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Background: To optimize vaccination strategies, it is useful to detect breakthrough infections and assess vaccine effectiveness in programmatic use. Monitoring emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccine effectiveness against them is also essential to determine the most effective vaccine options. This study aims to monitor SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections, the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, and host immune response during the peri-infection period of COVID-19. The study will also assess the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine booster doses, and associated barriers or motivations among healthcare workers (HCWs)., Methods: Leveraging an existing HCW cohort in Bangladesh, HCWs will be enrolled from purposively selected health facilities from four different administrative divisions across Bangladesh. We captured cohort data on HCW's demographic information, clinical information, COVID-19 illness, and exposure, and vaccination histories for COVID-19. However, no biological specimens were collected for testing during the first phase of the cohort. In the current study, we plan to follow enrolled HCWs biweekly for suspected COVID-19 illness and capture relevant data including illness outcomes. Respiratory swab samples from symptomatic and a subset of asymptomatic HCWs will be tested for SARS-CoV-2 by rRT-PCR and positive samples will undergo Sanger sequencing to identify the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). We will also perform Whole Genome Sequencing on a subset of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples with low CT values (Ct ≤ 30) to identify emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. To examine the antibody response, we will collect blood samples from the participants at 12-week intervals for one year. We will use the EUROIMMUN kit and will also perform in-house ELISA to assess host immune factors with Luminex platform., Discussion: This proposed study will generate useful data on COVID-19 breakthrough infection and the durability of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among HCWs following vaccination. The findings on booster vaccination intention and uptake will inform government COVID-19 vaccination strategies. Information on circulating and emerging strains of SARS-CoV-2 and vaccine performance against those strains will help understand population-level risks of COVID-19 infection. The study will generate data on facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 booster uptake among HCWs which can inform health communication messaging to improve booster acceptance in this population., Competing Interests: All the authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.)

This study aims to investigate the simultaneous relationship between bank risk and capital, specifically examining how competition and ownership jointly influence this relationship. We employed the two-step system generalized method of moments to address concerns regarding endogeneity and unobserved heteroscedasticity. Based on data from 44 commercial banks in Bangladesh from 2010 to 2021, our findings reveal several key insights: (I) There is a significant non-linear bidirectional relationship between bank risk and capital: capital exhibits a U-shaped effect on risk, while risk has a non-linear negative impact on capital; (II) in highly contested markets, banks hold higher levels of capital, and heightened competition reduces the risk appetite of commercial banks; while less competition has the opposite effect; (III) private and Islamic commercial banks are more risk-averse than state-owned and conventional ones, and (IV) Private and Islamic banks with strong capital positions in a competitive market can better manage risks than state-owned and conventional banks. However, maintaining higher capital ratios in competitive environments is more challenging for state-owned and Islamic banks than private-owned and conventional commercial banks. These results align with the moral hazard hypothesis, competition fragility hypothesis, and the political view of state ownership. Significant insights from the study will fuel the regulators in shaping policies and regulations surrounding emerging countries like Bangladesh, particularly regarding risk, capital, competition, and ownership policies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zheng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: High concentration of Angiotensin converting enzyme receptors in the proximal tubules make kidneys an early target in COVID-19. Proximal tubular dysfunction (PTD) may act as an early predictor of acute kidney injury (AKI) and more severe disease., Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in the COVID unit, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. 87 COVID-19 patients without known kidney disease were screened for 6 markers of PTD on admission-hyperuricosuria, normoglycemic glycosuria, proteinuria, renal phosphate leak, sodium leak and potassium leak. Positivity of 2 of the first 4 markers was considered as PTD. 35 patients with PTD and 35 without PTD were followed up throughout their hospital stay., Results: 52.9% had PTD on admission. The most prevalent markers were renal sodium leak (67%), followed by proteinuria (66.7%), hyperuricosuria (42.5%), potassium leak (32.2%), phosphate leak (28.7%) and normoglycemic glycosuria (20.7%). Mean age was 55.7 years. 32.9% patients developed AKI. PTD group had higher odds of developing AKI (odds ratio 17.5 for stage 1, 24.8 for stage 2 and 25.5 for stage 3; p<0.0001). The mean duration of hospital stay was 9 days higher in the PTD group (p<0.001). PTD group also had higher odds of transferring to ICU (OR = 9.4, p = 0.002), need for mechanical ventilation (OR = 10.1, p = 0.002) and death (OR = 10.3, p = 0.001). 32.6% had complete PTD recovery during follow-up., Conclusion: Proximal tubular dysfunction is highly prevalent in COVID-19 patients very early in the disease and may act as a predictor of AKI, ICU transfer, need for mechanical ventilation and death., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Bari et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Escalating antibiotic resistance presents a notable worldwide dilemma, pointing a large involvement of general population. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the utilization of antibiotics among Bangladeshi residents., Methods: A cross-sectional study, conducted from January 01 to April 25, 2022, included 1,947 Bangladeshi adults with a history of antibiotic use, via online surveys and face-to-face interviews using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and multivariate linear regression models were employed., Results: Mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 6.59±1.20, 8.34±1.19, and 12.74±2.59, with correct rates of 73.22%, 92.67%, and 57.91%. Positive predictors for knowledge included being unmarried (β = 0.10, p = 0.001), higher education (College: β = 0.09, p = 0.025; Bachelor: β = 0.22, p<0.001; Master or above: β = 0.14, p<0.001), various professions (student: β = 0.57, p<0.001; housewife: β = 0.33, p<0.001; employee: β = 0.53, p<0.001; businessman: β = 0.31, p<0.001; unemployed: β = 0.15, p<0.001), and residing in semi-urban (β = 0.32, p<0.001) or urban areas (β = 0.15, p<0.001). Positive predictors for attitudes included being married (β = 0.18, p<0.001), specific professions (student: β = 1.06, p<0.001; housewife: β = 0.33, p<0.001; employee: β = 0.86, p<0.001; businessman: β = 0.37, p<0.001; unemployed: β = 0.47, p<0.001), higher SES (Lower-middle: β = 0.22, p<0.001; Middle: β = 0.26, p<0.001), and residing in semi-urban areas (β = 0.18, p<0.001); negative predictors included higher education (College: β = -0.12, p = 0.001; Master or above: β = -0.09, p = 0.008) and being rich (β = -0.13, p<0.001). Positive predictors for practices included being married (β = 0.18, p<0.001), specific professions (student: β = 0.32, p<0.001; employee: β = 0.43, p<0.001; businessman: β = 10, p = 0.034; unemployed: β = 0.11, p = 0.009), and higher SES (Lower-middle: β = 0.14, p = 0.009; Middle: β = 0.38, p<0.001; Higher-middle: β = 0.15, p = 0.008); negative predictors included higher education (College: β = -0.21, p<0.001), being rich (β = -0.12, p<0.001), residing in semi-urban (β = -0.14, p<0.001) or urban areas (β = -0.16, p<0.001)., Conclusions: Participants exhibited adequate knowledge and positive attitudes but lagged behind in proper practice of antibiotic use. Proper initiatives should be tailored to enhance prudent antibiotic use and mitigate the risk of antimicrobial resistance., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Raihan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Cervical cancer is a malignancy among women worldwide, which is responsible for innumerable deaths every year. The primary objective of this review study is to offer a comprehensive and synthesized overview of the existing literature concerning digital interventions in cervical cancer care. As such, we aim to uncover prevalent research gaps and highlight prospective avenues for future investigations., Methods: This study adopted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology where a total of 26 articles were reviewed from an initial set of 1110 articles following an inclusion-exclusion criterion., Results: The review highlights a deficiency in existing studies that address awareness dissemination, screening facilitation, and treatment provision for cervical cancer. The review also reveals future research opportunities like explore innovative approaches using emerging technologies to enhance awareness campaigns and treatment accessibility, consider diverse study contexts, develop sophisticated machine learning models for screening, incorporate additional features in machine learning research, investigate the impact of treatments across different stages of cervical cancer, and create more user-friendly applications for cervical cancer care., Conclusions: The findings of this study can contribute to mitigating the adverse effects of cervical cancer and improving patient outcomes. It also highlights the untapped potential of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, which could significantly impact our society., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Razzak et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the major metabolic disorders in humans caused by hyperglycemia and insulin resistance syndrome. Although significant genetic effects on T2D pathogenesis are experimentally proved, the molecular mechanism of T2D in South Asian Populations (SAPs) is still limited. Hence, the current research analyzed two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and 17 Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) datasets associated with T2D in SAP to identify DEGs (differentially expressed genes). The identified DEGs were further analyzed to explore the molecular mechanism of T2D pathogenesis following a series of bioinformatics approaches. Following PPI (Protein-Protein Interaction), 867 potential DEGs and nine hub genes were identified that might play significant roles in T2D pathogenesis. Interestingly, CTNNB1 and RUNX2 hub genes were found to be unique for T2D pathogenesis in SAPs. Then, the GO (Gene Ontology) showed the potential biological, molecular, and cellular functions of the DEGs. The target genes also interacted with different pathways of T2D pathogenesis. In fact, 118 genes (including HNF1A and TCF7L2 hub genes) were directly associated with T2D pathogenesis. Indeed, eight key miRNAs among 2582 significantly interacted with the target genes. Even 64 genes were downregulated by 367 FDA-approved drugs. Interestingly, 11 genes showed a wide range (9-43) of drug specificity. Hence, the identified DEGs may guide to elucidate the molecular mechanism of T2D pathogenesis in SAPs. Therefore, integrating the research findings of the potential roles of DEGs and candidate drug-mediated downregulation of marker genes, future drugs or treatments could be developed to treat T2D in SAPs., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Rabby et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The recent outbreak of viral zoonotic disease-monkeypox-caused by the monkeypox virus, has infected many people worldwide. This study aims to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) concerning monkeypox among university students in Bangladesh. Data were collected using purposive snowball sampling from 887 university students through an online survey using Google Form. The participants were mostly in their twenties (M = 22.33 [SD 2.01] years), and they spent, on average, 2.59 [SD 1.91] hours/day on electronic and social media. The participants generally showed moderate knowledge (39.5%), low attitude (25.1%), and moderate practice (48.6%) toward monkeypox, with 47.6% having had a moderate KAP score. Findings further showed that personal attributes of university students, i.e., age, sex, year of schooling, residence, living status, geographical distribution, e.g., division, were statistically and significantly associated with knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding monkeypox and overall KAP score. It is also apparent that health status, susceptibility to monkeypox, and exposure to social media were the most common factors significantly associated with knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding monkeypox and overall KAP score. The current study's findings underscore the need for developing appropriate information, education, and communication (IEC) materials and their dissemination, which could play an important role in reducing the risk of monkeypox and similar other infectious diseases, particularly among students in Bangladesh., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Islam et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Nutritional status is an important indicator of health status among adults. However, to date, there exists scanty information on the nutritional status of tribal populations of Bangladesh. The aim of the study was to investigate the nutritional status of tribal (T) and non-tribal (NT) adult people living in the rural area of Rajshahi district, Bangladesh., Methods: A total of 420 (72 T and 348 NT) households were studied. The samples were selected using multistage stratified sampling with proportional allocation. The nutritional status of adults was measured using body mass index (BMI). Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Z-proportional test were utilized for data analysis., Results: The study revealed that 8.3% and 9.2% of T and NT men were suffering from under nutrition respectively, while the corresponding figures in women were 12.5% and 10.1% respectively. Overall, 11.1% and 27.0% men, and 13.9% and 29.3% women T and NT were over-nourished respectively. The rate of over nutrition among T was significantly (p<0.05) higher than NT for both sexes. The mean weight and BMI of the NT men were significantly (p<0.01) higher than T men. The mean weight, height and BMI of NT women were higher (p<0.05) than T women. ANOVA demonstrated that the variation in BMI among education levels of NT men and the variation among occupation for both ethnicities were significant (p<0.01). The variation in BMI among education levels and occupation of T and NT women were significant (p<0.05), moreover ordinal logistic regression model demonstrated that hygienic toilet facilities and father's occupation were predictors of nutritional status. The interaction effects of education and occupation, and education and household monthly income on BMI were significant (p<0.01) for T men and both T and NT women (p<0.05)., Conclusions: The prevalence of over-nutrition among NT is higher than T for both sexes. Some socio-economic and demographic factors were found as predictors of malnutrition. At least 12 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain indicators that are highly related to nutrition, our findings can help Bangladesh Government for achieving SDGs by 2030. Appropriate nutritional intervention and awareness programmes can be initiated by the Government to ameliorate the burden of malnutrition among adults in the country., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Karim et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: Knowing the risk factors like smoking status, overweight/obesity, and hypertension among women of reproductive age could allow the development of an effective strategy for reducing the burden of non-noncommunicable diseases. We sought to determine the prevalence and determinants of smoking status, overweight/obesity, hypertension, and cluster of these non-noncommunicable diseases risk factors among Bangladeshi women of reproductive age., Methods: This study utilized the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data from 2017-2018 and analyzed 5,624 women of reproductive age (age 18-49 years). This nationally representative cross-sectional survey utilized a stratified, two-stage sample of households. Poisson regression models with robust error variance were fitted to find the adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) for smoking, overweight/obesity, hypertension, and for the clustering of non-noncommunicable diseases risk factors across demographic variables., Results: The average age of 5,624 participants was 31 years (SD = 9.1). The prevalence of smoking, overweight/obesity, and hypertension was 9.6%, 31.6%, and 20.3%, respectively. More than one-third of the participants (34.6%) had one non-noncommunicable diseases risk factor, and 12.5% of participants had two non-noncommunicable diseases risk factors. Age, education, wealth index, and geographic location were significantly associated with smoking status, overweight/obesity, and hypertension. Women between 40-49 years had more non-noncommunicable diseases risk factors than 18-29 years aged women (APR: 2.44; 95% CI: 2.22-2.68). Women with no education (APR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.00-1.33), married (APR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.78-3.04), and widowed/divorced (APR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.59-2.89) were more likely to experience multiple non-noncommunicable diseases risk factors. Individuals in the Barishal division, a coastal region (APR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.28-1.63) were living with a higher number of risk factors for non-noncommunicable diseases than those in the Dhaka division, the capital of the country. Women who belonged to the richest wealth quintile (APR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.60-2.07) were more likely to have the risk factors of non-noncommunicable diseases., Conclusions: The study showed that non-noncommunicable diseases risk factors are more prevalent among women from older age group, currently married and widowed/divorced group, and the wealthiest socio-economic group. Women with higher levels of education were more likely to engage in healthy behaviors and found to have less non-noncommunicable diseases risk factors. Overall, the prevalence and determinants of non-noncommunicable diseases risk factors among reproductive women in Bangladesh highlight the need for targeted public health interventions to increase opportunities for physical activity and reduce the use of tobacco, especially the need for immediate interventions in the coastal region., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Chowdhury et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: In the earlier phase of the pandemic situation, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) badly suffered to adhere their people to preventive measures probably due to less knowledge and attitude toward Covid-19. To tackle the second wave of coronavirus, the GoB has again enforced an array of preventive measures, but still encountering the same problem after a year of the pandemic situation. As an attempt to find out the reasons behind this, our study aimed to assess the present knowledge and fear level regarding Covid-19, and attitude and practice of students toward Covid-19 preventive measures (CPM)., Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed and conducted from 15th to 25th April 2021. A total of 382 participants met all the inclusion criteria and were considered for performing all the statistical analyses (Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Multiple logistic regression, Spearman rank-order correlation)., Results: All the participants were students aged 16 to 30 years. 84.8%, and 22.3% of participants had respectively more accurate knowledge, and moderate to high fear level regarding Covid-19. And, 66%, and 55% of participants had more positive attitude, and more frequent practice toward CPM, respectively. Knowledge, attitude, practice, and fear were interrelated directly or indirectly. It was found knowledgeable participants were more likely to have more positive attitude (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.23-4.47, P < 0.01) and very little fear (AOR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.10-4.26, P < 0.05). More positive attitude was found as a good predictor of more frequent practice (AOR = 4.00, 95% CI = 2.44-6.56, P < 0.001), and very less fear had negative impact on both attitude (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.23-0.84, P < 0.01) and practice (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.26-0.84, P < 0.01)., Conclusions: The findings reflect that students had appreciable knowledge and very little fear, but disappointedly had average attitude and practice toward Covid-19 prevention. In addition, students lacked confidence that Bangladesh would win the battle against Covid-19. Thus, based on our study findings we recommend that policymakers should be more focused to scale up students' confidence and attitude toward CPM by developing and implementing well-conceived plan of actions besides insisting them to practice CPM., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Rupok et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between RNs and hospital-based medical specialties staffing levels with inpatient COVID-19 mortality rates., Methods: We relied on data from AHA Annual Survey Database, Area Health Resource File, and UnitedHealth Group Clinical Discovery Database. In phase 1 of the analysis, we estimated the risk-standardized event rates (RSERs) based on 95,915 patients in the UnitedHealth Group Database 1,398 hospitals. We then used beta regression to analyze the association between hospital- and county- level factors with risk-standardized inpatient COVID-19 mortality rates from March 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020., Results: Higher staffing levels of RNs and emergency medicine physicians were associated with lower COVID-19 mortality rates. Moreover, larger teaching hospitals located in urban settings had higher COVID-19 mortality rates. Finally, counties with greater social vulnerability, specifically in terms of housing type and transportation, and those with high infection rates had the worst patient mortality rates., Conclusion: Higher staffing levels are associated with lower inpatient mortality rates for COVID-19 patients. More research is needed to determine appropriate staffing levels and how staffing levels interact with other factors such as teams, leadership, and culture to impact patient care during pandemics., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: NS and MNI are employees of Optum Labs and own stock in the parent company UnitedHealth Group. JB owns also owns UnitedHealth Group stock. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has earned widespread recognition as a primary cause of death, disability, and increasing healthcare costs. There is compelling evidence that hereditary factors contribute to the development of T2D. Clinical trials in T2D have mostly focused on genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in protein-coding areas. Recently, it was revealed that SNPs located in noncoding areas also play a significant impact on disease vulnerability. It is required for cell type-specific gene expression. However, the precise mechanism by which T2D risk genes and SNPs work remains unknown. We integrated risk genes and SNPs from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and performed comprehensive bioinformatics analyses to further investigate the functional significance of these genes and SNPs. We identified four intriguing transcription factors (TFs) associated with T2D. The analysis revealed that the SNPs are engaged in chromatin interaction regulation and/or may have an effect on TF binding affinity. The Gene Ontology (GO) study revealed high enrichment in a number of well-characterized signaling pathways and regulatory processes, including the STAT3 and JAK signaling pathways, which are both involved in T2D metabolism. Additionally, a detailed KEGG pathway analysis identified two major T2D genes and their prospective therapeutic targets. Our findings underscored the potential functional significance of T2D risk genes and SNPs, which may provide unique insights into the disease's pathophysiology., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: The study was aimed to estimate the true prevalence of human tuberculosis (TB); identify risk factors and clinical symptoms of TB; and detect rifampicin (RIF) sensitivity in three study areas of Bangladesh., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in three Bangladesh districts during 2018. Potential risk factors, clinical symptoms, and comorbidities were collected from 684 TB suspects. Sputum specimens were examined by LED microscopy. TB hierarchical true prevalence, risk factors and clinical symptoms were estimated and identified using a Bayesian analysis framework. Rifampicin sensitivity of M. tuberculosis (MTB) was detected by GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay., Results: The median TB true prevalence was 14.2% (3.8; 34.5). Although overall clustering of prevalence was not found, several DOTS centers were identified with high prevalence (22.3% to 43.7%). Risk factors for TB identified (odds ratio) were age (> 25 to 45 years 2.67 (1.09; 6.99), > 45 to 60 years 3.43 (1.38; 9.19) and individuals in families/neighborhoods where a TB patient(s) has (ve) already been present (12.31 (6.79; 22.60)). Fatigue, night sweat, fever and hemoptysis were identified as important clinical symptoms. Seven of the GeneXpert MTB/RIF positive sputum specimens (65) were resistant to rifampicin., Conclusions: About one in every seven TB suspects was affected with TB. A number of the TB patients carry multi drug resistant MTB. Hierarchical true prevalence estimation allowed identifying DOTS centers with high TB burden. Insights from this study will enable more efficient use of DOTScenters-based TB surveillance to end the TB epidemic in Bangladesh by 2035., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The unprecedented growth of educated workforce following the economic development and diversity in workplace has widened the career choices of young people in Bangladesh. However, it intensifies a dilemma among the job seekers about determining their career goals, because career goals are often influenced by certain socio-demographic and cultural aspects. Hence, this cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the career choices of university students in Bangladesh and to identify its determinants. Administering a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ), data were collected from 422 students at a public university using the multistage stratified sampling. Data were analyzed by bivariate (chi-square) and multivariate (exploratory factor analysis and binary logistic regression) analyses. Findings suggest that the career choices of students vary regarding their gender, religion, and academic track. For example, female (AOR: 0.281; 95% CI: 0.144 to 0.547) and Muslim (AOR: 3.648; 95% CI: 1.765 to 7.542) students preferred public jobs, whereas students of commerce (AOR: 0.344; 95% CI: 0.144 to 0.820) went for private ones. Among socioeconomic issues, only the father's occupation had a substantial effect on career decisions (AOR: 0.347; 95% CI: 0.144 to 0.820). The career choice was also determined by the job prospects (AOR: 1.251; 95% CI: 1.161 to 1.347), preference of family (AOR: 1.238; 95% CI: 1.099 to 1.394), as well as job diversity (AOR: 0.879; 95% CI: 0.795 to 0.972). Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the government should address the trends and patterns of career choices of students through empirical research when formulating future educational and career-related policies in Bangladesh., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a life threatening flavivirus that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. No preventive therapeutics including vaccines against WNV are available for human use. In this study, immunoinformatics approach was performed to design a multi epitope-based subunit vaccine against this deadly pathogen. Human (HLA) and Mice (H-2) allele specific potential T-cell and B-cell epitopes were shortlisted through a stringent procedure. Molecular docking showed selected epitopes that have stronger binding affinity with human TLR-4. Molecular dynamics simulation confirmed the stable nature of the docked complex. Furthermore, in silico cloning analysis ensures efficient expression of desired gene in the microbial system. Interestingly, previous studies showed that two of our selected epitopes have strong immune response against WNV. Therefore, selected epitopes could be strong vaccine candidates to prevent WNV infections in human. However, further in vitro and in vivo investigations could be strengthening the validation of the vaccine candidate against WNV., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the etiological agent of Lyme disease, produces a series of simple glycolipids where diacylglycerol and cholesterol serve as the precursor. The cholesterol-based glycolipids, cholesteryl 6-O-acyl-β-D-galactopyranoside (ACGal) and cholesteryl-β-D-galactopyranoside (CGal) are immunogenic and proposed to contribute to the pathogenesis of Lyme disease. Detailed studies of CGal and ACGal in Bb have been hampered by a lack of knowledge of their underlying biosynthetic processes. The genome of Bb encodes four putative glycosyltransferases, and only one of these, BB0572, was predicted to be an inverting family 2 glycosyltransferase (GT2 enzyme) capable of using UDP-galactose as a substrate and forming a β-glycosidic bond. Comparison of the 42 kDa BB0572 amino acid sequence from Bb with other Borrelia spp demonstrates that this protein is highly conserved. To establish BB0572 as the galactosyltransferase capable of cholesterol glycolipid formation in Bb, the protein was produced as a recombinant product in Escherichia coli and tested in a cell-free assay with 14C-cholesterol and UDP-galactose as the substrates. This experiment resulted in a radiolabeled lipid that migrated with the cholesterol glycolipid standard of CGal when evaluated by thin layer chromatography. Additionally, mutation in the predicted active site of BB0572 resulted in a recombinant protein that was unable to catalyze the formation of the cholesterol glycolipid. These data characterize BB0572 as a putative cholesterol galactosyltransferase. This provides the first step in understanding how Bb cholesterol glycolipids are formed and will allow investigations into their involvement in pathogen transmission and disease development., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Neuromedin U (NMU), a highly conserved peptide in mammals, is involved in a wide variety of physiological processes, including impairment of pancreatic β-cell function via induction of mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, ultimately suppressing insulin secretion. NMU has two receptors, NMU receptor 1 (NMUR1) and NMUR2, both of which are G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Only NMUR1 is expressed in mouse islets and β cell-derived MIN6-K8 cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying the insulinostatic action mediated by NMUR1 in β cells have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we explored the molecular mechanism driving impairment of insulin secretion in β cells by the NMU-NMUR1 axis. Pretreatment with the Gαi/o inhibitor Bordetella pertussis toxin (PTX), but not the Gαq inhibitor YM254890, abolished NMU-induced suppression of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and calcium response in β cells. Knockdown of Gαi2 and Gαo in β cells counteracted NMU-induced suppression of insulin secretion and gene alterations related to mitochondrial fusion (Mfn1, Mfn2), fission (Fis1, Drp1), mitophagy (Pink1, Park2), mitochondrial dynamics (Pgc-1α, Nrf1, and Tfam), ER stress (Chop, Atp2a3, Ryr2, and Itpr2), intracellular ATP level, and mitochondrial membrane potential. NMU decreased forskolin-stimulated intracellular cAMP in both mouse and human islets. We concluded that NMUR1 coupled to PTX-sensitive Gαi2 and Gαo proteins in β cells reduced intracellular Ca2+ influx and cAMP level, thereby causing β-cell dysfunction and impairment. These results highlight a novel signaling mechanism of NMU and provide valuable insights into the further investigation of NMU functions in β-cell biology., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTb) is endemic in Bangladesh but the true prevalence has not yet been reported. Our objectives for this study were to determine the true prevalence and identify risk factors for bTb at the animal- and herd-level in Bangladesh. A total of 510 cows were randomly selected during January 2018 to December 2018. Caudal fold (CFT) and comparative cervical tuberculin tests (CCT) were serially interpreted. Animal- and herd-level risk factor data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. The hierarchical true prevalence of bTb was estimated within a Bayesian framework. The herd- and animal-level risk factors were identified using mixed effects logistic regression. The apparent prevalence of bTb was 20.6% [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 17.3; 24.3] based on CFT. The animal-level true prevalence of bTb was 21.9 (13.0; 32.4). The herd-level true prevalence in different regions varied from 41.9% to 88.8%. The region-level true prevalence was 49.9 (13.8; 91.2). There is a 100% certainty that herds from Bhaluka and Mymensingh Sadar upazilas are not free from bTb. The odds of bTb were 3.9 times (1.2; 12.6) higher in herds having more than four cows than those with ≤ 4 cows. On the other hand, the risk of bTb was 3.3 times higher (1.0; 10.5) in non-grazing cows than grazing cows. Crossbred cows were 2.9 times (1.5; 5.9) more likely to be infected with bTb than indigenous cows. The risk of bTb in animals with cough was 2.3 times (1.2; 4.3) higher than those without cough. Crossbred, non-grazing cows with cough should be targeted for bTb surveillance. Herds of the Mymensingh, Sadar and Bhaluka regions should be emphasized for bTb control programs. Estimation of Bayesian hierarchical true prevalence facilitates identification of areas with higher prevalence and can be used to indicate regions that where true prevalence exceeds a pre-specified critical threshold., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has spread to Bangladesh since early March of 2020, and people are getting daily updates from the social and electronic media. We aimed at assessing the prevalence of anxiety among Bangladeshi people during the pandemic in connection with social media exposure (SME) and electronic media exposure (EME). For this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 880 participants by a self-administered online-based questionnaire relating personal characteristics, self-rate health (SRH), SME, and EME with anxiety. Findings show that around half of the surveyed population experienced a spike of anxiety (49.1%) during the pandemic, ten times higher than the national anxiety rate in 2019. The participants with an increased SME of over four hours per day experienced a higher level of anxiety than individuals with < = 2 hours exposure to social media. Similarly, the anxiety was higher among people with fair/bad SRH compared to individuals with excellent SRH. It is highly recommended to develop active surveillance and effective monitoring systems to reduce the spread of misinformation from both social and electronic media to improve the state of mental health conditions during the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

A long shelf life of onions (Allium cepa L.) is of high importance in the onion industry. Onions are dried and stored in large wooden boxes that are difficult to access. Monitoring temperature and relative humidity during these processes is challenging. Moreover, quality may change in storage without being noticed. Therefore, there is a need to find alternative methods for monitoring and controlling the drying and storage processes of onions and to identify early changes in quality during storage. The potential use of online measurements of temperature and relative humidity (RH) in the vicinity of onions was evaluated during drying and long-term storage of six onion batches (four cultivars and three selections of one of the cultivars) in commercial storage. The batches varied in bulb weight, dry matter content, firmness and disease incidence. The dry matter content and firmness decreased during storage, while the respiration rate and incidences of individual and total disease increased. Two of the batches had low storability with high disease incidences and high average temperatures and variations in the RH. The results showed that tracking the temperature and RH in the vicinity of the onions is a promising tool for improving the drying and storage processes in commercial storage and for identifying onion batches with reduced storability early in storage., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) MEAM1, is considered a serious pest of horticultural and many other crops. While eggplant (Solanum melongena) is one of the most favored host plants, the whiteflies exhibit preferences among different varieties. We hypothesized that certain morphological leaf characteristics of different varieties, like leaf trichome density, trichome length, leaf lamina thickness and leaf color, may affect whitefly landing, feeding and oviposition. In this study, we investigated the variation in leaf morphological characters among selected eggplant varieties and evaluated the effect of these leaf characteristics in rendering eggplant varieties either susceptible or resistant to B. tabaci. We evaluated eight eggplant varieties in choice feeding tests, and we found that the varieties JinSheng Zilongchangqie (JSZ) and H149 were the highly preferred varieties with the highest numbers of whitefly adults and eggs. Significantly lower numbers of whitefly adult eggs were found on the resistant variety Tuo Lu Bamu (TLB). The varieties JinGuangbo Luqie (JGL), JinGuangbo Ziquanqie (JGZ), DaYang Ziguanqie (DYZ), QinXing Ziguanqie (QXZ), and QinXing Niuxinqie (QXN) were moderately favored by B. tabaci. Leaf trichome density, trichome length and leaf lamina thickness were positively correlated with numbers of whitefly adults and eggs. B. tabaci was less attracted to the leaves that reflect long and middle wavelength light (higher R and G values) than to the bright green leaves (medium G value), but the short wavelength light (higher B value) had no significant effect on whitefly preference. The degree of hue had a positive effect, and saturation and brightness had a negative effect on whitefly attraction.

Accumulating evidence suggests that glucolipotoxicity, arising from the combined actions of elevated glucose and free fatty acid levels, acts as a key pathogenic component in type II diabetes, contributing to β-cell dysfunction and death. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is among the molecular pathways and regulators involved in these negative effects, and ceramide accumulation due to glucolipotoxicity can be associated with the induction of ER stress. Increased levels of ceramide in ER may be due to enhanced ceramide biosynthesis and/or decreased ceramide utilization. Here, we studied the effect of glucolipotoxic conditions on ceramide traffic in INS-1 cells in order to gain insights into the molecular mechanism(s) of glucolipotoxicity. We showed that glucolipotoxicity inhibited ceramide utilization for complex sphingolipid biosynthesis, thereby reducing the flow of ceramide from the ER to Golgi. Glucolipotoxicity impaired both vesicular- and CERT-mediated ceramide transport through (1) the decreasing of phospho-Akt levels which in turn possibly inhibits vesicular traffic, and (2) the reducing of the amount of active CERT mainly due to a lower protein levels and increased protein phosphorylation to prevent its localization to the Golgi. In conclusion, our findings provide evidence that glucolipotoxicity-induced ceramide overload in the ER, arising from a defect in ceramide trafficking may be a mechanism that contributes to dysfunction and/or death of β-cells exposed to glucolipotoxicity.

We document high rates of triploidy in aspen (Populus tremuloides) across the western USA (up to 69% of genets), and ask whether the incidence of triploidy across the species range corresponds with latitude, glacial history (as has been documented in other species), climate, or regional variance in clone size. Using a combination of microsatellite genotyping, flow cytometry, and cytology, we demonstrate that triploidy is highest in unglaciated, drought-prone regions of North America, where the largest clone sizes have been reported for this species. While we cannot completely rule out a low incidence of undetected aneuploidy, tetraploidy or duplicated loci, our evidence suggests that these phenomena are unlikely to be significant contributors to our observed patterns. We suggest that the distribution of triploid aspen is due to a positive synergy between triploidy and ecological factors driving clonality. Although triploids are expected to have low fertility, they are hypothesized to be an evolutionary link to sexual tetraploidy. Thus, interactions between clonality and polyploidy may be a broadly important component of geographic speciation patterns in perennial plants. Further, cytotypes are expected to show physiological and structural differences which may influence susceptibility to ecological factors such as drought, and we suggest that cytotype may be a significant and previously overlooked factor in recent patterns of high aspen mortality in the southwestern portion of the species range. Finally, triploidy should be carefully considered as a source of variance in genomic and ecological studies of aspen, particularly in western U.S. landscapes.

Background: Genome evolution in the gymnosperm lineage of seed plants has given rise to many of the most complex and largest plant genomes, however the elements involved are poorly understood., Methodology/principal Findings: Gymny is a previously undescribed retrotransposon family in Pinus that is related to Athila elements in Arabidopsis. Gymny elements are dispersed throughout the modern Pinus genome and occupy a physical space at least the size of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. In contrast to previously described retroelements in Pinus, the Gymny family was amplified or introduced after the divergence of pine and spruce (Picea). If retrotransposon expansions are responsible for genome size differences within the Pinaceae, as they are in angiosperms, then they have yet to be identified. In contrast, molecular divergence of Gymny retrotransposons together with other families of retrotransposons can account for the large genome complexity of pines along with protein-coding genic DNA, as revealed by massively parallel DNA sequence analysis of Cot fractionated genomic DNA., Conclusions/significance: Most of the enormous genome complexity of pines can be explained by divergence of retrotransposons, however the elements responsible for genome size variation are yet to be identified. Genomic resources for Pinus including those reported here should assist in further defining whether and how the roles of retrotransposons differ in the evolution of angiosperm and gymnosperm genomes.