Real-time PCR assay and rapid diagnostic tests for the diagnosis of clinically suspected malaria patients in Bangladesh

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>More than 95% of total malaria cases in Bangladesh are reported from the 13 high endemic districts. <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>and <it>Plasmodium vivax </it>are the two most abundant malaria parasites in the country. To improve the detection and management of malaria patients, the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) has been using rapid diagnostic test (RDT) in the endemic areas. A study was conducted to establish a SYBR Green-based modified real-time PCR assay as a gold standard to evaluate the performance of four commercially-available malaria RDTs, along with the classical gold standard- microscopy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples were collected from 338 febrile patients referred for the diagnosis of malaria by the attending physician at Matiranga</p> <p>Upazila Health Complex (UHC) from May 2009 to August 2010. Paracheck RDT and microscopy were performed at the UHC. The blood samples were preserved in EDTA tubes. A SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay was performed and evaluated. The performances of the remaining three RDTs (Falcivax, Onsite Pf and Onsite Pf/Pv) were also evaluated against microscopy and real-time PCR using the stored blood samples.</p> <p>Result</p> <p>In total, 338 febrile patients were enrolled in the study. Malaria parasites were detected in 189 (55.9%) and 188 (55.6%) patients by microscopy and real-time PCR respectively. Among the RDTs, the highest sensitivity for the detection of <it>P. falciparum </it>(including mixed infection) was obtained by Paracheck [98.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 95.8-99.9] and Falcivax (97.6%, 95% CI 94.1-99.4) compared to microscopy and real-time PCR respectively. Paracheck and Onsite Pf/Pv gave the highest specificity (98.8%, 95% CI 95.7-99.9) compared to microscopy and Onsite Pf/Pv (98.8, 95% CI 95.8-99.9) compared to real-time PCR respectively for the detection of <it>P. falciparum</it>. On the other hand Falcivax and Onsite Pf/Pv had equal sensitivity (90.5%, 95% CI 69.6-98.8) and almost 100% specificity compared to microscopy for the detection of <it>P. vivax</it>. However, compared to real-time PCR assay RDTs and microscopy gave low sensitivity (76.9%, 95% CI 56.4-91) in detecting of <it>P. vivax </it>although a very high specificity was obtained (99- 100%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of this study suggest that the SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay could be used as an alternative gold standard method in a reference setting. Commercially-available RDTs used in the study are quite sensitive and specific in detecting <it>P. falciparum</it>, although their sensitivity in detecting <it>P. vivax </it>was not satisfactory compared to the real-time PCR assay.</p

Deployment Strategies for a Reengineered Information System in Context of Legacy System

Abstract: The Replacement of a legacy system with newly reengineered Information System has always been a challenging task. The end-users and the integrated software environment of legacy system make things harder for the deployment team. The legacy data migration challenge complicates the very important deployment phase. In this paper however, we have discussed and analyzed three different strategies to deploy a newly reengineered Information System and replace the legacy system in a homogeneous environment. This paper mainly addresses the issues concerning minimum disturbance to the legacy environment and smooth deployment of the new Information System. It is pertinent to mention that the issues regarding the development of reengineered information system or the legacy data migration have not been discussed here. At the end we have provided a detailed analysis and finally recommended the most optimal strategy among all. The rationale behind the suggested solutions is an extensive study conducted at our research and development Lab

A Multilingual Handwriting Learning System for Visually Impaired People

Visually impaired people have previously been brought into learning and educational systems through various forms of assistive technology, such as haptic feedback systems. Haptic systems generally need expensive equipment and support from sighted teachers. Moreover, the learning has always been carried out with letters of different alphabets mapped into some tactile pattern. Writing is a big concern for the visually impaired as most official work, like signing, is still carried out by conventional handwriting methods. Most of the existing systems are limited to teaching a single language&#x2019;s alphabet and basic grammar or may not provide feedback to let the learners know of their learning progress. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to develop an efficient system that includes voice-over guidance to teach writing in multiple alphabets to visually impaired people and to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. As such, a system was developed for teaching multilingual alphabets to visually impaired people with voice instructions. With the aid of a voice-over guide, learners were able to write letters with a stylus on a graphics pad. The progress assessment of the learners is carried out by an image processing algorithm and scored by a machine learning (ML) model. The Random Forest model was used due to its high accuracy (f1-score of 99.8&#x0025; on test data) among the existing ten different ML algorithms. Finally, the performance and usability of this system were evaluated through an empirical study replicated with 16 participants, including four teachers and twelve visually impaired people. It was found that visually impaired people made fewer attempts to learn handwriting with the proposed system than with the normal handwriting teaching system. 100&#x0025; of the participants agreed to recommend the system in the future

Aquatic Microplastic Pollution Control Strategies: Sustainable Degradation Techniques, Resource Recovery, and Recommendations for Bangladesh

Microplastics’ dangers and the absence of effective regulation technologies have risen to prominence as a worldwide issue in recent years. South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, are among the most threatened nations to face the drastic consequence of releasing microplastics into the aquatic environment. The research on managing and degrading microplastics is ongoing, however, sustainable techniques have not yet been found. To create a green and efficient microplastic management plan, we have compiled all the information on the existing removal and degradation techniques for microplastics and provided an overview of all the noteworthy methods that can be implemented in Bangladesh. In the portrayed biotic and abiotic techniques, coagulation and photocatalysis were found to be most efficient in removing microplastics (as high as 99%) in different studies. The concept of microplastic is new to the researchers of Bangladesh, therefore, the characteristics, occurrence, fate, and threats are briefly discussed in this paper. Sampling, extraction, and identification methods of microplastic in freshwater and sediment samples are also thoroughly specified. The sources of microplastic pollution in Bangladesh and possible strategies that can be implemented to minimize additional microplastic discharge into aquatic environments are discussed. Although Bangladesh was the very first country to ban polythene, the failure of the implementation of rules and regulations and a lack of management strategy made Bangladesh the 10th worst country in managing plastic waste. This work is a wake-up call for other researchers to conduct an in-depth investigation to improve microplastic degrading technologies and develop a sustainable strategy to end microplastic pollution in Bangladesh

Success of transgenic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.): Fiction or reality?

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) being one of the top most cash crop is reckoned as main pillar of textile industry. Cotton cultivation has experienced an outstanding escalation story over the years. The per unit yield and area under cultivation have all incremented to record towering levels. But question is how Bt cotton has contributed and whether it is satisfactory or not. At present for finding a conclusion, we need unfathomable analyses and investigations related to multiple aspects of global cotton cultivation. Genetic engineering is considered as an imperative tool in cotton breeding with a role in empowerment of traditional strategies for improvement in net yield and related factors. Among multitude of reasons for massive shifting to Bt cotton cultivation in the world include inadequate germplasm, climatic conditions, irrigated area, usage of fertilizers and pesticides. We should consider Bt cotton a miracle solution .Therefore, it is probable that Bt cotton along with newly developed strategies, improved irrigation systems and superior chemical application may enhance the production quality and quantity as well. Our review brings into light the success of cotton genetic engineering over the last two decades and probable future prospects

A high-throughput test enables specific detection of hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract High-throughput tests for early cancer detection can revolutionize public health and reduce cancer morbidity and mortality. Here we show a DNA methylation signature for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection in liquid biopsies, distinct from normal tissues and blood profiles. We developed a classifier using four CpG sites, validated in TCGA HCC data. A single F12 gene CpG site effectively differentiates HCC samples from other blood samples, normal tissues, and non-HCC tumors in TCGA and GEO data repositories. The markers were validated in a separate plasma sample dataset from HCC patients and controls. We designed a high-throughput assay using next-generation sequencing and multiplexing techniques, analyzing plasma samples from 554 clinical study participants, including HCC patients, non-HCC cancers, chronic hepatitis B, and healthy controls. HCC detection sensitivity was 84.5% at 95% specificity and 0.94 AUC. Implementing this assay for high-risk individuals could significantly decrease HCC morbidity and mortality

Decreased but diverse activity of cortical and thalamic neurons in consciousness-impairing rodent absence seizures

Absence seizures impair consciousness by an unknown neuronal mechanism. Here, the authors find that a rat absence seizure model’s behavior and hemodynamics recapitulate previously reported characteristics of human absence seizures, and uncover four distinct patterns of neuronal activity in cortex and thalamus during consciousness-impairing seizures