Gazi Nurun Nahar Sultana

Background and aim: Mitochondria are crucial for cellular energy production and apoptosis. It plays a crucial part in the development of cancer. This pilot study looked at mitochondrial ATP6 polymorphisms as a potential preliminary indicator for breast cancer in Bangladeshi women. Materials and Methods: The MT-ATP6 gene of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from 13 breast cancer tissue samples. Sequencing data were compared with the Revised Cambridge Reference Sequence (rCRS) to detect polymorphisms. Blood samples from 33 healthy women were also analyzed as controls to account for variations. Results: A total of five mutations were identified by analysing the sequences of patient samples. Three of the five mutations (m.8701A>G, m.8860A>G, and m.9094C>T) were nonsynonymous, and two (m.8772T>C and 8790G>A) were synonymous. The m.8701A>G and m.8860A>G mutations were detected in both cancer patients and healthy controls and no statistical significance was calculated due to the small sample size. The m.8701A>G mutation was observed in 4 out of 13 (30.77%) cancer patients, and the m.8860A>G mutation was observed in 11 out of 13 (84.61%) cancer patients. Focus was placed on the m.9094C>T mutation, which was observed in two out of thirteen (15.38%) breast cancer patients, and was entirely absent in the control group (0/33). This mutation in Bangladeshi women results in a Leucine (L) to Phenylalanine (F) substitution at codon 120. According to PolyPhen-2 analysis, this variant is "possibly damaging," with a score of 0.855. Structural analysis using the HOPE tool revealed alterations in protein structure, while DynaMut confirmed impacts on structural features. These findings suggest that the m.9094C>T mutation may be indirectly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Conclusion: The detection of m.9094C>T exclusively in two patient samples, coupled with its predicted pathogenicity, identifies this variant as an interesting candidate for future, large-scale investigation. These preliminary findings do not establish a definitive association or heritability but suggest that variants in the MT-ATP6 gene warrant further functional and epidemiological investigation as potential susceptibility factors for breast cancer. Bioresearch Commu. 12(1): 1972-1980, 2026 (January)

The complications and lingering effects of COVID-19 have caused a global health crisis, prompting intense investigations into the mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 causes the disease. The majority of symptoms associated with this infectious disease are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, and recent studies indicate that SARS-CoV-2 can impair host mitochondrial function. This study aims to investigate mutations in the MT-CYB and MT-ATP6 genes of mtDNA in COVID-19 patients and their association with disease outcomes. Out of 110 individuals enrolled, 30 were diagnosed with COVID-19, while the remaining 80 were healthy. Following DNA isolation from the blood samples, the MT-CYB and MT-ATP6 genes were amplified through PCR, purified, and sequenced using Sanger sequencing. In the MT-CYB gene, 9 distinct mutations were found. Among these, novel mutation m.14942A > C was more prevalent in COVID-19-positive individuals than COVID-19 negative controls (p = 0.012 < 0.05) and exhibited a significant correlation with the disease as OR (95% CI) = 19.75 (2.264–172.246). According to in-silico analyses, this mutation is deemed deleterious and decreases the stability of the CYB protein. In case of the MT-ATP6 gene, among the identified 8 mutations, the m.8744T > G mutation was higher in COVID-19-positive individuals than healthy controls (p = 0.009 < 0.05) and showed a significant correlation with the disease: OR (95% CI) = 24.04 (2.81–205.62). According to in-silico analyses, this mutation is found to be pathogenic and reduces the stability of the ATP6 protein. In conclusion, one novel mtDNA mutation was identified in this study, and some of the mutations identified in the MT-CYB as well as MT-ATP6 genes, including the novel mutation, are relatively common in the COVID-19 patient group. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that these mutations may contribute to the pathogenesis of COVID-19.

Metformin is the most widely prescribed drug for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but its response varies from person to person. This study aims to analyze the complete mutation spectrum of the OCT1 gene in metformin poor responders and to explore the potential pathogenic effects of the identified mutations. Clinical features of 56 Bangladeshi T2DM patients (who showed altered response to metformin) were analyzed, and genomic DNA was extracted from their blood samples. Subsequently, the entire exons (1–11), along with flanking introns of the OCT1 gene were amplified and sequenced. Molecular consequences of the identified mutations on OCT1 protein activity were determined through in silico analyses. In this study, 29 mutations of the OCT1 gene were identified; among which 5 mutations (c.412‐86G>T, c.970G>C, c.1386‐3088_1386‐3083delGAATCA, c.1498+66G>T, and c.1653C>A) were novel. It was found that nsSNPs c.181C>T, c.1022C>T, c.493G>T, c.1207A>G, and c.970G>C (novel) as well as frameshift deletions have potential deleterious effects on OCT1 protein stability and function. Some of these mutations also cause alternative splicing, as per the HSF tool. In addition, alteration of interatomic bonding in the OCT1 protein due to two high‐risk mutations (c.181C>T and c.1022C>T) was found from web‐based analysis. The mutations, as mentioned earlier, are the most probable causative factor of decreased metformin effectiveness and adverse side effects in T2DM patients who are poor responders. Understanding the OCT1 gene variations of patients can help tailor treatment strategies for optimal metformin response or identify alternative medications.

Antibiotics are released into the environment either directly in an unchanged form or in a partially metabolized form. The discharge is usually through untreated waste or industrial treatment effluents. The potential concern is the uptake of these antibiotics by crops irrigated by treated wastewater. This study collected wastewater from eight points at the Pagla, Kadamtali, Dhaka treatment plant. Here we consider three crucial antibiotics, Doxycycline, Ciprofloxacin, and Tetracycline, used mainly during the last two years of the pandemic. A PDA detector was used in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis to determine the raw and processed effluent antibiotics. The most frequently seen antibiotics in natural wastewater were Doxycycline and Ciprofloxacin, with the highest concentration of 0.23µgL-1and 0.20 µgL-1(raw water), respectively. Tetracycline was not detected in natural water. Contrarily, Doxycycline was discovered in the Pagla plant's completed water and had the highest concentration (0.12 gL-1), whereas Ciprofloxacin and Tetracycline were not found in the dead water. The findings of this study showed that Doxycycline was still present in both the raw and processed effluent. Both natural and finished wastewater was subjected to a microbial-resistant test in the presence of all three antibiotics. The results revealed that the samples detected both heterotrophic bacteria and total coliform. The viable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria ranged between 5.421 and 4.754 log cfu/ml. Total bacteria load gradually decreased in the finished wastewater.

Background: Gender determination of human samples is critical in forensic identification. The most popular forensic kit AmpliFlSTR® is based on Short Tandem Repeat (STR), and gender determination is performed on a single copy Amelogenin gene with X and Y homologous chromosomes. This method is not sufficiently sensitive for degraded and a small number of samples and requires a lengthy time. Furthermore, this method needs fragment analysis by a genetic analyzer and an analytical kit for sample preparation, which is costly and not available for public support in developing countries. Aim: Thus, it is urgent to have an alternative, quick, and cost-effective gender identification method during mass disasters. Objective: We proposed to use an alternative PCR method with a single AluSTYa primer and compare it with our designed primer to identify male and female DNA samples in mass disasters when identification is crucial. Method: In the current research, we scanned 16 samples from the fire incidence area known as Mohammadpur slum of Dhaka city in different time frames, where bodies were partially burnt. Patients were admitted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. Thirty-six unknown samples from the healthy cohort were included from the Dhaka University campus for comparison. Modified Alu primer was used in addition to known commercial AluSTYa primers. Results: This study revealed that our designed primer and commercial AluSTYa primer could identify Alu insertion by a simple PCR method into a non-recombinant Y homologous region. The results showed the high quality of DNA extracted from the burnt specimens and a 100% difference in the number of bands in X and Y chromosomes by a simple, robust, and cost-effective PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis method for gender identification. Conclusion: This method can be applied to mass disaster incidents where rapid gender identification of unknown persons is urgent for forensic purposes.

Elderly COVID-19 patients with comorbidities suffer from severe complications and mostly didn’t survive. We report management of a 80-year-old patient with several comorbidities. Due to the fast deterioration of the condition, physicians treated her with Tocilizumab along with medications for other underlying diseases. She recovered completely after therapy with Actemra. Bioresearch Commu. 9(1): 1177-1179, 2023 (January)

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a scientific, medical and social challenge. Since clinical course of this disease is largely unpredictable and can develop rapidly causing severe complications, it is important to identify laboratory biomarkers, which may help to classify patient’s severity during initial stage. Previous studies have suggested C—reactive protein (inflammatory) and D-dimer (biochemical) as an effective biomarker. The differential severity in patients across the world and our limited understanding in the progression of the disease calls for a multi-country analysis for biomarkers. Therefore, we have analyzed these biomarkers among 228 Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients. We observed significant association of COVID-19 severity with these two biomarkers. Thus, we suggest to use these biomarkers for Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients for better disease monitoring. Such validated preventive measures may decrease the case fatality ratio substantially.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a scientific, medical and social challenge. Since clinical course of this disease is largely unpredictable and can develop rapidly causing severe complications, it is important to identify laboratory biomarkers which may help to classify patient’s severity during initial stage. Previous studies have suggested C - reactive protein (inflammatory) and D-dimer (biochemical) as an effective biomarker. The differential severity in patients across the world and our limited understanding in the progression of the disease calls for a multi-country analysis for biomarkers. Therefore, we have analyzed these biomarkers among 228 Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients. We show significant association of COVID-19 severity with these two biomarkers. Thus, we suggest using these biomarkers for Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients for disease monitoring. Such validated preventive measures may decrease the case fatality ratio substantially.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been a scientific, medical and social challenge. Since clinical course of this disease is largely unpredictable and can develop rapidly causing severe complications, it is important to identify laboratory biomarkers which may help to classify patient’s severity during initial stage. Previous studies have suggested C - reactive protein (inflammatory) and D-dimer (biochemical) as an effective biomarker. The differential severity in patients across the world and our limited understanding in the progression of the disease calls for a multi-country analysis for biomarkers. Therefore, we have analyzed these biomarkers among 228 Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients. We show significant association of COVID-19 severity with these two biomarkers. Thus, we suggest using these biomarkers for Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients for disease monitoring. Such validated preventive measures may decrease the case fatality ratio substantially.