Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 332 in total

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  1. Kabir MF, Yin KN, Jeffree MS, Ahmedy FB, Zainudin MF, Htwe O, et al.
    BMC Infect Dis, 2024 Apr 04;24(1):375.
    PMID: 38575878 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09267-3
    BACKGROUND: Pain is one of the prevalent Long COVID Symptoms (LCS). Pain interferes with the quality of life (QoL) and induces disease burden.

    PURPOSE: The study aimed to elicit the clinical presentation of pain and determine the relationships between QoL and pain in LCS.

    METHODS: This household cross-sectional study of 12,925 SARS-CoV-2 cases between July and December 2021 was carried out in eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Stratified random sampling from the cases retrieved from the Ministry of Health was employed. Symptom screening was performed through COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale, and long COVID was diagnosed according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS (Version 20.00).

    RESULTS: The prevalence of pain in long COVID was between 01 and 3.1% in the studied population. The study also found five categories of pain symptoms as LCS in Bangladesh: muscle pain 3.1% (95% CI; 2.4-3.8), chest pain 2.4% (95% CI; 1.8-3.1), joint pain 2.8% (95% CI; 2.2-2.3), headache 3.1% (95% CI; 2.4-3.8), and abdominal pain 0.3% (95% CI; 0.01-0.5). People with LCS as pain, multiple LCS, and longer duration of LCS had significantly lower quality of life across all domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (P 

    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh/epidemiology
  2. Hasan M, Hassan L, Abdullah Al M, Kamal AHM, Idris MH, Hoque MZ, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 Apr;31(17):25329-25341.
    PMID: 38468013 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32792-2
    Mangroves provide essential ecosystem services including coastal protection by acting as coastal greenbelts; however, human-driven anthropogenic activities altered their existence and ecosystem functions worldwide. In this study, the successive degradation of the second largest mangrove forest, Chakaria Sundarbans situated at the northern Bay of Bengal part of Bangladesh was assessed using remote sensing approaches. A total of five multi-temporal Landsat satellite imageries were collected and used to observe the land use land cover (LULC) changes over the time periods for the years 1972, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Further, the supervised classification technique with the help of support vector machine (SVM) algorithm in ArcGIS 10.8 was used to process images. Our results revealed a drastic change of Chakaria Sundarbans mangrove forest, that the images of 1972 were comprised of mudflat, waterbody, and mangroves, while the images of 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 were classified as waterbody, mangrove, saltpan, and shrimp farm. Most importantly, mangrove forest was the largest covering area a total of 64.2% in 1972, but gradually decreased to 12.7%, 6.4%, 1.9%, and 4.6% for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. Interestingly, the rate of mangrove forest area degradation was similar to the net increase of saltpan and shrimp farms. The kappa coefficients of classified images were 0.83, 0.87, 0.80, 0.87, and 0.91 with the overall accuracy of 88.9%, 90%, 85%, 90%, and 93.3% for the years 1972, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. By analyzing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and transformed difference vegetation index (TDVI), our results validated that green vegetated area was decreased alarmingly with time in this study area. This destruction was mainly related to active human-driven anthropogenic activities, particularly creating embankments for fish farms or salt productions, and cutting for collection of wood as well. Together all, our results provide clear evidence of active anthropogenic stress on coastal ecosystem health by altering mangrove forest to saltpan and shrimp farm saying goodbye to the second largest mangrove forest in one of the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  3. Siraz MMM, Al Mahmud J, Alam MS, Rashid MB, Hossain Z, Osman H, et al.
    Environ Monit Assess, 2024 Jan 23;196(2):192.
    PMID: 38263472 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12328-4
    Miners, factory workers, traders, end-users, and foodstuff consumers all run the risk of encountering health hazards derived from the presence of elevated levels of radiation in fertilizers, as these groups often come into direct or indirect contact with fertilizers as well as raw materials throughout various linked processes such as mineral extractions, fertilizer production, agricultural practices. A total of 30 samples of various kinds of fertilizer produced in different factories in Dhaka megacity were analyzed to quantify the concentrations of primordial radionuclides using HPGe detector. Among the analyzed samples, average (range) concentration of 40K was found to be 9920 ± 1091 (8700 ± 957-11,500 ± 1265), 9100 ± 1001 (8600 ± 946-9600 ± 1056), 2565 ± 282 (2540 ± 279-2590 ± 285), and 3560 ± 392 (2620 ± 288-4500 ± 495) Bq/kg in the samples of Muriate of Potash Fertilizer, Sulphate of Potash Fertilizer, Humic Acid Fertilizer, and NPKS Fertilizer, respectively. Elevated concentration of 226Ra was found in Triple Super Phosphate Fertilizer with a mean (range) of 335 ± 37 (290 ± 32-380 ± 42) Bq/kg. The higher activity of 40K can be linked to the greater levels of elemental potassium in phosphate fertilizer. Elevated concentrations of radionuclides may also result from variations in chemical processes as well as the local geology of the mining areas where the raw materials were extracted for fertilizer production. Numerous fertilizer brands surpass prescribed limits for various hazardous parameters, presenting significant health risks to factory workers, farmers, and consumers of agricultural products. This study provides baseline information on the radioactivity of fertilizers, which could be used to develop mitigation methods, establish national fertilizer usage limits, justify regulatory frameworks, and raise public awareness of fertilizer overuse. The findings of the study could potentially help to explore the impact of fertilizer on the food chain.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  4. Zimowska GJ, Xavier N, Qadri M, Handler AM
    Sci Rep, 2024 Jan 22;14(1):1924.
    PMID: 38253542 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-51068-2
    Here we describe a molecular approach to assess conspecific identity that relies on the comparison of an evolved mutated transposable element sequence and its genomic insertion site in individuals from closely related species. This was explored with the IFP2 piggyBac transposon, originally discovered in Trichoplusia ni as a 2472 bp functional element, that was subsequently found as mutated elements in seven species within the Bactrocera dorsalis species complex. In a B. dorsalis [Hendel] strain collected in Kahuku, Hawaii, a degenerate 2420 bp piggyBac sequence (pBacBd-Kah) having ~ 94.5% sequence identity to IFP2 was isolated, and it was reasoned that common species, or strains within species, should share the same evolved element and its precise genomic insertion site. To test this assumption, PCR using primers to pBacBd-Kah and adjacent genomic sequences was used to isolate and compare homologous sequences in strains of four sibling species within the complex. Three of these taxa, B. papayae, B. philippinensis, and B. invadens, were previously synonymized with B. dorsalis, and found to share nearly identical pBacBd-Kah homologous elements (> 99% nucleotide identity) within the identical insertion site consistent with conspecific species. The fourth species tested, B. carambolae, considered to be a closely related yet independent species sympatric with B. dorsalis, also shared the pBacBd-Kah sequence and insertion site in one strain from Suriname, while another divergent pBacBd-Kah derivative, closer in identity to IFP2, was found in individuals from French Guiana, Bangladesh and Malaysia. This data, along with the absence of pBacBd-Kah in distantly related Bactrocera, indicates that mutated descendants of piggyBac, as well as other invasive mobile elements, could be reliable genomic markers for common species identity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  5. Farah IO, Hasan MN
    Mymensingh Med J, 2024 Jan;33(1):286-293.
    PMID: 38163805
    Increasing age is the main risk factor for chronic illnesses. The illnesses are not only physical, but also affect their psychological well-being and this has a significant effect on their quality of life. Numerous researches have shown that there is high prevalence of psychological distress in different medical and surgical patients while considerable percentage that is not detected by doctors. The study was conducted to identify the prevalence and risk factors of psychological distress in older people seeking health care at hospital in Dhaka city. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Bangladesh Association for the Aged and Institution of Geriatric Medicine (Bangladesh Probin Hospital) in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. A total of 451 older people seeking for healthcare was interviewed face-to-face using a standard Bengali validated General Health Care Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Recruitment of respondents was based on the systematic random sampling of the older people aged at or more than 60 years who were seeking health care at hospital in Dhaka city. A total of 59.65% (n=269) participants were found to have psychological distress. Age of more than 75, education up to secondary level, being unemployment, living alone, respondents with lower socioeconomic background, not having spouse, history of bereavement was found to be significantly associated with psychological distress. Other factors such as smokers, respondents who consume alcohol, physically inactive older people, older people with multiple comorbidities and having diagnosed with a disease more than 6 months were found to be associated with psychological distress. Majority of the older patients with physical illness were distressed. The prevalence of psychological distress among older peoples seeking for healthcare with multiple comorbidities who seek care in the hospital was very high (59.65%). Age, education, marital status, history of bereavement, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and presence of multiple comorbidities were independent determinants of psychological distress among older people seeking for healthcare. Encouraging healthy lifestyle through cessation of smoking and alcohol use and increasing physical activity could be an effective step in reducing psychological comorbidities among older people seeking for healthcare.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh/epidemiology
  6. Uddin MR, Khandaker MU, Ahmed S, Abedin MJ, Hossain SMM, Al Mansur MA, et al.
    PLoS One, 2024;19(4):e0300878.
    PMID: 38635835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300878
    Saltwater intrusion in the coastal areas of Bangladesh is a prevalent phenomenon. However, it is not conducive to activities such as irrigation, navigation, fish spawning and shelter, and industrial usage. The present study analyzed 45 water samples collected from 15 locations in coastal areas during three seasons: monsoon, pre-monsoon, and post-monsoon. The aim was to comprehend the seasonal variation in physicochemical parameters, including water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, and concentrations of Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Fe2+, HCO3-, PO43-, SO42-, and Cl-. Additionally, parameters essential for agriculture, such as soluble sodium percentage (SSP), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), magnesium absorption ratio (MAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Kelly's ratio (KR), and permeability index (PI), were examined. Their respective values were found to be 63%, 16.83 mg/L, 34.92 mg/L, 145.44 mg/L, 1.28 mg/L, and 89.29%. The integrated water quality index was determined using entropy theory and principal component analysis (PCA). The resulting entropy water quality index (EWQI) and SAR of 49.56% and 63%, respectively, indicated that the samples are suitable for drinking but unsuitable for irrigation. These findings can assist policymakers in implementing the Bangladesh Deltaplan-2100, focusing on sustainable land management, fish cultivation, agricultural production, environmental preservation, water resource management, and environmental protection in the deltaic areas of Bangladesh. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of seasonal variations in the hydrochemistry and water quality of coastal rivers, aiding in the comprehension of salinity intrusion origins, mechanisms, and causes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  7. Sultana S, Muhammad F, Chowdhury AA, Tasnim T, Haque MI, Hasan BakiBillah A, et al.
    BMC Womens Health, 2023 Aug 18;23(1):437.
    PMID: 37596580 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02584-w
    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association between depressive symptoms among mothers and the eating behaviors of their school-going children in Urban Bangladesh.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in the context of the urban area of Bangladesh. A multistage sampling technique was applied to select 324 children's mothers in Dhaka City. Data were collected from both city corporation settings in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Semi-structured questionnaires were used in this study. We estimated the depressive symptoms among mothers using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. We examined the association of mothers of school-going children's socio-demographic variables and eating behaviors of school-going children with their mother's depression by using chi-square and evaluating the impact of these variables on mothers' depression through univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression.

    RESULTS: In our study, 57.7% of the mothers of school-going children had depressive symptoms, and 42.3% had no depressive symptoms. The study explored that consuming fewer vegetables (AOR = 0.237, 95% CI: 0.099-0.569), taking fewer fruits (AOR = 0.177, 95% CI: 0.093-0.337), and interestingly, taking fast food less than 4 days per week (AOR = 3.024, 95% CI: 1.517-6.031) were significantly associated with mothers' depressive symptoms.

    CONCLUSION: Mothers with depressive symptoms of school-going children in Dhaka city are alarmingly high as a grave concern. The eating behaviors of children are associated with their mothers' depressive symptoms. With an aim to build rigorous awareness on depression and child's healthy eating behaviors, it is imperative to arrange health education and awareness related programs.

    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh/epidemiology
  8. Siraz MMM, Kamal MH, Khan ZH, Alam MS, Al Mahmud J, Rashid MB, et al.
    Environ Monit Assess, 2023 Aug 10;195(9):1028.
    PMID: 37558890 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11636-5
    This study marks the first-ever assessment of radiological hazards linked to the sands and rocks of Patuartek Sea Beach, situated along one of the world's longest sea beaches in Cox' Bazar of Bangladesh. Through the utilization of an HPGe detector, a comprehensive analysis of the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40 K was conducted, and their activity ranged from 7 to 23 Bq/kg, 9-58 Bq/kg, and 172-340 Bq/kg, respectively, in soils, and 19-24 Bq/kg, 27-39 Bq/kg, and 340-410 Bq/kg, respectively, in rocks. Some sand samples exhibited elevated levels of 232Th, while the rock samples displayed higher levels of 40 K compared to the global average. The radiological hazard parameters were assessed, and no values surpassed the recommended limits set by several international organizations. Hence, the sands and rocks of Patuartek sea beach pose no significant radiological risk to the residents or tourists. The findings of this study provide crucial insights for the development of a radiological baseline map in the country, which is important due to the commissioning of the country's first nuclear power plant Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. The data may also stimulate interest in the rare-earth minerals present in the area, which is important for the electronics industry, thorium-based nuclear fuel cycles.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  9. Murad MW, Abdullah ABM, Islam MM, Alam MM, Reaiche C, Boyle S
    J Public Health Policy, 2023 Jun;44(2):230-241.
    PMID: 37117262 DOI: 10.1057/s41271-023-00413-w
    We investigated the macroeconomic determinants of neonatal, infant, and under-five mortalities in Bangladesh for the period 1991-2018 and discuss implications of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) and Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) for developing countries. We used annual time series data and the econometric techniques of Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) regressions for analysis. Determinants most effective in combating neonatal, infant, and under-five mortalities include variables such as 'protecting newborns against tetanus', 'increasing healthcare expenditure', and 'making sure births are attended by skilled healthcare staff'. Employing more healthcare workers and assuring more and improved healthcare provisions can further reduce the neonatal, infant, and under-five mortalities. Developing countries with similar macroeconomic profiles can achieve similar SDG 3 and MDG 4 outcomes by emulating the policies and strategies Bangladesh applied to reducing child mortalities over the last three decades.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh/epidemiology
  10. Jobaer MA, Ashrafi S, Ahsan M, Hasan CM, Rashid MA, Islam SN, et al.
    Molecules, 2023 May 19;28(10).
    PMID: 37241926 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28104186
    Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr. (Family: Asteraceae) is a tropical Asian medicinal plant found in Thailand, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It has long been utilized to treat a variety of health concerns in numerous countries around the world, such as renal discomfort, constipation, diabetes mellitus, rheumatism, and hypertension. The chemical investigation resulted in the isolation and characterization of six compounds from the methanol (MeOH) extract of the leaves of Gynura procumbens, which were identified as phytol (1), lupeol (2), stigmasterol (3), friedelanol acetate (4), β-amyrin (5), and a mixture of stigmasterol and β-sitosterol (6). In-depth investigations of the high-resolution 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopic data from the isolated compounds, along with comparisons to previously published data, were used to clarify their structures. Among these, the occurrence of Compounds 1 and 4 in this plant are reported for the first time. The crude methanolic extract (CME) and its different partitionates, i.e., petroleum ether (PESF), chloroform (CSF), ethyl acetate (EASF), and aqueous (AQSF) soluble fractions, were subjected to antioxidant, cytotoxic, thrombolytic, and anti-diabetic activities. In a DPPH free radical scavenging assay, EASF showed the maximum activity, with an IC50 value of 10.78 µg/mL. On the other hand, CSF displayed the highest cytotoxic effect with an LC50 value of 1.94 µg/mL compared to 0.464 µg/mL for vincristine sulphate. In a thrombolytic assay, the crude methanolic extract exhibited the highest activity (63.77%) compared to standard streptokinase (70.78%). During the assay for anti-diabetic activity, the PESF showed 70.37% of glucose-lowering activity, where standard glibenclamide showed 63.24% of glucose-reducing activity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  11. Paul A, Sharif MM, Bari MS, Miah MT, Amin MR, Mahanta J, et al.
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2023 May;35(4):318-319.
    PMID: 36995082 DOI: 10.1177/10105395231164702
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh/epidemiology
  12. Siraz MMM, Das SK, Mondol MS, Alam MS, Al Mahmud J, Rashid MB, et al.
    Environ Monit Assess, 2023 Apr 17;195(5):579.
    PMID: 37067680 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11223-8
    Bangladesh is a rapidly developing country, which is vulnerable to various types of pollution due to the large-scale industrial and associated human activities that might potentially affect the locally harvested foodstuffs. Therefore, the transfer factor is an essential tool to assess the safety of foodstuffs due to the presence of natural radioactivity in environmental matrix and/or strata. This is a first study of its kind conducted in a well-known region for mango farming in Bangladesh, measuring the uptake of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) by grass and mango from soil to assess the ingestion doses to humans. The HPGe gamma-ray detector was used to determine the concentrations of NORMs in samples of soil (20), grass (10), and mango (10), which were then used to calculate the transfer factors of soil to grass and soil to mango. Average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in associated soil samples (47.27 ± 4.10, 64.49 ± 4.32, 421.60 ± 28.85) of mango and 226Ra and 232Th in associated soil samples (45.07 ± 3.93, 52.17 ± 3.95) of grass were found to exceed the world average values. The average transfer factors (TFs) for mango were obtained in the order of 40K(0.80) > 226Ra (0.61) > 232Th (0.31), and for grass, it shows the order of 40K (0.78) > 232Th (0.64) > 226Ra (0.56). However, a few values (3 mango samples and 3 grass samples) of the estimated TFs exceeded the recommended limits. Moreover, Bangladesh lacks the transfer factors for most of the food crops; therefore, calculation of TFs in the major agricultural products is required all over Bangladesh, especially the foodstuffs produced near the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, which is scheduled to be commissioned in 2023.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  13. Rosenberger KD, Phung Khanh L, Tobian F, Chanpheaktra N, Kumar V, Lum LCS, et al.
    Lancet Glob Health, 2023 Mar;11(3):e361-e372.
    PMID: 36796983 DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00514-9
    BACKGROUND: Improvements in the early diagnosis of dengue are urgently needed, especially in resource-limited settings where the distinction between dengue and other febrile illnesses is crucial for patient management.

    METHODS: In this prospective, observational study (IDAMS), we included patients aged 5 years and older with undifferentiated fever at presentation from 26 outpatient facilities in eight countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Venezuela, and Viet Nam). We used multivariable logistic regression to investigate the association between clinical symptoms and laboratory tests with dengue versus other febrile illnesses between day 2 and day 5 after onset of fever (ie, illness days). We built a set of candidate regression models including clinical and laboratory variables to reflect the need of a comprehensive versus parsimonious approach. We assessed performance of these models via standard measures of diagnostic values.

    FINDINGS: Between Oct 18, 2011, and Aug 4, 2016, we recruited 7428 patients, of whom 2694 (36%) were diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed dengue and 2495 (34%) with (non-dengue) other febrile illnesses and met inclusion criteria, and were included in the analysis. 2703 (52%) of 5189 included patients were younger than 15 years, 2486 (48%) were aged 15 years or older, 2179 (42%) were female and 3010 (58%) were male. Platelet count, white blood cell count, and the change in these variables from the previous day of illness had a strong association with dengue. Cough and rhinitis had strong associations with other febrile illnesses, whereas bleeding, anorexia, and skin flush were generally associated with dengue. Model performance increased between day 2 and 5 of illness. The comprehensive model (18 clinical and laboratory predictors) had sensitivities of 0·80 to 0·87 and specificities of 0·80 to 0·91, whereas the parsimonious model (eight clinical and laboratory predictors) had sensitivities of 0·80 to 0·88 and specificities of 0·81 to 0·89. A model that includes laboratory markers that are easy to measure (eg, platelet count or white blood cell count) outperformed the models based on clinical variables only.

    INTERPRETATION: Our results confirm the important role of platelet and white blood cell counts in diagnosing dengue, and the importance of serial measurements over subsequent days. We successfully quantified the performance of clinical and laboratory markers covering the early period of dengue. Resulting algorithms performed better than published schemes for distinction of dengue from other febrile illnesses, and take into account the dynamic changes over time. Our results provide crucial information needed for the update of guidelines, including the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness handbook.

    FUNDING: EU's Seventh Framework Programme.

    TRANSLATIONS: For the Bangla, Bahasa Indonesia, Portuguese, Khmer, Spanish and Vietnamese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  14. Rahman MM, Dutta MJ
    PMID: 36834082 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043385
    Being persecuted and expelled from Myanmar, Rohingya refugees are now distributed throughout the world. The Southeast Asian nation of Malaysia has been a preferred destination for Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar's state-sponsored genocide and more recently in a bid to change their fates from the refugee camps in Bangladesh. Refugees are one of the most vulnerable groups in Malaysia and often face dire circumstances, in which their health and wellbeing are compromised. Amidst a plethora of structural challenges, Rohingya refugees try to claim some of their rights with the aid of the UN card (UNHCR ID cards) in Malaysia. Guided by the culture-centered approach (CCA), this study examined the perspectives and experiences of healthcare among Rohingya refugees while living in Malaysia, now resettled in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The participants' narratives showed that the UN card not only materialized their refugee status in Malaysia but also offered them a way of living in a world where documents anchor the materiality of health.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  15. Siraz MMM, Roy D, Dewan MJ, Alam MS, A M J, Rashid MB, et al.
    Environ Monit Assess, 2023 Feb 10;195(3):382.
    PMID: 36759352 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-10921-7
    This is the first attempt in the world to depict the vertical distribution of radionuclides in the soil samples along several heights (900 feet, 1550 feet, and 1650 feet) of Marayon Tong hill in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bandarban by HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry. The average activity concentrations of 232Th, 226Ra, and 40K were found to be 37.15 ± 3.76 Bqkg-1, 19.69 ± 2.15 Bqkg-1, and 347.82 ± 24.50 Bqkg-1, respectively, where in most cases, 232Th exceeded the world average value of 30 Bqkg-1. According to soil characterization, soils ranged from slightly acidic to moderately acidic, with low soluble salts. The radium equivalent activity, outdoor and indoor absorbed dose rate, external and internal hazard indices, external and internal effective dose rates, gamma level index, and excess lifetime cancer risk were evaluated and found to be below the recommended or world average values; but a measurable activity of 137Cs was found at soils collected from ground level and at an altitude of 1550 feet, which possibly arises from the nuclear fallout. The evaluation of cumulative radiation doses to the inhabitants via periodic measurement is recommended due to the elevated levels of 232Th.This pioneering work in mapping the vertical distribution of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) can be an essential factual baseline data for the scientific community that may be used to evaluate the variation in NORMs in the future, especially after the commissioning of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh in 2024.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  16. de Wit E, Feldmann F, Cronin J, Goldin K, Mercado-Hernandez R, Williamson BN, et al.
    EBioMedicine, 2023 Jan;87:104405.
    PMID: 36508878 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104405
    BACKGROUND: Nipah virus (NiV) causes recurrent outbreaks of lethal respiratory and neurological disease in Southeast Asia. The World Health Organization considers the development of an effective vaccine against NiV a priority.

    METHODS: We produced two NiV vaccine candidates using the licensed VSV-EBOV vaccine as a backbone and tested its efficacy against lethal homologous and heterologous NiV challenge with Nipah virus Bangladesh and Nipah virus Malaysia, respectively, in the African green monkey model.

    FINDINGS: The VSV-EBOV vaccine expressing NiV glycoprotein G (VSV-NiVG) induced high neutralising antibody titers and afforded complete protection from homologous and heterologous challenge. The VSV-EBOV vaccine expressing NiV fusion protein F (VSV-NiVF) induced a lower humoral response and afforded complete homologous protection, but only partial heterologous protection. Both vaccines reduced virus shedding from the upper respiratory tract, and virus replication in the lungs and central nervous system. None of the protected animals vaccinated with VSV-NiVG or VSV-NiVF showed histological lesions in the CNS, but one VSV-NiVF-vaccinated animal that was not protected developed severe meningoencephalitis.

    INTERPRETATION: The VSV-NiVG vaccine offers broad protection against NiV disease.

    FUNDING: This study was supported by the Intramural Research Program, NIAID, NIH.

    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  17. Rahman MK, Hoque MN, Yusuf SNS, Yusoff MNHB, Begum F
    PLoS One, 2023;18(1):e0280108.
    PMID: 36662905 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280108
    This study aims to investigate the customers' perceptions of Islamic banking services and their impact on satisfaction and word of mouth (WOM) with others. This study designs the bootstrapping procedures using a partial least square method to test path coefficient results. Structured questionnaires were distributed among clients of Islamic banks in Dhaka city, where 377 responses were collected for data analysis. The findings revealed that there is a highly significant relationship between security and customers' perception. Ethical responsibility and religious value have a positive and significant impact on customers' perception whereas benefit has a negative significant impact on customers' perception. Findings from this study also indicated that customers' perceptions mediate the effect of ethical responsibility, religious value, benefit, and security on satisfaction. In addition, customers' satisfaction mediates the effect of customers' perception and WOM. These findings can promote managers of Islamic banks to build customer satisfaction and WOM with Islamic banking services, and attain competitive advantage that may lead Islamic banks to succeed in the competitive business. This study also provides new insights into customers' WOM with others about Islamic banking services. This knowledge could assist Islamic banks to understand the customers' perceptions that would increase satisfaction and in turn, contribute to WOM with others in determining where would be best to target marketing attention of Islamic banking services with limited resources.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  18. Arif HM, Mustapha MZ, Abdul Jalil A
    PLoS One, 2023;18(1):e0276935.
    PMID: 36662870 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276935
    This study investigates the effects of powerful Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) on earnings quality in a setting where CEOs have strong dominance over other top executives and occasionally attempt to exert their influence over corporate regulatory bodies. Using 10-year longitudinal data for the period from 2010 to 2019 and 1,395 firm-year observations from listed non-financial firms in Bangladesh, we found that CEOs' political power and CEOs with high structural and expert power have a significant detrimental effect on earnings quality. Ownership and prestige power have an insignificant impact on earnings quality. These powerful CEOs use accrual and real activity manipulation techniques together to manage the earnings. This study uses the system-generalized method of moment estimates for estimation purposes, and the results remain robust when alternative earnings quality proxies are used. Taken together, our results suggest that CEOs' political duality (i.e., serving simultaneously as a member of parliament and a CEO) should be restricted and that a CEO's tenure should be limited to a reasonable period. This research adds to the existing body of knowledge by offering empirical support for CEO power dynamics on earnings quality, specifically political and prestige power.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  19. Alam MS, Siraz MMM, A M J, Das SC, Bradley DA, Khandaker MU, et al.
    PLoS One, 2023;18(5):e0286267.
    PMID: 37220107 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286267
    Radon (222Rn), an inert gas, is considered a silent killer due to its carcinogenic characteristics. Dhaka city is situated on the banks of the Buriganga River, which is regarded as the lifeline of Dhaka city because it serves as a significant source of the city's water supply for domestic and industrial purposes. Thirty water samples (10 tap water from Dhaka city and 20 surface samples from the Buriganga River) were collected and analyzed using a RAD H2O accessory for 222Rn concentration. The average 222Rn concentration in tap and river water was 1.54 ± 0.38 Bq/L and 0.68 ± 0.29 Bq/L, respectively. All the values were found below the maximum contamination limit (MCL) of 11.1 Bq/L set by the USEPA, the WHO-recommended safe limit of 100 Bq/L, and the UNSCEAR suggested range of 4-40 Bq/L. The mean values of the total annual effective doses due to inhalation and ingestion were calculated to be 9.77 μSv/y and 4.29 μSv/y for tap water and river water, respectively. Although all these values were well below the permissible limit of 100 μSv/y proposed by WHO, they cannot be neglected because of the hazardous nature of 222Rn, especially considering their entry to the human body via inhalation and ingestion pathways. The obtained data may serve as a reference for future 222Rn-related works.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh
  20. Islam A, Mahbuba P, Ahmed T, Haque S
    PLoS One, 2023;18(3):e0283422.
    PMID: 36952537 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283422
    BACKGROUND: People worldwide have experienced various mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates the modifiable and nonmodifiable predictors of anxiety, depression, and stress among Bangladeshi participants after one year of the pandemic.

    METHOD: A large group of adult participants (N = 1897), recruited from eight administrative divisions in Bangladesh, completed an online survey in May and June 2021 when the Movement Control Order was in place. We used the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Perceived Stress Scale-4 to assess the participants' anxiety, depression, and stress. We also gave the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale and Life-Orientation Test-Revised to assess mindfulness and optimism.

    RESULTS: The results revealed that the prevalence rates for anxiety and depression were 62.5% and 45.3%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that several nonmodifiable factors, such as those who were students, unmarried and females, and those living in the Northern region (Rajshahi and Mymensingh division) and dwelling in the rural areas, suffered from worse mental health (accounted for 5%-23% of the variances in the mental health outcome scores). Modifiable factors accounted for an additional 10%-25% of the variances in the same outcome variables. Adults with higher mindfulness and optimism, living in the country's Southern region (Chattogram division) and those who took both vaccine doses and had no history of mental illness reported better mental health.

    CONCLUSION: Anxiety, depression, and stress remained high in Bangladeshi adults after one year of the pandemic. The community-based interventions should aim to increase the mindfulness and optimism levels among the sufferers. More accelerated vaccination programs across the country could protect people from suffering from overall mental distress.

    Matched MeSH terms: Bangladesh/epidemiology
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