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Nutritional status of children is a momentous issue across the world. Children are mostly suffering from various infectious diseases, which are ensuing through malnutrition or incommensurable nutritional requirement of children. Household food security, caring practice for women and children, health environment and services and infectious diseases are the major cause of mortality particularly in children in many developing countries. The findings of the review clearly relate malnutrition, which is one of the most underlying causes of infectious diseases among children and existing evidence shows that the prevalence of under-nutrition and other forms of malnutrition among under-five children was high and they are easily affected by infectious disease such as diarrhea, measles, malaria, acute respiratory infection etc.A well-designed social protection system has great potential to improve malnutrition in Bangladesh. The international and domestic evidence presented in this review clearly demonstrates the importance of an integrated approach to tackling malnutrition in Bangladesh. Severe wasting may be reduced by simply improving food intake but tackling chronic malnutrition requires integrated social protection programmes. Programmes that have effectively reduced stunting and wasting have also addressed many of the underlying causes of malnutrition, including improving household food security and the health environment. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2019, 5(4): 237-245

Due to inadequate regulatory mechanisms, the accuracy of the self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) devices is not ensured leading to potentially serious clinical consequences in Bangladesh. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the technical accuracy of ten most commonly used SMBG devices marketed in Dhaka City of Bangladesh. Top ten SMBG devices sold in Dhaka City were studied on a group of 100 type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects. Blood glucose values estimated (at fasting and 2 h after breakfast) by SMBG devices, using a blinding technique, were compared with the corresponding laboratory values by enzymatic method using the Dimension RXLMax automated chemistry analyzer. Hematocrit was measured using the Sysmex XT 2000 hematology autoanalyzer. The mean absolute relative error (MARE, %) was used as an indicator of accuracy and precision together. A highly significant correlation was observed between the device and laboratory values. However, none of the devices showed an acceptable accuracy at 5–10% deviation from the corresponding laboratory values either at fasting or postprandial states. On pooling together data from two prandial states, even at 15% deviation limits, 70% of the devices failed to show accurate results. On calculation of MARE, 60% devices were found to be beyond 15% error limit at 95% accuracy level. Corresponding analysis with 90% accuracy level showed 30% beyond the limit. Blood glucose results from around 30% of the top ten SMBG devices sold in Dhaka City do not have even minimum level of technical accuracy, and many others are not optimum in their accuracy levels.

Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose (SMBG) Devices are now thought to be an integral component in the prevention and management of diabetes mellitus which is increasingly becoming a major health and economic burden particularly in developing countries. The marketing of these Devices, however, are still not well regulated in most of the countries and this, in turn, may lead to more harm than good to the patients who are using these devices. Retailers are the most important contact points who create the interface among the Manufacturers, Professionals and Consumers for popularization of health related devices. In this study, the Users' Choice of SMBG Devices and its determinants, as reflected in the views of the Sales Persons (in a retail shop) in Dhaka City of Bangladesh, have been explored. Twenty Sales Persons from 20 Retail Shops, purposively selected from among major Dhaka City markets where these devices are commonly sold, were individually interviewed using a pretested Interviewer administered Questionnaire. The instrument consisted of six questions covering the Users' preference regarding quality vs cost and also regarding the guidance and motives for purchasing specific items. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics. It was found that 90% of the consumers are dependent on the suggestions of the Sales Persons regarding the choice of devices. In 80% of the subjects the cost of the System was found to be the determining factor regarding the choice of a meter. Only among 20% subjects, quality played any role in the choice. In conclusion, the choice of specific SMBG devices in Dhaka City is overwhelmingly influenced by Retailers (who, in most cases are not even qualified Pharmacists or Pharmacy Assistants) and, except in few cases; Users are not concerned with quality. Price, particularly the price of the strip, is the dominant factor on Users' choice of SMBG Devices. Bangladesh J Med Biochem 2018; 11(1): 17-21

Aims The aim was to find out the proportion of Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) Users and factors affecting the nonuse in three large hospitals of Dhaka city. Methods Under an observational cross-sectional design 598 type 2 diabetic subjects were recruited (convenient sampling) from the OPDs of 3 large tertiary care hospitals [one public hospital (PUBH), one Not-for-profit Hospital (NFPPH), and one For-profit private hospital (FPPH)] in Dhaka City. Data were analyzed by both univariate and multivariate analysis as appropriate. Results Overall 71% of subjects were SMBG Nonusers (PUBH 86%, NFPPH 67%, and FPPH 46%). Monthly income status and advice showed the highest impact (OR 4.66 and 3.74 respectively) on the use. Physicians (54%), relatives (34%), and friends (8.2%) were the major sources of advice. Irregular diabetes check-up and distrust of results were also among the major reasons for not using SMBG among the Nonusers. Conclusion Nearly three-fourth of type 2 diabetic patients in Dhaka city do not use SMBG and the proportion is especially high in public hospitals. Poor income status of patients, lack of coordinated advice/motivation by Caregivers, irregularity in diabetes checking, and distrust on results are major predictors for not using SMBG by the patients., Type 2 DM, Monitoring glycemic status, Self blood glucose monitoring, Home blood glucose monitoring, SMBG, SMBG nonuse predictors.

Leaves of Gynura procumbens (L.) (Family: Asteraceae) is one of the eminent leafy vegetable that is utilized for this purpose conventionally. It has been consumed against diabetes for long while. Diabetes was induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan at a dose of 150mg/Kg bodyweight and ethanolic extract of leaves of Gynura procumbens was foraged to the rats at a dose of 750 mg/kg. We determined blood glucose level, and safety profile by determining SGOT, SGPT and creatinine on diabetic and non-diabetic rats before and after administration of the extract. After determining blood glucose level, it was detected that the hypoglycemic efficiency was analogous to that of metformin (p> 0.05) which was imparted at a dose of 500 mg/kg. Safety profile were probed by inspecting SGOT, SGPT and creatinine level. It was discerned that both metformin and leaf extract of Gynura procumbens recuperated the pathological state induced by diabetes. In addition to that, in healthy individual rats both metformin and leaf extract of Gynura procumbens did not substantially alter conventional physiological state. It can, hence, be conjectured that extract of leaves of Gynura procumbens could be exploited as a good alternative therapy to treat diabetes.

For a few decades, bacteria called probiotics have been added to some foods because of their salutary effects for human health. Although only various clinical studies have been conducted, that probiotic could be feasible in obstructing and treating some leading diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, cancer & other potential diseases. Probiotics have been suggested to reduce cholesterol via various mechanisms without any deleterious effect on human health. Among their various effects, anti-cancer properties have been highlighted in recent years. Such effect includes suppression of the growth of microbiota implicated in the production of mutagens and carcinogens, alteration in carcinogen metabolism and protection of DNA from oxidative damage as well as regulation of the immune system. Outcomes from animals and human studies suggest a tolerable cholesterol-lowering action of dairy products fermented with adequate strain(s) of LAB (lactic acid bacteria) and bifidobacteria. Mechanistically, probiotic bacteria ferment food-derived indigestible carbohydrates to produce short-chain fatty acids in the gastrointestinal tract, which can then cause a reduction in the systemic levels of blood lipids by suppressing hepatic cholesterol synthesis and/or redistributing cholesterol from plasma to the liver. Besides, some bacteria may intervene with cholesterol absorption from the gut by deconjugating bile salts and therefore affecting the metabolism of cholesterol, or by directly embodying cholesterol which is then helpful for reducing coronary heart disease, including hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. In this review, we will focus mainly on reviewing existing studies concerning the effects of probiotic food in ameliorating health and treating diseases particularly cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia & cancer.

BackgroundSelf-monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) has been proved to be an invaluable tool to achieve better glycemic control. The use of the tool, however, has been seen to vary greatly in different countries due to various underlying factors. Exploration of the extent of use (and thus nonuse) and its determinants are important to design a rational evidence-based policy for the promotion of SMBG use in specific context. Such studies are still lacking in Bangladesh. AimsThe present study was undertaken to find out the proportion of SMBG Users and factors affecting the nonuse of such devices in three tertiary care hospitals of Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh.MethodsThrough convenient sampling 597 type 2 diabetic subjects were recruited from the OPDs of 3 tertiary care hospitals in Dhaka City. The first one was the largest public hospital (PUBH); the second one was a large Not-for-profit Hospital (NFPPH) and the third one was a large For-profit private hospital (FPPH) in the city. A pretested Questionnaire, written in the local language (Bengali), was used for data collection. Results & DiscussionOverall 69.6% of the diabetic patients were found to be Nonusers of SMBG. Two-third (67%) of the patients got hospital advice for SMBG use. Among the Users, the Physicians were found to be the main source of the advice (54%); however, relatives (34.1%) and friends (8.2%) were also important sources of the advice.Irregular diabetes checkup (35.8%) and distrust on SMBG results (33.4%) were found to be among the major reasons for not using SMBG. Age, female gender, education, lower socioeconomic status and health care in Public (PUBH) vs Private (NFPPH & FPPH) facilities were found to affect the use of SMBG at a significant level. When the PUBH and NFPPH setting (Not-for-profit facilities) were combined and compared with the FPPH (for-profit facility) settings it was found that use of SMBG is significantly higher in the for-profit private hoapital setting. The use was also found to be significantly higher among subjects who were advised for SMBG use compared to those who were not advised (67% vs 33% of overall subjects). On binary logistic analysis (with use of SMBG as dependent variable) age, male gender, education, monthly income and PUBH vs NFPPH & FPPH were found to have significant independent association with the use of SMBG. Among the factors, monthly income status was found to have a very high impact (p

TECHNICAL ACCURACY OF TEN SELF-MONITORING BLOOD GLUCOSE DEVICES COMMONLY USED IN DHAKA CITY OF BANGLADESHtBackgroundIntroduction of Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose (SMBG) Devices is a landmark in the history of diabetes management and prevention; however, the potential of this revolution may not be realized if the technical accuracy of the devices is not ensured. Due to unregulated nature of the marketing in many countries, consumers are victims of unethical promotion of SMBG systems. Evidence are thus required on the technical accuracy of these Devices which can help the Policy Makers and Implementing Executives to protect and guide the public to choose devices with acceptable quality within a reasonable price range.Aimto evaluate the technical accuracy of ten most commonly used SMBG Devices marketed in Dhaka City of Bangladesh.MethodUnder an experimental study design 10 SMBG Devices commonly sold in Dhaka City, selected though a Retailer-based survey, were subject to the accuracy test. One hundred type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects (aged 30-60 yrs) were recruited from the BIHS Hospital (a tertiary care hospital). Female subjects with pregnancy or lactation were excluded and also any subject with an acute or chronic complication of DM or any other clinically evident major disorders were excluded. After standard preparation the experiments were performed in the morning. Blood glucose measurement by SMBG Devices was done following the enclosed instruction of the specific Devices. The Laboratory measurement of blood glucose was done by enzymatic method using the Dimension RXL automated chemistry analyzer and average results from duplicate measurements were taken and expressed in a blinded manner. Hematocrit was measured using Sysmex XT 2000 hematology autoanalyzer. Data were analyzed by paired t-test and Pearsonu2019s correlation analysis.ResultsThe results of all devices generated from the two equipment differed from each other significantly (p

PERCEPTIONS OF DHAKA CITY RETAILERS ON USER CHOICE OF SELF-MONITORING BLOOD GLUCOSE DEVICESBackgroundSelf-Monitoring Blood Glucose (SMBG) Devices are now thought to be an integral component in the prevention and management of diabetes mellitus which are increasingly becoming a major health and economic burden particularly in developing countries. The marketing of these Devices, however, are still not well regulated in most of the countries and this, in turn, may lead to more harm than good to the patients. The preference of the Consumers are known to play an important role in the popularization of health related devices and Retailers are the most important contact points who create the interface among the Manufacturers, Professionals and Consumers.AimIn the present study, the Usersu2019 Choice of SMBG Devices and its determinants, as reflected in the views of the Sales Persons (the contact persons in a retail shop) in Dhaka City of Bangladesh, have been explored.MethodTwenty Sales Persons from 20 Retail Shops, purposively selected from among major markets of Dhaka City where these devices are commonly sold, were individually interviewed using a pretested Interviewer administered Questionnaire. The instrument consisted of six questions covering the prices of the devices as well as strips, Usersu2019 preference regarding quality vs cost, guidance and purchase of specific items. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics.ResultsA wide variation was found in the market price of both the devices (from US$ 7.5 to US$ 30) and the strips (from US$ 0.15 to US$ 1.02 per strip). On analysis of results and costs, higher price of a device or strip was not found to be necessarily associated with the quality of the result. It was revealed that a 90% of patients are dependent on the suggestions of the sales persons regarding the choice of meters. In 80% of the subjects, cost of strip was the most important determining factor regarding the choice of the devices. Quality played a very small role (20%) in the choice.DiscussionThe choice of specific SMBG devices is overwhelmingly influenced by Retailers and, except in few cases, Users are not concerned with quality. Price, particularly the price of the strips is the dominant factor on Usersu2019 choice of SMBG Devices in the Bangladesh context. This is an alarming finding and the blame should not go only to the users or retailers. In fact, education is the most regulated part of diabetes management in countries like Bangladesh and the present findings suggest that the patients are not educated properly regarding the importance of use as well as quality of SMBG Devices. It can be concluded that, although the great importance of SMBG Devices in clinical care and public health strategies (particularly in the field of diabetes mellitus) are generally acknowledged, the criteria for technical accuracy are still not universally agreed and it needs to be fixed in specific country context. From the survey, it is found that the patients are almost fully dependent on sales persons in retail shops and cost (particularly strip cost) rather than quality is the predominant factor in choosing the Devices.Conflict of InterestI have no potential conflict of interest to disclose

The phase transition of glycine phosphite (GPI) and partially deuterated glycine phosphite (DGPI) single crystals has been characterized by applying the effective mean field theory. Temperature dependence of the spontaneous polarization P s(T) has been analyzed from hysteresis loops for these crystals. With the increment of deuteration ratio, saturated spontaneous polarization P s 0 is also increased. As a result, the quantitative phase transition indicator g according to the mean field theory is being increased but the maximum increment is underlying the decisive tricritical point g = 1/3. The phase transition character of GPI crystal is proved to be second order but very near to the tricritical point.

In order to investigate the effect of deuteration on the ferroelectric properties of glycine phosphite, single crystals with various deuteration ratio x (0 ∼ 0.78) have been prepared. The crystal form is not affected by the deuteration. Internal bias fields influenced hysteresis loops in all samples cut from crystals. Temperature dependence of permittivity of all samples shows a dielectric anomaly characteristic of the second order ferroelectric phase transition. The reciprocal permittivity strictly fulfills the Curie-Weiss low in each paraelectric phase. The transition temperature T C increases with the ratio x from 224K ( x = 0) to 320K ( x = 0.78). The transition temperature of fully deuterated crystal ( x = 1) is roughly estimated to be about 350K. The Curie constant is slightly affected by the deuteration.

An experimental procedure to prepare single crystals of ferroelectric glycine phosphite (GPI) is presented. Since the solubility of GPI in water increases with temperature, the single crystals are grown from fine seed crystals in a saturated aqueous solution by the gradually-decreasing-temperature method. Full faced, transparent, colorless crystals weighing about 10 g are obtained within 20–30 days. Crystallographic axes and the Miller indices for all faces of the obtained crystals are determined using the lattice parameters as a clue.