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Heavy metal contamination poses a significant food safety risk for human health in developing countries like Bangladesh. This study examined the quantities of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Fe, and Cu) in commercially accessible meat, poultry, and game products in Noakhali, Bangladesh, and their carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry was used to analyze heavy metals, and the health risk assessment was based on Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Targeted Hazard Quotient (THQ), Total THQ, and Total Carcinogenic Risk (TCR). Most samples exceeded Maximum Allowable Concentrations (MAC) for heavy metals. The EDI value of Cd, Pb, and Cr for duck liver, goat liver, and pigeon brain, were higher than the Maximum Tolerable Dietary Intake (MTDI). Children had 1.28 times higher HI values than an adult. The calculation of THQ of all elements in adults and children was in the order of Cu> Pb>Ni>Cr>Cd>Fe. The calculated TTHQ values were in the range of 0.051 to 1.988 and 0.047 to 3.975 for adults and children, respectively. The TCR values for Cd in poultry liver, brain, and meat, Sonali chicken, cow, pigeon, duck, and goat liver were higher than the reference value for adults and children, suggesting a potential cancer risk.

Background: Due to the high prevalence of NCDs and treatment costs, many medical providers are looking for alternative medications, especially herbal medicine, and some herbal medicines can be used as an effective therapy for the treatment of NCDs. Many studies have shown the effective use of saffron to impede and treat different types of non-communicable diseases. Aim: This current review focuses on the medicinal uses of saffron and current findings relating to the effects of saffron on different types of non-communicable diseases. Methods: Cochrane library, Pub Med, and Google Scholar databases were searched from 2000 to 2020 before September to accumulate current findings with the limitation of the English language. Result: A total of 33 studies (8 human and 25 animalstudies) were identified through searching. Saffron and its active components improved lipid profile along with lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Kidney function was also improved by reducing nitrogen urea, urinary citrate, uric acid, etc. Saffron can be also used for treating different types of cancer like prostate cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer, etc. Conclusion: Despite the beneficial effects of saffron on non-communicable diseases, more prospective clinical trials among humans and animals are needed for a better understanding of the effects and mechanisms of saffron and its compounds.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global disease and the prevalence of CKD is increasing in both developed and developing countries. The current study aimed to assess subjects in the rural areas of Sylhet district in Bangladesh to identify individuals who may be predisposed to at risk for developing CKD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 996 subjects from Sylhet district of Bangladesh. Data were collected by using a standard questionnaire from 82 villages. Data about socio-demographic, medical history and anthropometric and biochemical parameters were collected. Urine dipstick test was done for both albumin and glucose. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA-test were performed for statistical analysis. Results: The study revealed that people living in rural areas of Sylhet in Bangladesh are at risk of developing CKD and the hidden cause behind it includes not only diabetes and hypertension, but also other lifestyle related factors. Younger participants were found to be at less risk compared to older participants for developing CKD. From urinary dipstick test, 2% and 3.3% subjects had severe traces of albumin and glucose in their urine. Approximately 16% of subjects had hypertension. From the data of 99 out of 996 subjects for urine albumin dipstick test, 98 respondents were identified as stage I CKD patients and only one was identified as stage II CKD patients. Conclusion: As dialysis and transplants are unsustainable in the long term, it is important to seek preventive strategies when patients are in pre-dialysis state and identify and manage those at high risk. Nutrition and life-style choices can play key roles to achieve this. So, urgent low-cost programs are needed to identify people who are at risk of CKD as well as address their current medical condition to initiate early management of CKD patients.

Background: Chronic kidney diseases become a public health concern as the rate of this diseases is increasing. Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in key biomarkers in Bangladeshi CKD stages IV and V patients by using Renadyl capsule. Study Design: Open label randomized placebo controlled clinical trial. Methods: Data were collected from patients with CKD stage IV and V in 2017, in an out-patient setting in Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, Bangladesh. Patient’s information, medical history and clinical data were also collected. Health condition of the patients was collected by using SF-36 QOL questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 23.0. Results: Administration of Renadyl capsule improved the clinical and biochemical data of the patients. Renadyl administration improved the filtration rate, kidney size, creatinine level, heart rate and liver function. Patient’s physical and mental health was also improved. Conclusion: Renadyl administration appeared to be safe among chronic kidney patients with improved kidney function. However, more clinical trials are suggested to determine the efficacy and effects of Renadyl.

Experimental studies demonstrated a positive effect of administration of Nigella sativa L. (Back cumin) and its active chemical components on cancer and tumor through the antioxidant and anti-cancer activity. This study aimed to determine the beneficial effect of the use of black cumin in patients with cancer and tumor. This systematic review includes 4 randomized controlled trials that investigated the effect of the administration of black cumin in human cancer. Articles were searched in PubMed, Cochrane library, Semantic scholar and directory of open access journal (DOAJ), open grey and grey literature report databases for studies from 1983 to 2020 before May using the following keywords, Nigella sativa , black cumin, cancer, tumor, etc. The results examined that N. sativa is much effective in treating breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, brain tumor, and acute myeloid leukemia. According to the limited evidence from the study, black cumin may have favorable effects on cancer and tumor. However, more research is needed on different types of cancer to confirm and establish the above findings.

Objectives Adolescence, a crucial period for growth velocity including sexual maturation, is an important period of life and young adolescent girls need to have proper knowledge, positive attitudes and practice of balanced diet to achieve optimum growth and development. Considering its importance this study attempts to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of balanced diets among adolescent schoolgirls in Noakhali district, Bangladesh. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three secondary schools in Noakhali district, Bangladesh. A multistage sampling techniques was used to select schools and study participants. A total of 485 adolescent school girls participated and a pre-designed, validated and structured questionnaire was used for data collection. In addition to descriptive statistics, chi-square test and logistic regression were employed for analysis. Results The results from the study revealed that more than half of the students did not have good knowledge about a balanced diet, 42.8% had a positive attitude, whereas the practice of consuming a balanced diet was rather low (only 4.5%). Students studying in government schools had better knowledge and attitudes than non-government school students. Moreover, 41.1% of students were underweight; more than 60% of respondent’s mothers did not have an education higher than secondary school and were mostly unemployed housewives. Parent’s education, mother’s occupation, and types of school have a strong association with KAP; however, father’s education and occupation showed an association of varying degrees. Being knowledgeable was related to positive attitudes, and students with good knowledge had (OR: 1.828; 95% CI: 1.270–2.631) more likely to have positive attitudes towards a balanced diet. Conclusions Thus, proper knowledge about a balanced diet should be introduced with basic nutritional knowledge to all levels of public education. Interventions and programs can be designed to improve knowledge, attitude, and more specifically the practice at the household level so that adolescent girls can have a proper diet during their sexual maturation phase.

COVID-19 pandemic is at the fourth stage of boundless local transmission in Bangladesh. The objective of this study was to assess the psychosocial impact of Covid-19 on adult Bangladeshi population. An online-based cross-sectional study was performed among 213 Bangladeshi young adults aged between 18 and 34 years. More than 90% of participants were responded to possess a good awareness of Covid-19. However, the behavioral characteristics of young individuals in Bangladesh were not impressive. In this cohort, 24.4% of participants showed moderate change and 5.2%-little changes in their behavior due to COVID 19. Approximately 58.2% of participants had some symptoms of mental distress while 59.7% of participants were somewhat worried about COVID 19. In order to control the spread of Covid-19, existing unconsciousness in young adult could turn this situation into a disaster throughout the nation which therefore must be understood by the government and policymakers to incorporate successful measures., Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Vol. 62 No. 2 (2021): 2021622

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Mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward exclusive breastfeeding are crucial to both child and mother's health and wellbeing. Hence, This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of exclusive breastfeeding among lactating mothers as well as the predictors of their exclusive breastfeeding practice.This cross-sectional study included 397 mothers having infants aged 0-6 months who sought care at Noakhali Sadar Upazila, Noakhali, Bangladesh. A field-tested and validated Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) questionnaire was utilized to collect information from participants.Of those evaluated; 29.0% of mothers could not define exclusive breastfeeding accurately, 11.3% and 59.3% did not know the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for babies and mothers, respectively. More than half (51.4%) of the mothers reported feeling good about exclusive breastfeeding for six months, did not find difficulties to breastfeed exclusively for six months (39.5%) and on-demand (58.2%). The mothers had an overall favorable attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding; however, 38.3% of mothers did not exclusively breastfeed their children. Literate mothers tended to exclusively breastfeed more (AOR: 3.06, 95% CI: 1.01-9.32; P = 0.049) than illiterate mothers. Mothers having one baby were more likely to breastfeed exclusively (AOR: 3.07, 95% CI: 1.21-7.78; P = 0.018) than mothers having more than one baby. Moreover, mothers with higher knowledge and favorable attitude had more than two times (AOR: 2.58, 95% CI: 1.315.07; P = 0.006) and forty-three times (AOR: 43.18, 95% CI: 21.513-86.66; P0.001) the higher tendency of exclusive breastfeeding compared to others.Despite having satisfactory knowledge and attitude, the practice of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers was poor. We recommend that interventions must be focused more on ensuring exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers in addition to improving their knowledge and attitudes.

Introduction Obesity and higher BMI is one of the leading comorbidities to increase the risk of COVID-19 severity. This paper presents a systematic review and meta-analysis estimating the effects of overweight and obesity on COVID-19 disease severity. Method Two electronic databases (Medline and Cochrane library) and one grey literature database (Grey Literature Report) were searched. The risks of bias of the selected studies were assessed by using the Navigation Guide method for human data. Both random and fixed effect meta-analyses were determined using Review Manager (RevMan) software version 5.4. Results After initial screening, 12 studies were fulfilled the eligibility criteria, comprising a total of 405359 patients, and included in the systematic review. The pooled risk of COVID-19 severity was 1.31 times higher based on both fixed and random effect model among those overweight patients, I2 0% and 2.09 and 2.41 times higher based on fixed and random effect respectively among obese patients, I2 42% compared to healthy individuals. Conclusion Overweight and obesity are found to be risk factors for disease severity of COVID-19 patients. However, further assessment of metabolic parameters is required to estimate the risk factors of COVID-19 patients and understanding the mechanism between COVID-19 and body mass index.

Background: Refractive Error is a common health issues among young school-aged children in Bangladesh.Present study focused on determinants of refractive error among school-going children (class II-V) and theassociated factors.Method: Data were collected from 200 school-going children and their parents in a cross-sectional studyusing purposive sampling from Cambrian School, Dhaka city. A semi-structured questionnaire wasadministered to collect socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical information related to prevalence ofrefractive error at this age of children.Results: Study revealed that, among 200 participants, 54.5% children had refractive error and the youngera child is, the more there was possibility of having this issue. A positive association was found betweenmeal intake, duration of using computer games or watching television and genetic factor (parents’ wearingspectacles) with the occurrence of having this error in children (p

IntroductionCOVID-19 pandemic has caused havoc worldwide, and different comorbidities have been seen to exacerbate the condition. Obesity is one of the leading comorbidities, which is associated with many other diseases. In this paper, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis estimating the effects of overweight and obesity on COVID-19 disease severity.MethodologyTwo electronic databases (Medline and Cochrane library) and one grey literature database (Grey Literature Report) were searched using the following keywords: overweight, obesity, body mass index, respiratory disease, coronavirus, COVID-19. The risks of bias of the selected studies were assessed by using the Navigation Guide method for human data. Both random and fixed effect meta-analysis were determined using Review Manager (RevMan) software version 5.4.ResultsAfter initial screening, 12 studies (7 cohort studies, four case-control studies, and one cross-sectional study) were fulfilled the eligibility criteria, comprising a total of 405359 patients and included in the systematic review. The pooled risk of disease severity was 1.31 times higher based on both fixed and random effect model among those overweight patients,I20% and 2.09 and 2.41 times higher based on fixed and random effect respectively among obese patients,I242% compared to healthy individuals.ConclusionOverweight and obesity are common risk factors for disease severity of COVID-19 patients. However, further assessment of metabolic parameters included BMI, waist-hip ratio, and insulin levels, are required to estimate the risk factors of COVID-19 patients and understanding the mechanism between COVID-19 and body mass index.

Summary Objectives COVID-19 pandemic is at the fourth stage of boundless local transmission in Bangladesh. The objective of this study was to assess the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on adult Bangladeshi population. Design Online-based cross-sectional study. Settings Data were collected from different parts of the Bangladesh. Participants Information was collected from 213 young adults who were aged 18-34 years old using convenient sampling technique. Results More than 90% of participants were responded to possess a good awareness of COVID-19. However, the behavioral characteristics of young individuals in Bangladesh were not impressive. In this cohort, 24.4% of participants showed moderate change and 5.2%-little changes in their behavior due to COVID-19. Approximately 58.2% of participants had some symptoms of mental distress while 59.7% of participants were somewhat worried about COVID-19. Conclusion In order to control the spread of Covid-19, existing unconsciousness in young adult could turn this situation into a disaster throughout the nation which therefore must be understood by the government and policymakers to incorporate successful measures.

BackgroundThe average life expectancy of the Bangladeshi population has been rising over the last decade due to the economic growth along with improved medicare. Although the increased number of geriatric people and their health is a matter of great concern, this issue remains unnoticed here.ObjectivesTo assess the nutritional status of the functionality and to analyze the association between nutritional status and functional ability of the selected Bangladeshi geriatric population.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 participants, covering Chittagong, Noakhali, Comilla, and Jessore district of Bangladesh from December 2019 to February 2020. A standard and pretested questionnaire containing Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), Activities of daily living scale (ADL), Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), was used.ResultsAccording to our study, The prevalence of malnutrition and people at risk of malnutrition have been 25.4% and 58.8%, respectively. In the case of functionality, 63.3% of subjects have high falling risk, and 61.8% of subjects can independently do their daily activities while 38.3% are dependent. Furthermore, almost 80% of people are dependent in terms of doing living skills. High risk of falling (OR=10.823; 95% CI: 5.846-20.37; pConclusionsGeriatric malnutrition can accelerate disability conditions, which can lead to early functional aging and subsequent loss in the quality of life.