Youth-Driven, Community-Engaged Waste Management

The waste management process is important in Bangladesh where infectious and non-infectious diseases are common.  In a resource constrained region, community engagement for waste management can add great value. A youth-initiated and engaged approach to collaboration among local communities is presented in this research. This research took place over a one and half year time frame in fifteen urban, suburban, and rural regions, consisting of 55 families and 15 individuals engaged in waste management activity. The youth leaders were eager to make changes, being frustrated at the authority’s inability to solve local pollution. The collaborative teams were able to continue the work through the time period using various technology platforms. The technology leadership of youth enabled a trusted connection among youth and community members. The research work shows promise to increase communication, collaboration, and collective engagement in local problem solving. However, engagement is not gender neutral, and the work presented reflects societal gender-based challenges which requires attention. This work is expected to provide opportunities for low-resource communities towards problem solving using existing technology platforms

Potential Impacts of Industrialization on Coastal Fresh Groundwater Resources in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is overly dependent on groundwater and the demand in the near future is expected to increase, as the country is experiencing rapid development and industrial growth. This study assesses the prospect and sustainability of groundwater in Mirsharai Upazila, Chattogram, where a large industrial area, namely ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN)’, is taking shape. The physical aquifer system was characterized and groundwater quality was mapped. There is one thick aquifer in the northernmost part of the upazila, which splits into three separate aquifers in the south. Water quality indexing suggests that the deep (>130 m) groundwater throughout upazila is good (n = 5) to excellent (n = 18), while the shallow groundwater is mostly poor to unsuitable for both drinking and irrigation purposes. Because of the close proximity to the sea and the presence of thick clays above the deep freshwater aquifer in the BSMSN area, heavy industrial abstraction poses a threat to the lateral intrusion of seawater and land subsidence. Even a small subsidence in the project area at only a couple of meters above sea level would jeopardize the entire project. This study recommends limiting the use of the deep fresh groundwater for the current population of the upazila

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) in unconscious and systemically unwell patients using a mobile OCT device: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of retinal imaging in critical care using a novel mobile optical coherence tomography (OCT) device. The Heidelberg SPECTRALIS FLEX module (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) is an OCT unit with a boom arm, enabling ocular OCT assessment in less mobile patients. DESIGN We undertook an evaluation of the feasibility of using the SPECTRALIS FLEX for undertaking ocular OCT images in unconscious and critically ill patients. SETTING This study was conducted in the critical care unit of a large tertiary referral unit in the United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS 13 systemically unwell patients admitted to the critical care unit were purposively sampled to enable evaluation in patients with a range of clinical states. OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was the feasibility of acquiring clinically interpretable OCT scans on a consecutive series of patients. The standardised scanning protocol included macula-focused OCT, OCT optic nerve head (ONH), OCT angiography (OCTA) of the macula and ONH OCTA. RESULTS OCT images from 13 patients were attempted. The success rates of each scan type are 84% for OCT macula, 76% for OCT ONH, 56% for OCTA macula and 36% for OCTA ONH. The overall mean success rate of scans per patient was 64% (95% CI 46% to 81%). Clinicians reported clinical value in 100% scans which were successfully obtained, including both ruling in and ruling out relevant ocular complications such as corneal thinning, macular oedema and optic disc swelling. The most common causes of failure to achieve clinically interpretable scans were inadequately sustained OCT alignment in delirious patients and a compromised ocular surface due to corneal exposure. CONCLUSIONS This prospective evaluation indicates the feasibility and potential clinical value of the SPECTRALIS FLEX OCT system on the critical care unit. Portable OCT systems have the potential to bring instrument-based ophthalmic assessment to critically ill patients, enabling detection and micron-level monitoring of ocular complications

A five-day course of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 may reduce the duration of illness.

10.1016/j.ijid.2020.11.191Int J Infect Dis103214-21