Islamic Banking and Green Banking for Sustainable Development: Evidence From Bangladesh

Green banking is an integral part of Islamic banking that makes a basis of environmental protection. This study attempts to examine the relationship between Islamic banking and green banking that contribute to sustainable development. The study has used the primary data through a structural questionnaire that includes various dimensions on green banking of Islamic banking in Bangladesh. The investigation revealed that Islamic banks had made a significant contribution to green banking that improves the environment as means of cost and energy savings, preservation of natural resources and the need to respect all living things. The study seems to carry an enormous academic value since a few studies have undertaken in this areaDOI: 10.15408/aiq.v10i1.456

Influences of protein ingestion on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1-immunoreactive endocrine cells in the chicken ileum

Influences of a specific dietary nutrient on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1-containing cells in the chicken intestine are not yet clear. Significance of dietary protein level on GLP-1-containing cells in the chicken ileum was investigated. Chickens fed control or experimental diets of varying protein levels were examined using immunohistochemical and morphometrical techniques. We show that the protein ingestion had an impact on the activities of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells in the chicken ileum. Weight gains declined with decreasing dietary crude protein (CP) levels, but no significant differences were detected in the daily feed intake and villous height. GLP-1-immunoreactive cells with a round or oval shape were frequently observed in the lower CP level groups (4.5% and 0%). Frequencies of occurrence of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells were 41.1 +/- 4.1, 38.5 +/- 4, 34.8 +/- 3.1 and 34.3 +/- 3.7 (cells/mm(2), mean +/- SD) for dietary CP level of 18%, 9%, 4.5% and 0% groups, respectively and significant differences were recognized between the control and lower CP level groups (P<0.05). Multiple regression analysis indicated a significant correlation between the daily protein intake and frequencies of occurrence of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells. The protein ingestion is one of the signals that influence GLP-1-containing cells in the chicken small intestine.ArticleANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL. 85(5):581-587 (2014)journal articl

Socioeconomic Status and Prevalence of Obesity and Diabetes in a Mexican American Community, Cameron County, Texas, 2004-2007

Rates of obesity and diabetes in this border community are among the highest in the United States. Belonging to the lower socioeconomic stratum significantly increased the likelihood of having undiagnosed diabetes and, in patients too young to be eligible for Medicare, the overall risk of developing diabetes. Modest improvement in income has a beneficial effect on health in this racial/ethnic minority community

Healthcare Facilities as Potential Reservoirs of Antimicrobial Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae:An Emerging Concern to Public Health in Bangladesh

The emergence of virulent extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) including carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) in hospital-acquired infections has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. We investigated the antibiotic resistance and virulence factors associated with ESBL-KP and CRKP in tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh and explored their ability to form biofilm. A total of 67 ESBL-KP were isolated from 285 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from environmental and patient samples from January 2019 to April 2019. For ESBL-KP isolates, molecular typing was carried out using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR), antibiotic susceptibility testing, PCR for virulence and drug-resistant genes, and biofilm assays were also performed. All 67 isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) to different antibiotics at high levels and 42 isolates were also carbapenem-resistant. The most common β-lactam resistance gene was bla(CTX-M-1) (91%), followed by bla(TEM) (76.1%), bla(SHV) (68.7%), bla(OXA-1) (29.9%), bla(GES) (14.9%), bla(CTX-M-9) (11.9%), and bla(CTX-M-2) (4.5%). The carbapenemase genes bla(KPC) (55.2%), bla(IMP) (28.4%), bla(VIM) (14.9%), bla(NDM-1) (13.4%), and bla(OXA-48) (10.4%) and virulence-associated genes such as fimH (71.6%), ugeF (58.2%), wabG (56.7%), ureA (47.8%) and kfuBC (28.4%) were also detected. About 96.2% of the environmental and 100% of the patient isolates were able to form biofilms. ERIC-PCR-based genotyping and hierarchical clustering of K. pneumoniae isolates revealed an association between environmental and patient samples, indicating clonal association with possible transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes. Our findings can help in improving patient care and infection control, and the development of public health policies related to hospital-acquired infections

Influences of protein ingestion on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1-immunoreactive endocrine cells in the chicken ileum

Influences of a specific dietary nutrient on glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1-containing cells in the chicken intestine are not yet clear. Significance of dietary protein level on GLP-1-containing cells in the chicken ileum was investigated. Chickens fed control or experimental diets of varying protein levels were examined using immunohistochemical and morphometrical techniques. We show that the protein ingestion had an impact on the activities of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells in the chicken ileum. Weight gains declined with decreasing dietary crude protein (CP) levels, but no significant differences were detected in the daily feed intake and villous height. GLP-1-immunoreactive cells with a round or oval shape were frequently observed in the lower CP level groups (4.5% and 0%). Frequencies of occurrence of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells were 41.1 +/- 4.1, 38.5 +/- 4, 34.8 +/- 3.1 and 34.3 +/- 3.7 (cells/mm(2), mean +/- SD) for dietary CP level of 18%, 9%, 4.5% and 0% groups, respectively and significant differences were recognized between the control and lower CP level groups (P<0.05). Multiple regression analysis indicated a significant correlation between the daily protein intake and frequencies of occurrence of GLP-1-immunoreactive cells. The protein ingestion is one of the signals that influence GLP-1-containing cells in the chicken small intestine

Construction of copy number variation landscape and characterization of associated genes in a Bangladeshi cohort of neurodevelopmental disorders

Introduction: Copy number variations (CNVs) play a critical role in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) among children. In this study, we aim to identify clinically relevant CNVs, genes and their phenotypic characteristics in an ethnically underrepresented homogenous population of Bangladesh. Methods: We have conducted chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) for 212 NDD patients with male to female ratio of 2.2:1.0 to identify rare CNVs. To identify candidate genes within the rare CNVs, gene constraint metrics [i.e., “Critical-Exon Genes (CEGs)”] were applied to the population data. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2) was followed in a subset of 95 NDD patients to assess the severity of autism and all statistical tests were performed using the R package. Results: Of all the samples assayed, 12.26% (26/212) and 57.08% (121/212) patients carried pathogenic and variant of uncertain significance (VOUS) CNVs, respectively. While 2.83% (6/212) patients’ pathogenic CNVs were found to be located in the subtelomeric regions. Further burden test identified females are significant carriers of pathogenic CNVs compared to males (OR = 4.2; p = 0.0007). We have observed an increased number of Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) within cases with 23.85% (26/109) consanguineous parents. Our analyses on imprinting genes show, 36 LOH variants disrupting 69 unique imprinted genes and classified these variants as VOUS. ADOS-2 subset shows severe social communication deficit (p = 0.014) and overall ASD symptoms severity (p = 0.026) among the patients carrying duplication CNV compared to the CNV negative group. Candidate gene analysis identified 153 unique CEGs in pathogenic CNVs and 31 in VOUS. Of the unique genes, 18 genes were found to be in smaller (<1 MB) focal CNVs in our NDD cohort and we identified PSMC3 gene as a strong candidate gene for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Moreover, we hypothesized that KMT2B gene duplication might be associated with intellectual disability. Conclusion: Our results show the utility of CMA for precise genetic diagnosis and its integration into the diagnosis, therapy and management of NDD patients

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries