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Background: Studies have shown that abnormal temperature at night is a risk factor for respiratory health. However, there is limited evidence on the impact of hot and cold nights on cause-specific diseases such as pneumonia, which is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children., Methods: We collected daily data on pneumonia hospitalisations in children under five years from 2011 to 2017 in three low-, middle- and high-income countries (Bangladesh, China, and Australia). The intensity of hot and cold nights was measured by excess temperature. A space-time-stratified case-crossover analysis was used to estimate the association between hot and cold nights and childhood pneumonia hospitalisations. We further estimated the fraction of childhood pneumonia hospitalisations attributable to hot and cold nights., Results: Both hot and cold nights were associated with an increased risk of hospitalisations for childhood pneumonia in low-, middle-, and high-income countries, with a greater disease burden from hot nights. Specifically, the fraction of childhood pneumonia attributable to hot nights was the largest in Australia [21.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 11.8%-28.1%], followed by Bangladesh (15.2%, 95% CI: 4.1%-23.8%) and China (2.7%, 95% CI: 0.4%-4.7%). Additionally, the fraction of childhood pneumonia attributable to cold nights was 1.3% (95% CI: 0.4%-2.0%) in Bangladesh and 0.4% (95% CI: 0.1%-0.7%) in China., Conclusion: This multi-country study suggests that hot and cold nights are not only associated with a higher risk of pneumonia hospitalisations in children but also responsible for substantial fraction of hospitalisations, with a greater impact from hot nights., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The distribution of farm locations and sizes is paramount to characterize patterns of disease spread. With some regions undergoing rapid intensification of livestock production, resulting in increased clustering of farms in peri-urban areas, measuring changes in the spatial distribution of farms is crucial to design effective interventions. However, those data are not available in many countries, their generation being resource-intensive. Here, we develop a farm distribution model (FDM), which allows the prediction of locations and sizes of poultry farms in countries with scarce data. The model combines (i) a Log-Gaussian Cox process model to simulate the farm distribution as a spatial Poisson point process, and (ii) a random forest model to simulate farm sizes (i.e. the number of animals per farm). Spatial predictors were used to calibrate the FDM on intensive broiler and layer farm distributions in Bangladesh, Gujarat (Indian state) and Thailand. The FDM yielded realistic farm distributions in terms of spatial clustering, farm locations and sizes, while providing insights on the factors influencing these distributions. Finally, we illustrate the relevance of modelling realistic farm distributions in the context of epidemic spread by simulating pathogen transmission on an array of spatial distributions of farms. We found that farm distributions generated from the FDM yielded spreading patterns consistent with simulations using observed data, while random point patterns underestimated the probability of large outbreaks. Indeed, spatial clustering increases vulnerability to epidemics, highlighting the need to account for it in epidemiological modelling studies. As the FDM maintains a realistic distribution of farm location and sizes, its use to inform mathematical models of disease transmission is particularly relevant for regions where these data are not available., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Dupas et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring dialysis (AKI-D) is an important health care burden and is associated with very high in-hospital mortality. Timely initiation of dialysis in AKI is fundamental to achieve treatment goals and to provide solute clearance and removal of excess fluid while awaiting the recovery of kidney function. The primary outcome of interest of the study was recovery of sufficient kidney function to discontinue haemodialysis therapy and complete recovery of renal function. This prospective observational study has been conducted in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh from September 2019 to February 2021. All adult patients with AKI-D were included in the study. All patients were followed up till death or complete recovery or for a maximum period of six month. A total of 134 patients of AKI-D were included in the study with the mean age of 42.3±15.7 years. Male (54.5%) were slightly more than female with a male to female ratio of 1.2:1. Diabetes and hypertension were present in 16 (11.9%) and 47 (35.1%) patients respectively. The causes of AKI were sepsis (35.1%), urinary tract infection (34.3%), acute watery diarrhoea (9.7%), leptospirosis (11.2%), obstetric (10.4%), malignancy (8.2%), post renal obstruction (8.2%), drugs (7.5%), surgery (18.7%), rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (6%), COVID 19 (5.2%), rhabdomyolysis (4.5%), intestinal obstruction (3.7%), acute gastroenteritis (2.2%), wasp bite (2.2%), insecticide poisoning (1.5%), star fruit toxicity (1.5%), haemolytic uremic syndrome (0.7%) and unknown (1.5%). Mean number of dialysis requirement was 5.9±8.6 and length of hospital stay was 15.4±10.5 days. Out of 134 patients, 95(70.9%) were discharged from hospital and 39(29.1%) died in hospital. Total death of patients during the study period were 49(36.6%) including home death of 10(7.5%) patients. Complete recovery of kidney function was achieved in 70(52.2%) patients and partial recoveries of kidney function who can survive without dialysis were observed in 12(9%) patients. Three (2.2%) patients remain on dialysis and 85(63.4%) patients survived during the study period. Survival rate was significantly higher in patients with ≤40 years (72.6%) and significantly lower in patients with malignancy (18.2%) and post renal obstruction (27.3%). Outcomes of patients with AKI-D remain poor. Advanced stage of AKI, older age, late presentation, malignancy, nutritional deficiency and delay at initiation of dialysis were associated with high mortality and reduced survival.

Magnesium plays a vast role in the nervous system. In particular, high magnesium in cerebrospinal fluid appears to enhance the neural functions, while low magnesium induces neuronal diseases. The aim of the study was to find out the relation of serum magnesium with idiopathic generalized epilepsy attending in a tertiary care hospital. This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in the department of Neurology at Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital, Bangladesh from January 2019 to June 2020 following ethical approval. Total 110 purposively selected participants (55 with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and 55 non epileptic apparently healthy individuals) were enrolled in this study. Serum total Mg was measured by EMP-168 Biochemical Analyzer. Average age of epileptic individuals was 33.13±9.5 years and majority was female (60.0%). Mean serum magnesium level was lower in epileptic patients than controls (1.80±0.041 vs. 2.02±0.19 mg/dl; p<0.001). Patients with higher seizure attack (>3 per month) had significantly lower mean serum magnesium level than the patients with seizure attack three or less per month. Serum magnesium levels are reduced in epileptic patients compared to healthy age and gender matched controls. Studies involving larger numbers of patients are needed to confirm these results.

Chest X-ray is an important diagnostic aid frequently used alongside microscopic smear of sputum for the confirmation of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). However, there is a dearth of literature investigating the clinical and radiological pattern of sputum positive pulmonary TB among adults in Bangladesh. The current study explored these patterns in presentation. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at outpatients in department of medicine of a tertiary care hospital. A total of 50 newly diagnosed adult cases of smear positive pulmonary TB attending at the Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) corners were consecutively included. Informed written consent was taken before inclusion. Data were collected through face-to-face interview. Radiological presentation was explored using chest X-ray. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 26.0. The average age of patients was 41.0±17.12 years and majority were male (78.0%). The most prevalent respiratory symptom was cough (80.0%) followed by constitutional symptom like fever (70.0%) and weight loss (72.0%). Wasting was the predominant sign (60.0%). Radiologically both lungs were involved in 32.0%, left lung were involved in 30.0% cases and right lung were involved in 26.0% of cases. Twelve percent (12.0%) of patients had normal chest X-ray. Upper zone involvement was commonly observed in this study's patients (66.0%). The predominant pattern was consolidation (46.0%) followed by fibrosis (26.0%), nodular opacity (12.0%), collapse (10.0%), cavity (6.0%), pleural effusion (2.0%) and bronchiectasis (2.0%). Findings of this study would help familiarize and identify the common clinical and radiological presentations of sputum positive pulmonary TB patients in day-to-day practice.

Among the different complications of chronic kidney diseases, peripheral arterial disease is not uncommon. Though it is an indicator of widespread atherosclerosis, sometimes it is neglected in CKD patients. Our study was done to evaluate the frequency and pattern of PAD in chronic kidney disease patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh. One hundred (100) admitted patients of CKD were taken by nonrandom purposive sampling considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. After clinical evaluation and Ankle brachial index (ABI) measurement 5 cc venous blood was collected and sent to Clinical Pathology and Biochemistry department of CMCH. Data was collected in a structured proforma and analyzed. Among the 100 patients, 2.0% patient belonged to stage 3, 28.0% were in stage 4 and remaining 70.0% were in stage 5. We found the proportion of PAD in CKD were 18.0%. Among 18 PAD patients, 66.67% were in stage 5, 22.22% in stage 4 and 11.11% in stage 3. Regarding right lower limb 12 patients had some PAD, 3 patients had moderate PAD, 2 patients had borderline and 1 patient had calcified PAD. For left lower limb, 10 patients had some PAD, 4 patients had moderate PAD, 4 patients had borderline PAD. The mean AB) of the PAD patients for right limb was 0.87 and for left limb 0.84. 50.0-55.0% patients were asymptomatic. Among the PAD patients 38.9% had DM, 72.2% had HTN, 33.3% had both DM and HTN, 44.4% had other vascular events, 55.6% were smokers, 33.3% had dyslipidemia and 22.2% had family history of PAD. Renal diseases seem to have a strong association with vascular disease and PAD is not uncommon.

In late 2019, a novel coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, causing an atypical pneumonia- like illness. Scientists subsequently isolated the virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in January 2020. This highly contagious virus rapidly spread worldwide, triggering a global public health emergency. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic necessitates continuous evaluation of the characteristics of infected individuals. This study aimed to investigate the demographic and clinical features of patients diagnosed with Covid-19 at a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2023 and February 2024 at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital (UAMCH), Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study involved collaboration with the departments of Virology and the hospital's Covid Unit. Data were collected from the medical records of 200 confirmed Covid-19-positive cases admitted upon arrival at the hospital. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Of the 200 participants, the most frequent age group was 46-60 years old, representing 42% (84 patients). Males comprised the majority (73.0%, 145 patients), and most participants resided in urban areas of Bangladesh (86.5%, 173 patients). The socioeconomic analysis revealed that the upper-class category had the highest frequency (85.0%, 170 patients). Diabetes Mellitus (DM) emerged as the most prevalent co-morbidity (58.5%, 117 patients). Regarding clinical presentation, fever was the most frequent symptom (76.0%, 152 patients), followed by cough (47.5%, 95 patients), shortness of breath (SOB) (27.5%, 55 patients), and pneumonia (15.0%, 30 patients). Less frequent symptoms included acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), and chest pain. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings were 126.61±14.58 mmHg and 77.24±12.44 mmHg respectively. The mean oxygen saturation (SaO2) was 93.39±5.53%. This study investigated that the most frequent age group was (46-60) years. The male dominant in Covid-19-positive cases. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) was observed as the most frequent co-morbidity. The common symptoms of Covid-19-positive cases were fever, cough, SOB, pneumonia acute respiratory distress syndrome, lower respiratory tract infection, chest pain, high blood pressure and low oxygen saturation.

Detection of rickettsia most commonly done by simple, economical Weil-Felix test which detects IgM antibody. This initial investigation provides limited sound guidance to clinical decisions because of its low specificity and sensitivity. An alternative test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is faster, less complicated, can also be automated. Advancements in molecular method like polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are highly specific, sensitive and rapid assays for detection of rickettsiales in many different samples including blood, tissue etc. This study was carried out to diagnose the rickettsial agent in the north-central (Mymensingh division) area of Bangladesh. In laboratory, we performed ELISA and PCR. The agent was diagnosed up to species level by molecular approach. A total of 150 febrile patients were included. All were clinically suspected cases of rickettsial fever attending inpatient and outpatient department of medicine and pediatrics of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital from Octy 2012 to January 2014. The laboratory tests were performed in Microbiology department of Mymensingh Medical College. Following universal safety precautions blood samples were collected, serum separated and both were stored at -20°C. IgM ELISA and Nested PCR were performed. Several genes by PCR were detected for confirmation of the presence of rickettsial agent in the blood. Among 150 clinically suspected cases 76(50.66%) were positive for ELISA, and 69(46.0%) were positive for PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 92.75% and 85.19% respectively taking PCR as gold standard. The prevalence of rickettsial infection found in this study was very much close to other countries of this Sub continent.

There is a scarcity of data on congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in Bangladesh. This study aimed to collect baseline information and identify relevant issues specific to the disease. We analyzed the retrospective analysis of medical records of pediatric patients attending Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital, Dhaka, for serum 17-Hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) measurement and documented to have CAH from December 2008 to December 2020. The diagnosis was supported by biochemical findings and confirmed by serum 17-OHP assay and karyotyping. The relevant clinical data were descriptively analyzed. A total of sixty (60) patients with the diagnosis of CAH were enrolled. Among them, 40(66.7%), 15(25.0%) and 5(8.3%) patients had salt-wasting (SW), simple virilizing (SV) and non-classical (NC) CAH, respectively. Karyotypically, 45(75.0%) were girls and 15(25.0%) were boys. At presentation, 30(50.0%) were initially assigned as female and 24(40.0%) were male and in 6(10.0%) cases, the sex was not assigned. All six cases of unassigned sex were proven to be female by karyotype, while ninecases assigned as males were proven to be females; overall, 15(25.0%) patients were incorrectly assigned sex at the initial presentation. Patients with SW form of disease presented at an earlier age (median age 1.0 months) than those with SV form (median age 12.0 months). Boys were diagnosed later than girls. CAH should be diagnosed earlier, irrespective of the sex of the child, to prevent death from the salt-losing crisis and proper gender assignment. In a resource-poor country like Bangladesh, we should emphasize building awareness among the general population and caregivers for early clinical identification of the cases and proper referral.

There are many women in Bangladesh who suffer from chronic shoulder pain, back and neck pain, nerve pain, and other difficulties due to large breasts but most of them are not keen to get rid of their problems. Most women in this country are afraid from surgery and they are not even aware about their body shape and images. Recently, very few of them are coming to the door of surgeons with enlarged breast difficulties. A study was conducted on reduction mammaplasty regarding experience in the context of our country. Few of the patients were motivated among many who have problems of the huge breast and perform reduction mammaplasty. The paper addresses the experience of reduction mammaplasty. The study among 8 patients was performed in, Anower Khan Modern Medical College and Hospital and Care Medical College and Hospital during the period of Octy 2018 to January 2021. The patients underwent reduction mammaplasty over a 2.5 years period were identified and reviewed for patients satisfaction rate, religious issues, shyness, Family restrictions, socio economic condition, lack of awareness, risk factor, symptom relief, limitation and complication rate. Rate of complications was from 6.5% to 22% for reduction mammaplasty, whereas reported patient satisfaction rates range from 85.0% to 95.0%. In the study, reported rates of symptom improvement range from 80.8% to 94.6%, religious issues about 90.0% to 95.0%, Shyness 80.0% to 87.5%, family restrictions 80% to 87.5%, socio economic condition (High Class n=5, Upper Middle Class n=3), risk factor 70.0% to 80.0%, but in regard to psychological well-being there are tremendous outcomes. Reduction mammaplasty has had excellent patient satisfaction levels. However, a very few complications may occur even in the most suitable candidate. Skilled and experienced surgeons, enriched healthcare infrastructures, meticulous pre-operative planning, gentle tissue handling and anticipatory post-operative care will reduce the incidence of adverse results.

Type-2 diabetes mellitus is a global pandemic with immense social, health and financial consequences. The pathophysiology of type-2 diabetes is significantly influenced by overweight and obesity. Type-2 diabetes often goes hand-in-hand with high blood pressure. One way to check type-2 diabetes is by measuring fasting blood glucose. This cross-sectional analytical study looked at how blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and fasting serum glucose relate to each other in women with type-2 diabetes in the Mymensingh locality. The research took place at the Physiology Department of Mymensingh Medical College, Bangladesh from Octy 2023 to June 2024. We included 200 participants: 100 apparently healthy women of 30-65 years without diabetes as the control group and 100 women with diabetes of same age group as the study group. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. Weight and height were measured anthropometrically in kilograms and meters, respectively. Blood pressure was checked with an aneroid sphygmomanometer for both systolic and diastolic values. To see if there were significant differences between groups, we used the unpaired Students 't' test and shared results as mean±SD. For relationships among fasting serum glucose, blood pressure and BMI, we used Pearson's correlation coefficient test. The average BMI for those in the control group was 24.19±1.22 kg/m². In contrast, the study group's average BMI was higher at 28.04±1.66 kg/m². The study group also had a greater average systolic blood pressure of 130.65±6.06 mm Hg compared to 115.30±5.07 mm Hg for controls. For diastolic blood pressure, values were also higher in the study group: 85.65±5.71 mm Hg compared to the control's 75.65±5.25 mm Hg. Fasting serum glucose levels showed a positive correlation with both BMI and blood pressure. We recommended from this study that routine evaluation of these parameters is important for preventing complications associated with type-2 diabetes mellitus.

This is important to note that altered mental status is not a disease in itself, but rather a symptom with a wide range of potential diagnoses. But a structured approach to assessing the patients with this symptom frequently leads to helpful information and can rule out worst-case scenarios. In cases where fever is followed by changes in consciousness, quick assessment of the patient's level of consciousness and potential causes is decisive. A focused history and physical assessment can help differentiate between structural or medical causes. Asymmetrical neurological findings, such as a dilated and fixed pupil, dysconjugated extraocular movements and asymmetrical motor findings, suggest brainstem dysfunction due to a structural lesion, while symmetrical neurological findings usually indicate a medical disorder. A recent study aimed to identify features of different etiologies, demographic patterns, and common causes of both acute and prolonged febrile illness in patients. This cross-sectional type of observational study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh from April 2014 to October 2015. Over the study period patients admitted with satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria of study and purposively selected (non-probability) from the hospitalized patients. Total 100 cases with febrile illness and altered consciousness meeting the exclusion and inclusion criteria were examined and investigated to find out the actual etiology. Out of 100 patients, it was observed that 26(26.0%) of patients were suffering from pneumonia, 22(22.0%) urinary tract infection, 18(18.0%) meningitis, 14(14.0%) typhoid fever, 8(8.0%) meningo-encephalitis, 6(6.0%) cerebral malaria, 4(4.0%) tuberculosis and 2(2.0%) from tuberculoma. The result revealed that large number of patients with febrile illness and altered consciousness were suffering from pneumonia and urinary tract infection.

This study was aimed to find out the hospital based prevalence of paediatric ENT disorders in an ENT OPD of a peripheral military hospital of Bangladesh Armed Forces. This observational study was carried out at ENT out patient department of CMH Momenshahi, from 1st April 2017 to 31st March 2020. Irrespective of age and sex a total of 4612 children, between the ages of 0-14 years were included in this study. All types of ENT disorders were taken in to account. Data were obtained after ENT examination and necessary investigations. Total 4612 cases were studied. Male children (52.2%) were affected more and most of the children belongs the 6-10 years age group (44.4%).Throat related disorder (40.7%) were predominant followed by ear (34.8%). The most common ENT disorders were Chronic Tonsillitis (21.8%) followed by acute otitis media (16.1%) and pharyngitis (9.8%). Rate of Chronic otitis media (COM) was only 46(1%). ENT diseases are one of the major health problems among children. In addition to improved health education, socioeconomic status and better access to health care facilities; provision of early ENT specialist consultation may significantly reduce chronic or recurring symptoms and long term morbidities of common ENT disorders in children.

The global health system faces a substantial burden from the Covid-19 pandemic. To prevent Covid-19 transmission an effective triage system is useful in resource-limited countries like Bangladesh. The purpose of the study was to determine the status of the triage system in a dedicated Covid-19 Hospital. This cross-sectional study was conducted among conveniently selected 150 respondents including 63 doctors, 72 nurses and 15 administrative staff. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire and observation checklist. The collected data were processed and analyzed with the help of SPSS (Version 26.0) and Xcel 2019. The study was conducted at Kurmitola General Hospital, Bangladesh from January 2020 to December 2020. Among study participants, 54.0% of the respondents belonged to the (31-40) age group and 74.0% were female. Half 50.7% of the respondents working duration was (0-4) years. Two-thirds 67.0% of the respondents had training on the triage system. All of the respondents mentioned the presence of a triage system in this hospital but there was no tele-triage. Regarding infrastructure facilities like triage room, sitting facilities with 1-meter distance in waiting area, one-way entrance, and exit, separated ticket counter and washroom, proper hand wash facilities, all were present in this hospital. All of the respondents mentioned the presence of available logistic support for the triage system in this dedicated Covid-19 hospital including a sufficient supply of PPE, thermometer, and pulse oximeter. All doctors and nurses wore PPE. Almost four-fifths 87.30% of the respondents mention that there was no training on donning and doffing procedure of PPE. There was a statistically significant association between training on triage with age group and occupation of the respondents (p<0.05). The ideal working time of healthcare providers was not maintained. There had no facilities of isolated accommodation and health checkups for staff. But RT-PCR for Covid-19 test was done for all staff when he/she returns to normal life after duty. Based on study findings it has been concluded that the infrastructure facilities and logistic supports are sufficient. But staff management has to be improved and the authority should pay special attention to an effective triage system.

Most of the thalassemic children of Bangladesh are receiving repeated blood transfusion. But they do not receive chelation therapy due to financial constraints. As a result, iron overload occurs in various organs of these children. Extra iron that is loaded in thyroid gland causes thyroid dysfunction. This study was undertaken to evaluate thyroid status in children with transfusion dependent Thalassemia patient. This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh from September 2016 to April 2018. Children having thalassemia diagnosed by Hb electrophoresis, aged 3-12 years of both sexes were included as study group. Children of same age and sex admitted in indoor of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital with minor illness and without thalassemia were taken as comparison group. Purposive Sampling technique was applied. Serum FT₄, TSH and ferritin level were estimated in all children. Data analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0. A total of 60 patients were enrolled as study group and another 60 patients were compared as comparison group. Mean ages of study group was 7.88±2.55 years and comparison group were 7.22±2.48 years. The mean pre-transfusion hemoglobin, serum ferritin, serum FT₄ and serum TSH level were found 6.23±0.60 gm/dl, 2658.33±879.39 ng/ml, 15.14±4.40 fmol/mL, 4.29±4.60 μIU/mL respectively in study group. The mean serum FT₄ was found significantly lower and mean serum TSH was significantly higher in thalassemic children in comparison to non-thalassemic children (p= <0.05). Frequency of subclinical hypothyroidism was found significantly higher in study group (25.0%) compared to comparison group (3.3%) (p=0.001). Mean serum ferritin level was found significantly higher in hypothyroid cases. Mean FT₄ level was significantly lower and mean TSH level was significantly higher in hypothyroid thalassemic patients (p= <0.001). Significant positive correlation between serum ferritin level and serum TSH level was found. Higher serum ferritin level was found significantly associated with the development of hypothyroidism in thalassemic patients.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability globally as well as in Bangladesh; its incidences are growing with an increasing number of high-speed motor vehicles, more movement of the public and mechanization in industry. The aim of the study was to analyze the causes, risk factors and treatment outcomes of traumatic brain injuries in victims reported to emergency and casualty departments following intensive care with or without surgical intervention in a tertiary care hospital. This prospective type of observational study was conducted at the Neurosurgery ward of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh from March 2022 to February 2024. A total of 360 head injury patients with TBI were assessed with gender, age, cause, and type of trauma, Glasgow Coma Scale on admission, associated other injuries, time lapsed from trauma to hospitalization and care given. A total of 360 Cases (n=360) of TBI, male 273(n=273) and female 87(n=87) were included most common group was 16-30 years (45%) and Males (75.83%) victims were more than female (24.16%). Frequency percentage cause is RTA 190(52.7%) and intra-cranial injury (42.77%), Intra and extra-cranial injury 206(57.22%), pathophysiological cause (n=360), SDH 122(33.88%), EDH (28.33%), concussion (15.83%), cerebral contusion (14.16%), diffuse axonal injury (05%) and subarachnoid haemorrhage (2.77%). Traumatic brain injury was common among young adult males and RTA was the leading cause. Many factors influence the better outcome of TBI with reduced mortality and morbidity including the patient's age, the injury's severity, the time between TBI and the start of definitive treatment associated with other major injuries and facilities available for resuscitative care.

Cases of asphyxial death are frequently come across and the numbers are remarkable now-a-days. The study was aimed to estimate the frequency and to determine the socio-demographic pattern of the victims of asphyxial death. It was a cross-sectional variety of descriptive study and carried out in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Dhaka Medical College, Bangladesh from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2019. A predesigned proforma was made first, and then various data were assembled, tabulated and analyzed there. In the midst of 2199 medicolegal autopsies, there were 224 cases of asphyxial death. Male victims (62.05%) were mostly found and the most affected age group was 30-39 years (35.26%). Victims were predominantly married (53.57%) and were mainly from urban areas (38.39%). The Muslims (76.78%) were the major victims followed by the Hindus (17.41%), Christians (2.67%) and the Buddhists (1.78%). Maximum victims were unemployed (31.69%) followed by students, day laborers & cultivators. Hangings (54.01%) were mostly encountered followed by drowning (23.21%) and throttling (7.14%). Majority of the cases were suicidal (58.48%) followed by homicidal (24.55%) and accidental (16.96%). The main provoking factors in suicidal cases were unemployment (22.13%) followed by failure in examination (20.61%) and domestic violence (12.97%). Hangings were proven to be suicidal. In cases of drowning manner of death could not be given and throttling were homicidal by autopsy.

Risk stratification is an important initial step for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. There are a number of scoring systems for this purpose worldwide. We tried to evaluate two most updated scoring systems. To assess which one is the better for Bangladeshi population residing in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a secondary and a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh from January 2019 to June 2019. Total 274 patients were included in the study. They were evaluated using ASCVD scoring system and QRISK3 scoring system for the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction and/or stroke) in next 10 years. Average age of the patients was 57.1±12.8 years and 192 of them were male and 92 of them were female. Half (50.4%) of the patients were smoker, half (51.1%) of them were hypertensive, 45.6% of them were diabetic, 29.6% of them had family history of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and 27.0% of them were overweight or obese. According to ASCVD scoring 36.5% patients were at high risk, 32.5% at intermediate risk, 16.4% at low risk of cardiovascular events in next 10 years and risk evaluation was not possible in 14.6% patients. According to QRISK3 scoring method 55.5% are at high risk, 20.8% at intermediate risk, 16.0% at low risk of cardiovascular events and evaluation was not possible in 7.7% patients. Predictive value of QRISK3 scoring system is better to detect more patients who are at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular events in next 10 years. QRISK3 can also evaluate the patients at a younger age. At present QRISK3 is better system to evaluate cardiovascular risk in Bangladeshi population. We need further study to evaluate its role in the form of clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness.

Achilles tendon injury has been increasing over recent years due to a variety of causes. The injury of the Achilles tendon is a disabling condition, which is difficult to treat if there is a gap or defect between the two ends of the disrupted tendon. Patients with a rupture of the Achilles tendon should be operated without delay. Most of the people in our country use flat pan in the latrine, which are at a same level of the toilet floor. Surface of the toilet pan breaks down and cause sharp cut. Some of the cases of open tendon injuries occur due to road traffic accident, cut by broken glass and also assault. It is generally accepted that surgical repair of fresh ruptures of the Achilles tendon gives excellent results. Objective of the study was to find out the evaluation of the results of primary repair of Open tendo-achilles injury (OTAI). This prospective study was done in the department of Casualty of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh in the period of Octy 2021 to June 2022. Patients who came with OTAI in casualty department were selected randomly. All cases were selected as OTAI, without associated injury of other leg muscles, posterior tibial artery and nerve within 12 hours. All patients underwent primary end to end repair by Modified Kessler's method. Evaluation of the results of primary repair of OTAI were carried out and were find out the common causes of injury, age and sex incidence, level of injury and to proposed a protocol for treating such cases in comfortable, cheap and convenient way for the patients. Operations were done at Casualty operation theatre (COT). Then 48 patients were followed up at the Department of Casualty. Among them 43(89.58%) of patients were able to stand on tip toes, 4(08.33%) of patients were not stand on tip toes of affected foot unsupported but able to stand on tip toes supported, 1(02.08%) of patients failed to stand on affected foot unsupported due to severe infection and wound gap. Final result were Excellent - 29(60.0%), Good - 14(30.0%), Fair - 4(8.0%), Poor - 1(2.0%). Repair of OTAI is not difficult but early diagnosis, proper surgical toileting, meticulous repair; adequate post-operative management is the key of success. So, the result of this study, treatment protocol can be followed, which is easy for surgeon and convenient and cheap for the patients.

Stroke is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Research is going on to find out the factors which are associated with the severity of acute ischemic stroke. One of the factors which has gained interest in the field of research in recent time is serum ferritin. Serum ferritin is an acute phase reactant. It is recently under research as a marker of severity and prognosis of acute ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to assess the relation of serum ferritin level with the severity of acute ischemic stroke. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Medicine in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh from June 2020 to March 2023. In this study, 323 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled. The severity of neurological disability was evaluated in all participants using National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) within 48 hours of onset of stroke. Blood was taken for estimation of serum ferritin levels within 48 hours of admission. In this study, mean serum ferritin level was 208.3±161.1 ng/ml in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The study showed most of the participants with high serum ferritin level had severe stroke (n=57, 77.0%; p<0.001). A statistically significant correlation was found between NIHSS and serum ferritin levels in acute ischemic stroke patients (r=0.71). This study revealed that serum ferritin level is associated with severity of neurological disability among patients with acute ischemic stroke. Further studies are required to establish the role of serum ferritin as a prognostic marker of acute ischemic stroke.

Introduction: Childhood eye morbidity is a great public health problem, especially in low-income countries. This study aimed to determine the economic burden of childhood ocular morbidity on attending tertiary hospitals in Bangladesh. This study also assessed the catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) for childhood ocular morbidity in Bangladesh., Methods: A cross-sectional mixed method was used for this study from April to October 2023 at two tertiary hospitals in Bangladesh, one government-funded and one private. Face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured quantitative questionnaire with the caregivers/parents and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted among the same respondents of these two hospitals, and a workshop was conducted with the stakeholders during the study period., Results: This was the first study in Bangladesh to determine the cost of pediatric ocular morbidity. Among 335 patients, the total median direct cost at a single time was 3740 ± 18,285 BDT (34 ± 166.2 USD) at the government hospital and 7300 ± 40,630 BDT (66.36 ± 369.36 USD) at the private hospital. The disease-specific median overall cost from diagnosis of the disease was 65,000 BDT (591 USD) for squint, 50,000 BDT (454.54 USD) for cataract, and 30,000 BDT (272.72 USD) for eye injury. Almost 90% of the caregivers/parents faced CHE due to different pediatric ocular morbidity., Conclusions: These cost estimates can be used as an initial basis for financial decisions that aim to enhance access to care, management, and follow-up of children with ocular morbidity. These cost estimates also offer helpful information for organizational and financial sustainability initiatives. Policymakers can consider serious immediate interventions for securing ocular health services in Bangladesh and prevent families from CHE., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: As post kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) threatens the success of the Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) elimination initiative, we aimed to investigate the PKDL burden, including an active search for PKDL in leprosy-negative skin lesion cases. We also investigated their health-seeking behavior and perceived level of stigma., Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey among inhabitants in the VL-endemic villages of the five most VL-endemic upazilas. VL experts trained medical officers in Upazila Health Complexes (UHCs) and leprosy facilities in PKDL management. Frontline workers conducted house-to-house surveys, referring PKDL suspects to designated centers. Data analysis involved Epi Info version 7 and IBM SPSS Statistics 25., Results: Among 472,435 screened individuals, 4022 had past VL (0.85 %). Among the screened population, 82 were PKDL suspects, and 62 PKDL cases were confirmed. The overall PKDL burden was 1.3 (95 % CI: 1.0-1.7) in the 10,000 population in the endemic villages. Male predominance and macular form of PKDL were observed. Thirty-nine PKDL patients perceived stigma of different levels. Only 27 of 62 (44 %) had received PKDL treatment. Medicine's unavailability and side effects were a major reason behind treatment interruption. Active screening among 137 leprosy-negative PKDL suspects yielded 10 (7.3 %) PKDL cases., Conclusion: The existence of PKDL cases in the VL endemic areas is a concern as those are inter-epidemic reservoirs. As per the WHO roadmap, the PKDL burden must be reduced by 70 % and 100 %, respectively, by 2026 and 2030. NKEP can take the current burden of 1.3 per 10,000 people in VL endemic villages as a baseline. Integrating active case detection for PKDL in leprosy hospitals and screening centers is feasible and worth deploying nationwide., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest associated with the material presented in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Using data from a developing country, the current study develops a copula-based joint modeling framework to study crash type and driver injury severity as two dimensions of the severity process. To be specific, a copula-based multinomial logit model (for crash type) and generalized ordered logit model (for driver severity) is estimated in the study. The data for our analysis is drawn from Bangladesh for the years of 2000 to 2015. Given the presence of multiple years of data, we develop a novel spline variable generation approach that facilitates easy testing of variation in parameters across time in crash type and severity components. A comprehensive set of independent variables including driver and vehicle characteristics, roadway attributes, environmental and weather information, and temporal factors are considered for the analysis. The model results identify several important variables (such as driving under the influence of drug and alcohol, speeding, vehicle type, maneuvering, vehicle fitness, location type, road class, road geometry, facility type, surface quality, time of the day, season, and light conditions) affecting crash type and severity while also highlighting the presence of temporal instability for a subset of parameters. The superior model performance was further highlighted by testing its performance using a holdout sample. Further, an elasticity exercise illustrates the influence of the exogenous variables on crash type and injury severity dimensions. The study findings can assist policy makers in adopting appropriate strategies to make roads safer in developing countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) is an important indicator of child health and wellbeing. However, in many countries, decisions regarding care and treatment are often based on mothers' perceptions of their children's birth size due to a lack of objective birth weight data. Additionally, birth weight data that is self-reported or recorded often encounters the issue of heaping. This study assesses the concordance between the perceived birth size and the reported or recorded birth weight. We also investigate how the presence of heaped birth weight data affects this concordance, as well as the relationship between concordance and various sociodemographic factors., Methods: We examined 4,641 birth records reported in the 2019 Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The sensitivity-specificity analysis was performed to assess perceived birth size's ability to predict LBW, while Cohen's Kappa statistic assessed reliability. We used the kernel smoothing technique to correct heaping of birth weight data, as well as a multivariable multinomial logistic model to assess factors associated with concordance., Results: Maternally-perceived birth size exhibited a low sensitivity (63.5%) and positive predictive value (52.6%) for predicting LBW, but a high specificity (90.1%) and negative predictive value (93.4%). There was 86.1% agreement between birth size and birth weight-based classifications (Kappa = 0.49, indicating moderate agreement). Smoothed birth weight data did not improve agreement (83.4%, Kappa = 0.45). Of the sociodemographic factors, early marriage was positively associated with discordance (i.e., overestimation)., Conclusions: An important consideration when calculating the LBW prevalence is that maternally perceived birth size is not an optimal proxy for birth weight. Focus should be placed on encouraging institutional births and educating community health workers and young mothers about the significance of measuring and recording birth weight., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Police road crash and injury data in low-income and middle-income countries are known to under-report crashes, fatalities and injuries, especially for vulnerable road users. Local record keepers, who are members of the public, can be engaged to provide an additional source of crash and injury data., Methods: This paper compares the application of a local record keeper method to capture road crash and injury data in Bangladesh and Nepal, assesses the quality of the data collected and evaluates the replicability and value of the methodology using a framework developed to evaluate the impact of being a local record keeper., Outcome: Application in research studies in both Bangladesh and Nepal found the local record keeper methodology provided high-quality and complete data compared with local police records. The methodology was flexible enough to adapt to project and context differences. The evaluation framework enabled the identification of the challenges and unexpected benefits realised in each study. This led to the development of an 11-step process for conducting road crash data collection using local record keepers, which is presented to facilitate replication in other settings., Conclusion: Data collected by local record keepers are a flexible and replicable method to understand the strengths and limitations of existing police data, adding to the evidence base and informing local and national decision-making. The method may create additional benefits for data collectors and communities, help design and assess road safety interventions and support advocacy for improved routine police data., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

This study examines the prevalence of and factors associated with "hardcore" use of smoked and smokeless tobacco (SLT) products in Bangladesh and the variation in the ages people started using them daily. Data from the 2009 and 2017 rounds of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey for Bangladesh were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression. The prevalence of "hardcore" use of smoked tobacco among current smokers decreased from 15.5% in 2009 to 13.1% in 2017. Almost all hardcore smokers were male in both rounds. Among the current users of SLT, 7.0% were "hardcore" users in 2009, with a higher proportion of females (8.9%) than males (4.8%) and these percentages remained similar in 2017. The current smokers in the age-group 25-64 and the current SLT users in the age-group 45-65+ were more likely than their counterparts to be "hardcore" users. The earlier the participants started using daily, the more likely they were to become "hardcore" users. There was regional variation in the prevalence of "hardcore" use. Coordinated preventive interventions and comprehensive treatment programmes and their equitable geographical distribution are needed.

Background: Contraception is crucial for reproductive-aged women with disabilities, empowering them to manage reproductive choices and enhancing overall health, autonomy, and well-being., Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the usage patterns of contraceptive methods among reproductive-aged women with disabilities in Bangladesh., Methods: We analyzed data from 47,465 reproductive-aged women from the 2019 Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. Outcome variables included contraceptive usage patterns, grouped into any contraceptive methods, any modern contraceptive methods, and any traditional contraceptive methods. The primary explanatory variable considered was disabilities level (women with no disabilities, women with moderate disabilities, and women with severe disabilities), along with types of disabilities. A multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to assess associations between outcomes and explanatory variables while accounting for confounding., Results: The prevalence of any contraceptive methods use was 66.4 %, declining to 54 % among women with severe disabilities. The odd of modern contraception use was 31 % lower (aOR, 0.69, 95 % CI, 0.65-0.73) among women with moderate disabilities and 47 % lower (aOR, 0.53, 95 % CI, 0.47-0.60) among those with severe disabilities, compared to women with no disabilities. Within the individual domains of disabilities, those with vision, walking, cognitive, and self-care-related disabilities reported lower odds of modern contraception uptake than those with no disabilities., Conclusions: The study highlights that women with disabilities use contraceptives less often, increasing vulnerability to unintended and short interval pregnancies and unsafe abortion. Strengthening family planning and prioritizing women with disabilities for modern contraceptives are vital., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rotavirus A is a leading cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in humans and domesticated animals. Despite the vast diversity of bovine Rotavirus A strains documented in South Asian countries, there are very few whole genomes available for phylogenetic study. A cross-sectional study identified a high prevalence of the G6P[11] genotype of bovine Rotavirus A circulating in the commercial cattle population in Bangladesh. Next-generation sequencing and downstream phylogenetic analysis unveiled all 11 complete gene segments of this strain (BD&#95;ROTA&#95;CVASU), classifying it under the genomic constellation G6P[11]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A13-N2-T6-E2-H3, which belongs to a classical DS-1-like genomic backbone. We found strong evidence of intragenic recombination between human and bovine strains in the Non-structural protein 4 (NSP4) gene, which encodes a multifunctional enterotoxin. Our analyses highlight frequent zoonotic transmissions of rotaviruses in diverse human-animal interfaces, which might have contributed to the evolution and pathogenesis of this dominant genotype circulating in the commercial cattle population in Bangladesh., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The prevalence of avian influenza viruses is commonly found to increase dramatically as birds are transported from farms to live bird markets. Viral transmission dynamics along marketing chains are, however, poorly understood. To address this gap, we implemented a controlled field experiment altering chicken supply to a live bird market in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Broilers and backyard chickens traded along altered (intervention) and conventional (control) marketing chains were tested for avian influenza viruses at different time points. Upon arrival at the live bird market, the odds of detecting avian influenza viruses did not differ between control and intervention groups. However, 12 h later, intervention group odds were lower, particularly for broilers, indicating that viral shedding in live bird markets resulted partly from infections occurring during transport and trade. Curtailing avian influenza virus prevalence in live bird markets requires mitigating risk in marketing chain nodes preceding chickens' delivery at live bird markets., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Backgrounds: Most significant findings from the Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report 2023 indicate that India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) collectively contribute to approximately two-thirds of global TB cases. This study aims to provide crucial data-driven insights and references to improve TB control measures through a comprehensive analysis of these eight high-burden countries., Methods: The eight high-burden TB countries analyzed in this study include India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and the DRC. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) of TB were derived from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2021 data. Temporal trends were analyzed using Joinpoint regression. An age-period-cohort model was applied to examine the risk ratios (RR) of TB across diverse age groups, periods, and birth cohorts. A Bayesian age-period-cohort framework was employed to predict the ASIR of TB by 2030., Results: The study found that the Philippines (average annual percentage change = 3.1%, P < 0.001) exhibited an upward trend from 1990 to 2021. In India, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, the RR of TB incidence exceeded 1 after individuals reached 25 years old. Notably, the RR has shown a consistent upward trend since 2001, peaking during the period of 2017-2021 with an estimated RR of 1.5 (P < 0.001) in the Philippines. Similarly, the highest RR was observed during the period of 2017-2021 reaching 1.1 (P < 0.001) in the DRC. In the Philippines, the markedly increasing RR values for TB have been observed among individuals born after 1997-2001. Projections suggest that the ASIR of TB is expected to follow a continued upward trajectory, with an estimated rate of 392.9 per 100,000 by 2030 in the Philippines; India and Indonesia are projected to achieve less than 20.0% of the target set by the World Health Organization (WHO)., Conclusions: Among the eight high-burden countries, the Philippines, India and Indonesia are diverging from the goals set by the WHO, and the risk of TB in the Philippines and the DRC shows a trend toward affecting younger populations, which suggests that the management strategies for TB patients need to be further strengthened., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Dhaka is one of the world's densely populated cities and faces significant public health challenges including high burden of diarrhoeal diseases. Climate change is intensifying existing environmental problems including urban heat island effect and poor water quality. While numerous epidemiological studies have linked meteorological factors to diarrhoeal diseases in Bangladesh, assessment of the impacts of future climate change on diarrhoeal diseases is scarce. We provide the assessment of climate change impacts on diarrhoeal disease in Dhaka and project future health risks under climate change scenarios. About 3 million acute diarrhoea cases presenting to the Dhaka Hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b) during 1981-2010 were linked to daily temperature, rainfall and humidity and association investigated using time series adapted negative binomial regression models employing constrained distributed lag linear models. The findings were applied to climate projections to estimate future risks of diarrhoea under various global warming scenarios. There was a significantly raised risk of diarrhoea hospitalisation in all ages with daily mean temperature (RR: 3.4, 95% CI: 3.0-3.7) after controlling for the confounding effects of heavy rainfall, humidity, autocorrelations, day of the week effect, long-term time, and seasonal trends. Using the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 1.034, temperature increases based on the global warming targets of 1.5-2°C could result in an increase of diarrhoea hospitalisations by 4.5-7.4% in all age groups by the 2100s. These effects were more pronounced among <5 children where the predicted temperature increases could raise diarrhoea hospitalisation by 5.7% - 9.4%. Diarrhoea hospitalisation will increase significantly in Dhaka even if the global warming targets adopted by the Paris Agreement is reached. This underscores the importance of preparing the city for management and prevention of diarrhoeal diseases., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Haque et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: In developing countries like Bangladesh, under-five children are mostly experiencing and suffering from common diseases like fever, cough, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections (ARI). To mitigate these problems, it's crucial to spot prevalent areas and take proper action. This study investigates the spatial distribution and associated factors of prevalent childhood illnesses across Bangladesh., Methods and Findings: This research comprised 8,306 children's information from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2017-18. We performed chi-square, t-tests, binary logistic regression and spatial analyses in this work. BDHS survey data and GPS data were aggregated to identify common childhood illnesses among under-five children. Moran's index first mapped childhood illnesses. Afterward, Getis-Ord Gi* discovered hot and cold spots for illnesses. However, Kriging interpolation predicted child illnesses in unsampled areas. Here, 33.2% (CI: 32.2-34.3), 36% (CI: 35-37.1), 4.7% (CI: 4.3-5.2), and 12.9% (CI: 12.2-13.6) of children under five had fever, cough, diarrhea, and ARI, respectively. In the fortnight before to the survey, 47.3% (CI: 46.2-48.3) of under-5 children were ill. Common childhood illnesses are associated with children's (age, underweight status, etc.), mothers' (age, education, etc.), and household factors (residency, wealth index, etc.). Underweight status is associated with fever, cough and at least one disease. The unsampled north-western and south-western areas of Bangladesh had a higher prevalence of fever, cough, ARI and at least one common disease. Cough was most common in the central-northern region; fever was most common in the lower southern region; and ARI was most common in Bangladesh's south-east. Childhood diseases were more prevalent in Bangladesh's central-northern and southern regions., Conclusions: Our research demonstrates the regional clustering of common childhood diseases in Bangladesh. Policymakers should focus on these higher-prevalence regions, and the necessary preventive measures should be taken immediately., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Islam et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Menstrual disorders, influenced by dietary habits like high fat intake and low fruit and vegetable consumption, are a global public health issue. This study assessed the prevalence of dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and irregular menstrual cycle (IMC) among female university students in Bangladesh, focusing on food cravings and low vitamin A intake as risk factors., Methods: In this comprehensive study, data from randomly selected female university students were collected using a structured questionnaire. The associations were analyzed through chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression, reported as adjusted odds ratios (AOR)., Results: The most prevalent menstrual disorder was dysmenorrhea (68.3%) followed by PMS (33.8%), and IMC (24.3%). Food cravers for high-fat and sweet foods were likely to experience dysmenorrhea (AOR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.5-3.9, P<0.001), suffer from PMS (AOR: 3.9, 95% CI: 2.3-6.6, P<0.001), and have IMC (AOR: 3.0, 95% CI: 1.6-5.3, P<0.001) vs. subjects who didn't. Subjects consuming vitamin A-rich plant foods had 40% (AOR: 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-0.9, P < 0.01) and 60% (AOR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.6, P<0.001) less likely suffering from dysmenorrhea and IMC vs. who didn't. Both underweight and overweight/obese subjects experienced more than 2-fold dysmenorrhea vs. normal-weight peers. The chance of IMC was nearly 3-fold among overweight/obese subjects. However, lower physical activity was associated with PMS and IMC whereas family history was associated with dysmenorrhea and PMS. Among the socio-demographic factors, maternal education, place of residence, and earlier menarche (≤12 years) were associated with dysmenorrhea while marital status was associated with IMC., Conclusion: This study indicates that increasing the intake of vitamin A-rich plant foods and reducing high-fat, sweet foods can lower the risk of dysmenorrhea and IMC. Additionally, it highlights the need for regular exercise to mitigate the increased risk of PMS and IMC., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.)

In Bangladesh, Vibrio cholerae lineages are undergoing genomic evolution, with increased virulence and spreading ability. However, our understanding of the genomic determinants influencing lineage transmission and disease severity remains incomplete. Here, we developed a computational framework using machine-learning, genome scale metabolic modelling (GSSM) and 3D structural analysis, to identify V. cholerae genomic traits linked to lineage transmission and disease severity. We analysed in-patients isolates from six Bangladeshi regions (2015-2021), and uncovered accessory genes and core SNPs unique to the most recent dominant lineage, with virulence, motility and bacteriophage resistance functions. We also found a strong correlation between V. cholerae genomic traits and disease severity, with some traits overlapping those driving lineage transmission. GSMM and 3D structure analysis unveiled a complex interplay between transcription regulation, protein interaction and stability, and metabolic networks, associated to lifestyle adaptation, intestinal colonization, acid tolerance and symptom severity. Our findings support advancing therapeutics and targeted interventions to mitigate cholera spread., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Dengue, a viral infection transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, presents a substantial global public health concern, particularly in tropical regions. In Bangladesh, where dengue prevalence is noteworthy, accurately mapping the distribution of high-risk and low-risk areas and comprehending the clustering of dengue cases throughout the year is essential for the development of effective risk-based prevention and control strategies. Our objective was to identify dengue hotspots and temporal patterns over the years across Bangladesh in the years 2019-2023 excluding year 2020., Methods: A sequential spatial analysis was employed for each year to identify high-risk areas for dengue cases. Choropleth graphs were used to visualize the geographic distribution of dengue incidence rates per million population across the areas. Monthly distribution analysis was performed to identify temporal trends over the year 2022 and 2023. Additionally, the global Moran's I test was used to assess the overall geographical pattern. Subsequently, Anselin local Moran's I test was employed to identified clustering and hotspots of dengue incidences., Results: Dengue cases in Bangladesh exhibited a significant increase from 2019 to 2023 (excluding 2020 data), with a cumulative total of 513,344 reported cases. Dhaka city initially bore substantial burden, accounting for over half (51%) of the 101,354 cases in 2019. The case fatality rate also demonstrated a steadily rise, reaching 0.5% in 2023 with 321,179 cases (a five-fold increase compare to 2022). Interestingly, the proportion of cases in Dhaka city decreased from 51% in 2019 to 34% in 2023. Notably, the southeast and central regions of Bangladesh showed the highest dengue rates, persisting throughout the study period. Cases were concentrated in urban regions, with Dhaka exhibiting the highest caseload in most years, followed by Manikganj in 2023. A distinct temporal shift in dengue transmission was observed in 2023, when the peak incidence occurred three months earlier in July with complete geographic coverage (all the 64 districts) compared to the peak in October 2022 (covering 95%, 61 districts). Positive global autocorrelation analysis revealed spatial dependence, with more stable trends in 2023 compared to previous years. Several districts like, Bagerhat, Barisal, and Faridpur remained persistent hotspots or emerged as new hotspots in 2023. Conversely, districts like Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Rangpur and Sylhet consistently exhibited low caseloads, categorized as dengue coldspots throughout most of the years. Jhalokati in 2019 and Gopalganj in 2022, both initially classified as low-incidence district surrounded by high-incidence districts, emerged as hotspots in 2023., Conclusion: This study sheds light on the spatiotemporal dynamics of dengue transmission in Bangladesh, particularly by identifying hotspots and clustering patterns. These insights offer valuable information for designing and implementing targeted public health interventions and control strategies. Furthermore, the observed trends highlight the need for adaptable strategies to address the region's evolving nature of dengue transmission effectively., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Hossain et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: COVID-19 vaccine uptake among individuals with disabilities is crucial for safeguarding their health and well-being. However, the extent of vaccine uptake among this group remains largely unknown in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to assess the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among persons with functional difficulty, disability and/or comorbidity in Bangladesh and their associated factors., Methods: Data from 9,370 respondents extracted from the 2021 National Household Survey on Persons with Disability were analysed. The outcome variable was the uptake of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (yes, no). Key explanatory variables included the presence of disability (yes, no), comorbidity (yes, no), and both comorbidity and disability (yes, no) among persons with functional difficulty. The relationship between the outcome and explanatory variables was determined using mixed-effects multilevel logistic regressions adjusted for covariates., Results: The overall uptake of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine among persons with functional difficulty was 57.37%, among persons with functional difficulty and disability was 48.63% and among persons with functional difficulty and single (57.85%) or multi-comorbidity (60.37%). Compared to the respondents with functional difficulty only, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of not receiving any dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals with both functional difficulty and disability was 1.37 (95% CI, 1.22-1.53), and for individuals with functional difficulty, disability and one or more comorbid conditions was 1.30 (95% CI, 1.15-1.47). The aOR of receiving at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine among individuals with functional difficulty and one or more comorbid conditions was significantly higher than among those with functional difficulty only., Conclusion: In Bangladesh, COVID-19 vaccine uptake was relatively low among individuals with disabilities. The existing COVID-19 vaccine rollout programs and similar future programs should prioritise individuals with disabilities and include targeted strategies to reach them., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study focuses on Bangladeshi university entrance test-taking students mental health problems and explores the geographical distribution of these problems using GIS technique. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1523 university entrance test-taking students. Data were collected on participants' socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related factors, admission tests, depression, and anxiety. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were performed using SPSS software. GIS mapping was used to visualize the distribution of mental health problems across districts using ArcGIS. The study found that the prevalence rates of depression and anxiety among university entrance examinees were 53.8% and 33.2%, respectively. Males exhibited higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to females, while repeat test-taking students were more susceptible to these mental health issues compared to first-time test-takers. Factors such as urban residence, personal/familial COVID-19 infections, and COVID-19 deaths in close relationships were associated with increased mental health problems. District-based distribution showed no significant variation in depression, but anxiety varied significantly. Post-hoc GIS analysis revealed variations in the distribution of depression and anxiety among males, as well as variations in anxiety distribution based on student status across districts. This study emphasizes the high prevalence of depression and anxiety among university entrance examinees, emphasizing the importance of addressing mental health risks in this population. It also suggests the need for reforms in the university entrance test-taking system to reduce psychological problems and advocates for a more inclusive approach to student admissions to alleviate mental health burdens., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: As the Sustainable Development Goal 3.2.1 deadline (2030) approaches, rapidly reducing under-5 mortality (U5M) gains more prominence. However, initiatives or interventions that aided Bangladesh in achieving Millennium Development Goal 4 showed varied effectiveness in reducing certain cause-specific U5M. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the predictors of the key cause-specific mortalities., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011 and 2017-18 data. Cause-specific U5M was examined using multilevel multinomial mixed-effects analyses, and overall/all-cause U5M was examined using multilevel mixed-effects analyses. The respective estimates were compared., Results: The cause-specific analysis revealed that pneumonia and prematurity-related U5M were significantly associated with antenatal care and postnatal care, respectively. However, analysis of overall/all-cause U5M did not reveal any significant association with health services. Twins or multiples had a greater risk of mortality from preterm-related conditions (adjusted Relative Risk Ratio (aRRR): 38.01, 95% CI: 19.08-75.7, p < .001), birth asphyxia (aRRR: 6.52, 95% CI: 2.51-16.91, p < .001), and possible serious infections (aRRR: 11.12, 95% CI: 4.52-27.36, p < .001) than singletons. Children born to mothers 18 years or younger also exhibited a greater risk of mortality from these three causes than children born to older mothers. This study also revealed an increase in the predicted risk of prematurity-related mortality in the 2017-18 survey among children born to mothers 18 years or younger, children born to mothers without any formal education, twins or multiples and children who did not receive postnatal care., Conclusions: This research provides valuable insights into accelerating U5M reduction; a higher risk of preterm-related death among twins underscores the importance of careful monitoring of mothers pregnant with twins or multiples through the continuum of care; elevated risk of death among children who did not receive postnatal care, or whose mothers did not receive antenatal care stresses the need to strengthen the coverage and quality of maternal and neonatal health care; furthermore, higher risks of preterm-related deaths among the children of mothers with low formal education or children born to mothers 18 years or younger highlight the importance of more comprehensive initiatives to promote maternal education and prevent adolescent pregnancy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interconnected metabolic risk factors, including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated fasting blood glucose levels, that result in an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. In this research, we aim to identify the risk factors that have an impact on MetS in the Bangladeshi population. Subsequently, we intend to construct predictive machine learning (ML) models and ultimately, assess the accuracy and reliability of these models. In this particular study, we utilized the ATP III criteria as the basis for evaluating various health parameters from a dataset comprising 8185 participants in Bangladesh. After employing multiple ML algorithms, we identified that 27.8% of the population exhibited a prevalence of MetS. The prevalence of MetS was higher among females, accounting for 58.3% of the cases, compared to males with a prevalence of 41.7%. Initially, we identified the crucial variables using Chi-Square and Random Forest techniques. Subsequently, the obtained optimal variables are employed to train various models including Decision Trees, Random Forests, Support Vector Machines, Extreme Gradient Boosting, K-nearest neighbors, and Logistic Regression. Particularly we employed the ATP III criteria, which utilizes the Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) as an anthropometric index for diagnosing abdominal obesity. Our analysis indicated that Age, SBP, WHtR, FBG, WC, DBP, marital status, HC, TGs, and smoking emerged as the most significant factors when using Chi-Square and Random Forest analyses. However, further investigation is necessary to evaluate its precision as a classification tool and to improve the accuracy of all classifiers for MetS prediction., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest among the authors., (Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.)

Background: Bangladesh has seen a significant decline in child mortality in recent decades, but morbidity among children <5 y of age remains high. The aim of this analysis was to examine trends and identify risk factors related to child morbidity in Bangladesh., Methods: This analysis is based on data from four successive cross-sectional Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys for the years 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2017-18. Several count regression models were fitted and the best model was used to identify risk factors associated with morbidity in children <5 y of age., Results: According to the results of the trend analysis, the prevalence of non-symptomatic children increased and the prevalence of fever, diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) decreased over the years. The Vuong's non-nested test indicated that Poisson regression could be used as the best model. From the results of the Poisson regression model, child age, sex, underweight, wasted, stunting, maternal education, wealth status, religion and region were the important determinants associated with the risk of child morbidity. The risk was considerably higher among women with a primary education compared with women with a secondary or greater education in Bangladesh., Conclusions: This analysis concluded that child morbidity is still a major public health problem for Bangladesh. Thus it is important to take the necessary measures to reduce child morbidity (particularly fever, diarrhoea and ARI) by improving significant influencing factors., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.)

Background: About 600 million people are estimated to be infected with Strongyloides stercoralis, the species that causes most of the human strongyloidiasis cases. S. stercoralis can also infect non-human primates (NHPs), dogs and cats, rendering these animals putative sources for zoonotic human S. stercoralis infection. S. fuelleborni is normally found in old world NHPs but occasionally also infects humans, mainly in Africa. Dogs in southeast Asia carry at least two types of Strongyloides, only one of which appears to be shared with humans ("dog only" and "human and dog" types). For S. stercoralis with molecular taxonomic information, there is a strong sampling bias towards southeast and east Asia and Australia., Methodology/principle Findings: In order to extend the geographic range of sampling, we collected human and dog derived Strongyloides spp. and hookworms from two locations in Bangladesh and subjected them to molecular taxonomic and genomic analysis based on nuclear and mitochondrial sequences. All hookworms found were Necator americanus. Contrary to earlier studies in Asia, we noticed a rather high incidence of S. fuelleborni in humans. Also in this study, we found the two types of S. stercoralis and no indication for genetic isolation from the southeast Asian populations. However, we found one genomically "dog only" type S. stercoralis in a human sample and we found two worms in a dog sample that had a nuclear genome of the "dog only" but a mitochondrial genome of the "human and dog" type., Conclusions/significance: S. fuelleborni may play a more prominent role as a human parasite in certain places in Asia than previously thought. The introgression of a mitochondria haplotype into the "dog only" population suggests that rare interbreeding between the two S. stercoralis types does occur and that exchange of genetic properties, for example a drug resistance, between the two types is conceivable., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 de Ree et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Importance: The emergence of acute neurological symptoms in children necessitates immediate intervention. Although low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the highest burden of neurological diseases, there is a scarcity of diagnostic and therapeutic resources. Therefore, current understanding of the etiology of neurological emergencies in LMICs relies mainly on clinical diagnoses and verbal autopsies., Objective: To characterize the association of premortem neurological symptoms and their management with postmortem-confirmed cause of death among children aged younger than 5 years in LMICs and to identify current gaps and improve strategies to enhance child survival., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 3, 2016, and July 22, 2022, at the 7 participating sites in the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and South Africa). Minimally invasive tissue sampling was performed at the CHAMPS sites with specimens from deceased children aged younger than 5 years. This study included deceased children who underwent a premortem neurological evaluation and had a postmortem-confirmed cause of death. Data analysis was performed between July 22, 2022, and January 15, 2023., Main Outcomes and Measures: Descriptive analysis was performed using neurological evaluations from premortem clinical records and from postmortem determination of cause of death (based on histopathology, microbiological testing, clinical records, and verbal autopsies)., Results: Of the 2127 deaths of children codified during the study period, 1330 (62.5%) had neurological evaluations recorded and were included in this analysis. The 1330 children had a median age of 11 (IQR, 2-324) days; 745 (56.0%) were male and 727 (54.7%) presented with neurological symptoms during illness before death. The most common postmortem-confirmed neurological diagnoses related to death were hypoxic events (308 [23.2%]), meningoencephalitis (135 [10.2%]), and cerebral malaria (68 [5.1%]). There were 12 neonates with overlapping hypoxic events and meningoencephalitis, but there were no patients with overlapping meningoencephalitis and cerebral malaria. Neurological symptoms were similar among diagnoses, and no combination of symptoms was accurate in differentiating them without complementary tools. However, only 25 children (18.5%) with meningitis had a lumbar puncture performed before death. Nearly 90% of deaths (442 of 511 [86.5%]) with neurological diagnoses in the chain of events leading to death were considered preventable., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study of children aged younger than 5 years, neurological symptoms were frequent before death. However, clinical phenotypes were insufficient to differentiate the most common underlying neurological diagnoses. The low rate of lumbar punctures performed was especially worrying, suggesting a challenge in quality of care of children presenting with neurological symptoms. Improved diagnostic management of neurological emergencies is necessary to ultimately reduce mortality in this vulnerable population.

Xanthine oxidase (XO) is an enzyme that converts hypoxanthine into xanthine and xanthine into uric acid, which is then eliminated by the kidneys. Serum XO has been linked to diabetes, hypertension, liver dysfunction, and cardiovascular diseases. However, limited information exists on the relationship between serum XO activity and MetS. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between XO activity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in an adult population group in Bangladesh A total of 601 participants aged ≥18 years were included in the study. MetS was defined based on the criteria set by the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III). Serum XO activity was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while other biochemical parameters were measured using colorimetric methods. The relationship between serum XO and MetS levels was determined through multivariate logistic regression analysis. Serum XO activity was found to be significantly higher in females (6.17 ± 3.77 U/L) as compared to males (4.00 ± 2.77 U/L) (p < 0.001). Furthermore, participants with MetS had significantly higher mean levels of serum XO (5.34 ± 3.39 U/L) than those without MetS (3.86 ± 2.90 U/L) (p < 0.001). The prevalence of MetS and its components, such as blood pressure and blood glucose increased across the XO quartiles (p < 0.001). Regression analysis indicated that XO activity was significantly and independently associated with the prevalence of MetS (at least p < 0.05 for all cases) and its components, including elevated blood pressure, high blood glucose, and low HDL-C (at least p < 0.05 for all cases). In conclusion, individuals with MetS had significantly higher XO levels than those without MetS. Serum XO activity showed an independent association with MetS and some of its components. Therefore, XO might serve as a useful marker of MetS. Prospective studies are needed to determine the underlying mechanisms linking XO and MetS., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED) is an acquired disorder of asymptomatic altered gut function, the etiology of which is unknown. EED is postulated to be a major contributor to growth faltering in early childhood in regions where early-life enteropathogenic carriage is prevalent. Few studies have examined the critical organ (the upper small bowel) with enteropathogens in the evolution of small bowel disease., Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine if fecal enteropathogenic detection predicts subsequent EED histology., Methods: Fecal samples were obtained from undernourished children aged <2 y without diarrhea enrolled in 3 cohort studies, who failed nutritional intervention and subsequently underwent endoscopy. Duodenal biopsies from 245 (Bangladesh n = 120, Pakistan n = 57, and Zambia n = 68) children were scored using a semiquantitative histologic grading protocol. Thirteen enteropathogens were sought in common across the 3 centers using TaqMan array cards (TAC) (Bangladesh and Pakistan) and the Luminex platform (Zambia). An additional 18 pathogens and 32 virulence loci were sought by TAC and included in sensitivity analyses restricted to TAC data., Results: Multivariable linear regressions adjusting for study center, age at stool collection, and stool-to-biopsy interval demonstrated the following: 1) an association of norovirus and Shigella detection with subsequent enterocyte injury [β 0.2 (95% CI: 0.1, 0.3); P = 0.002 and β 0.2 (95% CI: 0.0, 0.3); P = 0.008, respectively], 2) association of Campylobacter with intraepithelial lymphocytes [β 0.2 (95% CI: 0.0, 0.4); P = 0.046], and 3) association of Campylobacter and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli with a summative EED histopathology index score [β 4.2 (95% CI: 0.8, 7.7); P = 0.017 and β 3.9 (95% CI: 0.5, 7.3); P = 0.027, respectively]. All but 2 of these associations (Shigella-enterocyte injury and Campylobacter-index score) were also demonstrated in TAC-only sensitivity analyses, which identified additional associations between other pathogens, pathogen burden, or virulence loci primarily with the same histologic parameters., Conclusions: The detection of some enteropathogens in asymptomatic infections is associated with subsequent EED histopathology. These novel findings offer a basis for future EED etiology and pathogenesis studies., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bangladesh is experiencing a rapid increase in hypertension prevalence, particularly in socio-economically disadvantaged communities. The higher use of solid fuel in these communities could be one of the significant factors contributing to this trend, but evidence supporting this hypothesis is limited in Bangladesh. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the associations of household solid fuel use and its exposure level with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and hypertension. We analysed 7,320 women's data from 2017/18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. We considered three outcome variables: (i) systolic blood pressure (BP) (continuous response), (ii) DBP (continuous response), and (iii) hypertension status (yes, no). Our primary exposures of interest were fuel type (clean vs solid) and the potential level of household air pollution exposure through solid fuel use (unexposed, moderately exposed, and highly exposed). We used a multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression model with robust variance to determine association between exposure and outcome variables while adjusting for confounders. Of the total respondents analysed, approximately 82% used solid fuel for cooking. The age-standardised prevalence of hypertension was 28%. Respondents using solid fuel were found to be 1.44 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.89) more likely to develop hypertension compared to clean fuel users. Compared to women using clean fuel, the likelihood of hypertension was found to be 1.61 times (95% CI, 1.07-2.20) higher among the moderately exposed group and 1.80 times (95% CI, 1.27-2.32) higher among the highly exposed group. Similar associations were reported for systolic and DBP. The use of solid fuel increases the risk of becoming hypertensive and elevates systolic and DBP. Policies and programmes are necessary to increase awareness of the adverse effects of solid fuel use on health, including hypertension. Efforts should be made to reduce solid fuel use and ensure proper ventilation systems in households where solid fuel is used.

Background: Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is an asymptomatic intestinal disorder associated with growth impairment, delayed neurocognitive development, and impaired oral vaccine responses., Objectives: We set out to develop and validate a histopathologic scoring system on duodenal biopsies from a cohort study of children with growth failure in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Zambia ("EED") with reference to biopsies from United States children with no clinically reported histologic pathology (referred to hereafter as "normal") or celiac disease., Methods: Five gastrointestinal pathologists evaluated 745 hematoxylin and eosin slide images from 291 children with EED (mean age: 1.6 y) and 66 United States children (mean age: 6.8 y). Histomorphologic features (i.e., villus/crypt architecture, goblet cells, epithelial and lamina propria acute/chronic inflammation, Brunner's glands, Paneth cells, epithelial detachment, enterocyte injury, and foveolar metaplasia) were used to score each histopathologic slide. Generalized estimating equations were used to determine differences between EED, normal, and celiac disease, and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess predictive value., Results: Biopsies from the duodenal bulb showed higher intramucosal Brunner's gland scores and lower intraepithelial lymphocyte scores than from the second or third parts of the duodenum (D2/3), so only D2/3 were included in the final analysis. Although 7 parameters differed significantly between EED and normal biopsies in regression models, only 5 (blunted villus architecture, increased intraepithelial lymphocytosis, goblet cell depletion, Paneth cell depletion, and reduced intramucosal Brunner's glands) were required to create a total score percentage (TSP-5) that correctly identified EED against normal biopsies (AUC: 0.992; 95% CI: 0.983, 0.998). Geographic comparisons showed more severe goblet cell depletion in Bangladesh and more marked intraepithelial lymphocytosis in Pakistan., Conclusions: This scoring system involving 5 histologic parameters demonstrates very high discrimination between EED and normal biopsies, indicating that this scoring system can be applied with confidence to studies of intestinal biopsies in EED., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) can be diagnosed using weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) and/or mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Although some favor using MUAC alone, valuing its presumed ability to identify children at greatest need for nutritional care, the functional severity and physiological responses to treatment in children with varying deficits in WHZ and MUAC remain inadequately characterized., Objective: We aimed to compare clinical and biochemical responses to treatment in children with 1) both low MUAC and low WHZ, 2) low MUAC-only, and 3) low WHZ-only., Methods: A multicenter, observational cohort study was conducted in children aged 6-59 mo with nonedematous, uncomplicated SAM in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, and Liberia. Anthropometric measurements and critical indicators were collected 3 times during treatment; metrics included clinical status, nutritional status, viability, and serum leptin, a biomarker of mortality risk in SAM., Results: Children with combined MUAC and WHZ deficits had greater increases in leptin levels during treatment than those with low MUAC alone, showing a 34.4% greater increase on the second visit (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.6%, 43.6%; P = 0.02) and a 34.3% greater increase on the third visit (95% CI: 13.2%, 50.3%; P = 0.01). Similarly, weight gain velocity was higher by 1.56 g/kg/d in the combined deficit group (95% CI: 0.38, 2.75; P = 0.03) compared with children with low MUAC-only. Children with combined deficits had higher rates of iron deficiency and wasting while those with low WHZ alone and combined deficits had higher rates of tachypnea and pneumonia during treatment., Conclusions: Given the comparable treatment responses of children with low WHZ alone and those with low MUAC alone, and the greater vulnerability at admission and during treatment in those with combined deficits, our findings support retaining WHZ as an independent diagnostic and admission criterion of SAM, alongside MUAC. This trial was registered at www., Clinicaltrials: gov/study/NCT03400930 as NCT03400930., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Nutrition. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has given a chance for researchers and policymakers all over the world to study the impact of lockdowns on air quality in each country. This review aims to investigate the impact of the restriction of activities during the lockdowns in the Asian Monsoon region on the main criteria air pollutants. The various types of lockdowns implemented in each country were based on the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. The concentrations of major air pollutants, especially particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), reduced significantly in all countries, especially in South Asia (India and Bangladesh), during periods of full lockdown. There were also indications of a significant reduction of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and carbon monoxide (CO). At the same time, there were indications of increasing trends in surface ozone (O 3 ), presumably due to nonlinear chemistry associated with the reduction of oxides of nitrogens (NO X ). The reduction in the concentration of air pollutants can also be seen in satellite images. The results of aerosol optical depth (AOD) values followed the PM concentrations in many cities. A significant reduction of NO 2 was recorded by satellite images in almost all cities in the Asian Monsoon region. The major reductions in air pollutants were associated with reductions in mobility. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Taiwan had comparatively positive gross domestic product growth indices in comparison to other Asian Monsoon nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. A positive outcome suggests that the economy of these nations, particularly in terms of industrial activity, persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the lockdowns implemented during COVID-19 suggest that air quality in the Asian Monsoon region can be improved by the reduction of emissions, especially those due to mobility as an indicator of traffic in major cities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The WASH benefits Bangladesh trial multi-component sanitation intervention reduced diarrheal disease among children < 5 years. Intervention components included latrine upgrades, child feces management tools, and behavioral promotion. It remains unclear which components most impacted diarrhea., Methods: We conducted mediation analysis within a subset of households (n = 720) from the sanitation and control arms. Potential mediators were categorized into indicators of latrine quality, latrine use practices, and feces management practices. We estimated average causal mediation effects (ACME) as prevalence differences (PD), defined as the intervention's effect on diarrhea through its effect on the mediator., Results: The intervention improved all indicators compared to controls. We found significant mediation through multiple latrine use and feces management practice indicators. The strongest mediators during monsoon seasons were reduced open defecation among children aged < 3 and 3-8 years, and increased disposal of child feces into latrines. The strongest mediators during dry seasons were access to a flush/pour-flush latrine, reduced open defecation among children aged 3-8 years, and increased disposal of child feces into latrines. Individual mediation effects were small (PD = 0.5-2 percentage points) compared to the overall intervention effect but collectively describe significant mediation pathways., Discussion: The effect of the WASH Benefits Bangladesh sanitation intervention on diarrheal disease was mediated through improved child feces management and reduced child open defecation. Although the intervention significantly improved latrine quality, relatively high latrine quality at baseline may have limited benefits from additional improvements. Targeting safe child feces management may increase the health benefits of rural sanitation interventions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)