Jute (Corchorus sp.) is one of the most important sources of natural fibre, covering ∼80% of global bast fibre production1. Only Corchorus olitorius and Corchorus capsularis are commercially cultivated, though there are more than 100 Corchorus species2 in the Malvaceae family. Here we describe high-quality draft genomes of these two species and their comparisons at the functional genomics level to support tailor-designed breeding. The assemblies cover 91.6% and 82.2% of the estimated genome sizes for C. olitorius and C. capsularis, respectively. In total, 37,031 C. olitorius and 30,096 C. capsularis genes are identified, and most of the genes are validated by cDNA and RNA-seq data. Analyses of clustered gene families and gene collinearity show that jute underwent shared whole-genome duplication ∼18.66 million years (Myr) ago prior to speciation. RNA expression analysis from isolated fibre cells reveals the key regulatory and structural genes involved in fibre formation. This work expands our understanding of the molecular basis of fibre formation laying the foundation for the genetic improvement of jute.

Jute fibre is the second most important fibre next to cotton. It is obtained from the bark of plant through microbial retting process. Here we report optimized microbial retting protocol that can lower retting period and produce high fibre quality. A total of 451 bacterial colonies have been isolated from five jute retting water samples in Bangladesh. Higher pectinolytic bacterial isolates were predominant in the later stage of jute retting. Out of these, 168 isolates have been screened by both semi-quantitative and quantitative pectinase, xylanase and cellulase enzyme assay. Among them, 144 isolates have been selected on the basis of extra cellular enzyme activity of these three enzymes. 16 s ribosomal gene sequencing analysis identified 2 phyla-Firmicutis (80.55%) and Proteobacteria (19.45%). To check the synergistic and antagonistic effect 10 selected isolates were tested in 167 different combinations. Three best combinations were identified that lowered retting period from 18-21 days to 10 days producing high quality fibre in both laboratory and field trial. This improved retting technology can be adopted in industrial scale for the production of quality jute fibre in a controlled condition in reduced water quantity without polluting the environment.Jute, second most important natural fibre after cotton, is cultivated in East Asia and some parts of Latin America 1-3 . Jute is a bast or phloem fibre in the bark of stems, cemented together by pectin and gummy substances 4 . Commercial extraction of jute fibre is water based microbiological retting where jute bundles are submerged into slow running river water and subjected to decomposition of pectin, hemicelluloses, and other mucilaginous substances 2,5 . In this process, pectin is depolymerized by pectinases, primarily comprising four enzymes: Polygalacturonase (PG), Pectin Lyase (PNL), Pectate lyase and Pectin esterase. However, PG 6 , and PNL 7 are primary retting enzymes. In addition, xylanase makes jute fibre softer by selective removal of non-fibrous hemicelluloses without affecting strength of cellulosic fibre. Pectinolytic microorganisms having xylanase activity devoid of cellulase activity is an additional beneficial aspect to improve fibre quality 8 . The quality of fibre is largely determined by the efficiency of retting process 1,2,9,10 and various factors are responsible for proper retting as well as improved fibre quality. Most promising water based microbiological retting process mostly involves bacteria along with various fungi, protozoa, algae and diatoms 10-13 . Main aerobic retting bacteria belong to genus Bacillus viz., B. subtilis, B. polymyxa, B. mesentericus, B.pumilus, B. cereus, B. megaterium and B. macerans, initiate retting 14-18 along with large numbers of gram-negative genera such as Erwinia and Pseudomonas 9,19 . At the later stage of retting some anaerobic bacteria from genus Clostridium -Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium stercorarium, Clostridium tertium come to carry on the retting process 20 . As microorganisms are the ma...

No abstract

Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death in the world and the new types of cancer are diagnosed regularly but the advancement in their treatment is relatively slow and not to mention very costly. Parasporins (PS), parasporal inclusion proteins from Conclusions: The theoretical overview of this research would facilitate the researchers with valuable insights of the PS protein structures, cancer cell killing mechanism of PS-5 and PS-6 proteins eventually in tumor microenvironment and their receptor molecules with a view to develop anti-cancer drugs.

Plants live in association with complex populations of microorganisms, including Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) which confers improved growth and enhanced stress tolerance to plants. This large and diverse group includes endophytic bacteria that can colonize the internal tissues of plants. This study aimed to identify the molecular and physiological characteristics of a non-rhizobial bacterial species from the surface-sterilized root of healthy and nematode-infested jute (Corchorus capsularis; Corchorus olitorius and an advanced variety of Corchorus olitorius, Robi-1), an annual fiber bearing plant species. Using universal primers to amplify bacterial 16S rDNA, we identified 59 culturable gram-positive bacterial isolates from healthy and nematode-infected jute plants. All the selected isolates were gram-positive of Bacillus and Staphylococcus genus. The endophytes were positive for pectinase, xylanase, cellulase, and phosphatase, all of which may influence jute physiology. Selected bacterial species increased the root length, shoot length, and germination rate. B. cereus significantly increased the growth phenotype and biomass of C. capsularis (CVL-1) whereas S. hominis showed significant growth increment in C. olitorius (O-9897) and the combination of all bacteria produced the same effect in the advanced line of C. olitorius (Robi-1). Higher expression of growth-promoting hormones GA-20 and GA-03 oxidase consolidate that plant growth was increased through induction of increased production of growth hormone gibberellin. Altogether, our results demonstrate that B. cereus (MCN3) and S. hominis (MON1) display plant growth-promoting traits of potential interest for agricultural applications.

Introduction: Placement of a posterior chamber scleral fixated intraocular lens (SF-IOL) is the only option for patients whose eyes lack zonular or capsular support. Long-term data comparing the various techniques used to place scleral fixation intraocular lens (SF-IOL) will be crucial to identify optimal strategies for scleral fixation intraocular lens (SF-IOL) implantation. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to observe the visual outcome after SFIOL implantation following PPV in case of dropped intraocular lens. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at National Institute of Ophthalmology & Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study duration was 6 months, from August 2019 to January 2020. The study was conducted with a total of 30 patients with aphakia due to dropped intraocular lenses. The patients were selected non-randomly on a first come first serve basis. Results: The mean age of the participants was 57.7±7.64 years and the majority (60.0%) were female with 66.67% had left eye involvement. Mean visual acuity at baseline was 1.34 ± 0.26 (SD) in the Log MAR unit, which had significant improvement at each follow-up period. After 3 months visual improvement was 0.34±0.27 in LogMAR unit. A few cases of corneal edema, raised intraocular pressure, lens decentration and some other complications were observed after surgery. Conclusion: In most cases, a decent optical outcome may be reached by using this surgical approach. To prove that it might be a safe and effective treatment without zonular or capsular support, long-term follow-up, a large sample size, and many surgeons' involvement are required. J. Natl. Inst. Ophthalmol. 2022;5(1):27-31

Background: Cataract is considered as a main cause of blindness around the world along with glaucoma and macular degeneration. Now, surgery remains the only effective treatment option of cataracts and cataract surgery is one of the most frequently accomplished surgeries in the field of ophthalmic arena. This study aimed to compare the effects of NSAIDs with those of steroids for the management of inflammation after uneventful cataract surgery. Methods: This study was a prospective randomized control trial, conducted at the Department of Cataract in National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital, Dhaka, from 01 February 2021- 30 January 2022. A total of 194 patients were randomly allocated into two groups by lottery. The patients of NSAID group was prescribed bromfenac sodium hydrate 0.1% to apply two times a day in 1 eye, whereas the steroid group was treated with Dexamethasone 0.1%, 4 times per day for 4 weeks after the surgery. Results: The mean age of the patients in NSAID and steroid group were 71.10 (± 8.55) years and 72.09 (± 8.64) years respectively. The male female ratio of each group was 33:64. The change in inflammation grade of the anterior from postoperative day 1 to week 8 in the NSAID group was -1.25 ± 1.30 and in the steroid group -1.25 ± 1.32 which shows a significant reduction in both eyes (p <0.001). Comparing the changes from preoperative to week 1 and preoperative to week 8 showed central corneal thickness in the NSAID group was also significantly less than that in the steroid group (8.87 ± 22.46 and 29.48± 46.60 vs. 4.74 ± 31.75 and 8.76 ± 40.95 mm) (p<0.05). Comparing the changes from postoperatively to week 1 and postoperatively to week 8, the NSAID group had lower conjunctival hyperemia -0.09± 0.53 and -0.19 ± 0.54 vs. the steroid group had higher conjunctival hyperemia 0.08 ± 0.64 and -0.20 ± 0.53. Conclusion: NSAIDs like nepafenac 0.1%, bromfenac 0.09%, and ketorolac 0.5% are proven to be a good alternative to steroids which has a corresponding level of anti-inflammatory activity like Dexamethasone 0.1% for controlling postoperative ocular inflammation among patients going through cataract surgery. J. Natl. Inst. Ophthalmol. 2022;5(1):10-15

No abstract