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Increased levels of stress among university students have an effect on their physical and mental well-being and may lower their learning outcomes and overall satisfaction. While lifestyle factors like nutrition literacy, eating behavior, and physical activity are known to influence stress, their combined association has not been explored among university students in Bangladesh. This study intended to identify the level of perceived stress among university students in Bangladesh and explore its relationship with their nutrition literacy, healthy eating behavior, and physical activity. This cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2024 among 450 students of Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, perceived stress (perceived stress scale [PSS]), nutrition literacy (nutrition literacy scale [NLS]), healthy eating behavior (healthy eating behavior scale [HEBS]) and physical activity (international physical activity questionnaire - short form [IPAQ-SF]). Results indicated a moderate level of perceived stress among students, having a mean PSS score of 19.88 ± 4.67 out of 40 points. About half of the students had low nutrition literacy (57.3%) and poor healthy eating behavior (47.6%); however, almost all did sufficient physical activity (97.3%). Adjusted linear regression analysis revealed a significant negative association of perceived stress with nutrition literacy (β = -0.130, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.186, -0.092; P = 0.006) and healthy eating behavior (β = -0.139, 95% CI: -0.232, -0.028; P = 0.003) among university students. However, physical activity was not significantly associated with their perceived stress level (β = -0.039, 95% CI: -0.088, 0.010; P = 0.395). The present findings suggested that nutrition literacy and healthy eating behavior significantly impact perceived stress among university students, highlighting an urgent need for holistic health intervention in academic settings.

Weed management is an arduous undertaking in crop production. Integrated weed management, inclusive of the application of bioherbicides, is an emerging weed control strategy toward sustainable agriculture. In general, bioherbicides are derived either from plants containing phytotoxic allelochemicals or certain disease-carrying microbes that can suppress weed populations. While bioherbicides have exhibited great promise in deterring weed seed germination and growth, only a few in vitro studies have been conducted on the physiological responses they evoke in weeds. This review discusses bioherbicide products that are currently available on the market, bioherbicide impact on weed physiology, and potential factors influencing bioherbicide efficacy. A new promising bioherbicide product is introduced at the end of this paper. When absorbed, phytotoxic plant extracts or metabolites disrupt cell membrane integrity and important biochemical processes in weeds. The phytotoxic impact on weed growth is reflected in low levels of root cell division, nutrient absorption, and growth hormone and pigment synthesis, as well as in the development of reactive oxygen species (ROS), stress-related hormones, and abnormal antioxidant activity. The inconsistency of bioherbicide efficacy is a primary factor restricting their widespread use, which is influenced by factors such as bioactive compound content, weed control spectrum, formulation, and application method.

The prevalence of periodontal disease is high in diabetes patients worldwide, including Bangladesh. Although associations of periodontal disease outcomes and clinical determinants of diabetes have been investigated, few studies have reported on the relationship between periodontal diseases outcomes with modifiable factors, such as self-care and oral hygiene practices, in patients with diabetes. Moreover, in order to develop targeted strategies, it is also important to estimate their aggregated contribution separately from that of the established sociodemographic and diabetics related clinical determinates. Therefore, this study was performed to elucidate 1) the relationship of diabetes patients' self-care and oral hygiene practices to periodontal disease and 2) the relative contributions of selected factors to periodontal disease outcome in type 2 diabetes patients. The data were obtained from the baseline survey of a multicentre, prospective cohort study. A total of 379 adult patients with type 2 diabetes from three diabetic centres in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Barishal, received periodontal examinations using the community periodontal index (CPI) probe, glycated haemoglobin examination, other clinical examinations, and structured questionnaires. Multiple logistics regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between selected factors and prevalence of any periodontal disease and its severity. More than half of the participants were female (53.8%) and 66.8% of the total participants was 21-50 years old. The prevalence of any (CPI code 2+3+4; 75.7%) and severe form (CPI code 4; 35.1%) of periodontal disease were high in type 2 diabetes patients. In multivariate analysis, the odds of periodontal disease increased with unfavourable glycaemic control indicated by HbA1c ≥ 7%, and decreased by 64%, 85% and 92% with adherence to recommended diet, physical activity, and oral hygiene practices, respectively. Diabetes self-care practice explained the highest proportion of the variance (13.9%) followed by oral hygiene practices (10.9%) by modelling any periodontal disease versus no disease. Variables of diabetes conditions and oral hygiene practices explained 10.9% and 7.3% of the variance by modelling severe (CPI code 4) or moderate (CPI code 3) forms of periodontal disease versus mild form of periodontal disease. Findings also conferred that while poor diabetes control had an individually adverse association with any form of periodontal diseases and its severity, the risk of diseases was moderated by oral hygiene practices. This study suggested that, in addition to diabetes-related clinical determinants, self-care practices, and oral hygiene practices must be taken into consideration for prevention and control of periodontal disease in patients with diabetes.

Dyslipidemia, a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases, is rapidly increasing in Asian countries including Bangladesh. In addition to the cardiovascular system, abnormal lipid levels are also known to cause complications in renal and hepatic systems. The data regarding dyslipidemia and its relationship with liver enzymes are scarce for the Bangladeshi population. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of dyslipidemia and determine the relationship between lipid profile and liver enzymes in Bangladeshi adults. A total of 405 participants (318 males and 87 females) were enrolled in the study. Serum levels of TG, TC, LDL, HDL and liver enzymes including ALT, AST, GGT and ALP were analyzed using standard methods. Dyslipidemia and liver function tests abnormalities were defined according to the international standard guidelines. The association between elevated lipid profile markers and liver enzyme abnormalities was assessed by logistic regression analysis. Overall, the prevalence of elevated TG, TC, LDL and low HDL were 30.9%, 23.7%, 26.2% and 78.8%, respectively. On the other hand, the prevalence of elevated liver enzymes ALT, AST, GGT and ALP were 18.8%, 21.6%, 12.9% and 21.9%, respectively. Dyslipidemia and liver enzyme abnormalities were higher in diabetic and hypertensive participants than in the healthy participants. About 61% of participants with dyslipidemia had at least one or more elevated liver enzymes. In regression analysis, an independent association was observed between serum GGT and all lipid components. In conclusion, a high prevalence of dyslipidemia and liver enzyme abnormalities were observed among the study participants. Of the four liver enzymes, the serum levels of GGT showed an independent association with all lipid components. Moreover, this study indicates that subjects with dyslipidemia often have a higher chance of having liver diseases than subjects with no dyslipidemia. However, large-scale prospective studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of lipid-induced hepatic dysfunction in the Bangladeshi population.

Elevated levels of serum uric acid (SUA) have been suggested to associate with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, information is limited on the association between SUA and MetS in general adults. This study aimed to assess the relationship of SUA with MetS and its components in general adults in Bangladesh. A total of 420 participants were enrolled in this study and biochemical parameters including SUA, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipid profile were analyzed using standard methods. The NECP criteria were applied to define MetS. The association of SUA with MetS and its components were evaluated by multinomial logistic regression models. The overall prevalence of MetS was 22% with 21.9% in males and 22.1% in female participants. Male subjects had a high prevalence of elevated components of MetS than in the female subjects (p < 0.05 for all cases). The mean concentration of SUA was significantly higher in subjects of the MetS group compared to the non-MetS group (p < 0.05). The components of MetS were raised with the increasing concentrations of SUA across the quartiles. In regression analysis, SUA was significantly associated with the prevalence of MetS in Bangladeshi adults. In conclusion, elevated SUA was significantly associated with the prevalence of MetS and its components.

As a crop for the new millennium Bambara groundnut ( Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.) considered as leading legumes in the tropical regions due to its versatile advantages. The main intent of this study was to find out the high yielding potential genotypes and considering these genotypes to develop pure lines for commercial cultivation in Malaysia. Considering the 14 qualitative and 27 quantitative traits of fifteen landraces the variation and genetic parameters namely, variability, heritability, genetic advance, characters association, and cluster matrix were determined. ANOVA revealed significant variation for all the agronomic traits (except plant height). Among the accessions, highly significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were found for almost all the traits excluding fifty percent flowering date, seed length, seed width. The 16 traits out of the 27 quantitative traits had a coefficient of variation (CV) ≥ 20%. A positive and intermediate to perfect highly significant association (r = 0.23 to 1.00; P < 0.00) was found between yield and its related traits. The trait dry seed weight per plant (g) had the highest GCV = 59.91% and PCV = 59.57% whereas the trait fresh pod weight (99.55%), dry seed weight (98.86%), and yield (98.10%) were highly heritable. The genetic advance recorded the highest for dry seed weight (122.01%) and lowest (3.97%) for plant height. To validate the genetic disparity, an unweighted pair-group produce with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), principal component analysis (PCA), heatmap, and H’-index was performed considering 27 quantitative traits. The constructed dendrogram showed five distinct groups of accessions. Genotypes G2, G3, and G9 from Group IV consider as promising lines which gave 70.05% higher mean yield compared to grand mean yield (1180 kg ha −1 ) with desirable traits. Group II had a maximum number of accessions while group III and group V had one of each. However, findings declared that the availability of genetic variance will be beneficial for this crop improvement through cross breeding as well as the plant breeders to prefer desirable traits in V. subterranea L. Verdc. for further breeding purposes.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2, is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus with epithelial cell and respiratory system proclivity. Like its predecessor, SARS-CoV, COVID-19 can lead to life-threatening disease. Due to wide geographic impact affecting an extremely high proportion of the world population it was defined by the World Health Organization as a global public health pandemic. The infection is known to readily spread from person-to-person. This occurs through liquid droplets by cough, sneeze, hand-to-mouth-to-eye contact and through contaminated hard surfaces. Close human proximity accelerates SARS-CoV-2 spread. COVID-19 is a systemic disease that can move beyond the lungs by blood-based dissemination to affect multiple organs. These organs include the kidney, liver, muscles, nervous system, and spleen. The primary cause of SARS-CoV-2 mortality is acute respiratory distress syndrome initiated by epithelial infection and alveolar macrophage activation in the lungs. The early cell-based portal for viral entry is through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. Viral origins are zoonotic with genomic linkages to the bat coronaviruses but without an identifiable intermediate animal reservoir. There are currently few therapeutic options, and while many are being tested, although none are effective in curtailing the death rates. There is no available vaccine yet. Intense global efforts have targeted research into a better understanding of the epidemiology, molecular biology, pharmacology, and pathobiology of SARS-CoV-2. These fields of study will provide the insights directed to curtailing this disease outbreak with intense international impact. Graphical Abstract

Background Despite substantial improvements in institutional delivery rates, significant socioeconomic and regional disparities persist in Bangladesh. Addressing these inequalities remains crucial to ensuring equitable maternal healthcare and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Methods This study used nationally representative data from the 2022 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), comprising 4,433 women aged 15–49 years. Multilevel binary logistic regression models were estimated within a Bayesian framework via the brms package in R. We specified five hierarchical models—null, individual, household, community, and full—to identify factors associated with institutional delivery. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% credible intervals (CrIs) are reported. Model adequacy was evaluated via the widely applicable information criterion (WAIC) and leave-one-out information criterion (LOOIC). Weakly informative priors were applied, and sensitivity analyses using alternative prior specifications were conducted to evaluate the robustness of posterior estimates. Results The full model showed a proportional change in variance (PCV) of approximately 59.9%, indicating a substantial reduction in between-cluster variance after adjustment for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The overall prevalence of institutional delivery was 63.5%. Antenatal care (ANC) visits and household wealth were the strongest predictors. Women who attended 4 + ANC visits (AOR = 7.83; 95% CrI: 5.51–11.26) and those in the richest wealth quintile (AOR = 2.76; 95% CrI: 1.94–3.89) had higher odds of delivering in a health facility. Higher maternal education (AOR = 2.87) and lower birth order (AOR = 0.57) were significant predictors. Conversely, women in paid employment had 17% lower odds of institutional delivery (AOR = 0.83). Pronounced divisional (e.g., Khulna vs. Sylhet) and significant religious disparities were also observed. Conclusions Institutional delivery in Bangladesh is associated with a complex interplay of individual-, household-, and community-level factors, with antenatal care (ANC) visits and household wealth demonstrating the strongest associations. Persistent socioeconomic and geographic disparities, particularly in Barishal, Sylhet, and Mymensingh, highlight the need for targeted, multilevel interventions. MOR = 2.09 and PCV = 59.9% indicate the need for policies targeting cluster-level inequalities, household wealth, and education through combined efforts in poverty reduction and health promotion.

Accelerated cell death 11 (ACD11) is an autoimmune gene that suppresses pathogen infection in plants by preventing plant cells from becoming infected by any pathogen. This gene is widely known for growth inhibition, premature leaf chlorosis, and defense-related programmed cell death (PCD) in seedlings before flowering in Arabidopsis plant. Specific amino acid changes in the ACD11 protein’s highly conserved domains are linked to autoimmune symptoms including constitutive defensive responses and necrosis without pathogen awareness. The molecular aspect of the aberrant activity of the ACD11 protein is difficult to ascertain. The purpose of our study was to find the most deleterious mutation position in the ACD11 protein and correlate them with their abnormal expression pattern. Using several computational methods, we discovered PCD vulnerable single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ACD11. We analysed the RNA-Seq data, identified the detrimental nonsynonymous SNPs (nsSNP), built genetically mutated protein structures and used molecular docking to assess the impact of mutation. Our results demonstrated that the A15T and A39D mutations in the GLTP domain were likely to be extremely detrimental mutations that inhibit the expression of the ACD11 protein domain by destabilizing its composition, as well as disrupt its catalytic effectiveness. When compared to the A15T mutant, the A39D mutant was more likely to destabilize the protein structure. In conclusion, these mutants can aid in the better understanding of the vast pool of PCD susceptibilities connected to ACD11 gene GLTP domain activation.

Rhizophora mucronata , a mangrove species native to coastal region of Bangladesh, has been drawn significant interests due to its potential ecological and therapeutic values, particularly as antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The current investigation was aimed to identify the bioactive compounds from the different fractions of Rhizophora mucronata and to determine their antioxidants, analgesic, antidiabetic, antimicrobial along with in-vitro and in-vivo anticancer properties. Total three known compounds namely N -trans-para-caffeoyl-tyramine (1) , β-sitosterol (2) and rutin (3) were isolated from the ethyl acetate fractions (ERM) and their structures were elucidated by analyzing 1 H-NMR spectral data. Dichloromethane (DRM) and ethyl acetate (ERM) fractions showed significant free radical scavenging properties (IC 50 value 12.18 and 11.7 μg/mL, respectively) compared to the standard ascorbic acid (6.36 μg/mL) in DPPH free radical scavenging assay. All three fractions exhibited notable analgesic effect in mice compared to standard drug diclofenac sodium in acetic acid induced writhing method. DRM and ERM fractions revealed significant glucose lowering effects compared to standard glibenclamide in streptozotocin induce diabetic mice model. Besides, all the fractions showed remarkable antibacterial effects (zone of inhibition 11.1–17.3 mm) against all selected Gram-positive but showed moderate activity against the Gram-negative bacteria. In-vitro cytotoxicity test of DRM and ERM fractions exhibited cytotoxic effect (IC 50 value 88.94 µg/ml and 127.6 µg/ml, respectively) against HeLa cell. The in-vivo cell growth inhibition of the three fractions on EAC (Ehrlich ascites carcinoma) cell demonstrated that ERM fraction furnished maximum cell growth inhibition (54.61%) compared to 84.83% inhibition by bleomycin. From the above findings, it is evident that ethyl acetate fractions of R. mucronata , can be exploited for future drug development and traditional medicinal applications.