EVALUATION OF POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS AND β-GLUCAN CONTAINING DIET ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND CONDITION FACTOR OF PABDAH CATFISH, OMPOK PABDA (HAMILTON, 1822)

Nutritionally balanced diet and selection of appropriate species for culturing environment are important criteria in aquaculture. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and β-glucan containing diet (PBG) on growth performance, feed utilization, length-weight relationship, and condition factor of Pabdah catfish, Ompok pabda. In this study, squid extracted phospholipid and mushroom powder were used as the source of PUFAs and β-glucan, respectively, and formulated two isonitrogenous diets such as basal or control (CON) diet and PBG diet with maintaining 30% protein levels. During the study period, similar physicochemical conditions of water such as temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were 26.5 ± 2 °C, 7.4 ± 0.2, and 6.7 ± 0.5 ppm, respectively were maintained in each cistern. The results showed that final mean body weight, final mean length gain, food conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR), food conversion efficiency (%), hepato somatic index (HSI), kidney index (KI), and viscerosomatic index (VSI) were significantly (P<0.01 and P<0.05) higher in fish fed the PBG diet than that of fish fed the CON diet. The coefficient of determination showed a significant relationship (R2 = 0.956) between the length and weight of the treatment group. The length-weight relationship and relative condition factor (K) of Ompok pabda were significantly (P<0.05) affected by the PBG diet. The present study shows that the experimental diet more effective and achieves better growth performance, feed utilization, length-weight relationship, and condition factor of Ompok pabda.

Comparison of liver function status between home treated and hospital treated SARS-CoV-2 survivors

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has emerged as one of the greatest challenges faced by the world. There is association of liver injury with SARS-CoV-2 infection indicated by abnormal ALT levels accompanied by altered bilirubin level in blood. The aim of the study was to evaluate the quantitative difference of serum ALT and bilirubin level in home and hospital treated patients.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, from July 2020 to June 2021. After infection most of the patients with mild symptoms were treated at home but patients with difficulty in breathing and various complications were treated at the hospital. Due to SARS-CoV-2 infection certain derangement of liver enzymes were noticed.Results: This study was planned to evaluate the changes of liver enzymes (ALT) and serum bilirubin after the recovery of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The aim of the study was to compare the derangement of serum bilirubin and ALT in home and hospital treated patients.Conclusions: There was no significant difference regarding liver function between these two groups

The role of HbA1c as a diagnostic test for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Bangladesh

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a serious chronic disease with microvascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy and macrovascular complications such as cardiac, peripheral arterial and cerebrovascular disease. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the value of HbAlc as a diagnostic test for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Bangladeshi inclividuals. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Biochemis­try, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A total 657 patients, who were attended in the one point sample collection centre of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for oral glucose tolerance test (OGIT) from 1st April 2014 to 30th June 2014, were purposively enrolled in this study. According to WHO criteria and based on OGIT findings study subjects were categorized into Normoglycemic (257), IFG (82), IGT (174), and DM (347). Fasting plasma glucose. HbA1c and plasma glucose at 2 hour after glucose load on OGIT was done from all the study subjects. Results: With a cut-off value of 6.J %, HbAlc had a maximal sensitivity and specificity of 97.0% and 49.0% respectively with a positive predictive value 65.5% and a negative predictive value 94.0%. HbA1c had a sensitivity of 93.0% and a specificity of 63.0% was calculated with a cut-off value of 6.5% with positive predictive value 77.5% and negative predictive value 90.0%. Both fasting plasma glucose levels and 2 hour plasma glucose levels were showed significant positive correlation with HbAlc (r = 0.788, P = 0.000 and r = 0.800, P = 0.000 respectively). Conclusion: The study suggests that measurement of HbAlc could be used to make diagnosis of T2DM in the Bangladeshi population

Association of serum vitamin D and parathormone levels in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy

The present study was aimed to evaluate the association of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and parathormone in 46 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy [non-proliferative, (n=27); proliferative (n=19)]. Twenty one diabetic patients without retinopathy were taken as control. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and intact parathyroid hormone were measured by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay. Concentration of 25-hydroxy vitamin D differed significantly among groups (p=0.018) and it was significantly lower in proliferative diabetic retinopathy than no diabetic retinopathy (p=0.003). Logistic regression analysis revealed that vitamin D deficiency [25-hydroxy vitamin D <20 ng/mL] was indepen-dently associated with development of diabetic retinopathy (p=0.007, OR 20.90, 95%CI 2.33-187.23). In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency is associated with diabetic retinopathy complicating type 2 diabetes mellitus

Association of serum vitamin D and parathormone levels in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy

The present study was aimed to evaluate the association of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and parathormone in 46 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy [non-proliferative, (n=27); proliferative (n=19)]. Twenty one diabetic patients without retinopathy were taken as control. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and intact parathyroid hormone were measured by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay. Concentration of 25-hydroxy vitamin D differed significantly among groups (p=0.018) and it was significantly lower in proliferative diabetic retinopathy than no diabetic retinopathy (p=0.003). Logistic regression analysis revealed that vitamin D deficiency [25-hydroxy vitamin D <20 ng/mL] was indepen-dently associated with development of diabetic retinopathy (p=0.007, OR 20.90, 95%CI 2.33-187.23). In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency is associated with diabetic retinopathy complicating type 2 diabetes mellitus

Fuzzy Logic-Based Improved Ventilation System For The Pharmaceutical Industry

Indoor air quality in pharmaceutical industry plays a vital role in the production and storing of medicine. Stable indoor environment including favorable temperature,humidity,air flow and number of microorganisms requires consistent monitoring.This paper aimed to develop a fuzzy logic-based intelligent ventilation system to control the indoor air quality in pharmaceutical sites.Specifically,in the proposed fuzzy inference system,the ventilation system can control the air flow and quality in accordance with the indoor temperature,humidity,air flow and microorganisms in the air.The MATLAB® fuzzy logic toolbox was used to simulate the performance of the fuzzy inference system.The results show that the efficiency of the system can be improved by manipulating the input-output parameters according to the user’s demands.Compared with conventional heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems,the proposed ventilation system has the additional feature of the existence of microorganisms,which is a crucial criterion of indoor air quality in pharmaceutical laboratories

Walking speed classification from marker-free video images in two-dimension using optimum data and a deep learning method

Walking speed is considered a reliable assessment tool for any movement-related functional activities of an individual (i.e., patients and healthy controls) by caregivers and clinicians. Traditional video surveillance gait monitoring in clinics and aged care homes may employ modern artificial intelligence techniques to utilize walking speed as a screening indicator of various physical outcomes or accidents in individuals. Specifically, ratio-based body measurements of walking individuals are extracted from marker-free and two-dimensional video images to create a walk pattern suitable for walking speed classification using deep learning based artificial intelligence techniques. However, the development of successful and highly predictive deep learning architecture depends on the optimal use of extracted data because redundant data may overburden the deep learning architecture and hinder the classification performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the optimal combination of ratio-based body measurements needed for presenting potential information to define and predict a walk pattern in terms of speed with high classification accuracy using a deep learning-based walking speed classification model. To this end, the performance of different combinations of five ratio-based body measurements was evaluated through a correlation analysis and a deep learning-based walking speed classification test. The results show that a combination of three ratio-based body measurements can potentially define and predict a walk pattern in terms of speed with classification accuracies greater than 92% using a bidirectional long short-term memory deep learning method

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

cDNA cloning of an alginate lyase from a marine gastropod Aplysia kurodai and assessment of catalytically important residues of this enzyme.

Herbivorous marine gastropods such as abalone and sea hare ingest brown algae as a major diet and degrade the dietary alginate with alginate lyase (EC 4.2.2.3) in their digestive fluid. To date alginate lyases from Haliotidae species such as abalone have been well characterized and the primary structure analyses have classified abalone enzymes into polysaccharide-lyase-family 14 (PL-14). However, other gastropod enzymes have not been so well investigated and only partial amino-acid sequences are currently available. To improve the knowledge for primary structure and catalytic residues of gastropod alginate lyases, we cloned the cDNA encoding an alginate lyase, AkAly30, from an Aplysiidae species Aplysia kurodai and assessed its catalytically important residues by site-directed mutagenesis. Alginate lyase cDNA fragments were amplified by PCR followed by 5'- and 3'-RACE from A. kurodai hepatopancreas cDNA. The finally cloned cDNA comprised 1,313 bp which encoded an amino-acid sequence of 295 residues of AkAly30. The deduced sequence comprised an initiation methionine, a putative signal peptide for secretion (18 residues), a propeptide-like region (9 residues), and a mature AkAly30 domain (267 residues) which showed ~40% amino-acid identity with abalone alginate lyases. An Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)-pCold I expression system for recombinant AkAly30 (recAkAly30) was constructed and site-directed mutagenesis was performed to assess catalytically important amino-acid residues which had been suggested in abalone and Chlorella virus PL-14 enzymes. Replacements of K99, S126, R128, Y140 and Y142 of recAkAly30 by Ala and/or Phe greatly decreased its activity as in the case of abalone and/or Chlorella virus enzymes. Whereas, H213 that was essential for Chlorella virus enzyme to exhibit the activity at pH 10.0 was originally replaced by N120 in AkAly30. The reverse replacement of N120 by His in recAkAly30 increased the activity at pH 10.0 from 8 U/mg to 93 U/mg; however, the activity level at pH 7.0, i.e., 774.8 U/mg, was still much higher than that at pH 10.0. This indicates that N120 is not directly related to the pH dependence of AkAly30 unlike H213 of vAL-1

Heat-stability and primary structure of the major alginate lyase isozyme LbAly35 from Littorina brevicula

Previously we isolated the major alginate lyase isozyme LbAly35 from a marine snail Littorina brevicula and showed that this enzyme was significantly heat-stable in a broad pH range compared with other molluscan alginate lyases (Hata et al., Fish Sci. (2009) 75:755-763). LbAly35 showed practically no similarity to other molluscan alginate lyases in the N-terminal amino-acid sequence of 20 residues and no cross-reactivity with anti-abalone alginate lyase antiserum. These led us to consider that the primary structure of LbAly35 is considerably deviated from other molluscan enzymes. Thus, in the present study, we first compared the thermal stability of LbAly35 with an abalone alginate lyase, HdAly, and found that the first order inactivation rate constants for LbAly35 at 40℃ and 45℃ were 1/20 and 1/45 of those for HdAly, respectively. Then, we cloned cDNAs encoding LbAly35 and characterized its deduced amino-acid sequence comparing with those of other molluscan alginate lyases. The cDNAs were amplified by PCR and 5'- and 3'-RACE PCRs from the L. brevicula hepatopancreas cDNA using degenerated primers synthesized on the basis of partial amino-acid sequences of LbAly35. The cDNA covering entire translational region of LbAly35 comprised 1,093 bp and encoded an amino-acid sequence of 296 residues. The amino-acid sequence consisted of an initiation methionine, a putative signal peptide for secretion (22 residues), a propeptide-like region (10 residues), and a mature LbAly35 domain of 263 residues. Although the N-terminal region of LbAly35 was significantly deviated from those of other molluscan alginate lyases, the catalytic domain of LbAly35 showed ～45% identity to other molluscan enzymes which had been classified under polysaccharide-lyase-family-14 (PL-14). In addition, the amino-acid residues crucially important for the catalytic actions of PL-14 enzymes were also conserved in LbAly35. Accordingly, LbAly35 was regarded as a member of PL-14 as other molluscan alginate lyases despite of the significant deviation of its N-terminal region