Identification, Molecular Detection and Antibiogram Profile of Bacteria Isolated from California Mastitis Test Positive Milk Samples of Crossbred Cows of Satkhira District in Bangladesh

Present study was conducted for the isolation, identification, molecular detection and antibiotic sensitivity patterns of the bacteria present in the California Mastitis Test (CMT) positive milk samples of clinical and sub-clinical mastitic crossbred (Friesian cross and Sahiwal cross) cows of Satkhira district. A total number of 598 quarters milk samples from 150 cows were tested by CMT kit, among them 82 quarters from 52 cows were positive for CMT. The bacteria isolated from 52 CMT positive milk samples were coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus 27 (49.09%) followed by Escherichia coli 15 (27.27%), coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CNS) spp. 10 (18.18%) and Bacillus spp. 3 (5.45%) respectively. In this present study only 13 (48.15%) positive Staphylococcus aureus were positive against nuc gene by PCR. All the isolates of E.coli were further confirmed by PCR with species specific 16srRNA PCR. None of the isolates of E.coli revealed positivity in PCR by stx1 and stx2 genes. All the coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus isolates were found sensitive to 6 antibiotics and resistant to 5 antibiotics. The Coagulase negative Staphylococcus spp. was also sensitive to 7 antibiotics and acquired resistant properties against 3 antibiotics. Most E.coli isolates were found resistant against 9 antibiotics already possessed multidrug resistant properties and sensitive to only 3 antibiotics. Bacillus spp. isolated from milk samples was highly sensitive against 5 antibiotics compare to other antibiotics of the panel. Antibiogram profile of this study revealed that, all the isolated bacteria were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin only

Analgesic and neuropharmacological effects of Xanthium indicum leaves

The present study investigated analgesic and some neuropharmacological effects of hydromethanolic extract of the leaves of Xanthium indicum Koenig in mice models. The analgesic activity was evaluated using hot plate ant tail immersion methods, and acetic acid-induced writhing test. The neuropharmacological effects were determined using hole-cross, open field, and thiopental-induced sleeping time tests. The extract, at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, produced a dose dependent and significant (p < 0.05-0.001) increase in pain threshold in hotplate test. However, in tail immersion method, the extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg dose levels displayed a significant (p < 0.05-0.001) increase in tail withdrawal reflex in a dose dependent manner. In either case, maximum analgesia was observed at 90 min after administration of test drugs and the standard drug Nalbuphine. In acetic acid-induced writhing test, the extract at all doses produced a significant (p <0.001) decrease in the number of writhes exhibited by the mice following intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid; the result was dose dependent and comparable to the reference drug Diclofenac-Na. Moreover, The extract displayed dose dependent suppression of locomotor activity as well as exploratory behavior in hole-cross and open field tests, and exerted sedative action through prolongation of thiopental-induced sleeping time. The results of the study supports that the Xanthium indicum leaves possesses analgesic and some neuropharmacological effects which might be linked to inhibition of both central and peripheral mechanisms of pain and justifies its use in folk medicine for the management of pain and inflammation.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Depression among the Non-Native International Undergraduate Students Studying Dentistry in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh has been attracting international students with interests in various subjects recently. Every year students from different parts of the world come to study undergraduate and postgraduate courses, mostly at private universities in Bangladesh. This study evaluates the depression status among international students who are studying dentistry in Bangladesh. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among International undergraduate dental students who enrolled in the Bachelor of Dental Surgery program in nine public and private dental colleges in Bangladesh. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. A total of 206 students completed the survey where 78.5% of them were female students and 21.5% students were male, and a CES-D 10-item Likert scale questionnaire was used for data collection. The Cronbach alpha for the 10-item CES-D scale for this population is 0.812. RESULTS: The majority of the students (79.5%) are below 24 years of age with a mean age of 23.22 years and standard deviation of 2.3, and are students who cannot communicate well in Bengali (Bangla), about 60% of them have experienced depression. About 77.3% (p < 0.00) of the international students having financial difficulties exhibited depression. The international students who went through financial problems were two times more likely to suffer from depression (OR = 2.38; p-value < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study tried to highlight the struggles faced by international students in Bangladesh studying dentistry. It is evident from the findings that several factors influence students' mental well-being during demanding dental education years

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from Cymbopogon citratus leaf extract and evaluation of their antimicrobial properties

Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are toxic to microorganisms and can potentially kill multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nanoparticles can be synthesized in many ways, such as physical or chemical methods. Recently, it has been found that plant molecules can perform the same reduction reactions necessary for the production of nanoparticles but in a much more efficient way. Results: Here, green chemistry was employed to synthesize AgNPs using leaf extracts of Cymbopogon citratus. The effects of different parameters such as temperature, pH, and the volume of plant extract were also tested using their absorbance pattern at different wavelengths. The Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) changed with the changes in parameters. Changes in temperature from 20 °C to 60 °C have changed the highest absorbance from 0.972 to 3.893 with an SPR of 470 nm. At higher pH (11.1), the particles become highly unstable and have irregular shapes and sizes. The peak shifts to the right at a lower pH level (3.97), indicating a smaller but unstable compound. We have also investigated the effect of the volume of plant extracts on the reaction time. The sample with the highest amount of plant extract showed the most absorbance with a value of 0.963 at λmax, calculated to be 470 nm. The total formation of the AgNPs was observed visually with a color change from yellow to brownish-black. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to monitor the quantitative formation of AgNPs, showing a signature peak in absorbance between 400 and 500 nm. We have estimated the size of the nanoparticles as 47 nm by comparing the experimental data with the theoretical value using Mieplot. The biosynthesized AgNPs showed enhanced antibacterial activity against several multidrug-resistant bacteria, determined based on the minimal inhibitory concentration and zone of inhibition. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that an aqueous extract of C. citratus can synthesize AgNPs when silver nitrate is used as a precursor, and AgNPs act as antimicrobial property enhancers, which can be used to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Hence, mass production and green synthesis of AgNPs from C. citratus will be able to increase the overall health of the general population. Moreover, it will enormously reduce the costs for drug development and provide employment options in the remotely located source areas. Finally, our findings will influence further studies in this field to better understand the properties and applications of AgNPs and ultimately contribute to improving planetary health by increasing immunity with high biocompatibility and less drug toxicity

Nexus Between Financial System and Economic Growth: Evidence from Bangladesh

Financial system and economic growth/development is a critical and multifaceted topic that holds significant importance in the context of a country's economic landscape. Over the 21st century, the relationship between economic growth/development and financial system has been the subject of increasing attention. The objective of this study is to assessing the role of Financial Institutions i.e., Islami bank and Conventional bank with real GDP growth and also to analyzing Financial Inclusion. We used the time series data of banks from the period 2018 to 2022.We also used secondary data for this paper. Our analysis found that Islami Banks shows higher contribution over the economic development then the Conventional Banks in Bangladesh. But there are more to go. Our recommendation is that making financial system more accessible through adopting new technologies can accelerate economic growth/development in Bangladesh

An Empirical Study on the Teacher Leadership at the Secondary Level Education in Bangladesh

The study investigated the circumstances of teacher leadership concerning the policies, practices and challenges in secondary educational institutions in Bangladesh. Teachers are the per se leaders in society. A teacher being a leader, should possess a vision, a philosophical and superior lifestyle of an ideal leader. Students get attracted to their personalities and classroom teaching. As leaders, they share the leadership vision of the principal being practiced. Without principal leadership, teachers cannot contribute to educational development. Four secondary-level institutions were considered to collect the relevant data through informal meetings, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Two institutions were selected from the capital city Dhaka and the other two from the commercial town Chattogram. Twelve teachers and four principals were selected randomly. Findings show that teachers in secondary educational institutions lack the leadership qualities. Some of them are involved in coaching and private tuition primarily. Moreover, a rock-hard top-down educational administration has been prevailing in Bangladeshi educational administration, making the principal and teacher leadership nonchalant

Chowdhury et al., 2009 Stamford Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Infrared spectroscopic characterization, free radical scavenging and cytotoxic evaluation of chitosan extracted from Penaeus monodon shell

Antioxidant, antidiarrhoeal and cytotoxic properties of Punica granatum Linn

The present study was designed to investigate antioxidant, antidiarrhoeal and cytotoxic potential of hydromethanolic extract of the fruit rind of Punica granatum Linn. A dose dependent scavenging of DPPH radical and NO was observed with significant total antioxidant capacity with the plant extract in 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, total antioxidant capacity and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging assays. The extract was also studied for antidiarrhoeal property using castor oil and MgSO4 -induced diarrhoeal model, and charcoal induced gastrointestinal motility test in mice. At the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, the extract reduced the frequency and severity of diarrhoea in test animals throughout the study period. At the same doses, the extracts significantly (p 50 value of 10 μg/ml in brine shrimp lethality bioassay.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Experience of Bangladeshi Dental Students towards Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, dental education institutions throughout the world experienced significant challenges, including a quick shift to an online learning paradigm. Since the pandemic has had a considerable impact on dental education, this research evaluated the perspectives and attitudes towards online learning among undergraduate dental students in Bangladesh. METHODS: The research was conducted through a cross-sectional method using self-administered online questionnaires. The questionnaire included information on the students' sociodemographic status, their views, and their attitudes about the changes in the educational system, specifically regarding online learning. The study gathered data from 952 undergraduate students from 14 dental institutions in Bangladesh. RESULTS: The results suggested that 87.5% of all the students were unsatisfied with their online programs. Most of the respondents who expressed dissatisfaction with their online classes were female, did not receive assistance in overcoming barriers to accessing the classes or materials (64.23%), did not have access to the institutional online-learning management system (OLMS) (67.35%), and did not have access to the online course materials (71.43%). The students considered that the shift to online learning failed to provide quality clinical teaching. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of an OLMS was found to be linked with dissatisfaction with online learning among Bangladeshi dental students during the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, insufficient time allocation and a lack of support through online training were found to be strongly correlated with the students' discontent. The overall findings highlight the need to develop and implement effective online dentistry educational interventions to promote academic advancement and key practical skills

Regulating the proinflammatory response to composite biomaterials by targeting immunometabolism

Composite biomaterials comprising polylactide (PLA) and hydroxyapatite (HA) are applied in bone, cartilage and dental regenerative medicine, where HA confers osteoconductive properties. However, after surgical implantation, adverse immune responses to these composites can occur, which have been attributed to size and morphology of HA particles. Approaches to effectively modulate these adverse immune responses have not been described. PLA degradation products have been shown to alter immune cell metabolism (immunometabolism), which drives the inflammatory response. Accordingly, to modulate the inflammatory response to composite biomaterials, inhibitors were incorporated into composites comprised of amorphous PLA (aPLA) and HA (aPLA + HA) to regulate glycolytic flux. Inhibition at specific steps in glycolysis reduced proinflammatory (CD86+CD206-) and increased pro-regenerative (CD206+) immune cell populations around implanted aPLA + HA. Notably, neutrophil and dendritic cell (DC) numbers along with proinflammatory monocyte and macrophage populations were decreased, and Arginase 1 expression among DCs was increased. Targeting immunometabolism to control the proinflammatory response to biomaterial composites, thereby creating a pro-regenerative microenvironment, is a significant advance in tissue engineering where immunomodulation enhances osseointegration and angiogenesis, which could lead to improved bone regeneration