ZnO Incorporated Acrylamide Grafted Chitosan Based Composite Film for Advanced Wound Healing Applications

This study was carried out to prepare ZnO nanoparticles incorporated acrylamide grafted chitosan composite film for possible biomedical application especially drug loading in wound healing. ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method from zinc acetate di-hydrate and incorporated in acrylamide grafted chitosan. FT-IR and TGA of the prepared composite film confirmed the successful incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles in the acrylamide-grafted polymer matrix. SEM images showed that the ZnO nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed on the porous matrix of the composite film. Water uptake and buffer uptake analysis revealed that the composite film could hold water and buffer sufficiently, which facilitated the absorption of exudate from the wound site. Amoxicillin was loaded in the prepared composite film and the maximum loading efficiency was found to be 67.33% with drug concentration of 300 ppm. In vitro studies showed greater antimicrobial activity of drug-loaded composite film compared to both pure film and standard antibiotic disc. Finally, the In vivo mouse model showed maximum healing efficiency compared to conventional gauge bandages because the loading of antibiotic in the film produced a synergistic effect and healing time was reduced.

Development of Modified Glasses by Transparent, Functional Hybrid Sol-Gel Nano-Ceramic Coatings, a Comparative Study

This paper concentrates on the development of glasses with self-cleaning surfaces exhibiting high water contact angles. In this study, we prepared super-hydrophobic nano-ceramic coated glass based on titania & silica using simple sol-gel & dip coating methods and studied the best composition of the coatings by altering ratios of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP)/tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with different homogenizing agents. We characterized the coatings by surface roughness measurement, percentage of optical transmission, static contact angle, near-infrared (NIR) transmission, and diffuse reflectance. The fabrication of coatings on glass substrates played an important role in increasing the water contact angle of about 95° and visible & NIR transmission of about 90%. We compared our modified glass substrate with commercial low emissivity (Low E) glass using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, which showed pure amorphous surface claiming excellent wettability and thus the prepared glass substrate could have a variety of applications in different fields.

A study of groundwater irrigation water quality in south-central Bangladesh: a geo-statistical model approach using GIS and multivariate statistics

Southern Bangladesh＇s irrigation and drinking water is threatened by saline intrusion. This study aimed to establish an irrigation water quality index （IWQI） using a geostatistical model and multivariate indices in Gopalganj district, south-central Bangladesh. Groundwater samples were taken randomly （different depths） in two seasons （wet-monsoon and dry-monsoon）. Hydrochemical analysis revealed groundwater in this area was neutral to slightly alkaline and dominating cations were Na^＋, Mg^2＋, and Ca^2＋ along with major anions Cl^- and HCO3^-. Principal component analysis and Gibbs plot helped explain possible geochemical processes in the aquifer. The irrigation water evaluation indices showed： electrical conductivity （EC） 〉750 μS/cm, moderate to extreme saline; sodium adsorption ratio （SAR）, excellent to doubtful; total hardness （TH）, moderate to very hard; residual sodium bicarbonate, safe to marginal; Kelly＇s ratio 〉1; soluble sodium percentage （SSP）, fair to poor; magnesium adsorption ratio, harmful for soil; and IWQI, moderate to suitable. In addition, the best fitted semivariogram for IWQI, EC, SAR, SSP, and TH confirmed that most parameters had strong spatial dependence and others had moderate to weak spatial dependence. This variation might be due to the different origin/sources of major contributing ions along with the influence of variable river flow and small anthropogenic contributions. Furthermore, the spatial distribution maps for IWQI, EC, SSP, and TH during both seasons confirmed the influence of salinity from the sea; low-flow in the major river system was the driving factor of overall groundwater quality in the study area. These findings may contribute to management of irrigation and/or drinking water in regions with similar groundwater problems.

Outcomes of Early Primary Endoscopic Realignment and Delayed Reconstruction in the Management of Posterior Urethral Injury in Male

Background: Posterior urethral injury usually occurs in male patients with pelvic fractures. Posterior urethral injuries are associated with considerable morbidity including urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and urethral stricture. Objective: To compare the outcomes between early primary endoscopic realignment and delayed reconstruction in the management of male patients of posterior urethral injury. Methodology: This prospective study was conducted in the department of urology and department of casualty, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 2015 to June 2017 among 50 male patients with posterior urethral injury. Fifty patients were randomly allocated into two groups;the group A consisted of 24 patients underwent early primary endoscopic realignment within 10 days after posterior urethral injury and the group B consisted of 26 patients underwent delayed reconstruction in form of anastomotic urethroplasty after 3 months. All patients were followed up at 3rd, 6th and 9th month after the procedure. Outcome variables were post-operative urethral stricture, urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Data were analyzed and compared by statistical tests. Results: The mean (±SD) age of the study patients was almost similar between the groups (28.8 ± 8.4 vs. 27.4 ± 7.2 years, p = 0.486). In group A, 83.33% patients developed postoperative urethral stricture, none of them developed urinary incontinence and 20.83% developed erectile dysfunction;On the other hand, in group B, these rates were 38.46%, 23.07% and 38.46% respectively. Postoperative urethral stricture formation was significantly higher in Group A (p = 0.0012) but urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction rates were significantly higher in Group B (p = 0.018 and p = 0.042 respectively). Conclusion: Early primary endoscopic realignment is better than delayed reconstruction in the management of male patients with posterior urethral injury. It provides less postoperative complications like urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, though postoperative urethral stricture formation is higher but amenable to be corrected endoscopically.

Awareness of Chronic Kidney Disease among Patients Attending Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of morbidity & mortality. Educational interventions aimed at empowering patients are successful in chronic disease management including CKD. Objective: To explore the awareness regarding CKD among patients attending in a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. Methodology: This was a descriptive observational study, which includes 100 adult patients attending the department of Medicine in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2013 to June 2013. Data were collected on a pre-tested questionnaire by face-to-face interview to investigate awareness toward: 1) basic knowledge of personal health;2) perceptions of factors increasing the risk of CKD;3) knowledge of therapies to slow CKD progression;4) perceptions of CKD increasing the risk of other medical conditions and 5) demographic information. Main outcome variables were demographic parameters, socio-economic status and awareness about chronic kidney disease. Data were analyzed and compared by statistical tests. Results: Almost one third (32.0%) respondents were in 3rd decade and male to female ratio was 1:1.5. Majority (43.0%) patients came from lower-middle income family. In all age groups, the majority (60%) respondents had low knowledge of CKD. Among the study population, 44.0% believe that smoking increases risk of CKD;42.0% believe that restricting salt intake reduces the progression of CKD;34.0% mention that CKD increases the risk for hypertension and 82.0% mention that renal transplantation is the treatment of choice in CKD. Among the participants, 32.8% had knowledge of increasing risk factor of CKD, 30.8% had knowledge of the method of slow progression of CKD, 30.3% had knowledge of conditions for increase risk of CKD and 41.7% respondent had knowledge of treatment of CKD. Conclusion: Most of the study participants had inadequate knowledge of CKD. Lack of CKD screening and educational programs have contributed to the inadequate patient knowledge about the condition.

Effect of restricted feeding on hen performance,egg quality and organ characteristics of individual laying hens

This study was to assess the impact of permanent or temporary restricted feeding on laying hen production traits,physiology,and egg quality.Two hundred and forty individually housed ISA Brown hens were monitored across 2 phases,assigned to 3 treatments:ad libitum feeding(ALF),temporary restricted feeding(TRF)and permanent restricted feeding(PRF),n=80 hens per treatment.In Phase 1(P1),22 to40 weeks,the TRF and PRF hens were offered 115 g of feed daily.In Phase 2(P2),41 to 46 weeks,the TRF hens were transitioned to ALF status while the ALF and PRF hens remained as in P1.From 35 to 40 weeks,eggs were collected once weekly from 15 hens per treatment and assessed for differences in albumen,yolk,and shell variables.At 45 weeks,10 hens each from the ALF and PRF groups were euthanized and differences in organ characteristics were assessed.In P1,feed intake,feed to egg conversion ratio and body weight(BW)change were lower(P<0.01),while albumen height and Haugh unit were higher(P<0.01)in both PRF and TRF hen treatments compared to hens allocated the ALF treatment.In P2,TRF and ALF hens had a higher egg production and egg mass than PRF(P<0.01)than ALF.Body weight change in P2 was higher in TRF and similar in both ALF and PRF,while feed intake and feed conversion ratio were higher in TRF followed by ALF and least in the PRF treatment group(P<0.01).At 45 weeks ALF hens had a greater abdominal fat pad weight and fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome lesion score compared to PRF.Restricting hens to 115 g of feed per day from point of lay restrained BW,improved feed conversion ratio and albumen quality and reduced abdominal fat pad deposition and clinical signs of fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome in individually housed laying hens.

Influence of Ni substitution on structural,morphological,dielectric,magnetic and optical properties of Cu-Zn ferrite by double sintering sol–gel technique

Polycrystalline NiCuZn ferrite(Ni_(x)Cu_(0.3)Zn(0.7-x)Fe_(2)O_(4);x=0.2,0.3,0.4 and 0.5)were prepared through solgel auto combustion method applying double sintering technique.Structural,morphological,elemental analyses(EDS),Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),Direct Current(DC)electrical resistivity,dielectric,magnetic and optical properties of prepared samples were analyzed.XRD profiles reveal the formation of simple cubic spinel structure without any traceable impurity.The average crystallite size lies within the range of 22–29 nm.Lattice parameter decreases with increasing Ni concentration.Room temperature DC resistivity was recorded from 6:39×10^(5)to 3:79×10^(5)Ωcm.Both dielectric constant(ε)and loss factor(tanδ)were decreased with increase of frequency while AC conductivity increases.FTIR absorption peak occurred at three different frequency ranges at 570-577 cm^(-1),1635-1662 cm^(-1)and 3439–3448 cm^(-1).Magnetic properties were investigated by using vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM).Decreasing trends were observed for saturation magnetization(Ms),magnetic coercivity(Hc)and remanant magnetization(Mr)with the increase of Ni content.Optical band gap(-2.70-2.79 eV)were calculated from diffuse reflectance data by using Kubelka–Munk function.