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Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the foremost non-fatal skin-related disease that affects all age groups. Despite the growing prevalence of AD in low- and middle-income countries, its physiological consequences remain overlooked in countries like Bangladesh. Therefore, we aim to assess and characterize the influence of AD on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Bangladeshi patients. A cross-sectional study comprising 184 eligible adults (83 men and 101 women; mean age, 33.46 ± 15.44 years) was conducted at the dermatology outpatient department of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (a tertiary hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh). AD was determined using the UK Working Party criteria. A structured questionnaire, Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were administered to obtain information on patient characteristics, AD severity, and HRQoL. The mean DLQI score for the entire sample was 11.29 ± 5.27 (range, 1-26), and 51.60% reported the disease greatly affected their lives. Bivariate analysis revealed significant differences in self-rated health measures of DLQI scores in terms of self-reported AD severity, overall health, and the EASI. In multivariable regression models adjusted for patient characteristics, the self-perceived severe AD group reported significantly higher DLQI scores (coefficient = 2.72; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.38-5.05; p = 0.022) than the mild group. Concurrently, we observed a substantial increase in the DLQI scores among patients with moderate and severe EASI scores (coefficient = 1.96, 95% CI = 0.08-3.92, p < 0.05 and coefficient = 4.35, 95% CI = 1.98-6.72, p < 0.001, respectively) than in those with mild EASI scores, suggesting that HRQoL was markedly influenced by greater AD severity. These findings highlight the need for a more patient-centric approach to the management of AD in order to alleviate patient suffering and, thereby, improve HRQoL.

Non-coding variants or single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) play pivotal roles in orchestrating pathogeneses of polygenic diseases, including hypertension (HTN) and diabetes. Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components-renin and (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR]-maintain homeostasis of body fluids. Genetic variants of RAS components are associated with risk of HTN and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in different ethnic groups. We identified associations of SNPs within the renin and (P)RR genes with HTN, T2D, and T2D-associated hypertension in 911 unrelated Bangladeshi individuals. Five non-coding SNPs were involved in modulating regulatory elements in diverse cell types when tagged with other SNPs. rs61827960 was not associated with any disease; rs3730102 was associated with increased risk of HTN and T2D while under dominant model, it showed protective role against T2D-associated HTN. SNP rs11571079 was associated with increased risk of HTN and T2D-associated HTN and decreased risk of T2D, exerting a protective effect. Renin haplotypes GCA and GTG were related to increased risk of T2D and T2D-associated HTN, respectively. Heterogeneous linkage of genotypic and allelic frequencies of rs2968915 and rs3112298 of (P)RR was observed. The (P)RR haplotype GA was associated with increased risk of HTN and significantly decreased risk of T2D. These findings highlight important roles of non-coding variants of renin and (P)RR genes in the etiology of several polygenic diseases., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.)

Vibrio cholerae isolates from environmental and clinical origins in the Bengal region in which epidemics of cholera break out periodically were analyzed with particular emphasis on the molecular epidemiological features. The presence of the virulence genes (ctxA, tcpA and toxR) in the isolates was analyzed by the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method. PFGE (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) was performed to determine the clonal relationships between the clinical and environmental strains. Antibiograms and O serovars of the isolates were also examined. O1 and O139 strains from both clinical and environmental sources were all positive for the three virulence genes while non-O1/non-O139 strains from both sources were all negative for ctxA and tcpA but positive for toxR. PFGE patterns of recent isolates of O1 and O139 were similar in each serovar regardless of origin, suggesting a clonal relationship between the clinical and environmental strains, although comparison with past isolates or isolates from different geographical area showed some differences.