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Analogical reasoning is a basic learning mechanism. Analogy in teaching science is a very popular pedagogical approach in many countries. The use of analogy is not recognized as one of the formal teaching learning strategies to facilitate students' science learning in Bangladesh. In secondary science teaching, teachers' unconscious and unsystematic use of analogy cause misunderstanding for learners which is a barrier to promote scientific literacy among students. This study investigated secondary physics teachers' views and practices of analogy as a teaching learning strategy in the context of Bangladesh. It followed explanatory sequential mixed method design. Quantitative data was collected through questionnaire (Likert scale) from 55 secondary school physics teachers. Case studies were conducted for qualitative data through lesson observations, interviews and document analysis. The findings reveal that teachers consider analogy to be an effective tool, but they have less idea as it was not embedded in any of their professional programs or in-service trainings. It is hard to find any quality source of analogies for secondary physics in Bangladesh. They even do not know about any models of using analogy yet which leads to inappropriate use of analogies. Teachers mostly think that analogy would be more suitable in the context of Bangladesh as we have shortage of instruments and teaching aids. This study will inform teacher educators about the deficiency of guideline for our teachers about using analogy in physics teaching. Textbook writers will also get guideline about which analogies are preferable. Further research can be conducted on which types of analogies in our science textbooks are suitable and which are not. Which models of using analogy are preferred by teachers can also be explored.

Background: Women in the fisher communities in coastal regions of Bangladesh are engaged in a wide range of fishery activities. However, there is limited evidence available on the occupational hazards and risks experienced by them. Method: The study was conducted among fishing colonies in Cox's Bazar and Chattogram districts in Bangladesh. This was a cross-sectional study blending qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative component comprised five focus group discussions to understand the occupational context, hazards, and risks faced by the fisherwomen, informing the questionnaire design for the subsequent survey. The quantitative survey involved a sample of 207 women from fisher communities, gathering socio-demographic information, occupational hazards, risks, and health and safety practices. Findings: The study found a high occurrence of occupational hazards, health risks and limited availability of preventive measures among the women in fisher communities. Occupational hazards include physical safety hazards such as slippery surfaces and fish cutting instruments, and physical hazards like prolonged sun exposure and noise. Chemical hazards like pesticides and saltwater, ergonomic hazards such as prolonged uncomfortable posture and heavy lifting, and biological hazards including inadequate sanitation facilities were prevalent. The study also identified the potential occupational risks, and the outcomes resulting from the hazards, including injuries (87.44%), musculoskeletal conditions (69.08%), skin diseases/conditions (56.52%), eye complaints (33.82%), severe respiratory distress (24.15%) and high incidence of self-reported communicable diseases. Most women (78.26%) did not use personal protective equipment, and the majority (93.72%) lacked a workplace first aid kit. Conclusion: The study revealed a high prevalence of occupational hazards and health risks, including injuries and diseases, among Bangladeshi women in fisher communities with insufficient safety measures. Collaboration among government, NGOs, development partners, fisheries stakeholders, and the community is imperative for targeted training, innovative procedures, ergonomic solutions, provision of protective equipment, and advocacy to enhance the well-being of these women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently available treatment options are mostly effective in achieving long-term cure in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients. However, there have been reports of recurrence of this illness in both immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients. Case presentation: We report the first case of recurrent VL relapse in a 19-year-old immunocompetent female with functional hypopituitarism (hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with central hypothyroidism) from Bangladesh, who has been treated three times previously with optimal dosage and duration- liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) alone and in combination with miltefosine. We treated the patient successfully with a modified treatment regimen of 10 mg/kg body weight LAmB for two consecutive days along with oral miltefosine for seven days as loading dose. For secondary prophylaxis, the patient received 3 mg/kg body weight LAmB along with oral miltefosine for seven days monthly for five doses followed by hormonal replacement. The patient remained relapse free after 12 months of her treatment completion. Conclusion: In the absence of protective vaccines against Leishmania species and standard treatment regimen, this modified treatment regimen could help the management of recurrent relapse cases. Author summary: Visceral leishmaniasis is a globally recognized neglected tropical disease, and Bangladesh is a major contributor of the global burden of this illness. In this article, we present a case on a 19-year-old immunocompetent female with pubertal delay, who has been diagnosed as a case of visceral leishmaniasis for 11 years and presented to us with recurrent relapses despite being treated with standard treatment regimens. The patient also developed functional hypopituitarism due to this chronic illness, which hindered her personal, familial, as well as social life. In scarcity of evidence of a standard treatment regimen for recurrent relapse cases, we treated her with high dose liposomal amphotericin B and miltefosine, along with secondary prophylaxis combining these two drugs with excellent result. Her pubertal delay was also addressed with utmost importance to re-establish her social confidence. This article could encourage physicians to outline an effective regimen to deal with these difficult-to-treat cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) refers to certain knowledge of teacher in a particular topic, considered as an act of teaching to deal with students in a particular way. Since PCK allows a science teacher to provide quality teaching, this qualitative multiple case study aims to explore the nature of science teachers' PCK on the topic "Genetics" of grade eight in Bangladesh by contributing to the existing literatures on PCK. Total four teachers, one from each school, participated in this study through filling in Loughran's (2006) developed CoRe (Content Representation) template which can provide an overview of how teachers conceptualize the content of particular subject matter. Classroom observation and semi-structured interviews with those teachers were also conducted. By ensuring the trustworthiness of the research, this study presented a thematic and cross-case analysis based on the components of PCK. The results showed that, three out of four teachers belong from novice level of PCK which implies that they could not achieve the maximum PCK components even if they worked for years, yet one teacher failed to meet the criteria of novice level even. Apart from that, the participants could not meet the requirements of teaching for scientific literacy in full extent. Since this study claims to shed a light on the present condition of science teachers' PCK and their daily challenges, it would facilitate the policy makers and educationists alike in developing curriculum and textbook on "genetics" section and conducting teachers' training.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a common acute vasculitis of childhood that may lead to coronary artery abnormalities in about 25% of patients if left untreated. KD is reported as the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children replacing rheumatic feverin developed countries. Strong epidemiological data are not available from developing countries, but it is increasingly recognized in rapidly industrializing countries of Asia including India, where it might has replaced rheumatic heart disease as the most common cause of acquired heart disease. This increasing recognition could be due to actual rise in number of KD cases or due to more diagnosis following increased awareness. The status of KD in Bangladesh is not known. But unpublished data from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) show a sustained and significant increase in the number of KD cases over the years. The reasons for this increase may be similar to our neighbouring country India. Aetiology of KD still remains unknown. But there have been many hypotheses including infection, immune dysregulation, superantigen and genetic factors. The diagnosis of KD is based on the presence of e" 5 days of fever and the presence of e"4 of the 5 principal clinical features (1.Extremity Changes, 2. Conjunctival injection, 3.Oral changes 4.Exanthem/Rash, and 5. Lymphadenopathy). The diagnosis of KD may be very challenging for even a very experienced paediatrician. It must be considered in a child with prolonged fever, undue irritability and sequential appearance of principal clinical features. KD patients should be managed timely with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and aspirin in proper dose. It is to be remembered that KD is no longer considered as a onetime disease of childhood, as it can be associated with significant long term sequelae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue is an endemic RNA viral infection in Bangladesh. It can affect different organ systems, acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of them. The study aimed to detect the prevalence and predictors of dengue-associated acute kidney injury (DAKI) and in-hospital outcome. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from July to September 2023 at the peak of dengue outbreak in the Department of Medicine in Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A total of 203 confirmed cases of dengue aged > 12 years were finally included in the study. Results: The prevalence of DAKI was 7.9%. The mean age of DAKI cases was higher than the non-AKI cases (p-value 0.008). AKI was significantly associated with DHF (43.8% vs 17.6%), higher HCT, higher neutrophil count and lower lymphocytes. In multivariate analyses age more than 60 years, dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and multiple organ dysfunction (MODS) were the independent predictors of DAKI. AKI itself was the independent predictor of hospital stay for more than three days (OR 4.67; 95% CI 1.29-16.92). There was no mortality in the study participants. All were discharged home with resolved AKI. Conclusion: Age more than 60 years, DHF and MODS are the independent risk factors of DAKI. Future studies are required to find out the risk factors for early diagnosis and prompt management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No major change has occurred up until now with regard to the teaching-learning methods of science used in Bangladesh. Teachers, in most cases, tend to teach the same things in the same ways they were taught when they were students. This study will, therefore, investigate how science teachers' learning in a professional learning community (PLC) influences the ways in which participant teachers learn about a constructivist teaching approach (POE). In so doing, teachers also work towards forming a professional learning community within and across schools. This article presents participant science teachers' understanding after they attending an intervention. Data have been drawn from 14 voluntary participant science teachers who were formed into seven peer pairs, from seven schools in Bangladesh. Each pair of teachers was located at the same school. The findings of this research show that the use of a constructivist teaching approach (POE) encouraged participant teachers to change their teaching perceptions which had been based on a traditional (didactic) approach. The findings of this study ultimately carry implications for science teachers' practice in using the POE and the collaborative activities empowered them to share, which expanded their capacity to develop a personal vision for their own teaching practice. (Contains 4 tables.)

While the current reform efforts in Bangladesh require a substantive change in how science is taught, an equally substantive change is needed in the culture of professional practice. This study will, therefore, investigate how science teachers' learning in a professional learning community (PLC) influences the ways in which participant teachers learn about, and develop their practice. In so doing, teachers also work towards forming a professional learning community within and across schools. This study presents research from participating teachers' post teaching discussions and subsequent workshop discussions that together comprised their PLC. Data have been drawn from 14 voluntary participant science teachers who were formed into seven peer pairs, from seven schools in Bangladesh. Each pair of teachers was located at the same school. The results indicate that the post teaching discussions and professional workshops offered participating teachers opportunities to discuss their problems regarding resources, content knowledge, pedagogy and the learning environment in the classroom. The findings of this study ultimately carry implications for science teachers' practice and professional learning in secondary schools in Bangladesh, as well as for pre and in-service education for secondary science teachers. (Contains 1 figure.)

The study assessed the status of water quality parameters for an urban water body (Hatirjheel Lake) in Dhaka, the Capital city of Bangladesh. Nine different water samples were collected from nine points of the lake during the dry season in January 2021. Water quality parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), total alkalinity, total acidity, total hardness, Ca2+ hardness, free CO2, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were determined for the samples. The status of the parameters is pH (6.51- 7.05), EC (510-600 μS.cm-1), TDS (450-590 ppm), TSS (0.0-0.034 mg.L-1), total alkalinity (80- 392 mg.L-1), total acidity (224-500 mg.L-1), total hardness (348-452 mg.L-1), Ca2+ hardness (74-162 mg.L-1), free CO2 (730-1170 mg.L-1), DO (2.7-5.5 mg.L-1). However, the DO value at some points of the lake is too less (2.7 mg.L-1 and 3.7 mg.L-1) than the standard value (> 5-6 mg.L-1) of ECR, DoE, which might not be healthy for any water body and aquatic ecosystem. Other water quality parameters are within the permissible limit of WHO and ECR, DoE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Rifampin-resistant and/or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (RR/MDR-TB) treatment requires multiple drugs, and outcomes remain suboptimal. Some drugs are associated with improved outcome. It is unknown whether particular pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships predict outcome. Methods Adults with pulmonary RR/MDR-TB in Tanzania, Bangladesh, and the Russian Federation receiving local regimens were enrolled from June 2016 to July 2018. Serum was collected after 2, 4, and 8 weeks for each drug's area under the concentration-time curve over 24 hours (AUC0–24). Quantitative susceptibility of the M. tuberculosis isolate was measured by minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Individual drug AUC0–24/MIC targets were assessed by adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for favorable treatment outcome, and hazard ratios (HRs) for time to sputum culture conversion. K-means clustering algorithm separated the cohort of the most common multidrug regimen into 4 clusters by AUC0–24/MIC exposures. Results Among 290 patients, 62 (21%) experienced treatment failure, including 30 deaths. Moxifloxacin AUC0–24/MIC target of 58 was associated with favorable treatment outcome (OR, 3.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.21–11.56; P =.022); levofloxacin AUC0–24/MIC of 118.3, clofazimine AUC0–24/MIC of 50.5, and pyrazinamide AUC0–24 of 379 mg × h/L were associated with faster culture conversion (HR >1.0, P <.05). Other individual drug exposures were not predictive. Clustering by AUC0–24/MIC revealed that those with the lowest multidrug exposures had the slowest culture conversion. Conclusions Amidst multidrug regimens for RR/MDR-TB, serum pharmacokinetics and M. tuberculosis MICs were variable, yet defined parameters to certain drugs—fluoroquinolones, pyrazinamide, clofazimine—were predictive and should be optimized to improve clinical outcome. Clinical Trials Registration NCT03559582. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several strategies and policies are being implemented in Bangladesh to address the healthcare needs of people with disabilities, who comprise about 10% of the country's total population. However, these measures are not adequate to provide accessible or friendly healthcare to the people with disabilities. This study aimed to explore the disability-friendliness of healthcare facilities, and the challenges of people with disabilities in terms of access to 1) information and communication, 2) access to infrastructure, and 3) providers' capacity in Bangladesh.Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-method study was conducted, including a cross-sectional survey of healthcare facilities, followed by structured-interview with people with disabilities and healthcare managers, and qualitative interviews among people with disabilities or their caregivers, healthcare providers (HCPs), policymakers, and community leaders. Data were collected from 150 public healthcare (primary-to-tertiary) facilities and from 300 people with disabilities in 16 districts across Bangladesh between January-December 2019. An observational checklist and structured questionnaires were used to assess the situation of healthcare facilities, and literature-guided guidelines were used for qualitative interviews. During analysis, the disability-friendliness of healthcare facilities were quantified through a scoring system, and thematic analysis of qualitative data was performed to identify the challenges of implementing disability-friendly healthcare (DFHC).Results: The score for providing DFHC was low across all the four objectives in the healthcare facilities. The highest score (mean percentage) was observed in the infrastructure domain: 29.3 ± 20.5, followed by communication: 18.2 ± 4.8, and information: 14.6 ± 6.22, and the lowest (0.93 ± 7.1) score was for capacity of the HCPs to provide DFHC. Mean percentage scores for access to 13 infrastructure points were low, and extremely low scores were found in areas such as access to elevators (5.6 ± 5.0), ticket counters (7.3 ± 17.7) and toilets (10.6 ± 9.3). Furthermore, about 59.1% of people with disabilities expressed dissatisfaction regarding access to information and communication. The majority (98.2%) recommended that training of HCPs can improve the situation.Conclusion: This study revealed that most of the public health facilities in Bangladesh were not disability-friendly. Findings can inform development of a national disability-friendly policy with implementation guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices directly impact the health of <2-y-old children. Minimum dietary diversity (MDD) is an IYCF indicator to assess feeding practices of children aged 6–23 mo. The definition of MDD has recently been updated by the WHO and UNICEF, substituting "≥4 out of 7 food groups" (MDD-7FG) with "≥5 out of 8 food groups" (MDD-8FG). Objectives The goals of this study were to estimate the prevalence of IYCF indicators and identify the implications of the change in the prevalence of MDD at the national and regional levels of Bangladesh. Methods This study used data from the National Food Security and Nutrition Surveillance 2018–2019 round. A total of 1992 children aged 0–23 mo were included in this analysis. IYCF indicators and MDD were calculated according to the WHO-UNICEF guidelines. The difference between the prevalence of MDD-7FG and MDD-8FG is presented as percentage points. Results The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was 43.8%, and exclusive breastfeeding was 56.2%. Approximately 55% of children maintained MDD (MDD-7FG), 48% received minimum meal frequency, and 28% received a minimum acceptable diet. Compared with MDD-7FG, the prevalence of MDD-8FG was lower among 6–23-mo-old children. The difference between MDD prevalence (MDD-8FG vs. MDD-7FG) was high for boys (44.0% vs. 53.2%), children aged 12–23 mo (53.4% vs. 63.4%), in urban areas (30.2% vs. 42.4%), in the Dhaka administrative division (42.0% vs. 56.3%), among uneducated mothers (37.1% vs. 47.1%), in households with ≤4 members (44.3% vs. 55%), and for middle-class households (40.3% vs. 57.6%). Conclusions The new method led to a decrease in the prevalence of MDD in Bangladesh. As the country prepares to implement the new indicator, it is critical to disseminate the new knowledge and its positive implication for improved child feeding and nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leptospirosis is a worldwide distributed zoonotic disease which affects humans and animals in countries with humid, tropical and subtropical climates. It is a well known cause for abortion, stillbirth or birth of weak calf. The present study was performed to investigate the seroprevalence, risk factors and biochemical values of bovine leptospirosis in dairy cattle at the mentioned area. Methods: A cross sectional study was performed from February 2021 to January 2022. A total of 240 serum samples of dairy cattle were investigated by rapid test (Genomix Bovine LeptospiraAb Rapid Detection Test KitR). The serum samples were further assessed for biochemical analysis. Risk factors were identified by multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall prevalence of bovine leptospirosis in dairy cattle was 10%. The odds of leptospirosis was 3.21 (96% CI: 1.20; 8.54) higher in crossbred cows than local cows. In addition, pregnant cows were at 3.66 times higher risk for leptospirosis than non-pregnant cows. The serum creatinine level was significantly higher (0.94±0.06) in disease positive cows than healthy ones (0.73±0.05). Conclusions: Female crossbred cows should be targeted for future control and surveillance programs in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rapid and early detection of drug susceptibility among multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients could guide the timely initiation of effective treatment and reduce transmission of drug-resistant TB. In the current study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of GenoType MTBDRsl (MTBDRsl) ver1.0 assay for detection of resistance to ofloxacin (OFL), kanamycin (KAN) and ethambutol (EMB), and additionally the XDR-TB among MDR-TB patients in Bangladesh. Methods: The MTBDRsl assay was performed directly on 218 smear-positive sputum specimens collected from MDR-TB patients and the results were compared with the phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) performed on solid Lowenstein-Jensen (L-J) media. We also analyzed the mutation patterns of gyrA, rrs, and embB genes for detection of resistance to OFL, KAN and EMB, respectively. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the MTBDRsl compared to phenotypic L-J DST were 81.8% (95% CI, 69.1–90.9) and 98.8% (95% CI, 95.6–99.8), respectively for OFL (PPV: 95.7% & NPV: 94.1%); 65.1% (95% CI, 57.5–72.2) and 86.7% (95% CI, 73.2–94.9), respectively for EMB (PPV: 94.9% & NPV: 39.4%); and 100% for KAN. The diagnostic accuracy of KAN, OFL and EMB were 100, 94.5 and 69.6%, respectively. Moreover, the sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of MtBDRsl for detection of XDR-TB was 100%. The most frequently observed mutations were at codon D94G (46.8%) of gyrA gene, A1401G (83.3%) of rrs gene, and M306V (41.5%) of the embB gene. Conclusion: Considering the excellent performance in this study we suggest that MTBDRsl assay can be used as an initial rapid test for detection of KAN and OFL susceptibility, as well as XDR-TB directly from smear-positive sputum specimens of MDR-TB patients in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bangladesh has experienced remarkable transformation in demographic, health, and nutritional status of the population. The changes have exposed the population to a number of challenges, the detrimental effect of which on health and nutrition is likely to be increased by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We provide an overview of health and nutritional challenges in Bangladesh in relation to demographic transition and the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: We identified and reviewed recent reports, published articles, and pertinent gray literature on nutrition and food security in Bangladesh to provide historical and contextual information.Results: The review identifies the progress as well as existing burden regarding nutrition and food security in Bangladesh and highlights the challenges in the coming days in regard to population growth and the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is on track to reduce all forms of childhood undernutrition, while the proportion of nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases is rising owing to changes in dietary intake, low physical activity, and sedentary lifestyle.Conclusions: Despite remarkable progress, health and nutritional status of the population in Bangladesh faces challenges, particularly in relation to demographic transition and compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which require concerted attention from policymakers as well as stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Although the prevalence of HIV is low in Bangladesh, there is a potential for an increased number of cases. This is because of high cross-border mobility (India and Myanmar) of people and increased injection drug abusers amongst youth in the cities and rural areas, HIV can present in many ways, from asymptomatic to advanced disease, including various atypical (generalized itching) and advanced (loss of vision) manifestations. A high degree of suspicion is required to diagnose HIV in a country like Bangladesh. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential to have a better outcome. Methods. Here, we report two thought-provoking cases where patients were suffering from generalized itchy lesions (pruritic papular eruption) throughout the body for a long time and gradual loss of vision in another case. Results. Due to lack of suspicion, initially, HIV screening was not done. Both patients visited several health centres, but no diagnosis was made. Moreover, COVID-19 pandemic worsens the situation. Finally, they were diagnosed with HIV; unfortunately, one of them lost her vision due to CMV retinitis and another patient died of other complications. Conclusion. Ongoing COVID-19 pandemic put many challenges to ensure optimum care, especially for patients with long-sufferings like HIV. Clinicians have to have a very high degree of suspicion while dealing with patients presented with rare manifestations, particularly in a low endemic clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) are still deprived of the optimum doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines for their population, equal access and distribution, as well as mass immunization roadmaps to be implemented for achieving herd immunity and protection from the ongoing pandemic. In this short report, we are interacting with the world public health experts, as well as national and global leaders for warranting the mass vaccination drive to be more progressive against COVID-19 with equitable access of vaccines to LICs or LMICs to save the lives of the poorest country people and refugees. From several scientific databases, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, as well as national and international news websites, the data were collected data by utilizing appropriate keywords regarding the topic. Bangladesh might be exemplified in this brief communication as the representative of LMIC. As of October 14, 2021, 48% of the world's people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In contrast, only 2.5% of people from LICs have come in under COVID-19 vaccination for at least a single shot. Both LICs and LMICs need far more vision and ambition, including political, administrative, and diplomatic progress along with enhancing the vaccination drive for their population to be immunized through simultaneous mass vaccination progress of other countries with implementing public health safety measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The World Health Organization recommends the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in children. Though stool is a potential alternative to respiratory specimens among children, the diagnostic performance of Xpert Ultra on stool is unknown. Thus, we assessed the diagnostic performance of Xpert Ultra on stool to diagnose PTB in children. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among consecutively recruited children (< 15 years of age) with presumptive PTB admitted in 4 tertiary care hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh, between January 2018 and April 2019. Single induced sputum and stool specimens were subjected to culture, Xpert, and Xpert Ultra. We considered children as bacteriologically confirmed on induced sputum if any test performed on induced sputum was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and bacteriologically confirmed if M. tuberculosis was detected on either induced sputum or stool. Results Of 447 children, 29 (6.5%) were bacteriologically confirmed on induced sputum and 72 (16.1%) were bacteriologically confirmed. With "bacteriologically confirmed on induced sputum" as a reference, the sensitivity and specificity of Xpert Ultra on stool were 58.6% and 88.1%, respectively. Xpert on stool had sensitivity and specificity of 37.9% and 100.0%, respectively. Among bacteriologically confirmed children, Xpert Ultra on stool was positive in 60 (83.3%), of whom 48 (80.0%) had "trace call." Conclusions In children, Xpert Ultra on stool has better sensitivity but lesser specificity than Xpert. A high proportion of Xpert Ultra assays positive on stool had trace call. Future longitudinal studies on clinical evolution are required to provide insight on the management of children with trace call. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Malnutrition is a major health issue among Bangladeshi under-five (U5) children. Children are malnourished if the calories and proteins they take through their diet are not sufficient for their growth and maintenance. The goal of the research was to use machine learning (ML) algorithms to detect the risk factors of malnutrition (stunted, wasted, and underweight) as well as their prediction. Methods: This work utilized malnutrition data that was derived from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey which was conducted in 2014. The selected dataset consisted of 7079 children with 13 factors. The potential risks of malnutrition have been identified by logistic regression (LR). Moreover, 3 ML classifiers (support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and LR) have been implemented for predicting malnutrition and the performance of these ML algorithms were assessed on the basis of accuracy. Results: The average prevalence of stunted, wasted, and underweight was 35.4%, 15.4%, and 32.8%, respectively. It was noted that LR identified five risk factors for stunting and underweight, as well as four factors for wasting. Results illustrated that RF can be accurately classified as stunted, wasted, and underweight children and obtained the highest accuracy of 88.3% for stunted, 87.7% for wasted, and 85.7% for underweight. Conclusion: This research focused on the identification and prediction of major risk factors for stunting, wasting, and underweight using ML algorithms which will aid policymakers in reducing malnutrition among Bangladesh's U5 children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analogical reasoning is a basic learning mechanism. Analogy in teaching science is a very popular pedagogical approach in many countries. The use of analogy is not recognized as one of the formal teaching learning strategies to facilitate students' science learning in Bangladesh. In secondary science teaching, teachers' unconscious and unsystematic use of analogy cause misunderstanding for learners which is a barrier to promote scientific literacy among students. This study investigated secondary physics teachers' views and practices of analogy as a teaching learning strategy in the context of Bangladesh. It followed explanatory sequential mixed method design. Quantitative data was collected through questionnaire (Likert scale) from 55 secondary school physics teachers. Case studies were conducted for qualitative data through lesson observations, interviews and document analysis. The findings reveal that teachers consider analogy to be an effective tool, but they have less idea as it was not embedded in any of their professional programs or in-service trainings. It is hard to find any quality source of analogies for seconday physics in Bangladesh. They even do not know about any models of using analogy yet which leads to inappropriate use of analogies. Teachers mostly think that analogy would be more suitable in the context of Bangladesh as we have shortage of instruments and teaching aids. This study will inform teacher educators about the deficiency of guideline for our teachers about using analogy in physics teaching. Textbook writers will also get guideline about which analogies are preferable. Further research can be conducted on which types of analogies in our science textbooks are suitable and which are not. Which models of using analogy are preferred by teachers can also be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently developed a non-laboratory based cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk chart considering the parameters age, sex, current smoking status, systolic blood pressure, and body mass index. Using the chart, we estimated the 10-years CVD risk among the Bangladeshi population aged 40–74 years. We analyzed data from a nationally representative survey conducted in 2018–19. The survey enrolled participants from 82 clusters (57 rural, 15 non-slum urban, and 10 slums) selected by multistage cluster sampling. Using the non-laboratory-based CVD risk chart of the World Health Organization (WHO), we categorized the participants into 5 risk groups: very low (<5%), low (5% to <10%), moderate (10% to <20%), high (20% to <30%) and very high (> = 30%) risk. We performed descriptive analyses to report the distribution of CVD risk and carried out univariable and multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with elevated CVD risk (> = 10% CVD risk). Of the 7,381 participants, 46.0% were female. The median age (IQR) was 59.0 (48.0–64.7) years. Overall, the prevalence of very low, low, moderate, high, and very high CVD risk was 34.7%, 37.8%, 25.9%, 1.6%, and 0.1%, respectively. Elevated CVD risk (> = 10%) was associated with poor education, currently unmarried, insufficient physical inactivity, smokeless tobacco use, and self-reported diabetes in both sexes, higher household income, and higher sedentary time among males, and slum-dwelling and non-Muslim religions among females. One in every four Bangladeshi adults had elevated levels of CVD risk, and males are at higher risk of occurring CVD events. Non-laboratory-based risk prediction charts can be effectively used in low resource settings. The government of Bangladesh and other developing countries should train the primary health care workers on the use of WHO non-laboratory-based CVD risk charts, especially in settings where laboratory tests are not available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors and the factors associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors (= 2 risk factors) among adolescent boys and girls in Bangladesh. Methods: Data on selected NCD risk factors collected from face to face interviews of 4,907 boys and 4,865 girls in the national Nutrition Surveillance round 2018-2019, was used. Descriptive analysis and multivariable logistic regression were performed. Results: The prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable intake, inadequate physical activity, tobacco use, and being overweight/obese was 90.72%, 29.03%, 4.57%, and 6.04%, respectively among boys; and 94.32%, 50.33%, 0.43%, and 8.03%, respectively among girls. Multiple risk factors were present among 34.87% of boys and 51.74% of girls. Younger age (p < 0.001), non-slum urban (p < 0.001) and slum residence (p < 0.001), higher paternal education (p = 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001) were associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors in both boys and girls. Additionally, higher maternal education (p < 0.001) and richest wealth quintile (p = 0.023) were associated with the coexistence of multiple risk factors in girls. Conclusion: The government should integrate specific services into the existing health and non-health programs which are aimed at reducing the burden of NCD risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While considerable progress has been made in reducing undernutrition in Bangladesh, regional disparities are known to exist, and certain population subgroups may lag behind.Objective: To characterize nutritional status among school-age children in a historically marginalized population of Bangladesh.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional assessment of children attending 14 nongovernmental organization-operated schools serving the tea estate population in Kulaura Upazila, Sylhet Division. We randomly selected 168 children from a population of 418 whose parents attended school-organized Parent-Teacher Association meetings. Parents provided consent and data on household food consumption in the past week, foods consumed by children in the past 24 hours, and household food insecurity. We drew venous blood from assenting children for the analysis of hemoglobin and plasma retinol, C-reactive protein, and α1-acid glycoprotein. Children were classified as stunted, underweight, or thin based on comparisons with the World Health Organization standards for height-for-age, weight-for-age, or body mass index-for-age, respectively.Results: Food insecurity was highly prevalent, with ∼85% of households affected. Roughly half of children had low dietary diversity. Prevalence estimates for stunting, underweight, and thinness were 32%, 50%, and 49%, respectively. Approximately 60% of children had a hemoglobin concentration <11 g/dL. The mean (±SD) plasma retinol concentration was 0.79 μmol/L (±0.23 μmol/L), with 34% deficient using a 0.70 μmol/L cutoff.Conclusions: A heightened focus on tracking progress in underserved populations and appropriately targeted programming will be critical as Bangladesh seeks to accelerate progress toward global development goals for nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Bangladesh, about 80% of healthcare is provided by the private sector. Although free diagnosis and care is offered in the public sector, only half of the estimated number of people with tuberculosis are diagnosed, treated, and notified to the national program. Private sector engagement strategies often have been small scale and time limited. We evaluated a Social Enterprise Model combining external funding and income generation at three tuberculosis screening centres across the Dhaka Metropolitan Area for diagnosing and treating tuberculosis. Methods and findings: The model established three tuberculosis screening centres across Dhaka Metropolitan Area that carried the icddr,b brand and offered free Xpert MTB/RIF tests to patients visiting the screening centres for subsidized, digital chest radiographs from April 2014 to December 2017. A network of private and public health care providers, and community recommendation was formed for patient referral. No financial incentives were offered to physicians for referrals. Revenues from radiography were used to support screening centres' operation. Tuberculosis patients could choose to receive treatment from the private or public sector. Between 2014 and 2017, 1,032 private facilities networked with 8,466 private providers were mapped within the Dhaka Metropolitan Area. 64, 031 patients with TB symptoms were referred by the private providers, public sector and community residents to the three screening centres with 80% coming from private providers. 4,270 private providers made at least one referral. Overall, 10,288 pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis cases were detected and 7,695 were bacteriologically positive by Xpert, corresponding to 28% of the total notifications in Dhaka Metropolitan Area. Conclusion: The model established a network of private providers who referred individuals with presumptive tuberculosis without financial incentives to icddr,b's screening centres, facilitating a quarter of total tuberculosis notifications in Dhaka Metropolitan Area. Scaling up this approach may enhance national and international tuberculosis response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of tuberculosis and of anti-tuberculosis therapy on composition and modification of human lung microbiota has been the object of several investigations. However, no clear outcome has been presented so far and the relationship between M. tuberculosis pulmonary infection and the resident lung microbiota remains vague. In this work we describe the results obtained from a multicenter study of the microbiota of sputum samples from patients with tuberculosis or unrelated lung diseases and healthy donors recruited in Switzerland, Italy and Bangladesh, with the ultimate goal of discovering a microbiota-based biomarker associated with tuberculosis. Bacterial 16S rDNA amplification, high-throughput sequencing and extensive bioinformatic analyses revealed patient-specific flora and high variability in taxon abundance. No common signature could be identified among the individuals enrolled except for minor differences which were not consistent among the different geographical settings. Moreover, anti-tuberculosis therapy did not cause any important variation in microbiota diversity, thus precluding its exploitation as a biomarker for the follow up of tuberculosis patients undergoing treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Haemonchus contortus is regarded as one of the most prevalent and highly pathogenic parasite of ruminants. Vulvar flap morphology of female Haemonchus worms is useful to understand the biology of this nematode. Traits of vulvar morphology are considered as markers of ecological adaptation. A study was carried out to determine the types of vulvar flap present in female Haemonchus worms in naturally infected slaughtered goats in Northern area of Bangladesh. Methods: Abomasa of 520 goats (260 from Rajshahi and 260 from Noagon District) collected from January, 2013 through December, 2013 from different slaughter houses of northern area of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Female Haemonchus worms were collected under a dissecting microscope and then washed under tap water to remove adhered feed residues from their body. All Haemonchus worms from each animal were preserved in 70% ethanol inside individually labeled universal bottles, until they were examined for the types of their vulvar flap. The statistical package SPSS 19 for Windows was used for data analysis. Parameters such as major vulvar morphotypes of Haemonchus spp were compared by Chi-square test in both study areas. Results: The major vulvar morph types was knobbed like (46.1%) followed by linguiform (33.5%) and smooth (20.4%). Out of 260 adult female Haemonchus worms collected from goats of Rajshahi district, 43.0% linguiform, 21.1% smooth and 35.8% knobbed vulvar morphs were identified. In Noagon district, 23.8% linguiform, 19.6% smooth and 56.5% knobbed vulvar morphs were observed. Linguiform type vulvar morphs were predominant in Rajshahi whereas knobbed type in Noagon district. Statistically significant (P<0.001) fluctuation was observed among three major vulvar flap morph types in the study areas. Sub-linguiform B (LB) was most common (96.6%) compared to Sub-linguiform A (LA); 3.4% type vulvar flap. There were no Sub-linguiform C (LC) and Sub-linguiform D (LD) types vulvar flap of Haemonchus spp detected in the study area. Conclusions: The study showed polymorphism in vulvar morphology of female Haemonchus spp of goats in selected area of Bangladesh. The morphological characters of female Haemonchus spp can help in the identification of type of species that occurs in study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Opisthorchis felineus infection is important both for health of cats and health of people. Objective of the research was to determine the prevalence of Opisthorchis felineus and the pathological lesions caused by Opisthorchis felineus infection in domestic and stray cats in Mymensingh district, Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 36 cats were examined. The study was carried out in the Department of Parasitology and the Department of Pathology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Results: Out of 36 examined cats, only 30 (83.00%) were infected with Opisthorchis felineus. A lower prevalence was observed in young cats <1 year old (66.66%) followed by adult cats >1 year (91.66%). Older cats were 5.5 times more susceptible to Opisthorchis felineus infection than that of young cats. Females (85.00%) were 1.30 times more susceptible to Opisthorchis felineus infection than that of males (81.25%). The prevalence of Opisthorchis felineus was very high all the year round. The rate of infection was 92.00%, 83.33% and 72.72% during summer, rainy and winter seasons respectively. At necropsy, the affected liver was apparently normal in size and shape. But in one case, paler and cream-colourcd area were found on the surface of liver. This liver was infected with 376 Opisthorchis felineus. Microscopically, fatty changes and mild hepatitis were detected. Conclusion: The present study indicates that Opisthorchis felineus infection in domestic and stray cats is a problem irrespective of age, sex and season of the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate the present status of production system of dairy buffalo under semi-intensive management in coastal area of Bangladesh. The data were collected during farm visit and recorded in prepared questionnaire and check list. The findings of the study revealed that very minimum housing facilities were provided to the buffaloes. Both the grazing and confinement time were found similar (around 6 hrs in a day) and they spent almost 3 hrs in a day for wallowing. The majority of the lactating buffaloes were not being adequately fed. Farmers usually supplied local grass (4.98±2.89 kg DM/day) and rice straw (10.90 ±2.85 kg DM/day) with one or two concentrate feed separately as supplement (1.51±0.80 kg DM/day). The daily average DCP and TDN supply were 0.365 and 6.417 kg/d respectively which were undersupplied as compared to standard requirement. The productive and reproductive performance of indigenous dairy buffalo was not similar to high producing dairy buffaloes. The average lactation yields (litre/lactation) were found as 469.52±163.71. The EC value (2.73±3.53) of milk indicated as healthy milk production. Milk consumption pattern (8%) was not satisfactory. Milk market was volatile. Natural breeding (95.7%) was more prominent practice than artificial insemination (AI) (4.3%). The most of the buffalo cows showed heat from early night to early morning (22.2-54.2%). Technology adaptation for buffalo rearing was very much poor. Technology adaptation index for the use of concentrate feed, artificial insemination, de-worming and vitamin-mineral premix were 16.34, 13.46, 23.07 and 6.25 respectively. It therefore be concluded that technological transformation could be boost up to national milk production by developing of the management practise of dairy buffalo under semi-intensive system in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shipbreaking in the Chittagong region of Bangladesh supplies metal to meet the needs of the nation's construction sector. The shipbreaking industry has received international attention for environmental contamination and workers' insecurity. However, these issues have been framed without considering the actors that produce them and their associated motives. This paper illuminates the conflicting discourses regarding the industry between two divergent groups of actors. On the one hand, national and international NGOs collaborate to enforce a discourse focused on negative localized impacts. On the other hand, yard owners, yard workers, and local community members forge a counter discourse, focused on positive localized impacts and raising doubts about the origin of the environmental pollutants and occupational standards setting. National and international actors have so far missed the conflicting perspective of workers, yard owners, locals and NGOs. We contend that these divergent discourses involve scalar politics, with one discursive frame focused on localized impacts in order to leverage global resources, while the other situates local communities in the global world system; this confounding of scale leads to ineffective policy formulation. This shipbreaking case study provides a valuable lesson on the importance of listening to and including stakeholders at multiple scales when seeking policies to address localized impacts of a globalized industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a conceptual paper to study how CSR practices influence job satisfaction and corporate reputation based on employees' perspectives. This paper investigates the link between corporate social responsibility and job satisfaction, which is a more widely recognized measure to assess the well-being at work. The study is based on primary and secondary data. Data has been collected on the survey of 3600 respondents indifferent industrial sectors in different areas in Bangladesh. Findings of the study indicate that employees' assessments on various aspects of their job are noticeably higher in firms that are perceived as more engaged in CSR activities both towards their internal and external stakeholders. A further outcome of the study emphasizes the negative link between firm size and corporate social responsibility, thus reflecting that smaller firms tend to show higher assessments regarding CSR. The study suggested that for effective CSR activities every firm can emphasizeon its stakeholder engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Using data from the national micronutrients survey 2011-2012, the present study explored the status of subclinical vitamin A nutrition and the underlying determinants in the Bangladeshi population. Design: A nationwide cross-sectional study. Settings: The survey covered 150 clusters; fifty in each of rural, urban and slum strata. Subjects: Three population groups: (i) pre-school age children (6-59 months; PSAC); (ii) school age children (6-14 years; SAC); and (iii) non-pregnant nonlactating women (15-49 years; NPNLW). Results: National prevalence of subclinical vitamin A deficiency was 20·5, 20·8 and 5·3% in PSAC, SAC and NPNLW, respectively. Slum populations had higher prevalence compared with urban (PSAC: 38·1 v. 21·2%, P <0·001; SAC: 27·1 v. 22·1%, P =0·004; NPNLW: 6·8 v. 4·7%, P=0·01). Dietary vitamin A met up to 27·1-46·0% of daily needs; plant-source vitamin A constituted 73-87% of the intakes. Multivariable regression analyses showed that higher consumption of animal foods was associated with higher retinol status in PSAC (ß=0·27; P<0·001); and living in urban area was related to higher retinol status in NPNLW (ß=0·08, P =0·004) and PSAC (ß=0·11, P=0·04). Increased intake of leafy vegetables was associated with lower retinol status in SAC (ß =-0·08, P =0·02). Vitamin A supplementation in PSAC did not significantly influence serum retinol within one year post-supplementation (P>0·05 for differences in ß between <3 months v. 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months). Conclusions: Prevalence of subclinical vitamin A deficiency was high in children in Bangladesh. Intakes of animal-source foods and leafy vegetables were associated with higher and lower retinol status, respectively. Increased food diversity through animal-source foods is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity intrusion greatly affects the livelihood decisions which farmers have to make. Both environmental and anthropogenic factors affect salt water intrusion within south west Bangladesh. Although climate change and sea level rise are thought to increase salinity, siltation and sedimentation of canals reduces access to surface water and prevents salt water intrusion in to farming zones. This study highlights how decreasing salinity within Khulna and Bagerhat districts is allowing farmers to diversify their agricultural practices, reducing vulnerability and improving household income and food security. By using both quantitative and qualitative data collection, semi structured interviews were held with farmers and landless people to understand how they adapt to salinity changes. The results show that whilst salinity decreases were identical across both districts, farmers adapt to the changes in a number of ways based primarily on their access to water. Whilst shrimp production struggles to improve, increases in freshwater production of prawns, fin fish and dyke crops partially confirm that salinity was decreasing within the area. Furthermore, increases in income generation were also observed confirming that diversification improved rural livelihoods. In the wider context, understanding farmer mitigation strategies towards the environment allows for future comparisons to be made on climate change and sea level rise which are widely considered to drive salt water intrusion further in land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Using data from the national micronutrients survey 2011-2012, the present study explored the determinants of Fe status and Hb levels in Bangladesh with a particular focus on groundwater Fe.Design: Cross-sectional study conducted at the nationwide scale. Settings The survey was conducted in 150 clusters, fifty in each of the three strata of rural, urban and slum.Subjects: Three population groups: pre-school age children (6-59 months; PSAC), school age children (6-14 years; SAC) and non-pregnant non-lactating women (15-49 years; NPNLW).Results: National prevalence of Fe deficiency was 10·7 %, 7·1 % and 3·9-9·5 % in PSAC, NPNLW and SAC, respectively. Prevalence of anaemia was 33·1 % (PSAC), 26·0 % (NPNLW) and 17·1-19·1 % (SAC). Multivariate regression analyses showed that the area with 'predominantly high groundwater Fe' was a determinant of higher serum ferritin levels in NPNLW (standardized β=0·19; P=0·03), SAC (standardized β=0·22; P=0·01) and PSAC (standardized β=0·20; P=0·03). This area also determined higher levels of Hb in PSAC (standardized β=0·14; P=0·01).Conclusions: National prevalence of Fe deficiency in Bangladesh is low, contrary to the widely held assumption. High Fe level in groundwater is associated with higher Fe status (all populations) and higher Hb level (PSAC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally there prevails a perception and mind set among many a managers in business as well as academicians, both in developing as well as developed economies, that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance are Philanthropic with no regard to profit and profitability of the business. In this connection, the present study attempts to examine the pattern of impact of CSR practices in leveraging the banks business in Bangladesh. The study is exploratory in nature and conducted on the basis of a pilot survey to test the magnifying ability of CSR practices in generating business of CBBs in some selected areas. A set Questionnaire as well as Interview method has applied for this study. There is a number of sample comprising of the beneficiary under different categories of CSR activities of the Bank and secondary data, which has been taken from "Review of CSR Initiatives in Banks", Annual reports of the respective banks, magazines and websites. We have found that the trends of CSR initiatives are positives. It has also been observed that a positive relation between CSR expenditure and banks' business leveraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment in Bangladesh is empiric or based on qualitative drug-susceptibility testing (DST) by comparative growth in culture media with and without a single drug concentration. Methods: Adult patients were enrolled throughout Bangladesh during the period of 2011–2013 at MDR-TB treatment initiation. Quantitative DST by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing for 12 first and second-line anti-TB drugs was compared to pretreatment clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes. MIC values at or one dilution lower than the resistance breakpoint used for qualitative DST were categorized as borderline susceptible, and MIC values one or two dilutions greater as borderline resistant. Results: Seventy-four patients were enrolled with a mean age of 35 ±15 years, and 51 (69%) were men. Of the rifampin isolates with MIC >1.0 μg/ml, 12 (19%) were fully susceptible or borderline susceptible to rifabutin (MIC ≤0.5 μg/ml). Amikacin was fully susceptible in 73 isolates (99%), but kanamycin in only 54 (75%) (p<0.001). Ofloxacin was borderline susceptible in 64%, and fully susceptible in only 14 (19%) compared to 60 (81%) of isolates fully susceptible for moxifloxacin (p<0.001). Kanamycin non-susceptibility and receipt of the WHO Category IV regimen trended with interim treatment failure: adjusted odd ratios respectively of 5.4 [95% CI 0.82–36.2] (p = 0.08) and 7.2 [0.64–80.7] (p = 0.11). Conclusions: Quantitative MIC testing could impact MDR-TB regimen choice in Bangladesh. Comparative trials of higher dose or later generation fluoroquinolone, within class change from kanamycin to amikacin, and inclusion of rifabutin appear warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to assess the sustainability of the current account of Bangladesh over the period of 1982-2012 using the intertemporal solvency model of Hakkio and Rush (1991) and Husted (1992). This approach examines the relationship between exports and imports plus unilateral transfer payments. We apply Johansen cointegration test and Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS) to evaluate the sustainability. Cointegration between inflows and outflows of current account implies that the intertemporal budget constraint is satisfied. Results of the Johansen cointegration test imply that there is a cointegrating relationship between exports and imports plus unilateral transfer payments. This indicates that Bangladesh's current account is sustainable but result of DOLS estimation reveals that it is weakly sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was carried out on the oviduct of laying native chicken of Bangladesh at the age range of 8-12 months old. After dissection, morphological parameters such as total length and weight of oviduct, length and weight at the age range of 8-11 months were determined. For the histological study, after preparation and staining with hematoxylin and eosin, histological layer of oviductal tissues were recognized. The mean length and weight of total oviduct of native chicken were 7.18 ± 4.22 cm and 24.45± 1.81 gm respectively. The mean length and weight of oviductal segments, infundibulum (7.18 ± 4.22 cm and 7.18 ± 4.22 gm), magnum (18.40 ± 6.75 cm and 18.40 ± 6.75 gm), isthmus (7.68 ± 3.46 cm and 7.68 ± 3.46 gm), uterus (6.10 ± 2.80 cm and 6.10 ± 2.80 gm) and vagina (6.83 ± 2.82 cm and 6.83 ± 2.82 gm) were measured. Both the length and weight of oviductal segment was progressively increasing from 8-10 months and was decreased at 11 months age. Histological features of oviductal segments varied in regards to the distribution of gland, connective tissues arrangement and mucosal folding. Particularly, the distribution of tubular glands among the segments of oviduct was significantly different. In the magnum and isthmus, populations of tubular glands were higher whereas other segments had limited glands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:To estimate the burden of prematurity, determine gestational age (GA)-specific neonatal mortality rates and provide recommendations for country programs.Study Design:Prospective data on pregnancy, childbirth, GA and newborn mortality collected by trained community health workers from 10 585 mother-newborn pairs in a community-based study.Result:A total of 19.4% of newborn infants were preterm; 13.5% were late preterm (born between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation), 3.3% were moderate preterm (born at 32 to 33 weeks) and 2.6% were extremely preterm (born at 28 to 31 weeks of gestation). Preterm babies experienced 46% of all neonatal deaths; 40% of preterm deaths were in late preterm, 20% in moderate preterm and 40% in very preterm infants. The population attributable fraction of neonatal mortality in premature babies was 0.16 for very preterm, 0.07 for moderately preterm and 0.10 for late preterm.Conclusion:In settings where the majority of births and newborn deaths occur at home and successful referral is a challenge, moderate and late preterm babies may be an important target group for home-based or first-level facility-based management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The child is the future asset and hope of any nation. There is global consensus that improving health of the child and mother paves the way for poverty alleviation and development. Preterm birth is 27% of direct cause of neonatal death in developing countries. Even in developed countries premature babies are main concern. So the treatment of preterm labour is given much priority .The goal of prevention and treatment of preterm labour is delivery of a healthy term infant. It is a fact that neonatal outcomes are greatly improved when intrauterine life can be extended until foetal lungs mature. It is therefore suggested that delaying labour for even days can be beneficial. Early and ongoing risk assessment, education of all pregnant women, and psychological intervention regarding smoking, alcohol use, illegal substances use, and domestic violence are important components of primary prevention. "Early diagnosis and early treatment" before advanced cervical changes have positive impact on neonatal morbidity. Screening, motivating, providing health care education and intervention on right time on right way can make a significant contribution to lowering morbidity and mortality from preterm delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast and accurate detection of susceptibility in drugs is a major challenge for a successful tuberculosis (TB) control programme. This study evaluated the performance of WHO-endorsed rapid diagnostic tools, such as BACTEC MGIT 960 SIRE (MGIT SIRE), GenoType MTBDRplus (MTBDRplus) and Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert), for detecting susceptibility to first-line anti-TB drugs among pulmonary TB patients in Bangladesh. A total of 825 sputum samples with results from drug susceptibility testing (DST) against first-line anti-TB drugs in the MGIT SIRE, MTBDRplus and Xpert assays were evaluated and compared with the gold standard proportion susceptibility method of the Lowenstein–Jensen (LJ) medium. The overall sensitivities of MGIT SIRE were 97.6%, 90.0%, 61.3% and 44.9%, while specificities were 89.9%, 94.5%, 91.3% and 92.2% for detection of susceptibility to isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF), streptomycin (STR) and ethambutol (EMB), respectively. For MTBDRplus, the sensitivities were 88.0% and 88.7%, and the specificities were 97.4% and 97.8% for the detection of susceptibility to INH and RIF, respectively. Xpert demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 94.8% and 99.5%, respectively, for the detection of RIF susceptibility. All tests performed significantly better in retreated TB patients compared with primary TB cases. For detection of RIF and INH susceptibility, all three assays showed almost perfect agreement with the LJ method, although MGIT SIRE exhibited low agreement for STR and EMB. Considering the high performance, shorter turnaround time and ease of use, molecular-based approaches Xpert and MTBDRplus can be widely implemented throughout the country for the rapid detection of drug-resistant TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey was conducted to investigate the potential factors of food-hygiene practices of mothers on sanitation and health condition among children of Netrakona Bangladesh in Garo (tribal) and Non Garo communities. The food-hygiene practices included hand-washing, method of washing utensils, separation of utensils for raw and cooked food, and the location where foods were prepared for cooking. A face-to-face interview was conducted, and data on 270 household were analyzed. The risk of unhygienic system was significantly higher among children. The mothers of targeted area prepared food by cooking in unhygienic kitchen, improper hand washing and mothers preparing food for their children in common utensils. These results indicate that food-hygiene practices are more common in Garo community than Non Garo. This has a potential impact in preventing diarrhea/diseases among children of Non Garo community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives:To examine the bacteriological quality of complementary foods (CF) and to correlate the results with diarrhoeal morbidity and nutritional status of Bangladeshi children aged 6-24 months.Subjects/methods:A total of 212 CF samples were tested, of which 72 were collected immediately before the first time of feeding (1 h of food preparation) and 140 were collected at second/third time of feeding from 140 households located in urban and rural areas of Bangladesh. Anthropometry, food frequency data and demographic information of the children were collected.Results:Of the first time feeding samples, 3% from each of urban and rural areas were found to be contaminated with faecal coliforms (FC) at 100 CFU/g. E. coli was isolated from 11% and 6% of samples, and B. cereus from 8% and 6% of samples from urban and rural areas, respectively. In contrast, 33% of the second/third time feeding samples from urban areas and 19% from rural areas were contaminated with FC at 100 CFU/g (P<0.05). E. coli was isolated from 40% and 39% of samples, and B. cereus from 33% and 26% of samples from urban and rural areas, respectively. Significantly high numbers of wasted rural children had CF with a high aerobic plate count, which was also significantly associated with diarrhoeal morbidity in children.Conclusions:Around 40% of CF samples were contaminated with E. coli, which was mainly attributable to food preparation practices. Consumption of contaminated CF appeared to be associated with a higher frequency of diarrhoea and malnutrition in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to determine the pricing system of sugarcane and sugar and its impact on sugar production of Bangladesh. Data were collected from secondary sources for the period of 1971-72 to 2008-09. Descriptive analysis, log linear model and Nerlovian partial adjustment model were used to analysis the data. It is found from the study that the growth rate of area and production of sugarcane, sugar, recovery of sugar and price were 1.3, 3.1, 3.0, 0.00 and 5.60 percent respectively. Study revealed that sugarcane production depends on the sugarcane area of current year and sugarcane price of previous year. The coefficients of sugarcane area and previous year price were 1.27 and 0.25 and significant at 1% level. It is also found that the price of other agricultural crops increased faster rate than sugarcane and sugar price. Procurement price of sugarcane should remunerative to keep the farmers in sugarcane production. Domestic sugar price should be reviewed compared to production cost and market price of others essential commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of chemotherapeutic agents has been questioned for disease management in shrimp aquaculture due to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria and enduring residual effects in the environments. Instead, microbial interventions in sustainable aquaculture have been proposed, and among them, the use of probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics has gained considerable attention. Earlier, we short-listed nineteen isolates out of ninety six bacteria, isolated from shrimp ghers of coastal areas of Bangladesh that exhibited antagonistic potential against pathogenic vibrios, and non-hemolytic property, presumably indicating their harmless behavior in mammalian system at least in vitro. This prompted us to study their cytotoxic effect in vivo using brine shrimp Artemia franciscana. Six isolates were found having higher lethal values compared with others. Four of them, identified as Pseudomonas and Bacillus spp. exhibited the lowest inhibition against Artemia and were considered safe. Further, in a co-culture experiment it was evident that the isolated probiotic bacteria were shown to outcompete the growth of pathogenic Vibrio harveyi due to their antagonistic properties. The probionts can now therefore be tested in culture environment of Bangladesh in order to understand the effectiveness of microbial control of bacterial diseases in shrimp aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the current reform efforts in Bangladesh require a substantive change in how science is taught, an equally substantive change is needed in the culture of professional practice. This study will, therefore, investigate how science teachers’ learning in a professional learning community (PLC) influences the ways in which participant teachers learn about, and develop their practice. In so doing, teachers also work towards forming a professional learning community within and across schools. This study presents research from participating teachers’ post teaching discussions and subsequent workshop discussions that together comprised their PLC. Data have been drawn from 14 voluntary participant science teachers who were formed into seven peer pairs, from seven schools in Bangladesh. Each pair of teachers was located at the same school. The results indicate that the post teaching discussions and professional workshops offered participating teachers opportunities to discuss their problems regarding resources, content knowledge, pedagogy and the learning environment in the classroom. The findings of this study ultimately carry implications for science teachers’ practice and professional learning in secondary schools in Bangladesh, as well as for pre and in-service education for secondary science teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), widely scattered in the environment because of inadequate combustion of fuels, are an important class of toxicological compounds. In the past decade, PAHs have drawn considerable attention because of their possible contamination to the environment and foodstuffs. A crude extract of the fish samples collected from the most polluted part of Bangsai river at Saver industrial zone was analyzed for the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, anthracene, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A suitable procedure for the extraction of PAHs from the fish sample was developed. A multi-layer clean-up (silica gel) column was used, followed by glass fiber filter (GFF) paper to eliminate the interfering organic compounds as well as lipids, fat and foreign particles. It was observed that PAHs deposition on the samples takes place in different morphological parts of the biological materials. Analysis was made for environmentally important PAHs and the results, the methods and some associated problems are discussed. Anthracene was found in almost all fish samples with the concentration in edible fishes collected from the Bangsai river being 0.761 to 3.294 μg/g. This concentration is within the range reported for other comparable regions of the world. Thus, it was suggested PAHs is oil contamination originating from the effluents of different industries such as tannery, dye, plastic, chemical, fertilizer or spillage's and/or heavy ship traffic. However, the high concentration of carcinogenic anthracene encountered in these fishes should be considered serious as it is hazardous to human health. Based on fish consumption by Bangladeshi population, the daily intake of total carcinogens was 0.15 ng/person/day. Recovery studies with fortified samples indicated that the recovery efficiency for anthracene was 85.32%. It is concluded that three fish samples: baim, bata and taki were contaminated by the various aspects such as industrial effluents, air, highway vehicle exhaust and highway tar samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]