Improving Colon Cancer Screening in a Resident Ambulatory Clinic

AIM Statement: Our aim at Wednesday JHAP was to increase the rate of colorectal cancer screenings from 44.3% to 60% from September 2016 to May 2017 (9 months)https://jdc.jefferson.edu/patientsafetyposters/1032/thumbnail.jp

Morphometric relationships between length-weight and length-length and condition factor of four small indigenous fishes from the Payra River, southern Bangladesh

The present study describes the length–weight (LWR) relationship, length– length (LLR) relationship, and condition factor (K) of four small indigenous fish species from the Payra River, southern Bangladesh, namely Mastacembelus pancalus, Lepidocephalus guntea, Salmostoma bacaila and Mystus vittatus. A total of 867 specimens, representing 4 species of 4 families used for this study were caught by traditional fishing gear from July to October 2018. Standard length (SL) and total length (TL) for each specimen were measured by digital slide calipers and each body weight (BW) was taken by a digital balance. The allometric coefficient b of the LWR was close to the isometric value (b=3.078 and 3.028) in M. pancalus and L. guntea respectively, although it suggested negative allometric growth in M. vittatus (b < 3.00), whilst positive allometric growth in S. bacaila (b > 3.00). All the LWRs were highly significant (P < 0.05) and most of the coefficients of determination values were ≥ 0.857. The results further indicated that the LLRs were highly correlated (r2 ≥ 0.939; P < 0.05). Fulton’s condition factor (K) by month basis ranged from 0.52 (in M. pancalus) through 1.89 (in M. vittatus). The results of this study can be very effective for stock assessment of this four species in Payra River as well as in the surrounding ecosystems

Mechanism of NSF: New evidence challenging the prevailing theory

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) has been associated with the administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents in patients with severely impaired renal function (SIRF), endstage renal disease (ESRD), or acute renal failure (ARF). Since the vast majority of these patients do not get NSF, it is highly likely that patient factors play a role in its development. Although free or dechelated gadolinium is thought by some to be the only trigger of NSF, recent evidence suggests that chelated gadolinium may be important. Chelated gadolinium such as Omniscan (gadodiamide) and Magnevist (gadopentetate) can directly stimulate macrophages and monocytes in vitro to release profibrotic cytokines and growth factors capable of initiating and supporting the tissue fibrosis that is characteristic of NSF. In addition, an effect of chelated gadolinium on fibroblasts has also been demonstrated. Chelated gadolinium in the form of Omniscan, Magnevist, MultiHance, and ProHance increased proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts. Indeed, increased numbers of macrophages, together with activated fibroblasts and fibrocytes, are essential cells in the fibrotic process and are present in NSF skin. Accordingly, it is important that chelated gadolinium, in combination with patient cofactors, is considered in the etiology of NSF associated with enhanced scans

Carotid artery dissections from TCAR as reported by the Food and Drug Administration

BACKGROUND: Transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) is hybrid procedure that allows carotid stenting using direct surgical access of the carotid artery to restore blood flow through the carotid artery. It has shown the lowest perioperative stroke rate when compared with any prospective trial of transfemoral carotid artery stenting. However, intraoperative injuries related to the procedure and its management are not well characterized. We anticipate that this analysis will add qualitative insight in further characterizing adverse outcomes of this novel technology. METHODS: The FDA maintains a database called the MAUDE (Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience) for surveillance of all medical devices approved for use. This database was queried for all cases associated with Silk Road Medical’s ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System from September 2016 to October 2020.. Case narratives related to patient injuries were individually analyzed to determine type (carotid artery dissection) and time of injury (intraoperative, recovery, post-discharge follow- up). Carotid artery dissection (CD) reporting was further analyzed for associated procedural event at the time of injury, number of access attempts to CD repair, and type of CD repair. RESUTS: Of the 115 unique incidents in the database, there were 58 CDs. Most were identified intraoperatively (n=55), while 3 were incidentally identified postoperatively. Overall, sheath placement was the most common procedural event attributed to CD (n=34). There was adequate narrative information about CD repair in 54 patients where 52 of them were performed intraoperatively. There were total of 28 endovascular repair and 24 open surgical repairs of CDs from TCAR procedure. There was no significant difference in rate of endovascular and open surgical repair of CDs that did not need additional access attempts. However, rate of open surgical repair was significantly higher in CDs with persistent failure to engage the true lumen in 2 or more additional access attempts. Total of 4 strokes were associated with CD. Two occurred during recovery from TCAR admission where one was not intervened per physician’s discretion despite evidence of dissection during the procedure. The other was associated with a fall from a hypotensive event 7 hours after an endovascular CD repair. One incident of stroke occurred intraoperatively during a conversion to CEA as a result of CD. One incident of stroke occurred 4 days after TCAR procedure in which a CD was identified during the stroke evaluation Conclusion: Carotid artery dissection is the most common injury related to TCAR as reported on MAUDE database. Most common procedural event associated CD was sheath placement. Rate of open surgical repair was significantly higher than endovascular repair in dissections with persistent failure to engage true lumen despite additional access attempts. This should add to qualitative insight among vascular surgery community regarding intraoperative management of carotid artery dissections from a TCAR procedure.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1144/thumbnail.jp

Influence of seedling age and integrated nutrient management on growth and yield of aromatic rice (cv. BRRI dhan34)

To investigate the performance of aromatic rice (cv. BRRI dhan34) in response to seedling age and nutrient management, an experiment was carried out at the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka from July to December 2021. The experiment includes three different ages of seedlings to be transplanted viz., 30, 45 and 60 days old and six nutrient management practice viz. control (no manures and fertilizers), recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers (RDF), 50% of RDF + cow dung @ 5 t ha-1, 75% of RDF + cow dung @ 5 t ha-1, 50% of RDF + poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1 and, 75% of RDF + poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that in the case of transplanting of different aged seedlings, the highest leaf area index (5.74), dry matter hill-1 (32.86 g), number of tillers hill-1 (13.17), number of effective tillers hill-1 (11.53), plant height (113.34 cm), total grains panicle-1 (135.14), 1000-grain weight (12.45 g), grain yield (3.29 t ha-1), straw yield (4.01 t ha-1), biological yield (7.30 t ha-1) and were recorded from transplanting 30 days old seedlings. Different levels of nutrient management showed a significant impact on most of the parameters under study. The highest total dry matter hill-1 (34.02 g), the maximum LAI (5.35), plant height (115.70 cm), chlorophyll content (42.87), number of effective tillers hill-1 (12.99), panicle length (24.63 cm), total grains panicle-1 (140.17), 1000-grain weight (12.54 g), grain yield (3.27 t ha-1), straw yield (4.15 t ha-1), biological yield (7.42 t ha-1) and harvest index (43.03%)  were also recorded in F5 (75% of RDF + poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1) treatment. While considering the interaction effects between the age of seedlings and nutrient management, transplanting 30 days old seedlings along with the nutrient management of 75% of RDF + poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1 treatment improved yield contributing parameters and provided the highest yield (3.76 t ha-1) of BRRI dhan34 compared to other treatment combination. So, the application of 75% of RDF + poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1 along with 30 days old seedlings appeared as a promising practice to obtain better performance of fine aromatic rice (cv. BRRI dhan34)

Growth and yield of short duration Aman rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars as influenced by age of seedlings

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh during the period from July to December 2019 to study the effect of cultivar and seedling age on the performance of short duration transplant Aman rice. The experiment comprised four Aman rice cultivars, viz., BRRI dhan49, BRRI dhan56, BRRI dhan66 and BRRI dhan71, and four seedling ages viz. 20, 25, 30 and 35-day old seedlings. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results of the study showed that growth, yield and yield contributing characters were significantly influenced by cultivars, seedlings age and their interactions. At growth stage, BRRI dhan49 with 20-day old seedlings produced the tallest plant (57.67 cm and 67.33 cm, respectively), the highest number of total tillers hill-1 (15.00 and 13.67, respectively) and total dry matter (8.03 g m-2 and 11.50 g m-2, respectively) at 30 and 50 DAT. At harvest, the highest number of total and effective tillers hill-1 (12.82 and 12.00), longest panicle (24.50 cm), highest number of grains panicle-1 (128.80), heaviest 1000-grain weight (23.17 g), highest grain yield (5.35 t ha-1) and highest harvest index (51.69 %) were obtained from the cultivar BRRI dhan66. While, thirty-day old seedlings produced the highest number of total and effective tillers hill-1 (13.46 and 12.70), longest panicle (24.67 cm), highest number of grains panicle-1 (136.90), highest grain (5.62 t ha-1) and straw yields (5.81 t ha-1) and harvest index (51.67 %). In case of interactions, BRRI dhan66 with 30-day old seedlings produced the highest number of total and effective tillers hill-1 (14.67 and 13.97), longest panicle (26.00 cm), highest number of grains panicle-1 (146.7), highest grain yield (6.31 t ha-1) and highest harvest index (52.72 %). So, result of the present study reveals that BRRI dhan66 with 30-days old seedlings was found to be the best for obtaining maximum grain yield

Assessing the influence of integrated nutrient management on growth and yield of Black gram (Vigna mungo L.)

The present study was undertaken to observe the effect of combined application of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on growth, yield and yield contributing characters of black gram. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment comprises eight treatments viz. Control (no application of manures and fertilizer), Recommended doses of fertilizer (RDF), Cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF, Poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF, Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF, Cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 + Poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF, Cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF and Poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF. Combined application of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers exerted significance influence on growth, yield and yield contributing characters of black gram. At growth, the tallest plant (38.74 cm), the highest number of leaves plant-1 (15.55), leaf dry weight plant-1 (6.99 g) and stem dry weight plant-1 (3.01 g) of black gram at 50 days after sowing (DAS) were obtained from poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 and vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF. While, at 50 DAS, the highest number of nodules plant-1 (55.22) was recorded from cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF and the highest number of SPAD value plant-1 (42.03) was found in poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF. Again, at maturity, the highest number of seeds pod-1 (5.86), yield plant-1 (7.77 g), grain yield m-2 (130.70 g) and total dry weight plant-1 (17.21 g) were obtained from poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 and vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF. Therefore, it can be concluded that poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 and vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF combination might be a promising practice for black gram cultivation

Effect of citric acid (CA) priming and exogenous application on germination and early seedling growth of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) plants under salinity stress condition

Salinity is a significant barrier to the healthy germination of seeds, the development of seedlings and ultimately the yield of crops. Salinity tolerance can be effectively induced through seed priming and exogenous application of various treatment agents. The vegetable crop okra is a healthy and well-liked one worldwide. Literature shows that salt stress negatively disturbs the growth of okra plants. In the present research, we investigated the effects of citric acid (CA) as priming and exogenous agents to alleviate the salinity-inhibited germination and early growth of okra plants. The seeds were pretreated with CA (1 mM and 2 mM) and soaked in distilled water (control) for 60 min. Germinated seeds were grown in hydroponic solution and subjected to salt stress (50 mM and 100 mM NaCl) with three independent replications and same concentrations of CA (1 mM and 2 mM) were exogenously sprayed. Our results showed that, seed priming with 1 mM CA significantly produced the highest percentage of germination (GP), germination index (GI), germination energy (GE), seed vigor index (SVI), radicle length and weight, hypocotyl length and weight, and number of lateral roots while decreased mean germination time of okra seeds while compared to the control treatment. Additionally, the findings demonstrated that salt stress dramatically reduced root and shoot length, plant height, root and shoot fresh weight and dry weight, and relative water content (RWC). Under salt stress, the addition of 1 mM and 2 mM CA significantly increased the RWC, root and shoot length, root and shoot fresh and dry weight, and plant height. These results provide information that CA priming improves germination parameters and exogenous treatments can improve the salt tolerance, and seedling characteristics of okra. Therefore, our results suggest that 1 mM CA can be utilized as a seed priming and exogenous application agent reducing the impacts of salt stress and promoting early seedling development of okra

Generation of versatile ss-dsDNA hybrid substrates for single-molecule analysis.

Here, we describe a rapid and versatile protocol to generate gapped DNA substrates for single-molecule (SM) analysis using optical tweezers via site-specific Cas9 nicking and force-induced melting. We provide examples of single-stranded (ss) DNA gaps of different length and position. We outline protocols to visualize these substrates by replication protein A-enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (RPA-eGFP) and SYTOX Orange staining using commercially available optical tweezers (C-TRAP). Finally, we demonstrate the utility of these substrates for SM analysis of bidirectional growth of RAD-51-ssDNA filaments. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Belan et al. (2021)

Response of integrated fertilizer and weed management on weed occurrence and growth traits of aromatic Boro rice

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to study the effect of integrated fertilizer and weed management on the growth performance of aromatic Boro rice (cv. BRRI dhan50). The experiment comprised six fertilizer managements viz., control (no manures and no fertilizers), recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers (i.e. Urea, TSP, MoP, Gypsum, ZnSO4 @ 250, 120, 120, 100, 10 kg ha-1, respectively), 50% of recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers + cowdung @ 5 t ha-1, 75% of recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers + cowdung @ 5 t ha-1, 50% of recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers + poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1, and 75% of recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers +  poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1 and four weed managements viz., control (no weeding), pre-emergence herbicide, Panida 33 EC @ 2.5 l ha-1 + one hand weeding at 35 DAT, post-emergence herbicide, Granite 240 SC @ 93.70 ml ha-1 + one hand weeding at 35 DAT, pre-emergence herbicide, Panida 33 EC @ 2.5 l ha-1 + post-emergence herbicide, Granite 240 SC @ 93.70 ml ha-1. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. Growth traits of aromatic Boro rice (cv. BRRI dhan50) were significantly influenced by integrated fertilizer and weed management. Plant height, number of tillers hill-1, total dry matter, leaf area index (LAI) and crop growth rate (CGR) gave their highest values in 75% of recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers and poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1 along with pre-emergence herbicide, Panida 33 EC @ 2.5 l ha-1 + post-emergence herbicide, Granite 240 SC @ 93.70 ml ha-1 while their corresponding lowest values were found in control. So it can be concluded that, the interaction of 75% of recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers and poultry manure @ 2.5 t ha-1 along with pre-emergence herbicide (Panida 33 EC @ 2.5 l ha-1) + post-emergence herbicide (Granite 240 SC @ 93.70 ml ha-1) appears as the promising combination in respect of growth performance of aromatic Boro rice (cv. BRRI dhan50)