Enhanced autophagy ameliorates cardiac proteinopathy.

Basal autophagy is a crucial mechanism in cellular homeostasis, underlying both normal cellular recycling and the clearance of damaged or misfolded proteins, organelles and aggregates. We showed here that enhanced levels of autophagy induced by either autophagic gene overexpression or voluntary exercise ameliorated desmin-related cardiomyopathy (DRC). To increase levels of basal autophagy, we generated an inducible Tg mouse expressing autophagy-related 7 (Atg7), a critical and rate-limiting autophagy protein.

Cuffless blood pressure estimation using only photoplethysmography based on cardiovascular parameters.

This study provides cuffless blood pressure estimation. In general, blood pressure changes when the subject's condition changes, and it is important to estimate it continuously and noninvasively. In many previous studies, they used PTT (Pulse Transmission Time) for estimating.

1-(4-{[(1,3,3-Tri-methyl-indolin-2-yl-idene)meth-yl]diazen-yl}phen-yl)ethanone.

The title compound, C20H21N3O, has crystallographic mirror symmetry with all non-H atoms apart from the methyl C atom of the CMe2 group lying on the mirror plane. Mol-ecules are linked into planar sheets parallel to (010) by phen-yl-azo C-H⋯N and phen-yl-ethanone C-H⋯O inter-actions. Methyl C-H⋯π inter-actions provide crosslinking between the planes.

Spatial distribution of radioisotope concentrations in the offshore water and sediment of the Bay of Bengal (Indian Ocean), Bangladesh.

Concentrations of natural and fall-out radionuclides in the offshore seawater and sediment from some parts of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, were determined using a coaxial germanium detector. The average activities of (238)U, (232)Th, (40)K and (137)Cs were recorded as 31.2±5.

4-Methyl-5-(4-nitro-benzyl-idene)-2-oxo-2,5-di-hydro-1H-pyrrole-3-carbo-nitrile.

Mol-ecules of the potential non-linear optical title compound, C13H9N3O3, form dimeric stacks of mol-ecules along the a axis cross-linked around inversion centers by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and weak (phen-yl)C-H⋯O inter-molecular inter-actions, forming a 'collaboration' of R 2 (2)(8) and R 2 (2)(16) ring motifs. The mol-ecules are then further linked by weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯N inter-actions into sheets parallel to (121).

An insight into the lignin peroxidase of Macrophomina phaseolina.

Macrophomina phaseolina is one of the deadliest necrotrophic fungal pathogens that infect more than 500 plant species including major food, fiber, and oil crops all throughout the globe. It secretes a cocktail of ligninolytic enzymes along with other hydrolytic enzymes for degrading the woody lignocellulosic plant cell wall and penetrating into the host tissue. Among them, lignin peroxidase has been reported only in Phanerochaete chrysosporium so far.

Evaluation of a typhoid/paratyphoid diagnostic assay (TPTest) detecting anti-Salmonella IgA in secretions of peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Background: Rapid and reliable diagnostic assays for enteric (typhoid and paratyphoid) fever are urgently needed. We report the characterization of novel approach utilizing lymphocyte secretions, for diagnosing patients with enteric fever by the TPTest procedure.

Methodology: TPTest detects Salmonella-specific IgA responses in lymphocyte culture supernatant.

Diverse regulation of IP3 and ryanodine receptors by pentazocine through σ1-receptor in cardiomyocytes.

Although pentazocine binds to σ1-receptor (σ1R) with high affinity, the physiological relevance of its binding remains unclear. We first confirmed that σ1R stimulation with pentazocine rescues contractile dysfunction following pressure overload (PO)-induced cardiac hypertrophy ovariectomized (OVX) female rats. In in vivo studies, vehicle, pentazocine (0.

Crucial interactions between selective serotonin uptake inhibitors and sigma-1 receptor in heart failure.

Depression is associated with a substantial increase in the risk of developing heart failure and is independently associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Inversely, cardiovascular disease can lead to severe depression. Thus, therapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is strongly recommended to reduce cardiovascular disease-induced morbidity and mortality.

Estimating heart rate using wrist-type Photoplethysmography and acceleration sensor while running.

This study provides Heart Rate (HR) Estimation using wrist-type Photoplethysmogpraphy (PPG) sensor while the subject is running. We propose the algorithm to estimate heart rate for the wrist-type PPG sensor. Since body motion artifacts easily affect the arm portion, our method in this study also uses accelerometer built in the wrist-type sensor to improve the accuracy of heart rate estimation.

Determination of the critical residues responsible for cardiac myosin binding protein C's interactions.

Despite early demonstrations of myosin binding protein C's (MyBP-C) interaction with actin, different investigators have reached different conclusions regarding the relevant and necessary domains mediating this binding. Establishing the detailed structure-function relationships is needed to fully understand cMyBP-C's ability to impact on myofilament contraction as mutations in different domains are causative for familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We defined cMyBP-C's N-terminal structural domains that are necessary or sufficient to mediate interactions with actin and/or the head region of the myosin heavy chain (S2-MyHC).

Cystoscopic removal of leeches in the lower urinary tract: our experience.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to describe the experience of managing leech infestation in lower urinary tract from a tropical country.

Materials And Methods: Medical records (January 2002 to December 2010) of children with history of leech infestation in the urinary system, admitted in the Department of Pediatric Surgery, Chittagong Medical College & Hospital, Chittagong, Bangladesh were reviewed. All patients underwent saline irrigation through urethral catheter.

C-H⋯π packing inter-actions in 2-[5,5-bis-(4-benzyl-oxyphen-yl)-3-cyano-4-methyl-2,5-dihydro-furan-2-yl-idene]malononitrile.

The title mol-ecule, C(35)H(25)N(3)O(3), packs utilizing C-H⋯π attractive inter-actions causing the identical 4-benzyl-oxyphenyl groups to pack with different conformational angles. This difference is consistent with the variable inter-planar dihedral angles found in closely related structures.

2-(3-Cyano-4-{7-[1-(2-hy-droxy-eth-yl)-3,3-dimethyl-indolin-2-yl-idene]hepta-1,3,5-trien-yl}-5,5-dimethyl-2,5-dihydro-furan-2-yl-idene)malononitrile.

The title compound, C(29)H(28)N(4)O(2), excluding the hydroxyethyl and methyl groups, is slightly twisted from planarity so that the terminating indol-2-yl-idene and furan-2-yl-idene moiety planes subtend a dihedral angle of 6.27 (8)°. A small inwards fold in the polymethine atom chain is consistent with centrosymmetric dimer formation via O-H⋯N(cyano) hydrogen bonds.

Survey and scientific evaluation of medicinal plants used by the Pahan and Teli tribal communities of Natore district, Bangladesh.

The Pahans and the Telis are two of the smallest indigenous communities in Bangladesh. The Pahans, numbering about 14,000 people are widely scattered in several northern districts of the country, while the Telis are such a small community that nothing has been reported on their numbers and lifestyle. Both tribes are on the verge of disappearance.

In vivo expression of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi genes in the blood of patients with typhoid fever in Bangladesh.

Background: Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi is the cause of typhoid fever. It is a human-restricted pathogen, and few data exist on S. Typhi gene expression in humans.

Safety and immunogenicity study of a killed bivalent (O1 and O139) whole-cell oral cholera vaccine Shanchol, in Bangladeshi adults and children as young as 1 year of age.

Background: Safety and immunogenicity study of an oral, killed, bivalent whole-cell, cholera vaccine, Shanchol was carried out in Bangladeshi participants. This study was conducted prior to initiating a feasibility study in Bangladesh.

Study Participants: The double-blind, randomized placebo controlled study was carried out in adults (18-45 years), toddlers (2-5 years) and younger children (12-23 months).

Interferon-γ and proliferation responses to Salmonella enterica Serotype Typhi proteins in patients with S. Typhi Bacteremia in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Background: Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi is a human-restricted intracellular pathogen and the cause of typhoid fever. Cellular immune responses are required to control and clear Salmonella infection. Despite this, there are limited data on cellular immune responses in humans infected with wild type S.

4-aminopyridinium 2-(anthracen-9-yl)-3-oxo-3H-inden-1-olate monohydrate.

The title compound, 2C(5)H(7)N(2)(+)·2C(23)H(13)O(2)(-)·H(2)O, formed as a by-product in the attempted synthesis of a nonlinear optical candidate molecule, contains two independent 4-aminopyridinium cations and 2-(anthracen-9-yl)-3-oxo-3H-inden-1-olate anions with one solvent water molecule. This is the first reported structure containing these anions. The two anions are not planar, having different interplanar angles between the anthracenyl and inden-1-olate moieties of 59.

Targeting sigma-1 receptor signaling by endogenous ligands for cardioprotection.

Introduction: The sigma receptors, initially described as a subtype of opioid receptors, are now considered to be a unique receptor expressed in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and in the plasma membrane of adult rat cardiomyocytes. A number of sigma receptor ligands influence cardiovascular function and the heart has binding sites for sigma receptor ligands that alter contractility both in vivo and in vitro. The human sigma-1 receptor gene contains a steroid-binding component and gonadal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) which interacts with the sigma-1 receptor.

Analysis of Salmonella enterica serotype paratyphi A gene expression in the blood of bacteremic patients in Bangladesh.

Background: Salmonella enterica serotype Paratyphi A is a human-restricted cause of paratyphoid fever, accounting for up to a fifth of all cases of enteric fever in Asia.

Methodology/principal Findings: In this work, we applied an RNA analysis method, Selective Capture of Transcribed Sequences (SCOTS), and cDNA hybridization-microarray technology to identify S. Paratyphi A transcripts expressed by bacteria in the blood of three patients in Bangladesh.

Sigma-1 receptor stimulation with fluvoxamine activates Akt-eNOS signaling in the thoracic aorta of ovariectomized rats with abdominal aortic banding.

In the present study, we investigated the vasculoprotective effect of sigma-1 receptor stimulation with fluvoxamine on pressure overload hypertrophy-induced vascular injury in the thoracic aorta and defined mechanisms underlying that activity. Wistar rats underwent bilateral ovariectomy, and two weeks later were further treated with abdominal aortic stenosis. To confirm the vasculoprotective role of sigma-1 receptor signaling, we treated rats with the agonist fluvoxamine (at 0.

Targeting sigma-1 receptor with fluvoxamine ameliorates pressure-overload-induced hypertrophy and dysfunctions.

Objective: We here investigated the effect of sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1R) stimulation with fluvoxamine on myocardial hypertrophy, cardiac functional recovery and defined mechanisms underlying its cardioprotective action.

Methods: Wistar rats subjected to bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) were treated with abdominal aortic banding between the right and left renal arteries. To confirm the cardioprotective role of Sig-1R stimulation, we treated the rats with Sig-1R agonist (fluvoxamine, 0.

Dehydroepiandrosterone-mediated stimulation of sigma-1 receptor activates Akt-eNOS signaling in the thoracic aorta of ovariectomized rats with abdominal aortic banding.

Objective: Decreased dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels are associated with endothelial dysfunction and increased cardiovascular mortality in postmenopausal women. Using ovariectomized rats, we first defined whether expression of sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1R) in the aorta is regulated following pressure overload (PO) and also after DHEA treatment. We also investigated effects of DHEA known as Sig-1R agonist on impaired Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling in the thoracic aorta under PO.

Polarization-insensitive and widely tunable wavelength conversion for polarization shift keying signal based on four wave mixing in highly non-linear fiber.

A fiber-based polarization-insensitive and widely tunable all-optical wavelength conversion for polarization shift keying (PolSK) signal is experimentally demonstrated by means of four-wave-mixing (FWM) in highly non-linear fiber. Polarization sensitivity of our scheme is compared with the conventional one and the conversion performance of the PolSK signal is investigated. In our scheme, preservation of state of polarization (SOP) of input PolSK signal is possible on both of the converted spectral components in FWM spectrum.