Membrane fusion between uncharged lipid vesicles can be triggered by the peptide sequence 'B18' from the fertilization protein 'bindin', but it only proceeds efficiently in the presence of Zn(2+) ions. We studied (i) the interaction of Zn(2+) with the fusogenic peptide B18, (ii) the binding of B18 to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylglycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), and (iii) the ternary system POPC/B18/Zn(2...

OBJECTIVES (a) To test the sensitivity and specificity of measuring fasting plasma glucose levels (FPG) as a screening test for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). (b) To compare predicting levels of FPG levels with the one-hour, oral 50g non-fasting glucose challenge test (GCT) for predicting GDM. METHODS One thousand and six hundred pregnant women from the Health Centres, antenatal clinics...

Effectiveness of different doses of neem extracts and a synthetic organic insecticide against mustard aphid was studied in the experimental farm of the Oilseed Research Centre, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur, Gazipur, during two consecutive years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 for the control of mustard aphid. Eight treatments were evaluated against mustard aphid under fi...

We investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of zinc (ZnO; 0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 mg/kg) and Vit E (α-tocopheryl acetate; 0 and 40 IU/kg) on egg production, egg quality and Zn content of egg fractions and tissues in Japanese quails. Using a 5 × 2 factorial design, a total of 960 Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) at day 70 of age were housed in cages and randomly assigned in...

Effect of feed supplementation to does grazed on naturally grown grasses during pre-partum on growth, reproduction and lactation performances of does and growth of the kids were investigated. Fifteen two-toothed and non-pregnant does of about one and half year of age constituted the experimental animals which were randomly allocated in the three groups of 5 and offered A) grazing ad libitum + l...

Hepcidin is the principal iron regulatory hormone and its overproduction contributes to anemia of inflammation (AI). In vitro, hepcidin binds to and induces the degradation of the exclusive iron exporter ferroportin. We explored the effects and distribution of synthetic hepcidin in the mouse. A single intraperitoneal injection of hepcidin caused a rapid fall of serum iron in a dose-dependent ma...

Heavy metals found in urban air with its toxic effects have a direct impact on human health. Selection of appropriate tree species and shrub refining capacity of heavy metals in urban areas can greatly reduce the toxic effects of these materials. This study aimed to identify the most suitable tree and shrub species of broadleaf evergreen, deciduous and coniferous refinement of heavy metals lead...

Heavy metals found in urban air with its toxic effects have a direct impact on human health. Selection of appropriate tree species and shrub refining capacity of heavy metals in urban areas can greatly reduce the toxic effects of these materials. This study aimed to identify the most suitable tree and shrub species of broadleaf evergreen, deciduous and coniferous refinement of heavy metals lead...