A Retrospective Study of Covid-19 Patients: A Real-Life Experience in a Secondary Care Hospital, Jashore, Bangladesh.

Covid-19 was first detected on 8th March of 2020 in Bangladesh after the global pandemic being started. As a new virus and disease there are scarcity of data of SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19 respectively in our country. Aim of this study is to assess the demographic characteristics, clinical profiles, underlying co-morbid conditions, treatment pattern and outcome of the SARS-CoV-2 positive patients in Jashore, Bangladesh. This retrospective study recruited 208 RT-PCR positive Covid-19 patients from 1st April 2020 to 15th May 2020 who appeared at Flu corner centre, 250 Bedded General Hospital, Jashore, Bangladesh. Data was collected online through telephone, mobile and email due to the high contagious property of Covid-19. Out of total 208 Covid-19 patients, the mean age of the participants was 37.0±15.0 years with a male and female ratio of 2.06:1. Underlying comorbidities were documented in 36.5% of total Covid-19 patents of which hypertension in 16.3%, diabetes in 14.4%, respiratory diseases in 8.7% and pre-existing coronary arterial diseases in 6.3% patients. Though 17.8% Covid-19 patients were asymptomatic, the most common symptoms were fever (68.8%), cough (30.8%), myalgia (30.8%), sore throat (22.1%), vertigo (21.6%), respiratory distress (20.7%), anorexia (17.8%), nasal congestion (16.3%), nausea or vomiting (13.9%) and diarrhoea (13.0%). Whereas, the symptomatic patients were classified as flu-like illness (77.9%), mild to moderate pneumonia (2.4%) and severe pneumonia (1.9%). Many patients (19.2%) recovered spontaneously and 22.1% patients cured by the only simple symptomatic treatment. The most commonly received antibiotics were Azithromycin and Doxycycline. Home stay management was demonstrated in 73.1% patients, whereas, 26.0% patients required general ward admission and only 0.9% patients required referral for the HDU or ICU management with an average duration of hospital stay of 16±6 days. A high satisfactory outcome was found as evident by complete recovery in 98.08% of Covid-19 patients, complications (0.48%) and fatality (1.44%) even in this secondary care center. Therefore, we can conclude that the disease was well managed with highly satisfactory outcomes even in the low resource health care setting in the early stage of Covid-19 pandemic era. Hence, the early case detection, identification of the high-risk groups and proper management may mitigate to develop complications and fatalities of Covid-19.

Temporal evolution of electron cloud in a cylindrical Penning trap at room temperature.

The temporal evolution of the electron cloud at room temperature has been recorded through a resonance circuit by observing the axial oscillation frequency of its center of mass. The electron cloud undergoes radial expansion by interacting with the residual gas molecules, and it is finally lost upon hitting the Penning trap electrodes. It has been confirmed through detailed experimental investigations that the unique temporal pattern of frequency variation is a consequence of the cloud's radial expansion. Consequently, this approach offers a non-destructive means for single-shot detection, enabling continuous monitoring of the electron cloud's radial expansion during the confinement time. This technique offers a significant advantage over its destructive alternatives.

A thermo-mechanically loaded rotating FGM cylindrical pressure vessels under parabolic changing properties: An analytical and numerical analysis.

This study aims to develop an exact analytical solution for steady-state thermo-mechanical stress in a functionally graded (FG) thick-walled cylindrical vessel. The cylinder is subjected to combined rotational speed and internal pressures while the thermal load is with convective and radiative boundary conditions. The dimensionless governing equations and boundary conditions, represented as a quartic equation, are derived and solved using Ferrari's method. The temperature, displacement, and stress fields across the thick-walled cylindrical vessel are calculated by finding the roots of the quartic equation. In order to investigate the accuracy of the exact analytical solution, a numerical model is constructed based on a standard Galerkin discretization approach of the finite element method (FEM). The analytical solutions and the results obtained through FEM show a high level of agreement. Furthermore, the study analyzes the effects of material parameters on temperature, displacement, and stress fields. Displacement, temperature, and stress fields are presented in the form of dimensionless graphs along the radial direction. For the considered parametric studies, results revealed that parabolic grading is beneficial than conventional grading. This study reveals that for the thermal loading, the maximum temperature, displacement, and tangential stress decrease for the parabolic grading. A similar but lower value of temperature, displacement, and tangential stress is also observed in the case of thermomechanical loading. This study is expected to assist in the assessment of the reliability of load calculations and contribute to the overall durability of pressure vessels. The results obtained from this study can provide valuable insights into thermo-elasticity and the thermo-mechanical behavior of thick-walled cylindrical vessels and can aid in the design and optimization of such systems.

Analysis of Socio Demographic Risk Factors of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia at Colposcopic Clinic in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.

Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is a pre-malignant lesion of the cervix of uterus. Several risk factors increased the risk of developing CIN. Purpose of this study was to evaluate the socio-demographic risk factors related to CIN at our setting. This Cross sectional observational study was performed at Colposcopic clinic of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH), Mymensingh, Bangladesh from 9th November 2017 to 8th May 2018. Overall demographic features of 50 patients of precancerous cervical lesion show that, most of the patients belonged to the age group 30-39 years (46.0%), mean age was 32.7±10.3 years. Maximum numbers of respondents came from rural area (58.0%), followed by urban area (42.0%). Among them house wife- 46.0%, daily worker- 30.0% and illiterate 36.0%, primary level of education 32.6%. Among the patients the poor class 46.0% and 58.0% of the respondents were married at age ≤19 year. Among the respondents, (26.0%) were conceived their first child 1 month after their marriage and 54.0% of the women within 12 months of marriage. In this study multipara were (62.0%). Oral contraceptive pill was taken by (42.0%) of patients. The association of risk factors revealed that betel or tobacco chewing present in 28.0% cases; history of menstrual regulation (MR), dilatation, evacuation and curettage (DE&C), miscarriage were in 26.0% cases, family history of cancer were in 16.0% cases and multiple sexual exposure was in 10.0% cases. Women develop pre-malignant cervical lesions require early treatment. It is recommended that provision of proper health care support, early detection of CIN and proper management, can reduce the fatal outcome of the disease.

Chitosan coated graphene oxide incorporated sodium alginate hydrogel beads for the controlled release of amoxicillin.

Biopolymers are crucial in pharmaceuticals, particularly for controlled drug release. In this study, we loaded the broad-spectrum antibacterial drug amoxicillin into sodium alginate, a well-known biopolymer. Graphene oxide was incorporated into the composite, and the hydrogel beads were coated with chitosan for its mucoadhesive properties. Various composites were formulated by adjusting the weight percentage of graphene oxide (GO). The fabricated beads demonstrated controlled and sustained drug release, with 98 % of the loaded drug molecules released over 24 h at gastric pH. The antibacterial test using the disc diffusion technique confirmed the drug release, exhibiting greater effectiveness against the gram-positive bacterium S. aureus than the gram-negative bacterium E. coli. The drug release data were optimized using zero order, first order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. The experimental data were best fit to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model with a relatively higher correlation coefficient value. Biocompatibility was evaluated through a cell viability test using mouse fibroblast cell lines (L929). The MTT viability assay confirmed high levels of cytocompatibility, even at higher concentrations (100 µg/mL), with 98.15 % viable cells. These results highlight the potential of the fabricated beads as an effective amoxicillin drug delivery system with biomedical applications.

Delta power during sleep is modulated by EEG-gated auricular vagal afferent nerve stimulation (EAVANS).

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has many clinical applications under development. In particular, there is a large interest in transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) because it is non-invasive and provides easy access to neuromodulation. The present study proposes a novel approach for electroencephalography (EEG)-gated taVNS, with the ultimate goal of enhancing therapeutic outcomes, including for the treatment of delirium. Delirium arises from an altered state of consciousness and is the most common neuropsychiatric disorder observed in hospitalized patients, especially the elderly. Delirium has been linked to specific disturbances in EEG rhythms. Here, we propose an EEG-gated auricular vagal afferent nerve stimulation (EAVANS) approach to deliver stimulation targeting a specific instantaneous phase of the EEG Delta rhythm to modulate arousal and downstream reduction of neuroinflammation, two of the contributing factors to delirium. We hypothesize that treatment with EAVANS will modulate Delta power, which has been linked with delirium. As dominant Delta power is also a typical feature of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, we applied a prototype of an EAVANS device on healthy volunteers during sleep to establish preliminary validation. We successfully employed our closed-loop approach to target vagal afference during the rising Delta phase in the range [-π/2 0] radians. We found a significant reduction in Delta wave power for stimulation during the rising Delta phase compared to 1) absence of stimulation, 2) active stimulation during the descending Delta phase, and 3) active stimulation targeting non-vagal territory (i.e. greater auricular nerve) during the rising Delta phase. Further validation of our EEG-gated taVNS approach in the peri-operative period will be needed. As there is presently a lack of effective treatments for delirium, our non-pharmacological and non-invasive approach, if validated, could be easily deployed in clinical settings.Clinical Relevance- Given the serious health consequences and costs associated with delirium, and the absence of effective non-pharmacological treatments, the proposed neuromodulatory approach may be a promising option for reducing delirium and other disorders of consciousness. Our EAVANS prototype system has been tested on healthy volunteers during a NREM sleep state and will require further validation in different patient populations to optimize the proposed technology and gather more evidence to support its clinical utility. This novel non-pharmacological and non-invasive closed-loop neuromodulatory device could be used peri-operatively and in inpatient hospital settings to treat patients at risk of developing delirium. For instance, in a pre-operative setting, this technology may provide an effective preventative "pre-habilitation" approach for patients at high risk of developing delirium. Post-operatively, our technology may help manage patients with delirium more effectively.

Assessment of CT perfusion indices of the clinicoradiological response to anti-tubercular therapy in patients with intestinal tuberculosis.

AIM: To explore the possibility of using a novel technique, CT perfusion imaging, to monitor the response to anti-tubercular therapy (ATT) in patients with intestinal tuberculosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study was performed in adults with treatment naive-intestinal tuberculosis. Clinical, endoscopic, and conventional radiological findings of patients were compared at baseline and post-ATT. CT perfusion imaging was performed with recording of six perfusion parameters (blood flow, blood volume, mean transit time, time to peak, maximum peak intensity, and permeability/blood flow extraction). RESULTS: Twenty-two patients (13 women, 59%) with a median age of 25 years were recruited. The terminal ileum and ileocaecal junction were the most frequent sites of involvement (59%), with multiple segments of the intestine being involved in 16 patients (73%). Median duration of ATT was 6 months (range 6-10 months). Complete clinical response was observed in 22/22 (100%) patients, endoscopic response in 12/12 (100%) patients, and radiological response in 10/13 (76%) patients. There was a significant decrease in mean blood flow, blood volume, maximum peak intensity, and an increase in mean transit time and time to peak on follow-up CT perfusion imaging performed after 6 months of ATT. CONCLUSION: Significant alterations in CT perfusion parameters were demonstrated following treatment, consistent with a decline in inflammation and vascularity. CT perfusion imaging of the bowel is a novel means to assess the radiological response to ATT in intestinal tuberculosis, although at the cost of a higher dose of radiation exposure.

Epidemiology of cancers among older adults in India: findings from the National Cancer Registry Programme.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes the epidemiology, clinical extent of disease at diagnosis and treatment modalities of cancer among older adults (aged 60 years and older) in India. STUDY DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of the National Cancer Registry Programme, which includes 28 Population-Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs) and 96 Hospital-Based Cancer Registries (HBCRs). METHODS: PBCR data were used to estimate the incidence in terms of crude rate (CR), age-adjusted incidence rate (AAR), age-specific rate (ASpR) and cumulative risk. Trends in the AAR were calculated with the Annual Percentage Change (APC) using join-point regression. HBCR data were used to describe the clinical extent of the disease at diagnosis and the treatment modalities. RESULTS: There is a wide heterogeneity across the country for the incidence of cancer and for the leading cancer sites among older adults. Males had a higher incidence rate compared to females in the majority of the registries. Aizawl had the highest AARs among both genders (males: 1388.8; females: 1033.0). Females had the highest ASpR at 65-69 years (482.8), whereas for males it was above 75 years (710.4). Cervical, stomach and oesophageal cancers were on the decline. The incidence of cancer among older adults was estimated to increase by 13.5% in 2025 as compared to 2020. CONCLUSION: The increasing cancer incidence among older adults in India poses a huge burden on the health system. There is a need to increase their participation in clinical trials, advocating comprehensive geriatric assessment and strengthening geriatric oncology within programs addressing older adult's care to deal with the rising cancer burden on the health system borne by them.

Troponin I Elevation after Elective Percutaneous Coronary Interventions: Prevalence and Risk Factors.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the most important modalities of treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD). Minor extents of injury to the myocardium have been observed even after successful PCI. This peri-procedural injury might therefore reduce some of the beneficial effects of coronary revascularization. The objective of this hospital based comparative observational study was to determine the prevalence of post procedural Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) elevation after elective PCI and also to find out the relation with risk factors such as age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking, anemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, family history, left ventricular dysfunction, renal insufficiency, type of stent, number of stent and length of stent. This was a hospital based comparative observational study carried out in the Department of Cardiology, Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Chattogram, Bangladesh from July 2018 to June 2019. A total of 50 patients who underwent elective PCI were included as sampled by purposive sampling method. Serum cTnI was measured by FIA8000 quantitative immunoassay analyzer with an analytical measurement before and at 24 hours of PCI. Value >1.0ng/ml was considered elevated. Univariate and multivariate analysis were applied to assess predictors for the occurrence of post-procedural elevation of cTnI. The mean±SD age of the study population was 54.96±9.1 years (range 35-74 years) and 34(68.0%) patients were male. Regarding cardiovascular risk factors, 17(34.0%) patients had diabetes mellitus, 27(54.0%) had dyslipidemia, 30(60.0%) had hypertension, 32(64.0%) were current or ex-smokers and 20(40.0%) had a family history of CAD. Eighteen patients (36.0%) had post-procedural cTnI elevation but only 8(16.0%) had significant (>1.0ng/ml) elevation. Change of cTnI before and at 24 hours of PCI was not significant (p=0.057). Cardiac Troponin I increase was related to age, pre-procedural serum creatinine and multi-vessel stenting. Minor elevation of cTnI was common following elective PCI and associated with few risk factors such as elderly patient (more than 50 years), raised serum creatinine and multi-vessel stenting. So, early detection of these risk factors, as well as effective intervention may help to prevent injury to cardiac tissue hence stop elevation of cardiac TnI following elective PCI.

Bacteriological Profile of Hospital Acquired Infection and Their Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

A hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is acquired in a hospital or other health care facilities. This is an extra burden in every unit of hospital as it increases the morbidity, mortality, cost of treatment and also duration of the hospital stays for the patients. This study aimed to find out the causative bacterial agents of HAI from different clinical samples and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in the Department of Microbiology and Virology, Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College, in collaboration with in-patient departments of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital from January 2019 to December 2019. A total of 123 patients of different ages, sex were enrolled in this study. Samples were collected from postoperative wounds, post catheterized urinary tract infections, diabetic wounds and intravenous cannula from Surgery ward, Medicine ward and Obstetrics & Gynecology ward. Standard laboratory procedures were applied to isolate and identify the bacteria. The identified organisms were then tested for anti biogram. Among 123 patients 46 (37.4%) were affected by hospital acquired infections. Higher prevalence (n=28, 60.87%) of HAI was found in Surgery ward and the lower prevalence (n=9, 19.56%) was found in Medicine ward and Obstetrics & Gynecology ward. The most common type of infection was surgical wound infection (20, 43.48%). Out of all the HAIs irrespective of source and site, highest number were done by Staphylococcus aureus (15, 30.61%) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (08, 16.33%), Escherichia coli (07, 14.29%), Serratia spp. (05, 6.12%), Aeromonas spp. (05, 6.12%), Acinetobacter spp. (02, 4.08%), Proteus spp. (02, 4.08%), Citrobacter spp. (02, 4.08%), Klebsiella spp. (02, 4.08%), CoNS (02, 4.08%), Enterobacter spp. (01, 2.04%) and Morganella morganii (01, 2.04%). The antimicrobial susceptibility data suggested that Gram positive bacteria are more susceptible to doxycycline, vancomycin and linezolid; while Gram negative bacteria were more susceptible to imipenem, levofloxacin and meropenem.

Respiratory Complications of COVID-19 Survivors in Bangladesh: A Radiological Evaluation.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing percentage of COVID-19 survivors exhibit post-COVID symptoms. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess radiological findings in individuals having post-COVID respiratory problems. This study was conducted in the Departments of Radiology and Imaging and Internal Medicine, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from November 2021 to June 2022 and included 30 COVID survivors aged 40 to 65 years. We employed a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire including socio-demographic information, clinical data and CT chest imaging parameters. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated, as well as multiple linear regressions. Among 30 participants, 56.0% were male. The mean age of the respondents was 51.20 years (standard deviation of 7.09), ranging from 40 to 65 years. Approximately one-third of the participants had at least one co-morbid condition where hypertension (26.67%), diabetes (26.67%), chronic interstitial lung disease (16.67%) and obesity (16.67%) were most commonly recorded. Approximately 20.0% of participants were smokers. The incident of at least one post-COVID symptom was 100.0%. Approximately 73.0% presented with post-COVID lethargy, 16.67% with SoB (Shortness of Breath), and 90.0% of participants complaint of self-reported anxiety. We have found a positive correlation between age and overall lung involvement. The most common lung tomographic findings were fibrosis (93.0%) and diffuse ground glass opacity (70.0%). Interstitial lung thickening was found in 50.0% of cases and bronchiectasis accounted for 16.67%. In 6.6% of cases, there was no pulmonary lesion. It was notifiable that, with time, the feature of DGGO (diffuse ground glass opacity) became subtle and the total lung involvement decreased from 75.0% to about 25.0% during the post-COVID period. Timely assessment for post-COVID pulmonary sequelae by high-resolution CT chest scan might play an important role in modulating a treatment plan for patients suffering from the post-COVID syndrome.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Bicuspid Aortic Valve: A Case Report.

Among other valvular heart disease Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common in the developed world. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is most acceptable treatment option for patient with severely calcified aortic stenosis with high and intermediate risk group. Among several challenges, one of the main challenges is to deal with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Non-circular annulus, bulky leaflets leading to perivalvular leaks and risk for rupture and often very severe calcification may contribute to periprocedural strokes leading to poor clinical outcome. This case, a 68-year-old woman with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), hypothyroidism, bicuspid aortic valve and severe aortic stenosis, bronchial asthma, who had repeatedly refused any suggestion for open heart surgery, was our volunteer candidate for TAVR. After successful TAVR the peak pressure gradient decreased from 100mmHg to 17mmHg. So, TAVR could be a viable option for highly selected patients with severe aortic stenosis and bicuspid aortic valve who have favourable anatomy.

A rapid assessment of stubble burning and air pollutants from satellite observations.

For the last several years, the air quality of India's capital Delhi and surrounding region (NCR) has been degrading to a very poor and severe category during the autumn season. In addition to the various sources of air pollutants within the NCR region, the stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana states contributes to the poor air quality in this region. The current study employs the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fire products and TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) products on carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations for spatio-temporal assessment of stubble burning and associated emissions. The analysis performed in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform indicated a nearly threefold rise in crop residue burning in November than in October, with 92.58% and 7.42% reported from Punjab and the Haryana states in November, respectively. The study highlights the availability of near-real-time remote sensing observations and the utility of the GEE platform for rapid assessment of stubble burning and emissions thereof, having the potential for developing mitigation strategies.

Identification of differentially expressed genes and SNPs linked to harvest body weight of genetically improved rohu carp, Labeo rohita.

In most of the aquaculture selection programs, harvest body weight has been a preferred performance trait for improvement. Molecular interplay of genes linked to higher body weight is not elucidated in major carp species. The genetically improved rohu carp with 18% average genetic gain per generation with respect to harvest body weight is a promising candidate for studying genes' underlying performance traits. In the present study, muscle transcriptome sequencing of two groups of individuals, with significant difference in breeding value, belonging to the tenth generation of rohu carp was performed using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. A total of 178 million paired-end raw reads were generated to give rise to 173 million reads after quality control and trimming. The genome-guided transcriptome assembly and differential gene expression produced 11,86,119 transcripts and 451 upregulated and 181 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between high-breeding value and low-breeding value (HB & LB) groups, respectively. Similarly, 39,158 high-quality coding SNPs were identified with the Ts/Tv ratio of 1.23. Out of a total of 17 qPCR-validated transcripts, eight were associated with cellular growth and proliferation and harbored 13 SNPs. The gene expression pattern was observed to be positively correlated with RNA-seq data for genes such as myogenic factor 6, titin isoform X11, IGF-1 like, acetyl-CoA, and thyroid receptor hormone beta. A total of 26 miRNA target interactions were also identified to be associated with significant DETs (p-value < 0.05). Genes such as Myo6, IGF-1-like, and acetyl-CoA linked to higher harvest body weight may serve as candidate genes in marker-assisted breeding and SNP array construction for genome-wide association studies and genomic selection.

Synthesis of Transition-Metal-Doped Nanocatalysts with Antibacterial Capabilities Using a Complementary Green Method.

A facile single-step wet chemical synthesis of a transition-metal-doped molybdate derivative was achieved via an Ocimum tenuiflorum extract-mediated green approach. The Synthesized nanomaterials of doped molybdate were characterized by optical and other spectroscopic techniques, which confirmed the size of nanocrystalline (~27.3 nm). The thermal stability of the nanomaterials confirmed through thermogravimetric analysis showed similarity with nanomaterials of Mn-ZnMoO4. Moreover, the nanoparticles displayed a non-toxic nature and showed antibactericidal activity. The impact of doping was reflected in band gap measurements; undoped ZnMoO4 showed relatively lower band gap in comparison to Mn-doped ZnMoO4. In the presence of light, ZnMoO4 nanomaterials a exhibited photocatalytic response to solochrome dark blue dye with a concentration of 50 ppm. OH- and O2*- radicals also destroyed the blue color of the dye within 2 min and showed potential antibactericidal activity towards both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, representing a unique application of the green-synthesized nanocatalyst.

Silver nanoparticles green synthesized with leaf extract of disease-resistant amaranthus genotypes effectively suppress leaf blight (Rhizoctonia solani Kühn) disease in a susceptible red amaranthus cultivar.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were green synthesized using leaf extract of the leaf blight disease (Rhizoctonia solani) susceptible red amaranthus (Amaranthus tricolor L.) and the disease-resistant green (A. dubius) and the wild amaranthus (A. viridis) genotypes, physically characterized, and assessed for their anti-fungal effects against R. solani. The green synthesized nanostructures showed an absorption maximum typical of silver nanoparticles in spectroscopy, and face-centered cubic structures in X-ray diffraction. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed the size range to be 35-45 nm for all the samples. In vitro mycelial growth inhibition of the pathogen occurred with 500 and 750 ppm concentrations of the nanoparticles in a poisoned-food assay. Further, detached leaves of red amaranthus variety were sprayed with the nanoparticles, and then challenged with the pathogen. There was significant difference in lesion development on leaves sprayed with Ad-AgNPs and Av-AgNPs compared to those treated with At-AgNPs. In the in vivo assay, challenging with the pathogen after spraying the foliage of the leaf blight susceptible red amaranthus variety with Ad-AgNPs at 750 ppm concentration recorded the lowest disease index (7.40) followed by that received Av-AgNPs spray at the same concentration (17.69), five days after inoculation. At-AgNPs treated plants had a disease index of 49.38. Our findings suggest that application of AgNPs green synthesized with leaf extract of disease-resistant genotypes of amaranthus effectively suppressed leaf blight disease incidence in a susceptible amaranthus genotype. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the improved plant pathogen-suppressive activity of any metal nanoparticle when biogenically synthesized using extracts from a disease-resistant plant genotype.

Relaparotomy after Cesarean Section: Experience in a Tertiary Referral Hospital.

This study was aimed at exploring the causes of relaparotomy following caesarean section. The surgical procedures performed during relaparotomy were also discussed. This was a prospective study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH), Mymensingh, Bangladesh from November 2020 to May 2021. MMCH is the largest referral Hospital in Mymensingh. During this study period 48 puerpera needed relaparotomy after caesarean section within 6 weeks of caesarean section. The frequency of relaparotomy was 2.6%. Of the 48 cases, 28(58.33%) cases needed relaparotomy due to post partum haemorrhage (PPH). Among them 9(18.75%) had primary PPH, 19(39.58%) patients had secondary PPH. Here 7(14.58%) patients suffered from sub rectus hematoma, 5(10.42%) patients had puerperal sepsis, 3(6.23%) had internal haemorrhage and 4(8.33%) women had wound dehiscence. Foreign body was removed in 1 case (2.08%). Main procedure performed was subtotal (45.83%) and total hysterectomy (25%). Coagulation failure and septicaemia were causes of maternal death. Case fatality rate was 4.17%. Obstetric patients who need relaparotomy face potential death. This study will help us to identify the causes for relaparotomy. Due precautions should be taken as far as possible to avoid this complications following caesarean section and thereby reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.

Complementary base pair interactions between different rare tautomers of the second-generation artificial genetic alphabets.

The functionality of a semisynthetic DNA in the biological environment will depend on the base pair nature of its complementary base pairs. To understand this, base pair interactions between complementary bases of recently proposed eight second-generation artificial nucleobases are studied herein by considering their rare tautomeric conformations and a dispersion-corrected density functional theoretic method. It is found that the binding energies of two hydrogen-bonded complementary base pairs are more negative than those of the three hydrogen-bonded base pairs. However, as the former base pairs are endothermic, the semisynthetic duplex DNA would involve the latter base pairs.

Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Reinforced Hydrogels for Sustained Delivery of Molecular Cargo.

Hydrogels have emerged as important soft materials with numerous applications in fields including biomedicine, biomimetic smart materials, and electrochemistry. Because of their outstanding photo-physical properties and prolonged colloidal stability, the serendipitous findings of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have introduced a new topic of investigation for materials scientists. CQDs confined polymeric hydrogel nanocomposites have emerged as novel materials with integrated properties of the individual constituents, resulting in vital uses in the realm of soft nanomaterials. Immobilizing CQDs within hydrogels has been shown to be a smart tactic for preventing the aggregation-caused quenching effect and also for manipulating the characteristics of hydrogels and introducing new properties. The combination of these two very different types of materials results in not only structural diversity but also significant improvements in many property aspects, leading to novel multifunctional materials. This review covers the synthesis of doped CQDs, different fabrication techniques for nanostructured materials made of CQDs and polymers, as well as their applications in sustained drug delivery. Finally, a brief overview of the present market and future perspectives are discussed.