Investigation of the argonaute protein variants in Toxoplasma gondii and the contribution of argonaute to RNA silencing

Argonaute protein is a vital component in the RNA interference pathway and post-transcriptional gene regulation in eukaryotes and the protein was recently identified in Toxoplasma gondii. However, the molecular mechanism by which the argonaute protein participates in regulating gene regulation pathways is unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the presence of argonaute protein variants in T. gondii (TgAgo), and its contribution in post-transcriptional gene silencing pathway. Furthermore, the study was designed to elucidate the influence of TgAgo on parasite growth and bradyzoite development. Using PCR analysis, I did not detect any transcript variants of TgAgo. A single transcript of TgAgo was identified to have 2,232 nucleotides encompassing 5 exons. Protein immunoblot assay showed a single protein of ~58.5 kDa. Gene silencing assays demonstrated that knockout of argonaute expression (AGOKO) reduced the gene silencing ability of an RNAi-like mechanisms in T. gondii, suggesting the importance of TgAgo in post transcriptional gene regulation pathways. T. gondii growth pattern was unaffected by the removal of Ago expression. However, bradyzoite formation was increased in AGOKO strains. The study suggests that TgAgo is a vital component of bradyzoite formation in the life cycle of T. gondii

Impact of Continuous Professional Education on Leadership for Rehabilitation Professionals in Bangladesh: A Pilot Study

Background: In healthcare and rehabilitation profession, continuous professional education (CPE) is deemed as an essential tool by institutions, regulatory bodies and organizations. It is considered to be a safeguard to professional practice to ensure patient safety and efficient service delivery. Leadership program is an emerging subject that integrates technical, management and leadership skill that found indispensable to enhance ultimate professional development. Objective: The purpose of this article is to explore the potential impact of CPE on leadership training for rehabilitation professionals in Bangladesh. Methodology: This pilot study was a mixed methods study. 20 rehabilitation professionals participated in the study. Quantitative data were collected by structured questionnaire and qualitative data were obtained by face to face video recording interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)   and thematic analysis was considered for qualitative data. Result: Study findings showed that 95% of the participants (n=19) were in their 2nd to 3rd decade of life, there mean age were 26 and male participation (n=12) were higher than female (n=8). Highest academic qualification was master’s degree and none of the participants attended leadership training before. Overall objective, planning and atmosphere of the training course, quality of trainers and time management seemed effective and satisfactory to the participants they agreed with. Leadership qualities and elements have profound impacts on knowledge and attitude towards positivity in performing professional duties and Responsibilities. The training also enhances motivation to be a skilled professional in clinical practice, also encourages serving with outmost excellence towards patients or clients. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that education on leadership to professionals have an impact on motivation and positivity towards developing technical, management and professional skills. The study may have impact on developing diverse qualities of a professional in personal and organizational perspective; this can be explored by continuing education on leadership and evaluation of the behavioral changes, professional and management skills in rehabilitation professionals’ serving in an organization in longer run

A simple reversed phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography method development and validation for determination of Carvedilol in pharmaceutical dosage forms

A simple, sensitive and precise reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the estimation of Carvedilol in pharmaceutical preparations. Chromatographic determination was performed on a reversed phase C 18 column (4.5 mm x 250 mm; 5 m particle size) using a mixture of Phosphate buffer: Acetonitrile (65:35) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1ml/min with UV detection at 240 nm. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, repeatability, precision, reproducibility, and specificity as per International ICH guidelines. The method was also used in determination Carvedilol content in five commercial brands available in Bangladeshi market. The method was linear in the range between 5 35 g/ml, exhibited good correlation coefficient (R 2 = 0.998) and good Accuracy study (98.08 %-99.91%). The method was found to specific for Carvedilol in presence of common excipients. Statistical analysis performed with proposed method proved it to be precise, accurate and reproducible. Hence it can be employed for routine analysis of Carvedilol both in bulk and commercial formulations

Hypoglycemic, hypolippidemic and antioxidant effects of leaves methanolic extract of Baccaurea ramiflora

The present study was designed for investigating the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activity of the leaves of B. ramiflora. Antioxidant potential was assayed by measuring the free radical scavenging activity using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Diabetes was induced in adult albino rats of both sexes by intra peritoneal (i.p) injection of alloxan (120 mg/kg). Methanolic extract of B. ramiflora leaves (200 mg/kg) was administered as a single dose per day to the diabetic rats for 14 days. The control group received distilled water for the same duration. Blood glucose levels and serum lipid profiles were measured in the diabetic and non-diabetic rats. The methanolic extract showed potent free radical scavenging activity with IC value of 23.83 (μg/ml). It produced substantial hypoglycemia and reduced the elevated blood glucose level in the diabetic rats towards normal and it was statistically highly significant (

Integration of Large-Scale Electric Vehicles into Utility Grid: An Efficient Approach for Impact Analysis and Power Quality Assessment

Electric vehicles (EVs) have received massive consideration in the automotive industries due to their improved performance, efficiency and capability to minimize global warming and carbon emission impacts. The utilization of EVs has several potential benefits, such as increased use of renewable energy, less dependency on fossil-fuel-based power generations and energy-storage capability. Although EVs can significantly mitigate global carbon emissions, it is challenging to maintain power balance during charging on-peak hours. Thus, it mandates a comprehensive impact analysis of high-level electric vehicle penetration in utility grids. This paper investigates the impacts of large-scale EV penetration on low voltage distribution, considering the charging time, charging method and characteristics. Several charging scenarios are considered for EVs’ integration into the utility grid regarding power demand, voltage profile, power quality and system adequacy. A lookup-table-based charging approach for EVs is proposed for impact analysis, while considering a large-scale integration. It is observed that the bus voltage and line current are affected during high-level charging and discharging of the EVs. The residential grid voltage sag increases by about 1.96% to 1.77%, 2.21%, 1.96 to 1.521% and 1.93% in four EV-charging profiles, respectively. The finding of this work can be adopted in designing optimal charging/discharging of EVs to minimize the impacts on bus voltage and line current

Chronic Aflatoxin Exposure and Cognitive and Language Development in Young Children of Bangladesh : A Longitudinal Study

Aflatoxin can cross the blood–brain barrier, damage brain tissues, and have the potential to harm the development of the human brain. Although dietary aflatoxin exposure is common in children, there is a paucity of data on aflatoxin exposure and child developmental outcomes. The child’s cognitive, motor, and language functions were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III or BSID-III at the same time points. Association between exposure to aflatoxin and subtests of BSID-III were examined using mixed-effect linear regression. Aflatoxin assays were performed on 194, 167, and 163 children at 15, 24, and 36 months of age, and chronic aflatoxin exposure was detected in 20.6%, 16.8%, and 60.7% of children, respectively. Multi-variable analyses showed that aflatoxin exposure was independently related to the children’s cognitive score (β: −0.69; 95% CI: −1.36, −0.02), receptive language score (β: −0.90; 95% CI: −1.62, −0.17), and expressive language score (β: −1.01; 95% CI: −1.96, −0.05). We did not observe any association between exposure to aflatoxin and the motor function of children. Chronic exposure to aflatoxin exposure was linked to reduced cognitive, expressive, and receptive language scores of the study children. Further research is needed in a different setting to confirm this novel finding.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

A planar ultrawideband patch antenna array for microwave breast tumor detection

In this paper, a compact planar ultrawideband (UWB) antenna and an antenna array setup for microwave breast imaging are presented. The proposed antenna is constructed with a slotted semicircular-shaped patch and partial trapezoidal ground. It is compact in dimension: 0.30λ × 0.31λ × 0.011λ, where λ is the wavelength of the lowest operating frequency. For design purposes, several parameters are assumed and optimized to achieve better performance. The prototype is applied in the breast imaging scheme over the UWB frequency range 3.10–10.60 GHz. However, the antenna achieves an operating bandwidth of 8.70 GHz (2.30–11.00 GHz) for the reflection coefficient under–10 dB with decent impedance matching, 5.80 dBi of maximum gain with steady radiation pattern. The antenna provides a fidelity factor (FF) of 82% and 81% for face-to-face and side-by-side setups, respectively, which specifies the directionality and minor variation of the received pulses. The antenna is fabricated and measured to evaluate the antenna characteristics. A 16-antenna array-based configuration is considered to measure the backscattering signal of the breast phantom where one antenna acts as transmitter, and 15 of them receive the scattered signals. The data is taken in both the configuration of the phantom with and without the tumor inside. Later, the Iteratively Corrected Delay and Sum (IC–DAS) image reconstructed algorithm was used to identify the tumor in the breast phantom. Finally, the reconstructed images from the analysis and processing of the backscattering signal by the algorithm are illustrated to verify the imaging performance.Funding: This work was made possible by NPRP12S-0227-190164 from the Qatar National Research Fund, a member of Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. The project was also funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia under grant no. KEP-MSc-3-135-39. It was supported also by the Ministry of Education Malaysia research grant no. FRGS/1/2018/TK04/UKM/01/3.Scopu

Knowledge, attitudes, and fear of COVID-19 during the Rapid Rise Period in Bangladesh

The study aims to determine the level of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) related to COVID-19 preventive health habits and perception of fear towards COVID-19 in subjects living in Bangladesh. Design: Prospective, cross-sectional survey of (n = 2157) male and female subjects, 13–88 years of age, living in Bangladesh. Methods: Ethical approval and trial registration were obtained before the commencement of the study. Subjects who volunteered to participate and signed the informed consent were enrolled in the study and completed the structured questionnaire on KAP and Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S). Results: Twenty-eight percent (28.69%) of subjects reported one or more COVID-19 symptoms, and 21.4% of subjects reported one or more co-morbidities. Knowledge scores were slightly higher in males (8.75± 1.58) than females (8.66± 1.70). Knowledge was significantly correlated with age (p < .005), an education level (p < .001), attitude (p < .001), and urban location (p < .001). Knowledge scores showed an inverse correlation with fear scores (p < .001). Eighty-three percent (83.7%) of subjects with COVID-19 symptoms reported wearing a mask in public, and 75.4% of subjects reported staying away from crowded places. Subjects with one or more symptoms reported higher fear compared to subjects without (18.73± 4.6; 18.45± 5.1). Conclusion: Bangladeshis reported a high prevalence of self-isolation, positive preventive health behaviors related to COVID-19, and moderate to high fear levels. Higher knowledge and Practice were found in males, higher education levels, older age, and urban location. Fear of COVID-19 was more prevalent in female and elderly subjects. A positive attitude was reported for the majority of subjects, reflecting the belief that COVID-19 was controllable and containable

The assessment of musculoskeletal disorders, quality of life, and comorbidities in older people in Bangladesh

Musculoskeletal disorders are debilitating conditions that significantly impact the state of health, especially in older people. The study, which employed a cross-sectional design and practical sampling, included 206 participants among them 124 (62.2%) were men and 82 (39.8%) were women, from all over Bangladesh with musculoskeletal issues of varying severity and impact. The mean age of the participants was 64.9 (SD 4.3). The study was carried out between January and June of 2022. The majority of participants experienced musculoskeletal pain. Back pain was the most commonly complained of symptom among the participants (74.9%). It was also common to have limited mobility as a result of arthritic change, which eventually affected daily activities like taking care of oneself. To improve the health of the older adult population, more studies must be conducted to identify the many factors that contribute to musculoskeletal issues. The development of effective prevention and rehabilitation programs must then be based on this knowledge