Mashrequl Alam - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Mashrequl Alam

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating policy, system strengthening, research and harmonized services delivery for scaling up drinking water safety in Bangladesh

Environmental Arsenic in a Changing World, 2019

The WASH Sector Development Plan (2011-2025) recognizes the absence of harmonized approaches as t... more The WASH Sector Development Plan (2011-2025) recognizes the absence of harmonized approaches as the root challenge to scaling up drinking water safety in Bangladesh. UNICEF is supporting the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) through the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) and Policy Support Branch to re-engineer its approach to drinking water safety by integrating policy, systems strengthening & sustainable services delivery at national and sub-national levels. Some of the key contributions to the sector include the implementation of the UNICEF-DPHE Arsenic Safe Union model with the declaration of 106 Arsenic Safe Villages, reduction in arsenic contamination rates of new tubewells, a system for preventing elite capture of water points, and the adoption of the ASU model in a $240 million arsenic mitigation drinking water project using domestic resources. Relatedly, a Policy Support Branch has been established, the sector coordination mechanisms revised, WASH bottleneck analysis is ongoing & the National Implementation Plan on Arsenic has been reviewed: Next steps include the professionalisation of drilling by local drillers through a partnership with KTH, Sweden, the GoB and UNICEF.

Research paper thumbnail of Soluble and cell-associated Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells -1 and -2 in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

The Journal of infection, Jan 15, 2015

Recently, Huang and colleagues reported in this Journal that serum levels of soluble Triggering R... more Recently, Huang and colleagues reported in this Journal that serum levels of soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed onMyeloid Cells (TREM)-1 are elevated in Taiwanese patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). We here expand these data and report on soluble and cell-associated TREM-1 and TREM-2 in patients with lung TB in Bangladesh. TB remains a disease with a major impact on global health with an estimated one-third of the world population infected with Mycobacterium (M.) tuberculosis and a attributed mortality rate of 1.7 million deaths a year. Bangladesh is a highly affected country with 225 new cases per 100,000 population in 2012 (World Health Organization, Global Tuberculosis Report 2013). TREM-1 has been described as a transmembrane receptor that can amplify signaling through pattern recognition receptors, while TREM-2 is regarded as a negative modulatory of innate inflammatory signaling. TREM-1 and TREM-2 also exist in soluble forms; whereas soluble TREM-1 has been studied as a potential diagnostic marker in especially respiratory tract infections, reports on soluble TREM-2 levels in human disease are limited. Studies on the expression of TREM-1 and -2 in TB are of interest considering their role in Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, which comprise important components of host defense during infection with the causative agent M. tuberculosis. The aim of the current study was to determine soluble TREM-1 and TREM-2 levels in serum, and membrane-bound TREM-1 and TREM-2 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with pulmonary TB. 57 patients and 31 healthy blood donors ( 18 years) were recruited in the Tuberculosis Clinic of Chittagong General Hospital and the Chittagong Medical College & Hospital, Chittagong, Bangladesh. These subjects were part of a larger population in which the expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) regulators was studied. Inand exclusion criteria have been reported in detail. On-site TB confirmation was defined by a minimum of two out of three positive ZiehleNeelsen stained sputum samples collected on two consecutive days. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Research paper thumbnail of Increased intra- and extracellular granzyme expression in patients with tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, 2015

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Granzymes (gzms) ar... more Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Granzymes (gzms) are proteases mainly found in cytotoxic lymphocytes, but also extracellularly. While the role of gzms in target cell death has been widely characterized, considerable evidence points towards broader roles related to infectious and inflammatory responses. To investigate the expression of the gzms in TB, intracellular gzms A, B and K were measured by flow cytometry in lymphocyte populations from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 18 TB patients and 12 healthy donors from Bangladesh, and extracellular levels of gzmA and B were measured in serum from 58 TB patients and 31 healthy controls. TB patients showed increased expression of gzmA in CD8(+) T, CD4(+) T and CD56(+) T, but not NK, cells, and of gzmB in CD8(+) T cells, when compared to controls. GzmK expression was not altered in TB patients in any lymphocyte subset. The extracellular levels of gzmA and, to a lesser extent, of gzmB, were increased in TB patients, but did not correlate with intracellular gzm expression in lymphocyte subsets. Our results reveal enhanced intra- and extracellular expression of gzmA and B in patients with pulmonary TB, suggesting that gzms are part of the host response to tuberculosis.

Research paper thumbnail of Expression of inhibitory regulators of innate immunity in patients with active tuberculosis

BMC Infectious Diseases, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Pulmonary tuberculosis induces a systemic hypercoagulable state

Journal of Infection, 2015

Objectives: Human tuberculosis (TB) remains an important cause of death globally. Bangladesh is o... more Objectives: Human tuberculosis (TB) remains an important cause of death globally. Bangladesh is one of the most affected countries. We aimed to investigate the impact of pulmonary TB on pro-and anticoagulant mechanisms. Methods: This prospective study was conducted in Chittagong, Bangladesh. We performed an in-depth analysis of coagulation activation and inhibition in plasma obtained from 64 patients with primary lung TB and 11 patients with recurrent lung TB and compared these with 37 healthy controls. Additionally, in nine patients coagulation activation was studied in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) harvested from the site of infection and compared with BALF from a contralateral unaffected lung subsegment. Results: Relative to uninfected controls, primary and recurrent TB were associated with a systemic net procoagulant state, as indicated by enhanced activation of coagulation (elevated plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complexes, D-dimer and fibrinogen) together with impaired anticoagulant mechanisms (reduced plasma levels of antithrombin, protein C activity, free protein S, and protein C inhibitor). Activation of coagulation did not correlate with plasma concentrations of established TB biomarkers. Coagulation activation could not be detected at the primary site of infection in a subset of TB patients. Conclusions: Pulmonary TB is associated with a systemic hypercoagulable state.

Research paper thumbnail of Neutrophil extracellular traps in patients with sepsis

The Journal of surgical research, 2015

Release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) has been identified as an important aspect of in... more Release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) has been identified as an important aspect of innate immunity. We examined whether sepsis had any influence on ex vivo generation of NETs by neutrophils. We isolated neutrophils from consecutive patients with sepsis (n = 17) and without sepsis (n = 18) admitted to the intensive care unit. Neutrophils were activated by incubation with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) to induce release of NETs, and NET formation was assessed by measuring the extracellular DNA level. Immunolabeling and fluorescence imaging were also performed. Extracellular killing of bacteria by NETs was studied by co-culture of Escherichia coli and neutrophils in the presence of a phagocytosis inhibitor. To assess in vivo NET formation, plasma levels of cell-free DNA and histones were measured. After stimulation with PMA, neutrophils isolated from septic patients released 4.08 ± 1.02% of their total DNA, whereas neutrophils from nonseptic patients released 29.06 ±...

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating policy, system strengthening, research and harmonized services delivery for scaling up drinking water safety in Bangladesh

Environmental Arsenic in a Changing World, 2019

The WASH Sector Development Plan (2011-2025) recognizes the absence of harmonized approaches as t... more The WASH Sector Development Plan (2011-2025) recognizes the absence of harmonized approaches as the root challenge to scaling up drinking water safety in Bangladesh. UNICEF is supporting the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) through the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) and Policy Support Branch to re-engineer its approach to drinking water safety by integrating policy, systems strengthening & sustainable services delivery at national and sub-national levels. Some of the key contributions to the sector include the implementation of the UNICEF-DPHE Arsenic Safe Union model with the declaration of 106 Arsenic Safe Villages, reduction in arsenic contamination rates of new tubewells, a system for preventing elite capture of water points, and the adoption of the ASU model in a $240 million arsenic mitigation drinking water project using domestic resources. Relatedly, a Policy Support Branch has been established, the sector coordination mechanisms revised, WASH bottleneck analysis is ongoing & the National Implementation Plan on Arsenic has been reviewed: Next steps include the professionalisation of drilling by local drillers through a partnership with KTH, Sweden, the GoB and UNICEF.

Research paper thumbnail of Soluble and cell-associated Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells -1 and -2 in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

The Journal of infection, Jan 15, 2015

Recently, Huang and colleagues reported in this Journal that serum levels of soluble Triggering R... more Recently, Huang and colleagues reported in this Journal that serum levels of soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed onMyeloid Cells (TREM)-1 are elevated in Taiwanese patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). We here expand these data and report on soluble and cell-associated TREM-1 and TREM-2 in patients with lung TB in Bangladesh. TB remains a disease with a major impact on global health with an estimated one-third of the world population infected with Mycobacterium (M.) tuberculosis and a attributed mortality rate of 1.7 million deaths a year. Bangladesh is a highly affected country with 225 new cases per 100,000 population in 2012 (World Health Organization, Global Tuberculosis Report 2013). TREM-1 has been described as a transmembrane receptor that can amplify signaling through pattern recognition receptors, while TREM-2 is regarded as a negative modulatory of innate inflammatory signaling. TREM-1 and TREM-2 also exist in soluble forms; whereas soluble TREM-1 has been studied as a potential diagnostic marker in especially respiratory tract infections, reports on soluble TREM-2 levels in human disease are limited. Studies on the expression of TREM-1 and -2 in TB are of interest considering their role in Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, which comprise important components of host defense during infection with the causative agent M. tuberculosis. The aim of the current study was to determine soluble TREM-1 and TREM-2 levels in serum, and membrane-bound TREM-1 and TREM-2 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with pulmonary TB. 57 patients and 31 healthy blood donors ( 18 years) were recruited in the Tuberculosis Clinic of Chittagong General Hospital and the Chittagong Medical College & Hospital, Chittagong, Bangladesh. These subjects were part of a larger population in which the expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) regulators was studied. Inand exclusion criteria have been reported in detail. On-site TB confirmation was defined by a minimum of two out of three positive ZiehleNeelsen stained sputum samples collected on two consecutive days. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Research paper thumbnail of Increased intra- and extracellular granzyme expression in patients with tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, 2015

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Granzymes (gzms) ar... more Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Granzymes (gzms) are proteases mainly found in cytotoxic lymphocytes, but also extracellularly. While the role of gzms in target cell death has been widely characterized, considerable evidence points towards broader roles related to infectious and inflammatory responses. To investigate the expression of the gzms in TB, intracellular gzms A, B and K were measured by flow cytometry in lymphocyte populations from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 18 TB patients and 12 healthy donors from Bangladesh, and extracellular levels of gzmA and B were measured in serum from 58 TB patients and 31 healthy controls. TB patients showed increased expression of gzmA in CD8(+) T, CD4(+) T and CD56(+) T, but not NK, cells, and of gzmB in CD8(+) T cells, when compared to controls. GzmK expression was not altered in TB patients in any lymphocyte subset. The extracellular levels of gzmA and, to a lesser extent, of gzmB, were increased in TB patients, but did not correlate with intracellular gzm expression in lymphocyte subsets. Our results reveal enhanced intra- and extracellular expression of gzmA and B in patients with pulmonary TB, suggesting that gzms are part of the host response to tuberculosis.

Research paper thumbnail of Expression of inhibitory regulators of innate immunity in patients with active tuberculosis

BMC Infectious Diseases, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Pulmonary tuberculosis induces a systemic hypercoagulable state

Journal of Infection, 2015

Objectives: Human tuberculosis (TB) remains an important cause of death globally. Bangladesh is o... more Objectives: Human tuberculosis (TB) remains an important cause of death globally. Bangladesh is one of the most affected countries. We aimed to investigate the impact of pulmonary TB on pro-and anticoagulant mechanisms. Methods: This prospective study was conducted in Chittagong, Bangladesh. We performed an in-depth analysis of coagulation activation and inhibition in plasma obtained from 64 patients with primary lung TB and 11 patients with recurrent lung TB and compared these with 37 healthy controls. Additionally, in nine patients coagulation activation was studied in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) harvested from the site of infection and compared with BALF from a contralateral unaffected lung subsegment. Results: Relative to uninfected controls, primary and recurrent TB were associated with a systemic net procoagulant state, as indicated by enhanced activation of coagulation (elevated plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complexes, D-dimer and fibrinogen) together with impaired anticoagulant mechanisms (reduced plasma levels of antithrombin, protein C activity, free protein S, and protein C inhibitor). Activation of coagulation did not correlate with plasma concentrations of established TB biomarkers. Coagulation activation could not be detected at the primary site of infection in a subset of TB patients. Conclusions: Pulmonary TB is associated with a systemic hypercoagulable state.

Research paper thumbnail of Neutrophil extracellular traps in patients with sepsis

The Journal of surgical research, 2015

Release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) has been identified as an important aspect of in... more Release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) has been identified as an important aspect of innate immunity. We examined whether sepsis had any influence on ex vivo generation of NETs by neutrophils. We isolated neutrophils from consecutive patients with sepsis (n = 17) and without sepsis (n = 18) admitted to the intensive care unit. Neutrophils were activated by incubation with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) to induce release of NETs, and NET formation was assessed by measuring the extracellular DNA level. Immunolabeling and fluorescence imaging were also performed. Extracellular killing of bacteria by NETs was studied by co-culture of Escherichia coli and neutrophils in the presence of a phagocytosis inhibitor. To assess in vivo NET formation, plasma levels of cell-free DNA and histones were measured. After stimulation with PMA, neutrophils isolated from septic patients released 4.08 ± 1.02% of their total DNA, whereas neutrophils from nonseptic patients released 29.06 ±...