Validation of updated partin’s table in Pakistani patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer

Objectives: To establish the usefulness and validity of 2007 Partin’s table in our population with prostate cancer. Materials and methods: Between January 1998 to June 2009, all patients with clinically localized carcinoma prostate who were treated with intent of radical retro-pubic prostatectomy (RRP) were included. Clinical, operative and pathological data was gathered. All biopsy and final histopathology Gleason scores were re-assigned in a double blind manner. Pre-operative serum PSA, TNM clinical stage and biopsy Gleason scores were plotted on Partin’s table and its predictive value and pathological findings of specimen were compared and analyzed by using Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: A total of 109 of 138 patients were included in final analysis. The median age was 65 ± 5.8 years. The pre-operative serum PSA values and clinical stages were higher in our cohort of patients as compared to Partin’s cohort. At pathological assessment of resected specimen, organ confined disease was present in 58 % of patients, seminal vesicles were involved in 22 % and lymph node metastasis was present in 12 % of patients. The accuracy of Partin’s table derived probability was high with area under curve (AUC) of 0.82 for organ confinement, 0.805 for seminal vesicle involvement and 0.714 for lymph node involvement respectively. Conclusions: The 2007 Partin’s table has a reasonably high predictive value for the final histo-pathological features. This predictive model can be used in Pakistani patients with carcinoma prostate with comparable accuracy

Mother’s dietary diversity and association with stunting among children <2 years old in a low socio‐economic environment: A case–control study in an urban care setting in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mothers are often responsible for preparing nutritious foods in their households. However, the quality of mother’s diets is often neglected, which may affect both mother’s and child’s nutrition. Because no single food contains all necessary nutrients, diversity in dietary sources is needed to ensure a quality diet. We aimed to study the association between mother’s dietary diversity and stunting in children <2 years attending Dhaka Hospital of icddr,b, a diarrhoeal disease hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A case–control study (n = 296) was conducted from November 2016 to February 2017. Data were collected from mothers of stunted children <2 years (length‐for‐age z score [LAZ] < −2) as “cases” and nonstunted (LAZ ≥ −1) children <2 years as “controls.” Mothers were asked to recall consumption of 10 defined food groups 24 hr prior to the interview as per Guidelines for Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women. Among the mothers of cases, 58% consumed <5 food groups during the last 24 hr, compared with 45% in control mothers (P = 0.03). Children whose mothers consumed <5 food groups were 1.7 times more likely to be stunted than children whose mothers consumed ≥5 food groups (P = 0.04). Intake of food groups such as pulses, dairy, eggs, and vitamin A rich fruit was higher in control mothers. Proportion of mother’s illiteracy, short stature, monthly family income <BDT 11,480, absence of bank account, and poor sanitation was also found to be higher in stunted group. Further study particularly intervention or longitudinal study to see the causality of mother’s dietary diversity with child stunting is recommended.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148421/1/mcn12665.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148421/2/mcn12665_am.pd

Asymmetrical D-channel photonic crystal fiber-based plasmonic sensor using the wavelength interrogation and lower birefringence peak method

Funding Information: This work was supported in part by Independent University, Bangladesh ( IUB ), and in part by Sejong university through its faculty research program ( 20192021 ). This paper was also supported by research funds of Jeonbuk National University in 2020.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Community health workers during the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

BACKGROUND: The role of community health workers (CHWs) in the West Africa Ebola outbreak has been highlighted to advocate for increasing numbers of CHWs globally to build resilience, strengthen health systems, and provide emergency response capacity. However, the roles CHWs played, the challenges they faced, and their effectiveness during the outbreak are not well documented. This study assessed the impact of Ebola on community-based maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services, documented the contribution of CHWs and other community-based actors to the Ebola response, and identified lessons learned to strengthen resilience in future emergencies. METHODS: This mixed methods study was conducted in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, with data collected in four Ebola-affected districts of each country. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with stakeholders at national, district, and community levels. Quantitative program data were used to assess trends in delivery of community-based MNCH services. RESULTS: There was a sharp decline in MNCH service provision due to weak service delivery, confusion over policy, and the overwhelming nature of the outbreak. However, many CHWs remained active in their communities and were willing to continue providing services. When CHWs received clear directives and were supported, service provision rebounded. Although CHWs faced mistrust and hostility from community members because of their linkages to health facilities, the relationship between CHWs and communities proved resilient over time, and CHWs were more effectively able to carry out Ebola-related activities than outsiders. Traditional birth attendants, community health committees, community leaders, and traditional healers also played important roles, despite a lack of formal engagement or support. Service delivery weaknesses, especially related to supply chain and supervision, limited the effectiveness of community health services before, during, and after the outbreak. CONCLUSIONS: CHWs and other community-level actors played important roles during the Ebola outbreak. However, maintenance of primary care services and the Ebola response were hampered because community actors were engaged late in the response and did not receive sufficient support. In the future, communities should be placed at the forefront of emergency preparedness and response plans and they must be adequately supported to strengthen service delivery

Vaccination following the expanded programme on immunization schedule could help to reduce deaths in children under five hospitalized for pneumonia and severe pneumonia in a developing country

BackgroundWorldwide, pneumonia is the leading cause of mortality in children under the age of five. An expanded program on immunization (EPI) is one kind of evidence-based tool for controlling and even eradicating infectious diseases.ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the impact of EPI vaccination, including BCG, DPT-Hib-Hep B, OPV, IPV, and PCV-10, among children from the age of 4 to 59 months hospitalized for pneumonia and severe pneumonia. Additionally, we evaluated the role of 10 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines alone on clinical outcomes in such children.MethodsIn this retrospective chart review, children from the age of 4 to 59 months with WHO-defined pneumonia and severe pneumonia admitted to the Dhaka Hospital of the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) between August 2013 and December 2017 who had the information on immunization as per EPI schedule by 4 months of age were included in the analysis. A comparison was made between the children who were fully immunized (immunization with BCG, DPT-Hib-Hep B, OPV, and IPV from 2013 to 2015 and PCV-10 from 2015 to 2017) and who were not immunized (consisting of partial immunization and no immunization) during the study period.ResultsA total of 4,625 children had pneumonia and severe pneumonia during the study period. Among them, 2,605 (56.3%) had received the information on immunization; 2,195 (84.3%) were fully immunized by 4 months of age according to the EPI schedule and 410 were not immunized. In the log-linear binomial regression analysis, immunization of children from 4 to 59 months of age was found to be associated with a lower risk of diarrhea (p = 0.033), severe pneumonia (p = 0.001), anemia (p = 0.026), and deaths (p = 0.035). Importantly, the risk of developing severe pneumonia (1054/1,570 [67%] vs. 202/257 [79%], p &lt; 0.001) and case-fatality rate (57/1,570 [3.6%] vs. 19/257 [7.4%], p = 0.005) was still significantly lower among those who were immunized with PCV-10 than those who were not.ConclusionChildren immunized as per the EPI schedule were at a lower risk of diarrhea, severe pneumonia, anemia, and death, compared to unvaccinated children. In addition, PCV-10 was found to be protective against severe pneumonia and deaths in vaccinated children. The overall results underscored the importance of the continuation of immunization, scrupulously adhering to the EPI schedule to reduce the risk of morbidities and mortalities in children, especially in resource-limited settings

Impacts Of Acid Concentration, Contact Time, Temperature And Surfactant On The Activities Of Different Short-Chain & Medium-Chain Fatty Acids On Ascaris Suum Eggs In Soil And Water

Ascaris suum eggs, due to their inherent environmental indestructability, are routinely used as bio-indicators to test the ovicidal activity of various manure and biosolids disinfection methods. Exposure to organic acid is a possible disinfection method of inactivati ng Ascaris eggs. Previous research has shown the eggs could readily be killed when the pH of the acid solution was below the pKa of the acid, where most of the acid is in the undissociated form. Expanding on this earlier work, various concentrations and c ontact times of butanoic, pentanoic, hexanoic and heptanoic acid, with and without 18 mM Tween 20 at pH 4, were examined to determine m inimum required times for total inactivation at 22°C and 37°C. Increasing the temperature by 15 degrees caused a significant decrease in the contact time required for total inactivation. The results suggest that higher concentration of pentanoic and hexanoic acids with or without the addition of the surfactant Tween 20 have potential for the rapid inactivati on of helminth eggs in soil and water. Treating with acids with added surfactant, Tween 20, did not have any significant effect on egg inactivation in case of both lower and higher concentration and in both temperature