•Postnatal neurogenesis is more limited in primates than in rodents.•Migrating immature neurons follow different paths by different mechanisms.•Brain repair by manipulating neurogenesis is harder in ...primates than in rodents.
The ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) is located in the walls of the lateral ventricles and produces new neurons in the postnatal brain of mammals, including humans. Immature new neurons called “neuroblasts” generated by neural stem cells in the V-SVZ migrate toward their final destinations and contribute to brain development and plasticity. In this review, we describe recent progress in understanding the similarities and dissimilarities in postnatal neurogenesis and neuronal migration between rodents and primates. In rodents, most new V-SVZ-derived neurons migrate along the rostral migratory stream towards the olfactory bulb, where they differentiate into interneurons. In contrast, in humans, the extensive migration of new neurons towards the neocortex continues for several months after birth and might be involved in the development of the expanded neocortex. The mode of migration and the fate of neuroblasts seem to change depending on their environment, destination, and roles in the brain. A better understanding of these similarities and differences between rodents and primates will help translate important findings from animal models and may contribute to the development of clinical strategies for brain repair.
Gastric cancer is the fifth most common type of malignancy worldwide, and the survival rate of patients with advanced-stage gastric cancer is low, even after receiving chemotherapy. Here, we ...validated neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) as a potential therapeutic target in gastric cancer. We compared NTSR1 expression levels in sixty different gastric cancer-tissue samples and cells, as well as in other cancer cells (lung, breast, pancreatic, and colon), by assessing NTSR1 expression via semi-quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunocytochemistry and western blot. Following neurotensin (NT) treatment, we analyzed the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and further determined the effects on cell migration and invasion via wound-healing and transwell assays. Our results revealed that NTSR1 mRNA levels were higher in gastric cancer tissues than non-cancerous tissues. Both of NTSR1 mRNA levels and expression were higher in gastric cancer cell lines relative to levels observed in other cancer-cell lines. Moreover, NT treatment induced MMP-9 expression and activity in all cancer cell lines, which was significantly decreased following treatment with the NTSR1 antagonist SR48692 or small-interfering RNA targeting NTSR1. Furthermore, NT-mediated metastases was confirmed by observing epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers SNAIL and E-cadherin in gastric cancer cells. NT-mediated invasion and migration of gastric cancer cells were reduced by NTSR1 depletion through the Erk signaling. These findings strongly suggested that NTR1 constitutes a potential therapeutic target for the inhibition of gastric cancer invasion and metastasis.
Chromium (Cr) is a trace element and plays a significant role in fish nutrition and physiology. An experiment was designed to know the effects of Cr addition in the diets to growth and feed ...utilization in striped catfish (
Pangasianodon hypophthalmus
). Four diets with Cr (0, 2, 4, and 8 mg kg
−1
) were fed to striped catfish in aquaria with triplicate groups for 60 days. Survival, growth parameters (weight gain, WG; %WG; specific growth rate, SGR), and feed utilization (feed intake, FI; feed efficiency, FE; protein efficiency ratio, PER; feed conversion ratio, FCR) were calculated at the end of the feeding trial. Several hemato-biochemical parameters, such as hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC) and glucose level, and frequency of micronucleus (MN) formation in erythrocytes, were analyzed. The growth parameters (WG, %WG, and SGR) and feed utilization (FE and PER) increased significantly in the fish fed with 2 and 4 mg kg
−1
Cr supplemented diets. On the other hand, the growth parameters suppressed in the fish fed with 8 mg kg
−1
Cr-based diet. The polynomial regression analysis based on WG showed that 2.82 mg kg
−1
Cr supplementation in the diet is optimum for the tested fish species. The values of Hb (g/dL), RBC (×10
6
/mm
3
) and blood glucose (mg/dL) significantly decreased in the fish fed with the highest (8 mg kg
−1
) Cr-based feed. Conversely, MN frequency was significantly increased in the fish fed with 8 mg kg
−1
Cr-based diet. Overall, 2.82 mg Cr kg
−1
can be added to the diets of striped catfish for its better growth with maximum utilization of feed.
The human intestine hosts diverse microbial communities that play a significant role in maintaining gut-skin homeostasis. When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is ...impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases. The mechanisms through which the gut microbiome affects skin health are still unclear. Enhancing our understanding on the connection between skin and gut microbiome is needed to find novel ways to treat human skin disorders. In this review, we systematically evaluate current data regarding microbial ecology of healthy skin and gut, diet, pre- and probiotics, and antibiotics, on gut microbiome and their effects on skin health. We discuss potential mechanisms of the gut-skin axis and the link between the gut and skin-associated diseases, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, rosacea, alopecia areata, and hidradenitis suppurativa. This review will increase our understanding of the impacts of gut microbiome on skin conditions to aid in finding new medications for skin-associated diseases.
To understand how to reduce antibiotic use, greater knowledge is needed about the complexities of access in countries with loose regulation or enforcement. This study aimed to explore how households ...in Bangladesh were accessing antimicrobials for themselves and their domestic animals.
In-depth interviews were conducted with 48 households in one urban and one rural area. Households were purposively sampled from two lower income strata, prioritising those with under 5-year olds, older adults, household animals and minority groups. Households where someone was currently ill with a suspected infection (13 households) were invited for a follow-up interview. Framework analysis was used to explore access to healthcare and medicines.
People accessed medicines for themselves through five pathways: drugs shops, private clinics, government/charitable hospitals, community/family planning clinics, and specialised/private hospitals. Drug shops provided direct access to medicines for common, less serious and acute illnesses. For persistent or serious illnesses, the healthcare pathway may include contacts with several of these settings, but often relied on medicines provided by drug shops. In the 13 households with an unwell family member, most received at least one course of antibiotics for this illness. Multiple and incomplete dosing were common even when prescribed by a qualified doctor. Antibiotics were identified by their high cost compared to other medicines. Cost was a reported barrier to purchasing full courses of antibiotics. Few households in the urban area kept household animals. In this rural area, government animal health workers provided most care for large household animals (cows), but drug shops were also important.
In Bangladesh, unregulated drug shops provide an essential route to medicines including those prescribed in the formal sector. Wherever licensed suppliers are scarce and expensive, regulations which prohibit this supply risk removing access entirely for many people.
Contaminants in road dusts can directly pose significant human health risks through oral ingestion, particle inhalation, and dermal contact. Therefore, this study has been designed to analyze heavy ...metal contaminations in 88 street dusts collected from the 22 high traffic sites and industrial areas of the Southeast Asian Megacity: Dhaka (capital of Bangladesh) using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectroscopy. This study revealed that the maximum Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, As, Mn and Cu contents in the street dust samples were 18.9, 11.6, 239.2, 144.3, 37.1, 8.1, 261.5 and 49.6 mg/ kg respectively in which Ni and Pb concentration were 2 times, and Cd concentration was 200 times higher than the background level in soil; and As concentration was slightly higher than soil background level. The spatial distribution of heavy metal concentrations in street dust samples in Dhaka City was revealed that the hot spot areas of Pb, Ni, Cd and As were mainly associated with heavy traffic and industrial activities. The risk assessment strategies were used for this study for identifying the routes of exposure through oral ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact by the fine particles (~75 μm) of street dust, especially for children based on the US EPA health risk models. Both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of heavy metals were characterized in street dust samples. Results based on the hazard index (HI), in the case of non-cancer effect, the ingestion of dust particles of children and adults in Dhaka City appeared to be the route of exposure to street dust that results in a higher risk for heavy metals, followed by dermal contact. This study revealed that the inhalation of re-suspended particles through mouth and nose were almost negligible. It was also noticed that children were experiencing the potential health risk due to HI for Cr (1.04), which was slightly higher than the safe level 1, and Cd (0.69) was close to the safe level 1. Reversely, cancer risk for Cr (i.e. 4.27 × 10−6) was fallen within the range of threshold values (10−4 to 10−6) and As (i.e. 9.59 × 10−7) was close to the upper limit of threshold values (10−4 to 10−6).
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•Heavy metal conc in 88 road dust sample of capital city of Bangladesh were examined•Spatial distribution of heavy metal and their source identification are focused•Human health risk assessment for heavy metals are done based on US EPA models•Risk comparison among ingestion, inhalation and dermal adsorption are evaluated
Vulnerability and resilience lie at the core of the new paradigm governing natural disaster risk management frameworks. However, empirical understandings of socio-economic resilience and its links ...with poverty and vulnerability are limited. This paper presents an empirical investigation of socio-economic resilience to natural disasters in a tropical cyclone-prone coastal community in Bangladesh. The results indicate that the cyclone in question had negative impacts on the community, particularly in terms of income, employment and access to clean water and sanitation. Consistent with the findings of the social vulnerability literature, our results also suggest that the poor were more vulnerable and suffered significantly higher economic, physical and structural damage. However, this high vulnerability did not necessarily lead to low resilience, as these individuals exhibited a greater ability to withstand the shock compared to their non-poor neighbors. This refutes the flip-side hypothesis of the link between vulnerability and resilience (i.e. vulnerability is the flip side of resilience). The findings imply that the increased risk of tropical cyclones is likely to reduce incomes and standards of living among the tropical coastal communities. However, the burden of these adverse impacts is unlikely to be disproportionally borne by the poorer segment of the society.
Breast cancer (BrCa) is the most common malignancy in women and the second most significant cause of death from cancer. BrCa is one of the most challenging malignancies to treat, and it accounts for ...a large percentage of cancer-related deaths. The number of cases requiring more effective BrCa therapy has increased dramatically. Scientists are looking for more productive agents, such as organic combinations, for BrCa prevention and treatment because most chemotherapeutic agents are linked to cancer metastasis, the resistance of the drugs, and side effects. Natural compounds produced by living organisms promote apoptosis and inhibit metastasis, slowing the spread of cancer. As a result, these compounds may delay the spread of BrCa, enhancing survival rates and reducing the number of deaths caused by BrCa. Several natural compounds inhibit BrCa production while lowering cancer cell proliferation and triggering cell death. Natural compounds, in addition to therapeutic approaches, are efficient and potential agents for treating BrCa. This review highlights the natural compounds demonstrated in various studies to have anticancer properties in BrCa cells. Future research into biological anti-BrCa agents may pave the way for a new era in BrCa treatment, with natural anti-BrCa drugs playing a key role in improving BrCa patient survival rates.
This study explores digital business transformation through the lens of four emerging technology fields: artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud and data analytics (i.e., ABCD). Specifically, the ...study investigates the operations and value propositions of these distinct but increasingly converging technologies. Due to the dynamic nature of innovation, the potential of this ABCD hybridization, integration, recombination and convergence has yet to be considered. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the findings of the study show wide-reaching and diverse applications among a variety of vertical sectors, presenting exploratory research avenues for future investigation. The study also highlights the practical implications of these new technologies.
With professional midwives being introduced in Bangladesh in 2013, the aim of this study was to describe midwifery students perceptions on midwives' realities in Bangladesh, based on their own ...experiences.
Data were collected through 14 focus group discussions that included a total of 67 third-year diploma midwifery students at public nursing institutes/colleges in different parts of Bangladesh. Data were analyzed deductively using an analytical framework identifying social, professional and economical barriers to the provision of quality care by midwifery personnel.
The social barriers preventing midwifery quality care falls outside the parameters of Bangladeshi cultural norms that have been shaped by beliefs associated with religion, society, and gender norms. This puts midwives in a vulnerable position due to cultural prejudice. Professional barriers include heavy workloads with a shortage of staff who were not utilized to their full capacity within the health system. The reason for this was a lack of recognition in the medical hierarchy, leaving midwives with low levels of autonomy. Economical barriers were reflected by lack of supplies and hospital beds, midwives earning only low and/or irregular salaries, a lack of opportunities for recreation, and personal insecurity related to lack of housing and transportation.
Without adequate support for midwives, to strengthen their self-confidence through education and through continuous professional and economic development, little can be achieved in terms of improving quality care of women during the period around early and late pregnancy including childbirth.The findings can be used for discussions aimed to mobilize a midwifery workforce across the continuum of care to deliver quality reproductive health care services. No matter how much adequate support is provided to midwives, to strengthen their self-confidence through education, continuous professional and economic development, addressing the social barriers is a prerequisite for provision of quality care.
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