Search

Introduction Bangladesh is committed to achieving the SDG target of ending the tuberculosis epidemic and achieving UHC by 2030. To inform policy and program decision-making, this nationwide sero-survey of HIV among tuberculosis patients was conducted. Methods The cross-sectional survey utilized a two-stage probability proportional to size (PPS) systematic random sampling technique for selected TB reporting centers (TRCs) from June 2020 to December 2021. The estimated 12,065 diagnosed tuberculosis patients, according to the NTP diagnostic algorithm, irrespective of age and sex, were included. The required information was collected through face-to-face interviews and record reviews using a pre-tested electronic TAB-based semi-structured questionnaire. With all aseptic precautions for all respondents who gave consent, 5 ml. venous blood was collected for the standard confirmatory test by 4th generation ELISA method for detection of antibody of HIV1/2/P24 antigen. Results Out of 12,065 TB patients surveyed, most of them were from the Dhaka division (25%), urban (76%), 55 years and above (28%), male (56%), married (82%), illiterate (36%) and living in a nuclear family (70%). A total of 12 (0.1%) HIV-positive cases were found among TB patients across the country, and the majority (33%) of them belonged to the age group of 35 to 44 years, male (58%), lower educational group (67%), urban resident (67%), and from nuclear family (77%). The HIV-positive patients found more among pulmonary TB patients (83%) who were detected bacteriologically positive (58%) but smear and gene expert negative (75%). Among them, none was found to have progressed to drug-resistant TB. Conclusion HIV affects the immune system, and TB is one of the leading causes of death in HIV-infected people. Although the rate is low, there is a need for continued efforts to prevent and treat TB in Bangladesh, particularly among older age groups, urban residents, and those with co-morbidities such as diabetes.

This study explores electrochemical interactions of a pharmaceutical drug, kojic acid (5-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-4 H-pyran-4-one, KA), with bioactive iron Fe(III) at different pH systems by using cyclic voltammetric technique. For this study buffers relevant to physiological pH of blood and digestive system have been selected. Bioactive iron was found to form an electroactive complex [Fe(III)L3] in the presence of KA at all studied pH, whereas electrochemical behavior of KA was also changed by complex formation. This electrochemical investigation reveals that under the experimental conditions, [Fe(III)L3] complex undergoes a diffusion controlled, one electron redox process that is quasi-reversible in nature. It was also found that [Fe(III)L3] complex undergoes coupled chemical reaction according to EC (an electron transfer reaction followed by a chemical reaction) mechanism, and this interaction is pH dependent. Modified Nicholson and Shain, Gileadi, and Kochi methods were used to determine standard heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k (0) ) of [Fe(III)L3] complex. It was found to be in the range of [10.sup.-3] to [10.sup.-5] cm/s. Key words: kojic acid, bioactive iron Fe(III), cyclic voltammetry, electron transfer reactions, coupled chemical reactions La presente etude explore les interactions electrochimiques d'un medicament pharmaceutique, l'acide kojique (5-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-4H-pyran-4-one; AK), avec le fer sous sa forme bioactive Fe(III) dans des systemes a diferents pH au moyen d'une technique de voltamperometrie cyclique. Dans le cadre de cette etude, nous avons selectionne des tampons compatibles avec les pH physiologiques du sang et du systeme digestif, soit des tampons de pH 4,0, 5,5, 6,0, 6,7, 7,0 et 7,4. L'etude montre que l'ingestion concomitante d'AK et de Fe(III) peut induire des variations marquees de la biodisponibilite des ions Fe(III). Nous avons observe que le fer bioactif forme un complexe electroactif, le [Fe(III)L3], en presence d'AK a toutes les valeurs de pH etudiees et que la formation de ce complexe modifie egalement le comportement electrochimique de l'AK. Le nombre d'electrons (n) impliques dans le processus d'oxydoreduction du complexe [Fe(III)L3] a ete determine a tous les pH etudies et se situe dans la plage de 0,998 a 1,005. Cette etude electrochimique revele que, dans les conditions experimentales, le complexe [Fe(III)L3] subit un processus d'oxydoreduction monoelectronique regi par la diffusion, de nature quasi reversible. Nous avons egalement decouvert que le complexe [Fe(III)L3] subit une reaction chimique couplee selon le mecanisme de transfert d'electron suivi d'une reaction chimique (EC), et que cette interaction est dependante du pH. Nous avons utilise des donnees de voltamperometrie cyclique pour extraire des informations sur la cinetique heterogene du complexe [Fe(III)L3]. La constante de vitesse de transfert electronique heterogene k (0) ) a ete determinee par trois methodes diferentes : la methode Nicholson & Shain modifiee, la methode Gileadi et la methode Kochi. La constante de vitesse heterogene standard se situe entre [10.sup.-3] et [10.sup.-5] cm/s. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : acide kojique, fer bioactif Fe(III), voltamperometrie cyclique, reactions de transfert d'electrons, reactions chimiques couplees, 1. Introduction Kojic acid (5-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-4H-pyran-4-one, KA) is a natural organic acid. It is biodegradable, environment friendly, and a fungal secondary metabolite that has been studied extensively by researchers for its [...]

The application of chemicals through spraying is an essential component of agricultural management systems. However, the use of these chemical products results in the accumulation of residues in the soil, leading to a decline in soil fertility and plant diversity. Additionally, farmers who manually spray pesticides onto their crop fields are at risk of developing health issues such as tumors, hypersensitivity, allergies, and skin diseases. As the global population continues to grow and climate change impacts farmland ecosystems, the occurrence of pest epidemics in crops is becoming more frequent. Consequently, there is a greater demand for enhanced tools and methods to improve crop production. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have the potential to revolutionize agricultural spraying by offering efficient and effective applications of crop protection agrochemicals. This article provides an overview and consolidation of the present research and advancements in UGV application technologies and different sensors that are specifically designed for spray applications of agrichemicals. It examines the features of both hardware and software architecture for implementing control strategies, obstacle detection, and avoidance systems with real-time integrated systems, and the ability to perform variable-rate agrochemical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The effective management of pain during and after lower limb orthopaedic surgeries is crucial for optimizing patient comfort and postoperative outcomes. Epidural analgesia, often employed in this context, relies on the adjunctive use of medications to enhance pain control. Among the numerous options available, two commonly used adjuvants are dexmedetomidine and fentanyl. This study aims to provide a comparative analysis of the efficacy and safety of these two medications when incorporated into epidural analgesia protocols for lower limb orthopaedic surgeries. By exploring their respective benefits and potential drawbacks, this research seeks to contribute valuable insights to the field of perioperative pain management, ultimately aiding clinicians in making informed decisions regarding the choice of adjuvants in orthopaedic surgical settings. Materials and Methods: The present study included 120 patients who underwent lower limb orthopaedic surgery and were of both sexes, aged 20 years to 56 years, and of physical status I and II according to the American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA). Sixty patients each were randomly assigned to the two groups Group 1 [ropivacaine + dexmedetomidine (RD)] and Group 2 [ropivacaine + fentanyl (RF)]. Epidurally, 15 ml of 0.75% ropivacaine injection was given to both groups, along with 1 g/kg of dexmedetomidine for Group 1 and 1 g/kg of fentanyl for Group 2. Various block characteristics, such as the time to the first onset of analgesia at T10, the maximum sensory analgesic level, the duration of the motor blockade, the duration of the two segmental dermatomal regressions, and the duration of the first rescue analgesic, were also noted along with cardio-respiratory parameters and sedation scores. Data was rigorously gathered at the conclusion of the study and analyzed using Fisher's exact test, Chi-square test, and ANOVA with post-hoc significance. Statistical significance was set at 0.05 (if the P-value = 0.05, it is significant). Results: The demographic profile of patients was comparable in both groups. The onset of sensory analgesia at T10 (7.65±1.93 minutes vs 9.76±2.19 minutes) and establishment of complete motor blockade (19.42±4.11 minutes vs 21.65±5.37 minutes) was significantly earlier in Group 1 [ropivacaine + dexmedetomidine (RD)]. Postoperative analgesia was prolonged significantly in Group 1 [ropivacaine + dexmedetomidine (RD)] (362.13±20.87 minutes) and consequently low dose consumption of local anaesthetic (74.56±9.82 mg vs 108.65±14.69 mg) during epidural top-ups postoperatively. Sedation scores were much better in Group 1 [ropivacaine + dexmedetomidine (RD)] and highly significant in statistical comparison. The incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly higher in Group 2 [ropivacaine + fentanyl (RF)], while the incidence of dry mouth was significantly higher in Group 1 [ropivacaine + dexmedetomidine (RD)]. Conclusion: As an epidural adjuvant, dexmedetomidine appears to be preferable to fentanyl because it offers comparable stable hemodynamics, early onset and establishment of sensory anaesthesia, prolonged postoperative analgesia, lower post-operative local anaesthetics consumption for epidural analgesia, and significantly higher sedation levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been commonly used in the assessment of preoperative pelvic organ prolapse to evaluate anatomical defects prior to surgery. This study aimed at evaluating the dynamic MRI reliability in the determination of pelvic organ prolapse and to assess its compliance with the physical examination for preoperative planning of women. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was performed at the radiology department of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Karachi from April-October 2019. All women irrespective of age and parity status having obstructed defecation, constipation, organ prolapse, pelvic pain, or stress urinary incontinence undergoing dynamic pelvic MRI were consecutively enrolled. A brief history was obtained followed by a physical examination for pelvic organ prolapse followed by MRI examination. Kappa coefficient was applied to see the agreement of physical examination with MRI finding. Results: A total 38 women were included. A significantly moderate agreement was observed between MRI and physical exam findings with respect to the presence or absence of cystocele (K=0.554, p<0.001), rectocele (K=0.632, p<0.001), and enterocele (K=0.587, p<0.001). However, agreement with respect to the MRI and physical examination findings on uterine descent was non-significant (K=0.130, p 0.421). Conclusion: MRI examination is an effective diagnostic modality in determination of the pelvic organ prolapse in suspected symptomatic patients. MRI could add value primarily in research areas, taking into account its ability to examine the entire pelvis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A precise, accurate, simple and low cost reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quality assessment of commonly used insecticide carbofuran and fipronil in its technical and formulated products. The chromatographic parameters, i.e. mobile phase composition, wavelength and flow rate of developed method was optimized in such a way that the HPLC was carried out at 280 nm by using a mobile phase, which contains 80 parts acetonitrile and 20 parts water by volume (ACN:H2O, 80:20) flowing at a rate of 1.0 mL/min. A linear relationship (R² > 0.999) was shown by calibration curve plotted in the concentration ranged from 30-800 mg/L. The limit of detection (LODs) were found to be 14.5 mg/L and 20.9 mg/L and limit of quantification (LOQs) were recorded to be 43.9 mg/L and 63.2 mg/L for both carbofuran and fipronil respectively. The developed method’s accuracy was exhibited by recovery percentage (96.0-100.8) % of water samples spiked with 100, 300 and 600 mg/L of carbofuran and fipronil, respectively. The developed RP-HPLC method is therefore simple, cheap, rapid and can be proficiently used for the simultaneous identification and quantification of carbofuran and fipronil in its technical and formulated products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research was carried-out to assess the heat tolerance in durum and spring wheat genotypes under normal and heat stress conditions for yield and its related traits. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replicates at the experimental field of Nuclear Institute of Agriculture during the growing season, 2017-18. The mean squares from analysis of variance for yield and its related agronomical traits showed that genotypes and treatments were significant for tillers plant, plant height, grains spike, 1000-grain weight, grain yield plant-1 and harvest index. The present results suggested that genotypes performed differently for all the traits in non-stress as well as in heat stress. Whereas, genotypes x treatments interaction were significant for grains spike-1, grain yield plant-1 and harvest index while tiller plant-1, plant height and 1000-grain weight were non-significant. The ID-1 (check variety) showed better performance for tillers plant-1, plant height, grains spike-1 1000-grain weight and harvest index in non-stress and in heat stress conditions. Heat stress caused significant reduction in all the traits however genotypes like ISB-38, ISB-21, IDYT-22, IDYT-15, IDYT-27 showed minimum reduction in heat stress condition against non-stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of new high yield wheat varieties is the main objective of the wheat improvement program. The information concerning the genetic variability, heri tab ility and correlation analysis for different parameters is indispensable to propose effective wheat breeding program. (Table 1) which exhibited that genotypes performance variable for all the traits. A field experiment was carried out during 2016-17 in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replication and ten genotypes. The mean squares from analysis of variance revealed that all genotypes were significant difference at 1% probability level. NIA Sarang (mutant) recorded maximum mean performance for days to 50% heading (70.00 days), peduncle length (41.50cm) and seed index (50.00g) and next scorer for the days to 90% maturity (129.83) and spike length (13.33cm), While NIA Amber (mutant) showed longer spike length (15.33cm) more number of spikelet spike (24.33X more number of grains spike-1 (71.00 seeds), higher biological yield (49.00 g) and next ranked for days to 50% heading (67.00), tiller plant-1 (10.67), plant height (87.37cm) and grain yield plant-1 (25.33g), while TD-1 (check variety) recorded minimum (117.00 days) in 90% maturity, plant height (59.67cm), peduncle length (30.33cm) and maximum (11.33) tillers plant1, grain yield plant1 (25.67g) and harvest index (53.47%). The high her-itability (h2b.s.%) were recorded for days to 50% heading (h2 = 97.16%), days to 90% maturity (h2 = 95.60%), tillers plant1 (h2 = 91.83%), plant height (h2 = 99.08%), peduncle length (h2 = 93.05%X spike length (h2 = 93.05%), spikelets spike''(h2 = 95.17%), grains spike '(h2 = 96.02%), grain yield planr'(h2 = 98.40%), biological yield plant-1 (h2 = 97.17%), seed index (h2 = 89.09%) and harvest index (h2 = 93.27%). Correlation coefficient showed that significant and positive associations of spike length, spike-lets spike-1, grains spike-1, biological yield and harvest index with grain yield plant-1. Regression analysis showed that a unit increase in spike length. spikelets spike-1, grains spike-1, biological yield and harvest index will simultaneously increase grain yield plant-1. Days to 90% maturity and plant height showed significant but negative association with harvest index. The regression analysis indicated that a unit increases in days to maturity and plant height cause reduction in harvest index. The present results indicated that Mutants NIA Sarang and NIA Amber could be used for developing new wheat varieties with improved yield traits with early maturity through simple selection from later generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This communication describes the mechanical properties of the single yarn polyester composite (PC) of cotton fiber with special reference to the effect of unevenness in the structure of yarn. Unevenness % (U) and coefficient of variation (CV) in mass of spun yarn were measured. Scanning electron microscopy was carried out to understand the effect of unevenness on physical structure of fibers in the yarn which affect not only the mechanical properties of yarn but also the composites reinforced with them. Results also showed that decrease in 2.15 % of U in the yarn structure causes an increase of 25.18% in ultimate stress and 30.71% decrease in stiffness of composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]