Phytochemical Screening and comparison of antibacterial assays of pimpinella anisum through extraction

This thesis report is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology, 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis report.Includes bibliographical references (page 40-42).Increasing number of microbes is developing resistance to synthetic antibiotics which hinders combating infective health conditions. Assessing antimicrobial properties of naturally occurring Pimpinella anisum may help in the search for newer and less expensive antibiotics. Antibacterial effects of ethanol, methanol extracts taken of second, fifth and seventh days, along with aqueous extracts of aniseed were observed on selected bacteria. Extracts of different days had variable effects on the three bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumonae) showed positive antibacterial effect of aniseed. The methanol extract from the fifth day showed the greatest positive result against Bacillus cereus. The activity index of methanol extract of day five was the highest against Bacillus subtilis indicating high sensitivity to the extract. Phytochemicals such as tannin, saponin, terpenoid, flavonoid, cardiac glycoside, alkaloid, phenolic compounds and steroids were present in the aqueous extract of aniseed. Variation in the solubility of these phytochemicals in different solvents may have an effect leading to the difference in antibacterial action. It is expected that the findings of this study will stimulate researchers to design clinical trials that may lead to the development of less expensive antimicrobial agents.Shagoofa RakhshandaB. Biotechnolog

Baseline prevalence of high blood pressure and its predictors in a rural adult population of Bangladesh: Outcome from the application of WHO PEN interventions

Abstract This cross‐sectional study estimated the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) and examined its predictors at baseline following protocol 1 (actions 1 and 2) of World Health Organization (WHO) Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease (PEN) Interventions in a selected rural area of Bangladesh. A total of 11 145 adults (both sex and age ≥ 18 years) completed both the questionnaire and clinical measurements at the household and community clinics, respectively. We defined high BP as systolic BP ≥ 120 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 80 mmHg, prehypertension (pre‐HTN) as systolic BP 120–139 mmHg or diastolic BP 80–89 mmHg, and hypertension (HTN) as systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg and/or anti‐hypertensive drug intake for the raised BP. The prevalence of high BP was 51.2% (pre‐HTN, 25.3%; HTN, 25.9%). Among them, the proportion of pre‐HTN was higher among men (28.7%) while HTN was higher among women (27.4%). Other than fast food intake (pre‐HTN, OR: 1.110, P = .063) and women sex (HTN, OR: 1.236, P < .001), the pre‐HTN and HTN had higher odds for having same predictors as follows: age ≥ 40 years, family history of HTN, physical inactivity, central obesity, generalized obesity, and diabetes. In conclusion, the application of WHO PEN protocol 1 detected one‐fourth of the rural adult population had pre‐HTN and HTN respectively, and the common significant predictors of those were the age, family history of HTN, physical inactivity, generalized obesity, and diabetes

Baseline prevalence of hyperglycemia and its predictors among community clinic users of a selected rural area of Bangladesh: A cross‐sectional study using the WHO PEN Protocol 1

Abstract Aims/Introduction Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of hyperglycemia at baseline, and identify its predictors among community clinic (CC) users from a selected rural area of Bangladesh. Materials and Methods This cross‐sectional study partly used the baseline data of implementation research in which a total of 11,244 adults visited the CC, and their blood glucose, blood pressure and anthropometry were evaluated according to ‘Action 2’ of the World Health Organization (WHO) Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (PEN) protocol 1. Of these, 11,144 had complete information on demography, chronic diseases and their risk factors, which were collected during the implementation of ‘Action 1’ of WHO PEN protocol 1 at the household level. Hyperglycemia, prediabetes (PreD) and type 2 diabetes were diagnosed using the WHO criteria. Results Using WHO PEN protocol 1, the estimated baseline prevalence was 12.5% for hyperglycemia, 3.4% for PreD and 9.2% for type 2 diabetes, and was more prevalent among men compared with women. PreD and type 2 diabetes had significantly higher odds ratio (OR >1) of having common risk factors as follows: age ≥40 years (PreD, P < 0.001; type 2 diabetes, P < 0.001), generalized obesity (PreD, P < 0.001; type 2 diabetes, P = 0.005) and hypertension (PreD, P < 0.000; type 2 diabetes, P < 0.001). Furthermore, participants with a family history of diabetes appeared to be a significant predictor of type 2 diabetes (P < 0.001), but not for PreD (P = 0.303). Conclusions Hyperglycemia, preD and type 2 diabetes showed a comparatively high prevalence among the CC users of the selected rural area. Obesity and hypertension are the key modifiable risk factors that should be reduced using a CC‐centered risk reduction strategy

Assessing service availability and readiness to manage Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) in Bangladesh.

IntroductionChronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) are some of the most prevailing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide and cause three times higher morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) than in developed nations. In Bangladesh, there is a dearth of data about the quality of CRD management in health facilities. This study aims to describe CRD service availability and readiness at all tiers of health facilities using the World Health Organization's (WHO) Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) tool.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2017 to June 2018 in a total of 262 health facilities in Bangladesh using the WHO SARA Standard Tool. Surveys were conducted with facility management personnel by trained data collectors using REDCap software. Descriptive statistics for the availability of CRD services were calculated. Composite scores for facility readiness (Readiness Index 'RI') were created which included four domains: staff and guideline, basic equipment, diagnostic capacity, and essential medicines. RI was calculated for each domain as the mean score of items expressed as a percentage. Indices were compared to a cutoff of70% which means that a facility index above 70% is considered 'ready' to manage CRDs at that level. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS Vr 21.0.ResultsIt was found, tertiary hospitals were the only hospitals that surpassed the readiness index cutoff of 70%, indicating that they had adequate capacity and were ready to manage CRDs (RI 78.3%). The mean readiness scores for the other hospital tiers in descending order were District Hospitals (DH): 40.6%, Upazila Health Complexes (UHC): 33.3% and Private NGOs: 39.5%).ConclusionOnly tertiary care hospitals, constituting 3.1% of sampled health facilities, were found ready to manage CRD. Inadequate and unequal supplies of medicine as well as a lack of trained staff, guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of CRDs, equipment, and diagnostic facilities contributed to low readiness index scores in all other tiers of health facilities

Age-Specific Cut-off Values of Amino Acids and Acylcarnitines for Diagnosis of Inborn Errors of Metabolism Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Liquid Chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is used for the diagnosis of more than 30 inborn errors of metabolisms (IEMs). Accurate and reliable diagnosis of IEMs by quantifying amino acids (AAs) and acylcarnitines (ACs) using LC-MS/MS systems depend on the establishment of age-specific cut-offs of the analytes. This study aimed to (1) determine the age-specific cut-off values of AAs and ACs in Bangladesh and (2) validate the LC-MS/MS method for diagnosis of the patients with IEMs. A total of 570 enrolled healthy participants were divided into 3 age groups, namely, (1) newborns (1-7 days), (2) 8 days–7 years, and (3) 8–17 years, to establish the age-specific cut-offs for AAs and ACs. Also, 273 suspected patients with IEMs were enrolled to evaluate the reliability of the established cut-off values. Quantitation of AAs and ACs was performed on an automated LC-MS/MS system using dried blood spot (DBS) cards. Then the specimens of the enrolled clinically suspected patients were analyzed by the established method. Nine patients came out as screening positive for different IEMs, including two borderline positive cases of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCAD). A second-tier test for confirmation of the screening positive cases was conducted by urinary metabolic profiling using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Out of 9 cases that came out as screening positive by LC-MS/MS, seven cases were confirmed by urinary GC-MS analysis including 3 cases with phenylketonuria, 1 with citrullinemia type II, 1 with methylmalonic acidemia, 1 with isovaleric acidemia and 1 with carnitine uptake defect. Two borderline positive cases with MCAD were found negative by urinary GC-MS analysis. In conclusion, along with establishment of a validated LC-MS/MS method for quantitation of AAs and ACs from the DBS cards, the study also demonstrates the presence of predominantly available IEMs in Bangladesh