Serosurveillance among urban slum and non-slum populations immunized with COVID-19 vaccines in Bangladesh.

Using two rounds of serosurveillance, we aimed to observe the COVID-19 vaccination status and the dynamics of antibody responses to different vaccines among urban slum and non-slum populations of Bangladesh. Adults (>18 years) and children (10-17 years) were enrolled in March and October 2022. Data including COVID-19 vaccine types and dosage uptake were collected. SARS-CoV-2 spike (S)-specific antibodies were measured in blood. The proportion of vaccinated children was significantly lower among slum than non-slum populations. Two doses of vaccines showed an increase in the level of anti-S-antibodies up to 2 months, followed by reduced levels at 2-6 months and a resurgence at 6-12 months. Children showed significantly higher anti-S-antibodies after two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine than adults; however, after 6 months, the level of antibodies declined in younger children (10 - < 12 years). In a mixed vaccine approach, mRNA vaccines contributed to the highest antibody response whether given as the first two doses or as the third dose. Our findings emphasized the need for increasing the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination among slum children and booster dosing among all children. The use of mRNA vaccines in the mixed vaccination approach was found to be useful in boosting the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2.

Maternal serum biomarkers of placental insufficiency at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy in relation to the risk of delivering small-for-gestational-age infant in Sylhet, Bangladesh: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Small-for-gestational-age (SGA), commonly caused by poor placentation, is a major contributor to global perinatal mortality and morbidity. Maternal serum levels of placental protein and angiogenic factors are changed in SGA. Using data from a population-based pregnancy cohort, we estimated the relationships between levels of second-trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), placental growth factor (PlGF), and serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) with SGA. METHODS: Three thousand pregnant women were enrolled. Trained health workers prospectively collected data at home visits. Maternal blood samples were collected, serum aliquots were prepared and stored at -80℃. Included in the analysis were 1,718 women who delivered a singleton live birth baby and provided a blood sample at 24-28 weeks of gestation. We used Mann-Whitney U test to examine differences of the median biomarker concentrations between SGA (< 10th centile birthweight for gestational age) and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA). We created biomarker concentration quartiles and estimated the risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for SGA by quartiles separately for each biomarker. A modified Poisson regression was used to determine the association of the placental biomarkers with SGA, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The median PlGF level was lower in SGA pregnancies (934 pg/mL, IQR 613-1411 pg/mL) than in the AGA (1050 pg/mL, IQR 679-1642 pg/mL; p < 0.001). The median sFlt-1/PlGF ratio was higher in SGA pregnancies (2.00, IQR 1.18-3.24) compared to AGA pregnancies (1.77, IQR 1.06-2.90; p = 0.006). In multivariate regression analysis, women in the lowest quartile of PAPP-A showed 25% higher risk of SGA (95% CI 1.09-1.44; p = 0.002). For PlGF, SGA risk was higher in women in the lowest (aRR 1.40, 95% CI 1.21-1.62; p < 0.001) and 2nd quartiles (aRR 1.30, 95% CI 1.12-1.51; p = 0.001). Women in the highest and 3rd quartiles of sFlt-1 were at reduced risk of SGA delivery (aRR 0.80, 95% CI 0.70-0.92; p = 0.002, and aRR 0.86, 95% CI 0.75-0.98; p = 0.028, respectively). Women in the highest quartile of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio showed 18% higher risk of SGA delivery (95% CI 1.02-1.36; p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that PAPP-A, PlGF, and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio measurements may be useful second-trimester biomarkers for SGA.

A unifying autocatalytic network-based framework for bacterial growth laws.

Recently discovered simple quantitative relations, known as bacterial growth laws, hint at the existence of simple underlying principles at the heart of bacterial growth. In this work, we provide a unifying picture of how these known relations, as well as relations that we derive, stem from a universal autocatalytic network common to all bacteria, facilitating balanced exponential growth of individual cells. We show that the core of the cellular autocatalytic network is the transcription-translation machinery-in itself an autocatalytic network comprising several coupled autocatalytic cycles, including the ribosome, RNA polymerase, and transfer RNA (tRNA) charging cycles. We derive two types of growth laws per autocatalytic cycle, one relating growth rate to the relative fraction of the catalyst and its catalysis rate and the other relating growth rate to all the time scales in the cycle. The structure of the autocatalytic network generates numerous regimes in state space, determined by the limiting components, while the number of growth laws can be much smaller. We also derive a growth law that accounts for the RNA polymerase autocatalytic cycle, which we use to explain how growth rate depends on the inducible expression of the rpoB and rpoC genes, which code for the RpoB and C protein subunits of RNA polymerase, and how the concentration of rifampicin, which targets RNA polymerase, affects growth rate without changing the RNA-to-protein ratio. We derive growth laws for tRNA synthesis and charging and predict how growth rate depends on temperature, perturbation to ribosome assembly, and membrane synthesis.

Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth: a nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Each year, an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm. Micronutrient deficiencies, including vitamin D deficiency (VDD), are common in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and these conditions are often associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Bangladesh experiences a high prevalence of VDD. The country also has a high preterm birth (PTB) rate. Using data from a population-based pregnancy cohort, we estimated the burden of VDD during pregnancy and its association with PTB. METHODS: Pregnant women (N = 3,000) were enrolled after ultrasound confirmation of gestational age at 8-19 weeks of gestation. Trained health workers prospectively collected phenotypic and epidemiological data at scheduled home visits. Trained phlebotomists collected maternal blood samples at enrollment and 24 -28 weeks of gestation. Aliquots of serum were stored at -800 C. We conducted a nested case-control study with all PTB (n = 262) and a random sample of term births (n = 668). The outcome, PTB, was defined as live births < 37 weeks of gestation, based on ultrasound. The main exposure was vitamin D concentrations of 24-28 weeks maternal blood samples. The analysis was adjusted for other PTB risk factors. Women were categorized as VDD (lowest quartile of 25(OH)D; < = 30.25 nmol/L) or not deficient (upper-three quartiles of 25(OH)D; > 30.25 nmol/L). We used logistic regression to determine the association of VDD with PTB, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The median and interquartile range of serum 25(OH)D was 38.0 nmol/L; 30.18 to 48.52 (nmol/L). After adjusting for co-variates, VDD was significantly associated with PTB [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10 - 2.12]. The risk of PTB was also higher among women who were shorter (aOR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.27-2.57), primiparous (aOR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.12 - 2.12), passive smokers (aOR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.09 - 2.34), and those who received iron supplementation during pregnancy (aOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.17, 2.37). CONCLUSION: VDD is common in Bangladeshi pregnant women and is associated with an increased risk of PTB.

Prenatal nutrition supplementation and growth biomarkers in preadolescent Bangladeshi children: A birth cohort study.

Little is known about the usefulness of biomarkers to study the influence of prenatal nutrition supplementation in improving child growth. Anthropometry is not always straightforward to understand how nutrition might impact growth, especially in settings with high rates of malnutrition and infections. We examined the effects of prenatal supplementation on growth and growth biomarkers and the relationship between anthropometric measures and growth biomarkers of children at 4.5 and 9 years of age. Children were enrolled from a longitudinal cohort, where mothers were randomized into daily supplementation with either early-food (≤9 gestation week [GW]) or usual-food (~20 GW) (608 kcal 6 days/week); they were further randomized to receive 30-mg or 60-mg iron with 400-µg folic acid, or multiple micronutrients (MM) in rural Bangladesh. Anthropometric data were collected from mothers at GW8 and children at 4.5 (n = 640) and 9 years (n = 536). Fasting blood was collected from children at each age. Early-food supplementation showed reduced stunting and underweight at 4.5 and 9 years age respectively compared to usual-food. Prenatal supplementations did not have any effect on growth biomarkers except for STAT5b expression which was lower in the early-food compared to the usual-food group (ß = -0.21; 95 CI% = -0.36, -0.07). Plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxy vitamin D and calcium were both inversely associated with weight-for-age and body mass index-for-age Z-scores at 9 years, particularly in early-food and MM groups. Although there was minimal effect on child growth by prenatal supplementations, the associations of biomarkers with anthropometric indices were predominantly driven by timing of food or MM supplementations.

Solid-State Analysis of Alpha-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes Using Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy.

A rapid and nondestructive analytical technique is critical for the analysis of cyclodextrin inclusion complexes in solid dosage forms. This study proposed a newly developed low-frequency Raman spectroscopy as a candidate technique for the analysis of cyclodextrin inclusion complexes. In this study, we selected a typical series of five crystalline cyclodextrin inclusion complexes and reported the usefulness of Raman spectroscopy for analyzing these inclusion complexes. Some inclusion complexes clearly differed from the raw materials in conventional Raman spectra. In another case, though specific differences were not observed between inclusion complexes and raw materials in conventional Raman spectra, clear differences were observed in low-frequency Raman spectra. Moreover, no characteristic differences between inclusion complexes consisting of different guest molecules were observed in conventional Raman spectra. The characteristic differences were observed only in low-frequency Raman spectra. Therefore, low-frequency Raman spectroscopy is a useful technique for solid-state analysis of crystalline inclusion complexes.

Two Decades of Gla-100-Reflections from the Pivotal Clinical Trials.

The progressive nature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) renders the shifting of patients from oral drugs to insulin therapy an inevitability in most patients especially in those with long duration of diabetes. At the turn of the last millennium, neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin was still the only long-acting insulin available for people with diabetes. The advent of the first truly long-acting basal insulin, i.e. insulin glargine 100 U/mL (Gla-100) brought to the table a remarkably long duration of action and a very minimal risk of hypoglycemia by due to less pronounced peaks in their action profile. Further, in trying to achieve fasting normoglycemia, Gla-100 has demonstrated remarkably more holistic glucose-lowering efficacy in several pivotal trials compared to other insulin formulations, such as premixed insulin and coformulations-apart from NPH insulin. This article delineates clinical data on the effectiveness of Gla-100 vs. other insulin formulations in the context of T2DM.

Transmission Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy for Quantification of Crystalline Polymorphs in Pharmaceutical Tablets.

The purpose of this study was to quantify polymorphs of active pharmaceutical ingredients in pharmaceutical tablets using a novel transmission low-frequency Raman spectroscopy method. We developed a novel transmission geometry for low-frequency Raman spectroscopy and compared quantitative ability in transmission mode versus backscattering mode using chemometrics. We prepared two series of tablets, (1) containing different weight-based contents of carbamazepine form III and (2) including different ratios of carbamazepine polymorphs (forms I/III). From the relationship between the contents of carbamazepine form III and partial least-squares (PLS) predictions in the tablets, correlation coefficients in transmission mode ( R2 = 0.98) were found to be higher than in backscattering mode ( R2 = 0.97). The root-mean-square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of the transmission mode was 3.9 compared to 4.9 for the backscattering mode. The tablets containing a mixture of carbamazepine (I/III) polymorphs were measured by transmission low-frequency Raman spectroscopy, and it was found that the spectral shape changed according to the ratio of polymorphs: the relationship between the actual content and the prediction showed high correlation. These findings indicate that transmission low-frequency Raman spectroscopy possesses the potential to complement existing analytical methods for the quantification of polymorphs.

Solid-State Quantification of Cocrystals in Pharmaceutical Tablets Using Transmission Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy.

To enable the continuous production of cocrystal-containing pharmaceutical tablets, guaranteeing the cocrystal content of the final pharmaceutical tablets in the solid state is critical. This study demonstrates the quantification of caffeine-glutaric acid cocrystals in model tablets using transmission low-frequency Raman spectroscopy. Although distinguishing between cocrystals and raw materials using conventional Raman spectroscopy is difficult, the use of low-frequency Raman spectroscopy enables the discrimination of cocrystals and raw materials. Low-frequency Raman spectra were analyzed by the partial least-squares method (PLS) to obtain the predicted contents in the model tablets. To evaluate the quantitative ability of this method, the root means square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) was determined by comparing the actual concentration and predicted content with a calibration curve. For cocrystal-containing tablets, the quantitative ability of the transmission mode (RMSECV = 2.06- 3.17) was 13.4-31.4% higher than that of the backscattering mode (RMSECV= 2.37- 3.91). The coexistence of raw crystalline materials did not affect the quantitative ability for cocrystals.

Effect of routine iron-folic acid supplementation among rural pregnant women living in low- and high-groundwater-iron areas in Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the risks and benefits of routine Fe-folic acid (IFA) supplementation in pregnant women living in low- and high-groundwater-Fe areas in Bangladesh. DESIGN: A case-controlled prospective longitudinal study design was used to compare the effect of daily Fe (60 mg) and folic acid (400 µg) supplementation for 3·5 months. SETTING: A rural community in Bangladesh. PARTICIPANTS: Pregnant women living in low-groundwater-Fe areas (n 260) and high-groundwater-Fe areas (n 262). RESULTS: Mean Hb and serum ferritin concentrations at baseline were significantly higher in pregnant women in the high-groundwater-Fe areas. After supplementation, the mean change in Hb concentration in the women in the low-groundwater-Fe areas (0·10 g/dl) was higher than that in the pregnant women in the high-groundwater-Fe areas (-0·08 g/dl; P = 0·052). No significant changes in the prevalence of anaemia or Fe deficiency (ID) in either group were observed after IFA supplementation; however, the prevalence of Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA) decreased significantly in the women in the low-groundwater-Fe areas. The risk of anaemia, ID and IDA after supplementation did not differ significantly between the groups. None of the participants had Fe overload. However, a significant proportion of the women in the high- and low-groundwater-Fe areas remained anaemic and Fe-deficient after supplementation. CONCLUSION: IFA supplementation significantly increased the Hb concentration in pregnant women living in the low-groundwater-Fe areas. Routine supplementation with 60 mg Fe and 400 µg folic acid does not pose any significant risk of haemoconcentration or Fe overload. Further research to identify other nutritional and non-nutritional contributors to anaemia is warranted to prevent and treat anaemia.

Simulating Genetic Circuits in Bacterial Populations with Growth Heterogeneity.

We computationally study genetic circuits in bacterial populations with heterogeneities in the growth rate. To that end, we present a stochastic simulation method for gene circuits in populations of cells and propose an efficient implementation that we call the "Next Family Method". Within this approach, we implement different population setups, specifically Chemostat-type growth and growth in an ideal Mother Machine and show that the population structure and its statistics are different for the different setups whenever there is growth heterogeneity. Such dependence on the population setup is demonstrated, in the case of bistable systems with different growth rates in the stable states, to have distinctive signatures on quantities including the distributions of protein concentration and growth rates, and hysteresis curves. Applying this method to a bistable antibiotic resistance circuit, we find that as a result of the different statistics in different population setups, the estimated minimal inhibitory concentration of the antibiotic becomes dependent on the population setup in which it is measured.

Energy Current Cumulants in One-Dimensional Systems in Equilibrium.

A recent theory based on fluctuating hydrodynamics predicts that one-dimensional interacting systems with particle, momentum, and energy conservation exhibit anomalous transport that falls into two main universality classes. The classification is based on behavior of equilibrium dynamical correlations of the conserved quantities. One class is characterized by sound modes with Kardar-Parisi-Zhang scaling, while the second class has diffusive sound modes. The heat mode follows Lévy statistics, with different exponents for the two classes. Here we consider heat current fluctuations in two specific systems, which are expected to be in the above two universality classes, namely, a hard particle gas with Hamiltonian dynamics and a harmonic chain with momentum conserving stochastic dynamics. Numerical simulations show completely different system-size dependence of current cumulants in these two systems. We explain this numerical observation using a phenomenological model of Lévy walkers with inputs from fluctuating hydrodynamics. This consistently explains the system-size dependence of heat current fluctuations. For the latter system, we derive the cumulant-generating function from a more microscopic theory, which also gives the same system-size dependence of cumulants.

Unravelling a Direct Role for Polysaccharide ß-Strands in the Higher Order Structure of Physical Hydrogels.

The mechanical properties of agarose-derived hydrogels depend on the scaffolding of the polysaccharide network. To identify and quantify such higher order structure, we applied Raman optical activity (ROA)-a spectroscopic technique that is highly sensitive toward carbohydrates-on native agarose and chemically modified agarose in the gel phase for the first time. By spectral global fitting, we isolated features that change as a function of backbone carboxylation (28, 40, 50, 60, 80, and 93 %) from other features that remain unchanged. We assigned these spectral features by comparison to ROA spectra calculated for different oligomer models. We found a 60:40 ratio of double- and single-stranded α-helix in the highly rigid hydrogel of native agarose, while the considerably softer hydrogels made from carboxylated agarose use a scaffold of unpaired ß-strands.

Vitamin B12 supplementation during pregnancy and postpartum improves B12 status of both mothers and infants but vaccine response in mothers only: a randomized clinical trial in Bangladesh.

PURPOSE: Poor vitamin B12 (B12) status is associated with adverse outcomes in pregnancy and infancy. Little is known about effects of B12 supplementation on immune function. The present study aimed to evaluate effects of pre- and postnatal B12 supplementation on biomarkers of B12 status and vaccine-specific responses in mothers and infants. METHOD: In a blinded, placebo-controlled trial, Bangladeshi women (n = 68, age 18-35 years, hemoglobin <110 g/L, 11-14 weeks pregnant) were randomized to receive 250 µg/day B12 or a placebo throughout pregnancy and 3-month postpartum along with 60 mg iron + 400 µg folate. Women were immunized with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine at 26- to 28-week gestation. Blood from mothers (baseline, 72-h post-delivery, 3-month postpartum), newborns and infants (3-month) was analyzed for hemoglobin, B12, methylmalonic acid (MMA), total homocysteine (tHcy), ferritin and serum transferrin receptor, C-reactive protein (CRP) and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). Vitamin B12 was also assessed in breast milk. H1N1-specific antibodies were determined in plasma and colostrum/breast milk. RESULTS: At baseline, 26% women were B12 deficient (<150 pmol/L), 40% had marginal status (150-220 pmol/L), 43% had elevated MMA (>271 nmol/L), and 31% had elevated tHcy (>10 µmol/L). Supplementation increased B12 in plasma, colostrums and breast milk (p < 0.05) and lowered MMA in neonates, mothers and infants at 3 months (p < 0.05). B12 supplementation significantly increased H1N1-specific IgA responses in plasma and colostrums in mothers and reduced proportion of infants with elevated AGP and CRP compared with placebo. CONCLUSION: Supplementation with 250 µg/day B12 during pregnancy and lactation substantially improved maternal, infant and breast milk B12 status. Maternal supplementation improved H1N1 vaccine-specific responses in mothers only and may alleviate inflammatory responses in infants.

The Bangladesh Risk of Acute Vascular Events (BRAVE) Study: objectives and design.

During recent decades, Bangladesh has experienced a rapid epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases. Coronary heart disease (CHD), with myocardial infarction (MI) as its main manifestation, is a major cause of death in the country. However, there is limited reliable evidence about its determinants in this population. The Bangladesh Risk of Acute Vascular Events (BRAVE) study is an epidemiological bioresource established to examine environmental, genetic, lifestyle and biochemical determinants of CHD among the Bangladeshi population. By early 2015, the ongoing BRAVE study had recruited over 5000 confirmed first-ever MI cases, and over 5000 controls "frequency-matched" by age and sex. For each participant, information has been recorded on demographic factors, lifestyle, socioeconomic, clinical, and anthropometric characteristics. A 12-lead electrocardiogram has been recorded. Biological samples have been collected and stored, including extracted DNA, plasma, serum and whole blood. Additionally, for the 3000 cases and 3000 controls initially recruited, genotyping has been done using the CardioMetabochip+ and the Exome+ arrays. The mean age (standard deviation) of MI cases is 53 (10) years, with 88 % of cases being male and 46 % aged 50 years or younger. The median interval between reported onset of symptoms and hospital admission is 5 h. Initial analyses indicate that Bangladeshis are genetically distinct from major non-South Asian ethnicities, as well as distinct from other South Asian ethnicities. The BRAVE study is well-placed to serve as a powerful resource to investigate current and future hypotheses relating to environmental, biochemical and genetic causes of CHD in an important but under-studied South Asian population.

Fetal femur length and risk of diabetes in adolescence: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is more apparent in adulthood but may be dormant in childhood and originates during early fetal development. In fetal biometry, femur length (FL) is crucial for assessing fetal growth and development. This study aimed to assess potential associations between fetal femur growth and prediabetic biomarkers in Bangladeshi children. METHODS: A cohort study embedded in a population-based maternal food and micronutrient supplementation (MINIMat) trial was conducted in Matlab, Bangladesh. The children in the cohort were followed up until 15 years of age. In the original trial, pregnancy was confirmed by ultrasound before 13 gestational weeks (GWs). Afterward, ultrasound assessments were performed at 14, 19, and 30 GWs. FL was measured from one end to the other, capturing a complete femoral image. The FL was standardized by GW, and a z-score was calculated. FBG and HbA1c levels were determined in plasma and whole blood, and the triglyceride-glucose index, a biomarker of insulin resistance, was calculated as Ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dl) × fasting glucose (mg/dl)/2]. Multivariable linear regression analysis using a generalized linear model was performed to estimate the effects of FL at 14, 19 and 30 GWs on prediabetic biomarkers at 9 and 15 years of age. Maternal micronutrient and food supplementation group, parity, child sex, and BMI at 9 years or 15 years were included as covariates. RESULTS: A total of 1.2% (6/515) of the participants had impaired fasting glucose during preadolescence, which increased to 3.5% (15/433) during adolescence. At 9 years, 6.3% (32/508) of the participants had elevated HbA1c%, which increased to 28% (120/431) at 15 years. Additionally, the TyG index increased from 9.5% (49/515) (during preadolescence) to 13% (56/433) (during adolescence). A one standard deviation decrease in FL at 14 and 19 GWs was associated with increased FBG (ß = - 0.44 [- 0.88, - 0.004], P = 0.048; ß = - 0.59 [- 1.12, - 0.05], P = 0.031) and HbA1c (ß = - 0.01; [- 0.03, -0.005], P = 0.007; ß = - 0.01 [- 0.03, - 0.003], P = 0.018) levels at 15 years. FL was not associated with diabetic biomarkers at 9 years. CONCLUSION: Mid-trimester impaired femur growth may be associated with elevated prediabetic biomarkers in Bangladeshi adolescents.

Antibody longevity and waning following COVID-19 vaccination in a 1-year longitudinal cohort in Bangladesh.

COVID-19 vaccines have been effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death, however, the effectiveness diminishes with time. Here, we evaluated the longevity of antibodies generated by COIVD-19 vaccines and the risk of (re)infection in Bangladeshi population. Adults receiving two doses of AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Sinopharm vaccines were enrolled at 2-4 weeks after second dosing and followed-up at 4-monthly interval for 1 year. Data on COVID-like symptoms, confirmed COVID-19 infection, co-morbidities, and receipt of booster dose were collected; blood was collected for measuring spike (S)- and nucleocapsid (N)-specific antibodies. S-specific antibody titers reduced by ~ 50% at 1st follow-up visit and continued to decline unless re-stimulated by booster vaccine dose or (re)infection. Individuals infected between follow-up visits showed significantly lower S-antibody titers at preceding visits compared to the uninfected individuals. Pre-enrolment infection between primary vaccination dosing exhibited 60% and 50% protection against reinfection at 5 and 9 months, respectively. mRNA vaccines provided highest odds of protection from (re)infection up to 5 months (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.08), however, protection persisted for 9 months in AstraZeneca vaccine recipients (OR = 0.06). In conclusion, vaccine-mediated protection from (re)infection is partially linked to elevated levels of S-specific antibodies. AstraZeneca vaccine provided the longest protection.

Community perceptions of state forest ownership and management: a case study of the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest in Bangladesh.

The Sundarbans Mangrove Forest (SMF) is the world's largest mangrove forest and it provides livelihoods to 3.5 million forest-dependent people in coastal Bangladesh. The first study aim was to analyse the efficacy of the state property regime in managing the forest through a close examination of the relationship between property rights and mangrove conservation practices. The second study aim was to explore forest-dependent communities' (FDCs) perceptions about their participation in management and conservation practices. The Schlager and Ostrom theoretical framework was adopted to examine the role of potential ownership variations in a common property resource regime. A survey of 412 FDC households was undertaken. Current management by the Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) does not result in implementation of mandated mangrove conservation practices. It was found that allocation of property rights to FDCs would be expected to increase conservation practices. 92% of respondents expressed the view that the evidenced rapid degradation over the past 30 years was due primarily to corruption in the BFD. About half of FDCs (46%) surveyed are willing to participate in mangrove conservation through involvement in management as proprietors. Consistent with Schlager and Ostrom's theory, the results indicate the necessity for de facto and de jure ownership and management change from a state to common property regime to ensure FDCs' participation in conservation practices.

Quantitative Monitoring of Cocrystal Polymorphisms in Model Tablets Using Transmission Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy.

Cocrystallization is a technique for improving the physical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients. However, cocrystals can transform into more stable polymorphs as well as dissociate to original materials. Therefore, an analytical technique is required to determine the polymorphic transformation quickly and accurately in tablets. The purpose of this study is to develop a method to monitor cocrystal polymorphs in model tablets using transmission low-frequency Raman spectroscopy. The tablets, consisting of only metastable polymorphs of caffeine-glutaric acid cocrystals, were stored under various relative humidity levels. The composition of the cocrystal polymorphs were calculated from a calibration curve relating the actual composition to the predicted values calculated by partial least squares regression processing of low-frequency Raman spectra. The metastable form gradually converted to a stable form, and polymorphic phase transformation occurred with increasing relative humidity. Ninety-six percent of the metastable form converted into a stable form stored at 25 °C after 3 h at 95% RH. In conclusion, transmission low-frequency Raman spectroscopy can be used to quantitatively monitor cocrystal polymorphs. This technique is one of the candidate techniques to quantifiably evaluate the physico-chemical stability of cocrystal polymorphs in tablets.