Slips, Trips and Falls among the workers in a garment industry in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Introduction: Slips, trips and falls (STFs) lead to considerable accidents and injuries with a large financial consequence. In garment industries, occupational accidents and injuries are not uncommon and slips, trips and falls are the major contributory factors. It aimed to find out the contributing factors of slips, trips and falls among the garment workers in Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a garment industry to find out the factors responsible for slips, trips and falls among the workers. The study participants were garment workers with one year of experience, regardless of age and sex.  A total of 208 workers was selected by simple random sampling.  The study was conducted from July 2018 to June 2019. Results: Among the total 208 respondents, 130 (62.5%) were female and the mean age was 27.49±7.18 years. The majority of the respondents (57.2%) had a primary level of education and had work experience up to five years (71.6%). Of the total respondents, 62 (29.8%) had the experience of slips, trips and falls (STFs) in the last six months. Among them, slips were experienced by 34(16.3%), trips by 43(20.7%) and falls by 40(19.2%) respondents. Poor housekeeping 23(53.6%), mopped wet floor 18(52.9%), slopped and slippery floors 14(35.0%), improper storage 14(32.6%), uneven floor 12(30.0%) and spilling of drinks 9(26.5%) in a higher proportion were responsible for slips, trips and falls. The ergonomic factors which were reported to contribute to slips, trips and falls in a higher proportion were working posture 30(69.8%) and load-bearing 24 (60%). Workplace stress, on the other hand, was found to be the most common 37(92.5%) contributing factor to slips, trips and falls. Conclusion:   Almost two-thirds of garment workers experienced slips, trips and falls in their workplace. To prevent slips, trips and falls, steps should be taken to reduce the contributing factors, especially the workplace stress among the workers.&nbsp

Host subversion of bacterial metallophore usage drives copper intoxication

ABSTRACT Microorganisms can acquire metal ions in metal-limited environments using small molecules called metallophores. While metals and their importers are essential, metals can also be toxic, and metallophores have limited ability to discriminate between metals. The impact of metallophore-mediated non-cognate metal uptake on bacterial metal homeostasis and pathogenesis remains to be defined. The globally significant pathogen Staphylococcus aureus uses the Cnt system to secrete the metallophore staphylopine in zinc-limited host niches. Here, we show that staphylopine and the Cnt system facilitate bacterial copper uptake, potentiating the need for copper detoxification. During in vivo infection, staphylopine usage increased S. aureus susceptibility to host-mediated copper stress, indicating that the innate immune response can harness the antimicrobial potential of altered elemental abundances in host niches. Collectively, these observations show that while the broad-spectrum metal-chelating properties of metallophores can be advantageous, the host can exploit these properties to drive metal intoxication and mediate antibacterial control. IMPORTANCE During infection, bacteria must overcome the dual threats of metal starvation and intoxication. This work reveals that the zinc-withholding response of the host sensitizes S. aureus to copper intoxication. In response to zinc starvation, S. aureus utilizes the metallophore staphylopine. The current work revealed that the host can leverage the promiscuity of staphylopine to intoxicate S. aureus during infection. Significantly, staphylopine-like metallophores are produced by a wide range of pathogens, suggesting that this is a conserved weakness that the host can leverage to toxify invaders with copper. Moreover, it challenges the assumption that the broad-spectrum metal binding of metallophores is inherently beneficial to bacteria

Explicating genetic architecture governing nutritional quality in pigmented rice

Rice is one of the most important staple plant foods that provide a major source of calories and nutrients for tackling the global hunger index especially in developing countries. In terms of nutritional profile, pigmented rice grains are favoured for their nutritional and health benefits. The pigmented rice varieties are rich sources of flavonoids, anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin that can be readily incorporated into diets to help address various lifestyle diseases. However, the cultivation of pigmented rice is limited due to low productivity and unfavourable cooking qualities. With the advances in genome sequencing, molecular breeding, gene expression analysis and multi-omics approaches, various attempts have been made to explore the genetic architecture of rice grain pigmentation. In this review, we have compiled the current state of knowledge of the genetic architecture and nutritional value of pigmentation in rice based upon the available experimental evidence. Future research areas that can help to deepen our understanding and help in harnessing the economic and health benefits of pigmented rice are also explored

The SULFs, Extracellular Sulfatases for Heparan Sulfate, Promote the Migration of Corneal Epithelial Cells during Wound Repair

Maltseva I, Chan M, Kalus I, Dierks T, Rosen SD. The SULFs, Extracellular Sulfatases for Heparan Sulfate, Promote the Migration of Corneal Epithelial Cells during Wound Repair. PloS one. 2013;8(8): e69642.Corneal epithelial wound repair involves the migration of epithelial cells to cover the defect followed by the proliferation of the cells to restore thickness. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are ubiquitous extracellular molecules that bind to a plethora of growth factors, cytokines, and morphogens and thereby regulate their signaling functions. Ligand binding by HS chains depends on the pattern of four sulfation modifications, one of which is 6-O-sulfation of glucosamine (6OS). SULF1 and SULF2 are highly homologous, extracellular endosulfatases, which post-synthetically edit the sulfation status of HS by removing 6OS from intact chains. The SULFs thereby modulate multiple signaling pathways including the augmentation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. We found that wounding of mouse corneal epithelium stimulated SULF1 expression in superficial epithelial cells proximal to the wound edge. Sulf1(-/-) , but not Sulf2(-/-) , mice, exhibited a marked delay in healing. Furthermore, corneal epithelial cells derived from Sulf1(-/-) mice exhibited a reduced rate of migration in repair of a scratched monolayer compared to wild-type cells. In contrast, human primary corneal epithelial cells expressed SULF2, as did a human corneal epithelial cell line (THCE). Knockdown of SULF2 in THCE cells also slowed migration, which was restored by overexpression of either mouse SULF2 or human SULF1. The interchangeability of the two SULFs establishes their capacity for functional redundancy. Knockdown of SULF2 decreased Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in THCE cells. Extracellular antagonists of Wnt signaling reduced migration of THCE cells. However in SULF2- knockdown cells, these antagonists exerted no further effects on migration, consistent with the SULF functioning as an upstream regulator of Wnt signaling. Further understanding of the mechanistic action of the SULFs in promoting corneal repair may lead to new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of corneal injuries