Fiber-interferometric second harmonic generator with dual-color standard quantum-limited noise performance.

We present a novel fiber-interferometric device that achieves dual functionality: simultaneous amplification of the pulsed input signal and generation of its second harmonic while effectively suppressing the intensity noise in both modes, reaching the standard quantum-limit. The underlaying mechanism is based on phase-biased nonlinear polarization rotation coupled with type-I phase-matched second harmonic generation, a concept that is both theoretically investigated and experimentally verified. In the experiment, a fiber-optic system is constructed capable of generating 42 MHz ultra-low noise sub-150 fs output pulse trains simultaneously at 1030 nm and 515 nm, with average powers of 165 mW and 50 mW, respectively. Systematic frequency-resolved intensity noise measurements confirm dual wavelength, quantum-limited noise suppression beyond 100 kHz offset-frequency, with suppression levels up to 14 dB, showing correlation with local maxima in average power in both fundamental and second harmonic mode.

Novel contouring method for optimizing MRI flow quantification in patients with aortic valve disease.

Optimizing MRI aortic flow quantification is crucial for accurate assessment of valvular disease severity. In this study, we sought to evaluate the accuracy of a novel method of contouring systolic aortic forward flow in comparison to standard contouring methods at various aortic levels. The study included a cohort of patients with native aortic valve (AoV) disease and a small control group referred to cardiac MRI over a 1-year period. Inclusion criteria included aortic flow quantification at aortic valve and one additional level, and no or trace mitral regurgitation (MR) documented both by the MRI AND an echocardiogram done within a year. In addition to flow quantification with standard contouring (SC), a novel Selective Systolic Contouring (SSC) method was performed at aortic valve level, contouring the area demarcated by the AoV leaflets in systole. The bias in each technique's estimate of aortic forward flow was calculated as the mean difference between aortic forward flow and left ventricular stroke volume (LV SV). 98 patients (mean age 56, 71% male) were included: 33 with tricuspid and 65 with congenitally abnormal (bicuspid or unicuspid) AoV. All methods tended to underestimate aortic forward flow, but the bias was smallest with the SSC method (p < 0.001). Therefore, SSC yielded the lowest estimates of mitral regurgitant volume (4.8 ml) and regurgitant fraction (3.9%) (p < 0.05). SSC at AoV level better approximates LV SV in our cohort, and may provide more accurate quantitative assessment of both aortic and mitral valve function.

Retraction: Sclerosing Encapsulating Peritonitis Following Recovery From COVID-19 Pneumonia.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.19306.].

Increased yield performance of mutation induced Soybean genotypes at varied agro-ecological conditions

Abstract In soybean breeding program, continuous selection pressure on traits response to yield created a genetic bottleneck for improvements of soybean through hybridization breeding technique. Therefore an initiative was taken to developed high yielding soybean variety applying mutation breeding techniques at Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Bangladesh. Locally available popular cultivar BARI Soybean-5 was used as a parent material and subjected to five different doses of Gamma ray using Co60. In respect to seed yield and yield attributing characters, twelve true breed mutants were selected from M4 generation. High values of heritability and genetic advance with high genotypic coefficient of variance (GCV) for plant height, branch number and pod number were considered as favorable attributes for soybean improvement that ensure expected yield. The mutant SBM-18 obtained from 250Gy provided stable yield performance at diversified environments. It provided maximum seed yield of 3056 kg ha-1 with highest number of pods plant-1 (56). The National Seed Board of Bangladesh (NSB) eventually approved SBM-18 and registered it as a new soybean variety named Binasoybean-5 for large-scale planting because of its superior stability in various agro-ecological zones and consistent yield performance.

Resumo No programa de melhoramento da soja, a pressão pela seleção contínua para a resposta das características de rendimento criou um gargalo genético para melhorias da soja por meio da técnica de melhoramento por hibridação. Portanto, foi desenvolvida uma variedade de soja de alto rendimento, aplicando técnicas de reprodução por mutação, na Divisão de Melhoramento de Plantas, no Instituto de Agricultura Nuclear de Bangladesh (BINA), em Bangladesh. A cultivar popular BARI Soybean-5, disponível localmente, foi usada como material original e submetida a cinco doses diferentes de raios gama usando Co60. Em relação ao rendimento de sementes e às características de atribuição de rendimento, 12 mutantes genuínos foram selecionados a partir da geração M4. Altos valores de herdabilidade e avanço genético com alto coeficiente de variância genotípico (GCV) para altura da planta, número de ramos e número de vagens foram considerados atributos favoráveis ao melhoramento da soja, garantindo, assim, a produtividade esperada. O mutante SBM-18, obtido a partir de 250Gy, proporcionou desempenho de rendimento estável em ambientes diversificados e produtividade máxima de sementes de 3.056 kg ha-1 com o maior número de vagens planta-1 (56). O Conselho Nacional de Sementes de Bangladesh (NSB) finalmente aprovou o SBM-18 e o registrou como uma nova variedade de soja, chamada Binasoybean-5, para plantio em larga escala por causa de sua estabilidade superior em várias zonas agroecológicas e desempenho de rendimento consistente.

Increased yield performance of mutation induced Soybean genotypes at varied agro-ecological conditions / Aumento no desempenho de rendimento de genótipos de soja induzidos por mutação em condições agroecológicas variadas

Abstract In soybean breeding program, continuous selection pressure on traits response to yield created a genetic bottleneck for improvements of soybean through hybridization breeding technique. Therefore an initiative was taken to developed high yielding soybean variety applying mutation breeding techniques at Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Bangladesh. Locally available popular cultivar BARI Soybean-5 was used as a parent material and subjected to five different doses of Gamma ray using Co60. In respect to seed yield and yield attributing characters, twelve true breed mutants were selected from M4 generation. High values of heritability and genetic advance with high genotypic coefficient of variance (GCV) for plant height, branch number and pod number were considered as favorable attributes for soybean improvement that ensure expected yield. The mutant SBM-18 obtained from 250Gy provided stable yield performance at diversified environments. It provided maximum seed yield of 3056 kg ha-1 with highest number of pods plant-1 (56). The National Seed Board of Bangladesh (NSB) eventually approved SBM-18 and registered it as a new soybean variety named 'Binasoybean-5' for large-scale planting because of its superior stability in various agro-ecological zones and consistent yield performance.

Resumo No programa de melhoramento da soja, a pressão pela seleção contínua para a resposta das características de rendimento criou um gargalo genético para melhorias da soja por meio da técnica de melhoramento por hibridação. Portanto, foi desenvolvida uma variedade de soja de alto rendimento, aplicando técnicas de reprodução por mutação, na Divisão de Melhoramento de Plantas, no Instituto de Agricultura Nuclear de Bangladesh (BINA), em Bangladesh. A cultivar popular BARI Soybean-5, disponível localmente, foi usada como material original e submetida a cinco doses diferentes de raios gama usando Co60. Em relação ao rendimento de sementes e às características de atribuição de rendimento, 12 mutantes genuínos foram selecionados a partir da geração M4. Altos valores de herdabilidade e avanço genético com alto coeficiente de variância genotípico (GCV) para altura da planta, número de ramos e número de vagens foram considerados atributos favoráveis ​​ao melhoramento da soja, garantindo, assim, a produtividade esperada. O mutante SBM-18, obtido a partir de 250Gy, proporcionou desempenho de rendimento estável em ambientes diversificados e produtividade máxima de sementes de 3.056 kg ha-1 com o maior número de vagens planta-1 (56). O Conselho Nacional de Sementes de Bangladesh (NSB) finalmente aprovou o SBM-18 e o registrou como uma nova variedade de soja, chamada 'Binasoybean-5', para plantio em larga escala por causa de sua estabilidade superior em várias zonas agroecológicas e desempenho de rendimento consistente.

Handling DNA malfunctions by unsupervised machine learning model.

The cell cycle is a rich field for research, especially, the DNA damage. DNA damage, which happened naturally or as a result of environmental influences causes change in the chemical structure of DNA. The extent of DNA damage has a significant impact on the fate of the cell in later stages. In this paper, we introduced an Unsupervised Machine learning Model for DNA Damage Diagnosis and Analysis. Mainly, we employed K-means clustering unsupervised machine learning algorithms. Unsupervised algorithms commonly draw conclusions from datasets by solely utilizing input vectors, disregarding any known or labeled outcomes. The model provided deep insight about DNA damage and exposes the protein levels for proteins when work together in sub-network model to deal with DNA damage occurrence, the unsupervised artificial model explained the sub-network biological model activities in regard to the changing in their concentrations in several clusters, they have been grouped in such as (0 - no damage, 1 - low, 2 - medium, 3 - high, and 4 - excess) DNA damage clusters. The results provided a rational and persuasive explanation for numerous important phenomena, including the oscillation of the protein p53, in a clear and understandable manner. Which is encouraging since it demonstrates that the K-means clustering approach can be easily applied to many similar biological systems, which aids in better understanding the key dynamics of these systems.

The Impact of Negative Emotions on Binge Eating and BMI Among Medical Students.

Background Binge eating disorder (BED) is a condition characterized by episodes of consuming large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over eating behavior. Stress, anxiety, and depression are risk factors for developing BED, which may be particularly relevant for medical students who experience high levels of academic pressure and stress. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of binge eating behaviors among medical students, as well as the types of negative emotions that are most strongly associated with binge eating. Methodology This cross-sectional study employed convenience sampling and included 332 medical students from Almaarefa University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All medical students of all academic levels were eligible to participate in this study. Students from other colleges such as pharmacy students or students from other universities were excluded from this study. The research questionnaire collected information about negative emotions, BMI, number of meals, consumption of fast food, overeating behavior, and relevant demographic data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS Statistics version 26 (IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). Results The descriptive analysis showed that the majority of students reported consuming two meals per day and having snacks twice a day. Fast food consumption was reported by 58.1% of students. The study found that negative emotions such as stress, depression, and loneliness were significantly associated with binge eating behavior and had an impact on weight and BMI. The findings suggest the need for interventions to address negative emotions and promote healthy eating habits among medical students. Conclusion The study concludes that negative emotions such as stress, aggression, and boredom are significantly associated with binge eating behaviors among medical students. Depression, disappointment, and thoughts about difficult tasks were linked to detrimental effects on BMI and weight loss.

Validation of Immunotherapy Response Score as Predictive of Pan-solid Tumor Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Benefit.

Immunotherapy response score (IRS) integrates tumor mutation burden (TMB) and quantitative expression biomarkers to predict anti-PD-1/PD-L1 [PD-(L)1] monotherapy benefit. Here, we evaluated IRS in additional cohorts. Patients from an observational trial (NCT03061305) treated with anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy were included and assigned to IRS-High (-H) versus -Low (-L) groups. Associations with real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) and overall survival (OS) were determined by Cox proportional hazards (CPH) modeling. Those with available PD-L1 IHC treated with anti-PD-(L)1 with or without chemotherapy were separately assessed. Patients treated with PD-(L)1 and/or chemotherapy (five relevant tumor types) were assigned to three IRS groups [IRS-L divided into IRS-Ultra-Low (-UL) and Intermediate-Low (-IL), and similarly assessed]. In the 352 patient anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy validation cohort (31 tumor types), IRS-H versus IRS-L patients had significantly longer rwPFS and OS. IRS significantly improved CPH associations with rwPFS and OS beyond microsatellite instability (MSI)/TMB alone. In a 189 patient (10 tumor types) PD-L1 IHC comparison cohort, IRS, but not PD-L1 IHC nor TMB, was significantly associated with anti-PD-L1 rwPFS. In a 1,103-patient cohort (from five relevant tumor types), rwPFS did not significantly differ in IRS-UL patients treated with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy plus anti-PD-(L)1, nor in IRS-H patients treated with anti-PD-(L)1 versus anti-PD-(L)1 + chemotherapy. IRS associations were consistent across subgroups, including both Europeans and non-Europeans. These results confirm the utility of IRS utility for predicting pan-solid tumor PD-(L)1 monotherapy benefit beyond available biomarkers and demonstrate utility for informing on anti-PD-(L)1 and/or chemotherapy treatment. Significance: This study confirms the utility of the integrative IRS biomarker for predicting anti-PD-L1/PD-1 benefit. IRS significantly improved upon currently available biomarkers, including PD-L1 IHC, TMB, and MSI status. Additional utility for informing on chemotherapy, anti-PD-L1/PD-1, and anti-PD-L1/PD-1 plus chemotherapy treatments decisions is shown.

Large-mode-area soliton fiber oscillator mode-locked using NPE in an all-PM self-stabilized interferometer.

In this work, we investigate an approach to scale up the output pulse energy in an all-polarization-maintaining 17.3 MHz Yb-doped fiber oscillator via implementation of a 25 µm core-diameter large-mode-area fiber. The artificial saturable absorber is based on a Kerr-type linear self-stabilized fiber interferometer, enabling non-linear polarization rotation in polarization-maintaining fibers. Highly stable mode-locked steady states in the soliton-like operation regime are demonstrated with 170 mW average output power and a total output pulse energy of ∼10n J distributed between two output ports. An experimental parameter comparison with a reference oscillator constructed with 5.5 µm core-sized standard fiber components reveals an increase of pulse energy by a factor of 36 with simultaneously reduced intensity noise in the high-frequency range >100k H z.

Physician's Perception about the Use of PPE, COVID-19 Prevention and Management in Bangladesh.

This study aims to explore physician's perceptions about the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), COVID prevention, and management during the COVID pandemic since knowledge on these might explain the reason behind infection and death of physicians in Bangladesh at an unexpected rate. This cross-sectional study was conducted based on an online questionnaire on 346 physicians (n=346) by the Department of Gastroenterology of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh from 15th July 2020 to 14th September 2020. Physicians of different health care facilities across Bangladesh were invited to take part. Knowledge on specific points of the questionnaire was evaluated, scored, and compared between different groups by Independent sample t-test. Mean knowledge score between the respondents working up to 8 hours and beyond 8 hours per day was 17.28±1.28, 16.90±1.40 respectively (p=0.03). Mean knowledge score observed between graduate and post-graduate physicians and work experience of 5 years and beyond 5 years were 17.26±1.36 vs. 17.16±1.27; (p=0.40), 16.87±1.75 vs. 17.27±1.21; (p=0.11) respectively. Physician's safety should be first concern that is highlighted through proper use of PPE and prevention of COVID. Patient management skills would be better if physicians are trained well on infection prevention and control which in turn will reduce infection and death of physicians.

Increased yield performance of mutation induced Soybean genotypes at varied agro-ecological conditions.

In soybean breeding program, continuous selection pressure on traits response to yield created a genetic bottleneck for improvements of soybean through hybridization breeding technique. Therefore an initiative was taken to developed high yielding soybean variety applying mutation breeding techniques at Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Bangladesh. Locally available popular cultivar BARI Soybean-5 was used as a parent material and subjected to five different doses of Gamma ray using Co60. In respect to seed yield and yield attributing characters, twelve true breed mutants were selected from M4 generation. High values of heritability and genetic advance with high genotypic coefficient of variance (GCV) for plant height, branch number and pod number were considered as favorable attributes for soybean improvement that ensure expected yield. The mutant SBM-18 obtained from 250Gy provided stable yield performance at diversified environments. It provided maximum seed yield of 3056 kg ha-1 with highest number of pods plant-1 (56). The National Seed Board of Bangladesh (NSB) eventually approved SBM-18 and registered it as a new soybean variety named 'Binasoybean-5' for large-scale planting because of its superior stability in various agro-ecological zones and consistent yield performance.

Comparative study between a new screwed Amplatz sheath and the ordinary one in percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the article is to compare the results of using new screwed Amplatz sheath with results of the conventional Amplatz sheath regarding success and complications during percutaneous nephrolithotomy. METHODS: 100 patients aged more than 18 years with renal calculi more than 2 cm with guy's score 1 from December 2018 till July 2020 were randomly stratified by closed envelope in group A (50 patients) with using conventional sheath and group B (50 patients) with new screwed sheath. We exclude morbid obese patients and patients with contraindication for PNL. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between both groups regarding patients demographic and stone demographic. Operative time and fluoroscopy time were significantly lower in group B rather than group A. Tract stability was in favor of group B as no tract loss recorded while in group A, 5 cases were recorded. In overall complications there were no significant differences between both groups. Bleeding was higher in group A (14%) than in group B (4%), but it was not statistically significant. Success rates were 78% for group A and 88% for group B but it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The screwed Amplatz sheath had showed less operative and fluoroscopy time. Also it enables urologists to have stable PNL tract. So it may be a promising tool to make PNL easier with higher success rate and lower complications.

The Global Human Monkeypox Outbreak and Management: A Comprehensive Literature Review.

Monkeypox (MPX) belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus (OPV), family Poxviridae, and sub-family Chordopoxvirinae. Human monkeypox (HMPX) is a viral zoonotic illness caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). Several non-endemic countries have confirmed MPX cases across the globe. Therefore, consider an outbreak to be a global health emergency. MPXV transmits from animals to humans via infected animals, and there is currently human-to-human transmission, notably among guys who have sexual relations with males. Healthcare interventions are required to stop outbreaks. These include strict isolation and care for MPX patients while they are still contagious or until the skin lesions dry out and crust over. JYNNEOS was approved as a vaccine for the prevention of MPXV. Tecovirimat is licensed to treat severe MPX or risk developing a serious disease. We should encourage international cooperation to conduct clinical trials investigating the effectiveness and safety of MPXV vaccines and antiviral medications. Precautions must be taken at the global level to prevent an MPXV outbreak.

Sclerosing Encapsulating Peritonitis Following Recovery From COVID-19 Pneumonia.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily a respiratory illness and pulmonary manifestations are the typical presentations of the disease. However, it became evident that the COVID-19 is not limited to the respiratory system. Specifically, gastrointestinal involvement in patients with COVID-19 is very common, particularly in patients with a critical illness. We present a case of a 52-year-old man who was diagnosed as having severe COVID-19 pneumonia and underwent endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. The patient remained in the intensive care unit for seven days. Following his recovery, he started to experience generalized abdominal pain. The pain did not resolve with conservative measures. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen demonstrated small bowel loops clustered with a surrounding thin membrane. Such findings conferred the diagnosis of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis. The patient was prepared for laparoscopic surgery. Resection of the membrane was performed without any injury to the encapsulated bowel. Analysis of peritoneal fluid by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The patient had an uneventful recovery. Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis is a very rare condition associated with COVID-19 pneumonia. The present case is the first reported case to document the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the peritoneal fluid in a patient with sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis.

Real-World Performance of a Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Test Optimized for Small Tumor Samples.

PURPOSE: Tissue-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) is increasingly used for treatment selection in patients with advanced cancer; however, tissue availability may limit widespread implementation. Here, we established real-world CGP tissue availability and assessed CGP performance on consecutively received samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a post hoc, nonprespecified analysis of 32,048 consecutive tumor tissue samples received for StrataNGS, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based comprehensive genomic profiling (PCR-CGP) test, as part of an ongoing observational trial (NCT03061305). Sample characteristics and PCR-CGP performance were assessed across all tested samples, including exception samples not meeting minimum input quality control (QC) requirements (< 20% tumor content [TC], < 2 mm2 tumor surface area [TSA], DNA or RNA yield < 1 ng/µL, or specimen age > 5 years). Tests reporting ≥ 1 prioritized alteration or meeting TC and sequencing QC were considered successful. For prostate carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma, tests reporting ≥ 1 actionable or informative alteration or meeting TC and sequencing QC were considered actionable. RESULTS: Among 31,165 (97.2%) samples where PCR-CGP was attempted, 10.7% had < 20% TC and 59.2% were small (< 25 mm2 tumor surface area). Of 31,101 samples evaluable for input requirements, 8,089 (26.0%) were exceptions not meeting requirements. However, 94.2% of the 31,101 tested samples were successfully reported, including 80.5% of exception samples. Positive predictive value of PCR-CGP for ERBB2 amplification in exceptions and/or sequencing QC-failure breast cancer samples was 96.7%. Importantly, 84.0% of tested prostate carcinomas and 87.9% of lung adenocarcinomas yielded results informing treatment selection. CONCLUSION: Most real-world tissue samples from patients with advanced cancer desiring CGP are limited, requiring optimized CGP approaches to produce meaningful results. An optimized PCR-CGP test, coupled with an inclusive exception testing policy, delivered reportable results for > 94% of samples, potentially expanding the proportion of CGP-testable patients and impact of biomarker-guided therapies.

Prediction of Esophageal Varices in Chronic Liver Disease by Liver Stiffness-Spleen Size-to-Plalelet Ratio Risk Score.

Non-invasive tools are needed to rule out the presence of esophageal varices (EV) in patients with chronic liver disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of Liver stiffness-spleen size-to-platelet ratio (LSPS) for EV detection and identification of high risk EV in patients with CLD. A total of 70 patients with CLD irrespective of the etiology attending at OPD and admitted in Department of Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disorders (GHPD) of BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2016 to October 2017 were enrolled in this observational cross-sectional study. All patients underwent routine laboratory tests, liver function tests, ultrasonography, liver stiffness (LS) measurement and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Clinical value of LSPS was compared with platelet count, spleen size and LS for detection of esophageal varices. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by the Area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated using ROC curve. LSPS has better diagnostic accuracy for detection of EV in terms of AUROC, showing superiority over each factor alone. LSPS also detect high risk EV but accuracy was lower than detection of EV. The optimal cutoff values of LSPS for EV and high risk EV were 0.879 and 4.132 respectively, at which AUROC, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 0.910 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.832-0.988], 90.9% and 90.0% and 0.695 (95% CI 0.520-0.870), 62.5% and 69.4% respectively. LSPS represents a useful, noninvasive method to detect EV and a high risk EV in patients with CLD. Clinicians should recommend those patients with CLD who show higher values of LSPS to undergo further endoscopic examination.

Clinical and Hematological Features of Visceral Leishmaniasis at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.

Visceral Leishmaniasis is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and can be fatal in the absence of treatment. Mortality is very high in untreated cases 90%. Clinical case series document a 5% case fatality rate for kala-azar patients in the hospital as complication of the disease. Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Brazil and Sudan constitute five countries of the world where more than 90% of visceral leishmaniasis occurs. Mymensingh accounted for more than 50% of total kala-azar case reported in Bangladesh. This observational study was done at SKKRC under Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh from 1st august 2013 to 28th February 2014, to find out various clinical features and hematological picture in visceral leishmaniasis. Total 100 diagnosed case of visceral leishmaniasis was taken. Among total patient male and female were nearly equally affected by kala-azar. All age group were affected by kala-azar from below 2 years to above 50 years. Poor people in the society were affected more by kala-azar. Mymensingh was the highest incidence of kala-azar among different district in Bangladesh. Pyrexia, pallor, weight loss were the main symptoms of visceral leishmaniasis. Abdominal distension, jaundice, vomiting, cough, bleeding manifestation were less frequent symptoms of kala-azar. Hepatosplenomegaly were the frequent sign of kala-azar. Majority of patient had anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. ESR was frequently raised in kala-azar patient among those patient many had high ESR more than 100 mm in 1st hour. In conclusion prolong fever, progressive pallor, anorexia, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly in endemic area were the main clinical features of visceral leishmaniasis. Anemia, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, bi-cytopenia, pancytopenia and high ESR were frequently found hematological pictures in visceral leishmaniasis.

Platelet Count as a Severity of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogenous respiratory disease characterized by a progressive, not fully reversible airflow limitation associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lung to noxious stimuli. It is a disease presenting with pulmonary inflammation as well as a systemic one. Measurement of inflammatory marker is difficult but platelet count estimation is easy and less costly. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out at Department of Medicine, Mymensingh Medical college Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh for a period of twelve months among fifty-nine COPD patients. Data were collected through interview, physical examination and laboratory investigations. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 22.0 for consistency and completeness. Age range of the patients was 40 to 49 years with a mean of 56.3±10.9 years. Age group 40-49 years contained the highest number (19; 32.3%) of patients. Majority 57(96.6%) of the respondents were male. Thirty seven (62.7%) of patients were illiterate. Majority 56(94.9%) of patients resided in rural area, of them most 38(64.4%) were farmers. According to Spirometric measurement among 59 respondents of COPD patient, 3(5.1%) were in GOLD stage-I, 9(15.3%) in GOLD stage-II, 27(45.8%) in GOLD stage-III and 20(33.9%) in GOLD stage IV group. Mean platelet count (10³/µl), 241.6±86.5 was found in mild, whereas 315.0±47.7 in moderate, 337.2±76.3 in severe, and 412.4±67.5 in very severe group of COPD patients. So increase in platelet count is statistically significant in severity of COPD. In conclusion, platelet count measurement is less costly to categorize COPD and may be a diagnostic marker.

Protective effects of olmesartan and l-carnitine on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats.

Doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline antibiotic, is an important antineoplastic agent due to its high antitumor efficacy in hematological as well as in solid malignancies. The clinical use of DOX is limited due to its cardiotoxic effects. The present study aimed to investigate the possible protective effect of olmesartan (Olm), l-carnitine (L-CA), and their combination in cardiotoxicity induced by DOX in rats. Male albino rats were randomly divided into seven experimental groups (n = 8): group I: normal control, group II: L-CA, group III: Olm, group IV: DOX. The other three groups were treated with Olm (10 mg/kg), L-CA (300 mg/kg), and their combination for 2 weeks after induction of cardiotoxicity by a single dose of DOX (20 mg/kg). In the results, DOX showed a significant elevation in serum troponin I, creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) together with increased inflammation manifested by the rise of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), intercellular adhesion molecules-1 (ICAM-1), interleukin IL-1ß (IL-1ß), myeloperoxidase (MPO), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) in cardiac tissues as well as DOX-induced oxidative stress by increasing in malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreasing in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) in heart tissues. In addition, caspase-3 activity was boosted as indication of increased apoptosis. On the other hand, administration of L-CA and Olm attenuated the DOX-evoked disturbances in the abovementioned parameters. In addition, DOX exhibited echocardiographic changes and severe histopathological changes, which were significantly reversed by L-CA and Olm treatment. In conclusion, the present study data confirm the protective role of L-CA and Olm in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, which may be related to its antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antiapoptotic agents.