Livelihood assets and food consumption status of riverbank erosion hazard people in a selected area of Bangladesh

Riverbank erosion is a major threat to Bangladesh refers to an endemic and recurrent natural hazard of our country. The study was conducted to identify the socioeconomic characteristics, find out the root causes of riverbank erosion, determine the livelihood assets and measure the calorie intake level of the riverine people. Primary data were collected from Jamalpur district in Bangladesh. The DFID approaches of livelihood and the consumption data of riverine households of seven days was measured by per person per day calorie intake level. The findings revealed that 72% of the respondents belonged to the age up to 60 years, 33.33% respondents’ education level was primary, 36% of the respondents’ primary occupation was agriculture, and 40% respondents had annual household income more than Tk. 100000 (US$ 1556.60). Most of the households identified flood, heavy rainfall, and stream of current as the main cause of riverbank erosion. Overall, human assets were in good position. About 54% respondents used leased land for their cultivation and 37.33% respondents had cash in hand. About 80% of the respondents belonged to the poor and their calorie intake level was < 2122 K. Cal. The Water Development Board of Bangladesh needs more attention to riverine people for improvement of their livelihood and food security status

Assets possession and food consumption level of haor people in a selected area of Bangladesh

Assets possession and calorie intake level of a household member reflect the livelihood patterns and food security condition of the household. The study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics, identify the assets possession, determine the calorie intake level and analyze the perception of the households’ livelihood improvement. An interview schedule was used in field survey for primary data collection. The DFID approaches of livelihood and the consumption data of haor households of seven days were used in the study. The findings revealed that about 24.61% of the respondents were illiterate, 32.31% respondents were can sign only and 30.77% respondents had primary education, average family size was 9.66, about 51% respondents’ annual income was below Tk.60,000 (US$ 690) and, most of the respondent’s (84.62%) occupation was agriculture and fishing. The human, social, natural, physical and financial capital of the haor respondents was in a vulnerable position. The findings also revealed that about 44.61% of the respondents belonged to the ultra-poor whose per day per person calorie intake was 1350.56k.cal. All of the respondents demanded the improved road and communication facilities which are essential for their livelihood and food security improvement. The haor is being tarnished fast due to mishandling and damaging activities. The government should take necessary steps to improve the road and communication facilities in the haor area which will foster the socioeconomic development of haor people in Bangladesh

Application of Hyperspectral Imaging for Rapid and Nondestructive Detection of Paraffine-Contaminated Rice

The emergence of paraffin-coated rice in China, aimed at enhancing its market appeal and achieving a translucent appearance, has given rise to a significant global food safety concern. This situation poses substantial health risks to consumers. Hyperspectral analysis, recognized as a powerful and nondestructive technique for assessing food quality and safety, offers a potential solution. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation using Visible-Near Infrared (VIS-NIR) hyperspectral imaging systems operating within the 400-1000 nm range to identify paraffin-contaminated rice. Various rice varieties from diverse regions were obtained and intentionally tainted with varying levels of paraffin. Imaged samples were further preprocessed for spectral data extraction from individual rice seeds’ regions of interest (ROI). The dataset encompassed 3000 spectral records obtained from both non-contaminated and contaminated samples. The obtained spectral data were employed to develop partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and principal component linear discriminant analysis. The primary goal was to discriminate between contaminated and non-contaminated rice samples effectively. Notably, the results indicated that PLS-DA consistently achieved an accuracy exceeding 94% across various preprocessing techniques. Overall, this study showcased the potential of combining hyperspectral imaging with chemometrics to detect paraffin-contaminated rice seeds, providing a valuable contribution to food safety assessment in the industry

Livelihood pattern and food security of tribal people in a selected area of Bangladesh

Asset’s possession and food consumption level of tribal people in Bangladesh express their socioeconomic status. The study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics, measure the livelihood assets, and determine the calorie intake level of the sample households. Primary data were collected through field survey using an interview schedule from 60 tribal households. Tabular analysis and capital asset pentagon from DFID livelihood framework were used for data analysis. Household consumption data were converted to per person per day calorie intake level. The major findings of the study were that about 41.67% of the respondents were being 15-29 years of age, 30% respondents’ education was in the secondary level, average family size was 5.81, 40% of the respondents were occupied with agriculture as their primary occupation, average annual income and expenditure were Tk. 258560 (US$3015.28) and Tk. 242373.50 (US$2826.51), respectively. The livelihood assets were moderate. About 83.34% of the respondents belonged to the poor category and rest 16.67% of the respondents belonged to non-poor category. About 98.33% and 96.67% respondents suggested that, if job opportunity increases and ensure proper education; then their socioeconomic improvement will be faster. So, government and other organizations need to come forward to create more employment opportunity and education facilities for improving their livelihood pattern and food security status

Prevalence and risk factors of coronary heart disease in a rural population of Bangladesh

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major global health problem with the majority of burden observed increasingly in the developing countries. There has been no estimate of CHD in Bangladesh. This study addresses the prevalence of CHD in a Bangladeshi rural population which also aimed to determine the risk factors related to CHD. Ten villages of Nandail sub-district under Mymensingh were selected purposively. All subjects of age ³20y were considered eligible and were interviewed about family income, family history of T2DM, CHD and HTN. The investigations included height, weight, waist-girth, hip-girth, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP & DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (Chol) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) were also estimated. Finally, electrocardiography (ECG) was undertaken in all participants who had family history of diabetes or hypertension or CHD. Diagnosis of CHD was based on history of angina or changes in ECG or diagnosed by a cardiologist. A total of 6235 subjects were enlisted as eligible (age ³20y) participants. Of them, 4141 (m / f: 1749 / 2392) subjects volunteered for the study. The age-adjusted (20-69y) prevalence of CHD was 1.85 with 95% CI, 1.42 – 2.28. There was no significant difference between men and women. The mean (SD) values of age (p<0.001), SBP (p<0.01), DBP (p<0.05), HbA1c (p<0.05) and ACR (p<0.01) were significantly higher among subjects with CHD than those without; whereas, there were no significant differences in BMI and WHR, TG, Chol and HDL. Logistic regression analysis showed that adjusted for age, sex, social class and obesity, the subjects with higher age (³45y), higher 2hBG (³7.0mmol/l), higher ACR (³17.2) and family history of CHD had significant risk for CHD. The prevalence of CHD is comparable with other Asian population. Family history of CHD and age over 45 years, and who had hyperglycemia and higher ACR were proved to be the independent predictors of CHD. CHD was found to affect participants irrespective of sex, social class, obesity and lipid status. Though the IFG and diabetes groups appeared to have similar biophysical characteristics, only the diabetes group had significant risk for CHD. Further study in a larger sample may be undertaken to confirm the study findings and to explore some unidentified risk factors of CHD. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2010; 4(2): 37-4

A comprehensive review of external quality measurements of fruits and vegetables using nondestructive sensing technologies

Fruits and vegetables have always had a significant economic impact on human survival, providing food security and boosting output with minimal input. This review focuses on an in-depth analysis of the grading criteria and the identification of exterior quality characteristics of major vegetables and fruits through various noninvasive spectroscopic and imaging methods, along with a brief discussion of their key components, schematic operations, potential for application in place of conventional approaches, and highlights the potential research gaps. In this review, the attention was focused on preprocessing, data analysis techniques, and the specific and overall values of performance accuracy by using a specific performance metric in relation to fruits and vegetables. Several machine learning (ML), as well as deep learning (DL) techniques, such as K-nearest neighbor (KNN), artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machines (SVM), convolutional neural networks (CNN) with transfer learning (TL), generative adversarial networks (GAN) and recurrent neural network (RNN), have recently been used for inspection along with the processing of spectral data. ML and DL techniques have been proposed in recent publications for the external quality inspection of fruits and vegetables

Childhood diabetes in a Bangladeshi population

ABSTRACT Backgrounds and Aims: Several epidemiological investigations revealed that the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has been increasing in the adult population of Bangladesh. But the prevalence of diabetes among the children and adolescents in Bangladesh has not been reported. This study addressed the prevalence of diabetes among the younger people in Bangladesh. Subjects and Methods: We investigated school children of age group 10 -18 years in rural, suburban and urban communities. Investigations included socio-demographic information, height, weight, mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC), blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). We used WHO criteria (1999) for impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Results: A total of 2152 students (boys/girls: 1064/1088) volunteered the study. Their mean (SD) age was 13.3 (2.0) y, BMI was 18.5 (3.1) and MUAC was 21.2 (3.4) cm. The mean (SD) of FPG was 4.6 (0.87) mmol/l. The prevalence of IFG (95% CI) was 3.4% (2.63 -4.17) and T2DM was 1.8% (1.23 -2.37). BMI showed no association with FPG in either sex. In assessing risk for hyperglycemia (FPG &gt; = 5.6 mmol/l), logistic regression showed [odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI] that compared with lower age (&lt;12 vs &gt;16 y) higher age had excess risk (OR 5.2, 2.92 -9.23). Compared with the rural the urban children had higher risk (OR 14.7, 6.41 -33.78). Higher family income was also found to have higher risk (BDT &lt;5000 vs &gt;8000: OR 2.03, 1.30 -3.18); whereas, higher BMI and MUAC were proved to be not significant. Conclusions: The prevalence of IFG and T2DM in Bangladeshi children and adolescents appears to be high. The urban children from the higher family income are the most vulnerable for developin

Effect of Edible Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) on Type-2 Diabetics

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) like diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are on the increase globally and predominantly in the South East Asian Region (SEAR). The increasing NCD and its complications burdened the health cost of Bangladesh. The available literatures suggest that edible mushrooms are effective in controlling metabolic risks like hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia. The study addressed the metabolic effects of edible oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) in diabetic individuals and to assess the undesirable effects of mushroom. A total of 5000 newly registered diabetic women were screened for eligible participants (urban housewives, age 30 – 50y, BMI 22 – 27, FBG 8 – 12 mmol/l; free from complications or systemic illnesses and agreed to adhere to the study for 360 days). The investigations included weight and height for BMI, waist- and hip-girth for WHR, BP, FBG, 2ABF, T-chol, TG, HDL, LDL, ALT and Creatinine starting from the day 0 (baseline) and each subsequent follow-up days: 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 and 360 for comparison between placebo and mushroom groups and also within group (baseline vs. follow up days), individually for placebo and mushroom. The daily intake of mushroom was 200g for the mushroom group and an equivalent calorie of vegetables for the placebo group. Overall, 73 diabetic housewives (mushroom / placebo = 43 /30) volunteered. The mean (with SEM) values of BMI, WHR, BP, FBG, 2ABF, T-chol, TG, HDL, LDL, ALT and Creatinine of the placebo group were compared with the mushroom group. Compared with the placebo, the mushroom group showed significant reductions of FBG (p<0.001), 2ABF (p<0.001), T-chol (p<0.001), TG (p=0.03) and LDL (p<0.001); whereas, no difference was observed for BMI, SBP, DBP, HDL, Hb, creatinine and ALT. The comparison within groups (baseline vs. follow-up) there were significant reduction of these variables in mushroom but not in the placebo group. Mushroom was found to have significant effect in reducing blood glucose, T-chol, TG and LDL. No impaired function was observed for liver, kidney and hemopoeitic tissue in taking mushroom for 360 days of the study period. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2014; 8(1): 6-1

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in three urban communities of Dhaka city

Bangladeshis are prone to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension (sHTN and dHTN) and atherosclerotic heart diseases, observed more predominantly in the urban population. Though metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a related disorder, there are few studies in this regard. The prevalence of obesity, T2DM and MetS in three urban communities of Bangladesh were addressed in this study. Nine hundred non-slum urban households in three Dhaka City Wards were randomly selected. One member (age ³ 25y) from each household was invited for investigation with an overnight fast. Socio-demographic information as well as height, weight, waist-girth, hip-girth and blood pressure were measured. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (chol), triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoproteins-c (HDL) were estimated. A total of 705 (m / f = 239 / 466) subjects volunteered for the study. The mean value with 95% confidence interval (CI) of age was 42.4 (40.9 – 43.1) years for men and 37.8 (36.8 – 38.7) for women. The mean (CI) body mass index (BMI) was 21.0 (20.6 – 21.5) and 22.6 (22.2 – 22.9) and waist hip ratio (WHR) was 0.84 (0.83 – 0.84) and 0.82 (0.81 – 0.83), respectively for men and women. The mean (CI) FPG (fasting plasma glucose) was 5.5 (5.2 – 5.7) for men and 5.2 (5.0 – 5.4) for women. The prevalence of obesity (BMI ³ 25.0) was 21%, T2DM (FPG ³ 6.1 mmol/l) was 22.2%, triglyceridemia (TG ³ 150mg/dl) was 45.1% and low HDL-c (HDL<40mg/dl) was 43.8%. The crude prevalence of MetS varied based on different cluster combinations, being the lowest (0.3%) recommended by WHO cluster (FPG + BMI + SBP/DBP) and the highest (8.7%) by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) cluster (waist + FPG + HDL). The MetS was found higher in male than female by NCEP criteria and higher in female than male by IDF criteria. The study revealed an increased prevalence of obesity, T2DM and MetS in the urban communities. It also revealed that T2DM and MetS are moderately common and of growing healthcare burden in the rapidly growing urban population. Additionally, the study observed the wide ranging prevalence rates of MetS in the same study population indicating the need to establish a consistent and useful MetS-cluster depending on population characteristics. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2008; 2(2): 44-4

Is Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) a Better Predictor than Creatinine Cutoff to Detect Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) with diabetes mellitus is one of the most common and major public health problems globally. In Bangladesh, several studies indicate an increasing prevalence of diabetes though very few studies are available on CKD. For CKD, diagnostic method, criteria or cutoffs still remained undecided. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of CKD among the hospitalized patients and to compare the diagnostic approach practiced in the hospital. Methods: All patients admitted to the Department of Nephrology at BIRDEM from May 1 to July 31, 2012 were selected for investigation. An almost equal number of patients were also selected from other units of Medicine. The information included were age, sex, social class, blood pressure, height, weight, blood glucose, creatinine, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins and electrolytes. The CKDcreat was diagnosed based on creatinine (>1.2mg/dl) and the CKDgfr based on estimated GFR (1.2 mg/dl) groups. Similar comparisons were also made between CKDgfr and non-CKDgfr (>60 vs. £ 60 ml/min/1.732) groups. Results: A total of 4172 patients got admitted in the study period of 90 days; and 442 patients (m / f = 256 / 186) were investigated. Of the total (n=4172), 241 (5.8%) had CKDcreat and 272 (6.5%) had CKDgfr. Of the investigated 442 patients, 241 (54.5%) had CKDcreat and 272 (61.5%) had CKDgfr. The differences of characteristics between CKDcreat and non-CKDcreat groups were almost similar to the differences between CKDgfr and non-CKDgfr groups. Higher age, higher social class and higher blood pressure showed significant (p1.2 mg/dl and CKDgfr: <90 ml/min/1.732). Thus, a large proportion remained either under- or over-diagnosed depending on the criterion used. Conclusion: The prevalence of CKD among the hospitalized patients was found not negligible. The comparisons of two diagnostic criteria did differ and eGFR (K/DOQI) could detect higher proportion of CKD, which might be an over-diagnosis. Further study taking microalbuminuria, gross proteinuria, albumin-creatinine ratio and cystatin C may validate the method for the diagnostic accuracy of CKD, which my help assessing the prevalence of CKD accurately. Ibrahim Med. Coll. J. 2014; 8(2): 50-5