Neuronal NADPH oxidase is required for neurite regeneration of Aplysia bag cell neurons.

NADPH oxidase (Nox), a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is involved in neurodegeneration after injury and disease. Nox is expressed in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells and contributes to an elevated ROS level after injury. Contrary to the well-known damaging effect of Nox-derived ROS in neurodegeneration, recently a physiological role of Nox in nervous system development including neurogenesis, neuronal polarity, and axonal growth has been revealed. Here, we tested a role for neuronal Nox in neurite regeneration following mechanical transection in cultured Aplysia bag cell neurons. Using a novel hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 )-sensing dye, 5'-(p-borophenyl)-2'-pyridylthiazole pinacol ester (BPPT), we found that H2 O2 levels are elevated in regenerating growth cones following injury. Redistribution of Nox2 and p40phox in the growth cone central domain suggests Nox2 activation after injury. Inhibiting Nox with the pan-Nox inhibitor celastrol reduced neurite regeneration rate. Pharmacological inhibition of Nox is correlated with reduced activation of Src2 tyrosine kinase and F-actin content in the growth cone. Taken together, these findings suggest that Nox-derived ROS regulate neurite regeneration following injury through Src2-mediated regulation of actin organization in Aplysia growth cones.

Surface water quality for irrigation and industrial purposes: a comparison between the south and north sides of the Wei River Plain (northwest China).

Surface water is extensively used for irrigation and industrial purposes in the Wei River Plain. However, the surface water shows different characteristics in the southern and northern zones of the Wei River Plain. This study aims to investigate the differences in surface water quality between the southern and northern zones of the Wei River Plain and their influencing factors. To ascertain the hydrochemistry and its governing factors, graphical methods, ion plots, and multivariate statistical analyses were employed. The quality of the irrigation water was assessed using various irrigation water quality indices. In addition, water foaming, corrosion, scaling, and incrustation risks were determined to evaluate water quality for industrial uses. The spatial distribution of water quality was done using GIS models. This research revealed that the concentrations of EC, TH, TDS, HCO3-, Na+, Mg2+, SO42- and Cl- on the north side of the plain were twice as high as those on the south side. On both sides of the Wei River Plain, water‒rock interactions, ion exchange, and considerable evaporation were observed. Gypsum, halite, calcite, and dolomite all dissolve to produce significant anions and cations in the water, according to ion correlation analysis. However, additional sources of contaminants led to higher concentrations in the surface water on the north side than on the south side. Surface water in the south of the Wei River Plain has superior quality to that in the north, according to the overall findings of irrigation water and industrial water quality assessments. The findings of this study will boost better water resource management policies for the plain.

Variation and multi-time series prediction of total hardness in groundwater of the Guanzhong Plain (China) using grey Markov model.

Total hardness (TH) is an important index representing the water suitability for domestic purpose. TH is represented mainly by Ca2+ and Mg2+ which are essential elements for human bone development. Between 2000 and 2015, the TH values of groundwater in major cities of the Guanzhong Plain varied significantly. The study was carried out to investigate TH variation over 16 years and to examine how effective the grey Markov model was in predicting TH concentrations in time series datasets. The hydrochemical parameters determining TH concentration and their origins were investigated using statistical analysis and geochemical models. The grey Markov model, which is effective in short time series prediction, was used to forecast the multi-time series of TH. The findings demonstrated a prevalence of HCO3- and SO42- in the groundwater types combined with calcite precipitation, gypsum, and dolomite dissolution that increased the concentration of Ca2+, Mg2+, and HCO3-, influencing TH variation. The predicted TH values of the eight monitoring wells for the year 2016 were 1213.66, 124.30, 203.66, 103.01, 349.56, 251.23, 453.31, and 471.81 mg/L, respectively. Datasets with low TH variation were more accurately predicted than datasets with high TH variation. This was especially observed on sample B557 where TH concentration in 2010 was 400.33 mg/L and suddenly dropped to 90.1, 82.6, 85.1, 87.6, and 75.1 mg/L in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. The study also shows that the Markov chain model can optimize the GM(1,1) model and improve the prediction accuracy significantly. All samples in Weinan City and one sample in Xi'an City showed a significant decrease in TH concentration. Except one sample in Xi'an City, TH concentrations tended to rise in the other cities (Baoji, Xianyang) of the Guanzhong Plain. This study verified the reliability of the grey Markov model in terms of forecasting time series datasets with high variability, and the results can be referential to similar studies in the world.

Early Postoperative Parathyroid Hormone Level as a Predictor of Hypocalcaemia after Total Thyroidectomy.

Postoperative transient hypocalcaemia is a common squeal after total thyroidectomy usually due to parathyroid insufficiency. Objective of this study is to find out the optimum cut-off value of parathyroid hormone (PTH) level in early postoperative period as a best predictor for hypocalcaemia. This prospective observational study was carried out from July 2013 to July 2014 in the Department of Surgery Sir Salimullah Medical College & Mitford Hospital (SSMC&MH), in collaboration with department of Otolaryngology SSMC&MH, department of Otolaryngology Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and department of Otolaryngology Dhaka Medical College & Hospital (DMC&H), Dhaka. Total 92 patients were selected those came for total thyroidectomy. PTH was measured at different percentile 6 hours after surgery to find out optimum cut-off point. In 47.5th percentile at 8.02 cut-off point of PTH found with good combination of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, accuracy and it was 83.33%, 91.66%, 90.90%, 84.62% and 91.30% respectively. We found PTH level as a predictor of hypocalcaemia and PTH 8.02pg/ml was the optimum cut-off point to predict hypocalcaemia within 6 hours after total thyroidectomy.

Replication Capacity of Avian Influenza A(H9N2) Virus in Pet Birds and Mammals, Bangladesh.

Avian influenza A(H9N2) is an agricultural and public health threat. We characterized an H9N2 virus from a pet market in Bangladesh and demonstrated replication in samples from pet birds, swine tissues, human airway and ocular cells, and ferrets. Results implicated pet birds in the potential dissemination and zoonotic transmission of this virus.

Identification of target genes for a prolactin family paralog in mouse decidua.

Prolactin family 8, subfamily a, member 2 (PRL8A2; also called decidual prolactin-related protein; dPRP) is a member of the expanded prolactin family. PRL8A2 is expressed in the uterine decidua and contributes to pregnancy-dependent adaptations to hypoxia. The purpose of this study was to identify gene targets for PRL8A2 action within the uteroplacental compartment. Affymetrix DNA microarray analysis was performed for RNA samples from WT and Prl8a2 null tissues. Validation of the DNA microarray was performed using quantitative RT-PCR. Nine genes were confirmed with decreased expression in Prl8a2 null tissues (e.g., Klk7, Rimklb, Arhgef6, Calm4, Sprr2h, Prl4a1, Ccl27, Lipg, and Htra3). These include potential decidual, endothelial and trophoblast cell targets positively regulated by PRL8A2. A significant upregulation of Derl3, Herpud1, Creld2, Hsp90b1, Ddit3 and Hspa5 was identified in Prl8a2 null tissues, reflecting an increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. ER stress genes were prominently expressed in the uterine decidua. We propose that PRL8A2 is a mediator of progesterone-dependent modulation of intrauterine responses to physiological stressors.

Role of USG-guided fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of abdominal mass.

The present study was carried out with the aims to diagnose abdominal masses by FNAC with the help of ultrasonography guidance and to determine the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC. One hundred consecutive patients were studied during the period from January 2005 to December 2005. Histopathological examination was done to correlate with the cytologic diagnosis. The results of comparative study of USG-guided FNAC and histopathology were significant (P value was <0.001). In USG-guided FNAC, it was found that 64 were malignant tumors, 5 were benign tumors, 28 were inflammatory and 3 were inadequate material. Histopathology of 3 inadequate materials showed 1 was adenoma and 2 were leiomyoma. As a whole test results of USG-guided FNAC were sensitivity 95.52%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100%, negative predictive value 91.67% and accuracy 97%. USG-guided FNAC has been proved to be a rapid, reliable and cost-effective diagnostic method.

Flow-injection chemiluminescence determination of acetylsalicylic acid based on its enhancing effect on the lucigenin­hydrogen peroxide system.

A sensitive flow-injection chemiluminescence method for the determination of acetylsalicylic acid is described. It is based on the enhanced chemiluminescent emission of the alkaline lucigenin­H2O2 system by acetylsalicylic acid. The difference in chemiluminescent intensity of alkaline lucigenin­H2O2 in the presence of acetylsalicylic acid from that in the absence of acetylsalicylic acid was linear at acetylsalicylic acid concentrations in the range of 0.0029­47.37 µg/mL, with detection and quantification limits of 0.0011 and 0.0029 µg/mL, respectively. The correlation coefficient of the working curve was 0.9983. The relative standard deviation (n = 10) for 25 µg/mL acetylsalicylic acid is 1.95%. All experimental parameters were optimized. The method was successfully applied to the determination of acetylsalicylic acid in pharmaceutical preparations. The recovery results obtained by the method were satisfactory.

Use of local anesthesia in transrectal ultrasound guided prostatic biopsy.

Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy of the prostate is the gold standard for detecting prostate cancer. Intraprostatic administration of local anesthesia significantly decreases pain during prostatic biopsy. Transrectal ultrasound guided intraprostatic lidocaine administration along with intrarectally lidocaine gel is a new local anesthesia technique for prostatic biopsy. It was a randomized prospective, comparative, interventional type of the study. A total of 60 patients of age over 55 years included in the study among them 30 patients with transrectal lidocaine gel was in Group I and 30 patients with intraprostatic lidocaine injection with intra rectal gel were in Group II. The mean age was almost identically distributed between the two groups (p=0.668). About 47% of patients in Group I exhibited hard prostate on digital rectal examination (DRE), 33.3% single nodule and 20% multinodule compared to 33.3% of patients in Group II had hard prostate, 26.7% single nodule and 40% multinodule (p=0.236). The mean serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) was significantly higher in Group II than that in Group I (36.7±9.2 vs. 7.5±5.8ng/ml; p=0.007). The mean pain intensity during biopsy was almost two times higher in Group I than in Group II (p<0.001). The present study concludes that the intraprostatic lidocaine injection along with intra rectal lidocaine gel is less painful method and can be considered in all patients undergoing transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy.

Enhancing breast cancer classification via histopathological image analysis: Leveraging self-supervised contrastive learning and transfer learning.

Breast cancer, a significant threat to women's health, demands early detection. Automating histopathological image analysis offers a promising solution to enhance efficiency and accuracy in diagnosis. This study addresses the challenge of breast cancer histopathological image classification by leveraging the ResNet architecture, known for its depth and skip connections. In this work, two distinct approaches were pursued, each driven by unique motivations. The first approach aimed to improve the learning process through self-supervised contrastive learning. It utilizes a small subset of the training data for initial model training and progressively expands the training set by incorporating confidently labeled data from the unlabeled pool, ultimately achieving a reliable model with limited training data. The second approach focused on optimizing the architecture by combining ResNet50 and Inception module to get a lightweight and efficient classifier. The dataset utilized in this work comprises histopathological images categorized into benign and malignant classes at varying magnification levels (40X, 100X, 200X, 400X), all originating from the same source image. The results demonstrate state-of-the-art performance, achieving 98% accuracy for images magnified at 40X and 200X, and 94% for 100X and 400X. Notably, the proposed architecture boasts a substantially reduced parameter count of approximately 3.6 million, contrasting with existing leading architectures, which possess parameter sizes at least twice as large.

Preparation, characterization, and adsorption kinetics of graphene oxide/chitosan/carboxymethyl cellulose composites for the removal of environmentally relevant toxic metals.

This study attempted to develop a low-cost and eco-friendly bio-based composite adsorbent that is highly efficient in capturing potential toxic metals. The bio-composite adsorbent was prepared using graphene oxide (GO), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and chitosan (CS); and characterized using FTIR, SEM-EDX and WAXD techniques. Metal-ion concentration in an aqueous solution was measured by ICP-OES. This article reveals that the adsorption of heavy metal ions varied according to the adsorbent quantity, initial metal concentration, pH, and interaction time. The metal ions' adsorption capacity (mg/g) was observed to increase when the interaction time and metal concentration increased. Conversely, metal ions adsorption was decreased with an increase in adsorbent dosages. The effect of pH on metal ions' adsorption was ion-specific. The substantial adsorption by GO/CMC/CS composite for Co2+, CrO42-, Mn2+ and Cd2+, had the respective values of 43.55, 77.70, 57.78, and 91.38 mg/g under acidic conditions. The metal ions experimental data were best fitted with pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetics, and Freundlich isotherm model (except Co2+). The separation factors (RL) value in the present investigation were found between 0 and 1, meaning that the metal ions adsorption onto GO/CS/CMC composite is favorable. The RL and sorption intensity (1/n) values fitted well to the adsorption isotherm.

Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of aerobic bacteria responsible for post-surgical wound infection of the patients admitted into Khulna Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh.

Resistance against antimicrobial agents is dramatically increasing and gradually impacting treatment costs. Using existing drugs would have helped avoid bacterial infections in various circumstances. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of pathogens responsible for postsurgical wound infections and their antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance pattern among the patients admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital, Khulna Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study involved 250 patients suffering from postsurgical wound infection as respondents. The bacterial pathogens were isolated from pus samples obtained from those patients. The isolated bacterial pathogens were identified through several standard biochemical tests, and finally, the culture sensitivity tests of those bacterial isolates were performed. The study was conducted from August 2019 to June 2020. Data regarding the patient's age, gender, occupation, surgery performed, duration of hospital stay, and comorbidity were also documented using standard questionnaires. Five bacterial pathogens were identified with different frequencies, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (36 %), Escherichia coli (21.2 %), Staphylococcus aureus (8.8 %), Klebsiella spp. (7.2 %) and Proteus spp. (4.8 %). These bacterial pathogens showed sensitivity to ciprofloxacin (75 %), piperacillin-tazobactam (56.7 %) and gentamicin (50 %). Besides, S. aureus showed sensitivity to linezolid and vancomycin and resistance to cefuroxime, ceftazidime and imipenem. Male patients (68.4 %) suffered more from postsurgical wound infection than female patients (31.6 %). Patients aged 31 to 40 years were more severely affected than patients from other age groups. Postsurgical wound infection was vigorously observed in the patients who underwent hand surgery. Intensive occurrence of this infection was found in the patients who stayed in the hospital from 31 to 40 days. Diabetic patients suffered more from postsurgical wound infection compared to the other patients. Throughout the study, ciprofloxacin has been the best performer against E. coli, Klebsiella spp., and Proteus spp., and gentamicin showed better performance against S. aureus. The antibiotic resistance pattern of these bacterial pathogens reflects the worldwide necessity of rational antibiotic management and proper steps to maintain hospital hygiene in Bangladesh.

In Silico-Based Identification of Natural Inhibitors from Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants that can Inhibit Dengue Infection.

Dengue fever (DF) is an endemic disease that has become a public health concern around the globe. The NS3 protease-helicase enzyme is an important target for the development of antiviral drugs against DENV (dengue virus) due to its impact on viral replication. Inhibition of the activity of the NS3 protease-helicase enzyme complex significantly inhibits the infection associated with DENV. Unfortunately, there are no scientifically approved antiviral drugs for its prevention. However, this study has been developed to find natural bioactive molecules that can block the activity of the NS3 protease-helicase enzyme complex associated with DENV infection through molecular docking, MM-GBSA (molecular mechanics-generalized born surface area), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Three hundred forty-two (342) compounds selected from twenty traditional medicinal plants were retrieved and screened against the NS3 protease-helicase protein by molecular docking and MM-GBSA studies, where the top six phytochemicals have been identified based on binding affinities. The six compounds were then subjected to pharmacokinetics and toxicity analysis, and we conducted molecular dynamics simulations on three protein-ligand complexes to validate their stability. Through computational analysis, this study revealed the potential of the two selected natural bioactive inhibitors (CID-440015 and CID-7424) as novel anti-dengue agents.

Estimation of country-specific tuberculosis resistance antibiograms using pathogen genomics and machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Global tuberculosis (TB) drug resistance (DR) surveillance focuses on rifampicin. We examined the potential of public and surveillance Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data, to generate expanded country-level resistance prevalence estimates (antibiograms) using in silico resistance prediction. METHODS: We curated and quality-controlled Mtb WGS data. We used a validated random forest model to predict phenotypic resistance to 12 drugs and bias-corrected for model performance, outbreak sampling and rifampicin resistance oversampling. Validation leveraged a national DR survey conducted in South Africa. RESULTS: Mtb isolates from 29 countries (n=19 149) met sequence quality criteria. Global marginal genotypic resistance among mono-resistant TB estimates overlapped with the South African DR survey, except for isoniazid, ethionamide and second-line injectables, which were underestimated (n=3134). Among multidrug resistant (MDR) TB (n=268), estimates overlapped for the fluoroquinolones but overestimated other drugs. Globally pooled mono-resistance to isoniazid was 10.9% (95% CI: 10.2-11.7%, n=14 012). Mono-levofloxacin resistance rates were highest in South Asia (Pakistan 3.4% (0.1-11%), n=111 and India 2.8% (0.08-9.4%), n=114). Given the recent interest in drugs enhancing ethionamide activity and their expected activity against isolates with resistance discordance between isoniazid and ethionamide, we measured this rate and found it to be high at 74.4% (IQR: 64.5-79.7%) of isoniazid-resistant isolates predicted to be ethionamide susceptible. The global susceptibility rate to pyrazinamide and levofloxacin among MDR was 15.1% (95% CI: 10.2-19.9%, n=3964). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first attempt at global Mtb antibiogram estimation. DR prevalence in Mtb can be reliably estimated using public WGS and phenotypic resistance prediction for key antibiotics, but public WGS data demonstrates oversampling of isolates with higher resistance levels than MDR. Nevertheless, our results raise concerns about the empiric use of short-course fluoroquinolone regimens for drug-susceptible TB in South Asia and indicate underutilisation of ethionamide in MDR treatment.

Study on the effect of different contact times on the migration of heavy metals into different foodstuffs served in plastic cups.

Heavy metal concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cr, and Cu leaching from single-use plastic cups were identified, and the risks associated with them were assessed in real time (up to 10 min). All samples (tea, carbonated beverage, and lassi) were placed in disposable plastic cups and held for less than 1 min, 5 min, and 10 min, respectively. Prior to digestion, the solids were ashed in a muffle furnace at 550 °C for 30 min. The filtrates were then tested for heavy metals. The samples were all confirmed to be contaminated with heavy metals. Heavy metals leached from the plastic cups in the following order: Cu > Pb > Cr > Cd. The samples' HI values were less than one, hence there was no evidence of a non-carcinogenic risk. The ILCR values for this heavy metal contamination in samples exceed 10-3, indicating a high carcinogenic risk. Lassi poses the highest possible carcinogenic risk. A rise in temperature and a drop in pH also resulted in heavy metal migration. Heavy metal leaching from plastic cups poses a serious health risk due to its toxicity. The proposed legislation should prohibit or restrict the serving of warm and hot beverages in plastic cups.

Comparative Study of Treatment Outcome with Tenofovir Alafenamide and Entecavir in Patients with HBV Related Acute on Chronic Liver Failure.

Major causes of acute insult in Hepatitis B virus related acute on chronic liver failure in the Asian region are reactivation of Hepatitis B virus and super infection with hepatitis A and E virus (ACLF). Anti viral therapy should be started as soon as possible in the ACLF patients at presentation while waiting for confirmation by HBV DNA level. This randomized controlled trial was carried out at the Department of Hepatology, BSMMU, Bangladesh from September 2019 to august 2020 with Hepatitis B virus related ACLF patient. This trial was conducted among twenty seven HBV acute on chronic liver failure patient to compare Child Turcotte pugh (CTP) score, Model for end stage liver disease (MELD) score, Asia Pacific Association for study of Liver (APASL) ACLF Research consortium (AARC) score, survival of the patients and HBV DNA level at 3 months with antiviral therapy between tenofovir alafenamide (25mg) and entecavir (0.5mg) group. CTP score, MELD score and AARC score were significantly (p<0.05) decline from baseline to all subsequent follow-up at 1st (at 7 days), 2nd (at 14 days), 3rd (at 30 days) and 4th (at 90 days) in each group but non significant (p>0.05) difference occurred between two group. All twenty seven patients had detectable HBV DNA level at pre-treatment and all survived patients became undectable at 4th, 90 days follow-up. Total 10 patients (37.07%) were survived at 90 days follow-up, out of them seven patients (70.0%) were in tenofovir alafenamide group and three patients (30.0%) were in entecavir group which was statistically significant (p<0.05) in between two group. Hepatic encephalopathy and hepatorenal syndrome were most common causes of death in both groups. Both drugs tenofovir alafenamide and entecavir significantly improves liver functions but the former one is superior regarding survival.

Antigenic and molecular characterization of avian influenza A(H9N2) viruses, Bangladesh.

Human infection with avian influenza A(H9N2) virus was identified in Bangladesh in 2011. Surveillance for influenza viruses in apparently healthy poultry in live-bird markets in Bangladesh during 2008-2011 showed that subtype H9N2 viruses are isolated year-round, whereas highly pathogenic subtype H5N1 viruses are co-isolated with subtype H9N2 primarily during the winter months. Phylogenetic analysis of the subtype H9N2 viruses showed that they are reassortants possessing 3 gene segments related to subtype H7N3; the remaining gene segments were from the subtype H9N2 G1 clade. We detected no reassortment with subtype H5N1 viruses. Serologic analyses of subtype H9N2 viruses from chickens revealed antigenic conservation, whereas analyses of viruses from quail showed antigenic drift. Molecular analysis showed that multiple mammalian-specific mutations have become fixed in the subtype H9N2 viruses, including changes in the hemagglutinin, matrix, and polymerase proteins. Our results indicate that these viruses could mutate to be transmissible from birds to mammals, including humans.

Urosepsis and Bacteriuria in Patients Undergoing TRUS-Guided Prostate Biopsy.

A prostate gland biopsy is a test to remove small sample of prostate tissue to be examined under a microscope. A biopsy may be done when a blood test shows a high level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or after a digital rectal examination finds an abnormal prostate or a lump. Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy is a commonly performed procedure for the detection of prostate cancer. It is associated with serious complication like urosepsis. Although the incidence of post-TRUS urosepsis is low, when it occurs it is typically serious and leads to hospitalization. Antibiotics are used prior, during and after the procedure to prevent infections as a result of TRUS biopsy. Ciprofloxacin is being used as antibiotic of choice for a long time. Antibiotic prophylaxis may prevent such complications. This cross-sectional descriptive type of observational study was taken place in Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2010 to December 2011 among purposively selected 70 patients with an aim to determine the urosepsis and bacteriuria after TRUS guided prostate biopsy. Patients attending the Urology OPD in DMCH having of LUTS and other non-specific symptoms were evaluated by history, physical examination including digital rectal examination (DRE) and necessary investigations like serum PSA to identify the potential candidates. Patients with abnormal DRE findings and increased PSA level were included in this study and those who had any painful anal and rectal condition, bleeding diathesis, anticoagulant therapy and any known allergy to lidocaine, previously undergone prostrate biopsy and those who refused to give the informed consent were excluded from this study. Data were collected on variables of interest using a structured case record form. Data were processed and analyzed using Statistical package for social science (SPSS), version 17.0. Frequency of bacteriuria and urosepsis was measured according to urine and blood culture report. Sensitivity pattern was also seen. According to this study, the frequency of bacteriuria and urosepsis was 17.1% and 5.7% respectively. Most common uropathogen was E coli both in urine and blood culture. Organisms (100.0%) were found resistant to ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin. Most of the pathogens were sensitive to tobramycin, gentamycin and cefipime. A potentially dangerous ciprofloxacin resistant organism (ESBL producing E. coli) was found positive in 25.0% of culture positive patients.

The symmetric and asymmetric effects of climate change on rice productivity in Malaysia.

The current study aims to examine the symmetric and asymmetric effects of climate change (CC) on rice productivity (RP) in Malaysia. The Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) models were employed in this study. Time series data from 1980 to 2019 were collected from the World Bank and the Department of Statistics, Malaysia. The estimated results are also validated using Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), and Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR). The findings of symmetric ARDL show that rainfall and cultivated area have significant and advantageous effects on rice output. The NARDL-bound test outcomes display that climate change has an asymmetrical long-run impact on rice productivity. Climate change has had varying degrees of positive and negative impacts on rice productivity in Malaysia. Positive changes in temperature and rainfall have a substantial and destructive impact on RP. At the same time, negative variations in temperature and rainfall have a substantial and positive impact on rice production in the Malaysian agriculture sector. Changes in cultivated areas, both positive and negative, have a long-term optimistic impact on rice output. Additionally, we discovered that only temperature affects rice output in both directions. Malaysian policymakers must understand the symmetric and asymmetric effects of CC on RP and agricultural policies that will promote sustainable agricultural development and food security.

Urinary microalbumin as a risk factor for ischaemic stroke.

Microalbuminuria (MA), a microvascular irregularity of the blood - urine interface within kidney glomeruli, may reflect the renal sign of global endothelial dysfunction, and has been associated with an elevated risk of serious cardiovascular events including stroke. This case-control study was carried out in the Department of Neurology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January 2008 to December 2009. This relationship appears graded with higher levels of microalbuminuria being independently associated with a greater magnitude of vascular risk over time. We studied 60 patients of ischemic stroke with in 4 weeks of onset of symptoms and performed a case control study for MA by spot urinalysis. The incidence of microalbuminuria was 31.7% of the patients compared with 8.3% of the controls. Of all the traditional risk factors for stroke - age, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking showed a positive correlation with the presence of MA (p<0.05). The effect of microalbuminuria and subtypes of ischemic stroke was observed that small vessels stroke (lacunar infract) were more (70%) than large vessels stroke (30%) and effect of microalbuminuria 21.67% higher in small vessels stroke than large vessels stroke. The presence of microalbuminuria appears to independently predict proper clinical outcome following acute stroke.