IN VITRO CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF CLERODENDRUM INFORTUNATUM L. AGAINST T47D, PC-3, A549 AND HCT-116 HUMAN CANCER CELL LINES AND ITS PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING

Objective: Present investigation accounts for scientific evaluation of the plant Clerodendrum infortunatum L. for its medicinal efficacy which includes phytochemical screening and anticancer activities.Methods: Phytochemical screening of Clerodendrum infortunatum extracts was performed for the qualitative detection of reducing sugars, terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, phlobatannins, steroids, amino acids and glycosides using standard procedures. The sulforhodamine B (SRB), in vitro cytotoxic assay, was used to investigate the anticancer activity of hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts of leaves and roots of Clerodendrum infortunatum against T47D (Breast), PC-3 (prostate), A549 (lung) and HCT-116 (colon) cancer cell lines.Results: Secondary metabolites including alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, tannins, and saponins are present in many extracts. Alkaloids and flavonoids found to be present in almost all the extracts. The best cytotoxic activity has been exerted by hexane of root exhibiting growth inhibition of 72.83 ± 0.44, 85.50 ± 0.29 and 68.17 ± 1.36 % against PC-3, A549 and HCT-116 at a concentration of 100 µg/ml. Further, hexane of root showed a moderate cytotoxic effect of 42.17 ± 0.17 % against T47D at 100 µg/ml. At similar concentration, the chloroform extract is also effective against these three cell lines showing 61.50 ± 0.76, 67.00±0.58, and 68.53 ± 0.80% growth inhibition against PC-3, A549 and HCT-116 cell lines respectively, whereas, T47D cancer cell line showed 46.43 ± 0.30 % growth inhibition. The results have indicated that all the leaf extracts, as well as ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts of root, have exhibited a poor response (≤ 40 %).Conclusion: The present ï¬ndings suggest that the Clerodendrum infortunatum extracts are rich in alkaloid, flavonoids and terpenoids. The hexane and chloroform root extracts of Clerodendrum infortunatum possess signiï¬cant anticancer activities which may be due to the presence of these phytochemical groups.Â

Do the dietary and lifestyle practices make the private medical students overweight: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh?

Introduction: Increased mechanization and change in the food patterns are leading to physical inactivity and more energy intake globally. That’s why, obesity and overweight are no longer confined to the industrialized countries; it has spread to the developing countries as well. In Bangladesh also over-nutrition is increasing alarmingly. As the future doctors, medical students should adopt healthy dietary and lifestyle practices from the very beginning of their youth for contributing more effectively and efficiently to the country’s healthcare. Objectives: The study assessed the prevalence of overweight, the dietary and lifestyle determinants of overweight among the students of an urban private medical college of Bangladesh. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ibrahim Medical College, a private medical college in Dhaka city. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. Data Analysis was done by SPSS version 17.0 Results: The Prevalence of overweight among the medical students was found to be 27.16% (Male 39% and female 22%) . 58% of the respondents had positive family history of overweight/obesity and around 70% of them had positive family history of Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension. The dietary factors associated with overweight were increased frequency of eating at fast food shops and drinking sweetened tea or coffee. Among the lifestyle factors, liberal family rules regarding food, prolonged gap (?120 minutes) between waking up and having breakfast, taking meal while watching TV or using computer and inadequate sleep (<7 hours of sleep) were found to be associated with being overweight. Binary logistic regression concludes that positive family history of overweight/obesity; inadequate sleep and a prolonged gap between waking up and having breakfast were significantly contributing to be overweight. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight among the urban private medical college students was found to be higher than the available data of overweight in Bangladesh. Along with dietary habits, lifestyle practices are also becoming more and more important determinants of being overweight. The medical students should be counseled and advised to bring positive attitude towards healthy lifestyle and dietary practices. Keywords: Non-communicable disease, overweight, obesity, medical students, BM

Genomic variant sharing: a position statement.

Sharing de-identified genetic variant data is essential for the practice of genomic medicine and is demonstrably beneficial to patients. Robust genetic diagnoses that inform medical management cannot be made accurately without reference to genetic test results from other patients, as well as population controls. Errors in this process can result in delayed, missed or erroneous diagnoses, leading to inappropriate or missed medical interventions for the patient and their family. The benefits of sharing individual genetic variants, and the harms of not sharing them, are numerous and well-established. Databases and mechanisms already exist to facilitate deposition and sharing of pseudonomised genetic variants, but clarity and transparency around best practice is needed to encourage widespread use, prevent inconsistencies between different communities, maximise individual privacy and ensure public trust. We therefore recommend that widespread sharing of a small number of individual genetic variants associated with limited clinical information should become standard practice in genomic medicine. Information robustly linking genetic variants with specific conditions is fundamental biological knowledge, not personal information, and therefore should not require consent to share. For additional case-level detail about individual patients or more extensive genomic information, which is often essential for clinical interpretation, it may be more appropriate to use a controlled-access model for data sharing, with the ultimate aim of making as much information as open and de-identified as possible with appropriate consent

The ICR639 CPG NGS validation series: A resource to assess analytical sensitivity of cancer predisposition gene testing [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

The analytical sensitivity of a next generation sequencing (NGS) test reflects the ability of the test to detect real sequence variation. The evaluation of analytical sensitivity relies on the availability of gold-standard, validated, benchmarking datasets. For NGS analysis the availability of suitable datasets has been limited. Most laboratories undertake small scale evaluations using in-house data, and/or rely on in silico generated datasets to evaluate the performance of NGS variant detection pipelines. Cancer predisposition genes (CPGs), such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, are amongst the most widely tested genes in clinical practice today. Hundreds of providers across the world are now offering CPG testing using NGS methods. Validating and comparing the analytical sensitivity of CPG tests has proved difficult, due to the absence of comprehensive, orthogonally validated, benchmarking datasets of CPG pathogenic variants. To address this we present the ICR639 CPG NGS validation series. This dataset comprises data from 639 individuals. Each individual has sequencing data generated using the TruSight Cancer Panel (TSCP), a targeted NGS assay for the analysis of CPGs, together with orthogonally generated data showing the presence of at least one CPG pathogenic variant per individual. The set consists of 645 pathogenic variants in total. There is strong representation of the most challenging types of variants to detect, with 339 indels, including 16 complex indels and 24 with length greater than five base pairs and 74 exon copy number variations (CNVs) including 23 single exon CNVs. The series includes pathogenic variants in 31 CPGs, including 502 pathogenic variants in BRCA1 or BRCA2, making this an important comprehensive validation dataset for providers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 NGS testing. We have deposited the TSCP FASTQ files of the ICR639 series in the European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA) under accession number EGAD00001004134

Mutations in the PP2A regulatory subunit B family genes PPP2R5B, PPP2R5C and PPP2R5D cause human overgrowth

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Vincristine induced peripheral neuropathy in children undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia during induction

Background: Vincristine is an anticancer agent administered to all children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and peripheral neuropathy is the major dose-limiting toxicity of this therapy. As cure rates of childhood ALL exceeds 80%, therefore treatment-related toxicities need to be reduced. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN) in children with ALL undergoing induction chemotherapy. Methods: A case-control study was conducted from September 2017 to August 2018 in the Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Eighty newly diagnosed ALL and 35 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases aged 5 to 17 years with no pre-existing neurological abnormality were recruited. To assess the peripheral neuropathy, we used pediatric-modified total neuropathy score and National Cancer Institute- Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE), version-04 grade. Results: Among ALL patients, 29.2% developed peripheral neuropathy compared to 10% in AML control group (P=0.04). Higher proportion (57.1%) of peripheral neuropathy was found in age below 10 years (P<0.001). There was no significant association of peripheral neuropathy with sex and body mass index of the patients. Conclusion: Almost 3 in 10 patients developed VIPN during the induction therapy which is significantly higher in age below 10 years compared to ≥ 10 years.   Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Journal 2023;16(1): 02-07

The ICR142 NGS validation series: a resource for orthogonal assessment of NGS analysis [version 2; referees: 2 approved]

To provide a useful community resource for orthogonal assessment of NGS analysis software, we present the ICR142 NGS validation series. The dataset includes high-quality exome sequence data from 142 samples together with Sanger sequence data at 704 sites; 416 sites with variants and 288 sites at which variants were called by an NGS analysis tool, but no variant is present in the corresponding Sanger sequence. The dataset includes 293 indel variants and 247 negative indel sites, and thus the ICR142 validation dataset is of particular utility in evaluating indel calling performance. The FASTQ files and Sanger sequence results can be accessed in the European Genome-phenome Archive under the accession number EGAS00001001332

Vincristine induced peripheral neuropathy in children undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia during induction

Background: Vincristine is an anticancer agent administered to all children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and peripheral neuropathy is the major dose-limiting toxicity of this therapy. As cure rates of childhood ALL exceeds 80%, therefore treatment-related toxicities need to be reduced. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN) in children with ALL undergoing induction chemotherapy. Methods: A case-control study was conducted from September 2017 to August 2018 in the Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Eighty newly diagnosed ALL and 35 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases aged 5 to 17 years with no pre-existing neurological abnormality were recruited. To assess the peripheral neuropathy, we used pediatric-modified total neuropathy score and National Cancer Institute- Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE), version-04 grade. Results: Among ALL patients, 29.2% developed peripheral neuropathy compared to 10% in AML control group (P=0.04). Higher proportion (57.1%) of peripheral neuropathy was found in age below 10 years (P<0.001). There was no significant association of peripheral neuropathy with sex and body mass index of the patients. Conclusion: Almost 3 in 10 patients developed VIPN during the induction therapy which is significantly higher in age below 10 years compared to ≥ 10 years.   Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Journal 2023;16(1): 02-07

Recognition of and Response to Neonatal Intrapartum-related Complications in Home-birth Settings in Bangladesh

Intrapartum-related complications (previously called \u2018birth asphyxia\u2019) are a significant contributor to deaths of newborns in Bangladesh. This study describes some of the perceived signs, causes, and treatments for this condition as described by new mothers, female relatives, traditional birth attendants, and village doctors in three sites in Bangladesh. Informants were asked to name characteristics of a healthy newborn and a newborn with difficulty in breathing at birth and about the perceived causes, consequences, and treatments for breathing difficulties. Across all three sites \u2018no movement\u2019 and \u2018no cry\u2019 were identified as signs of breathing difficulties while \u2018prolonged labour\u2019 was the most commonly-mentioned cause. Informants described a variety of treatments for difficulty in breathing at birth, including biomedical and, less often, spiritual and traditional practices. This study identified the areas that need to be addressed through behaviour change interventions to improve recognition of and response to intrapartum-related complications in Bangladesh

Recognition of and Response to neonatal intrapartum-related complications in home-birth settings in Bangladesh.

Intrapartum-related complications (previously called 'birth asphyxia') are a significant contributor to deaths of newborns in Bangladesh. This study describes some of the perceived signs, causes, and treatments for this condition as described by new mothers, female relatives, traditional birth attendants, and village doctors in three sites in Bangladesh. Informants were asked to name characteristics of a healthy newborn and a newborn with difficulty in breathing at birth and about the perceived causes, consequences, and treatments for breathing difficulties. Across all three sites 'no movement' and 'no cry' were identified as signs of breathing difficulties while 'prolonged labour' was the most commonly-mentioned cause. Informants described a variety of treatments for difficulty in breathing at birth, including biomedical and, less often, spiritual and traditional practices. This study identified the areas that need to be addressed through behaviour change interventions to improve recognition of and response to intrapartum-related complications in Bangladesh