-h light-dark photoperiod exhibited the highest biomass concentration, reaching 6.48 × 107 ± 0.50 cells/mL with an optical density (OD) of 1.165 absorbance at 682 nm. The 12:12-h light-dark photoperiod produced the second-highest biomass concentration, with 2.305 × 106 ± 0.60 cells/mL at an OD of 0.489. Proximate analysis of dry algae powder revealed low lipid content (0.48 %), high protein content (37.61 %), variable ash concentration (average 10.75 %), and a significant carbohydrate fraction (51.16 %) during extended daylight and shorter dark periods. Amino acid analysis identified nine essential amino acids, with glutamic acid being the most abundant (17.7 %) and methionine the least (0.4 %). Furthermore, quality analysis and microbiological assays demonstrated that the C. vulgaris biomass is well-suited for fish and livestock use as a feed source and possibility as human nutraceuticals. These findings can be considered more environmentally friendly and ethically sound due to the absence of genetic modification.

The study aimed to develop fish powder as a promising dietary supplement to combat inadequate nutrition. To achieve this goal, the study assessed the nutritional aspects, including proximate composition, mineral content, amino acid profile, and fatty acid profile, as well as the microbiological quality and heavy metal contents, of six small indigenous fish species. The protein content ranged from 57.73 % to 65.26 %, with G. chapra exhibiting the highest protein content (p < 0.001). In all fish powders, the mineral composition was found in the following order: Na > P > Ca > K> Mg > Fe > Mn > Zn. The results revealed significantly elevated levels of total essential amino acids in A. mola (227.20 mg/g, p < 0.001). The PUFA/SFA ratio (> 0.45) and ω-6/ω-3 fatty acids ratio (< 4.00) were generally optimal. The quality and safety of the fish products for human consumption were confirmed, as both the total colony count and heavy metal concentrations remained below the recommended threshold. All ready-to-use fish products, except A. mola, meet over 20 % of the daily nutritional needs for PLW, infants, and adults. Hence, these findings advocate the utilization of the studied fish species as a dietary supplement to address malnutrition.

The study aims to explore the demographic and clinical characteristics of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Bangladesh. A total of 3035 persons with SCI spanning from 2018 to 2022 were included in this cross-sectional study. Information about demographic and clinical variables was obtained from the medical records and verified through telephone calls to ensure accuracy and consistency. Approximately half (48.30%) of the study participants were located in Dhaka Division. The average age of persons with SCI was 38.3 years, with a standard deviation of 15.9 years, and the largest proportion (33.4%) fell within the age range of 18?30 years. Males outnumbered females by nearly 2.5 times. In the study, 59.6% had suffered traumatic injuries, whereas 40.4% had SCI attributable to disease-related causes; 58.1% were diagnosed with tetraplegia and 40.1% with paraplegia. Fall from height (42.1%) and road traffic trauma (27%) were the most common causes of traumatic injuries. Degenerative myelopathy (41.1%) was the most frequent cause of non-traumatic SCI, followed by tumors (27.7%) and tuberculosis (TB; 14.8%). Both traumatic (58.3%) and degenerative (56.7%) causes of SCI commonly affected the cervical spine, whereas TB (24.4%) and tumors (47.5%) had a higher incidence of affecting the dorsal spine. In the absence of a registry or national database for patients with SCI in Bangladesh, this study would serve as representative data for future studies.

Mosquito-borne diseases, particularly dengue and chikungunya have become global threats, infecting millions of people worldwide, including developing countries of Southeast Asia and Latin America. Bangladesh, like many other developing countries, is experiencing frequent dengue outbreaks. This article, therefore, critically discussed the current status of dengue disease, vector control approaches, and the need for Wolbachia-mediated intervention in Bangladesh and other dengue-endemic developing countries. In this narrative review study, relevant literature was searched from major databases and search engines such as PubMed, BanglaJol, World Health Organization (WHO)/European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and Google Scholar. Considering the selection criteria, our search strategies finally involved 55 related literature for further investigation. Findings showed that current vector control strategies could not render protection for an extended period, and the disease burden of arboviruses is increasing. The impoverished outbreak preparedness, urbanization, climate change, and less efficacy of existing control methods have made people susceptible to vector-borne diseases. Hence, Wolbachia, a naturally occurring endosymbiont of many mosquito species that can potentially limit virus transmission through several host genetic alterations, would be a potential alternative for dengue prevention. We also critically discussed the challenges and prospects of Wolbachia-based dengue control in developing countries. The evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of this intervention and its mechanism have also been elucidated. Empirical evidence suggests that this introgression method could be an eco-friendly and long-lasting dengue control method. This review would help the policymakers and health experts devise a scheme of Wolbachia-based dengue control that can control mosquito-borne diseases, particularly dengue in Bangladesh and other developing countries.

This paper conducts a literature review on freight transport service procurements (FTSP) and explores the application of combinatorial auctions (CAs) mechanism and the mathematical modeling approach of the associated problems. It provides an overview of modeling the problems and their solution strategies. The results demonstrate that there has been limited scholarly attention to sustainable issues, risk mitigation and the stochastic nature of parameters. Finally, several promising future directions for FTSP research have been proposed, including FTSP for green orientation in the context of carbon reduction, shipper’s reputation, carrier collaboration for bid generation, etc.

RAB23 is a small GTPase which functions at the plasma membrane to regulate growth factor signaling. Mutations in RAB23 cause Carpenter syndrome, a condition that affects normal organogenesis and patterning. In this study, we investigate the role of RAB23 in musculoskeletal development and show that it is required for patella bone formation and for the maintenance of tendon progenitors. The patella is the largest sesamoid bone in mammals and plays a critical role during movement by providing structural and mechanical support to the knee. Rab23−/− mice fail to form a patella and normal knee joint. The patella is formed from Sox9 and scleraxis (Scx) double-positive chondroprogenitor cells. We show that RAB23 is required for the specification of SOX9 and scleraxis double-positive patella chondroprogenitors during the formation of patella anlagen and the subsequent establishment of patellofemoral joint. We find that scleraxis and SOX9 expression are disrupted in Rab23−/− mice, and as a result, development of the quadriceps tendons, cruciate ligaments, patella tendons, and entheses is either abnormal or lost. TGFβ-BMP signaling is known to regulate patella initiation and patella progenitor differentiation and growth. We find that the expression of TGFβR2, BMPR1, BMP4, and pSmad are barely detectable in the future patella site and in the rudimentary tendons and ligaments around the patellofemoral joint in Rab23−/− mice. Also, we show that GLI1, SOX9, and scleraxis, which regulate entheses establishment and maturation, are weakly expressed in Rab23−/− mice. Further analysis of the skeletal phenotype of Rab23−/− mice showed a close resemblance to that of Tgfβ2−/− mice, highlighting a possible role for RAB23 in regulating TGFβ superfamily signaling.

Abstract Background Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) rs7756992 A/G and rs7754840 G/C of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit-associated protein 1-like 1 (CDKAL1) gene with the susceptibility of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been studied in a group of Bangladeshi women. Methods In this case–control study, 212 GDM patients and 256 control subjects were genotyped for rs7756992 and rs7754840 by PCR-RFLP and TaqMan™ allelic discrimination assay method respectively. Genotyping results were confirmed by DNA sequencing and replicated TaqMan™ assay. The odds ratios and their 95% confidence interval were calculated by logistic regression to determine the associations between genotypes and GDM. Results The genotype frequencies of rs7756992-AA/AG/GG in the GDM group and the control group were 37%/48%, 53%/45%, 10%/7% and those of rs7754840-CC/CG/GG were 51%/55%, 40.1%/39.8%, 9%/5% respectively. Under dominant and log additive models rs7756992 was revealed significantly associated with GDM after being adjusted for family history of diabetes (FHD) and gravidity. Conversely, rs7754840 was significantly associated (P = 0.047) with GDM only under the recessive model after the same adjustment. The risk allele frequency of both SNPs was higher in the GDM group but significantly (P = 0.029) increased prevalence was observed in the rs7756992 G allele. When positive FHD and risk alleles of these SNPs were synergistically present in any pregnant woman, the chance of developing GDM was augmented by many folds. The codominant model revealed 2.5 and 2.1 folds increase in odds by AG (rs7756992) and GC (rs7754840) genotypes and 3.7 and 4.5 folds by GG (rs7756992) and CC (rs7754840) genotypes respectively. A significant 2.7 folds (P = 0.038) increase in odds of GDM resulted from the interaction of rs7756992 and family history of diabetes under the dominant model. The cumulative effect of multigravidity and risk alleles of these SNPs increased the odds of GDM more than 1.5 folds in different genotypes. Conclusion This study not only revealed a significant association between rs7756992 and rs7754840 with GDM but also provided the possibility as potential markers for foretelling about GDM and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Bangladeshi women.

Background. Although the monkeypox virus-associated illness was previously confined to Africa, recently, it has started to spread across the globe and become a significant threat to human lives. Hence, this study was designed to identify the B and T cell epitopes and develop an epitope-based peptide vaccine against this virus’s cell surface binding protein through an in silico approach to combat monkeypox-associated diseases. Results. The analysis revealed that the cell surface binding protein of the monkeypox virus contains 30 B cell and 19 T cell epitopes within the given parameter. Among the T cell epitopes, epitope “ILFLMSQRY” was found to be one of the most potential peptide vaccine candidates. The docking analysis revealed an excellent binding affinity of this epitope with the human receptor HLA-B∗15:01 with a very low binding energy (-7.5 kcal/mol). Conclusion. The outcome of this research will aid the development of a T cell epitope-based peptide vaccine, and the discovered B and T cell epitopes will facilitate the creation of other epitope and multi-epitope-based vaccines in the future. This research will also serve as a basis for further in vitro and in vivo analysis to develop a vaccine that is effective against the monkeypox virus.

The fields of data mining, computational biology, and statistics have been combined to form the massive research area of bioinformatics. In the areas of genetics, education, and healthcare, bioinformatics integrates the tools available in different fields such as computing, inventorying, performing statistical analyses, and collecting and processing genomic data. Stress and depression are two of the most severe mental disorders that affect people of all ages, including children and adults. The goal of this study was to look into the relationship between genetic alterations and the two diseases mentioned above as well as to develop a PPI network or related channel. The first step is to determine whether or not there is a biological relationship between them. This would assist us in connecting both of them as well as building therapeutic drugs that are effective against stress and depression disorders. Using R programs, the genes that are responsible for different diseases are acquired, pre-processed, analyzed, and mined in order to better understand them. During the study, a novel pathway was discovered. Based on common genes between the two diseases studied, the PPI network, gene-miRNA interaction, TF-gene interaction, and PDI network were established. This data can help us better understand how the PPI network binds to its ligands. We anticipate that our study will contribute to the development of new drugs for stress and depression.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is considered as one of the major bacteria causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) affecting millions of people worldwide. UPEC rates of high resistance towards antibiotics have increased dramatically in recent years and made treatment difficult in Bangladesh. The study intended to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance pattern of Escherichia coli from suspected urinary tract infections in Bangladeshi patients. A single cross-sectional retrospective observation was carried out in the Department of Microbiology at the Popular Diagnostic Centre, Mymensingh city, Bangladesh from August 2019 to August 2020. We collected data on urine culture from diagnostic reports of 4000 patients from which positive urine culture data were analyzed using SPSS software. During the study period, 453 positive urine cultures were identified from 4000 suspected UTI patients. Among them, 300 (66.2%) were female and 153 (33.8%) were male with their mean age of 45.50(47.94 for male and 44.27 for female). According to the findings, Escherichia coli was the only uropathogenic bacterial species found in the patient's urine culture. The highest antimicrobial resistance was seen among patients aged between 41 and 50 years. In an antimicrobial susceptibility test, 99% of isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 92% were multidrug-resistant (≥3 classes). [ J Adv Biotechnol Exp Ther 2021; 4(3.000): 256-264]

Abstract Speech‐related research has a wide range of applications. Most speech‐related researches employ Mel‐frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) as acoustic features. However, finding the optimum number of MFCCs is an active research question. MFCC‐based speech classification was performed for both vowels and words in the Bengali language. As for the classification model, deep neural network (DNN) with Adam optimizer was used. The performances were measured with five different performance metrics, namely confusion matrix, classification accuracy, area under curve of receiver operating characteristic (AUC‐ROC), F1 score, and Cohen's Kappa with four‐fold cross‐validations at different number of MFCCs. All performance metrics gave the best score for 24/25 MFCCs; hence it is suggested that the optimum number of MFCCs should be 25, although many existing studies use only 13 MFCCs. Furthermore, it is verified that increasing the number of MFCCs yields better classification metrics with lower computational burden than the increment of hidden layers. Lastly, the optimum number of MFCCs obtained from this study was used in a more improved DNN model, from which 99% and 90% accuracies were achieved for vowel and word classification, respectively, and the vowel classification score outperformed state‐of‐the‐art results.

The human intestine hosts diverse microbial communities that play a significant role in maintaining gut-skin homeostasis. When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases. The mechanisms through which the gut microbiome affects skin health are still unclear. Enhancing our understanding on the connection between skin and gut microbiome is needed to find novel ways to treat human skin disorders. In this review, we systematically evaluate current data regarding microbial ecology of healthy skin and gut, diet, pre- and probiotics, and antibiotics, on gut microbiome and their effects on skin health. We discuss potential mechanisms of the gut-skin axis and the link between the gut and skin-associated diseases, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, rosacea, alopecia areata, and hidradenitis suppurativa. This review will increase our understanding of the impacts of gut microbiome on skin conditions to aid in finding new medications for skin-associated diseases.

Abstract Nanofluids have become the subject of theoretical and experimental researches over the last few decades due to their enhanced heat transfer performance. In this study, thermal conductivity of copper argon nanofluids containing coated and non‐coated copper particles is determined through MD simulation. Coating over the nanoparticles is applied to provide long‐term stable dispersion and also to enhance the heat transfer performance. Thermal conductivity of nanofluids depends on the types of coating applied over the nanoparticles. The role of surface coating over the nanoparticles in enhancing thermal properties of the nanofluids is discussed and compared to that of non‐coated particles. The silver coating is applied over the copper nanoparticles. Green Kubo method is employed to determine the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids. Result shows that, for volume fraction 3% and 86 K system temperature, thermal conductivity enhancement of nanofluid containing coated particle is 17% compared to that of base fluid and without coating, thermal conductivity enhancement is 12%. The mechanism of increased heat transfer performance for surface coating over the nanoparticles is discussed in this paper.

Deep neural networks (DNNs), the integration of neural networks (NNs) and deep learning (DL), have proven highly efficient in executing numerous complex tasks, such as data and image classification. Because the multilayer in a nonlinearly separable data structure is not transparent, it is critical to develop a specific data classification model from a new and unexpected dataset. In this paper, we propose a novel approach using the concepts of DNN and decision tree (DT) for classifying nonlinear data. We first developed a decision tree-based neural network (DTBNN) model. Next, we extend our model to a decision tree-based deep neural network (DTBDNN), in which the multiple hidden layers in DNN are utilized. Using DNN, the DTBDNN model achieved higher accuracy compared to the related and relevant approaches. Our proposal achieves the optimal trainable weights and bias to build an efficient model for nonlinear data classification by combining the benefits of DT and NN. By conducting in-depth performance evaluations, we demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposal by achieving good accuracy over different datasets.

Fire can have its origin either in natural or human activities resulting in death and/or property damage in a very short period of time. To develop fire hazard-resilient cities proper attention should be given to all possible sections of development to facilitate the service. Chattogram City is the second largest city of Bangladesh. Due to rapid rate of urbanization and unplanned growth of urban centers; hazards like fire have become a menace for the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) area. So, the main objective of this research is to identify the nature of the fire hazard by analyzing frequency and intensity over time through different checklists and analyzing the existing firefighting capacity. In addition to past fire incident records, a direct questionnaire survey was utilized and expert opinion was solicited for primary data collection. Using geographical information systems (GIS) techniques, this study found that nine fire stations in the CCC area exhibited different frequency and intensity in different categories such as type of structure, land use, source of fire, damage, and losses in last 5 years. The number of fire incidents increased from 200 to 675 which indicates that the frequency increased over time. Among 2,514 fire accidents, 47% occurred in residential areas and 27% occurred in commercial areas. Fire intensity also varied with seasonal variation over a year. Within the last 5 years, the Chattogram City Corporation dealt with a 179,091,200 BDT financial loss and 83 people were injured, of which 15 were due to fire accidents. One the other hand, only nine fire stations serve the ~155 sq.km area and ~6 million people live in the CCC area which is 17 and 19 times larger than that of Bangkok and Oklahoma City. Finally, this data-driven approach and findings could help emergency planners to take necessary steps for improving firefighting capability to ensure better fire safety and resiliency.

Nowadays, the socioeconomic status has been changed a lot, so people are now more concerned about their life style and health. They have knowledge about the detrimental effects of synthetic products. That is why they are interested in natural products. Utilization of natural products of plant origin having fewer side effects has gained popularity over the years. There is immense scope for natural products that can intimate health benefits beyond traditional nutrients. Moringa oleifera is one such tree having tremendous nutritional and medicinal benefits. It is rich in macro- and micronutrients and other bioactive compounds which are important for normal functioning of the body and prevention of certain diseases. Leaves, flowers, seeds, and almost all parts of this tree are edible and have immense therapeutic properties including antidiabetic, anticancer, antiulcer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant. Most of the recent studies suggested that Moringa should be used as a functional ingredient in food. The aim of this review is to focus the use of Moringa oleifera as a potential ingredient in food products.

Background: In terms of genomics, bioinformatics conceptualizes biological processes and utilizes computer science to generate knowledge from biological data. Bioinformatics is multidisciplinary in that it merges the available methods in multiple fields, including computation, inventory, statistical analysis, collection, and processing of genetic data, to provide approaches in the fields of genetics, education, and healthcare. Aim: Our study, described herein, has attempted to analyze the relationships between genetic variants in breast, colorectal, lung, and ovarian cancer, to establish a common pathway, or PPI network and PDI network. Method: ology: A computational investigation was implemented to understand the PPI network and PDI network for breast, colorectal, lung, and ovarian cancer. Related genes were collected from the NCBI gene database for each disease. A data mining technique was utilized to discover the common genes between the four diseases. Result: Based upon our computational model, a total of 10 common genes: TP53, EGFR, TNF, APOE, VEGFA, IL6, TGFB1, MTHFR, ERBB2, and ESR1 were observed. A novel pathway was found in the investigation. This research was therefore assistive in the identification and study of the PPI network and PDI network for common cancer diseases. Numerous prior studies have also demonstrated a strong association between breast, colorectal, lung, and ovarian cancer. Conclusion: The PPI network and PDI network were developed based on common genes between four studied diseases. This information can be helpful to understand the ligand binding of the PPI network. In this area of drug design, our study therefore provides additional insight. Keywords: Bioinformatics, Data mining, Gene selection, Cancer, Protein-protein interaction, Protein-drug interaction

Seasonal variations of proximate compositions, amino acids, and fatty acids contents of Monopterus cuchia were studied for the first time in Bangladesh. The fat and fatty acid, protein and amino acid contents showed a significant seasonal dependency. Lipid contents showed the wider variation than the protein contents. Among the 14 recorded amino acids, the primary amino acids were lysine, glutamic acid, arginine, glycine and aspartic acid. The ratio of essential and non-essential amino acids was higher in the post-monsoon season (0.69) than pre-monsoon (0.68) and monsoon season (0.68) and did not show seasonal discrepancies. The amount of fatty acids were found in order of saturated fatty acids (SFA) > mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) > polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The predominant fatty acids were palmitic and stearic acids of SFAs, oleic and palmitoleic acid of MUFAs and linoleic and α linolenic acids of PUFAs group. The combined value of EPA+DHA varied from 1.44–5.34% depending on the season, with the highest in monsoon season. However, the n-6/n-3 ratios were notably lower (0.58–2.51) throughout the season than the greatest esteem of 4. Therefore, M. cuchia may be consumed as healthy as safe food with reference to n-6/n-3 ratio, irrespective of catching seasons.

Introduction: Uterine cervical carcinoma is the commonest form of gynecological malignancy in Bangladesh as well as in South Asia. Outcome of weekly versus three weekly Cisplatin concurrent with External beam radiotherapy followed by intracavitary radiotherapy in locally advanced cervical carcinoma was compared in this study. Methods: A quasi experimental study was carried out from April 2016 to September 2017. Total eighty patients of uterine cervical cancer were included and received External beam radiotherapy concurrent with either weekly or three weekly Cisplatin followed by High dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy. External beam radiotherapy was given with a dose of 50 Gray (Gy) in conventional fractionation over 5 weeks. Cisplatin 40 mg/m2, weekly was given along with radiotherapy to the patients of Arm A (n=40) while the patients of Arm B (n=40) received cisplatin 75 mg/m2, 3 weekly along with the radiotherapy. Patients were evaluated weekly during treatment and afterwards up to 6 months. Results: The mean age of patients were 48±9 years for Arm A and 42±9 years for Arm B. Complete response at 6 months of follow up was observed in 30 (75%) and 36 (90%) patients of Arm A and B respectively.Overall complete response was observed in 66 (82.5%)patients. Common toxicities were nephrological, hematological, skin and bowel related and were managed accordingly. Grade III-IV neutropenia was more in patients of Arm A (42.5%) than B (20%). Conclusions: This study showed that the radiotherapy concurrent with three weekly Cisplatin is effective and less toxic than weekly Cisplatin in locally advanced cervical

Loss-of-function mutations in GLI3 and IHH cause craniosynostosis and reduced osteogenesis, respectively. In this study, we show that Ihh ligand, the receptor Ptch1 and Gli transcription factors are differentially expressed in embryonic mouse calvaria osteogenic condensations. We show that in both Ihh−/− and Gli3Xt−J/Xt−J embryonic mice, the normal gene expression architecture is lost and this results in disorganized calvarial bone development. RUNX2 is a master regulatory transcription factor controlling osteogenesis. In the absence of Gli3, RUNX2 isoform II and IHH are upregulated, and RUNX2 isoform I downregulated. This is consistent with the expanded and aberrant osteogenesis observed in Gli3Xt−J/Xt−J mice, and consistent with Runx2-I expression by relatively immature osteoprogenitors. Ihh−/− mice exhibited small calvarial bones and HH target genes, Ptch1 and Gli1, were absent. This indicates that IHH is the functional HH ligand, and that it is not compensated by another HH ligand. To decipher the roles and potential interaction of Gli3 and Ihh, we generated Ihh−/−;Gli3Xt−J/Xt−J compound mutant mice. Even in the absence of Ihh, Gli3 deletion was sufficient to induce aberrant precocious ossification across the developing suture, indicating that the craniosynostosis phenotype of Gli3Xt−J/Xt−J mice is not dependent on IHH ligand. Also, we found that Ihh was not required for Runx2 expression as the expression of RUNX2 target genes was unaffected by deletion of Ihh. To test whether RUNX2 has a role upstream of IHH, we performed RUNX2 siRNA knock down experiments in WT calvarial osteoblasts and explants and found that Ihh expression is suppressed. Our results show that IHH is the functional HH ligand in the embryonic mouse calvaria osteogenic condensations, where it regulates the progression of osteoblastic differentiation. As GLI3 represses the expression of Runx2-II and Ihh, and also elevates the Runx2-I expression, and as IHH may be regulated by RUNX2 these results raise the possibility of a regulatory feedback circuit to control calvarial osteogenesis and suture patency. Taken together, RUNX2-controlled osteoblastic cell fate is regulated by IHH through concomitant inhibition of GLI3-repressor formation and activation of downstream targets.

Ce doped RGO-TiO2 composite films on ITO substrates were prepared by sol-gel process using tetrabutyl titanate and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as the starting materials. The sample was designed for the photoelectrocatalytic applications. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that doping of Ce on RGO-TiO2 composite film inhibited the TiO2 anatase-rutile phase transformation. In this case, Ce atoms could serve as dispersion oxide and suppress the recombination of photoinduced electron-hole pairs. Besides, the change in absorbance from UV to visible region was observed in Ce doped RGO-TiO2 nanocomposite films. The Ce doped RGO-TiO2 composite film showed higher photoelectrochemical performance than that of RGO-TiO2 composite and pure TiO2 under solar simulator irradiation. The main reason might be attributed to the optimum content of Ce that could act as electrons acceptor to hinder the recombination loss and facilitate the better transportation for photoinduced charge carriers.

Nano size Copper (Cu) incorporated TiO2 nanotubes was successfully synthesized via the anodic oxidation technique in ethylene glycol (EG) containing 0.5 wt % NH4F and 1.6 wt % KOH for the photocatalytic degradation of Simazine (2-chloro-4, 6-diethylamino-1,3,5-triazine) under Ultraviolet (UV) illumination. In the present study, the influence of different loading Cu concentrations on the formation of Cu-TiO2 nanotubes film towards the photocatalytic degradation of Simazine is reported. Based on our study, it was found that the optimum Cu loading concentration was about 0.45 wt % on TiO2 nanotubes film for approximately 64% photocatalytic degradation of Simazine after 4 h under UV illumination. This finding was mainly attributed to the uniform surface covering of the Cu loaded TiO2NTs which acted as electron traps, preventing the recombination of electron hole pairs, eventually leading to higher photocatalytic activity of our photocatalyst in degrading the targeted organic pollutant, Simazine. Moreover, an increased kinetic rate of the degradation to 0.0135 h−1 was observed in the presence of Cu in TiO2NTs.

A phenolic biosensor based on a zirconium oxide/polyethylene glycol/tyrosinase composite film for the detection of phenolic compounds has been explored. The formation of the composite film was expected via electrostatic interaction between hexacetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and zirconium oxide nanoparticles casted on screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE). Herein, the electrode was treated by casting hexacetyltrimethylammonium bromide on SPCE to promote a positively charged surface. Later, zirconium oxide was mixed with polyethylene glycol and the mixture was dropped cast onto the positively charged SPCE/CTAB. Tyrosinase was further immobilized onto the modified SPCE. Characterization of the prepared nanocomposite film and the modified SPCE surface was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), and Cyclic voltamogram (CV). The developed biosensor exhibits rapid response for less than 10 s. Two linear calibration curves towards phenol in the concentrations ranges of 0.075–10 µM and 10–55 µM with the detection limit of 0.034 µM were obtained. The biosensor shows high sensitivity and good storage stability for at least 30 days.