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Diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) is imposing an enormous burden on the health system and society due to the rapid growth of diabetes worldwide. Given the paucity of robust data on the disease burden of DFD in Australia, this study aimed to estimate the burden of disease due to DFD. The burden of DFD was estimated using the disability-adjusted life-years (DALY) approach. Data of 27 931 individuals aged 45 years and older with diabetes residing in New South Wales (NSW) from the 45 and Up Study survey were used in this study by linking it with the emergency department, hospital admissions and the deaths' registry data. The disease burden of DFD was estimated as 8915 DALY in NSW and 27 164 DALY in Australia in 2011. The burden was prominent among males and people aged 65 years and older. Most of the DALY (87%) was attributed to years of life lost or the fatal burden due to diabetes-related lower limb amputation (DRLEA). The total monetary values of DALY of DFD for NSW and Australia were estimated at approximately AUD 2 billion and AUD 6 billion annually, respectively. Preventative and curative priorities should be given to DRLEA to reduce this burden and target males, especially those aged 65 years and older.

Stocking density of fish is species specific and is considered as one of the crucial aspects for optimizing feed and water-quality management in biofloc system. The present study was carried out to determine the optimum stocking density of a prime aquaculture species, climbing perch Anabas testudineus in biofloc system. Fish fingerlings with a mean initial weight of 0.80 ± 0.02 g were reared in biofloc tanks for 13 weeks under three different stocking densities, 300 (T-300), 450 (T-450), and 600 (T-600) fish m−3 in triplicates, and the fish were fed with a commercial diet at 3% of their body weight. At final harvest, significant differences in growth and body composition were observed among the treatments. T-300 and T-450 showed similar growth pattern (p > 0.05), while fish in T-600 registered significantly poor growth (p 0.05), while significant (p

This Evidence Snapshot review identifies innovative models of service delivery for Opioid Treatment Programs and their costs. The review was conducted to support improving access to treatment in NSW. Innovative models of opioid treatment identified were digital health, primary care, low threshold, group-based treatment, and mobile outreach as well as a combination of these models. Telemedicine models were most frequently mentioned in the peer reviewed literature as these addressed many traditional barriers to treatment, particularly for rural and hard to reach communities. Primary care models were most frequently mentioned in the grey literature as using innovative approaches which included the use of designated nonphysician staff to perform the care coordination role and tiered care models with centralised intake and stabilisation of patients with ongoing management in community settings. None of the included papers mentioned costs.

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) symptoms (e.g., abnormal genital discharge and genital sores/ulcers) are a major public health concern in Bangladesh because the symptoms can indicate an STI and cause sexual and reproductive health complications in women of reproductive age. To our knowledge, no study examined the prevalence and risk factors of STI symptoms using a nationally representative sample. This study investigates the prevalence of STI symptoms among ever-married women in Bangladesh and the associations of STI symptoms with various demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral risk factors using the most recent available data (2007, 2011, and 2014) of the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS). The BDHS employs a two-stage stratified sampling technique. The analytic sample comprised 41,777 women of reproductive age (15–49 years). Outcome variables included STI symptoms: abnormal genital discharge and genital sores/ulcers. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to find the adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval to assess the associations of outcome measures with explanatory variables. The study found that the prevalence of abnormal genital discharge and genital sores/ulcers among ever-married women aged 15–49 years was 10% and 6%, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that for women aged 25–34 years, those who used contraceptives and married earlier had an increased likelihood of STI symptoms. Furthermore, women from the wealthiest wealth quintile and couple’s joint decision-making were less likely to have STI symptoms. Findings have implications for interventions efforts aiming to improve women’s sexual and reproductive health in Bangladesh.

Mangrove leaf litter is a potential source of nutrients for shrimp post larvae. To introduce mangrove trees in shrimp farms it is necessary to identify the combination of trees which is most beneficial for shrimp. The present study evaluated the effects of mixed leaf litter of four mangrove species (Avicennia officinalis (Ao), Sonneratia apetala (Sa), S. caseolaris (Sc) and Heritiera fomes (Hf) on shrimp post larvae performance and water and soil quality. Leaf litter with and without supplemental feed was applied to shrimp culture tanks according to a 4 × 2 factorial design and followed by testing a subset of treatments in mesocosm pond conditions. Shrimp post larvae of 15-days old (PL15) with an average weight of 0.01 g were used for both experiments, each with a 4-week duration without water exchange. Under controlled conditions in the tanks, leaf litter and feed resulted in 22 to 32% higher weight gain of PL shrimp than combined weight gain realized when receiving only leaf litter or only feed, indicating synergism. Based on this, the pond experiment was designed with combined application of leaf litter and feed. The pond experiment resulted in higher shrimp weight gain than realized in the tanks. In tanks, the highest average individual weight gain of PL was observed for the leaf litter mixture SaAoHf (0.23 g)followed by SaScHf (0.21 g), ScAoHf (0.21 g) andSaScAoHf (0.20 g). Paralleling the results of the tank experiment, SaAoHf leaf litter also gave the highest average individual weight gain (1.2 g) of PL shrimpin the ponds but other leaf litter treatments followed by SaScAoHf (0.95 g), ScAoHf (0.84 g) and SaScHf (0.69 g) leaf litter. The different mixtures of mangrove leaf litter also resulted in significant differences in biological oxygen demand (BOD5), phytoplankton and zooplankton concentrations in pond water and organic carbon in soil. Both phytoplankton (P < 0.01, Pearson correlation r = 0.910)and zooplankton (P < 0.05, r = 0.535) abundance was positively correlated to shrimp weight gain. The low feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the treatments combining leaf litter and supplemental feed as compared to treatments using only feed indicated extra food benefits for shrimp PL from decomposing leaf litter. Overall, mixed mangrove leaf litter had a positive effect on shrimp performance and this effect was highest for SaAoHf leaf litter.

Diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) is a major public health concern due to the higher risks of hospitalisation. However, estimates of the prevalence of DFD in the general population are not available in Australia. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of DFD and diabetes-related lower-extremity amputation (DLEA) among people aged 45 years and over in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The NSW 45 and Up Study baseline survey data of 267,086 persons aged 45 years and over, linked with health services’ administrative data from 2006 to 2012 were used in our study. Of these, 28,210 individuals had been diagnosed with diabetes, and our study identified 3035 individuals with DFD. The prevalence of DFD, diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), diabetic foot infection (DFI), diabetic gangrene (DG), and DLEA were 10.8% (95%CI: 10.3, 11.2), 5.4% (95% CI: 5.1, 5.8), 5.2% (95%CI: 4.9, 5.5), 0.4% (95%CI: 0.3, 0.5), and 0.9% (95%CI: 0.7, 1.0), respectively. DFD, DFU, DFI, DG, and DLEA were the most common among those who were older, born in Australia, from low-income households (&lt, AUD 20,000), or were without private health insurance. Interventional messages to reduce all forms of DFD should target those who are from high-risk groups.

BackgroundSaudi Arabia is the fifth largest consumer of calories from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in the world. However, there is a knowledge gap to understand factors that could potentially impact SSB consumption in Saudi Arabia. This study is aimed to examine the determinants of SSBs in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThe participants of this study were from the Saudi Health Interview Survey (SHIS) of 2013, recruited from all regions of Saudi Arabia. Data of a total of 10,118 survey respondents were utilized in this study who were aged 15 years and older. Our study used two binary outcome variables: weekly SSB consumption (no vs. any amount) and daily SSB consumption (non-daily vs. daily). After adjusting for survey weights, multivariate logistic regression models were applied to assess the association of SSB consumption and study variables.ResultsAbout 71% of the respondents consumed SSB at least one time weekly. The higher likelihood of SSB consumption was reported among men, young age group (25–34 years), people with lower income (ConclusionsThree out of four individuals aged 15 years and over in Saudi Arabia consume SSB at least one time weekly. A better understanding of the relationship between SSB consumption and demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors is necessary for the reduction of SSB consumption. The findings of this study have established essential population-based evidence to inform public health efforts to adopt effective strategies to reduce the consumption of SSB in Saudi Arabia. Interventions directed toward education on the adverse health effect associated with SSB intake are needed.

This research is the first attempt to present temporal distribution of heterotrophic dinoflagellate Protoperidinium divergens and their relationship with diatom and environmental factors in the Maheshkhali channel, south-east coast of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. The initiation of higher abundances of P. divergens were observed in October and reached its peak in November when diatoms were the most abundant phytoplankton. Protoperidinium divergens preferred comparatively low temperature from 20-22°C and high concentration of phosphate-phosphorus from 31-37 µM. It had insignificant relationship with nitrate-nitrogen. Lower abundances of P. divergens were observed during pre-monsoon and monsoon due to lower abundances of diatom and higher water temperature (>23°C). Protoperidinium divergens, therefore, were mainly controlled by the availability of diatom abundance at comparatively lower temperature and higher concentration of phosphate-phosphorus. This research is important to estimate the potential trophic impact of P. divergens in the Maheshkhali channel.

The Nypa fruticans Wurmb (Nypa), a true mangrove palm, is abundant in the Sundarbans reserved forest of Bangladesh. Leaves are the primary product obtained from the Nypa, which are often used as thatching materials and source of income for the forest-dependent communities in the Sundarbans Impact Zone (SIZ) of Bangladesh. Hence, this study aimed to assess the usefulness of the Nypa leaf collection as a livelihoods strategy in the SIZ of Bangladesh. A total of 90 Nypa leaf collectors from three coastal unions were interviewed by administering a semi-structured interview schedule. Effects of social factors [age, education level and household (HH) members involved in income generation] and economic factors (primary, secondary and tertiary occupation) on the HH total income of the Nypa leaf collectors were analyzed using linear regression and Pearson’s correlation, respectively. Moreover, the effect of physical factors on the HH total income was analyzed by ANOVA and linear regression. Results suggested that income from the Nypa leaf collection, though making only a quarter percent of HH total income, was constrained by underdeveloped infrastructure, inaccessibility to fair market price, limitations of financial capital and frequent attack of Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). The study, therefore, suggests that Nypa leaf collection from the Sundarbans alone could not be a sustainable livelihoods strategy for the forest-dependent communities in the SIZ of Bangladesh. Diversified and advanced husbandry activities, which have the potential to further reduce dependency on forest resources, would strengthen the livelihoods strategy and ultimately conserve the resources of the Sundarbans.

Evidence shows that inadequate or low health literacy (LHL) levels are significantly associated with economic ramifications at the individual, employer, and health care system levels. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the economic burden of LHL among a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community in Blacktown: a local government area (LGA) in Sydney, Australia. This study is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from publicly available datasets, including 2011 and 2016 census data and National Health Survey (NHS) data (2017–2018) from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and figures on Disease Expenditure in Australia for 2015–2016 provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). This study found that 20% of Blacktown residents reported low levels of active engagement with health care providers (Domain 6 of the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ)), with 14% reporting a limited understanding of the health information required to take action towards improving health or making health care decisions (Domain 9 of the HLQ). The overall extra/delta cost (direct and indirect health care costs) associated with LHL in the Blacktown LGA was estimated to be between $11,785,528 and $15,432,239 in 2020. This is projected to increase to between $18,922,844 and $24,191,911 in 2030. Additionally, the extra disability-adjusted life year (DALY) value in 2020, for all chronic diseases and age-groups—comprising the extra costs incurred due to years of life lost (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD)—was estimated at $414,231,335. The findings of our study may enable policymakers to have a deeper understanding of the economic burden of LHL in terms of its impact on the health care system and the production economy.

Introduction Understanding the elasticities of cigarette smoking demand among the youth could help improve the effectiveness of tobacco control interventions. The objective of this study is to measure the price and income elasticities of cigarette smoking demand among urban Bangladeshi male adolescents and young adults aged 10-24 years. Method Using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in seven urban districts of Bangladesh, we applied probit and ordinary least square (OLS) models to examine the effect of price and income on smoking participation (decision to smoke) and intensity (number of cigarettes smoked). Results Our results showed that price was not significantly associated with the decision to smoke, while income was a significant determinant of smoking participation. Both price and income determined the smoking intensity. The positive income elasticity (0.39) indicated that participants with greater access to money were more likely to participate in cigarette smoking and smoked more cigarettes. Negative price elasticity (-0.62) implied that increasing prices could lead to a reduction in smoking intensity among adolescents and young adults in urban Bangladesh. Conclusion The inelastic price demand for cigarette smoking suggests that there is scope for increasing tax on cigarettes without compromising the tax revenue. Implications This is the first study to investigate price and income elasticities among urban adolescents and young adults in Bangladesh. The study found no evidence that increasing the price of cigarettes discourages smoking participation but did show that increasing the price reduces the intensity of smoking among existing smokers. The results also suggest that economic measures such as taxation that increase the price of cigarettes could be a useful policy tool to limit smoking intensity without compromising government tax revenue.

Shrimp based mangrove-aquaculture (silvo-aquaculture) is practiced in many countries of the world and leaf litter of different mangrove tree species is a potential nutrient source in these systems. The present study evaluated the effects of mangrove leaf litter from four mangrove species (Sonneratia apetala, S. caseolaris, Avicennia officinalis and Heritiera fomes) on the production of juvenile shrimp (Penaeus monodon) with and without supplemental feed. Fifteen-day-old post larvae (PL15) with an average weight of 0.01 g were reared in 1100 L fibre-reinforced polyethylene tanks containing 1000 L of 10 ppt saline water and a water depth of 0.9 m. Leaf litter with or without supplemental feed was applied to the tanks according to a 4 × 2 factorial design. The PLs were stocked at a density of 100 per tank and the experiment was conducted for 4 weeks without any exchange of water. Both mangrove species and feed application affected shrimp performance and water quality parameters except dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and zoo-plankton concentration. The average survival rate of juvenile shrimp ranged from 86 to 94% in the treatments with both leaf litter and feed, 75–82% in the treatments with only leaf litter and 88% in the treatment with only feed. However, 100% mortality was observed in the treatment without any leaf litter or supplemental feed. Combined, leaf litter and feed resulted in 21 to 33% higher weight gain of shrimp PL than based on the combined contributions of leaf litter only or feed only, indicating synergism. Among the different mangrove species, S. apetala (23.1%) contributed the highest to total weight gain followed by A. officinalis (21.6%), S. caseolaris (21.6%) and H. fomes (10%). The lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) (0.18–0.27) in the treatments combining leaf litter and supplemental feed as compared to the feed-only treatment (0.41) indicated that leaf litter (directly or by stimulating natural food production) contributed to supplemental feeding. The growth of phytoplankton also appeared to contribute in low FCR as evidenced by a positive correlation (P < 0.001, r = 0.681⁎⁎) between phytoplankton concentration and shrimp weight gain. The synergistic effect between leaf litter and supplemental feed can help the farmer to minimize the shrimp production cost by lowering the feed input and enhancing mangrove three coverage on pond dikes as an inexpensive source of natural food.

Mangroves of tropical and subtropical shores and deltas contribute to ecosystem functioning and human wellbeing in numerous ways but continue to be lost or degraded worldwide at a rapid pace. Overexploitation driven by poverty is often the root cause of mangrove destruction and degradation. The negative feedback cycle between destruction and poverty can only be broken by justly valuing current or introducing new sustainable livelihood options to foster long-lasting local support for mangroves. The large array of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) that mangroves offer have rarely been developed beyond the subsistence level and remain undervalued as &ldquo, products of the poor&rdquo, In light of the global trends towards sustainability and bio-economy, today they represent a major business opportunity for forest communities to produce high value-added end-user products. Even though mangrove NTFPs have been recognized to have high potential toward inclusive development and poverty alleviation and to be highly gender-equal, the development of mangrove NTFPs has continued to attract very little funding or research interest. Several ecological characteristics make commercialization of mangrove NTFPs particularly challenging. Production at economies of scale, including quality standards, as well as marketing and value chain management are all essential in order to develop these products beyond their subsistence role. To be most effective, a systems perspective on NTFP development is needed, whereby product-market development occurs in unison and based on a participative, inclusive and fair development approach. The species/product of choice for value-added product-market development in any specific community or area will depend on several factors. To address many of the typical constraints and maximize the chances of success, we suggest that the use of village or district-level cooperatives may be particularly useful. A better use of the untapped potential of mangroves for local livelihoods may form a most convincing advocate for local protection and restoration of mangrove forests. Therefore, funding agencies, governments and researchers alike are called to invest in mangrove NTFP development as a way to locally incentivize sustainable mangrove protection and restoration.

Background: Cigarette smoking among youth has become a major public health problem in many developing countries like Bangladesh. Many smokers start smoking in their teens; then they become addicted and deepen the dependency during early adulthood, maintaining their smoking behaviour. Current literature from Bangladesh has not examined how peer effect, family influence and smoking-related knowledge impact smoking behaviour of the adolescent and young adults from the urban areas of the country. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature by investigating the smoking patterns of urban male adolescents and young adults in Bangladesh. The study aims to examine the family and peer influence on the behaviour of smoking of this population group. The study also explores how knowledge on harmful effects of smoking affects the participation decision of smoking by young adults and adolescents. Methods: This study is an educational institution-based cross-sectional study within the framework of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Primary data has been collected from a sample of 995 urban male students aged between 10-24 years living in the seven divisional headquarters of Bangladesh. We use logistic regression and count data regression models to examine how smoking is associated with different factors. Results: Our results suggest that a person is 45% more prone to smoke a cigarette if any of the family members is a smoker. The likelihood of smoking is about six times higher if he is offered a cigarette by his friend, whereas the likelihood of being a smoker is 15-fold if he has a smoker friend, as the findings reveal. However, institutional and family awareness are not significantly related to smoking. Conclusion: Strong evidence of peer and family effect on smoking initiation indicates the need for effective smoking-prevention intervention at the national level, specifically targeted at family and educational institutions. The findings are also relevant for other countries which share the similar characteristics of Bangladesh in terms of adolescent smoking determinants.

The purpose of this work was to assemble information with which to help identify and select mangrove species most likely to be useful and locally acceptable for use in transforming the dominant current non-mangrove shrimp culture practice in Bangladesh towards more sustainable shrimp silvo-aquaculture in the coastal regions of the country. We reviewed current mangrove use in the extensive aquaculture setting, compiled published evidence on mangrove properties and characteristics that influence their suitability for such use and assessed farmer preferences of the various species. Thirteen mangrove species (all of which are available in Bangladesh) were documented as being used in silvo-aquaculture system in the tropics. Followed by these already “established” mangrove species, Aegialitis rotundifolia, Heritiera fomes and Lumnitzera racemosa could be enlisted as additional “optional” mangrove species to consider, while Ceriops decandra, Excocaria agallocha and Phoenix paludosa were found to be unsuitable for silvo-aquaculture. Based on their experience and indigenous knowledge on mangroves, shrimp farmers ranked (in declining order of preference) Sonneratia apetala, S. caseolaris, Avicennia officinalis, Nypa fruticans, Bruguiera sexangula, Heritiera fomes, and also, the mangrove-associate wild rice species Oryza coarctata as the most suitable species to be used for promoting silvo-aquaculture in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Thus, the focus group interviews with the farmers not only identified which mangroves enjoy most local support for use in transforming current shrimp culture towards more sustainable shrimp silvo-aquaculture but also provided additional leads for species interesting to further investigation into their suitability for silvo-aquaculture.

Mangrove forests are remarkably diverse and productive ecosystems, with distinctive biophysical environments in intertidal coastal regions of the tropics and subtropics. In these regions, shrimp cultivation is identified as a profitable business and one of the main reasons for clearing of mangroves to construct shrimp farms. Against this backdrop and based on the first author's previous PhD research and other relevant scholarly works, in this commentary we discuss the aspects and contexts of the mangrove-based integrated shrimp farming system. Then, we recommend a model of co-management and a set of policy option towards sustainable silvo-aquaculture to protect/restore the mangrove forests and sustain shrimp production in coastal areas of Bangladesh. Mangrovesand shrimp culture are not necessarily incompatible. Many mangrove species have been identified as beneficial for shrimp culture for a number of possible reasons. Most importantly, the nutrients in the leaf litter of several mangrove species have been found to enhance natural food production for shrimp. Besides the nutrient input, the leaf litter also provides surface area for biofilm development, on which different life stages of shrimp can graze. In addition, the combination of mangrove leaf litter and feed has been shown to enhance shrimp productionsynergistically. Additional economic benefits from mangrove-shrimp co-management include the production of timber (e.g. buildings, boats and fuel woods) and non-timber products (e.g. fruits, honey, fibers, firewood, resinsand bark). Thus, mangrove-based aquaculture or silvo-aquaculture system can be considered as a nature-based solution to sustainably revitalize the economy in coastal areas where shrimp has been the economic mainstay. Though there are positive effects, we point out some potential negative impacts of mangrove-based shrimp culture, like the anti-nutrients content in the leaf litter, which might impact shrimp production. In addition, the long term use of mangrove leaf litter might degrade the water quality. Therefore, the co-management policyrecommends a controlled practice of mangroves in shrimp culture to balance conservation of mangrove-based ecology and profitable shrimp production. The approach promotes nature-based solutions and fosters sustain-able pathways for food production, considering socio-economic and environmental dynamics

ObjectivesTo critically evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the Midwifery Initiated Oral Health-Dental Service (MIOH-DS) designed to improve oral health of pregnant Australian women. Previous efficacy and process evaluations of MIOH-DS showed positive outcomes and improvements across various measures.Design and settingThe evaluation used a cost-utility model based on the initial study design of the MIOH-DS trial in Sydney, Australia from the perspective of public healthcare provider for a duration of 3 months to 4 years.ParticipantsData were sourced from pregnant women (n=638), midwives (n=17) and dentists (n=3) involved in the MIOH trial and long-term follow-up.Cost measuresData included in analysis were the cost of the time required by midwives and dentists to deliver the intervention and the cost of dental treatment provided. Costs were measured using data on utilisation and unit price of intervention components and obtained from a micro-costing approach.Outcome measuresUtility was measured as the number of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) from health-benefit components of the intervention. Three cost-effectiveness analyses were undertaken using different comparators, thresholds and time scenarios.ResultsCompared with current practice, midwives only intervention meets the Australian threshold (A$50 000) of being cost-effective. The midwives and accessible/affordable dentists joint intervention was only ‘cost-effective’ in 6 months or beyond scenarios. When the midwife only intervention is the comparator, the midwife/dentist programme was ‘cost-effective’ in all scenarios except at 3 months scenario.ConclusionsThe midwives’ only intervention providing oral health education, assessment and referral to existing dental services was cost-effective, and represents a low cost intervention. Midwives’ and dentists’ combined interventions were cost-effective when the benefits were considered over longer periods. The findings highlight short and long term economic benefits of the programme and support the need for policymakers to consider adding an oral health component into antenatal care Australia wide.Trial registration numberACTRN12612001271897; Post-results.

Purpose Despite remarkable economic growth in the last two decades, corruption is a “way of life” in Bangladesh. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the long run relationship between economic development and corruption in Bangladesh over 1984-2013. Design/methodology/approach This study employs autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds test method to examine the long run relationship or cointegration between corruption and per capita real GDP in Bangladesh using annual time series data. International Country Risk Guide’s (ICRG) corruption index is used as the proxy to measure the degree of corruption. Findings The results of ARDL bounds test confirm that there exists a long run association between corruption and economic development in Bangladesh. Findings from the long run estimation provide evidence of negative impact of corruption on economic development. The negative value of the error correction term in the short model reinforces the existence of long run relationship. Originality/value Using multivariate time series approach, this paper contributes to corruption literature by investigating the long run relation between corruption and economic development in Bangladesh. Bangladesh would be able to accelerate its economic development further by reducing the level of corruption through institutional reforms and raising public awareness. Most importantly, government should focus on identifying and abolishing laws and programmes promoting corruption.

DOI: 10.20286/ajlsr-040288 This study was conducted to detect the presence of enterovirulent Escherichia coli strains using PCR technique in some selected unhygienic and hygienic traditional shrimp farms in Bangladesh. The target genes chosen for this investigation included: the phoa housekeeping gene (present in all E. coli ); the lt1, lt2 and st1 genes of ETEC; the vtverotoxin, and eae virulence genes of EHEC and EPEC, respectively. Six pairs of oligonucleotide primers were designed to amplify internal fragments of these genes by PCR to generate PCR products that were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. The presence of E. coli strains were determined by visualization of strain specific band comparing with a 100 bp DNA size marker in UV transilluminator. The results revealed that water of both hygienic and unhygienic farms were highly contaminated with E. coli followed by sediment and shrimp. Whereas, only water, sediment and shrimp of unhygienic farms were found to be contaminated with virulent E. coli strains. Among the virulent E. coli strains, ETEC and EPEC strains were detected in unhygienic farms, but no EHEC strain was detected. However, no contamination with virulent E. coli strains was found in hygienic farms.

Objective To quantify the increase in workload associated with multidisciplinary team meetings for radiologists in a tertiary care hospital over a period of 15 months. Methods Data was collected prospectively regarding number of multidisciplinary team meetings, number of clinical cases discussed, number of individual imaging studies reviewed, and preparation time of residents, senior registrar and consultants and the delivery time of meeting. Results Total 223 meetings were held over 15 months (April 2014 to June 2015) for 12 clinical specialty areas. There were 1120 clinical case discussions and a total of 2759 documented individual imaging studies reviewed. Resident's preparation time was 74.6 hours/month, senior registrar's preparation time was 47.93 hours/month, consultant's preparation time was 18.67 hours/month and the total duration time for meetings was 18 hours/month. Conclusion Multidisciplinary team meetings now represent a significant workload of radiology and has reduced the time for other academic activities within the department.

An α-galactosidase from watermelon seeds has been separated from invertase and β-galactosidase by ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by elution from a DEAE-cellulose column with phosphate buffers. This enzyme is capable of hydrolyzing galactose residues from melibiose, raffinose, and stachyose. The pH optimum with the three substrates is close to 4.2. The enzyme is inhibited by the products of the reaction, and, in the case of melibiose, by the substrate itself.