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Background: Since starting of the SARS-COV 2 pandemic till date, in dengue endemic countries co-infection of COVID -19 and Dengue co-infection remains a healthcare concern and cases have been reported from some Asian countries. Bangladesh being a high endemic region for dengue infection bears risk of significant healthcare burden of such co-infection cases. During the surge of dengue cases during monsoon season in 2021, the possibility of COVID19 - Dengue co-infection cases also increased. Method: This study was carried out in the Department of Internal Medicine and Pulmonology, Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM) General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from June 2021 to December 2021. Dengue and COVID 19 cases were confirmed as per Bangladesh National guidelines. Result: Total 12 cases including 8 males were diagnosed as dengue -COVID 19 co-infection during the study period. Mean age was 47.0 years. Majority of cases (10) were residing in Dhaka. Among risk factors, 5 cases were known diabetic and 4 cases were hypertensive while 1 case was congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Common presentations were fever (100%), headache (75%), bodyache (66.7%), dry cough (41.7%), nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and retro orbital pain were 25% while rash and shortness of breath occurred in 16.7%. Mean duration of fever was 5.8 days and mean recorded highest temperature was 102.5°F. Dengue manifestation was predominant in 8 cases (66.7%). Laboratory investigations revealed following mean values: baseline haematocrit (HCT) 39.9%, initial total white cell count 4.64x109/L, absolute neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio 2.4, lowest platelet count 100.4x109/L, C-Reactive Protein 143.8mg/L, serum ferritin 888.1 ng/ml, D dimer 2.0 µg/ml, LDH 668.1 U/L, serum Aspartate aminotransferase 88.1 U/L, Alanine aminotransferase 73 U/L. Radiological findings were present in 7(58.3%) cases, among which pneumonitis was predominant (4 cases, 57.1%). All cases were managed and followed up as per national guidelines till discharge and no one required critical care. Conclusion: Observation revealed that COVID -19 and Dengue co-infection may occur and if managed adequately fatal outcome can be avoided, even in high risk patients. Therefore, high degree of suspicion of co-infection should be considered in appropriate clinical scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pot experiment was conducted at the net house of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka during 2017-18 of rabi season to evaluate the impact of organic manure to combat drought stress of wheat. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Factor A: Different organic manure [F0 = Control, F1 = Cow dung 10 t ha-1, F2 = Vermicompost 7 t ha-1] and Factor B: Drought in different growth stages [D0 = Control, D1 = Drought in crown root initiation stage (20-29 DAS), D2 = Drought in booting stage (45-54 DAS), and D3 = Drought in anthesis stage (55-64 DAS)]. BARI Gom-28 variety of wheat was used as test crop. Significant variation was observed on growth, yield and yield contributing parameters. In the case of interaction, the maximum plant height (27.66, 48.10, 63.15 and 78.56cm, respectively) at 20, 40, 60 DAS and at harvest; highest number of effective tillers plant-1 (10.33), spike length (16.12 cm), number of spikelet spike-1 (17.40), number of grains spikelet-1 (2.85), number of grains spike-1 (49.59), weight of 1000 seed grain (48.37 g), grain yield (4.89 g plant-1), straw yield (5.18 g plant-1), biological yield (10.07 g plant-1) and harvest index (48.56%) were recorded from cow dung 10 t ha-1 with control treatment. It can be concluded that application of cow dung is effective in wheat crop to mitigate drought condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To find out the audiometric outcome after stapedotomy patients with clinical diagnosis of otosclerosis. Methods: This prospective observational study was performed in a total of 142 patients diagnosed with primary Otosclerosis, who underwent Stapedotomy at the Department of ENT & Head-Neck Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka between January 2013 to January 2018. All patients were evaluated as per the candidacy criteria for stapedotomy and selected patients underwent surgery during the study period and were followed up for a period of 12 months in the Otology clinic. Pre-operative and Post-operative audiometric evaluation were done using conventional pure tone audiometry with standard calibrations. Post-operative audiometry was performed at 03 month, 06 month and 12 month. Results: Overall, the frequency specific pre-operative mean average Air-Bone gap was 51.6 dB at 500Hz, 35.7 dB at 1000 Hz, 40.5 dB at 2000 Hz, 38.9 dB at 4000 Hz and the frequency specific postoperative mean average Air-Bone Gap closure was achieved by 28.1 dB at 500Hz, 30.3 dB at 1000 Hz, 12.5 dB at 2000 Hz, 10.8 dB at 4000 Hz, by the time of 1 years of follow up. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05) between pre-operative Air-Bone gap and post operative Air-Bone gap. After the surgery 88.7% tinnitus patients reported improvement and 11.3 % noted no change in tinnitus. Postoperative sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) was seen in 1.4 %, failure rate was found 3.8% and 1.4% patients developed post-operative persistent vertigo. Conclusion: Most of the audiometric results reveal excellent hearing improvement after stapedectomy surgery and worsened bone conduction (postoperative threshold shifts) for primary otosclerosis. It is safe and successful procedure providing long-term hearing expansion in primary otosclerosis with minimum failure rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeMethodsResultsConclusionTo perform a systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the diversity and representation of diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients in clinical trials conducted in the United States from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2023.A comprehensive search strategy was conducted on May 28th, 2024 using MEDLINE (PubMed) and Embase (Elsevier) to identify relevant clinical trials. Inclusion criteria included trials published between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2023, focusing on interventions for DR that were conducted in the United States. Screening and data extraction were independently performed by three reviewers.Eleven clinical trials met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed for participant representation based on sex, age, and race/ethnicity. Sex representation was rated as good in 9 of the 11 studies. However, age representation was rarely reported (only 1/11 studies) and race/ethnicity representation was poor in 6 of the 11 studies. The findings highlight significant underrepresentation of Asian and Black populations.This study reveals substantial disparities in the demographic representation within DR clinical trials in the United States, emphasizing the critical need for improved inclusion strategies. Enhancing diversity in these trials is essential for producing research findings that are more applicable to the broader population affected by DR, ultimately contributing to more equitable healthcare outcomes and advancing the effectiveness of treatments across diverse demographic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A cross-sectional prospective clinical study was done to evaluate the inner ear anomalies in candidates undergoing cochlear implantation. Materials and Methods: Study was carried out over a period of 07 years (Jan 2013 to Dec 2019) at Cochlear Implant Centre, Combined Military Hospital Dhaka. A total 206 deaf candidates, both pre and post lingual, were included in convenient sampling method. Result: The sample consisted of 206 candidates, of whom 117 (56.80%) were female and 89 (43.20%) were male. All candidates had severe to profound bilateral deafness. 182 (88.35%) of them were pre and 24 (11.65%) were in post lingual group. All patients diagnosed audiologically as profound deafness underwent HRCT scan of temporal bone with 3D reconstruction of cochlea and MRI of internal auditory canal & brain. Radiological examination revealed that 36 (17.47%) candidates had ear anomalies. Mondini deformity 14 (06.80%), cochlear ossification 11 (5.34%), large vestibular aqueduct 04 (1.94%), high jugular bulb 04 (1.94%) and anteriorly placed sigmoid sinus 03 (1.45%) were noted. During intervention, 42 (20.39%) candidates had anomalous intra operative findings. Among them CSF gusher 19 (9.23%), ossification of basal turn 12 (5.83%), isolated rotated Cochlea 02 (0.97%), high jugular bulb 04 (1.94%), anteriorly placed sigmoid sinus 03 (1.45%), and very high facial nerve 02 (0.97%) were observed. During surgery, electrode insertion difficulty due to high CSF gusher was experienced in19 (9.23%) cases, full length of electrode insertion was not possible due to ossified basal turn 12 (5.83%), difficult to find out round window membrane due to rotated cochlea 02 (0.97%), prevented direct visualization of the round window due to high jugular bulb 04 (1.94%), difficult to approach round window due to very high facial nerve 02 (0.97%). and approach to round window membrane was compromised due to anteriorly placed sigmoid sinus 03 (1.45%). Most of these difficulties were effectively managed during surgery. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of preoperative radiological scanning in the assessment of patients undergoing cochlear implantation. It provides vital information on cochlear status and in ruling out non cochlear causes where cochlear implantation is not feasible. Detection of anatomical abnormalities with appropriate evaluation, specially imaging should be mandatory in every patient undergoing cochlear implantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was focused on the assessment of patient's improvement in hearing, as measured by pure tone audiometry after stapedotomy for primary otosclerosis. Materials and Methods: This prospective clinical study was performed in a total of 156 patients diagnosed with Primary Otosclerosis, who underwent Stapedotomy at the Department of ENT & Head-Neck Surgery, Combined Military Hospital Dhaka between January 2013 to January 2019. All patients were evaluated as per the candidacy criteria for stapedotomy and selected patients underwent surgery during the study period and were followed up for a period of 12 months in the Otology clinic. Pre and Post-operative audiometric evaluation was done using conventional pure tone audiometry with standard calibrations. Post-operative audiometry was performed at 03 month, 06 months and 12 months. The bone-conduction & air conduction thresholds and the Air-Bone gap (ABG), were documented and analyzed at 0.5 KHz, 1 KHz, 2 KHz and 4 KHz frequencies respectively. The subjective outcomes in hearing were also recorded with a patient satisfaction questionnaire to assess improvement in quality of hearing after stapedotomy. Results: Overall, the frequency specific pre-operative mean averaged Air Conduction thresholds were 63.3dB at 500Hz, 57.5dB at 1 KHz, 55.1dB at 2 KHz and 45.7dB at 4 KHz. The frequency specific post-operative mean averaged Air conduction thresolds were 34.6 dB at 500Hz, 28.9 dB at 1Kz, 30.5dB at 2Kz and 33.3dB at 4Kz.The frequency specific mean average post operative Air Bone Gap (ABG) closure was achieved by 28.7dB at 500Hz, 27.6 dB at 1KHz, 24.6 dB at 2KHz and 12.4 dB at 4KHz by the time of completion of the study at 01 year. A successful closure of AB gap to less than 10dB was achieved in the speech frequencies of 2 KHz and 4 KHz in 83.97% of cases. Overall, the frequency specific bone-conduction thresholds were unchanged postoperatively in all cases except 03, showing that no significant sensori-neural impairment had occured due to the stapedotomy procedure. 04 patients developed post-op severe vertigo which was self-limiting after six weeks. 01 patient developed transient facial weakness which was subsided over a time period of 03 months. Patients included in our study had significant subjective audiological improvement and responded satisfactorily to the questionnaire formulated to assess their hearing quality after stapedotomy. Conclusions: Our case study confirms that stapedotomy is a safe and successful procedure providing long-term hearing improvement in primary otosclerosis. Our study shows that meticulous selection of cases for stapedotomy will result in highly successful audiological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020 WHO declared COVID-19 as pandemic while April 2021 Indian authority concede to declare a significantly increased incidence of "Black Fungus" among the COVID-19 patients. The primary route of infection for Mucormycosis or fungal infection following COVID-19 is inhalation or ingestion resulting accumulation of the agents in nose, para-nasal sinuses and mouth. The spores of black fungus intrude neural and vascular structure, which cause mucosal necrosis due to thrombosis in vasculature. The extension of the disease then increases through further destruction of bones of para-nasal sinus as well as neural and vascular route dissemination. We thought about removing, neutralizing or destroying the culprit fungi from its route of entry zone, i.e. nose and mouth. Povidone Iodine (PVP-I) is a microbicidal agent having effective fungicidal as well as virucidal and bactericidal property. PVP-I can be used in both oral and nasal cavity safely. Efficacy and safety of PVP-I is proved in nose in case of COVID-19. PVP-I is proved effective against different fungi at different concentration at different site. So, we recommend Povidone Iodine nasal spray or irrigation and mouthwash for gargling for these vulnerable group of patients in large scale to prevent post-COVID mucormycosis or fungal infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study was undertaken at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the season November 2017 to April 2018 to evaluate the effects of plant × row spacings on yield and yield contributing traits of two Boro rice varieties. Two rice varieties viz., BINA dhan-10 and BRRI dhan28 were sown in five plant spacings viz. 25 cm × 15 cm, 25 cm × 25 cm, 30 cm × 30 cm, 35 cm × 35 cm, 40 cm × 40 cm in randomized completely block design with factorial fashion with three replications. Growth performances, yield contributing characters and yield were significantly influenced by varieties and plant spacings. The highest grain yield (8.75t ha-1), straw yield (11.56 t ha-1), biological yield (20.31 t ha-1) and harvest index (43.05 %) were obtained from the variety BINA dhan-10 sown at planting spacing of25 cm × 15 cm. More number of total tillers hill-1(14.75) and number of effective tiller hill-1 (12.87) were recorded from the variety BINA dhan-10 sown at planting spacing 40 cm × 40 cm. Based on the present study it is suggested that BINA dhan-10 may be grown under 25 cm × 15 cm in order to get maximum grain yield for Boro rice cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]