Knowledge and involvement of husbands in maternal and newborn health in rural Bangladesh

Abstract Background Access to skilled health services during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period for obstetric care is one of the strongest determinants of maternal and newborn health (MNH) outcomes. In many countries, husbands are key decision-makers in households, effectively determining women’s access to health services. We examined husbands’ knowledge and involvement regarding MNH issues in rural Bangladesh, and how their involvement is related to women receiving MNH services from trained providers. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey in two rural sub-districts of Bangladesh in 2014 adopting a stratified cluster sampling technique. Women with a recent birth history and their husbands were interviewed separately with a structured questionnaire. A total of 317 wife-husband dyads were interviewed. The associations between husbands accompanying their wives as explanatory variables and utilization of skilled services as outcome variables were assessed using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results In terms of MNH knowledge, two-thirds of husbands were aware that women have special rights related to pregnancy and childbirth and one-quarter could mention three or more pregnancy-, birth- and postpartum-related danger signs. With regard to MNH practice, approximately three-quarters of husbands discussed birth preparedness and complication readiness with their wives. Only 12% and 21% were involved in identifying a potential blood donor and arranging transportation, respectively. Among women who attended antenatal care (ANC), 47% were accompanied by their husbands. Around half of the husbands were present at the birthplace during birth. Of the 22% women who received postpartum care (PNC), 67% were accompanied by their husbands. Husbands accompanying their wives was positively associated with women receiving ANC from a medically trained provider (AOR 4.5, p < .01), birth at a health facility (AOR 1.5, p < .05), receiving PNC from a medically trained provider (AOR 48.8, p < .01) and seeking care from medically trained providers for obstetric complications (AOR 3.0, p < 0.5). Conclusion Husbands accompanying women when receiving health services is positively correlated with women’s use of skilled MNH services. Special initiatives should be taken for encouraging husbands to accompany their wives while availing MNH services. These initiatives should aim to increase men’s awareness regarding MNH issues, but should not be limited to this

Systematic review and meta-Analysis of global birth prevalence of clubfoot: A study protocol

IntroductionClubfoot is a common congenital birth defect, with an average prevalence of approximately 1 per 1000 live births, although this rate is reported to vary among different countries around the world. If it remains untreated, clubfoot causes permanent disability, limits educational and employment opportunities, and personal growth. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to estimate the global birth prevalence of congenital clubfoot.Methods and analysisElectronic databases including MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, Global Health, Latin American &amp; Caribben Health Science Literature (LILACS), Maternity and Infant Care, Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar will be searched for observational studies based on predefined criteria and only in English language from inception of database in 1946 to 10 November 2017. A standard data extraction form will be used to extract relevant information from included studies. The Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal checklist will be used to assess the overall quality of studies reporting prevalence. All included studies will be assessed for risk of bias using a tool developed specifically for prevalence studies. Forest plots will be created to understand the overall random effects of pooled estimates with 95% CIs. An I2test will be done for heterogeneity of the results (P&gt;0.05), and to identify the source of heterogeneity across studies, subgroup or meta-regression will be used to assess the contribution of each variable to the overall heterogeneity. A funnel plot will be used to identify reporting bias, and sensitivity analysis will be used to assess the impact of methodological quality, study design, sample size and the impact of missing data.Ethics and disseminationThis review will be conducted completely based on published data, so approval from an ethics committee or written consent will not be required. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and relevant conference presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42016041922.</jats:sec

Antioxidant and antihyperglycemic activities of methanolic extract of Glinus oppositifolius leaves

The present study was carried out to investigate the antioxidant and antidiabetic potential of methanolic extract of Glinus oppositifolius leaves. The antioxidant potential was examined by DPPH radical scavenging assay, nitric oxide (NO) scavenging assay, determination of total flavonoid content and total antioxidant capacity assay. Antihyperglycemic activity was studied by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in normal mice and in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. In DPPH radical scavenging assay the IC50 value of the extract was found to be greater than 1000 μg/ml (ascorbic acid, IC50 = 14.45 μg/ml) while it was 269 μg/ml in nitric oxide (NO) scavenging assay (quercetin IC50 = 15.24 μg/ml). The amount of total flavonoid was 25 .46 mg/g and total antioxidant activity was 79.48 mg/g equivalent to Quercetin and Ascorbic acid respectively. A significant effect (

Chowdhury et al., 2009 Stamford Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Infrared spectroscopic characterization, free radical scavenging and cytotoxic evaluation of chitosan extracted from Penaeus monodon shell

Antioxidant activities of different parts of Musa sapientum L. ssp. sylvestris fruit

Musa sapientum L. ssp. sylvestris (Family: Musaceae) is a popular edible fruit. It is used by the traditional healers in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery. In the present study, methanolic extracts of peel (MSPE), pulp (MSPU) and seed (MSSE) of the fruit were investigated for in vitro antioxidant activity using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging capacity, reducing power, CUPRAC (Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity) and total antioxidant capacity. The phenolic content of the extracts were also determined. The plant extracts showed a direct concentration dependent increase in scavenging DPPH radical. MSSE showed better scavenging activity than MSPE and MSPU with an IC value of 54.92 μg/ml, while the standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid, showed an IC value of 13.75 μg/ml. The Fe/ferricyanide to ferrous and cupric ion reduction capacity of MSSE were better than the reference agent ascorbic acid. All three extracts showed good results in total antioxidant assay. MSSE was also found to contain good amount of phenols (244.38 mg/g of plant extract in GAE). The results of this study indicate that MSSE has strong in vitro antioxidant activity