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Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread virus that can cause serious and irreversible neurological damage in newborns and even death in children who do not have the access to much-needed medications. While some vaccines and drugs are found to be effective against HCMV, their extended use has given rise to dose-limiting toxicities and the development of drug-resistant mutants among patients. Despite half a century’s worth of research, the lack of a licensed HCMV vaccine heightens the need to develop newer antiviral therapies and vaccine candidates with improved effectiveness and reduced side effects. In this study, the immunoinformatics approach was utilized to design a potential polyvalent epitope-based vaccine effective against the four virulent strains of HCMV. The vaccine was constructed using seven CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes epitopes, nine CD4+ helper T lymphocyte epitopes, and twelve linear B-cell lymphocyte epitopes that were predicted to be antigenic, non-allergenic, non-toxic, fully conserved, and non-human homologous. Subsequently, molecular docking study, protein-protein interaction analysis, molecular dynamics simulation (including the root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) and root mean square deviation (RMSD)), and immune simulation study rendered promising results assuring the vaccine to be stable, safe, and effective. Finally, in silico cloning was conducted to develop an efficient mass production strategy of the vaccine. However, further in vitro and in vivo research studies on the proposed vaccine are required to confirm its safety and efficacy. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

In this study, we employed a comprehensive database mining approach to examine the possible oncogenic roles and clinical relevance of Dynactin family genes (DCTN1-6) in Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (LIHC). All the DCTNs were observed to be differentially expressed in LIHC tissues compared to the adjacent normal liver tissues. Most of the DCTNs were discovered to be aberrantly methylated (less methylated) and contain multiple somatic mutations (alteration frequency: 0.2-2.5%) in LIHC tissues. Overexpression of DCTNs was mostly associated with poor overall and relapse-free survival of LIHC patients. Alongside, all the DCTN genes were reported to be overexpressed across different demographic and clinical conditions, i.e., age, cancer stage, tumor grades, and metastatic stages of LIHC patients. DCTN expression was also associated with the infiltration levels of different immune cells, i.e., B cell, T cell, and macrophages in LIHC microenvironment. The co-expressed genes of DCTNs in the LIHC tissues were previously found to be involved in oncogenic processes in different cancer types and control crucial biological processes, i.e., nucleotide metabolism, RNA degradation, and chromosome organization. Later, the expression pattern of DCTNs was validated in two independent microarray datasets (i.e., GSE17856, GSE98383), which also supported our initial findings. All these findings suggest that DCTNs and their transcriptional and translational products are potential prognostic and therapeutic targets for LIHC diagnosis and treatment. This study will help further the development of DCTN-based diagnostic and therapeutic measures for LIHC and translate them into clinical implications.

This study aims to molecularly characterize the phylogenetic relationship of small barbs under the Subfamily Smiliogastrinae (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in Bangladesh using a fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). Samples were collected from rivers, haors (a seasonal wetland), baors (an oxbow lake), beels (perennial waterbody), and floodplains. A total of eleven species under five genera were confirmed based on both morphological and molecular approaches. The average Kimura two-parameter (K2P) distances for intraspecies and interspecies were 0.0058 and 0.1538, respectively. The mean GC content was markedly low (44.03%) in the COI sequences of the smiliogastrin species compared to the mean AT content (55.97%). In addition to the barcode-based species identification, phylogenetic relationships among the species were also explored. Phylogenetic (neighbor-joining, parsimony, and maximum likelihood) as well as species delimitation (ASAP and mPTP) analyses of all the eleven species revealed distinct clusters in concurrence with the taxonomic status of the species.

This study explored the prognostic and therapeutic potentials of multiple Proteasome 26S Subunit, ATPase (PSMC) family of genes (PSMC1-5) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) diagnosis and treatment. All the PSMCs were found to be differentially expressed (upregulated) at the mRNA and protein levels in LUAD tissues. The promoter and multiple coding regions of PSMCs were reported to be differentially and distinctly methylated, which may serve in the methylation-sensitive diagnosis of LUAD patients. Multiple somatic mutations (alteration frequency: 0.6-2%) were observed along the PSMCs coding regions in LUAD tissues that could assist in the high-throughput screening of LUAD patients. A significant association between PSMCs overexpression and LUAD patients’ poor overall and relapse-free survival (p1.3) and individual cancer stages (pPSMCs as the ideal targets for LUAD diagnosis. Multiple immune cells and modulators (i.e., CD274, IDO1) were found to be associated with PSMCs expression in LUAD tissues that could aid in formulating PSMC-based diagnostic measures and therapeutic interventions for LUAD. Functional enrichment analysis of neighbor genes of PSMCs in LUAD tissues revealed different genes (i.e., SLIRP, PSMA2, NUDSF3) previously known to be involved in oncogenic processes and metastasis co-expressed with PSMCs, which could also be investigated further. Overall, this study recommends that PSMCs and their transcriptional and translational products are potential candidates for LUAD diagnostic and therapeutic measure discovery. However, further laboratory research is needed to validate the findings of this experiment.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, is a highly transmittable and pathogenic human coronavirus that first emerged in China in December 2019. The unprecedented outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 devastated human health within a short time leading to a global public health emergency. A detailed understanding of the viral proteins including their structural characteristics and virulence mechanism on human health is very crucial for developing vaccines and therapeutics. To date, over 1800 structures of non-structural, structural, and accessory proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are determined by cryo-electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, and NMR spectroscopy. Designing therapeutics to target the viral proteins has several benefits since they could be highly specific against the virus while maintaining minimal detrimental effects on humans. However, for ongoing and future research on SARS-CoV-2, summarizing all the viral proteins and their detailed structural information is crucial. In this review, we compile comprehensive information on viral structural, non-structural, and accessory proteins structures with their binding and catalytic sites, different domain and motifs, and potential drug target sites to assist chemists, biologists, and clinicians finding necessary details for fundamental and therapeutic research.

Background Countrywide lockdown or stay-at-home order has been implemented to slow down the transmission of emergent coronavirus. However, the influence on attitudes and lifestyle due to lockdown amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate the influence on attitudes and lifestyle due to lockdown amidst the COVID-19 pandemic among Bangladeshi residents. Methods A cross-sectional survey carried out involving 1635 community dwellers across eight divisions in Bangladesh conducted from April 15, 2020 to May 10, 2020. A structured questionnaire incorporating socio-demographic, attitudes towards lockdown and adverse lifestyle amidst lockdown measures was employed to collect data using the Google Forms. Multiple regression analyses were executed to determine the associated factors of positive attitudes towards lockdown and adverse lifestyle. Results The mean scores of attitudes towards lockdown were 67.9 (SD = 8.4) out of 85 with an overall correct rate (positive attitudes) of 79.9%; whereas the mean scores of adverse lifestyle amidst lockdown were 16.1 (SD = 4.8) out of 34 with an overall rate of 47.4%. The factors associated with more positive attitudes towards lockdown included being female, divorced, higher educated, and students. Conversely, being male, having no formal education, and rural residence were associated factors of adverse lifestyle amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions The findings reflect how the COVID-19 lockdown has preciously impacted the attitudes, and lifestyle of Bangladeshi citizens, which will contribute to promoting appropriate measures during a subsequent zonal or complete lockdown.

Objectives: The group of human coronaviruses (HCoVs) consists of some highly pathogenic viruses that have caused several outbreaks in the past. The newly emerged strain of HCoV, the SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the recent global pandemic that has already caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people due to the lack of effective therapeutic options. Methods: In this study, immunoinformatics methods were used to design epitope-based polyvalent vaccines which are expected to be effective against four different pathogenic strains of HCoV i.e., HCoV-OC43, HCoV-SARS, HCoV-MERS, and SARS-CoV-2. Results: The constructed vaccines consist of highly antigenic, non-allergenic, nontoxic, conserved, and non-homologous T-cell and B-cell epitopes from all the four viral strains. Therefore, they should be able to provide strong protection against all these strains. Protein-protein docking was performed to predict the best vaccine construct. Later, the MD simulation and immune simulation of the best vaccine construct also predicted satisfactory results. Finally, in silico cloning was performed to develop a mass production strategy of the vaccine. Conclusion: If satisfactory results are achieved in further in vivo and in vitro studies, then the vaccines designed in this study might be effective as preventative measures against the selected HCoV strains.

Shamsunnahar, Baki MA, Sarker A, Hasina Begum M, Zafaria M, Islam NN, Ahmed MdS. 2017. New record of Indian oil sardine Sardinella longiceps from the coastal region of Bangladesh. Ocean Life 1: 11-13. We report the first record of Indian oil sardine Sardinella longiceps from the southern coast of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. The sample specimens were collected from Pathorghata, Barguna, Bangladesh on 25th October, 2015. Morphometric and meristic studies were performed for taxonomic identification. Genomic DNA was extracted from tissue samples and mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (COI) gene was amplified for molecular characterization of this species. The morphometric and meristic data and DNA barcoding confirm the presence of S. longiceps in Bangladesh. This report updates the geographical distribution for this species confirming its presence in the coastal region of Bangladesh, and extends the number of marine fish known from the area.

Background Like glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient hemizygous males and homozygous females, heterozygous females could also manifest hemolytic crisis, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia or kernicterus upon exposure to oxidative stress induced by certain foods such as fava beans, drugs or infections. Although hemizygous males and homozygous females are easily detected by conventional G6PD enzyme assay method, the heterozygous state could be missed by the conventional methods as the mosaic population of both normal and deficient RBCs circulates in the blood. Thus the present study aimed to apply high resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis approach to see whether HRM could be used as a supplemental approach to increase the chance of detection of G6PD heterozygosity. Results Sixty-three clinically suspected females were evaluated for G6PD status using both enzyme assay and HRM analysis. Four out of sixty-three participants came out as G6PD deficient by the enzyme assay method, whereas HRM approach could identify nine participants with G6PD variants, one homozygous and eight heterozygous. Although only three out of eight heterozygous samples had G6PD enzyme deficiency, the HRM-based heterozygous G6PD variants detection for the rest of the samples with normal G6PD enzyme activities could have significance because their newborns might fall victim to serious consequences under certain oxidative stress. Conclusions In addition to the G6PD enzyme assay, HRM curve analysis could be useful as a supplemental approach for detection of G6PD heterozygosity.

Groundwater contamination by arsenic has created a major health hazard in Bangladesh by affecting millions of people. In this study, we report cytotoxic effects of arsenic in primary culture of murine thymocytes and the counteractive actions of tea extract to reduce this cytotoxic effects. When murine thymocytes were incubated for shorter period (1 h) with higher concentrations (50 and 100 ?M) of sodium arsenite (NaAsO2), cell viability was decreased to 79.06 ± 0.52% and 62.53 ± 0.23%, respectively. In case of longer incubation (16 hrs) with a wide range of NaAsO2 concentration (1-100 ?M), cell viability was reduced from 89.30 ± 0.84% to 79.0 ± 0.52% by 1 ?M NaAsO2, and this reduction was continued with increasing concentration reaching to 29.60 ± 0.72% by 100 ?M. Tea is known to possess antioxidant property and we found that this tea extract reduced NaAsO2-mediated death of the cells in culture. After 16 h of incubation, the chromosomal DNA of 5 ?M NaAsO2-exposed cells was found degraded suggesting apoptotic death of the cells. Interestingly, this degradation of chromosomal DNA was blocked by tea extract. All of these results together suggest a future therapeutic application of tea extract to reduce or block arsenic toxicity.Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 14(1): 79-85, 2015 (June)

The study aimed to examine for the first time the spectra of viral and bacterial pathogens along with the antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated bacteria in under-5 children with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in hospital settings of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Nasal swabs were collected from 200 under-five children hospitalized with clinical signs of ARIs. Nasal swabs from 30 asymptomatic children were also collected. Screening of viral pathogens targeted ten respiratory viruses using RT-qPCR. Bacterial pathogens were identified by bacteriological culture methods and antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was determined following CLSI guidelines. About 82.5% (n = 165) of specimens were positive for pathogens. Of 165 infected cases, 3% (n = 6) had only single bacterial pathogens, whereas 43.5% (n = 87) cases had only single viral pathogens. The remaining 36% (n = 72) cases had coinfections. In symptomatic cases, human rhinovirus was detected as the predominant virus (31.5%), followed by RSV (31%), HMPV (13%), HBoV (11%), HPIV-3 (10.5%), and adenovirus (7%). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most frequently isolated bacterial pathogen (9%), whereas Klebsiella pneumaniae, Streptococcus spp., Enterobacter agglomerans, and Haemophilus influenzae were 5.5%, 5%, 2%, and 1.5%, respectively. Of 15 multidrug-resistant bacteria, a Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate and an Enterobacter agglomerans isolate exhibited resistance against more than 10 different antibiotics. Both ARI incidence and predominant pathogen detection rates were higher during post-monsoon and winter, peaking in September. Pathogen detection rates and coinfection incidence in less than 1-year group were significantly higher (P = 0.0034 and 0.049, respectively) than in 1–5 years age group. Pathogen detection rate (43%) in asymptomatic cases was significantly lower compared to symptomatic group (P