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The transfusion of whole blood derived platelets (WBDPs) or apheresis platelets (APs) is standard support for cancer patients. However, disputes remain about which type of platelets are ideal in terms of efficacy, cost, and the risk of adverse reactions. This cross sectional study included 141 cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy or hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation and received platelet transfusions at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center between 2002 and 2003 were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 141 patients who did not differ significantly in terms of age or sex had a reaction to transfusions (WBDPs, n=123; APs, n=18), for a frequency of 0.66% in patients who received WBDPs and 0.45% in patients who received APs, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.13). More WBDP-related reactions occurred in patients transfused with older platelets (2 days old) than in patients transfused with fresh platelets, but the difference compared with AP-associated reactions was not statistically significant. However, the rate of reactions to WBDP may increase if WBDPs are stored for a prolonged time (2 days). Until evidence becomes available that clearly refutes this; the more fresh platelets as possible may be used.

This study was carried out in 1999–2000 in the northern part of Bangladesh to determine the impact of sanitary latrine use and of health education on intestinal parasites in school-aged children. The children were between 5 and 13 years of age and stool samples revealed that more than half (53%) of the study sample was still infected with one or more intestinal parasites even after 4 years of intervention. Ascariasis was found to have the highest prevalence rate (36.2%) and hookworm the lowest (10.7%). Intestinal parasite infection was significantly lower ( P

For prevalence and pattern of disability as well as the socio-economic effects of disability, a community based study was carried out in a rural area of Bangladesh. A trained physician conducted a house to house survey in a population of 1906. An overall prevalence of disability of 8.5 percent was found. Major forms of disability were hearing disability (23%), visual disability (21%) and movement disability (15%). Disability was found to have considerable effects on educational attainment, employment and marriage. Many of these disabilities could be prevented by simple measures such as immunization, vitamin A supplementation and improving referral systems for early treatment. A substantial proportion could also benefit from relatively simple rehabilitatory measures.