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To understand potential sources and losses of nitrogen from farming systems in Darusa, Bangladesh, a detailed survey of farming practices was conducted. A total of 100 households were randomly selected using demographic and agricultural information about the farmers in the study area. Data were used to stratify the farmers according to their operational land holding, livestock numbers (tropical livestock unit), use of irrigation, age, and educational level. Four clusters of farm households were identified, and nine households were randomly selected from each cluster for a total of 36 households. These 36 households completed more detailed surveys about their cropping and livestock. The surveys identified local practices of nitrogen management in different crops and types of livestock. Further information on traditional practices for soil fertility management was obtained by interviewing selected farmers. The results show that the major use for organic residues from crops and livestock is to provide fuel. Crop residues were used as fuel by 84% of farmers, with 23% using all of their crop residues as fuel. Some manure was used as fuel by all farmers, with 56% of farmers using most of their manure as fuel. As a result, 23% used no crop residues and 56% used less than half of their manure to improve soil fertility. This suggests that recycling of nitrogen in the study area is low. Soil analysis indicates that the organic matter and nitrogen contents of the soil in the study area were only 1.43% and 0.08%, respectively. Therefore, further recycling of organic residues should be practiced in order to reduce losses of available nitrogen from the system. More research is needed to quantify nitrogen lost by these practices and to draw up a full nitrogen budget for the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Antibiotic resistance is a substantial cause of mortality, morbidity burden in Bangladesh. In this perspective piece, the problem of antibiotic resistance has been analyzed by critically evaluating literature data, and based on the author's experience.Areas covered: The underlying causes of this resistance are numerous including irrational and inappropriate use of antibiotics aggravated by aggressive marketing, over-the-counter dispensing, prescribing by the unqualified providers, lack of awareness in the general population, and inadequate implementation of relevant regulations.Expert opinion: Although Bangladesh is making some progress toward containing antibiotic resistance, the pace of this progress is insufficient. Public awareness is crucial for the full implementation of the regulations. Given that it is more a social than a medical problem, the health sector is unable to tackle the problem on its own. An integrated approach is required that identifies the roles and relative importance of each sector (human, animal, and environment). A set of recommendations has been provided for the government to act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary fibre is known to provide health benefit and protect against degenerative chronic diseases. Thus, the present study reports the total dietary fibre (TDF) content of sixty-nine selected ethnic and unconventional vegetables and fruits growing in Bangladesh. The samples were collected from different locations of Bangladesh and mixed together to ensure sample representativeness. Dietary fibre assay kit according to the AOAC method was utilized for the analysis of TDF in selected vegetables and fruits. In the ethnic varieties, the TDF content ranged from 1.02 ±0.16 to 7.16 ±0.16 g for leafy (LV), 0.18 ±0.01 to 6.71 ±0.49 g for non-leafy vegetables (NLV) and 1.21 ±0.12 to 5.29 ±0.20 g for fruits per 100 g edible portion (EP). In the unconventional items, it arrayed from 3.08 ±0.34 g to 7.75 ±0.13 g for LV and 1.02 ±0.06 to 8.82 ±0.40 g for NLV per 100 g EP. Among the analysed samples, the highest and lowest content of TDF was found in Orohordal and Mairabokong, respectively. The unconventional vegetables contained much higher content of TDF than the ethnics and the commonly consumed similar varieties. Data on TDF content in underutilized vegetables and fruits of Bangladesh is sparse. Thus, the finding of this study would fill up the data gap in the existing food composition table of Bangladesh and also would aware the people to take vegetables and fruits rich in fibres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary fibre is known to provide health benefit and protect against degenerative chronic diseases. Thus, the present study reports the total dietary fibre (TDF) content of sixty-nine selected ethnic and unconventional vegetables and fruits growing in Bangladesh. The samples were collected from different locations of Bangladesh and mixed together to ensure sample representativeness. Dietary fibre assay kit according to the AOAC method was utilized for the analysis of TDF in selected vegetables and fruits. In the ethnic varieties, the TDF content ranged from 1.02 ±0.16 to 7.16 ±0.16 g for leafy (LV), 0.18 ±0.01 to 6.71 ±0.49 g for non-leafy vegetables (NLV) and 1.21 ±0.12 to 5.29 ±0.20 g for fruits per 100 g edible portion (EP). In the unconventional items, it arrayed from 3.08 ±0.34 g to 7.75 ±0.13 g for LV and 1.02 ±0.06 to 8.82 ±0.40 g for NLV per 100 g EP. Among the analysed samples, the highest and lowest content of TDF was found in Orohordal and Mairabokong, respectively. The unconventional vegetables contained much higher content of TDF than the ethnics and the commonly consumed similar varieties. Data on TDF content in underutilized vegetables and fruits of Bangladesh is sparse. Thus, the finding of this study would fill up the data gap in the existing food composition table of Bangladesh and also would aware the people to take vegetables and fruits rich in fibres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing focus on researching children admitted to hospital with new variants of COVID-19, combined with concerns with hyperinflammatory syndromes and the overuse of antimicrobials. Paediatric guidelines have been produced in Bangladesh to improve their care. Consequently, the objective is to document the management of children with COVID-19 among 24 hospitals in Bangladesh. Key outcome measures included the percentage prescribed different antimicrobials, adherence to paediatric guidelines and mortality rates using purposely developed report forms. The majority of 146 admitted children were aged 5 years or under (62.3%) and were boys (58.9%). Reasons for admission included fever, respiratory distress and coughing; 86.3% were prescribed antibiotics, typically parenterally, on the WHO 'Watch' list, and empirically (98.4%). There were no differences in antibiotic use whether hospitals followed paediatric guidance or not. There was no prescribing of antimalarials and limited prescribing of antivirals (5.5% of children) and antiparasitic medicines (0.7%). The majority of children (92.5%) made a full recovery. It was encouraging to see the low hospitalisation rates and limited use of antimalarials, antivirals and antiparasitic medicines. However, the high empiric use of antibiotics, alongside limited switching to oral formulations, is a concern that can be addressed by instigating the appropriate programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]