Impact of Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles on Rice Plant

Calcium phosphates are of great interest in medicine, biology, agriculture and materials sciences. The present study evaluates the effect of calcium phosphates nanoparticles on biochemical changes in rice. Nanoparticles increased the growth rate and affect the physiology of the plant. Calcium phosphate nanoparticles may help in the formulation of new nano growth promoter and nano-fertilizers for agricultural use. Therefore, it could potentially help in reduction of the quantity of fertilizer applied to crops and contributing to precision farming as it reduces fertilizer wastage and in turn environmental pollution due to agricultural malpractices. However, detail physiological and molecular understanding of its impact on rice crop plant is needed in future to validate its prospective application in agriculture

Knowledge and Acceptance of HPV Vaccination among Women Attending at Out Patient Department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital

Vaccination is a part of primary prevention to prevent cervical cancer. The causative agent of cervical cancer is Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and awareness regarding cervical cancer prevention by HPV vaccination and acceptance of vaccination among women attending at outpatient department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. A qualitative study was undertaken using face to face in depth interviews from July 2015 to December 2015. A total of 229 women were included and their mean age was 34.07±7.92 ranging from 18 to 60 years. Awareness and knowledge about cervical cancer was very poor. Only 22.7% participants were aware of HPV vaccination. Knowledge was high among women coming from high socioeconomic condition which was 31.5% (p=0.03). Participants who were highly educated had more knowledge on vaccination about 66.7% (p=0.001). There was a high acceptance (83.8%) of HPV vaccination among participants. The findings focus on the importance of awareness development on cervical cancer and its risk factors. Continuous screening of cervical cancer for early diagnosis and prompt treatment and publicity of awareness development program by mass-media (television, cable line add etc.), poster, billboard and most importantly through health education could play an important role in cervical cancer prevention.Bangladesh Med J. 2017 Jan; 46 (1): 25-31</jats:p

Living with infertility: experiences among urban slum population in Bangladesh

This paper explores the perceived causes of infertility, treatment-seeking for infertility and the consequences of childlessness, particularly for women, among a predominantly Muslim population in urban slums of Dhaka in Bangladesh. In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 women and GO men randomly selected from Urban Surveillance System clusters of the international Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. Case studies of 20 self-perceived infertile women who had previously participated in a study on the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and other reproductive tract infections were taken, and three traditional healers were interviewed as key informants. In both groups of respondents, the leading ca uses of infertility were perceived to be evil spirits and physiological defects in women and psychosexual problems and physiological defects in men. Herbalists and traditional healers were considered the leading treatment option for women, while for men it was remarriage, followed by herbalists and traditional healers. Childlessness was found to result in perceived role failure, with social and emotional consequences for both men and women, and often resulted in social stigmatisation of the couple, particularly of the woman. Infertility pla ces women at risk of social and familial displacement, and women clearly bear the greatest burden of infertility. Successful programmes for dealing with infertility in Bangladesh need to include both appropriate and effective sources of treatment at community level and community-based interventions to demystify the causes of infertility, so that people know why infertility occurs in both men and women and and where best to seek care

Changes in Renal Function Test Following Kidney Donation

Objectives: The aim of this study was to find out any Changes in renal function test following kidney donation.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: A Hospital based prospective study was conducted in the Department of Urology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh from April 2011 to September 2012. Investigations included specific gravity and urinary microalbumin, serum creatinine. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria a total of 37 donors were enrolled in this study. Subsequent follow up were taken at the end of three months, six months and nine months. Data were evaluated by Paired t-test, Significance was defined p value&lt;0.05.&#x0D; Results: The age range varied from 25 to 39 years and 45.9% of patients belonged to 25- 30 years and male to female ratio was 1:2.4. The mean baseline specific gravity was 1016.97±8.03, serum creatinine 1.03±0.24. The baseline urinary micro albumin was found nil and subsequent 1st, 2nd, and 3rd follow up were also nil. The mean difference of specific gravity, urinary micro albumin, and serum creatinine (mg/dl) were almost consistent between baseline and the subsequent follow-up, no statistical significant (P&gt;0.05) was found between baseline and the subsequent follow-up.&#x0D; Conclusion: Renal function test of the remaining kidney in living donors does not significantly change after donor nephrectomy.&#x0D; Bangladesh Journal of Urology, Vol. 18, No. 1, Jan 2015 p.3-7</jats:p

Cohort profile: the BangladEsh Longitudinal Investigation of Emerging Vascular and nonvascular Events (BELIEVE) cohort study

Purpose Bangladesh has experienced a rapid epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in recent decades. There is, however, limited evidence about multidimensional determinants of NCDs in this population. The BangladEsh Longitudinal Investigation of Emerging Vascular and nonvascular Events (BELIEVE) study is a household-based prospective cohort study established to investigate biological, behavioural, environmental and broader determinants of NCDs.Participants Between January 2016 and March 2020, 73 883 participants (aged 11 years or older) were recruited from 30 817 households across urban, urban-poor (‘slum’) and rural settings in Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire was administered by trained personnel recording participants’ demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural, medical, environmental and other factors. Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were recorded for each participant. Biological specimens were collected and aliquoted for long-term storage and analysis.Findings to date Of the 73 883 study participants (mean [SD] baseline age: 39 [15] years), 43 470 (59%) were females, and 38 848 (52%) had no or only primary-level education. Focusing only on the 65 822 adult participants aged 20–79 years at baseline, 15 411 (23%) reported being diagnosed with hypertension; 10 578 (16%) with type 2 diabetes and 7624 (12%) with hypercholesterolaemia. Age and sex-standardised prevalences of these conditions were much higher in urban than slum and rural settings. Overall, the mean (SD) body mass index (BMI) was 25 (5) kg/m2, with 10 442 (16%) participants aged 20–79, classified as obese (ie, BMI≥30 kg/m2). Mean BMI was also higher in urban than slum and rural areas.Future plans The collection of information during the baseline visit was completed in 2020. Regular longitudinal follow-up is ongoing for ascertainment and adjudication of a range of fatal and non-fatal health outcomes among participants. This cohort will provide a powerful resource to investigate multidimensional determinants of incident NCDs across diverse settings in Bangladesh, helping to advance scientific discovery and public health action in an archetypal low-middle-income country with pressing public health needs