Comparative effects of organic manure sources and rates on performance of groundnut varieties

An experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research farm of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. The aim was to study effects of different organic manure sources on performance of groundnut varieties. Treatment consisted of three organic manure source, (Poultry manure, (PM) cow dung (CD) and household waste (HW) each at two levels (1 ton and 2 tons), two varieties of groundnut SAMNUT 21 (V1) and SAMNUT 23 (V2) and a control. The treatments were factorially combined and assigned in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. Growth data such as plant height, canopy spread and biomass weight and; yield data including, pod yield per plant, seed yield per plant, 100 seed weight were collected

Molecular mechanism of activation of human musk receptors OR5AN1 and OR1A1 by (R)-muscone and diverse other musk-smelling compounds

We acknowledge support from NSF (CHE-1265679) and NIH (5R01DC014423 subaward) (EB), NIH (5R01 DC014423) (HM), the European Reasearch Council (ERC) and the Engineering Science Research Council (EPSRC) (DO'H), FAPESP and CNPq (RAC), the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) for studentship support (MY), National Science Foundation (31070972) (HZ), Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (16ZR1418300) (HZ), the Shanghai Eastern Scholar Program (J50201) (HZ). VSB thanks NIH grant 1R01GM106121-01A1 and computational time from NERSC.Understanding olfaction at the molecular level is challenging due to the lack of crystallographic models of odorant receptors (ORs). To better understand the molecular mechanism of OR activation, we focused on chiral (R)-muscone and other musk smelling odorants due to their great importance and widespread use in perfumery and traditional medicine, as well as environmental concerns associated with bioaccumulation of musks with estrogenic/antiestrogenic properties.  We experimentally and computationally examined the activation of human receptors OR5AN1 and OR1A1, recently identified as specifically responding to musk compounds.  OR5AN1 responds at nanomolar concentrations to musk ketone and robustly to macrocyclic sulfoxides and fluorine-substituted macrocyclic ketones; OR1A1 responds only to nitromusks. Structural models of OR5AN1 and OR1A1 based on quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) hybrid methods were validated through direct comparisons with activation profiles from site-directed mutagenesis experiments and analysis of binding energies for 35 musk-related odorants.  The experimentally found chiral selectivity of OR5AN1 to (R)- over (S)-muscone was also computationally confirmed for muscone and fluorinated (R)-muscone analogs.  Structural models show that OR5AN1, highly responsive to nitromusks over macrocyclic musks, stabilizes odorants by hydrogen bonding to Tyr260 of transmembrane a-helix 6 and hydrophobic interactions with surrounding aromatic residues Phe105, Phe194 and, Phe207.  The binding of OR1A1 to nitromusks is stabilized by hydrogen bonding to Tyr258 along with hydrophobic interactions with surrounding aromatic residues Tyr251 and Phe206.  Hydrophobic/nonpolar and hydrogen bonding interactions contribute, respectively, 77% and 13% to the odorant binding affinities, as shown by an atom-based quantitative structure-activity relationship model.PostprintPeer reviewe

Epidemiological, clinical, and public health response characteristics of a large outbreak of diphtheria among the Rohingya population in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, 2017 to 2019: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Unrest in Myanmar in August 2017 resulted in the movement of over 700,000 Rohingya refugees to overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. A large outbreak of diphtheria subsequently began in this population. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Data were collected during mass vaccination campaigns (MVCs), contact tracing activities, and from 9 Diphtheria Treatment Centers (DTCs) operated by national and international organizations. These data were used to describe the epidemiological and clinical features and the control measures to prevent transmission, during the first 2 years of the outbreak. Between November 10, 2017 and November 9, 2019, 7,064 cases were reported: 285 (4.0%) laboratory-confirmed, 3,610 (51.1%) probable, and 3,169 (44.9%) suspected cases. The crude attack rate was 51.5 cases per 10,000 person-years, and epidemic doubling time was 4.4 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.2-4.7) during the exponential growth phase. The median age was 10 years (range 0-85), and 3,126 (44.3%) were male. The typical symptoms were sore throat (93.5%), fever (86.0%), pseudomembrane (34.7%), and gross cervical lymphadenopathy (GCL; 30.6%). Diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) was administered to 1,062 (89.0%) out of 1,193 eligible patients, with adverse reactions following among 229 (21.6%). There were 45 deaths (case fatality ratio [CFR] 0.6%). Household contacts for 5,702 (80.7%) of 7,064 cases were successfully traced. A total of 41,452 contacts were identified, of whom 40,364 (97.4%) consented to begin chemoprophylaxis; adherence was 55.0% (N = 22,218) at 3-day follow-up. Unvaccinated household contacts were vaccinated with 3 doses (with 4-week interval), while a booster dose was administered if the primary vaccination schedule had been completed. The proportion of contacts vaccinated was 64.7% overall. Three MVC rounds were conducted, with administrative coverage varying between 88.5% and 110.4%. Pentavalent vaccine was administered to those aged 6 weeks to 6 years, while tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine was administered to those aged 7 years and older. Lack of adequate diagnostic capacity to confirm cases was the main limitation, with a majority of cases unconfirmed and the proportion of true diphtheria cases unknown. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the largest reported diphtheria outbreak in refugee settings. We observed that high population density, poor living conditions, and fast growth rate were associated with explosive expansion of the outbreak during the initial exponential growth phase. Three rounds of mass vaccinations targeting those aged 6 weeks to 14 years were associated with only modestly reduced transmission, and additional public health measures were necessary to end the outbreak. This outbreak has a long-lasting tail, with Rt oscillating at around 1 for an extended period. An adequate global DAT stockpile needs to be maintained. All populations must have access to health services and routine vaccination, and this access must be maintained during humanitarian crises

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Application of ligand- and receptor-based approaches for prediction of the HIV-RT inhibitory activity of fullerene derivatives

Fullerene and its derivatives have potential to be utilized in many biomedical applications. In the present study, we investigated the role of fullerene derivatives as inhibitors of HIV-RT by combined protein-ligand docking approach and QSAR methods. The study shows the best predictive QSAR model that represents a two-variable model. It has a good ratio of the number of descriptors and predictive ability. The main contributions to the inhibitory activity are provided by signal JhetZ descriptor and mu (dipole moment, as a measure of the polarity of a compound). The developed GA-MLRA-based model demonstrates a good performance, confirmed by statistics The structure-activity analysis of these fullerene analogues allowed us to design and suggest for synthesis a set of new potentially active fullerenes. Finally, the molecular docking analysis was carried out to understand the details of interactions between HIV-RT and fullerene-C-60 derivatives

CAUDAL EPIDURAL ANALGESIA IN SHEEP BY USING LIGNOCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE AND BUPIVACAINE HYDROCHLORIDE

The present investigation was conducted to find out the effect of different analgesic drugs in sheep. A series of 30 analgesic trials (caudal epidural analgesia) were conducted in sheep with 2 % lignocaine hydrochloride (LH), 2 % lignocaine hydrochloride with adrenaline (LHA) and 0.5 % bupivacaine hydrochloride (BH) in Veterinary Clinic, BAU, Mymensingh during January to April 2007. Analgesic injection was administered into low epidural space in 3 groups (A, B and C), each consisting of 10 apparently healthy sheep aged between 1 and 1.5 years. Effects of analgesic drugs on heart rate, respiration rate and rectal temperature were monitored. Heart rates significantly decreased but respiration rates decreased nonsignificantly and rectal temperature non significantly increased during low epidural analgesia with 0.5 % BH. Heart rates and respiration rates increased significantly when 2 % LH and 2 % LHA were used. LH (2%) showed rapid spreading and was also free from any side effect. Duration of analgesia was prolonged with 2 % LH compared to other analgesic drugs. Peak point of analgesia was more with 2 % LHA as compare to other analgesic drugs. There was no significant difference between 0.5 % BH and 2 % LHA in terms of their analgesic effect. Drowsiness, tympany and shivering were observed when 0.5 % BH was used. It appears from the present study that 2 % LH was more effective in low epidural analgesia. Key words: Analgesia, peak point, low epidural, shee

EFFECT OF ENZYME AND VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTATION ON PHYSIO-BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN BROILER CHICKENS

The present research was carried out on broilers to study the effect of oral administration of enzymes and vitamins on growth, haematological parameters and biochemical parameters in the Department of Physiology, Bangladesh Agricultura

Preexposure prophylaxis for HIV infection among African women.

BACKGROUND: Preexposure prophylaxis with antiretroviral drugs has been effective in the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in some trials but not in others. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we assigned 2120 HIV-negative women in Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania to receive either a combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) or placebo once daily. The primary objective was to assess the effectiveness of TDF-FTC in preventing HIV acquisition and to evaluate safety. RESULTS: HIV infections occurred in 33 women in the TDF-FTC group (incidence rate, 4.7 per 100 person-years) and in 35 in the placebo group (incidence rate, 5.0 per 100 person-years), for an estimated hazard ratio in the TDF-FTC group of 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.52; P=0.81). The proportions of women with nausea, vomiting, or elevated alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly higher in the TDF-FTC group (P=0.04, P<0.001, and P=0.03, respectively). Rates of drug discontinuation because of hepatic or renal abnormalities were higher in the TDF-FTC group (4.7%) than in the placebo group (3.0%, P=0.051). Less than 40% of the HIV-uninfected women in the TDF-FTC group had evidence of recent pill use at visits that were matched to the HIV-infection window for women with seroconversion. The study was stopped early, on April 18, 2011, because of lack of efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylaxis with TDF-FTC did not significantly reduce the rate of HIV infection and was associated with increased rates of side effects, as compared with placebo. Despite substantial counseling efforts, drug adherence appeared to be low. (Supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development and others; FEM-PrEP ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00625404.)

CBFISKD: A Combinatorial-Based Fuzzy Inference System for Keylogger Detection

A keylogger is a type of spyware that records keystrokes from the user’s keyboard to steal confidential information. The problems with most keylogger methods are the lack of simulated keylogger patterns, the failure to maintain a database of current keylogger attack signatures, and the selection of an appropriate threshold value for keylogger detection. In this study, a combinatorial-based fuzzy inference system for keylogger detection (CaFISKLD) was developed. CaFISKLD adopted back-to-back combinatorial algorithms to identify anomaly-based systems (ABS) and signature-based systems (SBS). The first combinatorial algorithm used a keylogger signature database to match incoming applications for keylogger detection. In contrast, the second combinatorial algorithm used a normal database to detect keyloggers that were not detected by the first combinatorial algorithm. As simulated patterns, randomly generated ASCII codes were utilized for training and testing the newly designed CaFISKLD. The results showed that the developed CaFISKLD improved the F1 score and accuracy of keylogger detection by 95.5% and 96.543%, respectively. The results also showed a decrease in the false alarm rate based on a threshold value of 12. The novelty of the developed CaFISKLD is based on using a two-level combinatorial algorithm for keylogger detection, using fuzzy logic for keylogger classification, and providing color codes for keylogger detection