Transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided pelvic plexus block to reduce pain during prostate biopsy: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of pelvic plexus block (PPB) in reducing pain during transrectal ultrasonography(TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy, compared with the conventional periprostatic nerve block (PNB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective, double-blind observational study was conducted with patients being randomised into three groups. Group-1 (47 patients) received intrarectal local anaesthesia (IRLA) with 10 mL 2% lignocaine jelly along with pelvic plexus block (PPB) with 2.5 mL 2% lignocaine injection bilaterally. Group-2 (46 patients) received IRLA with periprostatic nerve block (PNB). Group-3 (46 patients) received only IRLA without any type of nerve block. The patients were requested to rate the level of pain from 0 to 10 on a visual analogue scale (VAS) at two time points: VAS-1: during biopsy procedure and VAS-2: 30 min after the procedure. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients, mean volume of the prostates and mean serum PSA values were comparable among the three groups. The mean pain score during biopsy was significantly less in the PPB group [mean (range) sore of 2.91 (2-4)] compared with the PNB group [mean (range) score of 4 (3-5)], and both these groups were superior to the no nerve block group [mean score of 5.4 (3-7)]. There was no significant difference between the mean pain scores, 30 min after the procedure among the three groups with the mean (range) scores being 2.75 (2-4), 2.83 (2-4) and 2.85 (2-4), respectively. CONCLUSION: PPB is superior to conventional periprostatic nerve block (PNB) for pain control during TRUS-guided biopsy and both are in turn superior to no nerve block.

Parameatal Cyst : A report of Two Cases and Review of Literature.

Cyst formation in the parameatal area is a relatively rare entity and not many cases have been reported in the literature. Two such cases are reported here. First patient was a 46 year old sexually active male who developed a spherical, cystic swelling of 1 cm in size on right lip of external urethral meatus. The second case was a 4 year old boy who presented with asymptomatic recurrent left parameatal swelling. In both the cases, cysts were completely excised and defects were sutured. Histologically, the cyst walls were lined by tall squamous and columnar epithelium. Good cosmetic results were obtained in these two cases without any recurrence at 2 two months follow up.

Evaluation of antibacterial activity, in-vitro cytotoxicity and catalytic activity of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles using leaf extracts of Leea macrophylla.

Nanotechnology has become a cutting-edge field of research that has emerged as an interdisciplinary research area and contributes to almost every field of science. With the increasing demand for sustainable greener products, attention has recently been focused on green nanotechnology. This study manifested the aptitude of Leea macrophylla (LM) leaf extract, fortified with phytochemicals, to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for the first time. As soon as the AgNPs were biosynthesized, they immediately changed color, and the distinctive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) occurred at 420 nm in the Ultraviolet-Visible spectrum, proving that the biosynthesis had been successful. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to examine the phytochemicals present in the LM leaf extract, those are accountable for the formation and stabilization of AgNPs. The Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) revealed the formation of quasi spherical silver nanoparticles with an average diameter of 22.77 nm. Synthesized nanoparticles were further characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron microscope (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The production of AgNPs with high metal content from LM leaf extract exhibited encouraging results. The LM leaf extract mediated silver nanoparticles evinced significant antibacterial and catalytic activities. The cytotoxicity effects of biosynthesized AgNPs were tested on brine shrimps.

Analysis of bioactive compounds present in different crude extracts of Benincasa hispida and Cucurbita moschata seeds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Plant seeds are the resources of many different bioactive components. The chemical composition of the different crude extracts from Benincasa hispida (White pumpkin) and Cucurbita moschata (Pumpkin) seeds with three different polarity-based solvents (n-hexane, n-hexane-chloroform (2:1), and methanol) was analyzed to identify the biologically active compounds. Each of the extracts was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Different extracts of targeted seeds showed different biologically active compounds that have different pharmacological potentialities. 9, 12-Octadecadienoic acid (ZZ) was the most potent bioactive compound present in three different extracts of both B. hispida and C. moschata. Another bioactive compound comparatively low percentage present in both plants was n-hexadecanoic acid. Other major pharmacologically active compounds present in both plants were 9- Octadecenoic acid (Z)-, methyl ester, and 9, 12-Octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (E, E). Besides these compounds, a few more biologically active compounds were present in the two plants separately. The findings of this study support the use of these seeds in modern functional foods, nutraceuticals, and medicinal purposes, and the whole seeds would give better health benefits rather than use any extract. Although further pharmacological examinations should be carried out to conclude the medicinal application of the seeds of these two plants as well as to understand the mechanism of the potential health benefits.

Nutritional characterization and antioxidant properties of various edible portions of Cucurbita maxima: A potential source of nutraceuticals.

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) is a widely grown vegetable in Bangladesh and is known as the sole supplier of various nutrients. Many studies evidence the nutritional value of flesh and seed while peel, flower, and leaves were reported scarcely with limited information. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the nutritional composition and antioxidant properties of flesh, peel, seed, leaves, and flowers of Cucurbita maxima. The seed had a remarkable composition of nutrients and amino acids. Flowers and leaves possessed higher content of minerals, phenols, flavonoids, carotenes, and total antioxidant activity. The order of IC50 value (peel > seed > leaves > flesh > flower) indicates higher DPPH radicals scavenging activity of the flower. Moreover, a significant positive relationship was observed among these phytochemical constituents (TPC, TFC, TCC, TAA) and DPPH radicals scavenging activity. It could be concluded that these five parts of the pumpkin plant have an intense potency to be an exigent component of functional food or medicinal herbs.

Nutritional characteristics and antiradical activity of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.), and carrot (Daucus carota L.) grown in Bangladesh.

Curcuma longa L. (turmeric), Beta vulgaris L. (beetroot), and Daucus carota L. (carrot) grown in Bangladesh were analyzed for nutritional and phytochemical contents to reveal their comparative nutritional compositions and antiradical properties. Ash, protein, and carbohydrate content were significantly preeminent in beetroot as compared to others. Whereas fat content was found to be high in turmeric, carrots contained a great percentage of crude fiber. Beetroot was shown to have much greater potassium, calcium, and iron levels than others. Regarding amino acids, glutamic acid was found to be greater in beetroot and carrot whereas turmeric had significantly high aspartic acid content. Leucine had the highest concentration among essential amino acids in these three samples. Total antioxidant activity, total flavonoids, and phenolic contents in the methanolic extract of turmeric were found to be substantially higher than in beetroot and carrot. Furthermore, the extract of turmeric (IC50 value: 13.46 µg/mL) scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) free radicals considerably to a greater extent than beetroot (IC50 value: 380.61 µg/mL) and carrot (IC50 value: 1252.85 µg/mL). A positive correlation was found between the phytochemical contents and antiradical activity. The information from this study will help to find the potential ingredients from these plants for functional food.

In silico exploration of Serratia sp. BRL41 genome for detecting prodigiosin Biosynthetic Gene Cluster (BGC) and in vitro antimicrobial activity assessment of secreted prodigiosin.

The raising concern of drug resistance, having substantial impacts on public health, has instigated the search of new natural compounds with substantial medicinal activity. In order to find out a natural solution, the current study has utilized prodigiosin, a linear tripyrrole red pigment, as an active ingredient to control bacterial proliferation and prevent cellular oxidation caused by ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species). A prodigiosin-producing bacterium BRL41 was isolated from the ancient Barhind soil of BCSIR Rajshahi Laboratories, Bangladesh, and its morphological and biochemical characteristics were investigated. Whole genome sequencing data of the isolate revealed its identity as Serratia sp. and conferred the presence of prodigiosin gene cluster in the bacterial genome. "Prodigiosin NRPS", among the 10 analyzed gene clusters, showed 100% similarity with query sequences where pigC, pigH, pigI, and pigJ were identified as fundamental genes for prodigiosin biosynthesis. Some other prominent clusters for synthesis of ririwpeptides, yersinopine, trichrysobactin were also found in the chromosome of BRL41, whilst the rest displayed less similarity with query sequences. Except some first-generation beta-lactam resistance genes, no virulence and resistance genes were found in the genome of BRL41. Structural illumination of the extracted red pigment by spectrophotometric scanning, Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and change of color at different pH solutions verified the identity of the isolated compound as prodigiosin. Serratia sp. BRL41 attained its maximum productivity 564.74 units/cell at temperature 30˚C and pH 7.5 in two-fold diluted nutrient broth medium. The compound exhibited promising antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) and MBC (Minimum Bactericidal Concentration) values ranged from 3.9 to15.62 µg/mL and 7.81 to 31.25 µg/mL respectively. At concentration 500 µg/mL, except in Salmonella enterica ATCC-10708, prodigiosin significantly diminished biofilm formed by Listeria monocytogens ATCC-3193, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC-9027, Escherichia coli (environmental isolate), Staphylococcus aureus (environmental isolate). Cellular glutathione level (GSH) was elevated upon application of 250 and 500 µg/mL pigment where 125 µg/mL failed to show any free radical scavenging activity. Additionally, release of cellular components in growth media of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were facilitated by the extract that might be associated with cell membrane destabilization. Therefore, the overall findings of antimicrobial, antibiofilm and antioxidant activities suggest that in time to come prodigiosin might be a potential natural source to treat various diseases and infections.

Identification and Growth Characterization of a Novel Strain of Saccharomyces boulardii Isolated From Soya Paste.

The nonpathogenic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) has beneficial effects on the human intestine, and thus has been prescribed as probiotics for the treatment of diarrhea and gastrointestinal diseases. This is the only commercialized yeast with the purpose of being used as human medicine. Currently, little is known about their multiple mechanisms of actions. The S. boulardii yeast strain is isolated and identified by using the BIOLOGTM microarray identification system and morphologically. To understand its functional roles, the present study investigates the ability of this yeast to tolerate different concentrations of bile salt up to 2.5%, cell hydrophobicity, antioxidants, autoaggregation activity, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The effect of temperatures (up to 50°C), pH (up to 8.0), and salinity (at best 7%) was also monitored on the growth and survival of the yeast cell. The physicochemical analyses revealed that S. boulardii could survive in stomach conditions at pH 2.5, temperature 37°C, and 2% bile salt. Antibiotic susceptibility of S. boulardii was carried out using commercial antibiotic discs. The antimicrobial activity of the isolated S. boulardii against bacterial pathogens related to diarrhea diseases was in-vitro determined by the Well Diffusion method. The biosafety assay findings also claimed S. boulardii could be a potential probiotic. The experimental findings suggest that the isolated S. boulardii possesses excellent probiotic capacities as a biotherapeutic agent for antidiarrheal and gastrointestinal disorders.

Game Theoretic Analysis of Cooperative Message Forwarding in Opportunistic Mobile Networks.

In cooperative communication, a set of players forming a coalition ensures communal behavior among themselves by helping one another in message forwarding. Opportunistic mobile networks (OMNs) require multihop communications for transferring messages from the source to the destination nodes. However, noncooperative nodes only forward their own messages to others, and drop others' messages upon receiving them. So, the message delivery overhead increases in OMN. For minimizing the overhead and maximizing the delivery rate, we propose two coalition-based cooperative schemes: 1) simple coalition formation (SCF) and 2) overlapping coalition formation (OCF) game. In SCF, we consider the presence of a central information center, whereas OCF is a fully distributed scheme. In SCF, coalitions are disjoint, whereas in OCF, a node may be the member of multiple coalitions at the same time. All nodes in a coalition help each other cooperatively by forwarding group messages to the intermediate or destination nodes. The goal of the nodes is to achieve high success rate in delivering messages. The proposed SCF scheme is cohesive, in which disjoint coalitions always combine to form grand coalition. In OCF, a node reaches a stable grand coalition when all the nodes of the OMN are members of overlapping coalition of the node. No node gains by deviating from the grand coalition in SCF and OCF. Simulation results based on synthetic mobility model and real-life traces show that the message delivery ratio of OMNs increase by up to 67%, as compared to the noncooperative scenario. Moreover, the message overhead ratio using the proposed coalition-based schemes reduces by up to about (1/3)rd of that of the noncooperative communication scheme.

Evaluation of stone-free rate using Guy's Stone Score and assessment of complications using modified Clavien grading system for percutaneous nephro-lithotomy.

To prospectively evaluate the ability of Guy's Stone Score (GSS) in predicting stone clearance rate and complication rate (by modified Clavien grade) for renal stones treated by percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). From January 2013 to June 2014, a total of 142 patients undergoing PNL were evaluated prospectively. Patients with co-morbidities like hypertension, diabetes, renal failure were excluded from the study. All patients were classified according to GSS based on the findings of pre-operative intravenous urography (IVU) and per-operative retrograde pyelography (RGP). All PNL procedures were done by standard technique in prone position and success was defined as no residual stone visible on X-ray KUB done on the third postoperative day. Complications were classified according to modified Clavien grading system. The initial stone clearance rate was 71.1% and overall final stone clearance rate was 90.14%. The complication rate according to Clavien grading system was 40.1%. The final stone clearance rates were 93.9, 85.71, 90.47, and 77.77% in GSS I, II, III, and IV, respectively (p<0.001, <0.05, <0.05 and >0.05, respectively). The Clavien complication rates were 23, 61, 52, and 77.7% in GSS I, II, III, and IV, respectively (p<0.001). The GSS is a simple and easily reproducible system to preoperatively predict stone-free rate and perioperative complication rate. It helps in better patient counseling preoperatively.

1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) inhibits rat liver ultrastructural changes and the development of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase-positive foci in diethylnitrosamine-initiated and streptozotocin-induced diabetes-promoted hepatocarcinogenesis.

In the present study, the chemopreventive effect of the active metabolite of vitamin D, 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (VD(3)), against chemically-induced and diabetes-promoted rat liver carcinogenesis was investigated. Hepatocarcinogenesis was initiated with a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) (125 mg kg(-1) body weight) at week 4 followed by promotion with streptozotocin (STZ) (65 mg kg(-1) body weight with a single i.p. injection) at week 7. With this basic experimental regimen, the effect of VD(3) (0.3 microg (0.1 ml)(-1) propylene glycol per os twice a week) was investigated with effect from 4 weeks prior to the exposure of DEN. The results showed that VD(3) supplementation throughout the experimental period reduced the incidence, total number and multiplicity and altered the size of visible persistent nodules (PNs) in DEN- or DEN + STZ-treated rats as compared with their respective controls. In these two groups, it also caused a significant decrease in the number (p < 0.002 and 0.001 respectively) and focal area (p < 0.05) of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT)-positive hepatic foci. Moreover, continuous supplementation of VD(3) exhibits a protective effect in maintaining the normal cellular architecture of the hepatocytes in DEN- or DEN + STZ-treated rats. Our results thus strongly suggest that VD(3) is very effective in the inhibition of DEN-initiated and STZ-induced diabetes-promoted rat liver carcinogenesis.