Furfural formation from the pre-hydrolysis liquor of a hardwood kraft-based dissolving pulp production process.

This study aimed to produce furfural from the PHL. Results showed best furfural yield of 32.8% and the furfural selectivity of 37.

Association of positive thyroid auto antibodies with thyroid carcinoma.

The association between thyroid autoimmunity and thyroid cancer was carried out in a series of solitary thyroid nodules submitted to fine-needle aspiration cytology and subsequent histopathology. US guided FNACs were obtained from 295 unselected consecutive patients with single thyroid nodules and positive (98) or negative (197) serum anti-thyroid antibody. Cytological results were classified in three classes of increased risk of malignancy: low risk (class II); indeterminate risk (class III); and suspect or malignant (class IV).

Occurrence and determinants of postpartum maternal morbidities and disabilities among women in Matlab, Bangladesh.

The burden of maternal ill-health includes not only the levels of maternal mortality and complications during pregnancy and around the time of delivery but also extends to the standard postpartum period of 42 days with consequences of obstetric complications and poor management at delivery. There is a dearth of reliable data on these postpartum maternal morbidities and disabilities in developing countries, and more research is warranted to investigate these and further strengthen the existing safe motherhood programmes to respond to these conditions. This study aims at identifying the consequences of pregnancy and delivery in the postpartum period, their association with acute obstetric complications, the sociodemographic characteristics of women, mode and place of delivery, nutritional status of the mother, and outcomes of birth.

Profile of maternal and foetal complications during labour and delivery among women giving birth in hospitals in Matlab and Chandpur, Bangladesh.

Worldwide, for an estimated 358,000 women, pregnancy and childbirth end in death and mourning, and beyond these maternal deaths, 9-10% of pregnant women or about 14 million women per year suffer from acute maternal complications. This paper documents the types and severity of maternal and foetal complications among women who gave birth in hospitals in Matlab and Chandpur, Bangladesh, during 2007-2008. The Community Health Research Workers (CHRWs) of the icddr,b service area in Matlab prospectively collected data for the study from 4,817 women on their places of delivery and pregnancy outcomes.

Role of intraoperative flexible Choledochoscopy in calculous biliary tract disease.

Ninety six percent of patients with overlooked bile duct stones required surgery within 5 years of cholecystectomy, every effort should be made to keep the incidence of retained stones minimum. The facilities of pre-operative ERCP are not always available. Examination of the bile ducts under direct vision with a choledochoscope seems a certain method of ensuring that there are no residual stone.

Efficacy of yoga therapy on subjective well-being and basic living skills of patients having chronic schizophrenia.

Background: Scientific studies demonstrate efficacy of yogic treatment methods in stress and anxiety related disorders, psychosomatic disorders and physical illness. Very few studies have been conducted on schizophrenic patients.

Aims: This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of yoga therapy on subjective well-being, basic living skills, self-care, interpersonal, communicational and routine functions of schizophrenic patients.

Effect of moisture, lipids, and select amino acid blocking agents on the formation and stability of metastable radicals in powdered soy proteins.

Unlabelled: Incremental increases in the moisture content of powdered soy protein products from 4.4% to 13.4% produced an inverse effect on the ability of soy proteins to maintain metastable free radicals.

Acute abdomen 10 years after surgery for duodenal ulcer disease.

A 55 years old male was admitted in the surgical unit of Dhaka Medical College & Hospital with the complaints of pain and discomfort in the upper abdomen for 1 day and hiccough and vomiting for several episodes for same duration. He had history of abdominal operation 10 years back for his peptic ulcer disease probably due to pyloric stenosis. On examination a linear scar mark was present along the upper midline region & visible peristalsis was seen on the left hypochondriac region.

A simple biological marker to differentiate the types of Herpes Simplex Viruses in resource-limited settings.

Herpes simplex viruses (HSV) multiply readily on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of embryonated hen's egg and produce easily visible foci or pocks on this membrane. In the present study, pocks produced by the two antigenic types of HSV (1 & 2) were compared to evaluate the effectiveness of typing HSV isolates by pock size on CAMs. A total of 57 HSV isolates from both non-genital and genital samples were typed by the pock size produced on the CAMs of fertile hen's eggs.

Comparison between prostate volume and intravesical prostatic protrusion in detecting bladder outlet obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

The objectives of this study were to determine and compare the correlation of intravesical prostatic protrusion (IPP) and prostate volume (PV) with bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). This study was conducted in the department of urology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh, between July 2009 to September 2010. Fifty benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients were included in the study.

A postmortem study on the volume of the human thyroid gland.

The present study was designed to find out the difference in volume of the thyroid gland of Bangladeshi people in relation to age and sex and to compare with previous local and foreign studies. It was a Cross-sectional descriptive type of study. The hospital based study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, from January to December 2008.

Electrocatalytically active graphene-porphyrin MOF composite for oxygen reduction reaction.

Pyridine-functionalized graphene (reduced graphene oxide) can be used as a building block in the assembly of metal organic framework (MOF). By reacting the pyridine-functionalized graphene with iron-porphyrin, a graphene-metalloporphyrin MOF with enhanced catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) is synthesized. The structure and electrochemical property of the hybrid MOF are investigated as a function of the weight percentage of the functionalized graphene added to the iron-porphyrin framework.

Characterization of the "sporadically lurking HAP1-immunoreactive (SLH) cells" in the hippocampus, with special reference to the expression of steroid receptors, GABA, and progenitor cell markers.

Huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1) is a neural huntingtin interactor that is widely expressed as a core molecule of the stigmoid body (a neurocytoplasmic inclusion) in the limbic and hypothalamic regions and has putative protective functions against some neurodegenerative diseases (HAP1 protection hypothesis). Although HAP1 has been reported to be intimately associated with several steroid receptors, HAP1-immunoreactive (HAP1-ir) cells remain to be identified in the hippocampus, which is one of the major steroidal targets. In this study, we determined the distribution of hippocampal HAP1-ir cells in light and fluorescence microscopy and characterized their morphological relationships with steroid receptors, markers of adult neurogenesis, and the GABAergic system in adult male and female Wistar rats.

Metastable radicals and intrinsic chemiluminescence from soy proteins.

Unlabelled: Chemiluminescence from various powdered food proteins were examined without the addition of any external source of free radicals or luminescent agents. In the solid-state, soy and whey proteins produced more intrinsic chemiluminescence than casein, sodium caseinate, or egg albumin. However, when these same food proteins were hydrated, intrinsic chemiluminescence from soy proteins was about 4- to 8-times greater than other source proteins.

Role of MRI in the evaluation of acoustic schwannoma and its comparison to histopathological findings.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been the primary imaging modality and has revolutionized the imaging of brain tumors. MRI can display accurate multi planer imaging without interfering of adjacent structures specially for posterior fossa mass lesion. MRI is the imaging modality of choice for cerebollo-pontine (CP) angle Schwannoma.

Antibody responses after hepatitis B vaccination among maintenance haemodialysis patients.

In haemodialysis patients, hepatitis B virus infection has higher mortality and is more likely to result in the carrier state. Although Hepatitis B vaccine is effective in producing protection against HBV infection, the antibody response may be variable. In this study, seroprotection rate of hepatitis B vaccine in maintenance haemodialysis patients was studied after primary vaccination and after completion of the full vaccine regime.

Histomorphometric study of lumen of human vermiform appendix.

This study was done to find out the histomorphometry of lumen of vermiform appendix in Bangladeshi people. Total 100 fresh appendixes were collected for morphometric study of different age and sex during postmortem examination in the autopsy laboratory of Forensic Medicine Department of Mymensingh Medical College. This cross sectional descriptive study was done by convenient sampling technique.

Decreased defluorination using the novel beta-cell imaging agent [18F]FE-DTBZ-d4 in pigs examined by PET.

Background: Fluorine-18 dihydrotetrabenazine [DTBZ] analogues, which selectively target the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 [VMAT2], have been extensively studied for in vivo quantification of beta cell mass by positron-emission tomography [PET]. This study describes a novel deuterated radioligand [18F]fluoroethyl [FE]-DTBZ-d4, aimed to increase the stability against in vivo defluorination previously observed for [18F]FE-DTBZ.

Methods: [18F]FE-DTBZ-d4 was synthesized by alkylation of 9-O-desmethyl-(+)-DTBZ precursor with deuterated [18F]FE bromide ([18F]FCD2CD2Br).

Safety and immunogenicity profile of human papillomavirus-16/18 AS04 adjuvant cervical cancer vaccine: a randomized controlled trial in healthy adolescent girls of Bangladesh.

Aim: Bangladesh has the highest level of incidence and mortality rates due to cervical cancer among women. The prevalence of cervical cancer in Bangladeshi women is 25-30/100,000. Human papillomavirus is an important cause of cervical cancer.

Fluorine-18 labeling of three novel D-peptides by conjugation with N-succinimidyl-4-[18F]fluorobenzoate and preliminary examination by postmortem whole-hemisphere human brain autoradiography.

Introduction: β-Amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are the main characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Positron emission tomography (PET), a high-resolution, sensitive, and noninvasive imaging technique, has been widely utilized in visualizing the localization of plaques and tangles and thereby distinguishing between AD and healthy controls. A small 12-mer D-enantiomeric peptide (amino acid sequence=QSHYRHISPAQV), denoted as D1, has high binding affinity to Aβ in vitro in the sub-micromolar range, and consequently, its radiolabeled analogues have a potential as radioligands for visualizing amyloid plaques in vivo by PET.

Molecular cloning and sequence and 3D models analysis of the Sec61α subunit of protein translocation complex from Penicillium ochrochloron.

The Sec61α subunit is the core subunit of the protein conducting channel which is required for protein translocation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. In this study, we cloned a Sec61α subunit from Penicillium ochrochloron (PoSec61α). Sequence and 3D structural model analysis showed that PoSec61α conserved the typical characteristics of eukaryotic and prokaryotic Sec61α subunit homologues.

Distribution and binding of 18F-labeled and 125I-labeled analogues of ACI-80, a prospective molecular imaging biomarker of disease: a whole hemisphere post mortem autoradiography study in human brains obtained from Alzheimer's disease patients.

One of the major pathological landmarks of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases is the presence of amyloid deposits in the brain. The early non-invasive visualization of amyloid is a major objective of recent diagnostic neuroimaging approaches, including positron emission tomography (PET), with an eye on follow-up of disease progression and/or therapy efficacy. The development of molecular imaging biomarkers with binding affinity to amyloid in the brain is therefore in the forefront of imaging biomarker and radiochemistry research.

Intra-vaginal use of misoprostol for induction of labour in intrauterine death.

This prospective study was done in the Department of Obstetric & Gynaecology in Mymensingh Medical College & Hospital during the period of February 2006 to January 2007, to assess the efficacy of vaginal misoprostol for induction of labour in intrauterine foetal death cases and to detect any intrapartum or postpartum complications. For this study, 50 cases of IUD were selected among admitted patients who were diagnosed by detailed history, clinical examination and by USG. Fifty microgram of misoprostol was given per vaginally, which was repeated 4 hours interval upto effective uterine contraction to a maximum six doses.

Female sexual dysfunction: facts and factors among gynecology outpatients.

Aim: This study was aimed at assessing the female sexual dysfunction of respondents at gynecology outpatient clinics.

Materials And Methods:   The cross-sectional study involved interviewing 137 female respondents from the gynecology outpatient department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital with a semi-structured questionnaire during March-August 2007. The sociodemographic details and sexual history with sexual problems were recorded.

Negative regulation of abscisic acid-induced stomatal closure by glutathione in Arabidopsis.

We found that glutathione (GSH) is involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure. Regulation of ABA signaling by GSH in guard cells was investigated using an Arabidopsis mutant, cad2-1, that is deficient in the first GSH biosynthesis enzyme, γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, and a GSH-decreasing chemical, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB). Glutathione contents in guard cells decreased along with ABA-induced stomatal closure.