Assessing the influence of integrated nutrient management on growth and yield of Black gram (Vigna mungo L.)

The present study was undertaken to observe the effect of combined application of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on growth, yield and yield contributing characters of black gram. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment comprises eight treatments viz. Control (no application of manures and fertilizer), Recommended doses of fertilizer (RDF), Cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF, Poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF, Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF, Cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 + Poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF, Cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF and Poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 + 50% of RDF. Combined application of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers exerted significance influence on growth, yield and yield contributing characters of black gram. At growth, the tallest plant (38.74 cm), the highest number of leaves plant-1 (15.55), leaf dry weight plant-1 (6.99 g) and stem dry weight plant-1 (3.01 g) of black gram at 50 days after sowing (DAS) were obtained from poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 and vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF. While, at 50 DAS, the highest number of nodules plant-1 (55.22) was recorded from cowdung @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF and the highest number of SPAD value plant-1 (42.03) was found in poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF. Again, at maturity, the highest number of seeds pod-1 (5.86), yield plant-1 (7.77 g), grain yield m-2 (130.70 g) and total dry weight plant-1 (17.21 g) were obtained from poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 and vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF. Therefore, it can be concluded that poultry manure @ 5 t ha-1 and vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 along with 50% of RDF combination might be a promising practice for black gram cultivation

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Virus among Healthy Blood Donors in Tertiary Care Hospital

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) & Hepatitis C virus (HCV) are transfusion transmissible infections. A study was conducted from September, 2015 to March, 2016 at the Transfusion Medicine Department of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic hepatitis B and C virus in apparently healthy blood donors, were subjected to ELISA for screening of hepatitis B surface antigen and Hepatitis C virus. A total of 200 blood donors were screened, the seroprevalence of HBV & HCV infection was 5.0% & 2.0% respectively. The HBV seroprevalence in male donors was 182/8 (4.4%) and in female donors was 18/2 (11.1%). Four donors were found seropositive for HCV giving a seroprevalence of 2%. HCV seroprevalence in male was 182/4 (2.2%) and no female. Seroprevalence of HCV and HBV were higher in younger donors, service holders, married respondents and middle class donors. To reduce the prevalence of post-transfusion hepatitis and stringent donor screening procedure, routine screening for HBV & HCV in blood banks should be performed using more sensitive methods (ELISA).TAJ 2015; 28(1): 26-3

Anti-diabetic activity of red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) fruit

This study investigated the anti-insulin resistant activity of red pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) fruit. Fresh pitaya along with two heat-processed pitaya samples with different proportions of phenolic contents, scavenging activities, and soluble dietary fibers were tested in insulin resistant rats over 6 weeks of treatment in a cause-effect study to investigate the anti-insulin resistant components of red pitaya. The results showed that fresh pitaya significantly (p < 0.05) attenuated the insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia and atherosclerotic changes induced by fructose supplement in rats. Thermally-treated pitaya at 95 °C for 30 min (containing a low antioxidant content) significantly (p < 0.05) improved hyperinsulinemia. Thermally-treated pitaya at 105 °C for 60 min (containing a low antioxidant and soluble dietary fiber content) fed to rats had no significant effect on insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and atherogenesis. Based on this study, the anti-insulin resistant effect of red pitaya can be attributed to its antioxidant and soluble dietary fiber contents

Isolation, identification, and antibiogram studies of Salmonella species and Escherichia coli from boiler meat in some selected areas of Bangladesh

Background: The present study was carried out for the isolation, identification of Salmonella and Escherichia coli from broiler meat samples (leg muscle, breast muscle and drumstick) which were collected from different upazilla markets of Mymensingh, Gazipur, and Sherpur districts during the period of January 2015 to May 2015.Methods: A total of 60 samples were subjected to bacterial isolation and identification by using cultural, biochemical, and polymerase chain reaction assays.Results: Using standard bacteriological techniques E. coli was isolated from 50 (83.33%) samples and Salmonella spp. from 18 (31.66%) samples. Furthermore, the isolates were subjected to antibiogram studies by disk diffusion method using eight commonly used antibiotics. Antibiogram studies revealed that gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and norfloxacin were highly sensitive against all the isolated bacteria, whereas most of the isolates were resistant to amoxicillin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. Out of all the isolates, 5 isolates of E. coli and 3 isolates of Salmonella were found multidrug resistant.Conclusions: The study revealed the presence of multidrug resistant Salmonella and E. coli in broiler meat sold in live bird market of different upazilla

Investigation into impact of train speed for behaviour of ballasted railway track foundations

Traffic congestion of highways in many countries around the world has led railways to become the most popular means of public transportation, which increased the demand for faster and heavier trains. High-speed trains and heavy train loads are normally accompanied with strong vibrations in the track-ground system, which increases the risk of train derailment and track damages. Therefore, to allow for safer and reliable operation of high-speed trains, an investigation into the behavior of ballasted railway track foundations subjected to train moving loads at various speeds is a subject of prime importance in design of railway tracks. In the current study, sophisticated three dimensional (3D) finite elements (FE) numerical modelling was developed to investigate the impact of train speed on the dynamic response of track-ground system. In addition, some factors of the track-ground system affecting the critical speed including the modulus and thickness of track subgrade and ballast materials, and amplitude of train loading were investigated. The results were analyzed and presented, and their practical implications were discussed

Digital Gangrene:An Unusual Manifestation of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

BACKGROUND: Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) comprise a group of haematologic malignancies with different histologic subtypes. The clinical picture varies from indolent to aggressive presentation and nodal (lymphadenopathy) to extranodal (central nervous system, gastrointestinal, cutaneous plaque, or ulcer) involvement. Digital gangrene is seldom reported. Here, we describe a patient with pain and blackening of all fingers and toes as presenting symptoms of NHL. Case Presentation. A 32-year-old male weaver had been smoking three to five cannabis-containing cigarettes daily for about ten years and methamphetamine four to five tablets daily for five years. He had no history of Raynaud's phenomenon, fever, cough, weight loss, skin rash, joint pain, and atherogenic or thrombogenic risk factors. We found normal blood pressure and absent peripheral pulses in arms and legs, dry gangrene of all fingers and toes, generalized lymphadenopathy, and hepatomegaly with ascites. The chest X-ray was normal, as were blood sugar, lipid profile, and hepatic and renal function. Rheumatoid factor, antinuclear and antiphospholipid antibodies, C-ANCA and P-ANCA, hepatitis B and C, and HIV were negative. CT abdomen revealed hepatosplenomegaly with multiple intra-abdominal lymphadenopathies. The peripheral angiogram showed 90-99% stenosis of radial and dorsalis pedis arteries with normal proximal vessels. Diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was confirmed by histopathology of cervical lymph node (diffuse type), immunohistochemically subtyped as peripheral T cell lymphoma (not otherwise specified). The digital ischemia worsened despite cessation of cannabis and methamphetamine and starting CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone) treatment, making amputation necessary. CONCLUSION: We present, to our knowledge, the first report of peripheral T cell lymphoma, NOS presenting with gangrene in all digits complicated by methamphetamine and cannabis abuse. This uncommon vascular manifestation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma may cause a diagnostic dilemma and delayed initiation of treatment

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC

Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020

Background The health risks associated with moderate alcohol consumption continue to be debated. Small amounts of alcohol might lower the risk of some health outcomes but increase the risk of others, suggesting that the overall risk depends, in part, on background disease rates, which vary by region, age, sex, and year. Methods For this analysis, we constructed burden-weighted dose–response relative risk curves across 22 health outcomes to estimate the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (TMREL) and non-drinker equivalence (NDE), the consumption level at which the health risk is equivalent to that of a non-drinker, using disease rates from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2020 for 21 regions, including 204 countries and territories, by 5-year age group, sex, and year for individuals aged 15–95 years and older from 1990 to 2020. Based on the NDE, we quantified the population consuming harmful amounts of alcohol. Findings The burden-weighted relative risk curves for alcohol use varied by region and age. Among individuals aged 15–39 years in 2020, the TMREL varied between 0 (95% uncertainty interval 0–0) and 0·603 (0·400–1·00) standard drinks per day, and the NDE varied between 0·002 (0–0) and 1·75 (0·698–4·30) standard drinks per day. Among individuals aged 40 years and older, the burden-weighted relative risk curve was J-shaped for all regions, with a 2020 TMREL that ranged from 0·114 (0–0·403) to 1·87 (0·500–3·30) standard drinks per day and an NDE that ranged between 0·193 (0–0·900) and 6·94 (3·40–8·30) standard drinks per day. Among individuals consuming harmful amounts of alcohol in 2020, 59·1% (54·3–65·4) were aged 15–39 years and 76·9% (73·0–81·3) were male. Interpretation There is strong evidence to support recommendations on alcohol consumption varying by age and location. Stronger interventions, particularly those tailored towards younger individuals, are needed to reduce the substantial global health loss attributable to alcohol. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation