Entertainment-Education to Promote Safe Motherhood: in the context of Bangladesh

We are now in the era of technological miracles, including in the field of communication. Satellite television brings us news and information across national boundaries. The media have a strong influence of people’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The power of media can be used very effectively to make people healthier. Systematic communication strategies can improve health behavior. Communication shapes how people conduct their daily lives, even their sexual behavior. Mass media techniques that combine entertainment with health education are particularly effective in producing behavior changes. The entertainment education approach are based on assumption that the power of mainstream popular culture is great enough to generate models for over all social behavior. This article is attempt to analyze that how entertainment education could be an important tool to promote safe motherhood in the context of Bangladesh. Key words: Entertainment education, Communication, Safe motherhood, Health promotion, Maternal health, Behavior Change Résumé: Nous sommes maintenant dans l’ère de miracles technologiques, y compris dans le domaine de la communication. La télévision par satellite nous apporte des actualités et des informations à travers les frontières nationales. Le média a une influence importante sur les connaissances des gens, sur leurs attitudes et pratiques. Le pouvoir de média peut être utilisé d’une façon efficace pour rendre la population plus saine. Les stratégies de communication systématique peut améliorer les habitudes hygiéniques des gens. La communicaion façonne leur conduite dans la vie quotidienne, voire leur comportements sexuels. Les techniques de média combinant les divertissements et l’éducation de santé sont particulièrement efficaces pour changer les comportements. L’approche de l’éducation divertissante est basée sur l’hypothèse que le pouvoir de la culture de tendance générale est assez puissant pour engendrer des modèles pour tous les comportements sociaux. Cet article tente d’analyser comment l’éducation divertissante peut devenir un outil important pour promouvoir une maternité saine au Bangladesh. Mots-Clés: éducation divertissante, communication, maternité saine, promotion de la santé, santé maternelle, changements de comportemen

Antimicrobial activity of bBanana (Musa paradisiaca L.) peels against food borne pathogenic microbes

Banana (Musa paradisiaca L.) peels are usually considered as wastes and are discarded during the processing, which eventually contribute to polluting the environment. Hence, this study was aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of two different varieties of M. paradisiaca peels, i.e., Nangka (M. paradisiaca variety Nangka) and Tanduk (M. paradisiaca variety Tanduk) with regard to generate safe and cheap antimicrobials as well as address pollution related issues due to such wastes. Antimicrobial study was carried out on the extracts using disc diffusion and broth micro-dilution methods. The best activity through disc diffusion method for bacteria and fungi was demonstrated by Tanduk peel’s ethanol and dichloromethane extracts against S. aureus (30 mm) and C. krusei (10 mm), respectively. However, the least active bacteria and fungi were found to be V. parahaemolyticus and C. albicans, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged from 6.25 to 100 mg/mL. Tanduk peel’s ethanol extract exhibited the lowest MIC and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values against B. cepacia (6.25 mg/mL) whereas for fungi, Tanduk peel’s dichloromethane extract exhibited lowest MIC and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values against C. albicans (25 mg/mL). The results of MBC or MFC showed that some extracts were bactericidal or fungicidal while others were bacteriostatic or fungistatic against certain microbes. Banana peel waste’s extracts could be potential antimicrobial alternatives and may be effective to utilize as a natural source of antimicrobial agent in pharmaceutical industries. Key words: Musa paradisiaca L., Nangka, Tanduk, Antimicrobial activity, MIC, MBC, MFC

Fabrication of high strength PVA/SWCNT composite fibers by gel spinning

High-strength composite fibers were prepared from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (Degree of polymerization: 1500) reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) containing few defects. The SWCNTs were dispersed in a 10 wt.% PVA/dimethylsulfoxide solution using a mechanical homogenizer that reduced the size of SWCNT aggregations to smaller bundles. The macroscopically homogeneous dispersion was extruded into cold methanol to form fibers by gel spinning followed by a hot-drawing. The tensile strength of the well-oriented composite fibers with 0.3 wt.% SWCNTs was 2.2 GPa which is extremely high value among PVA composite fibers ever reported using a commercial grade PVA. The strength of neat PVA fibers prepared by the same procedure was 1.7 GPa. Structural analysis showed that the PVA component in the composite fibers possessed almost the same structure as that of neat PVA fibers. Hence a small amount of SWCNTs straightforward enhanced by 0.5 GPa the tensile strength of PVA fibers. The results of mechanical properties and Raman spectra for the SWCNT composites suggest the relatively good interfacial adhesion of the nanotubes and PVA that improves the load transfer from the polymer matrix to the reinforcing phase.ArticleCARBON. 48(7):1977-1984 (2010)journal articl

Prevalence and demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral risk factors of self-reported symptoms of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among ever-married women : evidence from nationally representative surveys in Bangladesh

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) symptoms (e.g., abnormal genital discharge and genital sores/ulcers) are a major public health concern in Bangladesh because the symptoms can indicate an STI and cause sexual and reproductive health complications in women of reproductive age. To our knowledge, no study examined the prevalence and risk factors of STI symptoms using a nationally representative sample. This study investigates the prevalence of STI symptoms among ever-married women in Bangladesh and the associations of STI symptoms with various demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral risk factors using the most recent available data (2007, 2011, and 2014) of the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS). The BDHS employs a two stage stratified sampling technique. The analytic sample comprised 41,777 women of reproductive age (15–49 years). Outcome variables included STI symptoms: abnormal genital discharge and genital sores/ulcers. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to find the adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval to assess the associations of outcome measures with explanatory variables. The study found that the prevalence of abnormal genital discharge and genital sores/ulcers among ever-married women aged 15–49 years was 10% and 6%, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that for women aged 25–34 years, those who used contraceptives and married earlier had an increased likelihood of STI symptoms. Furthermore, women from the wealthiest wealth quintile and couple’s joint decision-making were less likely to have STI symptoms. Findings have implications for interventions efforts aiming to improve women’s sexual and reproductive health in Bangladesh

Novel and accurate mathematical simulation of various models for accurate prediction of surface tension parameters through ionic liquids

Ionic Liquids (ILs) as a novel class of liquid solvent simultaneously carry the positive characteristics of both molten salts and organic liquids. Remarkable positive properties of ILs have such as low vapor pressure and excellent permittivity have encouraged the motivation of researchers to use them in various applications over the last decade. Surface tension is an important physicochemical property of ILs, which its experimental-based measurement has been done by various researchers. Despite great precision, some major shortcomings such as high cost and health related problems caused the researchers to develop mathematical models based on artificial intelligence (AI) approach to predict surface tension theoretically. In this research, the surface tension of two novel ILs (bis [(trifluoromethyl) sulfonyl] imide and 1,3-nonylimidazolium bis [(trifluoromethyl) sulfonyl] imide) were predicted using three predictive models. The available dataset contains 45 input features, which is relatively high in dimension. We decided to use AdaBoost with different base models, including Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), support vector regression (SVR), and decision tree (DT). Also, for feature selection and hyper-parameter tuning, a genetic algorithm (GA) search is used. The final R2 -score for boosted DT, boosted GPR, and boosted SVR is 0.849, 0.981, and 0.944, respectively. Also, with the MAPE metric, boosted GPR has an error rate of 1.73E-02, boosted SVR has an error rate of 2.35E-02, and it is 3.36E-02 for boosted DT. So, the ADABOOST-GPR model was considered as the primary model for the research

Mental Health Issues in the COVID-19 Pandemic and Responses in Bangladesh : View Point of Media Reporting

Background: The negative impact of COVID-19 on mental health has been reported by media throughout the world, although this role is not well-understood in low-and middle income countries (LMIC). We examined the reporting of mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh and initiatives undertaken to support mental health reported from the viewpoint of media. Methods: We reviewed articles published in 10 local newspapers, including seven Bangla and three English newspapers, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. News topics were identified through discussions among the team members, with searches across online newspapers and portals. Data extrapolated from newspapers were documented in an Excel spreadsheet. A mixed-method approach was used following a framework analysis for analyzing data. Recurring issues and commonly emerging topics were generated from the data. Descriptive statistics were applied for analyzing quantitative data. Results: Between March 2020 and March 2021, we have identified 201 reports on mental health issues including 45 reports (22.4%) focused on stress due to the associated financial crisis, unemployment and loneliness, 50 reports (24.9%) of 80 apparent suicides linked to family issues, disharmony in conjugal relationships, harassment, sexual violence, emotional breakdown, financial crisis, and stigma due to COVID-19.There were 77 reports (38.3%) concerning domestic violence during the pandemic. Twenty-nine reports (14.4%) referenced actions taken by different organizations to address mental health issues in response to the pandemic in Bangladesh. Conclusion: News coverage has the scope to highlight important issues that can emerge as a consequence of the COVID-pandemic, such as mental health, in a low resource setting. Capacity building of the media on the way to report mental health issues during emergency situations could be a useful strategy for more credible reporting on mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic for raising awareness of the public and policymakers about the negative consequences on mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Adopting policies to support essential mental health care and promoting the local organizations to take timely public health measures will be imperative for averting the negative consequences of mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

Management of bipolar disorder in the intercontinental region: an international, multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional study in real-life conditions

Most of the existing data on real-life management of bipolar disorder are from studies conducted in western countries (mostly United States and Europe). This multinational, observational cohort study aimed to describe the management and clinical outcomes of bipolar patients in real-life conditions across various intercontinental countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Tunisia, and Ukraine). Data on socio-demographic and disease characteristics, current symptomatology, and pharmacological treatment were collected. Comparisons between groups were performed using standard statistical tests. Overall, 1180 patients were included. The median time from initial diagnosis was 80 months. Major depressive disorder was the most common initial diagnosis. Mood stabilizers and antipsychotics were the most common drugs being prescribed at the time of the study. Antidepressants (mainly selective serotonin uptake inhibitors [SSRIs]) were administered to 36.1% of patients. Patients with bipolar I disorder received higher number of antipsychotics and anxiolytics than those with bipolar II disorder (p < 0.001). Presence of depressive symptoms was associated with an increase in antidepressant use (p < 0.001). Bipolar disorder real-life management practice, irrespective of region, shows a delay in diagnosis and an overuse of antidepressants. Clinical decision-making appears to be based on a multidimensional approach related to current symptomatology and type of bipolar disorder

Preparation, Characterization, and Pharmacological Investigation of Withaferin-A Loaded Nanosponges for Cancer Therapy; In Vitro, In Vivo and Molecular Docking Studies

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-11-14, pub-electronic 2021-11-19Publication status: PublishedFunder: The Oman Research Council; Grant(s): BFP/RGP/HSS/19/198The rapidly growing global burden of cancer poses a major challenge to public health and demands a robust approach to access promising anticancer therapeutics. In parallel, nanotechnology approaches with various pharmacological properties offer efficacious clinical outcomes. The use of new artificial variants of nanosponges (NS) as a transporter of chemotherapeutic drugs to target cells has emerged as a very promising tool. Therefore, in this research, ethylcellulose (EC) NS were prepared using the ultrasonication assisted-emulsion solvent evaporation technique. Withaferin-A (WFA), an active ingredient in Withania somnifera, has been implanted into the nanospongic framework with enhanced anticancer properties. Inside the polymeric structure, WFA was efficiently entrapped (85 ± 11%). The drug (WFA) was found to be stable within polymeric nanosponges, as demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies. The WFA-NS had a diameter of 117 ± 4 nm and zeta potential of −39.02 ± 5.71 mV with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.419 ± 0.073. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the porous surface texture of WFA-NS. In vitro anticancer activity (SRB assay) results showed that WFA–NS exhibited almost twice the anticancer efficacy against MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 1.57 ± 0.091 µM), as quantified by flow cytometry and comet tests. Moreover, fluorescence microscopy with DAPI staining and analysis of DNA fragmentation revealed apoptosis as a mechanism of cancer cell death. The anticancer activity of WFA-NS was further determined in vivo and results were compared to cisplatin. The anticancer activity of WFA-NS was further investigated in vivo, and the data were consistent to those obtained with cisplatin. At Day 10, WFA-NS (10 mg/kg) significantly reduced tumour volume to 72 ± 6%, which was comparable to cisplatin (10 mg/kg), which reduced tumour volume to 78 ± 8%. Finally, the outcomes of molecular modeling (in silico) also suggested that WFA established a stable connection with nanosponges, generating persistent hydrophobic contacts (polar and nonpolar) and helping with the attractive delayed-release features of the formulation. Collectively, all the findings support the use of WFA in nanosponges as a prototype for cancer treatment, and opened up new avenues for increasing the efficacy of natural product-derived medications

α-glucosidase inhibitors isolated from Mimosa pudica L.

The aim of the study was to isolate digestive enzymes inhibitors from Mimosa pudica through a bioassay-guided fractionation approach. Repeated silica gel and sephadex LH 20 column chromatographies of bioactive fractions afforded stigmasterol, quercetin and avicularin as digestive enzymes inhibitors whose IC50 values as compared to acarbose (351.02 ± 1.46 μg mL−1) were found to be as 91.08 ± 1.54, 75.16 ± 0.92 and 481.7 ± 0.703 μg mL−1, respectively. In conclusion, M. pudica could be a good and safe source of digestive enzymes inhibitors for the management of diabetes in future

Determination toxic effects of Hystrix Brachyura Bezoar extracts using cancer cell lines and embryo zebrafish (Danio rerio) models and identification of active principles through GC-MS analysis

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Porcupine bezoar (PB) is used as folk medicine for various medical conditions including cancer treatment in Malaysia. However, its toxicity profile has never been thoroughly ascertained to confirm its safe nature as an efficacious traditional medicine in the treatment of cancer as well as other ailments. Aim of the study: This study was aimed to reveal three different PBs’ aqueous extracts(viz. PB-A, PB-B, PB-C) chemical constituent’s profile using GC-MS analysis, anticancer property on A375, HeLa and MCF7 cancer cells, toxicity profile on zebrafish embryo morphology, EC50, LC50 and teratogenicity index. Materials and methods: PBs’ extracts characterization was performed through GC-MS analysis, in vitro anticancer effect was carried out on A375, HeLa and MCF7 cancer cell lines and finally and toxicity properties on three different PBs aqueous extracts (viz. PB-A, PB-B, PB-C) were determined using zebrafish embryo model. Results: The GC-MS analysis revealed 10 similar compounds in all PBs’ extracts. Dilauryl thiodipropionate was found to be a major compound in all PBs’ extracts followed by tetradecanoic acid. An in vitro anticancer study revealed PB extracts exerted median inhibition concentration (IC50) <50 μg/mL, on cancer cells viz. A375, HeLa and MCF7 with no significant toxicity on normal cells viz. NHDF cells. In vivo toxicity of PBs extracts found affecting tail detachment, hatching, craniofacial, brain morphology, soft tissues, edema, spinal, somites, notochord and cardiovascular system (brachycardia, disruption of blood circulation) deformities. The LC50 and EC50 demonstrated PB extracts effect as dose and time dependent with median concentration <150.0 μg/mL. Additionally, teratogenicity index (TI) viz. >1.0 revealed teratogenic property for PB extracts. Conclusions: The findings revealed that all three PBs aqueous extracts possessed anticancer activity and exhibited significant toxicological effects on zebrafish embryos with high teratogenicity index. Hence, its use as an anticancer agent requires further investigation and medical attentions to determine its safe dose