Studies on synergism between glucose and amino acids with respect to insulin release in vitro

The mutual enhancement of the effect of insulin release by glucose and amino acids is not clearly understood. Present in vitro studies with isolated rat islets were undertaken to elaborate the role of amino acids on insulin release, particularly their interaction with glucose as well as among each other, which has been reported to lead to synergism in the human subjects. In the presence of 8.3 mM glucose, both arginine, as well as, leucine potentiated the effect of glucose which increased progressively with the increasing concentrations of the amino acid. This effect of arginine was not synergistic in nature because arginine did not stimulate insulin release in the absence of glucose. The effect of glucose and leucine was found to be additive and not synergistic. No synergism was exhibited by any of the amino acid pairs tested in the present study. Thus both phenylalanine and lysine did not potentiate the effect of either arginine or leucine. Arginine showed a mild, but significant potentiating effect on leucine-stimulated insulin release. It is suggested that synergism between glucose and amino acids and between certain amino acid pairs reported in man may not be due to the direct effects of these stimuli on the beta cells, but some other factors in vivo may be involved.

Radiologic findings of bilharzial (schistosomal) contracted bladder

The radiologic findings in bilharzial contracted bladder are presented. Calcifications of the bladder were seen in only 4.3 per cent, hydronephrosis in 37.2 per cent, and reflux in 62.8 per cent.

Studies on blood saccharoid fraction in normal and diabetic subjects

The exact nature of the saccharoid fraction (non-glucose reducing substances) in human blood is not known. The saccharoid fraction is increased in diabetic patients and a direct relationship exists to the height of the blood sugar. Some of the constituents of the saccharoid fraction, namely, glutathione, glucuronic acid and organic phosphate are significantly increased in diabetic patients. Fructose diphosphate and ATP are increased in the patients treated with oral hypoglycemic drugs. The known constituents of the saccharoid fraction which were determined accounted only for about 48% in normal and 36% in diabetic patients. The reduced contribution of these compounds to the saccharoid fraction in diabetic patients indicates that the nature of the saccharoid fraction may be different in diabetic patients.

Adhesion of cholera phage to glass surfaces at high inactivation temperatures

Decimal dilutions of cholera phage heated in test tubes at the temperature range of 65 degrees to 70 degrees showed an erratic behaviour in that the residual counts had no relationship to the quantity of phage originally present in the tubes. If the contents of the heated tubes were decanted off and the empty tubes washed repeatedly with broth, the recovery of phage from successive washings of the tubes was much higher than what would be expected on the basis of the simple dilution effect of washings. The data presented indicate that the heating causes loose adhesion of phage to the wall of the glass tubes from where they can be detached by washing or shaking. The facts that E. coli phage T1 and also cholera phages tested with two different broths have given similar results, suggest that some general property of the phage itself is responsible for the phenomenon observed. The phenomenon appears to be different from the adsorption of phage to glass filters at lower temperature range described by earlier workers.

Effects of undernutrition and protein malnutrition on brain chemistry of rats

The present study was undertaken to assess the effects of different degrees of nutritional restrictions during fetal life, suckling, and after weaning on the chemical composition of the brain. At 42 days of age, the rats were killed, and the brains were processed for analyses. The rats exposed to severe protein malnutrition after weaning had lower brain weights than those on controls. The brain seems to be resistant to the effects of moderate protein malnutrition imposed during suckling or after weaning. Thus, the brain is either resistant to the effects of mild nutritional deficiency imposed during suckling, or brain composition is very responsive to nutritional rehabilitation initiated after weaning. The effects of severe undernutrition during suckling were not, however, reversed when adequate nutrition was initiated after weaning. The suckling period seems to be critical during development, as the process of myelination was lowered and the levels of electrolytes were irreversibly disturbed. The brains of the rats born to the mothers protein malnourished during gestation were not significantly different from those of controls. The brain seems to be either preferentially protected from the effects of malnutrition imposed during fetal development, or the brain component are very responsive to nutritional rehabilitation initiated immediately after birth. It is suggested that the mother's nutritional status during gestation does not significantly affect the development of the brain. When the young were born to and nursed by protein-malnourished mothers, the growth and the maturation of the brain in such animals were similar to those in rats moderately undernourished during suckling. Growth and maturation of the brain are affected by a lowered level of protein in the diet. Moderate undernutrition imposed during suckling is not important, but the effect is maximum when undernutrition is severe during this period. The suckling period is therefore, comparatively more critical during development.

Effect of iron deficiency anemia on the development of atherosclerosis in chicks

The effect of iron deficiency anemia on the development of atherosclerosis was investigated in chicks. The control group of birds were fed a basal diet, the atherosclerosis group received 1% cholesterol. The lipid content of the aortas of the chicks in atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis-anemia group also developed anemia of appreciable severity in 12 weeks. Hemoglobin and PCV were taken as the index of anemia, while the lipid constituents were determined in plasma and aortic tissue for atherosclerosis. Hypercholesterolemia of almost equal severity occurred in both atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis-anemia groups. The abnormal rise of cholesterol and other lipid material in the aortas of the atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis-anemia groups of birds indicates that iron deficiency anemia did not markedly affect the development of atheroslcerosis; it did not offer any protection in chickens and, in fact, a slight potentiating effect was observed.

Molecular Characterization of 28 Mango Germplasm Using RAPD

Genetic variation and relationship among 28 mango germplasm were analyzed using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Out of 20 primers screened, four were selected, which gave 50 clear and bright fragments, out of which 48 fragments were considered polymorphic. The proportion of polymorphic loci and gene diversity values across all loci were 96% and 0.29, respectively. The UPGMA dendrogram based on genetic distance segregated the 28 mango germplasm into two main clusters. Sukul alone formed one cluster and the rest germplasm were grouped together into another cluster. Mallika and Amrapali cultivar pair was very close to each other with the highest intervarietal similarity index (87.30%) and lowest genetic distance (0.08). On the other hand, Sukul and Meghnath pair was more distant to each other with the lowest intervarietal similarity index (14.29%) and highest genetic distance (0.87). The results of the present study indicated that the RAPD analysis could be utilized by breeders for further improvement of mango varieties.Key words: Germplasm, Characterization, Mango, RAPDDOI = 10.3329/ptcb.v17i1.1123Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 17(1): 71-77, 2007 (June)

Bacterio-pathological Studies on Salmonellosis, Colibacillosis and Pasteurellosis in Natural and Experimental Infections in Chickens

Bacterio-pathological investigation on 1751 dead chickens during one year period from January to December 2002 at the BRAC Poultry Disease Diagnostic Centre, Gazipur showed that 39.81% (n=697) cases with seven types of different bacteriological diseases of which salmonellosis (n=385), colibacillosis (n=147) and fowl cholera (n=114) were found significantly higher rate of prevalence then staphylococcosis (n=6),  gangrenous dermatitis (n=17), necrotic enteritis (n=24) and infectious coryza (n=4). Accordingly, avian salmonellosis, colibacillosis and pasteurellosis were selected for detailed investigation. Age wise prevalence of avian salmonellosis showed highest infection rate in adult layers (53.25%) in comparison to brooding (14.55%), growing (16.10%) and pullet (16.10%) chickens. The avian colibacillosis was found widely prevalent in all age groups of chickens (9.52 to 36.73%) with specially high prevalence rate in adult layer birds (36.73%). Fowl cholera was recorded in chickens more than two weeks of age with significantly (p < 0.01) highest occurrence in adult chickens. Seasonal influence showed significantly (p < 0.01) highest proportionate prevalence of salmonellosis during summer (48.05%) in comparison to rainy (28.31%) and winter (23.66%) seasons. Colibacillosis was recorded more or less uniformly in all the three seasons of the year with significantly (p < 0.01) higher rate during summer (40.82%) season. Similarly, the prevalence of fowl cholera was also found significantly (p < 0.01) highest during summer (49.12%) in comparison to rainy (26.32%) and winter (24.56%) seasons. The isolated causative agents of avian salmonellosis (Salmonella pullorum), avian colibacillosis (Escherichia coli) and avian pasteurellosis (Pasteurella multocida) were characterized by bacteriological methods which were also subjected to pathogenicity study in 52-day old broiler chickens. Pathogenicity study showed that the incubation period of these three bacterial diseases were recorded as 96 hours and clinical signs appeared on 4th day of inoculation and observed that S. pullorum, E. coli and P.  multocida resulted 100% morbidity in chickens. Key words: Characterization; pathogenicity; salmonellosis; colibacillosis; pasteurellosis; chickens doi: 10.3329/bjvm.v2i1.1926 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2004). 2(1) : 01-08

Prevalence and risk factors of mastitis in dairy cows

Identification of risk factors is important for the design of control programmes for mastitis in cows. Information about farms and management was collected at a farm visit. California Mastitis Test (CMT) was performed to assess sub-clinical mastitis, and cows, udder and milk were examined for clinical mastitis. A total of 347 lactating cows from 83 farms in the dry season (November - February) and 388 lactating cows from 89 farms in the wet season (June - October) were studied. The overall prevalence of mastitis was 19.9% and 44.8% in dry and wet seasons, respectively. The prevalence of mild mastitis was 17.3% and 40.7%, whereas that of moderate mastitis was 2.6% and 4.1% in dry and wet seasons, respectively. The prevalence of mastitis was higher (P<0.01) in wet than in dry season. On average, 18.7% quarters had mastitis during the wet season and 6.9% in the dry season. In the dry and wet seasons, respectively, 63.9% and 11.2% had completely dry floors, and the prevalence of mastitis was 22.6% and 30.0%. On the other hand, 88.8% and 36.1% of 83 farms had partly or completely wet and soiled floor and the prevalence of mastitis was 40.0% and 59.5% in the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Udder cleanliness, milk yield and peri-parturient diseases significantly (P<0.01) increased the risk of mastitis. The prevalence of mastitis is regarded as quite high. Dry and clean floor to keep cow's udder and teat clean would help control mastitis in the dairy farms of Bangladesh. DOI: 10.3329/bvet.v26i2.4951 Bangl. vet. 2009. Vol. 26, No. 2, 54-60

Pattern of Occurrence of Single and Concurrent Diseases Associated with Mortality in Commercial Chickens in Bangladesh

The high mortality rate of commercial poultry has been encountered as a major problem which discourage farmers and entrepreneurs in this industry in Bangladesh. This study was carried out to determine the role of single and concurrent infections associated with mortality in 1751 commercial chickens during one year period from January to December 2002. Diagnosis of diseases was made on the basis of history, necropsy findings, isolation and identification of causative bacteria and other laboratory tests. The etiological investigations of 1751 dead chickens showed that about 39.81% bacterial, 22.73% viral, 13.65% mycoplasmal, 1.54% fungal, 10.11% parasitic, 31.64% systemic, 3.43% nutritional deficiency and 1.77% other diseases were associated with these mortality. Salmonellosis (21.99%), Colibacillosis (8.40%), Fowl cholera (6.52%), Avian mycoplasmosis (13.65%), Infectious bursal disease (11.20%), Newcastle disease (10.34%) and coccidiosis (6.23%) were recognized as major diseases associated with mortality in commercial chickens in Bangladesh. About 32 diseases were recorded, of which both single (76.30%) and mixed infections as two (21.53%), three (1.83%) and four (0.34%) types were associated with mortality of chickens. Significantly (p < 0.01) highest proportionate mortality rate was recorded in > 20 weeks old adult layer (45.52%) in comparison to > 2 to 8 weeks old grower (24.04%), > 8 to 20 weeks old pullet (18.16%) and up to 2 weeks old brooding (12.28%) chickens. Seasonal influence showed highest mortality rate during Summer (43.06%) in comparison to Rainy (27.81%) and Winter (29.13%) seasons. It may be concluded from this study that both the single and concurrent infections are associated with high mortality rate in commercial chickens in Bangladesh. Therefore, the interactions of different pathogens in naturally occurring diseases should be considered during diagnosis and evaluation of vaccination.  Key words: Occurrence; concurrent; mortality; diseases; chickens DOI = 10.3329/bjvm.v1i1.1911 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2003). 1 (1) :  15 - 20

Prevalence of bovine tuberculosis and its effects on milk production in Red Chittagong cattle

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one of the most prevalent economically important zoonotic diseases and tuberculin test has been widely used to detect its prevalence worldwide. This study used a commercial immunochromatographic assay (ICGA) to detect the prevalence of bTB and to evaluate the differences in milk production between lactating cows with positive and negative results in Bangladesh. Thirty Red Chittagong (indigenous) cattle (RCC) were randomly selected from a herd of 87 RCC maintained at the Bangladesh Agricultural University Dairy Farm (BAUDF), Mymensingh during the period from March to July 2008, of which 30% cattle showed positive reaction to bTB. Of the 30 tested cattle, 35.29% (6/17) lactating cows, 20.0% (1/5) non-lactating pregnant cows, 33.33% (1/3) weaned calves and 20.0% (1/5) unweaned calves showed positive reaction to bTB. The detection of bTB in two calves and their respective mother cows indicates the possible transmission of TB organism through their colostrums / milk. Of the 17 lactating cows, 6 cows had positive and 11 had negative results to bTB. Cows with positive results produced less milk ( mean 1.29 litre / day / cow ) in comparison to cows with negative test ( mean 1.57 litre / day/ cow ) results which appeared as 17.83% reduction of milk production. Further study on the mastitis with or without bTB and its effect on milk production require data of more herds for conclusion of these results. Key words: Red Chittagong cattle, bovine tuberculosis, immunochromatographic assay, milk production doi: 10.3329/bjvm.v6i2.2332 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2008). 6 (2): 175-178

Effect of Nitrogen on Seed Yield, Protein Content and Nutrient Uptake of Soybean (Glycine max L.)

A pot experiment was conducted at the experimental space of Botany Department, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka during rabi season 2004-2005 to determine the effect of nitrogen (N) on yield, protein content and nutrient uptake of soybean using G-2 (Bangladesh soybean-4) as test crop. Rates of N used were 0 (N1), 10.58 (N2), 15.87 (N3), 21.16 (N4), 26.45 (N5) and 31.74 (N6) kg ha-1 equivalent to 0, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150% of recommended N doses. Seeds were inoculated with Bradyrhizobium inoculum before sowing. Nitrogen application progressively and significantly increased the yield of soybean upto the N rate of 26.45 kg ha-1 where the highest seed yield of 6.85 g plant-1 was obtained. Nutrient uptake and protein content in seeds also increased with increasing levels of N (up to the same rate of 26.45 kg N ha-1). It is concluded that application of 25% higher N over BARC recommendation could give maximum seed yield, protein content and nutrient uptake by soybean seed. Key words: Soybean, nitrogen, yield, nutrient, protein. doi:10.3329/jard.v6i1.1652 J Agric Rural Dev 6(1&2), 13-17, June 2008

Topical tazarotene cream (0.1%) in the treatment of facial acne: An open clinical trial

Background: Tazarotene is a new 3rd generation topical acetylenic retinoid. It normalizes keratinocyte differentiation, reduces keratinocyte proliferation and decreases expression of inflammatory markers. Tazarotene was approved by US FDA in 1997 for acne vulgaris.Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical tazarotene 0.1% cream in the treatment of facial acne.Materials and methods: 67 patients with facial acne in the age range of 13-30 years were enrolled in the study. Purposive sampling was done. Patients were treated with topical Tazarotene cream (0.1%) and were instructed to apply the medication as a thin film over the affected area in the evening once daily for 12 weeks. Follow-up was done at 2nd, 4th week, 8th week and at 12th week.Results: Of the 67 patients, 53% got remission, 9% had good response, 34% had poor response and there was no response in 4% of the patients by 12 weeks of treatment. Among the patients, 9 (13.43%) developed mild side effects. Conclusion: Topical tazarotene cream (0.1%) is a effective and safe treatment option for acne vulgaris affecting face. It is mostly effective in grade-1 and grade-2 acne.DOI: 10.3329/bmrcb.v36i2.6985Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2010; 36: 43-46

Effect of urea super granule on the performance of cabbage in Young Jamuna and Brahmaputra Floodplain Soils of Tangail

A number of experiments were conducted at the Farming Systems Research and Development (FSRD) site, Palima, Tangail for three consecutive years to evaluate the efficiency of USG application in comparison with prilled urea on the yield and yield attributes of cabbage (cv. Atlas-70). There were five treatments, T1= N195 (recommended N dose for HYG, used as prilled urea), T2= N195 (recommended N dose for HYG, used as USG), T3=N175 (N 10% reduction of recommended N dose as USG), T4= N155 (N 20% reduction of recommended N dose as USG), and T5= N105 (Farmers' N dose used as prilled urea). Treatments Tl-T4 received recommended dose of other nutrients (P56K162S13Mo0.6CD3t) and T5 received P25K90S0Mo0CD51 Yield and yield-contributing characters of cabbage significantly responded to the application of USG. The highest head yield (78.1 t/ha) was obtained with the recommended dose of N as USG, and 10% (77.1 t/ha), and 20% (72.0 t/ha) less than the recommended dose of N as USG also produced higher yield than recommended prilled urea-N. Application of USG was found more efficient than prilled urea and the treatment N195P56K162S13Mo0.6CD3t (recommended N as USG for HYG) was found profitable for cabbage cultivation in terms of yield and the treatment N175P56K162S13Mo0.6CD3t (10% N reduction of recommended N dose as USG) was found profitable in terms of economic returns. Keywords: USG; prilled urea; cabbage. DOI: 10.3329/bjar.v35i2.5889Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 35(2) : 267-272, June 2010

Determination of residue of diazinon and carbosulfan in brinjal and quinalphos in yard long bean under supervised field trial

The present study was undertaken to detect and quantify the left over residue of Diazinon and Carbosulfan in brinjal and Quinalphos in yard long bean and comparison between the detected residue level with maximum residue level (MRL) set by FAO (1970). Three supervised field trials (two for brinjal and one for yard long bean) were carried out sprayed with the field dose (1.5 ml/L of water) of Diazinon, Carbosulfan, and Quinaiphos. Samples were collected daily after spraying till residue were found. In case of Diazinon, left over residue was found upto 6 days after spray (DAS), and upto 3 DAS, the level of residue was above the MRL. Carbosulfan residue was detected till 7 DAS and the detected quantity of residue was above MRL upto 3 DAS. Left over residue of Quinalphos in yard long bean sample was detected upto 6 DAS and upto 4 DAS the level of residue was above the MRL. Key Words: Residue, Diazinon, Carbosulfan, Quinalphos. brinjal, yard long bean. doi:10.3329/bjar.v33i3.1609 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 33(3) : 503-513, September 2008

In vitro antibiotic sensitivity and therapeutic efficacy of experimental salmonellosis, colibacillosis and pasteurellosis in broiler chickens

Avian salmonellosis (AS), avian colibacillosis (AC) and avian pasteurellosis (AP) have been recognized as important bacterial diseases in poultry associated with morbidity and mortality in Bangladesh. The causative agents of these three diseases were isolated (5 isolates / disease) from dead chickens submitted for diagnosis at the BRAC Poultry Disease Diagnostic Centre, Gazipur during the period from January to December 2002. Five isolates of each of the Salmonella pullorum, Escherichia coli and Pasteurella multocida were evaluated against eight antibiotic containing disc which included ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, tetracycline, cephradine and penicillin G. Erythromycin in S. pullorum and Ciprofloxacin both in the E. coli and P. multocida were found highest sensitive, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, cephradine were found moderately sensitive to S. pullorum, gentamicin, tetracycline, erythromycin and ampicillin were found moderately sensitive to E. coli, and gentamicin ampicillin, cephradine and penicillin G were moderately sensitive to P. multocida. Therapeutic trials against experimentally produced S. pullorum, E. coli and P. multocida infection in three groups of broiler chickens showed that cephradine against S. pullorum and ciprofloxacin against both in E. coli and P. multocida were found highly effective both in vitro and in vivo studies, therefore, cephradine against salmonellosis and ciprofloxacin against colibacillosis and pasteurellosis are effective drugs of choice which could be used to control morbidity and mortality in poultry caused by these diseases.Key words: antibiotic sensitivity; salmonellosis; colibacillosis; pasteurellosis, broiler chickensdoi: 10.3329/bjvm.v2i2.2538Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2004). 2 (2): 99-102

Effect of massive doses of bacteriophage on excretion of vibrios, duration of diarrhoea and output of stools in acute cases of cholera

Each member of a group of 8 patients with acute cholera was treated with a mixture of four cholera bacteriophage preparations containing over 2 x 10(12) phage particles/ml. These massive doses were intended to kill immediately all vibrios in the intestine by "lysis from without". The numbers of Vibrio cholerae were drastically reduced rapidly. In 4 patients, V. cholerae was completely eliminated from the stools early in the treatment; the total stool volume and after-treatment of diarrhoea were reduced in comparison with a control group but were higher than in a group of patients treated with tetracycline. In the other 4 patients treated with phage, vibrios disappeard more slowly from the stools and there was no apparent clinical effect of the phage. In all the patients treated with phage, the duration of diarrhoea was longer than in patients in a control group who excreted vibrios for a similar length of time although the stool output was similar. This was interpreted as being due to the persistence of vibrios in foci of infection in the upper intestine.It is concluded that treatment of cholera with massive doses of bacteriophage is not as effective as treatment with tetracycline. However, phage can selectively eliminate the majority of vibrios without affecting the other intestinal flora and without any apparent toxic effect on the patient. Phage might therefore be useful as a research tool.

Postoperative Pain Following Multi-Visit Root Canal Treatment of Teeth with Vital and Non-Vital Pulps

Introduction: Post-obturation pain is one of the primary problems following root canal treatment. Although in most cases pain does not last long, but could be a source of embarrassment to the dentist and annoying for the patient.Objectives: This prospective study was conducted to assess the incidence of postoperative pain after multivisit root canal treatment of teeth with vital and nonvital pulps.Methods: Total, 52 patients with teeth requiring endodontic treatment were identified and included in this study. The patients were randomly assigned and treated in a military hospital and in government dental college hospital into two groups. The teeth of patients in group 1 were with vital inflamed pulp; group 2 were with non-vital pulp with or without periapical radiolucency (0-5mm). Patients were treated in multiple visit procedure. They were asked whether they experienced any postoperative pain to rate the level of discomfort as no, mild, moderate, or severe pain. Data were analyzed statistically using the chi-square test.Results: No significant difference in postoperative pain was found between vital and non-vital pulps (p=0.2). Mild and moderate pain occurred in 4.34% and 4.34% respectively in teeth with vital pulp and 17.3% and 3.44% in teeth with non-vital pulp respectively. There was no significant difference in postoperative pain between the two groups (p>0.05).Conclusions: The incidence of postoperative pain did not differ between vital and non-vital teeth.Key words: Postoperative dental pain; root canal treatment; vital and non-vital pulp DOI: 10.3329/jafmc.v6i2.7271JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 6, No 2 (December) 2010 pp.28-31

A Subject with Complete Transposition of Viscera

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