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Purpose: The study was conducted to observe the prospects and problems of sheep farming in south-western coastal regions of Bangladesh. Research Method: The study was based on survey data collection. An interview schedule was prepared to collect data from the sheep farmers keeping the objectives in mind. Data were collected from 90 sheep farmers who were chosen randomly from three different upazilas (sub-districts) covering 30 from each. The duration of data collection was from June to September, 2019. Findings: The socio-economic status of the sheep farmers was studied. The majority (61.1%) of the sheep farmers was middle aged group (31-50 years) and more than half (52.2%) of the sheep farmers were found illiterate. The average number of sheep per household was 6.5±3.69. The average age at puberty, age at first lambing, lambing interval, litter size, lactation length and gestation length of coastal sheep were 224.78±10.68 days, 388.39±13.13 days, 214.22±9.12 days, 2.84±0.73, 104.22±13.74 days and 149.44±5.27 days, respectively. Majority (94.44%) of the sheep farmers stated that their income was increased after adopting sheep farming and about 5.6% of the sheep farmers did not sell their sheep yet. More than half (56.7%) of the sheep farmers described sheep farming as high prospect and 43.3% cases it was described as moderate prospect. About 80% of the sheep farmers stated that their problem facing score ranged between 20 and 39 i.e., their problem facing intensity was moderately severe during sheep farming. Originality/Value: The results of the study revealed that instead of few problems faced by the farmers, the prospects of sheep farming in south-western coastal region was high as it requires less space and investment and it also increased the income of the farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study reports awareness of the 'Open up to Mouth Cancer' campaign materials and oral cancer knowledge among two UK adult Bangladeshi communities, both at high risk for oral cancer.Methods: Differences in the outcomes of campaign awareness and knowledge of oral cancer risk factors and early signs were compared between campaign and comparison areas. Home-based interviews were conducted with representative samples from both areas by bilingual interviewers. Data collected included a modified 36-item Humphris Oral Cancer Knowledge Scale and socio-demographic information. The data were collected 4 weeks after the campaign completion and analysed using χ(2)-tests and binary logistic regressions.Results: The response rate was 77%. Both awareness of the campaign materials (29.99% (95% confidence interval (CI) 15.82, 46.99) vs 8.12% (95% CI 6.16, 10.62)) and the mean Humphris Oral Cancer Knowledge Scale scores (13.32 (95% CI 11.06, 15.57) vs 8.27 (95% CI 6.59, 9.94)) were higher in the campaign area. The campaign area sample was significantly more likely to be aware of the materials (odds ratio (OR)=6.03, 95% CI 3.00, 12.1).Conclusion: Superior awareness and oral cancer knowledge was identified in the community with access to the campaign materials. Further evaluation to identify long-term campaign impact is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Bangladesh, more than one-fifth (20.5 percent) of the total population, that is 30.68 million is adolescents. Most of the adult smokers initiate smoking in their adolescent period. This study aimed to investigate parental influencing factors for the initiation of tobacco smoking in adolescence period among 15-19 years old college students of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. This was an unmatched case-control study. The information was collected from 91 ever-smokers in the case group and 91 never-smokers in the control group. The respondents were 11th and 12th-grade male college students selected from two colleges of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. The results were analysed using univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. Parental control variable was categorized by using Likert Scale. Around 68.7 percent (n=57) respondents were 18-19 years old who were ever-smoker and about 44 percent (n=40) ever-smokers initiated smoking at or below the age of 16. Father's smoking status was found significant (p value <0.05) in bivariate analysis. In binary logistic regression, respondents who received intermediate to low control from their father compared to high control (OR 3.35, 95% CI 1.08-10.38, p value 0.035), respondents who received intermediate to low control from their mother compared to high control (OR 3.73, 95% CI 1.07-13.05, p value 0.039), and presence of any smoking member in their family compared to who did not have (OR 6.23, 95% CI 2.57-15.12, p value 0.001) found significantly higher odds of being ever-smoker. Respondents whose mother passed up to 8 hours in a day with them compared to mothers who gave limited time (less than 1 hour) in a day was found significantly lower odds (OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01-0.65, p value 0.019) which was a protective factor of being ever-smoker. The result of the study concludes that parental influencing factors had a significant role in tobacco smoking of college-going male adolescents. Parent focused tobacco prevention program may be effective to reduce tobacco smoking prevalence. Further interventional studies are required.

Treatment of extra-articular distal humeral shaft fractures with plating techniques is often difficult. The recent development of LCP has improved the surgical treatment of fractures by overcoming the few drawbacks of older fixators. The aim of this prospective observational study was to assess the effectiveness of osteosynthesis of extra-articular diaphyseal fractures of the distal third of the humerus using a single locking compression plate (LCP) and was conducted from July 2016 to June 2018 at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Thirty (30) patients with closed fracture distal 3rd extra-articular humeral shaft fractures were treated by open reduction and internal fixation by locking compression plate. Two cases were excluded from the evaluation of final outcome due to their discontinued follow up. Detailed clinical conditions of all patients, technical difficulty with the implant, postoperative hospital stay period were recorded. Patients were followed up at 2nd week, 4th week, then 4 weekly upto 6 months. The patients were evaluated clinically and radiologically for outcomes. The progresses of healing as well as occurrence of complications were recorded. The range of motion of the shoulder and elbow were evaluated according to the criteria by Rommens grading. Functional evaluation was made according to the criteria by Modified Constant and Murley Scoring System. Union was achieved in all the patients after a mean of 15 weeks (range 12-20 weeks). There were no complications like deep infection, nonunion, malunion, implant failure, or nerve injury occurs in any of the patients. Two patients had transient radial nerve palsy. Two patients developed superficial infection. All patients were relieved pain postoperatively. Functional outcome were excellent in 10 patients, good in 15 patients which constituted 89% satisfactory results. The study has shown that the LCP is an effective, dependable solution for the management of distal third diaphyseal fractures of the humerus.

Records of all patients who were admitted to or who died in Dhaka hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) between July 1980 and 30th June 1981 were reviewed to identify epidemiological characters associated with in-hospital diarrhoeal diseases-related deaths. Information on aetiological agents, age, sex, major complications, nutritional status and level of dehydration were analysed. Over the one-year period, 3251 patients were admitted to the medical wards and 400 died. Children under five made up 72% of patients admitted and 77% of those who died. All patients were cultured for enteric vibrios, Salmonella and Shigella; 25% of the patients had at least one of these organisms. Shigella was most common and was isolated from 13% of the patients and 19% of those who died. Case-fatality rates in patients with Shigella and Vibrio cholerae non-OI (NAG) were significantly higher than other enteric pathogens (V. cholerae OI, Salmonella typhi and mixed). Case fatality for Vibrio cholerae non-OI was higher than Shigella (25.8% and 17.2%) but the difference was not statistically significant. Among those who died 21% were severely dehydrated and 50% had various complications. Patients with V. cholerae OI were significantly more dehydrated than other groups (P less than 0.05 by chi 2 test). The patients who died with Shigella were significantly more malnourished and had more frequent associated complications than other non-Shigella diarrhoea patients (P less than 0.01 by chi 2 test). Overall our observations indicate that Shigella and Vibrio cholerae non-OI are associated with unusually high case fatality.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The study of diarrhoeal mortality risk has been limited to descriptive epidemiological investigations. This is the first case-control study in this area, and our results show that certain risk factors are predictive of diarrhoeal deaths. We have compared the disease history, associated complications, signs, symptoms and laboratory values of 346 patients who died on the medical wards of Dhaka Hospital and that for 346 matched controls to identify the risk factors for mortality. Patients presenting with oedema, severe dehydration or convulsion were found to have a risk of mortality two times higher than controls. Several laboratory results were compared by a matched pair analysis, demonstrating that hyponatraemia (less than 130 mmol/L), hypobicarbonaemia (less than 20 mmol/L) and raised anion gap (greater than 14.9 mmol/L) were moderately associated with mortality. However, hypoproteinaemia (less than 50 gm/L) was strongly associated. For children less than 10 years of age, both hyper- and hyponatraemia were found to be associated with mortality, and the nutritional status of the children modified the effect of hypernatraemia on diarrhoeal mortality. The strong association between diarrhoeal death and hypoproteinaemia may be due to the effect of the pre-existing malnutrition of these patients and/or their loss of protein during shigella infection. The various risk factors that we have identified could be used as a prognostic guide by physicians treating such patients.