EFFICACY OF PIPER NIGRUM (BLACK PEPPER): A REVIEW

Abstract-  Considerable literature on medicinal uses of Black Pepper is available in the traditional system of medicine. Black Pepper has been used in many traditional particularly Unani system of medicine. In this review paper, the study of Black Pepper its medicinal uses along with pharmacological actions is being presented. The plant description, its chemical constituents and properties have also been included. The paper also demonstrate the geographical distribution of Black Pepper across the world. The analysis shows that Black Pepper could be used as an effective medicine for various ailments mainly gastro-intestinal disorders in both as single as well in compound formulations.Key Words- Black Pepper,  Filfil Siyah, Unani Medicine,Â

The effectiveness of introducing Group Prenatal Care (GPC) in selected health facilities in a district of Bangladesh: study protocol.

Background Despite high rates of antenatal care and relatively good access to health facilities, maternal and neonatal mortality remain high in Bangladesh. There is an immediate need for implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective interventions to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes. The aim of the study is to assess the effect of the intervention namely Group Prenatal Care (GPC) on utilization of standard number of antenatal care, post natal care including skilled birth attendance and institutional deliveries instead of usual care. Methods The study is quasi-experimental in design. We aim to recruit 576 pregnant women (288 interventions and 288 comparisons) less than 20 weeks of gestational age. The intervention will be delivered over around 6 months. The outcome measure is the difference in maternal service coverage including ANC and PNC coverage, skilled birth attendance and institutional deliveries between the intervention and comparison group. Discussion Findings from the research will contribute to improve maternal and newborn outcome in our existing health system. Findings of the research can be used for planning a new strategy and improving the health outcome for Bangladeshi women. Finally addressing the maternal health goal, this study is able to contribute to strengthening health system

Cost of caregivers for treating hospitalized diarrheal patients in Bangladesh

Diarrheal diseases are a global public health problem and one of the leading causes of mortality, morbidity and economic loss. The objective of the study is to estimate the economic cost of caregivers and cost distribution per diarrheal episodes in Bangladesh. This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted in public hospitals in Bangladesh. A total of 801 diarrheal patients were randomly selected and interviewed during January to December 2015. Simple descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentage, mean with 95% CI and median are presented. The overall average cost of caregivers was BDT 2243 (US$28.58) while only BDT 259 (US$ 3.29) was spent as out of pocket payments. Caregivers mostly spent money (US$1.63) for food, lodging, utility bills, and other lump sum costs followed by the transportation costs (US$ 1.57). The caregivers spent more (US$44.45) when they accompanied the patients who were admitted in inpatients care and almost 3.6 times higher than for out-patients care (US$ 12.42). The study delivers an empirical evidence to the health-care programmers and policy makers about the economic cost of caregivers during diarrheal treatment care, which should be accounted for in designing future diarrheal prevention programme

Women’s Preferences for Maternal Healthcare Services in Bangladesh: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment

Despite substantial improvements in several maternal health indicators, childbearing and birthing remain a dangerous experience for many women in Bangladesh. This study assessed the relative importance of maternal healthcare service characteristics to Bangladeshi women when choosing a health facility to deliver their babies. The study used a mixed-methods approach. Qualitative methods (expert interviews, focus group discussions) were initially employed to identify and develop the characteristics which most influence a women’s decision making when selecting a maternal health service facility. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was then constructed to elicit women’s preferences. Women were shown choice scenarios representing hypothetical health facilities with nine attributes outlined. The women were then asked to rank the attributes they considered most important in the delivery of their future babies. A Hierarchical Bayes method was used to measure mean utility parameters. A total of 601 women completed the DCE survey. The model demonstrated significant predictive strength for actual facility choice for maternal health services. The most important attributes were the following: consistent access to a female doctor, the availability of branded drugs, respectful provider attitudes, a continuum of maternal healthcare including the availability of a c-section delivery and lower waiting times. Attended maternal healthcare utilisation rates are low despite the access to primary healthcare facilities. Further implementation of quality improvements in maternal healthcare facilities should be prioritised

Performance Analysis of Industrially and Traditionally Used Cultures in Yogurt Production Considering Microbial Risk

Yogurt is a fermented milk product produced by two ways; traditional method where local cultures is used and industrial method where industrial starter culture is used for yogurt production in dairy industries. In this study, yogurt cultures were collected from the local markets and from modern dairy plants. This study was undertaken to analyze the performance of industrially used thermophillic, mesophillic homofermentative culture and traditionally used cultures in yogurt production. Thermophillic, mesophillic homofermentative and BAU dairy farm used yogurt culture needed 4, 5 and 3 hours to complete yogurt production and percentages of acidity were 0.76, 0.73, and 0.74 respectively. Local market culture needed highest time (6 hours) for yogurt production and percentage of acidity was 0.96. Maximum (10 coliform cfu) was found in sample-4, but coliform was absent in sample-1 and sample-2. Total yeast count was nill for all samples. Salmonella and shigellae was found in sample-3 and sample-4 yogurt sample. Syneresis and total fungal count was done to find out the shelf life quality of yogurt samples. After 12 days syneresis observed in sample-2 but for sample-1 it was found after 11 days. Syneresis observed in Sample-3 and Sample-4 after 10 days.This study stated that, the yogurt made by mesophillic homofermentative culture has long shelf life than other yogurt culture, so mesophillic homofermentative culture is more suitable for industrial yogurt production

Inequalities in Health Status from EQ-5D Findings: A Cross-Sectional Study in Low-Income Communities of Bangladesh

Background: Measuring health status by using standardized and validated instrument has become a growing concern over the past few decades throughout the developed and developing countries. The aim of the study was to investigate the overall self-reported health status along with potential inequalities by using EuroQol 5 dimensions (EQ-5D) instrument among low-income people of Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in Chandpur district of Bangladesh. Bangla version of the EQ-5D questionnaire was employed along with socio-demographic information. EQ-5D questionnaire composed of 2-part measurements: EQ-5D descriptive system and the visual analogue scale (VAS). For measuring health status, UK-based preference weights were applied while higher score indicated better health status. For facilitating the consistency with EQ-5D score, VASs were converted to a scale with scores ranging from 0 to 1. Multiple logistic regression models were also employed to examine differences among EQ-5D dimensions. Results: A total of 1433 respondents participated in the study. The mean EQ-5D and VAS score was 0.76 and 0.77, respectively. The females were more likely to report any problem than the males (P<0.001). Compared to the younger, elderly were more than 2-3 times likely to report any health problem in all EQ-5D dimensions (OR [odds ratio]=3.17 for mobility, OR=3.24 for self-care). However, the respondents of the poorest income group were significantly suffered more from every EQ-5D dimension than the richest income quintile. Conclusion: Socio-economic and demographic inequalities in health status was observed in the study. Study suggests to do further investigation with country representative sample to measure the inequalities of overall health status. It would be helpful for policy-maker to find a new way aiming to reduce such inequalities

Lipoid proteinosis: identification of a novel nonsense mutation c.1246C>T:p.R416X in ECM1 gene from Bangladesh

Lipoid proteinosis is a rare multisystem genodermatosis inherited as autosomal recessive trait. We report a case of lipoid proteinosis in a 10-year-old boy born to first-degree consanguineous parents presented with marked hoarseness of voice, accelerated photoaging appearance, enlarged and erythematous tongue with restricted movement and widespread dermatoses. Biopsy of oral mucosa revealed Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive amorphous eosinophilic hyaline deposits. Mutational analysis revealed a homozygous nonsense mutation with C to T substitution at nucleotide position 1246(c.1246C>T) in exon-8 of the extracellular matrix protein 1 gene leading to a stop codon. Both the parents were unaffected heterozygous carriers. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of lipoid proteinosis with evidence of a novel nonsense genetic mutation from Bangladesh

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education of medical, dental and non-medical healthcare professionals in Bangladesh : findings and connotation

Lockdown measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic had an appreciable impact on the education of all medical, dental, and non-medical healthcare professional (HCP) students. These included the closure of universities necessitating a rapid move to e-learning and new approaches to practical’s. However initially, there was a lack of knowledge and expertise regarding e-learning approaches and the affordability of internet bundles and equipment. We initially con-ducted two pilot studies to assess such current challenges, replaced by a two-stage approach including a full investigation involving 32 private and public universities during the early stages of the pandemic followed by a later study assessing the current environment brought about by the forced changes. Top challenges at the start of the pandemic included a lack of familiarity with e-learning approaches, cost of the internet, lack of IT equipment and the quality of the classes. Universities offered support to staff and students to a varying degree to address identified challenges. Since then, e-learning approaches have widened the possibilities for teaching and learning at convenient times. However, challenges remain. In conclusion, there were considerable challenges at the start of them pandemic. Several key issues have been addressed with hybrid learning here to stay. Remaining challenges include a lack of ICT equipment. However, new innovations will continue

Identification and characterization of antibacterial compound(s) of cockroaches (Periplaneta americana)

Infectious diseases remain a significant threat to human health, contributing to more than 17 million deaths, annually. With the worsening trends of drug resistance, there is a need for newer and more powerful antimicrobial agents. We hypothesized that animals living in polluted environments are potential source of antimicrobials. Under polluted milieus, organisms such as cockroaches encounter different types of microbes, including superbugs. Such creatures survive the onslaught of superbugs and are able to ward off disease by producing antimicrobial substances. Here, we characterized antibacterial properties in extracts of various body organs of cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) and showed potent antibacterial activity in crude brain extract against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and neuropathogenic E. coli K1. The size-exclusion spin columns revealed that the active compound(s) are less than 10 kDa in molecular mass. Using cytotoxicity assays, it was observed that pre-treatment of bacteria with lysates inhibited bacteria-mediated host cell cytotoxicity. Using spectra obtained with LC-MS on Agilent 1290 infinity liquid chromatograph, coupled with an Agilent 6460 triple quadruple mass spectrometer, tissues lysates were analyzed. Among hundreds of compounds, only a few homologous compounds were identified that contained isoquinoline group, chromene derivatives, thiazine groups, imidazoles, pyrrole containing analogs, sulfonamides, furanones, flavanones, and known to possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, and possess anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, and analgesic properties. Further identification, characterization and functional studies using individual compounds can act as a breakthrough in developing novel therapeutics against various pathogens including superbugs