Gender difference in metabolic syndrome and quality of life among elderly people in Noakhali, Bangladesh.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities that significantly heighten the risk of non-communicable diseases, affecting the quality of life (QOL) of millions, including the elderly. Hence, the study aims to assess the prevalence of MetS and its impact on QOL among elderly population, with a focus on gender differences.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 400 elderly participants sought care at Noakhali General Hospital, Noakhali, Bangladesh.

Multifaceted Analysis of Lactobacillus plantarum DMR14 Reveals Promising Antidiabetic Properties Through In Vivo Assays and Molecular Simulations.

Due to the growing concern about diabetes worldwide, we investigated the antidiabetic potential of Lactobacillus plantarum DMR14, assessing its effects on the diabetic mice and identifying safe, bioactive compounds targeting DPP4 protein for drug development through various methods, including in vivo assays, GC-MS analysis and molecular docking simulations. The animal experiments showed that after 3 weeks of treatment, the blood sugar levels of mice given the bacteria were reduced by 35.03% compared to baseline.

Enhancing Soybean Salt Tolerance with GSNO and Silicon: A Comprehensive Physiological, Biochemical, and Genetic Study.

Soil salinity is a major global challenge affecting agricultural productivity and food security. This study explores innovative strategies to improve salt tolerance in soybean (), a crucial crop in the global food supply. This study investigates the synergistic effects of S-nitroso glutathione (GSNO) and silicon on enhancing salt tolerance in soybean ().

White Mold: A Global Threat to Crops and Key Strategies for Its Sustainable Management.

White mold, caused by the fungal pathogen (Lib.) de Bary, is a significant biotic stress impacting horticultural and field crops worldwide. This disease causes plants to wilt and ultimately die, resulting in considerable yield losses.

Unveiling the future: Wavelet- ARIMAX analysis of climate and diarrhea dynamics in Bangladesh's Urban centers.

Background: Diarrheal infections continue to be a major public health concern in Bangladesh, especially in urban areas where population density and environmental variables increase dissemination risks. Identifying the intricate connections between weather variables and diarrhea epidemics is critical for developing effective public health remedies.

Methods: We deploy the novel approach of Wavelet-Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Variable (WARIMAX) and the traditional Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Variable (ARIMAX) technique to forecast the incidence of diarrhea by analyzing the influence of climate factors.

Challenges of healthcare financing in the world's largest refugee camp: a mixed-method study among healthcare stakeholders for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Objectives: This study aimed to increase the understanding of healthcare stakeholders' viewpoints on the challenges and potential solutions regarding healthcare financing for the Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.

Design: A mixed-method approach, containing semi-structured interviews with healthcare stakeholders and review of financial documents, was employed. Thematic analysis was performed to analyse the transcripts.

Effectiveness of artificially planted mangroves on remediation of metals released from ship-breaking activities.

The pervasive and escalating issue of toxic metal pollution has gathered global attention, necessitating the exploration of innovative ecological strategies like phytoremediation. This study explored the extent of potentially toxic metal contamination status and the effectiveness of three planted mangrove species (Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorhiza,and Excoecaria agallocha) in phytoremediation efforts to reduce pollution level. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of elements in the sediment of the area followed a descending sequence: Fe (27,136.

How is maternal employment associated with infant and young child feeding in Bangladesh? A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Background: In the last three decades, the increasing trend in female employment in Bangladesh has been critically analyzed from a socioeconomic point of view; however, its impact on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices has yet to be systematically reviewed. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the association between these variables.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, and Google Scholar to retrieve relevant records with no restriction of publication period.

Interleukin-1β rs16944 and rs1143627 polymorphisms and risk of developing major depressive disorder: A case-control study among Bangladeshi population.

Background: Epidemiological research suggests that altered levels of cytokine are associated with pathophysiology and the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). Based on earlier study, IL-1β rs16944 and rs1143627 polymorphisms may increase the risk of depression. Here, we aimed to evaluate the correlation between these polymorphisms and MDD susceptibility among the population in Bangladesh.

Does women empowerment alone influence contraception utilization in Bangladesh perspective? Findings from the 2017-2018 Demographic Health Survey using a structural equation model analysis.

Background: Women empowerment is a crucial issue that is less studied as a factor of contraceptive use among married women that helps to achieve sustainable development goals.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the relationship between women empowerment and contraceptive use.

Study Design: This cross-sectional study used 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data, which included 12,006 women (weighted) aged 15 to 49 years.

From policy to progress: Environmental taxation to mitigate air pollution in OECD countries.

Environmental taxes play a critical role in mitigating air pollution and fostering sustainability by internalizing the social costs of environmental damage. By imposing financial disincentives on polluters, these taxes encourage cleaner practices and technological innovation. Using panel ARDL models, this study examines the impact of environmental taxes on CO₂ emissions across 38 OECD countries, accounting for cross-sectional dependence, non-stationarity, and heterogeneity.

A Review on the Role of Human Solute Carriers Transporters in Cancer.

Background And Aim: The high rate of tumor growth results in an increased need for amino acids. As solute carriers (SLC) transporters are capable of transporting different amino acids, cancer may develop as a result of these transporters' over-expression due to their complex formation with other biological molecules. Therefore, this review investigated the role of SLC transporters in the progression of cancer.

Thyroid Dysfunction Prevalence and Risk Factors in the Southeastern Part of Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background And Aims: Globally thyroid disorders (TDs) are common health issues including in the Southeast Asian region. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of thyroid disorders in the Bangladeshi population, with a particular focus on the frequency, etiology, and comorbidity of various thyroid diseases.

Methods: A cross-sectional research design was conducted in the southeastern part of Bangladesh.

Nature's defense against emerging neurodegenerative threats: Dynamic simulation, PCA, DCCM identified potential plant-based antiviral lead targeting borna disease virus nucleoprotein.

The rare zoonotic Borna disease virus (BDV) causes fatal neurological disease in various animals, with a high mortality rate exceeding 90% in central Europe. However, unlike most viruses, it establishes persistent infections within the host cell nucleus, hindering treatment. As successful BDV treatments remain elusive, the researchers turned to a computational approach, utilizing molecular docking, ADME/T, post-docking MMGBSA, MD simulation, DCCM, and PCA to identify promising phytochemical drug candidates targeting the BDV Nucleoprotein (PDB ID: 1N93).

Antimicrobial Peptides: A Promising Solution to the Rising Threat of Antibiotic Resistance.

The demand for developing novel antimicrobial drugs has increased due to the rapid appearance and global spread of antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer distinct advantages over traditional antibiotics, such as broad-range efficacy, a delayed evolution of resistance, and the capacity to enhance human immunity. AMPs are being developed as potential medicines, and current computational and experimental tools aim to facilitate their preclinical and clinical development.

Accumulation of Microplastics and Potentially Toxic Elements in Plant Leaves Along an Urbanization Gradient in Bangladesh.

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and microplastics (MPs) in the atmosphere raise widespread apprehension due to their association with the ecosystem and public health. The accumulation of airborne MPs and PTEs was analyzed in leaves, and the Pollution Index (PI) was calculated along an industrial, residential, and rural gradient in Bangladesh. Only polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was found in the highest concentration in industrial areas compared to other areas.

Designing of an mRNA vaccine against high-risk human papillomavirus targeting the E6 and E7 oncoproteins exploiting immunoinformatics and dynamic simulation.

Human papillomavirus 16 and human papillomavirus 18 have been associated with different life-threatening cancers, including cervical, lung, penal, vulval, vaginal, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers, while cervical cancer is the most prominent one. Several research studies have suggested that the oncoproteins E6 and E7 are the leading cause of cancers associated with the human papillomavirus infection. Therefore, we developed two mRNA vaccines (V1 and V2) targeting these oncoproteins.

Characteristics, Contamination Levels, and Ecosystem Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Surface Water of a Highly Urbanized River from a Developing Country.

Microplastic (MP) contamination poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health. However, the absence of standardized protocols, detailed polymer identification, and sources identification hinders the development of targeted mitigation strategies, particularly in developing nations. There is a scarcity of comprehensive data on MP distribution, sources, and transport mechanisms in freshwater environments.

Parameter-efficient fine-tuning of large language models using semantic knowledge tuning.

Large Language Models (LLMs) are gaining significant popularity in recent years for specialized tasks using prompts due to their low computational cost. Standard methods like prefix tuning utilize special, modifiable tokens that lack semantic meaning and require extensive training for best performance, often falling short. In this context, we propose a novel method called Semantic Knowledge Tuning (SK-Tuning) for prompt and prefix tuning that employs meaningful words instead of random tokens.

Association of diet quality and nutrient intake with odds of dyslipidaemia in patients with cardiovascular diseases: a hospital based cross-sectional study in Bangladesh.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate diet quality and other associated factors with dyslipidaemia in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients in Bangladesh.

Design: The study employed a cross-sectional design.

Setting: Data from medical records, dietary intake and socioeconomic factors were collected from January to October 2022 at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Dhaka, and Noakhali Sadar Hospital.

Natural Products in Precision Neurological Disease (Cryptococcal Meningitis): Structure-Based Phytochemical Screening of Glycyrrhiza glabra Plant Against Cryptococcus neoformans Farnesyltransferase (FTase).

Cryptococcus neoformans causes cryptococcal meningitis, which is lethal to immune-compromised people, especially AIDS patients. This study employed diverse in silico techniques to find the best phytochemical to block farnesyltransferase (FTase). Based on molecular docking, the top two compounds selected from a screening of 5807 phytochemical compounds from 29 medicinal plants were CID_8299 (hydroxyacetone) and CID_71346280 (1,7-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one), with docking scores of -5.

Unmasking heavy metal contamination: Tracing, risk estimating and source fingerprinting from coastal sediments of the Payra River in Bangladesh.

The Payra River, cicual for fish breeding, feeding and nursery in coastal Bangladesh, faces heavy contamination from industrial activities, agricultural runoff and poor waste management. This study used ICP-MS to assess metal contamination levels, risk status and potential sources in river sediment. The findings showed that the mean concentrations (mg/kg) of metals followed the decreasing order: Mn (434.

Association of and Genetic Variants With Schizophrenia in the Bangladeshi Population: A Case-Control Study.

Background And Aims: Schizophrenia (SCZ) is among the most persistent and devastating psychological problems. Different genetic polymorphisms are responsible for the predisposition of SCZ, and we screened (rs2071287, rs204993) and (rs2070673) polymorphisms in this study to find the connection with SCZ development.

Methods: We investigated a total of 420 samples (210 patients and 210 controls) and used the PCR-RFLP technique to genotype all SNPs.

Prevalence and predictors of functional gastrointestinal disorder among the undergraduate students of Bangladesh.

Objective: This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by investigating FGID prevalence and its predictors among undergraduate students in Bangladesh.

Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 01 August 2023 and 31 January 2024 among 1,019 undergraduate students. Data were collected using a web-based survey containing questions on socio-demographics, the Rome IV questionnaire, the insomnia severity index, the perceived stress scale 4, the patient health questionnaire, and the smartphone addiction scale.