Lokalna primjena hemina unapređuje liječenje rana u štakora s dijabetesom izazvanim streptozotocinom

Hemin may be of potential therapeutic value in wound healing management in diabetics. It is an inducer of heme oxygenase-1, an enzyme which degrades heme and participates in cellular protection against oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis. Thus, in the present study, hemin (0.5%) was applied topically over excision wounds, and its therapeutic effect in wound healing evaluated in diabetic rats. Topical hemin application significantly increased the percentage of wound contraction on day 2 in diabetic rats, however, povidone-iodine did the same on day 7 compared to the diabetic control. A significant increase in hydroxyproline and glucosamine content was found on day 14 in the hemin treated wounds of diabetic rats vs. the diabetic control. The histology of the hemin treated rats was in agreement with the cellular proliferation and collagen synthesis in granulation tissue. Hemin significantly increases cytokine IL-10 and decreases TNF-α in the granulation tissue of the healed wounds of diabetic rats. The finding showing the pro-healing effects of hemin was endorsed by inhibition of mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and adhesion molecule ICAM-1, and up-regulation of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 mRNA. Hence, topical hemin application (i) helps in early and fast wound contraction (ii) enhances the hydroxyproline and glucosamine content of wounds and (iii) modulates pro-healing mRNA expression of cytokines.Hemin ima potencijalnu terapijsku vrijednost u liječenju rana u dijabetičara. On potiče hem-oksigenazu-1, enzim koji razgrađuje hem i sudjeluje u staničnoj zaštiti od oksidacijskog stresa, upale i apoptoze. U ovom je istraživanju hemin (0,5 %) primijenjen lokalno na ekscizijske rane te je procijenjen njegov terapijski učinak na cijeljenje rana u dijabetičnih štakora. Lokalna aplikacija hemina znakovito je povećala postotak zatvaranja rana 2. dan u dijabetičnih štakora, što je učinio i povidon-jod 7. dan u kontrolnoj skupini. Znakovit porast sadržaja hidroksiprolina i glukozamina pronađen je 14. dan u dijabetičnih štakora čije su rane tretirane heminom, za razliku od kontrolne skupine. Histologija je u štakora tretiranih heminom bila u skladu sa staničnom proliferacijom i sintezom kolagena u granulacijskom tkivu. Hemin je znakovito povisio citokin IL-10 i smanjio TNF-α u granulacijskom tkivu dijabetičnih štakora sa zacijeljenim ranama. Taj nalaz odgovara ljekovitom učinku hemina što je podržano inhibicijom ekspresije mRNA proupalnog citokina TNF-α i adhezijom molekule ICAM-1 te regulacijom protuupalnog cittokina IL-10 mRNA. Dakle, lokalna primjena hemina pomaže (i) u ranoj i brzoj kontrakciji rana (ii), poboljšava sadržaj hidroksiprolina i glukozamina u ranama i (iii) prilagođuje mRNA ekspresiju citokina u smjeru cijeljenja rane

Disparities in risks of malaria associated with climatic variability among women, children and elderly in the Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh

Malaria occurrence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh varies by season and year, but this pattern is not well characterized. The role of environmental conditions on the occurrence of this vector-borne parasitic disease in the region is not fully understood. We extracted information on malaria patients recorded in the Upazila (sub-district) Health Complex patient registers of Rajasthali in Rangamati district of Bangladesh from February 2000 to November 2009. Weather data for the study area and period were obtained from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Non-linear and delayed effects of meteorological drivers, including temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall on the incidence of malaria, were investigated. We observed significant positive association between temperature and rainfall and malaria occurrence, revealing two peaks at 19 °C (logarithms of relative risks (logRR) = 4.3, 95% CI: 1.1–7.5) and 24.5 °C (logRR = 4.7, 95% CI: 1.8–7.6) for temperature and at 86 mm (logRR = 19.5, 95% CI: 11.7–27.3) and 284 mm (logRR = 17.6, 95% CI: 9.9–25.2) for rainfall. In sub-group analysis, women were at a much higher risk of developing malaria at increased temperatures. People over 50 years and children under 15 years were more susceptible to malaria at increased rainfall. The observed associations have policy implications. Further research is needed to expand these findings and direct resources to the vulnerable populations for malaria prevention and control in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and the region with similar setting

Impact of Energy Efficiency on CO2 Emissions: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries

Attaining higher level of the energy efficiency is being considered as a preferred and cost-effective policy option to achieve economic propensity, environmental sustainability and improved energy security in recent years. This drive to achieve higher energy efficiency levels is mainly motivated by higher international oil prices during last two decades, the concerns regarding energy supply security and rising CO2 emissions globally. In this background, this study decomposes energy intensity into structural and activity effects, and empirically examines their impact on CO2 emissions in environmental Kuznets curve framework for the developing economies. Second generation methodological approach is adopted. The decomposed indices reflect that energy efficiency has played a key role in decreasing energy intensity, while structural shifts have caused only a minor reduction in energy intensity. The findings suggest that energy efficiency improvements have largest influence on CO2 emissions mitigation. In developing countries as a whole, energy efficiency has positive while structural shifts have negative relation with CO2 emissions in long run. The findings presented that energy efficiency is major contributor of CO2 emissions reduction. While structural shifts in developing countries tend to increase CO2 emissions because these countries are moving towards the sectors that are producing more pollution. However, the income is one of the major contributors of CO2 emissions. While renewable energy consumption has negative and industrialization has positive impact on CO2 emissions in developing countries. The study outcomes are utilized to develop a policy framework for attaining the SDG 7 and SDG 13 in the chosen countries

Role of underappreciated vectors in malaria transmission in an endemic region of Bangladesh-India border

Background Despite the efforts of the National Malaria Control Programme, malaria remains as an important public health problem in Bangladesh, particularly in the south-eastern region bordering India. Successful malaria control strategies rely on a detailed understanding of the underlying causes of malaria transmission. Here, an entomological survey was conducted in a malaria endemic area of Bangladesh bordering India to investigate the Anopheles mosquito community and assess their Plasmodium infection status. Methods Monthly entomological collections were undertaken from October 2010 to September 2011 in five villages in the Matiranga sub-district, Khagrachari district in Bangladesh, bordering the Indian State of Tripura. CDC miniature light traps were placed inside houses to collect adult Anopheles mosquitoes. Following morphological and molecular identification of the female Anopheles mosquitoes collected, they were screened for circumsporozoite proteins (CSP) of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), Plasmodium vivax-210 (Pv-210) and Plasmodium vivax-247 (Pv-247), by ELISA to determine natural infection rates. Variation in Anopheles species composition, relative abundance and Plasmodium infection rates were analysed between sampled villages. Results A total of 2,027 female Anopheles were collected, belonging to 20 species. Anopheles nivipes was the most abundant species in our test villages during the peak malaria transmission season, and was observed sympatrically with An. philippinensis in the studied area. However, in the dry off-peak season, An. jeyporiensis was the most abundant species. Shannon’s diversity index was highest in October (2.12) and evenness was highest in May (0.91). The CSP ELISA positive rate overall was 0.44%. Anopheles karwari (n = 2), An. barbirostris s.l. (n = 1) and An. vagus (n = 1) were recorded positive for Pf. Anopheles kochi (n = 1) was positive for Pv-210 while An. umbrosus (n = 1), An. nivipes (n = 1) and An. kochi (n = 1) were positive for Pv-247. A mixed infection of Pf and Pv-247 was detected in An. barbirostris s.l.. Conclusion High diversity of Anopheles species was observed in areas close to the international border where species that were underestimated for malaria transmission significantly outnumbered principal vector species and these may play a significantly heightened role in malaria transmission

A Novel System for the Efficient Generation of Antibodies Following Immunization of Unique Knockout Mouse Strains

International audienceBACKGROUND: We wished to develop alternate production strategies to generate antibodies against traditionally problematic antigens. As a model we chose butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), involved in termination of cholinergic signaling, and widely considered as a poor immunogen. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Jettisoning traditional laborious in silico searching methods to define putative epitopes, we simply immunized available BChE knock-out mice with full-length recombinant BChE protein (having been produced for crystallographic analysis). Immunization with BChE, in practically any form (recombinant human or mouse BChE, BChE purified from human serum, native or denatured), resulted in strong immune responses. Native BChE produced antibodies that favored ELISA and immunostaining detection. Denatured and reduced BChE were more selective for antibodies specific in Western blots. Two especially sensitive monoclonal antibodies were found capable of detecting 0.25 ng of BChE within one min by ELISA. One is specific for human BChE; the other cross-reacts with mouse and rat BChE. Immunization of wild-type mice served as negative controls. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We examined a simple, fast, and highly efficient strategy to produce antibodies by mining two expanding databases: namely those of knock-out mice and 3D crystallographic protein-structure analysis. We conclude that the immunization of knock-out mice should be a strategy of choice for antibody production

Malaria Prevalence in Endemic Districts of Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Following the 1971 ban of DDT in Bangladesh, malaria cases have increased steadily. Malaria persists as a major health problem in the thirteen south-eastern and north-eastern districts of Bangladesh. At present the national malaria control program, largely supported by the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), provides interventions including advocacy at community level, Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) distribution, introduction of Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) and combination therapy with Coartem. It is imperative, therefore, that baseline data on malaria prevalence and other malaria indicators are collected to assess the effectiveness of the interventions and rationalize the prevention and control efforts. The objective of this study was to obtain this baseline on the prevalence of malaria and bed net use in the thirteen malaria endemic districts of Bangladesh. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In 2007, BRAC and ICDDR,B carried out a malaria prevalence survey in thirteen malaria endemic districts of Bangladesh. A multi-stage cluster sampling technique was used and 9750 blood samples were collected. Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) were used for the diagnosis of malaria. The weighted average malaria prevalence in the thirteen endemic districts was 3.97%. In five south-eastern districts weighted average malaria prevalence rate was 6.00% and in the eight north-eastern districts weighted average malaria prevalence rate was (0.40%). The highest malaria prevalence was observed in Khagrachari district. The majority of the cases (90.18%) were P. falciparum infections. Malaria morbidity rates in five south-eastern districts was 2.94%. In eight north-eastern districts, morbidity was 0.07%. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Bangladesh has hypoendemic malaria with P. falciparum the dominant parasite species. The malaria situation in the five north-eastern districts of Bangladesh in particular warrants urgent attention. Detailed maps of the baseline malaria prevalence and summaries of the data collected are provided along with the survey results in full, in a supplemental information

Independent and Opposing Roles For Btk and Lyn in B and Myeloid Signaling Pathways

Transphosphorylation by Src family kinases is required for the activation of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk). Differences in the phenotypes of Btk−/− and lyn−/− mice suggest that these kinases may also have independent or opposing functions. B cell development and function were examined in Btk−/−lyn−/− mice to better understand the functional interaction of Btk and Lyn in vivo. The antigen-independent phase of B lymphopoiesis was normal in Btk−/−lyn−/− mice. However, Btk−/−lyn−/− animals had a more severe immunodeficiency than Btk−/− mice. B cell numbers and response to T cell–dependent antigens were reduced. Btk and Lyn therefore play independent or partially redundant roles in the maintenance and function of peripheral B cells. Autoimmunity, hypersensitivity to B cell receptor (BCR) cross-linking, and splenomegaly caused by myeloerythroid hyperplasia were alleviated by Btk deficiency in lyn−/− mice. A transgene expressing Btk at ∼25% of endogenous levels (Btklo) was crossed onto Btk−/− and Btk−/−lyn−/− backgrounds to demonstrate that Btk is limiting for BCR signaling in the presence but not in the absence of Lyn. These observations indicate that the net outcome of Lyn function in vivo is to inhibit Btk-dependent pathways in B and myeloid cells, and that Btklo mice are a useful sensitized system to identify regulatory components of Btk signaling pathways