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Mohammad Khaja Mafij Uddin,1 Ashabul Islam,1 Maha Sultana Jabin,1 Tahmina Alam,2 Salwa Khair,1 Jannatul Ferdous,1 Rumana Nasrin,1 S M Mazidur Rahman,1 Stephane Pouzol,3 Jonathan Hoffmann,3 Sayera Banu1 1Infectious Diseases Division, Icddr,B, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 2Nutrition Research Division, Icddr,B, Dhaka, Bangladesh; 3Scientific and Medical Department, Fondation Mérieux, Lyon, FranceCorrespondence: Mohammad Khaja Mafij Uddin, Email kmuddin@icddrb.orgBackground: Around one-quarter of the global population has latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). If left untreated, LTBI has 5– 10% lifetime risk of developing into TB. Interferon-gamma release Assays (IGRAs) are more sensitive than the tuberculin skin test for LTBI detection. However, the high cost and complexity of IGRAs are barriers to adoption in resource-constrained settings. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of a more affordable IGRA, Standard E TB-Feron (TBE), among different risk groups in Bangladesh.Methods: 532 participants of all age groups were enrolled from the TB Screening and Treatment Centers and Dhaka Hospital of icddr,b between June and September 2023. The participants were categorized into four risk groups: healthy people, healthcare workers/ attendants of TB patients, patients with microbiologically confirmed TB, and people with a history of TB. The diagnostic performance of TBE was compared to QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) for all groups. GeneXpert, culture, and microscopy were used to confirm TB microbiologically.Results: TBE had an overall agreement of 85.9% (95% CI, 82.5% to 88.7%), positive percent agreement of 86.1% (95% CI, 80.6% to 90.5%), and negative percent agreement of 85.7% (95% CI, 81.3% − 89.4%) with QFT-Plus. Among 81 culture-positive patients, TBE and QFT-Plus were positive for 60 (74.1%) and 62 (76.5%) respectively. Among healthy people, TBE and QFT results were positive for 49 (24.5%) and 59 (29.5%) respectively. Among health workers and contacts, TBE and QFT-Plus were positive for 79 (39.5%) and 73 (35.5%) respectively.Conclusion: We found a substantial agreement (Cohen’s kappa of 0.71) between TBE and QFT-Plus in detecting LTBI across different groups, suggesting its potential as a cost-effective diagnostic tool. Implementation of TBE in routine clinical practice could increase accessibility to LTBI diagnosis, facilitating the timely initiation of preventative therapy, and leading to a reduction of active TB incidence.Keywords: latent tuberculosis infection, interferon-gamma release assay, Standard E TB-Feron ELISA, QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus

Aim: Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in subtropical cropping systems is low causing a large quantity of reactive N loss to the environment. However, the mechanisms and pathways of such losses are poorly understood. The objectives of the research were to quantify N volatilization rates and corresponding NUE in a biochar and nitrapyrin-treated cabbage field using N-control as well as a 15N-based approach. Methods: The treatments consisted of: N-control, urea alone, urea with nitrapyrin (UN), urea with biochar (UB), and urea with biochar and nitrapyrin (UNB). In each plot, 15N-labeled urea was applied in 1 m2 micro-plots to repeat the treatments. Results: The UNB had higher (p < 0.001) crop yields than other treatments by 29, 23 and 16% over the urea, UN and UB treatments, respectively, while the UN and UB were also higher than the urea alone. The estimated 15N-based NUE was higher (p < 0.01) in the UNB (40%) than in the urea alone (32%) but similar to the UN (36%) and UB (38%). The N-control based calculation overestimated NUE by 2–13% relative to the 15N-based approach. The UNB treatment reduced NH3 volatilization by 37, 22, and 33% over urea alone, UB and UN, respectively (p < 0.01). Post-harvest soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N were higher (p < 0.001) in the UNB and UB treatments than the other treatments. Conclusion: Our results with a subtropical crop suggest that biochar alone or co-applied with nitrapyrin improves NUE and mitigates NH3 volatilization while increasing SOC and TN contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Traditionally, a judicious combination of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT) is the widely accepted primary modality of treatment for locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Although the recommendation of American Brachytherapy Society is <7.5 Gy for individual fraction and four to eight should be the range of fractions; however, literature showed high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy of two fractions of 9Gyresults in acceptable toxicity without compromising the local control. Methods: This was a Prospective Quasi-Experimental study, conducted in Department of Radiation Oncology, National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, Mohakhali, Dhaka from July 2018 to June 2019. Patients with Clinically diagnosed and histopathologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix in locally advanced stage (FIGO stage IIB to IVA) were selected. Total 60 patients were enrolled according to selection criteria and allocated in to group. Both arm was received 50Gy EBRT in 25 fractions with concurrent inj. Cisplatin 40 mg/m2 weekly. Then Arm A was given HDR Brachytherapy 9Gy in each fraction for 2 fractions and Arm B was given HDR Brachytherapy 7Gy in each fraction for 3 fractions. Then treatment responses, locoregional control of disease and acute toxicities were compared between groups. Result:Follow up at 6 months after completion of treatment, complete remission was 90% and 86% respectively for arm A and arm B. The overall complete response was 88%. The common toxicities associated with treatment were bladder and rectal toxicities, skin reaction, small bowel toxicity and haematologic complications which were managed well. During follow up after 6 months, 3 patients in arm A and 2 patients in arm B developed grade II bladder toxicities and only 2 patients in arm A developed rectal grade II toxicities, but there was no rectal toxicity in arm B. Conclusions: Present study showed that a total dose of 18 Gy ICRT in two fractions of 9 Gy over 2 weeks is equally effective in short term local control with acceptable toxicities in comparison with a total dose of 21 Gy in three fractions of 7 Gy ICRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate knowledge of the terrestrial radionuclides concentrations in building components is crucial for radiation exposure assessment to the dwellers. The present investigation determines the natural radioactivity levels in common building materials (the structural and decorative) used in Bangladeshi dwellings via HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry. The measured activity levels of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the studied materials ranged between 7.33 ± 3.49 and 157.13 ± 13.03 Bq kg−1, 4.08 ± 1.84 and 131.65 ± 6.87 Bq kg−1 and 128.38 ± 10.27 and 1234.5 ± 39.77 Bq kg−1, respectively. Majority of the studied materials, especially the cement and paint, show the elevated concentrations of terrestrial radionuclides. However, for most of the samples, the total activity in terms of hazardous radium, show lower values compared to the OECD reported limiting index of 370 Bq kg−1, except in paint samples. The potential radiological hazards owing to the investigated samples were assessed by calculating a number established screening parameters, and compared with the agreed limits set by international regulatory bodies. The calculated indoor and outdoor absorbed dose rates for most of the materials (apart from sand) overdo the agreeing limiting standards of 84 and 59 nGy h−1, as suggested by UNSCEAR (2000). Therefore, continuous radiation level monitoring, especially for paint and cement samples, need to be continued to avoid undesirable exposure from radiation to occupants. Overall, the calculated data may help to set up recommendations for using building materials for dwelling resolutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Treatment of children with Down syndrome having congenital heart defects has not been reported well in Bangladesh. This study has been carried out to inform practitioners about findings from cases in Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka. Methods: Three years retrospective observational study (clinical data, hospital course and follow-up) was carried out on 114 patients (49 males and 65 females, age range 1 month to 12 years) who underwent diagnostic and therapeutic work up in the pediatric cardiology department CMH Dhaka between January 2018 and December 2020. Results: Among 114 patients ,64 were (57%) were infants and 50 were older children (43%), twenty-five had congestive cardiac failure and eighteen had hypothyroidism. The study showed that 33.3% were atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), 28.1% were patent ductus arteriosus (PDA),8.75% were tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) ,5.25% were coartation of aorta (COA) ,3.5% were patent ductus arteriosus with coarctation of aorta 3.5%, double outlet right ventricle with pulmonary stenosis were 3.5%, ventricular septal defect were 7% whereas atrial septal defect along with ventricular septal defect were 5.3%, atrial septal defect were 3.5%, transposition of great arteries with multiple ventricular septal defect were 1.8%.Forty (35%) patients using per cutaneous intervention, had 100% procedural success and no mortality .45 patients underwent surgery, few of them were not operated due to severe pulmonary hypertension. Conclusion: Congenital heart disease was more frequent in DS children, having worse prognosis. Children with DS required special attention due to increased risk of pulmonary hypertension. Delayed treatment was an important risk factor for poor prognosis. So early diagnosis is needed in order to provide optimal intervention and surgery, before occurrence of irreversible PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]