Socio-Economic, Demographic and Lifestyle Determinants of Overweight and Obesity among Adults of Northeast India

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are the accumulation of high body adiposity, which can have detrimental health effects and contribute to the development of numerous preventable non-communicable diseases. This study aims to evaluate the effect of socio-economic, demographic and lifestyle factors on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults belonging to the Rengma-Naga population of North-east India.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 826 Rengma-Naga individuals (males: 422; females: 404) aged 20-49 years from the Karbi Anglong District of Assam, using a two-stage stratified random sampling. The socio-economic, demographic and lifestyle variables were recorded using structured schedules. Height and weight were recorded and the Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using standard procedures and equation. The WHO (2000) cut-off points were utilized to assess the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥23.00-24.99 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥25.00 kg/m2). The data were analysed using ANOVA, chi-square analysis and binary logistic regression analysis using SPSS (version 17.0).RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 32.57% (males: 39.34%; females: 25.50%) and 10.77% (males: 9.95%; females: 11.63%), respectively. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that age groups (e.g., 40-49 years), education (≥9th standard), part-time occupation and monthly income (≥Rs.10000) were significantly associated with overweight and obesity (p<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: Age, education occupation and income appear to have higher associations with overweight and obesity among adults. Suitable healthcare strategies and intervention programmes are needed for combating such prevalence in population.KEYWORDS: Overweight, obesity, occupation, income, BMI, anthropometry, Northeast Indi

Level of depression and its associated factors among the frontline physicians of Bangladesh during the COVID-19 outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the frontline physicians to a greater risk of getting infected, tremendous workload, and drastic changes in their work environment, leading to an increased prevalence of depression among doctors from many countries, including Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to examine the association of various personal, professional and psychosocial factors with different degrees of depressive symptoms among the frontline doctors of Bangladesh working during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted for that purpose and data were collected from 312 doctors working in Bangladeshi hospitals using a self-administered survey questionnaire inclusive of a validated tool (Patient Health Questionnaire-9). Among the participants, around half were of age 30-34 years (51.3%), 81.8% worked in public hospitals and 70.5% did not have any comorbidity. Regarding workplace conditions, 77% of the doctors reported a perceived shortage of healthcare providers at their workplace, while 95% reported a perceived shortage of equipment, most commonly N95 masks (49%), gowns (35%), eye-protective shields (35%). A total of 199 (63.8%) participants received formal training since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the response from PHQ-9 questionnaire, 17 (5%) participants reported having no depression, while 18 (6%), 18 (6%), 25 (8%), and 234 (75%) reported having mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression. Findings from multiple logistic regression showed the odds of moderate-to-severe depression to be higher among physicians with comorbidities (OR:7.47, CI: 1.27-43.89, P: 0.026) and those who felt extremely worried from looking at negative news on social/mass media (aOR: 15.180, CI:1.98-116.683, P: 0.009). To preserve and promote the psychological well-being of Bangladeshi doctors, it is, therefore, crucial to take these identified sources and risk factors of depression under sincere consideration by the responsible authorities and appropriate measures should be designed to remove these sources of depression to better support the physicians of the country

A computational study on fluid flow and heat transfer through a rotating curved duct with rectangular cross section

The understanding of fluid flow and heat transfer (HT) through a rotating curved duct (RCD) is important for different engineering applications. The available literature improved the understanding of the fluid flow and HT through a large-curvature rotating duct. However, the comprehensive knowledge of fluid flow and HT through an RCD with small curvature is little known. This numerical study aims to perform fluid flow characterization and HT through an RCD with curvature ratio 0.001. The spectral based numerical approach investigates the effects of rotation on fluid flow and HT for the Taylor number -1000≤TTTT≤1500. A constant pressure gradient force, the Dean number Dn = 100, and a constant buoyancy force parameter, the Grashof number Gr = 500 are used for the numerical simulation. Fortran code is developed for the numerical computations and Tecplot software is used for the post-processing purpose. The numerical study investigates steady solutions and a structure of two-branches of steady solutions is obtained for positive rotation. The transient solution reports the transitional flow patterns and HT through the rotating duct, and two- to four-vortex solutions are observed. In case of negative rotation, time-dependent solutions show that the Coriolis force exhibits an opposite effect to that of the curvature so that the flow characteristics exhibit various flow instabilities. The numerical result shows that convective HT is increased with the increase of rotation and highly complex secondary flow patterns influence the overall HT from the heated wall to the fluid. To validate the numerical results, a comparison with the experimental data is provided, which shows that a good agreement is attained between the numerical and experimental investigations

Conversion of lignocellulosic corn agro-waste into cellulose derivative and its potential application as pharmaceutical excipient

© 2020 by the authors. Lignocellulosic biomass is widely grown in many agricultural-based countries. These are typically incinerated or discarded in open spaces, which further may cause severe health and environmental problems. Hence, the proper utilization and conversion of different parts of lignocellulosic biomasses (e.g., corn wastes derived leave, cob, stalk, and husk) into value-added materials could be a promising way of protecting both health and environments. In addition, they have high-potential for myriads applications (e.g., pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles, and so on). In this context, herein, we isolated holocellulose (a mixture of alpha α, beta β, and gamma γ cellulose) from corn waste, and then it was converted into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Subsequently, the prepared CMC was evaluated successfully to be used as a pharmaceutical excipient. Different characterization tools were employed for structural, morphological, and thermal properties of the extracted holocellulose and synthesized CMC. Results showed that the highest yield of CMC was obtained 187.5% along with the highest degree of substitution (DS i.e., 1.83) in a single stage (i.e., size reduction technique) with the lowest particle size of holocellulose (100 μm). This happened due to the use of a single stage instead of multiple stages. Finally, extracted CMC was successfully used as a pharmaceutical excipient with promising results compared to commercially available pharmaceutical-grade CMC

Vulnerability of low-arsenic aquifers to municipal pumping in Bangladesh

Sandy aquifers deposited >12,000 years ago, some as shallow as 30 m, have provided a reliable supply of low-arsenic (As) drinking water in rural Bangladesh. This study concerns the potential risk of contaminating these aquifers in areas surrounding the city of Dhaka where hydraulic heads in aquifers >150 m deep have dropped by 70 m in a few decades due to municipal pumping. Water levels measured continuously from 2012 to 2014 in 12 deep (>150 m), 3 intermediate (90-150 m) and 6 shallow (<90 m) community wells, 1 shallow private well, and 1 river piezometer show that the resulting drawdown cone extends 15-35 km east of Dhaka. Water levels in 4 low-As community wells within the 62-147 m depth range closest to Dhaka were inaccessible by suction for up to a third of the year. Lateral hydraulic gradients in the deep aquifer system ranged from 1.7 × 10-4 to 3.7 × 10-4 indicating flow towards Dhaka throughout 2012-2014. Vertical recharge on the edge of the drawdown cone was estimated at 0.21 ± 0.06 m/yr. The data suggest that continued municipal pumping in Dhaka could eventually contaminate some relatively shallow community wells

Syntaxin 16 is a master recruitment factor for cytokinesis

Recently it was shown that both recycling endosome and endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) components are required for cytokinesis, in which they are believed to act in a sequential manner to bring about secondary ingression and abscission, respectively. However, it is not clear how either of these complexes is targeted to the midbody and whether their delivery is coordinated. The trafficking of membrane vesicles between different intracellular organelles involves the formation of soluble N-ethylmalei­mide–sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complexes. Although membrane traffic is known to play an important role in cytokinesis, the contribution and identity of intracellular SNAREs to cytokinesis remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that syntaxin 16 is a key regulator of cytokinesis, as it is required for recruitment of both recycling endosome–associated Exocyst and ESCRT machinery during late telophase, and therefore that these two distinct facets of cytokinesis are inextricably linked

Synthesis, antitubercular activity and mechanism of resistance of highly effective thiacetazone analogues

Defining the pharmacological target(s) of currently used drugs and developing new analogues with greater potency are both important aspects of the search for agents that are effective against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thiacetazone (TAC) is an anti-tubercular drug that was formerly used in conjunction with isoniazid, but removed from the antitubercular chemotherapeutic arsenal due to toxic side effects. However, several recent studies have linked the mechanisms of action of TAC to mycolic acid metabolism and TAC-derived analogues have shown increased potency against M. tuberculosis. To obtain new insights into the molecular mechanisms of TAC resistance, we isolated and analyzed 10 mutants of M. tuberculosis that were highly resistant to TAC. One strain was found to be mutated in the methyltransferase MmaA4 at Gly101, consistent with its lack of oxygenated mycolic acids. All remaining strains harbored missense mutations in either HadA (at Cys61) or HadC (at Val85, Lys157 or Thr123), which are components of the bhydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase complex that participates in the mycolic acid elongation step. Separately, a library of 31 new TAC analogues was synthesized and evaluated against M. tuberculosis. Two of these compounds, 15 and 16, exhibited minimal inhibitory concentrations 10-fold lower than the parental molecule, and inhibited mycolic acid biosynthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, overexpression of HadAB HadBC or HadABC in M. tuberculosis led to high level resistance to these compounds, demonstrating that their mode of action is similar to that of TAC. In summary, this study uncovered new mutations associated with TAC resistance and also demonstrated that simple structural optimization of the TAC scaffold was possible and may lead to a new generation of TAC-derived drug candidates for the potential treatment of tuberculosis as mycolic acid inhibitors

Structural Modification in Carbon Nanotubes by Boron Incorporation

We have synthesized boron-incorporated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by decomposition of ferrocene and xylene in a thermal chemical vapor deposition set up using boric acid as the boron source. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies of the synthesized CNT samples showed that there was deterioration in crystallinity and improvement in alignment of the CNTs as the boron content in precursor solution increased from 0% to 15%. Raman analysis of these samples showed a shift of ~7 cm−1in wave number to higher side and broadening of the G band with increasing boron concentration along with an increase in intensity of the G band. Furthermore, there was an increase in the intensity of the D band along with a decrease in its wave number position with increase in boron content. We speculate that these structural modifications in the morphology and microstructure of CNTs might be due to the charge transfer from boron to the graphite matrix, resulting in shortening of the carbon–carbon bonds

Complete genomic sequence analysis of infectious bronchitis virus Ark DPI strain and its evolution by recombination

An infectious bronchitis virus Arkansas DPI (Ark DPI) virulent strain was sequenced, analyzed and compared with many different IBV strains and coronaviruses. The genome of Ark DPI consists of 27,620 nucleotides, excluding poly (A) tail, and comprises ten open reading frames. Comparative sequence analysis of Ark DPI with other IBV strains shows striking similarity to the Conn, Gray, JMK, and Ark 99, which were circulating during that time period. Furthermore, comparison of the Ark genome with other coronaviruses demonstrates a close relationship to turkey coronavirus. Among non-structural genes, the 5'untranslated region (UTR), 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro) and the polymerase (RdRp) sequences are 100% identical to the Gray strain. Among structural genes, S1 has 97% identity with Ark 99; S2 has 100% identity with JMK and 96% to Conn; 3b 99%, and 3C to N is 100% identical to Conn strain. Possible recombination sites were found at the intergenic region of spike gene, 3'end of S1 and 3a gene. Independent recombination events may have occurred in the entire genome of Ark DPI, involving four different IBV strains, suggesting that genomic RNA recombination may occur in any part of the genome at number of sites. Hence, we speculate that the Ark DPI strain originated from the Conn strain, but diverged and evolved independently by point mutations and recombination between field strains