The occurrence of outbreaks of cholera in Africa in 1970 and in Latin America in 1991, mainly in coastal communities, and the appearance of the new serotype Vibrio cholerae O139 in India and ...subsequently in Bangladesh have stimulated efforts to understand environmental factors influencing the growth and geographic distribution of epidemic Vibrio cholerae serotypes. Because of the severity of recent epidemics, cholera is now being considered by some infectious disease investigators as a "reemerging" disease, prompting new work on the ecology of vibrios. Epidemiological and ecological surveillance for cholera has been under way in four rural, geographically separated locations in Bangladesh for the past 4 years, during which both clinical and environmental samples were collected at biweekly intervals. The clinical epidemiology portion of the research has been published (Sack et al., J. Infect. Dis. 187:96-101, 2003). The results of environmental sampling and analysis of the environmental and clinical data have revealed significant correlations of water temperature, water depth, rainfall, conductivity, and copepod counts with the occurrence of cholera toxin-producing bacteria (presumably V. cholerae). The lag periods between increases or decreases in units of factors, such as temperature and salinity, and occurrence of cholera correlate with biological parameters, e.g., plankton population blooms. The new information on the ecology of V. cholerae is proving useful in developing environmental models for the prediction of cholera epidemics.
Based on results of ecological studies demonstrating that Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent of epidemic cholera, is commensal to zooplankton, notably copepods, a simple filtration procedure was ...developed whereby zooplankton, most phytoplankton, and particulates >20 µm were removed from water before use. Effective deployment of this filtration procedure, from September 1999 through July 2002 in 65 villages of rural Bangladesh, of which the total population for the entire study comprised ≈133,000 individuals, yielded a 48% reduction in cholera (P < 0.005) compared with the control.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Early child development has been influenced directly and indirectly by the COVID‐19 pandemic, and these effects are exacerbated in contexts of poverty. This study estimates effects of the pandemic ...and subsequent population lockdowns on mental health, caregiving practices, and freedom of movement among female caregivers of children 6–27 months (50% female), in rural Bangladesh. A cohort (N = 517) was assessed before and during the pandemic (May–June, 2019 and July–September, 2020). Caregivers who experienced more food insecurity and financial loss during the pandemic reported larger increases in depressive symptoms (0.26 SD, 95% CI 0.08–0.44; 0.21 SD, 0.04–0.40) compared to less affected caregivers. Stimulating caregiving and freedom of movement results were inconsistent. Increases in depressive symptoms during the pandemic may have consequences for child development.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The co-creation of knowledge through a process of mutual learning between scientists and societal actors is an important avenue to advance science and resolve complex problems in society. While the ...value and principles for such transdisciplinary water research have been well established, the power and empowerment dimensions continue to pose a challenge, even more so in international processes that bring together participants from the Global North and Global South. We build on earlier research to combine known phases, activities, and principles for transdisciplinary water research with a negotiated approach to stakeholder empowerment. Combining these elements, we unpack the power and empowerment dimension in transdisciplinary research for peri-urban groundwater management in the Ganges Delta. Our case experiences show that a negotiated approach offers a useful and needed complement to existing transdisciplinary guidelines. Based on the results, we identify responses to the power and empowerment challenges, which add to existing strategies for transdisciplinary research. A resulting overarching recommendation is to engage with power and politics more explicitly and to do so already from the inception of transdisciplinary activities as a key input for problem framing and research agenda setting.
Iodine deficiency in pregnancy leads to poor cognitive function in the offspring; however, the effect of concurrent iodine deficiency on school-aged children is not clear. Several studies have shown ...that school children in iodine-deficient villages have poorer cognitive function than children in iodine-sufficient villages. However, villages differ in many factors that may also detrimentally affect children's development. In addition, the children's nutritional and health status has not usually been taken into account. In this study, we compared the cognitive function and school achievement levels of 170 children who had recently had low thyroxine (T4) levels T4 </= 45 nmol/L (hypothyroid) with children who had not had low T4 levels T4 >/=70 nmol/L (euthyroid). The children were matched for school and grade level and came from the same iodine-deficient regions in rural Bangladesh. They were given a battery of cognitive, motor and school achievement tests. We also measured their nutritional status, examined their stools for geohelminths and assessed their home environments. A factor analysis of cognitive and motor function tests yielded two factors, a general cognitive factor and a fine motor factor. The children's height and arm circumference, experience of hunger, parental characteristics and stimulation in the home made independent contributions to their test scores. Controlling for these variables, the hypothyroid children performed worse than the euthyroid children on reading and spelling and the general cognitive factor. These findings indicate that a large number of disadvantages including hypothyroidism are related to the poor development of these children.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The protective efficacy (PE) of B subunit killed whole-cell (BS-WC) and killed whole-cell-only (WC) oral cholera vaccines was assessed in a randomised double-blind field trial among children aged ...2-15 years and women over 15 years in rural Bangladesh. Among the 62 285 subjects who received three doses of BS-WC, WC, or Escherichia coli K12 strain placebo, cumulative PE at 3 years of follow-up was 50% for BS-WC and 52% for WC. PE was similar against severe and non-severe cholera, but was significantly lower in children who were vaccinated at 2-5 years (26% for BS-WC; 23% for WC) than in older persons (63% for BS-WC; 68% for WC). Among persons vaccinated at 2-5 years, protection at 4-6 months of follow-up was similar to that for older persons, but rapidly waned thereafter and was not evident during the third year of follow-up. In contrast, persons vaccinated at older ages were protected even in the third year of follow-up (PE 40% for BS-WC; 62% for WC). PE was substantially higher against classical cholera (58% for BS-WC; 60% for WC) than against El Tor cholera (39% and 40%).
To compare the efficacy of artemether and quinine in the treatment of severe malaria in hospitalized children.
Open randomized trial.
Pediatric ward of a tertiary care center.
All children admitted ...with clinical manifestations of severe malaria (as per WHO criteria) and asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum demonstrated on peripheral smear were randomized to receive either artemether or quinine. Their clinical status and smears for parasite count were assessed every 12 hours until two successive blood films were negative. The primary end point of the study was death in the hospital and residual damage to the organ involved. The secondary end points were clearance of parasites and fever, length of time of recovery from coma and normal functions of the involved system.
Forty-six cases completed the study protocol, 23 assigned to each drug group. Cerebral malaria was the commonest manifestation (76.1%). Mean age in artemether versus quinine group (6.6 +/- 3.5 and 5.8 +/- 2.4 years) as well as degree of parasitemia at admission (55,800 and 60,300 per microlitre) were comparable. The overall mortality rate was 23.9% with no significant difference between the two groups. Twenty six cases (56.5%) presented with more than one manifestations of severe malaria. The mortality rate was 100% with four coexisting manifestations of severe malaria. Fever clearance time in artemether and quinine group was 44.5 and 45.9 hours respectively (P >0.05). Parasite clearance time was significantly shorter in artemether group (40.9 vs. 51.9 hours; P<0.001). Recovery from coma was shorter in artemether group (34.8 vs. 38.1 hours; P<0.05).
Cerebral malaria is the most common manifestation of severe malaria in children. Artemether is a good alternative drug to quinine for P. falciparum malaria. Mortality rate is directly proportional to the number of coexisting manifestations of severe malaria.
This case control study was carried out in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh and Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from November 2010 to October 2011 to find ...out the risk factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. A total of 90 participants (45 cases and 45 controls) were included. A higher proportion of patients with age >45 years were found in case group compared to control (51.1% vs. 15.6%). The mean age was significantly higher in case group 49.8±12.6 years. Males demonstrated their predominance in both case (62.2%) and control (68.9%) groups, although the two groups did not differ in terms of sex distribution. Body mass index demonstrates that 26.7% of patients in case group were of normal weight, 46.7% overweight and 26.7% obese. In the control group, two-thirds (68.9%) of the patients were of normal weight and 24.4% overweight and 7.8% obese. Diabetes and hypertension were significantly present in the case group than those in control counterparts 75.6% vs. 15.6% and 86.7% vs. 15.6 % respectively. The mean fasting blood glucose, ALT, total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly higher in case group compared to control group 7.8±1.3 vs. 5.4±2.5mmol/L (p<0.001); 39.1±12.4 vs. 30.3±14.1IU/L, (p=0.002); 239.9±14.3 vs. 183.3±11.4mg/dl, (p<0.001) and 183.6±12.5 vs. 133.5±16.0mg/dl, (p<0.001) respectively. However, no significant difference was observed between the case and the control groups in terms of HDL cholesterol (35.9±1.2 vs. 38.0±1.1mg/dl, p=0.203). Majority of the patients in case group (88.9%) exhibited increased echogenicity of liver on ultrasonogram as opposed to 15.6% in the control group.
The B subunit (BS) of cholera toxin and that of the heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are antigenically similar. We therefore assessed whether a combined cholera ...toxin BS/whole-cell (BS-WC)oral vaccine against cholera conferred cross-protection against LT-producing ETEC (LT-ETEC) diarrhea in a randomized, double-blind field trial among rural Bangladeshi children and women. The 24 770 persons who ingested two or more doses of BS-WC vaccine were compared with 24 842 controls who took two or more doses of killed whole-cell (WC) oral cholera vaccine. Sixty-seven percent fewer episodes of LT-ETEC diarrhea were noted in the BS-WC group than in the WC group during short-term (three-month) follow-up (P < .01), but no reduction was evident during the ensuing nine months. Short-term protection was particularly notable against LT-ETEC diarrhea causing life-threatening dehydration (protective efficacy, 86%; P < .05).
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A pot experiment was conducted during 2018-19 in a net house at the Department of Soil Science, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, to determine fertilizer's effect on the growth and yield ...of Boro and T. Aman rice in the soils of industrially polluted agricultural land areas of Madhupur Tract. The study consisted of two factors, i.e., polluted soil viz., S1: Non-polluted soil, S2: polluted soil-1, S3: polluted soil-2, S4: polluted soil-3, and four fertilizer treatments viz., T0: Control, T1: N150P30K60S20Zn3.0 (100%RDCF), T2: N105P21K42S14Zn2.1 (70%RDCF) T3: N75P15K30S10Zn1.5(50%RDCF) The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Among the soils, the highest Boro rice grain yield of 90.83 g pot-1 was found in S2 (polluted soil-1) soil, and the lowest 41.66 g pot-1 in soil S1 (Non-polluted soil). The treatment T3(50% RDCF) fertilizer treatment gave the highest plant height (84.12 cm), effective tillers (42.5 hill–1), straw (112.58g pot –1) and grain yield (80.03g pot−1) of Boro rice. The higher grain and straw yields of Boro rice were obtained from two industrially polluted soils (S2 and S4). The maximum grain yield (112.3g pot–1) of Boro was found in S2T3 (Contaminated soil 1 and 50% RDCF) , which was statistically similar to S4T2 and S4T3 and lowest in the S1T0 treatment combination. The maximum T. Aman grain yield (38.75gpot−1) was obtained in soil S2 (polluted soil-1), which at par to S4 (polluted soil-3). The maximum T. Aman rice grain yield (36.68 g pot−1) was found in the T2 treatment, which was closely by T1 treatment. Similarly, the maximum T. Aman grain yield was obtained in S2T1 (Contaminated soil 1 and 100% RDCF) which was statistically similar to S2T2, S4T1, and S4T2 and lowest in the S1T0 treatment combination. The highest T. Aman straw yield was found in the S3T1 and lowest in the S1T0 treatment combination.
Bangladesh Agron. J. 2023, 26(1): 112-121
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