The COVID-19 pandemic has cost a large number of lives worldwide. Most of the COVID-19 patients recover within two weeks of illness, but many survivors are experiencing different post COVID-19 clinical complications. In this cross-sectional retrospective study, we investigated the immediate and post COVID-19 complications with secondary effects in symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients of Bangladesh. A total of 632 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from December, 2020 to February, 2021 were included in this study. The data were collected by telephone interview with patients consent and reviewing their call records using questionnaire and checklist. Results demonstrate that among the 632 patients, 77.53 % of cases were symptomatic, where fever was the most common symptom (82.24%). The other symptoms were headache (58.16%), sore throat (53.65%), cough (45.51%), weakness (41.22%), breathlessness (40%), loss of smell (37.55%), tastelessness (31.84%), diarrhea (19.39%), and vomiting (14.69%). Comorbidities like asthma, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases were pronounced in symptomatic patients. Post COVID-19 complications varied significantly (P<0.05) between the symptomatic and asymptomatic observations. Asthma, hypertension, and diabetes were newly reported in symptomatic patients with the rate of 3.06 %, 2.45 %, and 2.24 %, respectively, while the proportions were 1.41%, 1.41%, and 0.70% for the asymptomatic group. Tiredness, weight loss, hair loss, and insomnia were the most observed post COVID-19 complications found higher in symptomatic patients than in asymptomatic groups. A newly developed visual anomaly was also identified in the symptomatic group (1.42%), which was absent in asymptomatic COVID-19 recovered patients. These findings concluded that post-COVID-19 complications were high in symptomatic and comorbid patients compared with asymptomatic individuals. We hope that this study will contribute in post COVID-19 management and help the concerned authority toward decision making in the treatment of post-COVID-19 complications. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. 2021, 7 (2), 191-201

Background Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that affects different immune cells. It is also associated with the stimulation of the T and B cells for the production of antibodies. Several genetic polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene have been reported to cause or aggravate certain diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, asthma, etc. However, the disease susceptibility and abnormal function of the mutated IL-10 variants remain obscure. Results In this study, we used seven bioinformatics tools (SIFT, PROVEAN, PMut, PANTHER, PolyPhen-2, PHD-SNP, and SNPs&GO) to predict the disease susceptible non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) of IL-10. Nine nsSNPs of IL-10 were predicted to be potentially deleterious: R42G, R45Q, F48L, E72G, M95T, A98D, R125S, Y155C, and I168T. Except two, all of the putative deleterious mutations are found in the highly conserved region of IL-10 protein structure, thus affecting the protein's stability. The 3-D structure of mutant proteins was modeled by project HOPE, and the protein–protein interactions were assessed with STRING. The predicted nsSNPs: R42Q, R45Q, F48L, E72G, and I168T are situated in the binding site region of the IL-10R1 receptor. Disruption of binding affinity with its receptor leads to deregulation of the JAK-STAT pathway and results in enhanced inflammation that imbalance in cellular signaling. Finally, Kaplan–Meier Plotter analysis displayed that deregulation of IL-10 expression affects gastric and ovarian cancer patients' survival rate. Thus, IL-10 could be useful as a potential prognostic marker gene for some cancers. Conclusion This study has determined the deleterious nsSNPs of IL-10 that might contribute to the malfunction of IL-10 protein and ultimately lead to the IL-10 associated diseases.

Today, in an era of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and other looming microbial threats, the value of prevention of infection is recognized. To circumvent the indiscriminate use of antibiotics and emerging resistance to them, to reduce the use of chemical preservatives and to abate abdominal, gastrointestinal and urogenital disorders- probiotics and bacteriocins are getting paramount priority in recent times. We investigated the probiotic and bacteriocinogenic potentiality of Lactobacillus isolated from milk products. 15 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from milk product samples using De Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) medium. Among them, only one (6%) isolate showed potential antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis in agar well diffusion method. Following conventional methods, genus and species of the isolate were confirmed as Lactobacillus xylosus. The isolate exhibited growth competency at wide range of temperatures (27-45°C), pH (2-9), NaCl (1-7%), bile salt (0.5-2%) and could produce bacteriocin or BLS, thus implying its potential probiotic nature. Bacteriocins or BLS produced by Lactobacillus xylosus inhibited E. coli and S. aureus and could retain their antibacterial activity at wide range of temperatures (37°C to 100°C) and pH (2–9) treatments. These crude bacteriocins or BLS of 5% concentration reduced the initial bacterial load of cheese and milk up to 41% and 43% respectively, after 48 h of preservation at room temperature. The experimental data revealed that our study isolate Lactobacillus xylosus could be used as probiotics and their bacteriocin or BLS could be used as bio-preservatives. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. March 2020, 6(1): 27-37

Background: Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that affects hemoglobin’s structure and functions. Among several forms of this life-threatening disorder, HbE/β and β-thalassemia are most common in Bangladesh and worldwide as well. But the molecular and clinical data are not adequate regarding the underlying cause of this genetic disorder in Bangladesh. So, we aimed to identify the genetic mutations within β-globin gene (HBB) and to investigate the correlation of the mutations with HBB mRNA structure, gene transcription and hematological status among the patients with blood transfusion dependent HbE/β and β-thalassemia in Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 40 blood samples were collected from the patients with blood transfusion dependent HbE/β and β-thalassemia prior to taking their consent. Detection of mutations within HBB gene was carried out by polymerase chain reaction followed by Sanger DNA sequencing method. Identification and characterization of mutations along with their effects on HBB gene were analyzed by various bioinformatics approaches. In addition, complete blood count (CBC), and hemoglobin electrophoresis were done for hematological analysis. Results: c.92+5G>C, c.79G>A and c.9T>C genetic mutations were identified within the HBB gene, where c.92+5G>C was the most common mutation among the study patients. Mutations along with hematological status and putative transcription factor binding sites revealed that the severity of the disease depends upon the mutation type and its location in the HBB gene sequence. In addition, mRNA structure analysis showed that the identified mutations contribute to its structural diversity by altering folding mechanism that ultimately affects the stability and function of the HBB protein among the patients with blood transfusion dependent HbE/β and β-thalassemia. Conclusions: The study showed the underlying cause of HbE/β and β-thalassemia in genetic level by identifying rare and common mutations within HBB gene and their effects on with HBB gene transcription and mRNA structure. We hope study will contribute in designing effective molecular medicine and other therapeutics for the patients with HbE/β and β-thalassemia to improve their health condition. Bangladesh Medical Res Counc Bull 2022; 48(3): 180-188

Hb E/β-thalassemia is one of the most common forms of hemoglobinopathies worldwide. This life-threatening genetic disorder is not completely curable. This study aims to investigate the correlation of mutations with clinical manifestations among the transfusion dependent Hb E/β- thalassemia patients using molecular, hematological and biochemical methods. A total of 60 blood samples were collected from regular blood transfusion-dependent HbE/β-thalassemia patients. Mutations within HBB gene were analysed by Sanger sequencing, BLAST 2.0, HbVar database and Alibaba 2.1. Clinical data were analysed based on CBC, Hemoglobin Electrophoresis and Serum Ferritin assay. Results demonstrate that a total of three mutationsdeletion of A (+23bp in HBB promoter region), c.9 T>C and c.79 G>A were detected among the study population, where deletion of A (+23bp in HBB promoter region) is a novel mutation. A total of three (USF, AP-1 and GATA-1) important putative binding sites were identified within the mutated region of HBB gene. Hematological analysis also showed remarkable correlation between the mutations and clinical manifestations in the patients. Reduced levels of RBC, Hb, MCV and MCH were found among the patients than the normal. Highly increased level of serum ferritin was also found among the patients due to the frequent destruction of RBCs. In conclusion, the findings of this study will be helpful to understand the mutational and hematological status of HbE/β-thalassemia patients. And this study will also be beneficial for effective molecular drug designing, drug response and other therapeutic approach for HbE/β-thalassemia patients. Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 9(1 & 2): 109-121, 2020 (June & December)