2021

Gastroenteritis is a disorder of gastrointestinal tract with symptoms of mainly diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, which is major cause of child morbidity and mortality, caused by mostly viruses, and bacteria, protozoa, etc. E. coli O157, Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. play a significant role along with different sociodemographic and epidemiologic risk factors to cause bacterial gastroenteritis (BGE) in children. This study aimed to assess the burden of gasteroenteritis caused by the mentioned three bacteria, and contribution of several risk factors causing the disease in children. Stool specimens from hospitalized children were obtained along with sociodemographic and epidemiologic data. Bacterial pathogens from stools were recovered by using selective media, biochemical and serological tests. We found 15% (17/116) of the clinically suspected gastroenteritis children were infected with Salmonella spp. (29%), Shigella spp. (59%) and E. coli O157 (12%). A chi-square test of all (116) data revealed that sex (p<0.05), dehydration (p=0.05), contact with the diarrheal patient (p<0.05), past episode of diarrheal illness (p<0.05) and vomiting (p<0.02), feeding practices like only breastfeeding (p<0.05), breastfeeding with subsequent feeding (p<0.05), subsequent feeding (p<0.05), weaning status (p<0.001), family diet (p<0.05), types of drinking water (p<0.002), Father’s education (p<0.05), occupation (p=0.05), and family income (p<0.001) were significantly associated with BGE. Determination of these potential risk factors will help to minimize the possibility of getting BGE and  to reduce morbidity and mortality   and also will aid to effective disease management  and prevention of BGE outbreak in future.

Twenty-two rice lines were used to evaluate salt tolerance at the Laboratory of Biotechnology Division of Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Mymensingh. Four SSR markers viz. AP3206f, RM1287, RM7075, and RM10793 were used to screen the germplasm for salt tolerance. SSR analysis revealed that the number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 5 with an average of 4.25 alleles per locus. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) values ranged from 0.4762 (RM7075) to 0.7524 (AP3206f) with an average of 0.61 per locus. The highest genetic diversity (0.7810) was observed in loci AP3206f, and the lowest genetic diversity (0.5620) was observed in loci RM7075 with a mean diversity of 0.6663. The genotypes with genetic similarity clustered together in the dendrogram based on UPGMA method and we observed seven major clusters where cluster I contained most of the genotypes. Cluster I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII contained 6, 1, 2, 4, 4, 4 and 1 genotypes, respectively. These results revealed that marker AP3206f would be best in screening 22 rice genotypes followed by RM1287, RM7075, and RM10793 according to PIC values. These findings can have the potential role for further improvement of salinity tolerance rice genotypes through marker-assisted breeding.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) remains one of the most common infections among young females diagnosed in developing countries. The emergence of antibiotic resistance among uropathogens is a global problem. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and resistance of antibiotics to uropathogens, and to understand the relationship of uropathogens to multiple clinical, social and demographic factors of young female students in a university in Bangladesh. Four hundred freshly voided midstream urine samples collected from young female students and several clinical and socio-demographic variables along with UTI symptomatic queries were determined. Bacterial isolation was carried out by using standard and specific microbiological techniques and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was determined by Kirby Bauer Disc diffusion method. Among the tested specimens, 106 (26.5%) has significant bacterial growth, 60 (57%) were symptomatic, and 46 (43%) were asymptomatic. The highest uropathogen was recorded within the age group of 24-25 years (51%). There was a significant association (p < 0.05) of uropathogen with anatomical abnormality of urinary tract, water sources for food preparation and bathing, and the number of person sharing the same toilet. Most predominantly isolated bacteria were E. coli (32.08%) followed by Staphylococcus saprophyticus (24.53%), Streptococcus spp. (16.04%), Klebsiella spp. (14.15%), Aceinetobacter spp. (4.72%), Citrobacter spp. (2.83%), Enterobacter spp. (2.83%), and Pseudomonas spp. (2.83%). In the effectiveness of each treated antibiotic, urinary pathogens were highly resistant towards nalidixic acid (80.19%), ampicillin (75.73%), cephalexin (70%) and azithromycin (68.48) while against imipenem (7.94%) and amikacin (18.87%) least resistancy were found. A good understanding of the etiology of uropathogens will assist the general practitioner to identify the correct therapeutic strategy for the proper management of UTIs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cost a large number of lives worldwide. Most of the COVID-19 patients recover within two weeks of illness, but many survivors are experiencing different post COVID-19 clinical complications. In this cross-sectional retrospective study, we investigated the immediate and post COVID-19 complications with secondary effects in symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients of Bangladesh. A total of 632 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from December, 2020 to February, 2021 were included in this study. The data were collected by telephone interview with patients consent and reviewing their call records using questionnaire and checklist. Results demonstrate that among the 632 patients, 77.53 % of cases were symptomatic, where fever was the most common symptom (82.24%). The other symptoms were headache (58.16%), sore throat (53.65%), cough (45.51%), weakness (41.22%), breathlessness (40%), loss of smell (37.55%), tastelessness (31.84%), diarrhea (19.39%), and vomiting (14.69%). Comorbidities like asthma, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases were pronounced in symptomatic patients. Post COVID-19 complications varied significantly (P<0.05) between the symptomatic and asymptomatic observations. Asthma, hypertension, and diabetes were newly reported in symptomatic patients with the rate of 3.06 %, 2.45 %, and 2.24 %, respectively, while the proportions were 1.41%, 1.41%, and 0.70% for the asymptomatic group. Tiredness, weight loss, hair loss, and insomnia were the most observed post COVID-19 complications found higher in symptomatic patients than in asymptomatic groups. A newly developed visual anomaly was also identified in the symptomatic group (1.42%), which was absent in asymptomatic COVID-19 recovered patients. These findings concluded that post-COVID-19 complications were high in symptomatic and comorbid patients compared with asymptomatic individuals. We hope that this study will contribute in post COVID-19 management and help the concerned authority toward decision making in the treatment of post-COVID-19 complications.

Avian mycoplasmosis caused by several species of Mycoplasma including Mycoplasma gallisepticum, M synoviae, M. meleagridis and M. iowae. Among these Mycoplasma gallisepticum is the most important poultry pathogen in Bangladesh. For effective control of Mycoplasmosis, proper early diagnosis is the corner stone. The research work was designed, a total of 20 samples, lung exudates, swabs from trachea and air sacs were collected from dead birds of different poultry farms in Mymensingh district during October- December, 2007. Samples were collected in 10% buffered formalin for histopathological study. Swabs were collected in mycoplasma broth supplemented with supplement-G. Additionally Kanamycin solution was added to prevent the growth of gram–Ve bacteria and then the organisms were transferred into mycoplasma agar for isolation. Histopathological studies were conducted using routine procedure in Hematoxylin and Eosin stain. Isolated Mycoplasma were subjected to DNA extraction, Nested PCR was done using a commercial PCR kit. The histopathological study revealed the presence of mycoplasmal related tissue changes, such as severe congestion and infiltration of mononuclear cells in different organs. The extracted DNA accumulated at the upper position of DNA ladder as band without any smear formation. The DNA from avian mycoplasmas was amplified and gave amplified product of 975 bp by outer primer and 395 bp by inner primer which was much smaller than the expected size. In this study, preliminary results from field samples suggest that culture using mycoplasma agar and broth supplement with Supplement-G and Kanamycin solution could be useful for the isolation of pathogenic avian mycoplasmas.

Char dwellers are considered poorer than the mainland population. A constant threat of riverbank failure, flooding, and seasonal cyclone, combined with lack of physical infrastructures, and employment opportunities in the Chars, makes a vulnerable, difficult, and fragile life. The aim of the present work was an initiative to improve the livelihood of Char dwellers through fish culture in the net cages. A focus group survey was conducted on Char dwellers to know about the livelihood conditions. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of plankton was performed to know the productivity of the Padma River. In the study area, there was an average of 5 household members in each family of the Charland dwellers, and the average sex ratio of males and females was 56.67% and 43.33%, respectively. The age group of below 15 to 60 years and their religion ratio of Muslim and Hindu was 45% and 55%. The total number of identified genera of phytoplankton was 41, and the total number of zooplankton genera was 20 in the Padma River. Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was cultured in the net cages providing three different feeds i.e. natural feed, kitchen waste (leftover rice), and rice bran. The final weights of the experimental tilapia were 314.8 ± 24.3 g after 5 months of feeding natural food, 321.4 ± 22.8 g after 5 months of feeding natural food with kitchen waste, and 324.8 ± 29.5 g after 5 months of feeding natural food with rice bran. Considering the plankton populations and water quality parameters, the Padma River near the Charland of Munshiganj was productive for fish farming. We found the results of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) farming in net cages near the river of Char, which were almost the same (has no significant difference among the diets) by providing low-cost supplementary feed and without supplementary feed. Therefore, the result indicates that Char dwellers can culture fishes in net cages to have the fish in their daily meals and can earn extra income from selling the fish to improve their livelihood. Moreover, applied research and interdisciplinary adaptive policy framework are requisite for the Charland livelihoods sustainability in the Padma River, Munshiganj, Bangladesh.

The current study was conducted to evaluate the socio-economic profile of fisher communities in Dengar beel under Melandah Upazila of Jamalpur district, Bangladesh. A total of 45 fishers were surveyed from November 2020 to April 2021. It was found that the family size of 53% of fishers was medium, consisting of 5-6 members. Most of the fisher communities belonged to the age group above 45 years old, represented by 100% Muslim. About 73% of fishers were less educated, 13% primary level, 7% secondary level, and 7% Secondary School Certificate passed and above, respectively. Most of the fishers (60%) have katcha houses with tin roofing, 7% have katcha house with straw roofs, 13% have semi- pucca houses and 20% have pucca houses. Around 93% of fishers used their own tube-well while only 7% used neighbours’ tube-well. All of the fisher household were connected with electricity supply. About 27% of fisher communities used katcha toilets, 46% used semi pucca toilets and 27% used pucca toilets. About 47% of fisher communities were dependent on village doctors, 33% got health service from Upazila health complex, 20% from MBBS doctors, and others. About 46% of fishers were engaged in fishing as their primary occupation while 27% in agriculture with fishing, 20% in daily labour with fishing and 7% in livestock rearing. About 33% of the fishers had low income, 40% had medium income and 27% had high income. The present study revealed that the fishers of Dengar Beel were mostly less educated, less privilege to attain modern technology-oriented training experience, less income and less awareness about sanitation and health facilities. So, provide soft loans to fishers, and strengthening people awareness has been might be helpful to improve the socio-economic status of fisher communities in Dengar Beel.

Management of fish health is one of the main considerations in aquaculture and different plant compounds are being used for supporting fish health to minimize the negative impacts of synthetic aqua drugs. In the present experiment, potentiality of moringa (Moringa oleifera; Lamarck, 1785) leaf as a nutritious dietary source for tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus; Linnaeus, 1758) fish was tested and the duration was two months from 30th September to 30th November, 2020. The moringa leaves were brought, cleaned, dried, and finally crushed into powder. Three experimental diets were formulated using the processed moringa leaf powder (MLP) at the rate of 0% (MLP0%) as control, 10% (MLP10%) and 20% (MLP20%) as treatment mixing with rice bran, wheat bran, mustard oil cake, fish meal, soya oil and vitamin-mineral premix. Fifteen tilapia fingerlings having average initial length 10.88±0.11 cm and initial weight 29.06±0.50 g was stocked in each tank with 90 L water. Sixty days feeding trial was performed with three replications of each treatment. The fishes were fed with formulated feeds twice daily at 9 am and 4 pm at a rate of 3% of their body mass. Sampling of fish and water quality parameters were carried out at twelve days interval. Moreover, the blood glucose and cholesterol of tilapia were measured monthly. Final length, final weight, weight gain, percent weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) and production of tilapia were significantly different among the treatments. The highest FCR (3.17±0.25) and SGR (1.33±0.12 %) values were in MLP20% and MLP10%, respectively. In the experiment, the highest and the lowest tilapia production were 9.21±0.39 and 7.39±0.35 kg m-3 in MLP10% and MLP20%, respectively. The blood glucose values were significantly different among the treatments (p< 0.05) and the highest value was in MLP0% (48.00±2.00 mg dl-1). Moreover, the highest and the lowest blood cholesterol was found in MLP0% (177.67±2.52 mg dl-1) and MLP20% (148.33±1.53 mg dl-1), respectively whereas the values were highly significantly different among the treatments (p≤ 0.01). Water quality parameters were statistically similar among the treatments (p> 0.05) and the values were within acceptable range for tilapia culture.

Air pollution is a major challenge worldwide, particularly in the developing world. This study aimed to revelation people’s perceptions regarding the impacts of air pollution on reproductive health. This study was conducted among107 respondents and a google form was used to create a survey questionnaire. Purposive sampling has been used to select the respondents. A large number of respondents are male and aged less than 30 years. A large number of respondents are from the urban area and depends on Non-Government Job. A satisfactory number of the respondents know about air pollution. Both male and female respondents know smoke inhalation during pregnancy, damage reproductive organs of the male, birth defects due to air pollutions, and delayed brain development of the newborn baby. Most of the respondents gather their knowledge from television and social media.

Dried shrimp has some special advantageous such as long shelf-life, high nutritional content, and ease of transportation considered as a healthy choice of food. The nutritional properties of three common and demandable dried shrimp species available in Jashore, Bangladesh were evaluated. The moisture content of dried Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus Monoceros and Ferapenaeus indicus was determined 19.7±0.40%, 20.5±0.25% and 24.9±0.21%, respectively. The protein content was found 57.46±5.88%, 62.5±1.98%, and 55.5±1.85% in Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus Monoceros, and Ferapenaeus indicus, respectively. The ash and fat content of Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus Monoceros and Ferapenaeus indicus were observed  12.20±0.90% and 1.90±0.15%, 10.20±0.39% and 1.48±0.32%, 8.57±1.43%, and 1.08±0.21%, respectively. Total saturated fatty acids content was found 31.56%, 29.21%, 38.59 in Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus monoceros, and Ferapenaeus indicus, respectively. The polyunsaturated fatty acids was found 42.60%, 42.29%, and 37.80% in Palaemon karnafuliensis, Metapenaeus monoceros, and Ferapenaeus indicus, respectively. There were nine non-essential and eight essential amino acids found in the dried shrimp products. Glutamine, proline, glycine and alanine were dominated among the non-essential amino acid. Lysine was found a significant amount in the study. All the three dried shrimp products were considered as highly nutritive and less fat value which is considered healthy for the consumers.

Nigella sativa (Black seed) has been recognized as one of the most popular herbs in many parts of the world for centuries and used as folk medicine to cure different kinds of diseases. Vitamin E is well known for its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, and has been studied in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present study was performed to determine the effect of black seed oil and Vit-E on growth performance and blood biochemistry in mice. A total of 40 mice weight between 25-27 gm were used for conducting the research.  At first, the mice were randomly divided into 4 groups consisting 10 mice in each group. Group A served as the control group whereas Group B was administered black seed oil @ 0.5 ml/kg/day, Groups C was taken vitamin E @ 200 mg/kg/day and Group D was received both black seed oil @ 0.5 ml/kg/day + vitamin E @ 200 mg/kg/day respectively for 42 days. Result showed that, body weight of B, C and D group revealed a significant decrease than the control group (p<0.05). Hemoglobin concentration (Hb) and Total Erythrocyte Count (TEC) showed a significant change in B, C and D group than the control group (p<0.05). On the other hand, Total Leukocyte Count (TLC) and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) were insignificant. The results of biochemical test explored that serum cholesterol and triglyceride value decreased significantly whereas HDL increased significantly in black seed oil, Vit-E treated groups than the control group (p<0.05). But the LDL showed no change after treatment. It could be concluded that the black seed oil and Vit-E can be used in the therapeutic strategy of obesity, anemia and coronary diseases.

The cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors have recently been found to be of potential use as anticancer drugs. The present research work focuses on screening of compounds targeting multiple pathways involved in human cancers along with CDK-regulated cell cycle for prospective anticancer potential. Molecular docking study of selected compounds were performed to determine the binding affinity of selected compounds towards respective targets of cancer cells to verify if there is any physical interaction of these inhibitors with their reported target proteins as claimed in the existing literatures. Prior to docking, molecular pathway prediction and gene set enrichment analyses were performed to identify the target molecules by using appropriate bioinformatics tools. Interestingly, the results of in silico molecular docking have been found to be in line with the laboratory findings that are obtained from the literatures. Specifically, few of our selected CDK inhibitors, namely Abemaciclib, Palbociclib, AMG 925 and RGB 286638 showed good binding scores against BCL2, TS, mTOR in addition to CDKs (4, 6 and 9). On the basis of scientific evidence based on published scholarly articles and according to molecular docking results, it can be inferred that these CDK inhibitors as anticancer agents may play a very promising role in cancer treatment and can be used as potential lead compounds for the development of target therapy against human cancers. However, more intensive research is needed to confirm the feasibility of these compounds to be used in treating cancer and it is expected that this work will provide a stimulating impetus for the development of chemotherapeutic agents in future.

The physico-chemical characteristics of water and aquatic macrophytes from Dakatia Beel under Khulna district in Bangladesh were studied within January, 2020 to February, 2021. Twenty three species of aquatic macrophytes belonging to 15 families have been recorded. The aquatic macrophytes in Dakatia Beel collected from several sites belonging to 23 genera and 15 families (Lemnaceae, Pontederiaceae, Araceae, Convolvulaceae, Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Polygonaceae, Ceratophyllaceae, Onagraceae, Parkeriaceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Euphorbiacee, Nymphaceae). We also observed the different plant groups which comprises 6 species of floating, 10 species of emergent and only 2 species of submerged aquatic macrophytes. Dissolved oxygen ranged between 1.78 to 2.2 mg/L with a mean value 1.95 mg/L. The study area showed maximum total dissolved solid 588 ppm and the minimum in 482 ppm with a mean value of 534 ppm. Maximum value of phosphate was noted in 1029 μg/L and minimum 988 μg/L with a mean value of 1005 μg/L.

Hematological indication is an important finding for pathophysiological analysis of biological science. This study was designed with the aim to investigate the effects of residual antibiotics on hematological parameters of broiler following discriminate and indiscriminate use. The day old broiler chicks were collected and reared up to 31 days. The treatment was started from the day 16^th until sacrifice. The chicks were randomly divided into three groups namely control group (Group A), discriminate antibiotic group (Group B) and indiscriminate antibiotic group (Group C) on the 14^th day. The discriminate group was treated with antibiotic, colistin sulfate maintaining the withdrawal period of one week. In case of indiscriminate group the withdrawal period was not maintained and antibiotic treatment was continued till the day of sacrifice. The Hb (%) of control, discriminate and indiscriminate groups were 8.34±0.15, 6.89±0.27, and 7.14±0.23 respectively. The differences among means were statistically significant (P<0.05). The Packed Cell Volume (PCV) of control, discriminate, and indiscriminate groups were 23.51±0.76, 21.17±0.94, and 22.83±1.19 respectively. The differences among means were statistically significant. The multiple pair wise comparison of means of blood parameters revealed that there was no significant difference among discriminate and indiscriminate groups. From the above findings, this research could be considered a need based research in Bangladesh to ascertain the influential effect of antibiotic on hematological parameters in broiler.

The weather and vast areas of crop fields along with housing premises of Bangladesh are suitable for pigeon farming. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of eggs and serum electrolyte concentration of Gola, Giribaz and Ghiachundi pigeon squabs. Three pairs of each breed were reared in the cage with commercial feed and water. After laying eggs, the length and width of eggs were recorded. After hatching of eggs, eggshell thickness was recorded. The thickness of the eggshell was 0.15±0.01 mm, 0.15±0.01 mm, 0.15±0.00 mm for Gola, Giribaz and Ghiachundi breeds respectively. The body weights of the squabs were recorded at 7^th and 45^th day. The squabs were sacrificed on 45^th day and the blood sample was collected and serum sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus concentration were measured by using appropriate analytical techniques. Serum sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus were: 102.93±15.95 (mmol/L), 11.18±2.19 (mmol/L), 6.20±1.11 (mmol/L), 4.53±0.45 (mmol/L) for Gola breed; 101.48±2.12 (mmol/L), 12.15±0.96 (mmol/L), 5.65±1.09 (mmol/L), 4.53±0.36 (mmol/L) for Giribaz breed and 95.18±6.71 (mmol/L), 11.99±0.91 (mmol/L), 5.09±0.75(mmol/L), 4.81±0.24 (mmol/L) for Ghiachundi breed respectively. A positive correlation has been found between thickness of eggshell and phosphorus while there is a negative correlation with calcium for Gola breed; both have been found insignificant for Giribaz breed and only calcium has been found significant for Ghiachundi breed. A strong correlation between the final body weight of the squab and K for the Gola breed; between the final body weight of the squab and Ca, P, K for Giribaz breed and between the final body weight of the squab and Ca, Na, K have been found. It could be concluded that serum electrolytes having an influential effect on egg characteristics and body weight of corresponding pigeon breed.

Aquaculture medicines, drugs, and chemicals or simply AMDC, are critical in protecting aquaculture farmers from disease in farmed animals and economic losses. The AMDC is now a well-established industry in Bangladesh, and each year, new products that benefit farmers are launched. This review examined published research information on AMDC over the last decade (2011-2020) and discovered that 41 research publications from various parts of Bangladesh were published, citing the names of 1484 AMDC products. It was discovered that 19 generic antibiotics are well established and widely used in different regions' aquaculture, including shrimp aquaculture. Although some researchers expressed concern about the use of antibiotics in aquaculture, they believe that with proper withdrawal periods and the application of small doses, farmers may avoid economic losses. However, the pathway of the antibiotic introduction in aquaculture setup in Bangladesh was unknown to the researchers, through this review, we revealed the pathway of antibiotics introduction in aquaculture. Additionally, this review revealed that various AMDC products, including oxygen suppliers, growth promoter supplements, disinfectants, raw chemicals, probiotics, pond preparation and management AMDC, and toxic gas removal AMDC, are readily available in various markets throughout Bangladesh. The observation implied that research on the efficacy of various AMDC products in Bangladesh's agro-ecological zones could be conducted, which would aid researchers in deciphering the true nature of AMDC in sub-tropical climates.