Exploring Demographic Properties and Amplification Efficiency of N and ORF-1ab Gene in Suspected COVID-19 Patients in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Background: In late December 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia with an unknown cause occurs in Wuhan, China. Later, the causative agent was identified as SARS-CoV-2. Early laboratory diagnosis plays an important role in any outbreak by cutting the spread of infection by isolating the infected person. Nucleic acid detection via PCR remains the gold standard because no alternative scientific method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 is available. Objective: The goal of this study was to learn more about the demographic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-affected people and the sensitivity pattern of the N & ORF-1ab gene among them. Methods: A swab from the nasopharynx for nucleic acid detection was collected from 3183 SARS-CoV-2 suspected cases attending outdoors and indoors at Aichi Hospital and Japan East-West Hospital. Results: 649 (20.4%) were found PCR positive. Among the positive cases, the male was 478 (73.7%) and the female was 171 (26.3%), mean age was 40.35 ± 14.551 years, ranging from 4 – to 90 years. The highest prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was identified in the 21–40 years old group (50.7%), followed by the 41–60 years old group (33.1%). The N gene was found to be 100% positive and ORF-1ab was 22.03% positive. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, males and younger generations are at an elevated risk of contracting the virus, and maybe a source of infection for other family members. According to this study, the N gene has higher sensitivity and amplification efficiency than ORF-1ab

Radionuclides Transfer from Soil to Tea Leaves and Estimation of Committed Effective Dose to the Bangladesh Populace

Considering the probable health risks due to radioactivity input via drinking tea, the concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th,40K and 137Cs radionuclides in the soil and the corresponding tea leaves of a large tea plantation were measured using high purity germanium (HPGe) γ-ray spectrometry. Different layers of soil and fresh tea leaf samples were collected from the Udalia Tea Estate (UTE) in the Fatickchari area of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The mean concentrations (in Bq/kg) of radionuclides in the studied soil samples were found to be 34 ± 9 to 45 ± 3 for 226Ra, 50 ± 13 to 63 ± 5 for 232Th, 245 ± 30 to 635 ± 35 for 40K and 3 ± 1 to 10 ± 1 for 137Cs, while the respective values in the corresponding tea leaf samples were 3.6 ± 0.7 to 5.7 ± 1.0, 2.4 ± 0.5 to 5.8 ± 0.9, 132 ± 25 to 258 ± 29 and <0.4. The mean transfer factors for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K from soil to tea leaves were calculated to be 0.12, 0.08 and 0.46, respectively, the complete range being 1.1 × 10−2 to 1.0, in accordance with IAEA values. Additionally, the most popularly consumed tea brands available in the Bangladeshi market were also analyzed and, with the exception of 40K, were found to have similar concentrations to the fresh tea leaves collected from the UTE. The committed effective dose via the consumption of tea was estimated to be low in comparison with the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reference ingestion dose limit of 290 μSv/y. Current indicative tea consumption of 4 g/day/person shows an insignificant radiological risk to public health, while cumulative dietary exposures may not be entirely negligible, because the UNSCEAR reference dose limit is derived from total dietary exposures. This study suggests a periodic monitoring of radiation levels in tea leaves in seeking to ensure the safety of human health