Population-based estimates of hepatitis E virus associated mortality in Bangladesh

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a significant public health problem in many resource-poor countries. China has produced and licensed an effective HEV vaccine, but there are limited population-based data on HEV-associated mortality to make informed decisions about introducing the vaccine. The overarching aim of the research in this thesis was to estimate the population-based rate of HEV-associated mortality in Bangladesh. To address this aim, we set up acute jaundice surveillance in six hospitals to estimate the prevalence of HEV infection among patients admitted with acute jaundice. We conducted a mortality survey in the hospitals’ catchment areas to identify deaths associated with acute jaundice. In the rural communities, we applied a novel survey method to identify jaundice-associated deaths and estimated the method’s sensitivity and cost-savings compared to the established house-to-house survey method. The population-based estimates of HEV-specific mortality were then estimated by combining the hospital data with the mortality survey. In the six study hospitals, the prevalence of acute HEV was 34% among patients aged ≥14 years admitted with acute jaundice. The case fatality rate of all acute HEV patients was 5%, but was 12% in pregnancy. The sensitivity of the community knowledge method in identifying maternal deaths was 100% and jaundice-associated deaths aged ≥14 years was 97%. The community knowledge approach required 36% of the staff time to undertake compared to the house-to-house survey. In the hospitals’ catchment area (population of 2.3 million), we identified 612 acute jaundice deaths aged ≥14 years, including 25 maternal deaths. HEV-associated mortality was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.7-1.9) per 100,000 population aged ≥14 years; the maternal mortality ratio associated with HEV was 4.7 (95% CI: 0.7-13.0) per 100,000 live births; the HEV-associated stillbirth rate was 8.1 (95% CI: 3.3-14.8), and the neonatal mortality rate was 22.5 (95% CI: 8.5-39.4) per 100,000 live births. This study provided a robust estimate of HEV-associated mortality in Bangladesh which can be used to determine the cost-effectiveness of HEV vaccination and other control measures to help prioritise public health interventions. The low-cost survey method could be a valuable tool for estimating the population-based burden of hepatitis in low-and middle-income countries

Assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand 2016. Sydney: National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, the University of New South Wales

Fitzgerald O, Paul RC, Harris K, Chambers GM 2018

Assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand 2017. Sydney: National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, the University of New South Wales

10. Newman J, Fitzgerald O, Paul RC, Chambers GM 2019

Role of Drosophila Orb2 (CPEB) in Synaptic Protein Synthesis

How a transient experience creates a persistent memory remains a fundamental unresolved issue in neuroscience. One of the molecular processes that is believed to be critical for long- lasting memory is synthesis of new protein at the synapse. However, how synaptic protein synthesis is regulated and how these new proteins confers persistence of memory is largely unknown. Previous studies in Drosophila and Aplysia have implicated that a family of mRNA binding proteins known as Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element (CPE) binding proteins is essential for persistent change in experience-dependent synaptic efficacy and persistence of memory. Moreover specific CPEB family members demonstrate biophysical properties that are associated with prion-like proteins. They exist in two distinct physical states: a monomeric and a dominant self-sustaining amyloidogenic aggregated state. This suggested a model in which a transient experience creates persistence molecular alteration in the nervous system via recruiting a stable and self-sustaining amyloidogenic aggregates of neuronal CPEB. The primary objective of this thesis is to determine how Drosophila neuronal CPEB, Orb2, regulates protein synthesis and how conversion to the aggregated state effects its function. Combining in vitro and in vivo studies we find that the monomeric Orb2 represses, while the amyloidogenic oligomeric Orb2 enhances translation and imparts its translational state onto the monomer. The monomer removes, whereas the oligomer stabilizes and elongates the polyA tail of mRNA. In support of these findings, we have identified a two novel proteins: CG13928, which binds only to monomeric Orb2, promotes deadenylation, and CG4612, a putative polyA binding protein, promotes oligomeric Orb2-dependent translation. We posit that monomeric Orb2 keeps target mRNA in a translationally dormant state and experience-dependent conversion of Orb2 to the stable amyloidogenic state activates translation, resulting in persistent alteration of synaptic activity and stabilization of memory. This study also provides an example of an amyloid-based protein switch that turns a repressor into an activator

Competition and Concentration in Bangladeshi Banking Sector: An Application of Panzar-Rosse Model

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the market structure and degree of concentration of Bangladeshi banking industry. The study measured market concentration by using widely recognized measures like k-bank concentration ratio and Herfindahl-Hirchman Index (HHI). It evaluates market structure by applying Panzar-Rosse Model over 8 years period from 2006 to 2013. The result of concentration measures indicates a decreasing trend and low level of market concentration in Bangladeshi banking industry over the sample period. The panzer-Rosse “H-Statistic” suggests that banks in Bangladesh are operating under monopolistic competition. Present paper contributes to a burgeoning literature on banking competition that has evolved significantly over the past periods on a developing country perspective like Bangladesh

Development of Antimicrobial and Antistatic Textile for Industrial Air Management Systems

Textile air management systems are used in modern buildings to improve overall indoor air quality. During use and storage, industrial textiles are negatively affected by microbes. Adding biocide to synthetic fibres can control the detrimental effects of antimicrobial finishing on textiles. Antimicrobial textiles have seen a rapid increase in demand due to consumers’ concern over hygiene and active lifestyles as well as with the aim to improve overall functionality. An antimicrobial treatment with a long lifespan, that is, resistant to washing, is presented in this paper. A new commercial antimicrobial product named Si Bac-Pure was used in woven polyester fabrics to treat them against bacteria. The antimicrobial activity was measured after twenty washing and drying cycles. Good antimicrobial and antifungal activity is produced in treated fabrics after treatment with the stated finishing agents. The antimicrobial treatment has significant antistatic properties that are important for industrial air management systems.This work was supported by the project 31V-14 “Development of a prototype of a textile air flow control system with complex protective properties (TORAS)” financed by the Lithuanian Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology