No abstract

Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission has initiated the processing of human tissue for utilization in reconstructive surgery as allograft in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tissue donation and grafting has comprehensive and versatile role in the health care sector. IAEA programmes to develop a series of tissue banks throughout South East Asia by having great significance for improving basic health care in other developing countries. Utilization of human tissues has been practicing in many countries and it has a long history. Bangladesh is somewhat new in the field of tissue banking activities to treat degenerative bone diseases, congenital deformities, bone fractures, gap non-union from traumatic accidents, dental defects, different type of burns, acid violence, leprotic ulcer, bedsore, traumatic open wound, diabetic wound etc. Several hospitals and clinics throughout the country are currently involved in tissue procurement and grafting though some of intricate ethical problems (ideological, cultural, psychological, and religious) and conflicts stay behind this field. For ethical and legal concern, the healthcare personnel have been working under the law of “Human Organ / Tissue Donation and Transplantation Act”, as the National Parliament of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has approved the declaration on 13th April-1999 requiring consent from the donor or next of kins. Before considering the legal and ethical questions associated with tissue banks, several functions must be identified and followed: improvement of the patient care, elimination of the trauma and morbidity associated with secondary surgical procedures, reduction of the prolonged hospital stays and medical costs etc. Although ethics, moral principles, and legal aspects are practicing within some degree of people, it should disseminate enormously to the general public of the country as they could be more aware and interested to tissue donation thereby more people will contribute to alleviate sufferings and more lives will save. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bioethics.v1i2.9624 Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2010; 1(2): 11-19

Epigenetic gene silencing by aberrant DNA methylation is one of the important mechanisms leading to the loss of key cellular pathways in tumorigenesis. Methyl-CpG targeted transcriptional activation (MeTA) reactivates hypermethylation-mediated silenced genes in a different way from DNA demethylating agents. Previous study using microarray coupled with MeTA (MeTA-array) identified seven commonly hypermethylation-mediated silenced genes in pancreatic cancer cell lines. In this study, IRX4 (Iroquois homeobox 4) was focused on because IRX4 was located at chromosome 5p15.33 where one of pancreatic cancer susceptibility loci has been identified through genome-wide association study (GWAS). IRX4 has also been identified as a candidate tumor suppressor gene in prostate cancer. IRX4 was greatly downregulated in all of the analyzed 12 pancreatic cancer cell lines by promoter hypermethylation. In addition, IRX4 promoter region was found to be frequently and specifically hypermethylated in primary resected pancreatic cancers (15/22: 68%); corresponding normal pancreatic tissues were unmethylated. To examine whether IRX4 has the growth inhibitory effect on pancreatic cancer cell lines, colony formation assay using PK-1 and PK-9 cell lines has been performed; compared with empty vector-transfected cells, IRX4 expression vector-transfected cells formed significantly reduced number of colonies. Furthermore, tetracycline-inducible IRX4 expressing vector system was constructed and a pancreatic cancer cell line PK-1 was analyzed for further functional investigation; induction of IRX4 suppressed cell growth in PK-1. Our results suggest that DNA methylation-mediated silencing of IRX4 is a frequent event that may confer growth advantage to pancreatic cancer cells and MeTA may be a powerful tool to search critical hypermethylated genes in tumorigenesis. Citation Format: Kanchan Chakma, Zhaodi Gu, Fuyuhiko Motoi, Michiaki Unno, Akira Horii, Shinichi Fukushige. DNA hypermethylation of IRX4 is a frequent event that may confer growth advantage to pancreatic cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 821.

Background: Very few studies have been reported on hypoglycemic status, hematological parameters and causative organisms of neonatal sepsis in different regions of Bangladesh. Hence, present study was conducted in the Chittagong city of Bangladesh.Methods: The study was conducted on 106 neonates (0 to 28 days of age) in Chattagam Maa-Shishu O General Hospital, Bangladesh. The questionnaire was developed to get relevant information of the neonates. Blood from neonates were subjected to routine investigations like blood glucose, CRP, hematological parameters, blood culture and bacterial identification.Results: Among 106 neonates with sepsis, 68 presented early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) and 38 presented late onset neonatal sepsis (LONS). Fifty-one neonates had low birth weight (2500 g or less), 18 had very low birth weight (1500 g or less) and 22 were preterm. The most prevalent clinical features were reluctant to feed (56), hyperthermia (31) and hypotonia (22). Thirty-three neonates had neutropenia (<54%) and 62 had higher neutrophil count (>62%). Biochemical analysis showed 52 had higher C-reactive protein levels. Investigation of hypoglycemic status revealed that there were different types of neonatal sepsis, i.e. 77 neonates were hypoglycemic (<45 gm/dl), and among them EONS and LONS were 59 and 18, respectively. Thirty-three neonates had positive blood culture for bacteria. Among them, Klebsiella spp. accounted for 10 of the total isolates followed by Acinetobacter spp. 8. The Gram-positive and negative bacteria were found in 7 and 26, respectively.Conclusions: Hypoglycemia was associated with neonatal sepsis as an exacerbating factor.

No abstract available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjnut.v22i0.12829 Bangladesh Journal of Nutrition Vol.22-23 2009-2010 pp.31-40