Search

Edris Alam,1,2 Khameis Al Abdouli,1 Amar Hassan Khamis,3 Hafiz Uddin Bhuiyan,4 Kazi Abdur Rahman5 1Faculty of Resilience, Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 2Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, 4331, Bangladesh; 3Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 4Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh; 5The Government of the People’s Republic Bangladesh, Dhaka, BangladeshCorrespondence: Edris Alam Email ealam@ra.ac.aeBackground and Aims: Although the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) developed some policy initiatives during the first phase of COVID-19, their efforts were questioned due to indecision, late policy decisions and implementation, and a proliferation of fake testing and fake news. As such, this research aims to examine public trust in preparedness and response measures undertaken by both the GoB and private sector organisations in Bangladesh between January and May 2020.Methods: A cross-sectional survey method was applied to a sample of Bangladeshi residents using a questionnaire distributed between April and June 2020. Three hundred and seven respondents participated in an online questionnaire that was disseminated on online outlets, such as e-mail, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. The survey questionnaire was distributed to potential respondents, and continuous-chain messages were provided. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA).Findings: Of the 307 participants, 77% were male and 23% were female. Findings suggest that the participants showed greater approval of private sector responses than of governmental preparedness and response activities. For preparedness activities, participants were negative about both the GoB efforts to organize and provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors in time as a safeguard against COVID-19, and also the lack of coordination and informed decision-making in relation to facing COVID-19. Respondents were asked to share their perception of the suitability of GoB pandemic management plans, as evidenced by plan effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusion: A lower level of trust was demonstrated by the Bangladeshis with regard to preparedness and response measures taken in Bangladesh. Based on participants’ concerns and suggestions and a review of drawback of policy responses in the early stage, a set of recommendations are provided for future pandemics like public health emergency risk management in Bangladesh.Keywords: business continuity management, COVID-19, public trust, prevention, response

Türkçe için oluşturulmuş okunabilirlik formüllerinin işlevselliğini sorgulamak ve bu formüller arasından uzman görüşleriyle en tutarlı olanını saptamak amacıyla yürütülen bu çalışmada, nitel ve nicel araştırma yöntemlerinin birlikte kullanıldığı karma yöntemden yararlanılmıştır. Bu doğrultuda araştırmada kullanılmak üzere 3 metin seçilmiş ve seçilen metinlerin Türkçe için oluşturulmuş okunabilirlik formüllerine göre okunabilirlik puanları hesaplanmıştır. Metinlerin okunabilirlik puanlarının hesaplanması sonucunda Türkçe için oluşturulmuş okunabilirlik formüllerinin birbirleriyle ve ders kitaplarının sınıf seviyesi ile tutarsız sonuçlar verdiği tespit edilmiştir. Söz konusu tutarsızlıktan yola çıkarak bu formüller arasından uzman görüşleriyle en tutarlı olan formülü tespit etmek amacıyla 2023-2024 eğitim-öğretim yılı içerisinde fiili olarak Türkçe öğretmenliği tecrübesine sahip 20 uzmanın görüşüne başvurulmuştur. Toplanan verilerin analiziyle, Türkçe için oluşturulmuş okunabilirlik formülleri arasından uzman görüşleriyle doğrudan ya da güçlü bir tutarlılık gösteren formül bulunmadığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçların değerlendirilmesiyle araştırmacılara yönelik önerilerde bulunulmuş, Türkçe için anlam unsurunu ön plana alan, işlevsel bir okunabilirlik formülü geliştirilmesine yönelik ihtiyaç vurgulanmıştır.

Intraosseous injections of bone marrow aspirate concentrate have shown promise in the treatment of bone marrow lesions (BMLs) in the knee. With the wide-awake limited anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) technique, intraosseous injections can be performed with the patient under local anesthesia in the procedure room or operating room setting. This article describes 2 techniques to access the BML of interest. The “decompression route” involves drilling through the nearest cortex, and the “biologic route” involves drilling through healthy bone to promote bleeding and the introduction of healthy biologic tissue to the BML.

Collagenase enzyme is a type of protease enzyme. The activity of an enzyme is affected by substrate, temperature, inhibitor, and pH. One of the sources of enzymes is the internal organs of fish, namely the gut. This study aims to determine the activity of the collagenase enzyme at different temperatures. The experimental design used was randomized and full non-factorial. The treatments used were different incubation temperatures (50, 55, and 60oC) with three replications. Parameter analysis comprised fish proportion, enzyme activity, and dissolved protein. The results showed that the parts of the yellow pike conger fish were meat (64.25%), bones (19.98%), internal organs (including intestines) (4.50%), and skin (6.30%). Collagenase enzyme activity at temperatures 50, 55, and 60oC was 1.154, 1.702, and 0.667 U/mL, respectively. The dissolved proteins content was 12.89 mg/mL. The optimum temperature of the collagenase enzyme from the fish gut was 55oC with an enzyme activity of 1,702 U/mL. The dissolved protein content of the gut yellow pike conger extract was 12.89 mg/mL Purification of the collagenase enzyme from of the gut yellow pike conger was needed to obtain a higher enzyme activity value.

A novel, uncomplicated, and cost-effective methodology has been devised for the rapid synthesis of novel lower-rim-connected bisresorcinarene macrocycles. The incorporation of sodium p-styrenesulfonate (NaSS) facilitates the generation of a diverse array of products on a large scale, achieving high yields. Notably, the utilization of NaSS obviates the need for corrosive acids, and the absence of toxic solvents renders this reaction both environmentally friendly and economically advantageous. Furthermore, the process eliminates the necessity for column chromatography in product purification. The structural characterization of the synthesized derivatives was confirmed through comprehensive analyses, including FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HR-Mass, and CHNO techniques.

Seaweed has potential as a source of bioactive compounds, food and medicine. One of the seaweeds that has the potential to be used for its bioactive compounds is the brown seaweed Sargassum plagyophyllum. Fractionation is a technique of separating and grouping the chemical content of extracts based on their polarity. This study aims to determine the bioactive components (secondary metabolites) of flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids/terpenoids, saponins and phenols qualitatively and quantitatively from the extract of S. plagyophyllum by fractionation method. The research method used was experimental. S. palgyiophyllum was extracted using the fractionation method. The treatment given by different polarity solvents consisted of methanol, was done fractionation with using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and butanol. Extraction of samples the first used methanol, after that methanol extract was diffracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and butanol. Parameter analysis was consisted of phytochemical test (qualitative analysis) and quantitative analysis of total phenol, flavonoid, and saponin content. The results showed that qualitative testing of the secondary metabolites of S. plagyophyllum contained in the methanol extract were steroids/terpenoids, saponins and phenols, the positive hexane fraction contained steroids/terpenoids, saponins, the ethyl acetate fraction positively contained alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids/terpenoids, and saponins. and phenol while the butanol fraction contains steroids/terpenoids, saponins. While quantitative secondary metabolites were tested on the hexane fraction (0.18% saponins), then the ethyl acetate fraction (0.14% flavonoids, 0.11% saponins, 0.12% total phenol) and butanol fraction (0.05% saponins).

Abstract Diabetic retinopathy is a severe microvascular problem in diabetes mellitus. Silymarin is a flavonoid compound, and according to previous studies, it is a bioactive compound with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This investigation aims to peruse the impact of silymarin against diabetic retinopathy in streptozotocin (STZ)-provoked rats. Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into the control group, STZ group, STZ + silymarin (50 mg/kg), and STZ + silymarin (100 mg/kg). STZ rats received silymarin every day until 2 months after diabetes induction. The serum and retinal tissues were collected 2 months after silymarin treatment to determine biochemical and molecular analyses. Silymarin markedly lowered the serum glucose concentration in diabetic rats. Silymarin reduced the increased levels of advanced glycosylated end products (AGEs), the receptors for AGEs (RAGE), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in diabetic rats. Silymarin also attenuated the phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase and nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 and diminished diabetes-induced overexpression of inflammatory cytokines, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), adhesion molecules, and extracellular matrix proteins in STZ rats. Our data suggested that silymarin has protective effects against diabetic retinopathy, which might be related to the inhibition of the AGEs/RAGE axis and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Enzymes are biocatalysts that function as catalysts in biological functions. Collagenase enzymes have activities that can support product production. Enzyme activity for protein hydrolysis is influenced by several factors such as protein concentration, pH, temperature, substrate, inhibitor and activator. This study was aimed to determine the effect of differences in pH on the crude extract activity of the collagenase enzyme from the internal organs of malong fish. The study used a non-factorial completely randomized design, the treatments used were different pH (6.5, 7.5, and 8.5). This research consisted of several stages, namely sample preparation, extraction of internal organs to produce crude extract of the collagenase enzyme and test the activity of crude extract of the collagenase enzyme based on different pH. The analysis parameters was consisted of the proportion of fish yield, and the enzyme crude extract activity test at different pH. The results showed that malong fish has a proportion of meat 7,2 parts, bone 3,8, internal organs 1, skin 2,1. The yields of crude extract of collagenase enzyme pH 6.5, 7.5, and 8.5 were 60.83%, 64.09%, and 83.15%, respectively. The crude extract activity of collagenase enzyme from the internal organs of malong fish at pH 6.5, 7.5 and 8.5 was resulted in 0.293 U/ml, 0.5877 U/ml, and 0.7767 U/mL. The highest collagenase enzyme crude extract activity was produced at pH 8.5.

Penelitian pengaruh suhu dan waktu esktraksi terhadap jumlah unsur hara makro yang ke luar dari rumput laut Sargassum sp. telah dilakukan dengan cara merendam rumput laut Sargassum sp. dalam larutan KOH 0,3% selama 5 hari, selanjutnya rumput laut diberi perlakuan waktu dan suhu ekstraksi yang berbeda yakni T1 (120 menit); T2 (180 menit); dan T3 (240 menit), dengan suhu ekstraksi yaitu S1 (60 °C); S2 (70 °C); dan S3 (80 °C). Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mendapatkan unsur hara makro dan karakteristik fisik dan mikrobiologi yang optimal dari ekstrak cair rumput laut Sargassum sp. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perlakuan suhu dan waktu ekstraksi berpengaruh signifikan terhadap jumlah unsur hara, viskositas, angka lempeng total (ALT), fosfat, COrganik, dan EC dari cairan ekstraksi rumput laut Sargassum sp., namun tidak berpengaruh terhadap pH, kadar nitrogen, dan kadar kaliumnya. Hasil ekstraksi terbaik ditemukan pada kombinasi perlakuan lama waktu 240 menit (4 jam) dengan suhu 80 °C, yaitu dengan jumlah larutan ekstrak yang mengandung unsur hara sebesar 97,5%; pH 9; viskositas 3,07 cPs; ALT 2,5 x 103 Cfu/mL; nitrogen1,64%; fosfat 197,7 ppm; kalium 205,54 ppm; COrganik 0,55 %; EC 3,52 mS/cm dan C/N rasio 0,34%.

This study aimed to observe the inhibition capability of Rhizophora sp. leaf extract towards the Streptococcus agalactiae and Edwardsiella tarda bacteria. Rhizophora sp. leaf was extracted using ethanol. Inhibition action of Rhizophora sp. leaf extract towards Streptococcus agalactiae and Edwardsiella tarda was tested on TSA solid media. The concentration of Rhizophora sp. leaf extract used were 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 10000 ppm, and novobiocin antibiotic was used as a control. Each treatment was conducted three times. MIC (minimum inhibition concentration) was performed to determine the minimum dose that could inhibit the bacterial growth. The results showed that the inhibition value of Rhizophora sp. leaf extract at 2000 to 10000 ppm towards Streptococcus agalactiae was 8.60-16.30 mm, and 6.97-12.27 mm towards Edwardsiella tarda, whereas the inhibition value of novobiocin for both bacteria was 18.00-20.45 mm. The results of MIC value at dose of 2.000 ppm of Rhizophora sp. leaf extract was towards Streptococcus agalactiae with bacterial density of 165x108 CFU/mL, and towards Edwardsiella tarda 75x108 CFU/mL, respectively. In conclusion, Rhizophora sp. leaf extract had more bacteriostatic activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus agalactiae) rather than the Gram-negative bacteria (Edwardsiella tarda).

This study was conducted in Basrah at period from August 2018 till February 2019. Six hindered (600) blood samples were collected from different fields of cattle suspected infected with LSD according to the clinical examination at Al Mudaina and Al Qurnah town, north of Basrah province to detect the antibodies against LSD (550 females, 50 males, 200 calves less than one year old, and 400 cows aged more than one year). The result revealed that, the overall prevalence of LSD in cattle was 18.66% ( 112 out of 600 ), the prevalence of disease in calves was 30% ( 60 out of 200 ) ;While in cow was 13% ( 52 out of 400 ), and there was significant differences in the prevalence of LSD between calves and cows ( P˂ 0.05 ). The prevalence of LSD in female was 16.3% (90 out of 550), while in male was 44% (22 out of 50), and there was significant differences in prevalence of LSD between males and females. The clinical study revealed that LSD was found in three clinical forms include nodular dermatitis observed in 104 cases (92.8%), arthritis in 20 cases (17.8%) and lymphadenopathy in 3 cases (2.5%).

Spatial market integration ensures price discovery, market efficiency and market competition. Price integration in fed cattle markets is a significant subject of research due to perishable nature of fed cattle, geographical distance between production and consumptions areas, and considerable transportation cost. This study examines United States fed cattle market integration using weekly price series of live steer and heifer for five major fed cattle markets in the era of Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting Act. Results indicate that all markets are cointegrated with sharing a common stochastic trend suggesting the Law of One Price. Causal relationship was found among most of the regional markets in case of steer prices, while the relationship was absent among most of the markets for heifer prices.

High level of blood glucose is an indicator for diabetes mellitus (DM) condition. The condition iscaused by low level of insulin secretion or impairement of insulin receptor. The number of DM patientincreases every year. The World Health Organization reported that the number of DM patient in Indonesiawas the 4th highest in the world, after following China, India, and the United States of America, respectively.This study was conducted to analyze the effect of sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra J) on the profile ofantioxidant copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD) in the pancreatic tissues of diabetic rats. Atotal of 25 male white rats (Sprague Dawley) were used in this study. They were divided into five groups;(1) negative control (KN), (2) positive control, diabetic rats (KP), (3) diabetic rats treated with hydrolyzatedprotein of sea cucumber (HDL), (4) diabetic rats treated with concentrated protein of sea cucumber (KST),and (5) diabetic rats treated with isolated protein of sea cucumber (ISL), respectively. Diabetic conditionwas obtained by alloxan injection 110 mg/kg bw. The treatments were done for 28 days. At the end oftreatment period, the rats were sacrificed and pancreatic tissues were collected and fixed in Bouin solution and then processed to paraffin embedding standard method. The tissues were then stained withimmunohistochemical staining techniques using monoclonal antibody of Cu, Zn-SOD. The results showedthat treatment of HDL, KST, and ISL of sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra J) increased the content ofantioxidant Cu, Zn-SOD either in Langerhans islets and acinar cells of pancreatic tissues-diabetic rats.The HDL of sea cucumber treatment gave the best effect in increasing the antioxidant content of Cu, Zn-SOD in pancreatic tissue of diabetic rats.

Introduction In recent years methods based on radio frequency waves have been used for detecting breast cancer. Using theses waves leads to better results in early detection of breast cancer comparing with conventional mammography which has been used during several years. Materials and Methods In this paper, a new method is introduced for detection of backscattered signals which are received by microwave breast radar. In this method, a decision function is constructed based on noise and signal cross-entropy, using hypothesis testing concept. Then noise and signal are separated using the calculated value for the decision function in each time frame. To estimate value of the decision function, discrete wavelet transform and discrete S transform are used. Results Performance of the proposed method was evaluated in two different scenarios, in which the breast was considered homogenous and heterogeneous, respectively. The obtained results showed that the proposed method detected breast backscattered signals 55% and 49% better than existing methods in two above scenarios. Conclusion Performance of S transform was 21% better than discrete wavelet transform in detection of weak backscattered signals. So it can be concluded that hypothesis testing method which uses S coefficients of received wave for construction of its decision function may be a suitable choice for detection of backscattered signals in breast radar.

This study was conducted in Basrah to evaluate the seroepidemiological prevalence of Rift valley fever in Basrah . Serum samples were collected from 1215 sheep from 5 distinct regions in Basrah and submitted to the ELISA test to estimate the titer of specific antibodies against rift valley fever virus . The result revealed that , the overall seroprevalence RVF in Basrah was 0. 89 % . There was no significant differences in the seroprevalence of RVF among different regions in Basrah ( P > 0.05 ) . The highest seroprevalence were reported in sheep older than 3 years compared with other age groups and this difference were statistically highly significant ( P < 0.01 ) . On other hands there was no statistical difference in the seroprevalence of RVF between male and female ( P > 0.05 ) .

The inoculation of Salmonella .typhimurium for dogs to show its effect on their stomach , that all dogs became severely ill following inoculation, also all animals were die during one weak. The histopathological changes showed mucosal metaplasia which included ; sever vaculation of mucosa and increased mucous glands at the base of lamina properia due to site of entry of Salmonella , as well as the increased number of mucous gland which give the secretory area of stomach as finger like projection, also in other section showed as intestinlization . In other part of stomach mucosa showed atrophy, and appear cystic dilatated mucus glands. Moreover, lesion included the thickened muscularis and pyloric region with edema in sub mucosa, also the mucosa of the fundus and pyloris showed inflammatory cell infiltration following salmonellosis.

Subject and Method : study involved sixty five children with kala-azar who were admitted to the maternity and children teaching hospital in Diwaniah during a one year period , 1999. The clinical and epidemiological criteria of the disease were discussed. The majority of these patients were under the age of 5 years ( 97% ) and were from rural areas ( 86% ) Result : The symptoms and signs of the disease were fever (100% ), splenomegaly (100% ), anaemia ( 100% ), hepatomegaly ( 92% ), anorexia ( 62% ), bleeding tendency ( 46% ) and jaundice ( 31% ). Our patients had high incidence of bleeding tendency , jaundice , edema and relatively high mortality in comparison with patients elsewhere

Abstract Background To determine the differences of precipitating and relieving factors between migraine and tension type headache. Methods This is a cross sectional study. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 250 migraine patients and 250 patients diagnosed as tension type headache from the specialized headache clinic in Dept. of Neurology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Data were collected through a predesigned questionnaire containing information on age, sex, social status and a predetermined list of precipitating and relieving factors. Results In this study, the female patients predominated (67%). Most of the patients were within 21–30 years age group (58.6%). About 58% of them belonged to middle class families. The common precipitating factors like stress, anxiety, activity, journey, reading, cold and warm were well distributed among both the migraine and tension type headache (TTH) patients. But significant difference was demonstrated for fatigue (p Conclusion The most frequent precipitating factors for headache appear to be identical for both migraine and TTH patients. Even though some factors like fatigue, sleep deprivation, sunlight and food significantly precipitate migraine and drug, massage are effective maneuver for relieving pain among migrianeurs.

Background: Disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) has been used to gain a better understanding of the population's quality of life., Objectives: The authors aimed to estimate age and sex-specific disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) for urban and rural areas of Bangladesh, as well as to investigate the differences in DFLE between males and females of urban and rural areas., Methods: Data from the Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics-2016 and the Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES)-2016 were used to calculate the disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) of urban and rural males and females in Bangladesh in 2016. The DFLE was calculated using the Sullivan method., Results: With only a few exceptions, rural areas have higher mortality and disability rates than urban areas. For both males and females, statistically significant differences in DFLE were reported between urban and rural areas between the ages of birth and 39 years. In comparison to rural males and females, urban males and females had a longer life expectancy (LE), a longer disability-free life expectancy, and a higher share of life without disability., Conclusion: This study illuminates stark urban-rural disparities in LE and DFLE, especially among individuals aged < 1-39 years. Gender dynamics reveal longer life expectancy but shorter disability-free life expectancy for Bangladeshi women compared to men, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to address these pronounced health inequalities., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Autoantibodies against the NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) have been shown to promote crosslinking and internalization of bound receptors in NMDAR encephalitis (NMDARE). This internalization-mediated loss of NMDARs is thought to be the major mechanism leading to pathogenic outcomes in patients. However, the role of bound autoantibody in engaging the resident immune cells, microglia, remains poorly understood. Here, using a patient-derived monoclonal NR1 autoantibody (hNR1-mAb) and a co-culture system of microglia and neurons, we could show that hNR1-mAb bound to hippocampal neurons led to microglia-mediated removal of hNR1-mAb bound NMDARs. These complexes were found to accumulate inside endo-lysosomal compartments of microglia. Utilizing another patient isolated monoclonal autoantibody, against the α1-subunit of GABA A receptors (α1-GABA A -mAb), such removal of receptors was found to be specific to the antibody-bound receptor targets. Interestingly, along with receptor removal, we also observed a reduction in synapse number, more specifically in the numbers of post-synaptic proteins like PSD95 and Homer 1, when microglia were present in the culture. Importantly, mutations in the Fc region of hNR1-mAb, blocking its Fcγ receptor (FcγR) and complement binding, attenuated hNR1-mAb driven loss of NMDARs and synapses, indicating that microglia engagement by bound hNR1-mAb is critical for receptor and synapse loss. Our data argues for an active involvement of microglia in removal of NMDARs and other receptors in individuals with autoimmune encephalitis, thereby contributing to the etiology of these diseases., (© 2023 The Authors. GLIA published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: The incidence of the highly morbid and potentially lethal gangrenous cholecystitis was reportedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the ChoCO-W study was to compare the clinical findings and outcomes of acute cholecystitis in patients who had COVID-19 disease with those who did not., Methods: Data were prospectively collected over 6 months (October 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021) with 1-month follow-up. In October 2020, Delta variant of SARS CoV-2 was isolated for the first time. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed and reported according to the STROBE guidelines. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients who had COVID-19 were compared with those who did not., Results: A total of 2893 patients, from 42 countries, 218 centers, involved, with a median age of 61.3 (SD: 17.39) years were prospectively enrolled in this study; 1481 (51%) patients were males. One hundred and eighty (6.9%) patients were COVID-19 positive, while 2412 (93.1%) were negative. Concomitant preexisting diseases including cardiovascular diseases (p < 0.0001), diabetes (p < 0.0001), and severe chronic obstructive airway disease (p = 0.005) were significantly more frequent in the COVID-19 group. Markers of sepsis severity including ARDS (p < 0.0001), PIPAS score (p < 0.0001), WSES sepsis score (p < 0.0001), qSOFA (p < 0.0001), and Tokyo classification of severity of acute cholecystitis (p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in the COVID-19 group. The COVID-19 group had significantly higher postoperative complications (32.2% compared with 11.7%, p < 0.0001), longer mean hospital stay (13.21 compared with 6.51 days, p < 0.0001), and mortality rate (13.4% compared with 1.7%, p < 0.0001). The incidence of gangrenous cholecystitis was doubled in the COVID-19 group (40.7% compared with 22.3%). The mean wall thickness of the gallbladder was significantly higher in the COVID-19 group [6.32 (SD: 2.44) mm compared with 5.4 (SD: 3.45) mm; p < 0.0001]., Conclusions: The incidence of gangrenous cholecystitis is higher in COVID patients compared with non-COVID patients admitted to the emergency department with acute cholecystitis. Gangrenous cholecystitis in COVID patients is associated with high-grade Clavien-Dindo postoperative complications, longer hospital stay and higher mortality rate. The open cholecystectomy rate is higher in COVID compared with non -COVID patients. It is recommended to delay the surgical treatment in COVID patients, when it is possible, to decrease morbidity and mortality rates. COVID-19 infection and gangrenous cholecystistis are not absolute contraindications to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy, in a case by case evaluation, in expert hands., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Autoantibodies against central nervous system proteins are increasingly being recognized in association with neurologic disorders. Although a growing number of neural autoantibodies have been identified, a causal link between specific autoantibodies and disease symptoms remains unclear, as most studies use patient-derived CSF-containing mixtures of autoantibodies. This raises questions concerning mechanism of action and which autoantibodies truly contribute to disease progression. To address this issue, monoclonal autoantibodies were isolated from a young girl with a range of neurologic symptoms, some of which reacted with specific GABA A receptor (GABA A R) subunits, α1-subunit and α1γ2-subunit, which in this study we have characterized in detail using a combination of cellular imaging and electrophysiological techniques. These studies in neurons from wild-type mice (C57BL/6J; RRID:IMSR&#95;JAX:000664) of mixed-sex revealed that the α1 and α1γ2 subunit-specific antibodies have differential effects on the GABA A receptor. Namely, the α1-antibody was found to directly affect GABA A receptor function on a short time scale that diminished GABA currents, leading to increased network excitability. On longer time scales those antibodies also triggered a redistribution of the GABA A receptor away from synapses. In contrast, the α1γ2-antibody had no direct effect on GABA A receptor function and could possibly mediate its effect through other actors of the immune system. Taken together, these data highlight the complexity underlying autoimmune disorders and show that antibodies can exert their effect through many mechanisms within the same disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2022 van Casteren et al.)

(1) Background: The present study was carried out to evaluate the roles of proliferation and angiogenesis in locally aggressive biologic behavior of ameloblastoma versus ameloblastic fibroma; (2) Methods: 30 formalin-fixed paraffin embedded blocks (15 cases of ameloblastoma and 15 cases of ameloblastic fibroma) were used. To evaluate the proliferation, the tissue sections were stained with an AgNORs stain. CD105 was used as an immunohistochemical marker of angiogenesis. Quantitative evaluations of AgNORs were performed. The mean vascular density was evaluated as a measure for CD105 protein expression by using image analyzer computer system; (3) Results: The mean number of AgNORs dots per nucleus was significantly higher in ameloblastoma as compared to ameloblastic fibroma. Additionally, the protein level of CD105 showed positive expression and wide distribution that the mean vascular density was significantly higher in ameloblastoma as compared to ameloblastic fibroma; (4) Conclusion: Quantitative evaluation of the AgNORs stain and the mean vascular density utilizing CD105 protein expression may reflect a higher proliferative activity and a more locally aggressive biologic behavior of ameloblastoma when compared to ameloblastic fibroma, indicating that other factors may be involved in biologic behavior of ameloblastic fibroma.

Community confidence in institutional approaches to emergency management directs how they cooperate and comply with public policy responses. In the context of emerging COVID-19 pandemic risk management, this study aims to assess public confidence in the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and private sector entities for the activities undertaken during preparedness, prevention, and response phases. A survey was conducted with 307 respondents who willingly took part in the study. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to assess the internal reliability and the Mann-Whitney U test was conducted to estimate the mean score difference between the observations. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied in the study. The findings suggest that the participants were highly positive about the GoB efforts to organize and provide PPE for doctors in time as a safeguard against COVID-19 and coordination and informed decision making in relation to facing COVID-19. Overall, the participants showed a lower-level confidence in the preparedness and response measures taken by authorities in Bangladesh. The results explored how the GoB failed to reach the public satisfaction level regarding provision of food and financial support to low income and middle income people. A lack of collaboration and coordination among different inter-GoB and private sectors makes mitigation and recovery process difficult. This research provides a set of policy recommendations for future public health emergency management based on the participants' concerns and suggestions, and a review of consequences of policy responses in the early stage., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Alam, Rahman and Hridoy.)

Background: Human glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue, Liraglutide, has shown cardioprotective effects in animal and clinical studies of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study was conducted to assess the effect of Liraglutide on diabetes-induced myocardial electrical remodeling., Materials and Methods: A rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus was induced by high-fat diet and low dose Streptozotocin (35 mg/kg). Diabetic rats were randomized into 4 subgroups (n=6-7): diabetic-untreated, diabetics treated with Liraglutide, diabetics treated with Ramipril, and diabetics treated with Metformin in addition to a control group. Changes in serum glucose, insulin, lipid profile and revised quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI index) were assessed. QT and QTc intervals were measured and the degree of cardiac interstitial and perivascular fibrosis was examined. The expression of myocardial I to channel α subunits, gap junction protein; Kv 4.2/4.3 and connexin 43 (Cx43) respectively, were assessed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry., Results: Similar to Ramipril, both Liraglutide and Metformin effectively inhibited the diabetes-induced myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. However, Liraglutide treatment significantly improved Kv 4.2/4.3 and Cx43 expression/distribution and prevented diabetes-related QTc interval prolongation., Conclusions: We have shown that pathological alterations in myocardial Cx43 expression and distribution, in addition to reduced I to channel expression, may underlie the QTc interval prolongation in high-fat diet/STZ rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The beneficial effects of Liraglutide, as those of Ramipril, on cardiac electrophysiology could be at least attributed to its direct ability to normalize expression and distribution of Cx43 and I to channels in the diabetic rat heart., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Nanosecond electronic-resonance-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (ERE-CARS) is evaluated for the measurement of formaldehyde ( C H 2 O ) concentrations in reacting and nonreacting conditions. The three-color scheme utilizes a 532 nm pump beam and a scanned Stokes beam near 624 nm for Raman excitation of the C-H symmetric stretch ( ν 1 ) vibrational mode; further, a 342 nm resonant probe is tuned to produce the outgoing CARS signal via the 101403 vibronic transition between the ground ( X ~ 1 A 1 ) and first excited ( A ~ 1 A 2 ) electronic states. This allows detection of C H 2 O at concentrations as low as 9×10 14 m o l e c u l e s / c m 3 (55 parts per million) in a calibration cell with C H 2 O and N 2 at 1 bar and 450 K with 3% uncertainty. The measurements show a quadratic dependence of the signal with C H 2 O number density. Pressure scaling experiments up to 11 bar in the calibration cell show an increase in signal up to 8 bar. We study pressure dependence up to 11 bar and further apply the technique to characterize the C H 2 O concentration in an atmospheric premixed dimethyl ether/air McKenna burner flame, with a maximum concentration uncertainty of 11%. This approach demonstrates the feasibility for spatially resolved measurements of minor species such as C H 2 O in reactive environments and shows promise for application in high-pressure combustors.

Mechanisms regulating the turnover of synaptic vesicle (SV) proteins are not well understood. They are thought to require poly-ubiquitination and degradation through proteasome, endo-lysosomal or autophagy-related pathways. Bassoon was shown to negatively regulate presynaptic autophagy in part by scaffolding Atg5. Here, we show that increased autophagy in Bassoon knockout neurons depends on poly-ubiquitination and that the loss of Bassoon leads to elevated levels of ubiquitinated synaptic proteins per se. Our data show that Bassoon knockout neurons have a smaller SV pool size and a higher turnover rate as indicated by a younger pool of SV2. The E3 ligase Parkin is required for increased autophagy in Bassoon -deficient neurons as the knockdown of Parkin normalized autophagy and SV protein levels and rescued impaired SV recycling. These data indicate that Bassoon is a key regulator of SV proteostasis and that Parkin is a key E3 ligase in the autophagy-mediated clearance of SV proteins., Competing Interests: SH, MB, KS, AA, KR, CB, KT, TT, KS, CR, EG, CG, CM No competing interests declared, (© 2020, Hoffmann-Conaway et al.)

Background: Recurrent trigeminal neuralgia (RTN) is a common clinical problem and pain recurs in many patients after microvascular decompression (MVD). We evaluated the effect of adding pulsed radiofrequency to radiofrequency thermocoagulation at 60°C compared to radiofrequency thermocoagulation at 70°C alone in the treatment of recurrent trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression., Methods: 40 patients with recurrent trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group A: received prolonged duration of pulsed radiofrequency followed by less destructive thermocoagulation, while group B: received sole thermocoagulation. Then patients followed up for 2 years to evaluate the success rate by the Barrow Neurological Institute Pain Intensity (BNI) Scale, complications, and the need to medical treatment., Results: The success rate was 100% in both groups at discharge (BNI < III). It was 83.3% and 78.7% after 6 months, 77.8% and 68.4% after 12 month, 72.2% and 68.4% after 18 months and 66.7% and 63.1% after 24 months in group A and B, respectively (p > .05). In group A 88.9% of patients stopped tegretol treatment after the procedure compared to 84.2% in group B (p = .32). 88.9% compared to 89.5% % in group A and B, respectively, did not use tricyclic antidepressant (p = .61). The overall complications in group A was 5.61%, while it was 36.8% in group B (p = .025)., Conclusion: Combined pulsed and thermal radiofrequency can significantly reduce the incidence of the side effects/complications with similar success rate than using thermal radiofrequency alone in treatment of recurrent trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression., (© 2019 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.)

Broadband femtosecond (fs) two-photon laser-induced fluorescence (TP-LIF) of the B 1 Σ + ←X 1 Σ + , Hopfield-Birge system of carbon monoxide (CO) is believed to have two major advantages compared to narrowband nanosecond excitation. It should (i) minimize the effects of pressure-dependent absorption line broadening and shifting, and (ii) produce pressure-independent TP-LIF signals as the effect of increased quenching due to molecular collisions is offset by the increase in number density. However, there is an observed nonlinear drop in the CO TP-LIF signal with increasing pressure. In this work, we systematically investigate the relative impact of potential deexcitation mechanisms, including collisional quenching, forward lasing, attenuation of the source laser by the test cell windows or by the gas media, and a 2+1 photoionization process. As expected, line broadening and collisional quenching play minor roles in the pressure-scaling behavior, but the CO fs TP-LIF signals deviate from theory primarily because of two major reasons. First, attenuation of the excitation laser at high pressures significantly reduces the laser irradiance available at the probe volume. Second, a 2+1 photoionization process becomes significant as the number density increases with pressure and acts as a major deexcitation pathway. This work summarizes the phenomena and strategies that need to be considered for performing CO fs TP-LIF at high pressures.

Approximately 3 million children younger than 5 years living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) die each year from treatable clinical conditions such as pneumonia, dehydration secondary to diarrhea, and malaria. A majority of these deaths could be prevented with early clinical assessments and appropriate therapeutic intervention. In this study, we describe the development and initial validation testing of a mobile health (mHealth) platform, MEDSINC ® , designed for frontline health workers (FLWs) to perform clinical risk assessments of children aged 2-60 months. MEDSINC is a web browser-based clinical severity assessment, triage, treatment, and follow-up recommendation platform developed with physician-based Bayesian pattern recognition logic. Initial validation, usability, and acceptability testing were performed on 861 children aged between 2 and 60 months by 49 FLWs in Burkina Faso, Ecuador, and Bangladesh. MEDSINC-based clinical assessments by FLWs were independently and blindly correlated with clinical assessments by 22 local health-care professionals (LHPs). Results demonstrate that clinical assessments by FLWs using MEDSINC had a specificity correlation between 84% and 99% to LHPs, except for two outlier assessments (63% and 75%) at one study site, in which local survey prevalence data indicated that MEDSINC outperformed LHPs. In addition, MEDSINC triage recommendation distributions were highly correlated with those of LHPs, whereas usability and feasibility responses from LHP/FLW were collectively positive for ease of use, learning, and job performance. These results indicate that the MEDSINC platform could significantly increase pediatric health-care capacity in LMICs by improving FLWs' ability to accurately assess health status and triage of children, facilitating early life-saving therapeutic interventions.

Background: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) caused multiple outbreaks. Such outbreaks increase economic and infection control burdens. We studied the infection control influence of MERS-CoV using a hospital-based analysis., Methods: Our hospital had 17 positive and 82 negative cases of MERS-CoV between April 1, 2013, and June 3, 2013. The study evaluated the impact of these cases on the use of gloves, surgical masks, N95 respirators, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and soap, as well as hand hygiene compliance rates., Results: During the study, the use of personal protective equipment during MERS-CoV compared with theperiod before MERS-CoV increased dramatically from 2,947.4 to 10,283.9 per 1,000 patient-days (P<.0000001) for surgical masks and from 22 to 232 per 1,000 patient-days (P <.0000001) for N95 masks. The use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer and soap showed a significant increase in utilized amount (P<.0000001). Hand hygiene compliance rates increased from 73% just before the occurrence of the first MERS case to 88% during MERS cases (P = .0001). The monthly added cost was $16,400 for included infection control items., Conclusions: There was a significant increase in the utilization of surgical masks, respirators, soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Such an increase is a challenge and adds cost to the healthcare system., (Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Quantitative femtosecond two-photon laser-induced fluorescence of atomic oxygen was demonstrated in an H 2 /air flame at pressures up to 10 atm. Femtosecond excitation at 226.1 nm was used to pump the 3pP3 J ' =0,1,2 ←←2pP3 J '' =0,1,2 electronic transition of atomic oxygen. Contributions from multiphoton de-excitation, production of atomic oxygen, and photolytic interferences were investigated and minimized by limiting the laser irradiance to ∼10 11   W/cm 2 . Quantitative agreement was achieved with the theoretical equilibrium mole fraction of atomic oxygen over a wide range of fuel-air ratios and pressures in an H 2 /air laminar calibration burner.

The hydrogel is considering as functional substrates for three-dimensional (3D) environment mimicking the native tissue in vitro. To get the cell or tissue culture result in different stiffness, researchers used separate gel at different times. Sometimes these results are manipulated by surrounding environment. To overcome this, we prepared a single hydrogel with different young modulus using a 3 D printed mold and cell culture and tissue culture was performed to check the functional capacity. In this proposed device we successfully produced a multiproperties agarose hydrogel on a single platform. We designed different mold pattern to confirm that this gel formation technique can be used for any types of design and many different concentrated hydrogels can be combined together. The cell and tissue culture results showed that even in same planer surface, each gel solely maintains their own physical properties and control the cell and tissue adherence and proliferation behavior. The protocol is fairly simple and reproducible. The design helps to produce consistent gel thickness, shape, and size. This 3 D mold has provided a new way tostudy the fundamental cellular responses to engineered microenvironments that may have a high implementation in both biological and healthcare-related applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 107A: 6-11, 2019., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background and Objective: Emergence agitation is a postoperative negative behavior that affects mainly children. We studied the effect of two different doses of dexmedetomidine on the incidence and degree of EA in children undergoing strabismus surgery., Methods: 90 patients were allocated into three equal groups; patients received 0.5μg.kg -1 of dexmedetomidine in high Dex group, 0.25μg.kg -1 of dexmedetomidine in low Dex group, or normal saline in the placebo group. All drugs were received with the closure of the conjunctiva before the end of the surgery. Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale was used to evaluate the agitation, and Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale was used for pain assessment. Adverse effects of dexmedetomidine and recovery times were recorded., Results: The incidence of agitation was significantly lower in high Dex group compared to other groups and it was significantly lower in low Dex group compared to placebo group. The median (range) of FLACC score was significantly lower in both Dex groups compared to placebo group. Recovery times; time from removal of laryngeal mask to eye opening and time stay in post anesthesia care unit was significantly longer in high Dex group compared to other groups. No significant bradycardia or hypotension was recorded. Recovery time was significantly longer in high Dex group compared to the other two groups., Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine (0.5μg.kg -1 ) before emergence from general anesthesia resulted in a reduction in the incidence of emergence agitation compared to a dexmedetomidine (0.25μg.kg -1 ) but on the expense of recovery times without adverse effects., (Copyright © 2018. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda.)

Interference-free hybrid femtosecond/picosecond vibrational coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) of nitrogen is reported for temperature measurements of 1300-2300 K in high-pressure, laminar H 2 -air and CH 4 -air diffusion flames up to 10 bar. Following coherent Raman excitation by 100 fs duration pump and Stokes pulses, a time-asymmetric probe pulse is used for the detection of spectrally resolved N 2 CARS signals at probe delays as early as ∼200-300  fs. This allows for full rejection of nonresonant contributions while being independent of collisions for single-shot precision of ±2% at elevated pressures. The effects of collisions at longer probe-pulse delays are also investigated to determine the feasibility of varying the detection timing from 200 fs to 100 ps.

Background: Between 25 and 40% of extubated patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the intensive care unit at our hospital (Assiut University Hospital-Assiut-Egypt) require reintubation. This reflects the importance of developing better criteria for predicting successful extubation in TBI. We evaluated the accuracy of semi-quantitative cough strength score (SCSS) and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) in predicting extubation outcomes in TBI., Methods: This prospective observational study included patients (18-65 years), with TBI on mechanical ventilation more than 24 h who were ready to be weaned off. Three tools were used. Tool I: Patient assessment sheet, this tool used to assess socio-demographic and clinical data of patients. Tool II: Semi-quantitative cough strength score (0-5). Tool III: Factors affecting successful extubation, this tool used to confirm the presence or absence of factors that can interfere with the results of extubation outcomes. After extubation, patient was followed up for 72 h to check for extubation success. Multivariate logistic binary regression test was used to calculate odds ratio for different clinical data collected before extubation as independent factors and successful extubation as a dependent factor., Results: Among 80 patients of mean age 40.6 (± 16.1), 34% were female, median admission GCS was 8 (4-13), extubation occurred on mean post-injury day 6.5 (± 4), and 46.3% required reintubation. Successfully extubated patients had higher semi-quantitative cough scores and GCS. 81.3% patients with SCSS 5 were successfully extubated, while all patients with SCSS 0 were reintubated. All patients with GCS 15 were successfully extubated, and all patients with GCS < 12 required intubation., Conclusion: SCSS has shown promise in predicting successful extubation in TBI.

Quantitative, kiloherz-rate measurement of carbon monoxide mole fractions by femtosecond two-photon, laser-induced fluorescence (TP-LIF) was demonstrated in high-pressure, luminous flames over a range of fuel-air ratios. Femtosecond excitation at 230.1 nm was used to pump CO two-photon rovibrational X 1 Σ + →B 1 Σ + transitions in the Hopfield-Birge system and avoid photolytic interferences with excitation irradiance ∼1.7×10 10   W/cm 2 . The effects of excitation wavelength, detection scheme, and potential sources of de-excitation were also assessed to optimize the signal-to-background and signal-to-noise ratios and achieve excellent agreement with theoretically predicted CO mole fractions at low and high pressure.

A compact-footprint (0.18  m 2 ) flash-lamp-pumped, burst-mode Nd:YAG-based master-oscillator pulsed-amplifier laser is reported with a fundamental 1064 nm output of over 14 J per burst. A directly modulated diode laser seed source is used to generate 10 ms duration arbitrary sequences of 500 kHz doublet or MHz singlet pulses for flow-field velocity or species measurements, respectively. Flexible pulse widths are used to balance the energy distribution of pulse doublets and achieve second-harmonic conversion efficiencies up to 42%. Burst-mode laser performance characteristics, measurement accuracies in turbulent flows, and prospects for kHz-MHz flow-field diagnostics are discussed.