1971 Killing of the ‘Bengali’ Intellectuals: An Analysis from the Perspective of the 1948 Genocide Convention

The lessons of the history of past genocidal incidents expose that the educated and the leaders, collectively called ‘intellectuals’, have often been a distinct target by the perpetrators. Bengali intellectuals were also targeted and killed by the Pakistani military and its local collaborators during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. As the Bangladesh genocide, committed by the Pakistani military and its local collaborators, is still internationally overlooked, the issue of killing the Bengali intellectuals during such genocide has not obtained much attention. This study identifies the killing of the intellectuals as one of the genocidal policies employed by the Pakistani military and its local collaborators during the war. The massacre of the Bengali intellectuals in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War is examined in this article from the perspective of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The authors have critically analyzed the killing of the Bengali intellectuals in light of the definition of ‘genocide’ and the travaux preparatoires of the Convention to explore whether it forms a genocidal policy. &nbsp

Low dose-extended letrozole versus double dose-short letrozole protocol for ovulation induction in polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: Letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor has been regarded as the first line drug for ovulation induction in anovulatory PCOS patients because of its monofollicular growth and there is no chance of hyperstimulation by letrozole. Traditional protocol of letrozole includes administration of letrozole for 5 days in first half of follicular phase which induces ovulation in 61.7% cases. Few recent studies have shown that extended letrozole protocol causes more follicles to grow and induces more ovulation than the traditional protocol. The aim was to compare the effects of low dose-extended letrozole protocol and double dose-short letrozole protocol for ovulation induction in infertile PCOS patients.Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in the department of reproductive endocrinology and Infertility at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on seventy infertile polycystic ovary syndrome patients. Low dose-extended letrozole group or experimental group received tablet letrozole 2.5 mg daily for 10 days and double dose-short letrozole group or control group received tab. Letrozole 5 mg daily for 5 days starting from the 2nd day of menstrual cycle or withdrawal bleeding. The ovarian response was assessed by folliculometry on day 12 of menstrual cycle by transvaginal sonography for measurement of total number of growing follicles, biggest follicle size and endometrial thickness. Mid luteal serum progesterone was measured on day 21-23 to confirm ovulation.Results: The mean number of growing follicle was 1.44±0.95 versus 0.99±0.65 in low dose-extended letrozole group and double dose-short letrozole group respectively generating p value of 0.001. The mean size of the dominant follicle at day 12 was greater in low dose-extended letrozole group than the other displaying 17.69±3.63 mm and 16.6±3.49 mm respectively but the difference was not statistically significant. The number of ovulating patients was greater in low dose-extended letrozole group (76.5% versus 71.9%), but without significant statistical difference. Pregnancy rate was insignificantly greater in low dose-extended letrozole group (23.5% versus 18.8%) as well.Conclusions: Low dose-extended letrozole protocol produces more multifollicular growth and larger size dominant follicle with a trend to raise the ovulation rate and pregnancy rate, though insignificantly

Association of kisspeptin in patients with poly cystic ovarian syndrome

Background: Poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a complex multifactorial disorder, affecting millions of women worldwide. Kisspeptin, a hypothalamic peptide encoded by the KISS1 gene, is widely reported as a key factor in the regulation of luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion, which may be potentially involved with the development of PCOS. The aim of the study was to estimate the serum kisspeptin level in PCOS patients and evaluate the association of kisspeptin with other biochemical, and hormonal parameters in women with PCOS. Methods: This case-control study was conducted at the department of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh from August 2020 to July 2021. A total of 90 patients between age 18-30 years were enrolled in this study. Data was collected on variables of interest by using the structured questionnaire designed for interview, observation, clinical examination, and biochemical investigation of the patients and analyzed by using the t-test, non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney U test) and chi-square test as appropriate. Results: We found no significant difference between PCOS & control group, but acanthosis nigricans (AN), waist hip (W:H) ratio were statistically significant in PCOS group. We found serum LH (11.98±6.29 mIU/ml), LH: FSH (1.71±0.92), AMH (10.09±3.8 ng/ml), fasting insulin (26.53±28.34 µU/ml), ovarian volume (16.91±4.57), was significantly higher in PCOS patients. Kisspeptin value in PCOS patients was 85.92±56.59 pg/ml and control group was 63.74±43.16 pg/ml. In the PCOS group, there was a positive correlation between kisspeptin and LH, AMH, and ovarian volume. Conclusions: Serum kisspeptin levels were similar in women with or without PCOS but positively correlated with ovarian volume, serum LH and AMH in PCOS patients

Efficacy of autologous platelet rich plasma for ovarian rejuvenation in infertile women having poor ovarian reserve

Background: Poor ovarian reserve (POR) is a condition in which the ovary loses its normal reproductive potential and compromising fertility. Normal function of the ovaries and adequate good quality follicles are responsible for the reproductive process of a woman. Various treatment methods exist for POR, but the present study was conducted to observe the effectiveness of platelet rich plasma infusion through measurement of AMH and AFC values and pregnancy outcomes.Methods: This prospective observational study was done in the department of reproductive endocrinology and infertility from July 2019 to June 2022. A total of 60 patients with poor ovarian reserve were recruited maintaining inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results: Mean age of the participants was 36.4 years, with 78.32% of the participants being housewives and 21.68% being service workers. 65.38% had education below SSC levels. 72.46% had primary infertility while 27.54% had secondary infertility. At first cycle, compared to baseline counts, mean±SD AMH had increased by 0.04±0.15 ng/dl, and mean±SD AFC had increased by 1.34±1.89 in number. During second cycle post-PRP, the mean difference of AMH and AFC was 0.18±0.21 ng/dl and 2.17±1.71 in a positive manner. By final follow-up, pregnancy rate was 20% among patients.Conclusions: The study observed significant improvement in AMH and AFC values following PRP infusion. The improvement of both values was gradual, and increase of AMH values were observed up to second post-PRP menstrual cycle, while AFC increased till third cycle post-PRP. Among 60 patient twelve (12) had pregnancy (20%)

Effects of autologous stem cell therapy for fertility enhancement among women with premature ovarian insufficiency

Background: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a condition where the ovary loses its normal reproductive potential earlier than 40 years, compromising fertility. There is no treatment for POI, only ovum or embryo donation. Autologous stem cell ovarian transplant (ASCOT) may be a procedure that creates new eggs in the ovaries of women with POI. The aim of the study was to find out the efficacy of ASCOT in patients suffering from POI. Methods: A total of 50 patients were included according to inclusion and exclusion criteria in this prospective observational study. POI was confirmed with low levels of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) (<0.5 ng/dl), high level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) >25 ng/ml, and or a low number of antral follicle count (AFC) (<3 in each ovary). Results: Results showed that after stem cell therapy, mean AMH values increased by 0.48±0.306 and mean FSH values increased by 2.73±3.98 but the difference was not statistically significant. AFC values significantly decreased by 1.33±0.625 at 1st post-stem-cell cycle. During the second cycle, AMH and AFC increased by 0.110±0.051 and 4.63±1.49, respectively, and FSH decreased by 7.4±2.78. In third cycle, AMH & FSH was significantly increased by 0.820±0.44 & 4.120±0.470 and FSH has been decreased by 2.150±3.625. The increase in AMH & AFC was statistically significant, and the decrease in FSH was not statistically significant compared to baseline values. Conclusions: The study showed that autologous stem cell therapy can have a significant effect on women’s ovarian function and fertility. It showed that ASCOT can increase AMH and AFC, and decrease FSH in patients with POI, with a total pregnancy rate of 4% after the third cycle follow-up

Survival Prediction of Children Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Using Different Machine Learning Classifiers by Performing Chi-squared Test and Hyper-parameter Optimization: A Retrospective Analysis

Bone Marrow Transplant, a gradational rescue for a wide range of disorders emanating from the bone marrow, is an efficacious surgical treatment. Several risk factors, such as post-transplant illnesses, new malignancies, and even organ damage, can impair long-term survival. Therefore, technologies like Machine Learning are deployed for investigating the survival prediction of BMT receivers along with the influences that limit their resilience. In this study, an efficient survival classification model is presented in a comprehensive manner, incorporating the Chi-squared feature selection method to address the dimensionality problem and Hyper Parameter Optimization (HPO) to increase accuracy. A synthetic dataset is generated by imputing the missing values, transforming the data using dummy variable encoding, and compressing the dataset from 59 features to the 11 most correlated features using Chi-squared feature selection. The dataset was split into train and test sets at a ratio of 80:20, and the hyperparameters were optimized using Grid Search Cross-Validation. Several supervised ML methods were trained in this regard, like Decision Tree, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbors, Gradient Boosting Classifier, Ada Boost, and XG Boost. The simulations have been performed for both the default and optimized hyperparameters by using the original and reduced synthetic dataset. After ranking the features using the Chi-squared test, it was observed that the top 11 features with HPO, resulted in the same accuracy of prediction (94.73%) as the entire dataset with default parameters. Moreover, this approach requires less time and resources for predicting the survivability of children undergoing BMT. Hence, the proposed approach may aid in the development of a computer-aided diagnostic system with satisfactory accuracy and minimal computation time by utilizing medical data records.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures, 38 table

Risk stratification of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients

Background: Multiple Myeloma is a neoplastic proliferation of plasma cells, associated with an M (monoclonal) protein in serum and/or urine and evidence of organ damage. Despite advances in treatment, the disease remains heterogeneous, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of its risk stratification. Risk-adapted initial therapy, maintenance therapy, refractory disease management and prognosis varies according to risk group. The aim of our study is to categorize the newly diagnosed MM patients according to their risk groups. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the Department of Haematology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from August 2019 to July 2020. A total of 31 newly diagnosed MM patients were enrolled based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Risk stratification was performed using ISS, R-ISS, mSMART criteria and Avets risk group categorization. Result: The majority of the patients were male (64.52%) and aged between 55-64 years (45.16%). Clinical features predominantly included low back pain (74.19%) and general weakness (38.71%). Cytogenetic abnormalities were noted in 38.7% of the patients, with del (13q) being the most common (32.30%). Most patients were in ISS Stage III (70.97%) and R-ISS Stage II (48.39%). According to mSMART criteria, 80.65% were at standard risk while Avet's risk stratification identifies 58.06% were at intermediate risk. Conclusion: The study reveals a high prevalence of patients in advanced ISS stages and intermediate to high-risk categories, emphasizing the need for early and personalized intervention strategies

Frequency of consanguineous marriage among the thalassaemia major patients in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University

Thalassaemia is a commonly occurring hereditary disorder. There is a high prevalence of thalassaemia disease in South-East Asia as well as Bangladesh. It is an autosomal recessive disorder, so consanguineous marriage is a very important factor for this disease. Mutated beta globin gene of haemoglobin from both parents is responsible for this disease to occur. But when the number of thalassaemia carriers is miserably high, then only avoidance of consanguineous marriage can’t prevent the birth of children with thalassaemia major. So, this cross sectional study was conducted among 120 diagnosed (by haemoglobin electrophoresis or high performance liquid chromatography) thalassaemia major patients in the Department of Haematology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka from July 2019 to May 2020. History from each patient was taken and blood samples were collected from their parents to confirm carrier state by haemoglobin electrophoresis. Blood samples were also collected from patients and their parents toperform complete blood count and peripheral Blood Film. This study showed the mean age of the participants was 15±9.34 and 73 (60.8%) patients were male and 47 (39.2%) were female. About, 71% of the study population lived in urban area, 81 (67%) patients were transfusion dependent thalassaemia patients. 15% thalas- saemia major patients had the history of consanguinity of their parents. Among the parents of the thalassaemia major patients, 62.5% were Beta thalassaemia trait (heterozygous state), 25.83% parents were Hb E trait ( heterozygous state), 7.08% parents were suffering from Beta Thalassaemia Major(homozygous state) and 11 (4.58%) parents were suffering from Hb E/Beta Thalassaemia which is a compound heterozygous state. Though consanguinity is a very influential factor, but the most important causative factor is the presence of high number of thalassaemia carrier in the population. So, it’s a burning issue for the nation to perform a routine carrier screening for all rather than focusing on consanguinity only, to lessen the burden of thalassaemia disease in Bangladesh. BSMMU J 2022; 15(1): 25-2

A comparative study on Innovation management processes in the context of developing and developed countries

Aim: Innovation gets to be the pivotal factor for surviving and sustaining a business in the long term. The scenario of innovation management could be performed in a very particular way among developed, developing, and under-developed countries. We have found a gap, that no comparative research has been done among different geographical areas, especially in hotel industry innovation sectors yet. The main aim of this thesis is to identify how two different countries from different regions are practicing their innovation management process. Method: An explanatory sequential mixed method had been used to develop our study where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through surveys and interviews. To analyse the data a deductive technique was approached by using an established innovation management process framework; named ‘SPOTS' model, developed by Tidd (2001).  Results & Conclusions: There exist noticeable differences between Sweden and Bangladesh in terms of time management, budget, strategy, communication and others which also showcase why Sweden is the leading country in the matter of innovation. In the meantime, in spite of having enough human resources and materials Bangladesh is fighting to implement successful innovations due to the lack of guidance, strategy, and budget. Contribution of the thesis: We have conducted comparative research in the hotel industry in Bangladesh and Sweden, which represents the innovation management scenario in developed and developing countries. It also addresses the point of improvements for the respective countries. Our thesis will be helpful for future researchers who will conduct further studies in the hospitality industry of different economical background nations. Suggestions for future research: This thesis is limited to two countries, two hotels, and managerial views of the organization in innovation management. The future researcher could utilize the scope to work with a large sample size in different hotels in different nations. Moreover, further studies could be done to discuss and test all the five elements of the SPOTS model, developed by (Tidd, 2001) in the hotel industry

A comparative study on Innovation management processes in the context of developing and developed countries

Aim: Innovation gets to be the pivotal factor for surviving and sustaining a business in the long term. The scenario of innovation management could be performed in a very particular way among developed, developing, and under-developed countries. We have found a gap, that no comparative research has been done among different geographical areas, especially in hotel industry innovation sectors yet. The main aim of this thesis is to identify how two different countries from different regions are practicing their innovation management process. Method: An explanatory sequential mixed method had been used to develop our study where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through surveys and interviews. To analyse the data a deductive technique was approached by using an established innovation management process framework; named ‘SPOTS' model, developed by Tidd (2001).  Results & Conclusions: There exist noticeable differences between Sweden and Bangladesh in terms of time management, budget, strategy, communication and others which also showcase why Sweden is the leading country in the matter of innovation. In the meantime, in spite of having enough human resources and materials Bangladesh is fighting to implement successful innovations due to the lack of guidance, strategy, and budget. Contribution of the thesis: We have conducted comparative research in the hotel industry in Bangladesh and Sweden, which represents the innovation management scenario in developed and developing countries. It also addresses the point of improvements for the respective countries. Our thesis will be helpful for future researchers who will conduct further studies in the hospitality industry of different economical background nations. Suggestions for future research: This thesis is limited to two countries, two hotels, and managerial views of the organization in innovation management. The future researcher could utilize the scope to work with a large sample size in different hotels in different nations. Moreover, further studies could be done to discuss and test all the five elements of the SPOTS model, developed by (Tidd, 2001) in the hotel industry