16S rRNA Gene-targeted TTGE in Determining Diversity of Gut Microbiota during Acute Diarrhoea and Convalescence

The human gut microbiota play a vital role in health and nutrition but are greatly modified during severe diarrhoea due to purging and pathogenic colonization. To understand the extent of loss during and after diarrhoea, faecal samples collected from children (n=21) suffering from acute diarrhoea and from their healthy siblings (n=9) were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene-targeted universal primer polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE). The gut microbiota decreased significantly as indicated by the number of TTGE bands at day 0 of acute diarrhoea [patients vs healthy siblings: 11\ub10.9 vs 21.8\ub11.1 (mean\ub1standard error), p<0.01]. The number of bands showed a steady increase from day 1 to day 7; however, it remained significantly less than that in healthy siblings (15\ub10.9, p<0.01). These results suggest that appropriate therapeutic and post-diarrhoeal nutritional intervention might be beneficial for the early microbial restoration and recovery

Association between Glycemic Control and Serum Lipid Profile in type 2 Diabetic Patients: Experience in a Medical College Hospital

Impaired lipid metabolism in diabetic patients can lead to cardiovascular complications. Poor glycaemic control is associated with a significant increase in the risk of both patient’s morbidity and mortality. An early intervention to regulate circulating lipids has been found to lower the risk of cardiovascular problems and death. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a reliable indicator of rising blood sugar levels. This hospital based observational study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital, Barisal from October 2014 to March 2015 over a period of 6 month to determine the correlation of glycemic control and lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 110 type 2 diabe- tes mellitus(DM) patients of both sexes admitted to the Deapartment of Medicine of Sher-E- Bangla Medical College Hospital, Barisal, were recruited for this study. Following standard procedures and protocols, fasting blood sugar (FBS), blood sugar two hours after breakfast, Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting lipid profile were measured. The age of respondents ranged from 34 to 70 years with the mean age of 54.35}8.02 years. Among the patients male were 70 (63.6%) and female were 40 (36.4%). Mean age at diagnosis of DM and duration of DM was 47.07}6.03 years and 7.27}3.41 years, respectively. Mean body mass index (BMI), FBS and HbA1c were 25.02}5.22 kg/m2, 8.06}2.01 mmol/L and 8.34}1.9 % respectively. Significant positive correlation of HbA1c and FBS with BMI, total cholester- ol(TC), triglyceride(TG), low density lipoprotein(LDL-C) and negative correlation with high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) was found. Significantly higher TC, TG and LDL-C and lower HDL-C were found in poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 7) group than good glycemic control (HbA1c < 7 ) group. The results of this study showed that , higher levels of glycemic parame- ters are significantly associated with dyslipidemia. These findings also indicate that HbA1c can be utilized for screening of high risk diabetic patients for early diagnosis of dyslipidemia and timely intervention with lipid lowering drugs. BSMMU J 2021; 14(4): 138-14

Gut Microbiota of Healthy and Malnourished Children in Bangladesh

Poor health and malnutrition in preschool children are longstanding problems in Bangladesh. Gut microbiota plays a tremendous role in nutrient absorption and determining the state of health. In this study, metagenomic tool was employed to assess the gut microbiota composition of healthy and malnourished children. DNA was extracted from fecal samples of seven healthy and seven malnourished children (n = 14; age 2–3 years) were analyzed for the variable region of 16S rRNA genes by universal primer PCR followed by high-throughput 454 parallel sequencing to identify the bacterial phyla and genera. Our results reveal that the healthy children had a significantly higher number of operational taxonomic unit in their gut than that of the malnourished children (healthy vs. malnourished: 546 vs. 310). In malnourished children, bacterial population of the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes accounted for 46 and 18%, respectively. Conversely, in healthy children, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes accounted for 5% and 44, respectively (p < 0.001). In malnourished children, the phylum Proteobacteria included pathogenic genera, namely Klebsiella and Escherichia, which were 174-fold and 9-fold higher, respectively, than their healthy counterpart. The predominance of potentially pathogenic Proteobacteria and minimal level of Bacteroidetes as commensal microbiota might be associated to the ill health of malnourished children in Bangladesh

Trials

BACKGROUND: The aim of this open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted in four African countries (Madagascar, Niger, Central African Republic, and Senegal) is to compare three strategies of renutrition for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in children based on modulation of the gut microbiota with enriched flours alone, enriched flours with prebiotics or enriched flours coupled with antibiotic treatment. METHODS: To be included, children aged between 6 months and 2 years are preselected based on mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) and are included based on a weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) between - 3 and - 2 standard deviations (SD). As per current protocols, children receive renutrition treatment for 12 weeks and are assessed weekly to determine improvement. The primary endpoint is recovery, defined by a WHZ >/= - 1.5 SD after 12 weeks of treatment. Data collected include clinical and socioeconomic characteristics, side effects, compliance and tolerance to interventions. Metagenomic analysis of gut microbiota is conducted at inclusion, 3 months, and 6 months. The cognitive development of children is evaluated in Senegal using only the Developmental Milestones Checklist II (DMC II) questionnaire at inclusion and at 3, 6, and 9 months. The data will be correlated with renutrition efficacy and metagenomic data. DISCUSSION: This study will provide new insights for the treatment of MAM, as well as original data on the modulation of gut microbiota during the renutrition process to support (or not) the microbiota hypothesis of malnutrition. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03474276 Last update 28 May 2018

Charging-up Behaviour of MicroPattern Gaseous Detectors

Particle and nuclear physics experiments require state-of-the-art detector technologies in a pursuit to achieve high data collection efficiency, and thus ensuring reliable data recording from the particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments of CERN. High demand for data to be used for precision analysis has led to the development of MicroPattern Gaseous Detector (MPGD) based structures: Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) and MICROMEGAS (MM). A systematic study is conducted on charging-up behaviour in a two-stage amplification structure, consisting of a single GEM foil above a MM detector with 2D readout chamber. Charging-up effect arises in the detector system due to combined effects from polarization of dielectric surfaces and accumulation of charges on the dielectric surfaces of MM resistive strips under high external electric field. The internal fields created from charging-up of dielectric surfaces can lead to a change in the applied electric field and gain of the detector suffers. In this thesis, the instability of gain due to characteristic charging-up process in GEM and MM is observed for different event rates and humidity level in the detector fill gas (P-10 gas mixture). MM gain decreased with time due to charging-up of dielectric surfaces and an exponential drop of gain by ≈30% is detected in case of dry gas i.e. fill gas without moisture. By adding a small amount of water content into fill gas, the MM gain is observed to drop around 22-30%. Addition of 1320±280 ppmV water content into MM gas volume yielded a higher gain of about 10% compared to dry gas. In case of higher rate measurement, achieved by using GEM foil as a pre-amplification stage between drift and readout electrode, the gain saturates at 70%. For low rate measurement, the gain saturates at 68%. GEM gain is observed to increase slowly by 17% as the dielectric surfaces inside its holes charged-up gradually over time

Effect of manure types on phosphorus sorption characteristics of an agricultural soil in Bangladesh

Manure application changes the phosphorus (P) sorption behavior of soil, which may help release P to surface water. Excess P may result in degradation of quality of receiving water. In this study, effects of dairy, poultry, and goat manure applications on various soil phosphorus sorption indices were estimated for a silt loam Bangladeshi agricultural soil. The soil was incubated with manures for a month, and sorption experiments were conducted using incubated soil. The soil P adsorption isotherms conformed to S-curve shape for the both manure treated and untreated soils. Adsorption data conformed to the isotherms in the order of Freundlich > Temkin > Langmuir for poultry and goat manure treated soils and Langmuir > Freundlich > Temkin for dairy manure treated soil. Manure treatment decreased all the sorption parameters; the highest decrease was observed from dairy manure treated soil. Maximum P buffering capacity and standard phosphate requirement were decreased for all manure treatments, meaning that less fertilizer would be needed to maintain P concentrations in soil solution if manure amendment is used. Results of this study could be utilized for better fertilizer and manure management to reduce the waste of valuable fertilizer and to decrease water pollution

16S rRNA Gene-targeted TTGE in Determining Diversity of Gut Microbiota during Acute Diarrhoea and Convalescence

The human gut microbiota play a vital role in health and nutrition but are greatly modified during severe diarrhoea due to purging and pathogenic colonization. To understand the extent of loss during and after diarrhoea, faecal samples collected from children (n=21) suffering from acute diarrhoea and from their healthy siblings (n=9) were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene-targeted universal primer polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE). The gut microbiota decreased significantly as indicated by the number of TTGE bands at day 0 of acute diarrhoea [patients vs healthy siblings: 11±0.9 vs 21.8±1.1 (mean±standard error), p<0.01]. The number of bands showed a steady increase from day 1 to day 7; however, it remained significantly less than that in healthy siblings (15±0.9, p<0.01). These results suggest that appropriate therapeutic and post-diarrhoeal nutritional intervention might be beneficial for the early microbial restoration and recovery

Colistin resistant Escherichia coli carrying mcr-1 in urban sludge samples: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract Of 48 bacteria belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae tested from urban sludge samples, one Escherichia coli isolate was resistant to colistin and possessed the resistance marker gene mcr-1 found for the first time from Bangladesh. The colistin resistant E. coli was multidrug resistant showing resistance to 11 different antibiotics tested