Raw Sap Consumption Habits and Its Association with Knowledge of Nipah Virus in Two Endemic Districts in Bangladesh

Human Nipah virus (NiV) infection in Bangladesh is a fatal disease that can be transmitted from bats to humans who drink contaminated raw date palm sap collected overnight during the cold season. Our study aimed to understand date palm sap consumption habits of rural residents and factors associated with consumption. In November-December 2012 the field team interviewed adult respondents from randomly selected villages from Rajbari and Kushtia Districts in Bangladesh. We calculated the proportion of people who consumed raw sap and had heard about a disease from raw sap consumption. We assessed the factors associated with raw sap consumption by calculating prevalence ratios (PR) adjusted for village level clustering effects. Among the 1,777 respondents interviewed, half (50%) reported drinking raw sap during the previous sap collection season and 37% consumed raw sap at least once per month. Few respondents (5%) heard about NiV. Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported hearing about a disease transmitted through raw sap consumption, inclusive of a 10% who related it with milder illness like diarrhea, vomiting or indigestion rather than NiV. Respondents who harvested date palm trees in their household were more likely to drink sap than those who did not own date palm trees (79% vs. 65% PR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1–1.3, p<0.001). When sap was available, respondents who heard about a disease from raw sap consumption were just as likely to drink it as those who did not hear about a disease (69% vs. 67%, PR 1.0, 95% CI 0.9–1.1, p = 0.512). Respondents’ knowledge of NiV was low. They might not have properly understood the risk of NiV, and were likely to drink sap when it was available. Implementing strategies to increase awareness about the risks of NiV and protect sap from bats might reduce the risk of NiV transmission.     

Genetic and clinical profile of Indian patients of idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy with and without hypertrophy

Diabetic nephropathy is associated with high morbidity and mortality and the prevalence of this disease is continuously increasing world wide. Though, the major risk factors like hyperglycemia and hypertension play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, the etiology of this insidious disorder is not well understood. Mast cells are pluripotent bone marrow derived cells that play a key role in inflammation. Degranulation of mast cells releases various mediators including inflammatory cytokines, endothelins, growth factors, and proteolytic enzymes. Infiltration of mast cells has been noted to occur in renal diseases. In addition, the renal density of mast cells is significantly increased in diabetic patients with nephropathy. It remains unclear whether resident renal mast cells derived mediators play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Recent studies suggest the involvement of renal mast cell infiltration and degranulation in diabetic nephropathy. The present review focuses on the role of resident renal mast cells in diabetic nephropathy.     

A Controlled Trial to Reduce the Risk of Human Nipah Virus Exposure in Bangladesh

Human Nipah virus (NiV) infection, often fatal in Bangladesh, is primarily transmitted by drinking raw date palm sap contaminated by Pteropus bats. We assessed the impact of a behavior change communication intervention on reducing consumption of potentially NiV-contaminated raw sap. During the 2012–2014 sap harvesting seasons, we implemented interventions in two areas and compared results with a control area. In one area, we disseminated a “do not drink raw sap” message and, in the other area, encouraged only drinking sap if it had been protected from bat contamination by a barrier (“only safe sap”). Post-intervention, 40% more respondents in both intervention areas reported knowing about a disease contracted through raw sap consumption compared with control. Reported raw sap consumption decreased in all areas. The reductions in the intervention areas were not significantly greater compared to the control. Respondents directly exposed to the “only safe sap” message were more likely to report consuming raw sap from a protected source than those with no exposure (25 vs. 15%, OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5–2.6, P < 0.001). While the intervention increased knowledge in both intervention areas, the “only safe sap” intervention reduced exposure to potentially NiV-contaminated sap and should be considered for future dissemination.     

Advances in Chemistry and Bioactivity of the Genus Chisocheton Blume

Chisocheton is one of the genera of the family Meliaceae and consists of ca. 53 species; the distribution of most of those are confined to the Indo‐Malay region. Species of broader geographic distribution have undergone extensive phytochemical investigations. Previous phytochemical investigations of this genus resulted in the isolation of mainly limonoids, apotirucallane, tirucallane, and dammarane triterpenes. Reported bioactivities of the isolated compounds include cytotoxic, anti‐inflammatory, antifungal, antimalarial, antimycobacterial, antifeedant, and lipid droplet inhibitory activities. Aside from chemistry and biological activities, this review also deals briefly with botany, distribution, and uses of various species of this genus.     

alpha-Glucosidase inhibitory pentacyclic triterpenes from the stem bark of Fagara tessmannii (Rutaceae)

In addition to fatty acids, a mixture of sterols (beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol and stigmastanol), lupeol, arctigenin methylether, sesamin, vanillic acid (1), 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (2), betulinic acid and two pentacyclic triterpene acetates were isolated from Fagara tessmannii Engl. They were identified as 3beta-acetoxy-16beta-hydroxybetulinic acid (3a) and 3beta,16beta-diacetoxybetulinic acid (3b), and their structures were established using 1 and 2D NMR spectra and by comparison with published data. Two derivatives of the compounds were prepared. Some isolated compounds were evaluated for their antifungal and antibacterial activities. Compounds 1 and 3a showed significant inhibition of alpha-glucosidase.     

Exogenous jasmonic acid modulates the physiology,antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems in imparting drought stress tolerance in different Brassica species

This study examined the ability of jasmonic acid (JA) to enhance drought tolerance in different Brassica species in terms of physiological parameters, antioxidants defense, and glyoxalase system. Ten-day-old seedlings were exposed to drought (15 % polyethylene glycol, PEG-6000) either alone or in combination with 0.5 mM JA. Drought significantly increased lipoxygenase activity and oxidative stress, levels of malondialdehyde and H₂O₂. Drought reduced seedling biomass, chlorophyll (chl) content, and leaf relative water content (RWC). Drought increased proline, oxidized ascorbate (DHA) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) levels. Drought affected different species differently: in B. napus, catalase (CAT) and glyoxalase II (Gly II) activities were decreased, while glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities were increased in drought-stressed compared to unstressed plants; in B. campestris, activities of glutathione reductase (GR), glyoxalase I (Gly I), GST, and GPX were increased, monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), CAT and other enzymes were decreased; in B. juncea, activities of ascorbate peroxidase, GR, GPX, Gly I were increased; Gly II activity was decreased and other enzymes did not change. Spraying drought-stressed seedlings with JA increased GR and Gly I activities in B. napus; increased MDHAR activity in B. campestris; and increased DHAR, GR, GPX, Gly I and Gly II activities in B. juncea. JA improved fresh weight, chl, RWC in all species, dry weight increased only in B. juncea. Brassica juncea had the lowest oxidative stress under drought, indicating its natural drought tolerance capacity. The JA improved drought tolerance of B. juncea to the highest level among studied species.     

Microtitre plate-based antibacterial assay incorporating resazurin as an indicator of cell growth, and its application in the in vitro antibacterial screening of phytochemicals

The resazurin assay utilising microtitre-plate, described by Drummond and Waigh in 2000, has been modified to achieve more accuracy in the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of natural products, including crude extracts, chromatographic fractions or purified compounds against various bacterial strains. This modified resazurin method is simple, sensitive, rapid, robust and reliable, and could be used successfully to assess antibacterial properties of natural products.     

Heat Shock-Induced Salt Stress Tolerance in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - Soil salinity is a major constraint in crop production. Of the different strategies to cope with salt stress, a cross-tolerance strategy is inexpensive and...     

Aptamer-Assisted Detection of the Altered Expression of Estrogen Receptor Alpha in Human Breast Cancer

An increase in the expression of estrogen receptors (ER) and the expanded population of ER-positive cells are two common phenotypes of breast cancer. Detection of the aberrantly expressed ERα in breast cancer is carried out using ERα-antibodies and radiolabelled ligands to make decisions about cancer treatment and targeted therapy. Capitalizing on the beneficial advantages of aptamer over the conventional antibody or radiolabelled ligand, we have identified a DNA aptamer that selectively binds and facilitates the detection of ERα in human breast cancer tissue sections. The aptamer is identified using the high throughput sequencing assisted SELEX screening. Biophysical characterization confirms the binding and formation of a thermodynamically stable complex between the identified DNA aptamer (ERaptD4) and ERα (Ka = 1.55±0.298×10⁸ M^-1; ΔH = 4.32×10⁴±801.1 cal/mol; ΔS = -108 cal/mol/deg). Interestingly, the specificity measurements suggest that the ERaptD4 internalizes into ERα-positive breast cancer cells in a target-selective manner and localizes specifically in the nuclear region. To harness these characteristics of ERaptD4 for detection of ERα expression in breast cancer samples, we performed the aptamer-assisted histochemical analysis of ERα in tissue samples from breast cancer patients. The results were validated by performing the immunohistochemistry on same samples with an ERα-antibody. We found that the two methods agree strongly in assay output (kappa value = 0.930, p-value <0.05 for strong ERα positive and the ERα negative samples; kappa value = 0.823, p-value <0.05 for the weak/moderate ER+ve samples, n = 20). Further, the aptamer stain the ERα-positive cells in breast tissues without cross-reacting to ERα-deficient fibroblasts, adipocytes, or the inflammatory cells. Our results demonstrate a significant consistency in the aptamer-assisted detection of ERα in strong ERα positive, moderate ERα positive and ERα negative breast cancer tissues. We anticipate that the ERaptD4 aptamer targeting ERα may potentially be used for an efficient grading of ERα expression in cancer tissues.     

Enhanced Case Detection and Improved Diagnosis of PKDL in a Kala-azar-Endemic Area of Bangladesh

Objectives

To support the Bangladesh National Kala-azar Elimination Programme (NKEP), we investigated the feasibility of using trained village volunteers for detecting post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for confirmation of diagnosis and treatment compliance by PKDL patients in Kanthal union of Trishal sub-district, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, Field Research Assistants (FRAs) conducted census in the study area, and the research team trained village volunteers on how to look for PKDL suspects. The trained village volunteers (TVVs) visited each household in the study area for PKDL suspects and referred the suspected PKDL cases to the study clinic. The suspected cases underwent physical examinations by a qualified doctor and rK39 strip testing by the FRAs and, if positive, slit skin examination (SSE), culture, and PCR of skin specimens and peripheral buffy coat were done. Those with evidence of Leishmania donovani (LD) were referred for treatment. All the cases were followed for one year.

Results

The total population of the study area was 29,226 from 6,566 households. The TVVs referred 52 PKDL suspects. Probable PKDL was diagnosed in 18 of the 52 PKDL suspect cases, and PKDL was confirmed in 9 of the 18 probable PKDL cases. The prevalence of probable PKDL was 6.2 per 10,000 people in the study area. Thirteen PKDL suspects self-reported from outside the study area, and probable and confirmed PKDL was diagnosed in 10 of the 13 suspects and in 5 of 10 probable PKDL cases respectively. All probable PKDL cases had hypopigmented macules. The median time for PKDL development was 36 months (IQR, 24–48). Evidence of the LD parasite was documented by SSE and PCR in 3.6% and 64.3% of the cases, respectively. PCR positivity was associated with gender and severity of disease. Those who were untreated had an increased risk (odds ratio = 3.33, 95%CI 1.29–8.59) of having persistent skin lesions compared to those who were treated. Patients'' treatment-seeking behavior and treatment compliance were poor.

Conclusion

Improved detection of PKDL cases by TVVs is feasible and useful. The NKEP should promote PCR for the diagnosis of PKDL and should find ways for improving treatment compliance by patients.