Background The ongoing acute respiratory disease pandemic termed COVID-19 caused by a newly emerged coronavirus has jeopardized the world’s health and economic sectors. As of 20 July 2020, the virus now known as SARS-CoV-2 has already infected more than 14 million individuals and killed 612,815 patients with a mortality rate of 4.12% around the world regardless of age, gender, and race. Main body Bangladesh has become one of its worst sufferers, with 207,453 infected people and 2668 related deaths with a mortality rate of 1.29% until 20 July 2020. More than 50% of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh are aged between 21 and 40, but elderly people aged more than 60 have the highest mortality rate (44.7%). Male individuals are also more susceptible to the virus than females and consist of 71% and 79% among the infected and deceased patients, respectively. The most prevalent clinical features following the virus incubation period are fever, fatigue, and dry cough. A phylogenetic analysis study elucidated that the virus strain found in the country has 9 single-nucleotide variants, mostly in the ORF1ab gene, and a sequence containing 3 successive variants in the N protein, which reflects a weaker strain of SARS-CoV-2, implicating a possibility of its lower mortality rate. Another investigation of 184 genome samples of SARS-CoV-2 across the country implicated a close homology with a European haplotype of SARS-CoV-2. The country has also joined the race of vaccine development and started phase III clinical trials of a candidate vaccine developed by Sinovac Research and Development Co Ltd, China. Conclusion Bangladesh, as a developing country, still struggles with the pandemic and needs to scale up its response operation and improve healthcare facilities such as testing capacity, institutional quarantine, and isolation centers and promote awareness. Preventive measures such as strict lockdown, social distancing, and boosting the existing immune system are thus considered the only contrivances.
Background The complementary and alternative medicines have particular importance in treating various comorbid conditions including anxiety and depression which prevalence will be raised to the second highest risk of morbidity, triggering a noteworthy socioeconomic burden. Ethanolic extract of leaves of Psidium guajava Linn (EEPG) was investigated to evaluate the anxiolytic and anti-depressant activity into two different doses (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of body weight) on Swiss Albino male mice utilizing experimental paradigms of anxiety and depression. The extract was also subjected to phytochemical screening. Results Phytochemicals screening showed the presence of numerous types of active constituents in extract, for example, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and steroids. The experimental results revealed that in case of anxiolytic activity tests, a statistical significant (p < 0.05 vs group I) effect is observed in EPMT model, hole cross model, light and dark model in both doses, whereas in hole-board model, marble burying model tests, a statistical considerable effect is observed only at the dose of 400 mg/kg although at the dose of 200 mg/kg, anxiolytic effect is also expressed and in case of anti-depressant activity test, the statistical significant effect is observed only at the dose of 400 mg/kg. All the results are comparable with the effect of standard drugs used. Conclusions Taken together, the present research work evidences the anxiolytic and anti-depressant effects of EEPG, but further investigation needed to find out the underlying mechanism of action and to isolate and purify the specific components that are responsible for aforementioned activities.
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Background Chenopodium album (Family: Amaranthaceae) is a nutritive herb mainly found in Bangladesh and had reported that it is having different bioactive phytochemicals including polyphenols. It has a great popularity for it is traditionally used as a medicine against microorganisms, inflammation, and cancer. We designed this experiment to explore the in vivo anticancer effects of C. album leaf extract against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells in Swiss albino mice. Results Administration of C. album leaf extract at concentration 200 (mg/kg) and 400 (mg/kg) showed 30.60% and 41.80% cell growth inhibition respectively that were statistically significant (***P < 0.001) and may lead to apoptosis, and the number of apoptotic cells were 37.5 ± 6.22, 54.67 ± 4.76 respectively (***P < 0.001). Plant extract at concentration 200 (mg/kg) and 400 (mg/kg) increased life span 22.27% and 51.07% respectively. Tumor weight decreased 18.50 ± 2.59 g, 13.67 ± 2.25 g respectively compared to the control group, and results were statistically significant (***P < 0.001). Treatment with plant extract 200 (mg/kg) and 400 (mg/kg) restored all biochemical parameters including hemoglobin content, white blood cell (WBC) count, and red blood cell (RBC) count of EAC cells bearing Swiss albino mice. Conclusion Our current findings may suggest that C. album leaf extract showed potent anticancer activity through cell growth inhibition and apoptosis, increased mean survival time, decreased tumor weight, and restored all the biochemical parameters and stimulation of host immunity. As a result, the C. album leaf has taken into consideration as a potent source of bioactive compounds in cancer chemotherapy.
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