Child Labor in the Harmful Work and Concerned Issues: Bangladesh Perspective

Child labor, a sheer reality in Bangladesh like many other developing countries, is one of the major socio-economic problems in the country. The working children, as a socio-economic group, happened to be the most disadvantaged because for survival of self and family. They are forced to work for living, sacrificing their childhood along with their future. Studies revealed that one in every six children in Bangladesh was working children. The gravity of the situation led my initiative to study on “Prevalence of Child Labor in Harmful Work in the work area at Dhaka, Khulna and Kurigram. The study looked into one of the key aspects of child protection prevalence of harmful child labor using the definition of children and harmful labor. The study also generated baseline information on major characteristics of child labor including income and household dependency on work/income from the children

Econometric Analysis of Production Behavior in the Chemical Industry of Bangladesh: A Panel Data Framework

In this study we have attempted to consider the relationship between the gross output and few explanatory variables in the form of Cobb-Douglas production function model of different firms of Chemical industry of Bangladesh using panel data framework. For analysis purpose we have used data for 4 sub-sectors of chemical industry namely, PVC pipe, Paper, Sanitary ware and Insulator for the period 1999 to 2009.However, for our study purpose we have considered only fixed effect model version of panel data. In this study we consider only four possible cases of fixed effect model which are (1) all coefficients constant across time and individuals, (2) slope coefficients constant over individuals and time but intercept varies across individuals, (3) slope coefficients constant over individuals and time but intercept varies over individuals and time, (4) all coefficients varies across individuals. To stay in the competitive market we have to invest as much possible. Total cost has positive effect on the production. We have considered economies of scale. Results indicate the necessity for appropriate policies at the national level for raising production to increase contribution of chemical industry to GDP

Rapid detection and E-test antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from seafood and environmental sources in Malaysia.

Objectives: To find out the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seafoods and environmental sources. Methods: The study was carried out at the Center of Excellence for Food Safety Research, University Putra Malaysia; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; Medical Molecular Biology Institute; and University Kebansaan Malaysia Hospital, Malaysia between January 2006 and August 2008. One hundred and forty-four isolates from 400 samples of seafood (122 isolates) and seawater sources (22 isolates) were investigated for the presence of thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh+) and TDH-related hemolysin (trh+) genes using the standard methods. The E-test method was used to test the antimicrobial susceptibility. Results: The study indicates low occurrence of tdh+ (0.69%) and trh+ isolates (8.3%). None of the isolates tested posses both virulence genes. High sensitivity was observed against tetracycline (98%). The mean minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the isolates toward ampicillin increased from 4 ug/ml in 2004 to 24 ug/ml in 2007. Conclusions: The current study demonstrates a low occurrence of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the marine environment and seafood. Nonetheless, the potential risk of vibrio infection due to consumption of Vibrio parahaemolyticus contaminated seafood in Malaysia should not be neglected

Mediating Effect of BMI on the Association of Economic Status and Coexistence of Hypertension and Diabetes in Bangladesh: A Counterfactual Framework-based Weighting Approach

Background and Aims Non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are matters of huge concern worldwide, with an increasing trend in prevalence over the previous decade. First of all, this study aimed to evaluate the association between economic status (ES) and body mass index (BMI), ES and comorbidity of hypertension and diabetes, and BMI and comorbidity independently. Second, it explored the mediating role of BMI in the association between ES and comorbidity of hypertension and diabetes. Finally, it investigated whether the mediating effect differs with the place of residence, gender, and education levels. Methods A total of 11,291 complete cases from the Bangladesh demographic and health survey 2017–18 were utilized for this study. Survey-based binary logistic regression or multiple logistic regression was used to find the association among outcome, exposure, and mediator variables, and a counterfactual framework-based weighting approach was utilized for mediation analysis. Results Middle-income (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.696, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.219, 2.360) and rich (AOR: 2.770, CI: 2.054, 3.736) respondents were more likely to have comorbidity of hypertension and diabetes compared to the poor. The odds of comorbidity increased with the increase in BMI. A positive association was observed between ES and BMI. A significant mediating role of BMI in the association between ES and comorbidity was found. We observed that 19.85% (95% CI: 11.50%, 49.6%) and 20.35% (95% CI: 14.9%, 29.3%) of total effect was mediated by BMI for middle and rich respondents, respectively, compared to the poor. Conclusions The mediating role of BMI was greater for female, no or primary educated respondents, and respondents from rural areas. Therefore, the study will facilitate policymakers of Bangladesh and other countries with a similar set-up to decide on health policies regarding hypertension and diabetes

Respiratory, Neurological and Other Health Outcomes among Plastic Factory Workers in Gazipur, Bangladesh

Background: Approximately three thousand plastic goods manufacturing factories (PGMF) are currently operating in Bangladesh involving numerous workers. Associated health problems of these workers are largely unknown. The key objectives of the current study were identifying plastic chemical exposures related health outcomes in these workers and comparing these outcomes before and after their joining in PGMFs. In addition, we aimed to investigate the relationships between work duration and the prevalence of health ailments among workers. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out among factory workers (n=405) at six PGMFs in Gazipur district in Bangladesh. A simple random sampling method had been applied to select participants and data on their self-reported exposures to chemicals and associated respiratory, neurological, and other multiple health outcomes were collected through a validated questionnaire survey. Data were analyzed using different descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The categorical variables and continuous variables were interpreted using frequency distribution and standard deviation (SD) respectively. A Pearson chi-square (χ2) test was applied to evaluate the correlation between work duration and health outcomes. A p-value Results: The average age and work duration of the workers were 25.63±6.85 and 3.49±3.53 years, respectively, implying that most workers were young, and spent over 10% of their lifetime in PGMFs work. Most common health outcomes reported by the workers were nasal discharges: 60 (14.9%), headaches: 76 (18.9%), fatigues: 112 (27.8%), losses of appetites: 108 (26.8%), urination problems: 61 (13.1%), losses of body weights: 102 (25.3%), and nervousness: 70 (17.4%). Among the common health outcomes only headache (p=0.005); fatigue (p=0.04); urination problem (p=p=0.004) were significantly associated with the work duration. Furthermore, except for hypertension and tarry stool, all health outcomes among workers differ significantly before and after joining in PGMFs. Conclusion: This study first time identified important health outcomes of the PGMFs workers and generated baseline information on common health outcomes of the PGMFs workers in developing countries like Bangladesh. However, it might be important to identify potential causes of such health outcomes in PGMFs workers considering both biomarkers of exposures and real-time environmental samples to understand the disease pathology and to recommend mitigation measures to be taken by occupational health policymakers and practitioners in developing countries

The nexus between job satisfactions and human resource management (HRM) practices: a perceptual analysis of commercial banks in Bangladesh

Employee motivation and continual productivity largely come from employee job satisfaction. The concept of job satisfaction in the workplace is still a burning and researching issue in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) and Organizational Behavior. This research aims at describing employee perceived experience on HRM practices of three sectors within commercial banks in Bangladesh and their linkage with employee job satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey has been conducted on 150 employees at 30 bank branches by a structured self-administered questionnaire. Independent and dependent variables were measured by the Five-Point Likert-Type scale. Various statistical measures and tests like descriptive statistics, Duncan’s Multiple Range Mean test, correlation and multiple regression analysis were conducted too for the expected findings. Results proved that seven HRM practices out of nineteen e.g., training and development, creativity and innovation, benefits and services, manpower planning, promotional opportunity, the attitude of management, and work environment were found to be significant as predictors to banks’ employee job satisfaction and no distinct HRM practice was found as a significant predictor of job satisfaction for all three categories of the bank. So, the policymakers of commercial banks should consider these HRM policies and practices for employee better job satisfaction

Effects of Work-Family Conflict on job satisfaction of academicians in private universities in Bangladesh: a Structural Equation Modelling approach

The current study attempts to examine the effects of Work-Family Conflict (W-FC) on job satisfaction of academicians. The researchers gathered the data using convenience sampling technique administered on 211 respondents who were academicians of private universities in Bangladesh. Various statistical measures such as descriptive statistics and zero-order correlation were used to explore the relationships between WFC, FWC and job satisfaction. In addition, the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique was adopted to test the effects of WFC and FWC on job satisfaction. Consequently, in terms of the effects, WFC has significant negative effect on job satisfaction while FWC does not show any significant effect on job satisfaction. This study recommends that higher authorities of universities in Bangladesh should take necessary initiatives to minimize the W-FC of academicians in order to ensure their job satisfaction

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century