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The current study was undertaken for the preliminary investigation of the analgesic, cytotoxic, antioxidant, and thrombolytic properties of the methanolic extract of Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Rich.) Vahl leaves. Both the central and peripheral analgesic action of the crude extract of methanol were significant and the analgesic effect increases with the increasing of dose and time with the pronounced effect at 600 mg/kg body weight. According to the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, the pet-ether soluble fraction (PESF) displayed notable cytotoxic action showing LC50 value (5.33 μg/ml) among the fractions as compared to the standard vincristine sulfate (0.452 μg/ml) and crude extract of the leaves contained a total phenolic content ranging from 18.68-145.98 mg of GAE/gm while revealing moderate thrombolytic activity. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 26(1): 45-50, 2023 (January)

Klebsiella pneumoniae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis coinfection is one of the most lethal combinations with high mortality specially if there is delay in diagnosis and proper management. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus are prone to develop this type of serious infection.There is a considerable overlap in the clinical presentation of these critical pulmonary infections hence there is need for a high index of clinical suspicion, appropriate judicious investigations, and promt management to improve survivality. Here, we have presented Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Klebsiella pneumonia co-infection presenting as cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath in an elderly male with multiple co-morbidities, like uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prosthetic aortic valve in situ (for aortic stenosis)& previous history of ishchaemic stroke. This combination is rare and to the best of our knowledge not reported in the literature from Bangladesh. Bangladesh J Medicine 2022; 33: 52-57

Feed formulation is important to improve the quality of feed by adding nutritive ingredients. The use of seaweed in fish feed is not usual in our country though these are cultivated in Cox`s Bazar and Saint Martin`s Island for human consumption. This study investigated the effects of seaweed (Hypnea sp.) as supplementation on the meat quality of Nile tilapia. The current study was continued for 3 months using 30 days old more or less similar-sized 30 tilapia fingerlings/aquarium (total of 10 aquariums). Commercial feed was selected based on its easy availability and is frequently used by farmers in rural areas. Collected seaweed was mixed with the formulated feed at four percentages. Finally, five different treatments were applied to the fishes where – T1 (5% seaweed), T2 (10% seaweed), T3 (15% seaweed), T4 (20% seaweed), and T5 (Commercial feed as control) with twoa sets of replications for each. After 3 months of rearing, fish were harvested for proximate composition, minerals, and lipid extraction as well as for the determination of the quantity of different fatty acids in the sample with a trace amount of heavy metals. Heavy metals were detected in tilapia meat at a trace level which is not harmful for human consumption. The findings have a clear indication that a 10% seaweed mixed diet can be considered the optimum amount as supplementary feed for Nile tilapia to improve their nutrient composition.

Objectives To explore relationship among perceived stress regarding loneliness, interpersonal trust and institutional trust of expatriates during the early COVID-19 period (from 30th March to 30th May 2020). Methods Data from 21,439 expatriates were extracted from COVIDiSTRESS global survey. The outcome variable was perceived stress. The explanatory variables were age, perceived loneliness, trust (interpersonal and institutional). Pairwise correlation, and structural equation modelling were used to determine relationship among outcome and explanatory variables. Results The majority of the expatriates were female (73.85%), married (60.20%), had college degree (47.76%), and employed (48.72%). Over 63% of the total expatriates reported that the COVID-19 pandemic changed their lives. The average age of the respondents was 40.4 years (± 13.7), and the average score of perceived stress, loneliness, interpersonal and institutional trust were 25.5, 7.4, 14.2 and 40.4, respectively. We found a moderate correlation of perceived stress with age, perceived loneliness, interpersonal trust and institutional trust (p Conclusion Perceived stress can be reduced through trusting others and alleviating the loneliness. Making strong linkage among migrants as well as between migrants and local community is important to ensure proper mental wellbeing of expatriates.

The study was investigated to develop the lactose-free probiotic acidophilus milk (PAM) enriched with novel probiotic strains (Lactobacillus acidophilus LDMB01, Lactococcus lactis LDMB10, and Streptococcus thermophilus LDMB09), as well as fortified with cocoa powder. The physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory analyses were performed to see how the formulations worked. Two probiotic acidophilus milk formulations were made with β-galactosidase lactose hydrolysis, one with cocoa (5% m/v). A constant sugar level of 5% was used. The lactose-free acidophilus milk did not differ in acid content and showed values below 0.1% for lactose. The incorporation of cocoa in the PAM provided higher initial pH values reduced with the storage period and higher syneresis values throughout 28 days of storage. In addition, the probiotic bacteria showed high viability during storage, with counts above 7 log CFU/mL. In terms of sensory evaluation, most judges assigned both products an overall acceptability score of 8 for the characteristics (appearance, aroma, taste, texture, and overall acceptance). On the other hand, the sample containing cocoa achieved higher mean scores for appearance and texture. As a result, these products have much potential for industrial use, especially for lactose-intolerant people.

The effect of Y3+ doping on the structural and magnetic properties of Ni0.25 Zn0.75YxFe2-xO4 [x= 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08] was investigated. The specimen was synthesized by conventional solid state reaction method where the sintering temperature was 1150oC for 3 hours. The structure of the specimens was inspected by XRD pattern and SEM micrographs. The XRD patterns delineate the formation of spinel type cubic structure. The lattice parameters, bulk density, X-ray density and porosity were investigated for all the samples. The SEM micrographs shows that the particles of all the composition are within 0.4 – 1.2 μm. M-H curves at room temperature exhibit the ferromagnetic behavior. The effect of Y3+ causes drastically variation on saturation magnetization (Ms), coercivity (Hc) and remanent magnetization (Mr). Moreover, the M-H curves delineate the soft ferromagnetic phenomenon which can be the reason of the acceptance of the specimen in industrial applications. Dhaka Univ. J. Sci. 68(2): 111-116, 2020 (July)

Medicinal plants can serve as a prominent source of bioactive secondary metabolites which can exert beneficial effects to combat against many human diseases. Lannea grandis (Dennst.) Engl, a member of Anacardiaceae family has several applications in the ethnomedical practices. In this study, the ethanol extract of L. grandis leaf (ELG) along with its petroleum-ether and chloroform fractions were subjected to phytochemical analysis along with the evaluation of antimicrobial, anti-diarrheal, and sedative activities using standard protocols. Phytochemical screening was performed according to common phytochemical tests. Antimicrobial assay was carried out by disc diffusion method where the ethanol extract of L. grandis showed significant activity against tested bacterial species (zone of inhibitions = 10.8±0.85 to 13.8±1.84 mm). The same extract also exhibited the highest antifungal activity against Blastomyces dermatitidis (zone of inhibition = 20.5±0.35 mm). The chloroform fraction of L. grandis at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight produced a significant (p

Ketoprofen [2-(3-benzoylphenyl)-propionic acid], a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug exhibits poor dissolution pattern. Solid dispersion (SD) techniques were used because it is particularly promising to improve the oral absorption and bioavailability of BCS Class II drugs. This investigation entails solid dispersion of ketoprofen which was formulated and characterized for better release profile and immediate action of the drug. Melting method was applied to prepare solid dispersion by using two immediate release (IR) polymer PEG 6000 and HPMC 6 cps at different weight ratios. In the formulation, a fixed amount of lactose was used as adsorbent. The solid dispersions were investigated for drug entrapment efficiency and dissolution behavior. In vitro dissolution study was performed in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) medium for one hour. Percent cumulative drug release from solid dispersion was found to be minimum 92.19% and maximum 98.95% within one hour, which showed a better dissolution compared to the active drugs. Evaluation of the properties of the solid dispersion was also performed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) study and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA). SEM results indicated that ketoprofen crystallinity in SDs was significantly reduced, and that the majority of ketoprofen was in amorphous form. No interaction was found between drug and polymers from DTA and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. So, solid dispersion technique may be an effective technique to enhance dissolution rate of ketoprofen. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 23(1): 44-53, 2020

Experiments were conducted with25tomato(Lycopersicon esculentumL.) genotypes to study the field performance and genetic variability for yield and yield contributing characters in the field laboratory of Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. The design was laid out following Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The duration of the experiment was started from October 2016 to April 2017.The analysis of variances showed a high degree of variation existed among the genotypes of the studied traits.The experiment showed the highest plant height and the minimum days required for flowering was World Champion(101.2cm). The highest number of primary branches(9.76 cm)and the highest number of fruits(30.48)recorded in Joint Hybrid. Early maturity found in genotype Binatomato-9 (110 days) and the highest yield obtained from Binatomato-8 (606.80g). Genetic analysis of yield contributing traits showed higher PCVthan GCV that indicated the presence of environmental influence on varietal performance. In path coefficient analysis positive direct effects were found in the number of primary branches followed by days to 50% flowering, days to fruit maturity, number of fruits per plant and fruit diameter. Genotypes were classified into five clusters by Ward’s method where high yield, maximum days to fruit maturity and maximum days to first flowering were found in clusterIV, the highest plant height was found in clusterI,the highest fruit diameter was found in clusterIII,minimum days to fruit maturity was found in clusterIV.In principal component analysis, the main four principal components accounted for around 78.02% of total variability. Based on the present findings,World Champion, Joint Hybrid and Binatomato-8may be considered as the superior genotypes among twenty-five tomato genotypes.

Background When caring for COVID-19 patients, using personal protective equipment (PPE) may significantly lower the risk of infection of health care workers (HCWs). However, adverse responses due to PPE use have been observed during the 2003 SARS pandemic. This study will highlight the different adverse reactions caused by face mask use, one of the essential components of PPE in the HCWs, and identify the factors associated with these problems. Methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted between September and October 2021. 404 HCWs were selected by snowball sampling from four randomly selected healthcare facilities of Bangladesh. Trained volunteers collected data by face-to-face interview using a pretested structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using STATA (v.16) and summarized using frequency and relative frequency. Later, the chi-square test was used to explore bivariate relationships, and the binary logistic regression model was fit to identify the predictors. Results The majority of the respondents were 26–36 years (70.30%), male (69.80%), and doctors (74.50%). 48.76% of the respondents had unfavorable skin responses beneath the face masks; female gender, physicians, professionals working more than 32 hours a week, wearing N95, and more than one mask were predictors of skin problem. 28.47% and 60.15% of all participants suffered from some form of oral and neurological problems, respectively. Conclusion Face mask use sequelae, especially skin, oral and neurological problems, are prevalent among health care workers. Therefore, necessary precautionary measures should be taken to safeguard our frontlines.

IntroductionMemory complaints resulting from COVID-19 may have a significant impact on the survivors’ quality of life. Unfortunately, there is insufficient information available on memory loss and its relationship to COVID-19. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of memory complaints in post-COVID-19 patients and to find potential contributing factors.MethodA cross-sectional survey was conducted on 401 individuals who had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 at four COVID testing centers situated across Bangladesh. The MAC-Q questionnaire was used to evaluate memory. A binary logistic regression model was fit to study the variables related to memory complaints, with a p-value of ResultMemory complaints was prevalent in 19.2% of the post-COVID patients. Individual predictor analysis revealed that among the treatment modalities, steroids and antibiotics were associated with impaired memory. Multiple logistic regression showed that individuals who recovered from COVID-19 within six to twelve months were more likely to have memory deficits. Even though age, sex, oxygen demand, and hospitalization were not linked with memory complaints, rural residents exhibited more significant memory complaints than urban residents.ConclusionNearly one-fifth of the COVID-19 patients suffer from various degrees of memory complaints within one year. However, no association was found between COVID-19 severity to memory complaints.

Background: Accurate assessment of fetal weight is important for optimal obstetric management of labouring mothers. Among the methods of fetal weight estimation, symphysis-fundal height (SFH) measurement is inexpensive and non-invasive readily available simple and acceptable procedure of fetal weight estimation. On the other hand, high rate of low birth weight is one of the causes of high perinatal mortality in our country. Objective was to assess fetal birth weight by measuring symphysis-fundal height.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka from July 2017 to June 2018. Total 200 consecutive pregnant women of gestational age more than 36 weeks were selected as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. The fetal birth weight was measured before delivery of the foetus by measuring SFH and using the formula and was compared with actual birth weight.Results: Maximum (35.5%) pregnant mother were in age group 21-25 years followed by 29.5% in 26-30 years, 25.5% in 31-35 years and 9.5% in >35 years age group and mean age was 28.27±4.95 years. Mean weight of new born was 2.81±0.61 kg. Mean symphysis-fundal height 32.76±3.73 cm and maximum (48.5%) pregnant mother had SFH in 35-36 cm group, followed by 30.5% had ≤30 cm and 21.0% had 31-34 cm in this study. New born birth weight had significant positive correlation with symphysis-fundal height.Conclusions: Symphysis-fundal height has significant positive correlation with birth weight of new born.

This research used the data from Twitter on presidential elections in USA 2016 to understand which features better suits in predicting Election results. We compare between four features such uni-grams, bi-grams, tri-grams, and opinion words by using the data mining techniques such as Random Forest, Naive Bayes, and Artificial Neural Network. For the analysis, we have used a Data set from Kaggle consisting of 6445 individual records. Then applied many preprocessing techniques (such as cleaning, data stemming, data normalization etc.) on the said data set to expose the well-shaped data set. For extracting proper features, we have done factor analysis. Finally, we have tested our method using the dataset and found the uni-gram showing the better accuracy of 81%. This research was implemented in R.

Background: Depression is associated with stressful condition which may cause kidney damage. Oyster mushroom (plurotus florida) may have free radical scavenging activity thereby can be used for the prevention and treatment for kidney damage. Objective: to observe the effect of oyster mushroom (plurotus florida) on kidney in restraint stress induced depressed rats. Methods: This experimental study was conducted from July 2012 to June 2013 in the Department of Physiology, Sir Salimullah Medical College( SSMC), Mitford, Dhaka. Thirty Wister albino male rats, aged 90 to 100 days, weighing 150 to 180g (initial body weight) were used in the present study. Then they were divided into Group I (Control group, without mushroom n=20) and Group II (Experimental group, depressed rats supplemented with mushroom n=10). Control group without mushroom again subdivided into Group Ia,( baseline control n=10) and Group Ib (depressed control n=10) . All groups of animals were received basal diet for 28 consecutive days started from the 1 st day of the study period. Group Ib (depressed control) and group II (depressed mushroom supplemented) were housed under controlled condition in rat immobilizer (made up of steel wire, measuring 9´´x2.75´´ of light weight) for 6 hour/day for 28 days for the development of stress induced depression. In addition, only group II received oyster mushroom extract (200 mg/kg body weight, orally) for the same period. One rat of Group Ib (depressed control) was expired after 10 days for unknown cause. All 29 rats were sacrificed on day 30. Then blood sample and kidneys specimen were collected. Initial (initial bw ) and final body weights (final bw) were measured. Then estimation of blood glucose and serum urea levels were done by standard laboratory technique. Histology of kidney was done by standard laboratory procedure. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS windows Version -16. One way ANOVA and Bonferroni tests were done as applicable. Results: In this study blood glucose level and serum urea level was significantly higher and abnormal histological structure was found in stress induced depressed rats. After taking mushroom extract for 28 days all the parameters were improved. Conclusion: From this study it can be concluded that oyster mushroom(Pleurotus florida) which is excellent edible and nutritious, may have renoprotective effect. Bangladesh Soc Physiol. 2017, June; 12(1): 33-40

Objective: Glimepiride (GMP) is poorly water soluble drug, so solubility is the main constraint for its oral bioavailability. Because, poor aqueous solubility and slow dissolution rate of the glimepiride lead to irreproducible clinical response or therapeutic failure in some cases due to sub therapeutic plasma drug levels. Methods: In this study, binary and ternary solid dispersion of glimepiride were prepared with polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000) and polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG 4000) at different weight ratios using the solvent evaporation and melting method. Results: It was found the drug was released 0.46% after 5 minutes and only 15.83% within 60 minutes from active glimepiride on the other hand the release pattern of glimepiride from the binary formulation containing PEG 4000 in 1:5 (Formulation coding: G5) showed the best result. Conclusion: It was found that the ternary different SD formulation containing (PEG4000: Glimepiride: Povidone) in ratio 1:1:0.25 (Formulation G13) showed the best result. The drug was changed to amorphous form after solid dispersion. It was also evident that solid dispersions improve solubility of drug particles thus enhancing dissolution characteristics of drugs they increase the oral bioavailability. Peer Review History: Received 22 September 2019; Revised 8 October; Accepted 1 November, Available online 15 November 2019 Academic Editor: Rola Jadallah, Arab American University, Palestine, rola@aauj.edu UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file: Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 4.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Mohammed Abdel-Wahab Sayed Abourehab, Umm Al-Qura University; Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia, mohawahab2002@yahoo.com Dr. Evren Algin Yapar, Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, Turkiye, evren.yapar@yahoo.com Similar Articles: SOLID DISPERSION- STRATEGY TO ENHANCE SOLUBILITY AND DISSOLUTION OF POORLY WATER SOLUBLE DRUGS FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF EZETIMIBE SOLID DISPERSION FOR SOLUBILITY ENHANCEMENT DEVELOPMENT AND IN VITRO DISSOLUTION STUDY OF BINARY AND TERNARY SOLID DISPERSIONS OF ACECLOFENAC SOLID DISPERSION TECHNOLOGY, A CONTEMPORARY OVERVIEW ON A WELL ESTABLISHED TECHNIQUE

Hysterectomy is the commonest major surgical procedure in Gynaecology & usually performed to improve quality of life rather than to cure life-threatening conditions. The rates differ between countries depending on differences in morbidity, health economical aspects, traditions and attitudes. This retrospective observational study was carried out from 2001-2010 & included all cases of abdominal hysterectomy done for benign and non emergency conditions in the department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka with the intention to assess the proportion and the indications of total abdominal hysterectomy over a 10-year period. Percentage of the total abdominal hysterectomy remained between 50-70% of the total major operations over the decade. Fibroid was found to be the most common indication among the admitted patients (around 36%) with highest percetage in 2006 and 2007 (43% and 46% respectively). Next important indication was dysfunctional uterine bleeding (20%) followed by pelvic inflammatory disease (13%), ovarian mass (5%), endometriosis & adenomyosis (4%) and post menopausal bleeding (2%). The majority of hysterectomies were abdominal and the most common indication was uterine fibroids. The overall rate for hysterectomy remained reasonably stable.Bangladesh Med J. 2015 May; 44 (2): 87-91

This paper aims at empirically studying the impact of some selected bankspecific factors on Islamic banks’ profitability. The data for this study covering a period 2009-2013 is obtained from the annual reports of respective Islamic banks. The statistical tool employed is the technique of linear multiple regression analysis. The data-set used in this study involves eight Islamic banks operating in Bangladesh. Empirical results show that bank-size and deposit have significant negative impact on the return on assets (ROA) which is the proxy for Islamic banks’ profitability, while equity is found to have positive significant impact. However, loan and expense management are found to be insignificant in affecting the profitability of the banks.Journal of Business and Technology (Dhaka) Vol.10(1) 2015; 21-36

A study was conducted to determine the poverty and credit facilities of groundnut producers and profitability and resource use efficiency of groundnut production in the selected char areas of Gaffargaon upazila in Mymensingh district. In this study, 100 respondents were randomly selected from the mentioned upazila. Farmers were classified into three categories on the basis of loan size. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to determine the contribution of factors to groundnut yield. It is evident from the study that per acre net returns were greatly influenced by the use of human labour, animal labour, seeds and insecticides and it was found that they got profit from groundnut cultivation and the undiscounted BCRs (both the variable cost and total cost basis) was estimated at 1.88 in case of all categories of farmers. The mentioned factors were directly or jointly responsible for influencing per acre net returns for groundnut cultivation. Maximum loan money was utilized in family expenditure purpose for meeting their emergency and urgent needs to survive. But their repayment was satisfactory. However some problems were identified (i.e, tips and bribes, delay in providing loan and their poverty) in receiving loan for groundnut cultivation. It appears from the analysis that among three categories of farmers marginal farmers suffered a lot from inadequate supply of credit. The present study suggests that to develop agriculture, to reduce poverty and to increase the productivity of the farmers, both public and private sectors need to give attention on groundnut production in char area for their poverty reduction.J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 8(2): 57-62 2015

Pineapple is considered as one of the most wanted tropical fruits and it is widely taken for fresh consumption as well as their flesh and juice are used for preparation of different product in Agro-processing industries. For such industrial processes, it is important to know the information of characteristics changes of pineapple during day after storage. Four varieties of pineapple were collected from different areas of Bangladesh named Honey Queen (H.Q), Giant Kew (G.K), Asshini and Ghorasal. Some Physico-chemical properties (weight loss, moisture content, ash and edible portion, pH, TSS, titrable acidity (TA), total sugar, reducing sugar) biochemical properties (ascorbic acid) and sensorial attributes (color, odor, firmness, appearances, sweetness and overall acceptability) of pineapple juice were studied during day after storage. This study examined the Comparison of different varieties of pineapple fruit characteristics and sensory quality of the pineapple fruits during storage. It was shown that there was a significant changes between the storage periods in relation to different varieties of fruits. The firmness of pineapple fruits were in outside and inside to be 0.21 to 0.27 N/m2 and 0.06 to 0.10 N/m2, respectively. The pH values of different varieties were found to be in the range of 4.30 to 4.36. The highest and lowest sweetness index were estimated to be 36.30 and 22.15 for Honey Queen and Asshini respectively. The highest and lowest magnitude of sugar contents of four pineapple varieties were found to be in the range of 14.16 to 15.8 mg/100g.The average TSS values were found to be 15.12%, 12.33%, 13.14% and 12.95% for H.Q., G.K., Asshini and Ghorashal, respectively. The comparative study indicated the characteristics of different varieties of pineapple changes during after storage.Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.2(3): 395-410, December 2015

Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD), one of the major causes of dementia, is an overwhelming neurodegenerative disease that particularly affects the brain, leading to memory loss and impairment of language and judgment capacity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antioxidant and anticholinesterase properties of the leaves of Elatostema papillosum (EPL) and correlate with their phytochemical profiles, which are relevant to the treatment of AD. Methods The dried coarse powder of EPL was extracted with 80% methanol (EPL-M80) by cold extraction method. The resultant EPL-M80 was assessed for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activity by the Ellman method. The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. Quantitative phytochemical (phenolic and flavonoid contents) analysis of endogenous substances in EPL-M80 was performed by standard spectrophotometric methods. Results EPL-M80 significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited AChE and BChE activity with IC50 of 165.40 ± 4.01 and 213.81 ± 3.57 μg/mL, respectively in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, EPL-M80 exhibited strong radical scavenging activity against DPPH (IC50 = 32.35 ± 0.68 μg/mL) and hydroxyl radical (IC50 = 19.67 ± 1.42 μg/mL) when compared to that of standards. EPL-M80 was found to be rich in phenolic (23.74 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of dry extract) and flavonoid (31.18 mg quercetin equivalent/g of dry extract) content. Furthermore, a positive correlation (p < 0.001) was observed between the total phenolics and antioxidant as well as the anticholinesterase potential. Conclusions The marked inhibition of AChE and BChE, and potent antioxidant activity of the leaves of Elatostema papillosum highlight its potential to provide an effective treatment for AD.

Anisomeles indica (L.) kuntze is widely used in folk medicine against various disorders including allergy, sores, inflammation, and fever. This research investigated the antinociceptive, anxiolytic and sedative effects of A. indica methanol extract. The antinociceptive activity was assessed with the acetic acid-induced writhing test and formalin-induced flicking test while sedative effects with open field and hole cross tests and anxiolytic effects with elevated plus maze (EPM) and thiopental-induced sleeping time tests were assayed. Computer aided (pass prediction, docking) analyses were undertaken to find out the best-fit phytoconstituent of total 14 isolated compounds of this plant for aforesaid effects. Acetic acid treated mice taking different concentrations of extract (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) displayed reduced the writhing number. In the formalin-induced test, extract minimized the paw licking time of mice during the first phase and the second phase significantly. The open field and hole-cross tests were noticed with a dose-dependent reduction of locomotor activity. The EPM test demonstrated an increase of time spent percentage in open arms. Methanol extract potentiated the effect of thiopental-induced hypnosis in lesser extent comparing with Diazepam. The results may account for the use of A. indica as an alternative treatment of antinociception and neuropharmacological abnormalities with further intensive studies. The compound, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid was found to be most effective in computer aided models.

Naproxen, a well-known non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug was encapsulated with cellulosic and polymethacrylic polymers to provide sustained action and to minimize gastro esophageal side effects by avoiding the release of drug in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Emulsification-solvent evaporation technique using Ethyl Cellulose, Eudragit RSPO and their combination as release retardant was the method of choice. The formulations were prepared by keeping the amount of drug fixed to 1g and the total amount of polymer fixed to 1g in which Ethyl Cellulose and Eudragit RSPO were used in varying combination. In-vitro drug release was studied in a paddle type dissolution apparatus (USP type II) for eight hours in phosphate buffer having pH 7.4. After 8 hours, the release of drug was 86.20% for F6 which contains equal amount of Ethyl Cellulose and Eudragit RS PO and 71.57% for F7 which contains only Eudragit RSPO. The release mechanisms were explored and explained with zero order, first order, Higuchi, Korsmeyer-Peppas and Hixson Crowell models. The correlation-coefficient values of the trend lines of the graphs showed that the formulations were best fitted with Korsmeyer-Peppas release pattern. Microspheres surface morphological study was done by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Drug polymer incompatibility studies were performed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The absence of endothermic melting peak of Naproxen in DSC thermogram revealed that the drug might be dispersed in the polymer as solid solution or in a metastable molecular dispersion. But the chemical integrity of Naproxen was not changed or destroyed within the microsphere which was confirmed by FTIR report. Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 12(1): 11-21, 2013 (June) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dujps.v12i1.16295

The present study has been performed to encapsulate naproxen to provide sustained action and to minimize local side effects by avoiding the drug release in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Naproxen was microencapsulated by oil-in-oil emulsification-solvent evaporation technique using Eudragit RSPO. The formulations were prepared by sequential increase in drug loading ranging from 10% to 70%. In-vitro drug release was studied in a paddle type dissolution apparatus (USP type II) for six hours in phosphate buffer having pH 7.4. At 10% and 70% loading the release were 42.89% and 86.33%, respectively. The release mechanisms were explored and explained with zero order, first order, Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. The correlation-coefficient values of the trend lines of the graphs showed that the formulations were best fitted with Korsmeyer-Peppas release pattern. Microspheres` surface morphologic study was done by scanning electron microscopy. Drug polymer incompatibility studies were performed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The absence of endothermic melting peak of naproxen in DSC thermogram revealed that the drug might be dispersed in the polymer as solid solution or in a metastable molecular dispersion. But the chemical integrity of Naproxen was not changed or destroyed within the microsphere which was confirmed by FTIR spectral data. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dujps.v11i2.14573 Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 11(2): 147-155, 2012 (December)

Gastro retentive floating tablet of Simvastatin was prepared by direct compression technique using Methocel K4M as the rate controlling polymer. The hydrophilic cellulose derivative, Methocel K4M was evaluated for its gel forming and release controlling properties. Sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were incorporated as gas generating agents. The effects of soluble components (sodium bicarbonate and citric acid) and gel forming agents on drug release profile and floating properties were investigated. The tablets from all formulations were evaluated for thickness, diameter, weight variation, hardness, and friability. The tablets were also tested for the buoyancy studies and in vitro drug release studies. The drug release study was evaluated for eight hours using USP XXII paddle-type dissolution apparatus using 0.1N HCl with 1% Sodium Lauryl Sulphate as dissolution medium. The release mechanisms were explored and explained with zero order, first order, Higuchi, Hixon Crowell and Korsmeyer equations. The release rate, extent and mechanisms were found to be governed by the polymer content. It was found that the mean dissolution time, percentage drug release, release rate constant and diffusion exponent were influenced significantly by the amount of polymer incorporation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bpj.v15i2.12575 Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 15(2): 119-126, 2012

There is a tremendous unmet need to discover more potent and safe drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Reduced cholinergic activity and oxidative stress have been recognized as a major contributing factor in the pathogenesis of AD.

Women entrepreneurship is a very thorny task in Bangladesh like other developing nations. Generally, women entrepreneurs are facing number of hindrances during start-up to operating their enterprises though they have enormous contribution to the national economic growth and employment generation. The aim of this research study is to scrutinize the working environment for women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. To conduct the study 752 sample has been considered and examined to get research outcome. The research results reveal that Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs generally have very limited financial capabilities to initiate their business as well as inadequate of collateral facilities leads to discourage the financial institutions to offer credit facilities to them. Also women entrepreneurs face other social constrains to operate and manage their business those can be connected with gender discrimination, undermining as economic means, legal constrains and imperfect view by financial institutions that women are unable to manage their business.

The present study was conducted with a view to analyze growth and trend in area, production and yield of major crops of Bangladesh. The scope of this study was to determine/ assess the growth pattern in the context of total cultivable area, gross production and yield rate which has been followed by some economically important crops of our country such as rice, wheat, pulse, rape and mustard, jute, sugarcane & tea. Collecting time series data from 1969-74 to 2004-2009 (40 years) of those crops from reliable source and using semi-log trend function here the researchers tried to find out the trend and estimate the growth rate of area, production and yield of the above mentioned crops. The compound growth rate as well as trend analysis indicated that the production of rice during 1969-74 to 2004-09 was increased due to the corresponding increase in per hectare yield of rice crop in Bangladesh. The results show that area, production and yield of wheat was increased over the time the reason is that more area was brought under wheat production except the year 2004-2009. It was revealed from the results that area, production and yield of pulse were increased over the time. The results shows that area, production and yield of rape and mustard was increasing a rate of 1.21 percent, 2.33 percent and 1.11 percent per annum, respectively, whereas, the area, production and yield of jute was decreasing. It was revealed from the analysis that the trend co-efficient of area, production and yield of sugarcane and tea was positive.