Prolonged use of oral contraceptive pill, a co-factor for the development of cervical cancer

This study was carried out to assess the use of oral contraceptive pill as a co-factor for the development of cervical cancer. Among the 100 participants, 71% used oral contraceptives pill. Maximum (40%) used oral contraceptive pill for >5 years whereas 31% for <5 years. Histopathologically diagnosed invasive squamous cell carcinoma was 84% and adenocarcinoma was 16%

Prolonged use of oral contraceptive pill, a co-factor for the development of cervical cancer

This study was carried out to assess the use of oral contraceptive pill as a co-factor for the development of cervical cancer. Among the 100 participants, 71% used oral contraceptives pill. Maximum (40%) used oral contraceptive pill for >5 years whereas 31% for <5 years. Histopathologically diagnosed invasive squamous cell carcinoma was 84% and adenocarcinoma was 16%

Comparison of outcome of interdigitated versus sequential brachytherapy along with concurrent chemoradiation in locally advanced carcinoma cervix

Background: Carcinoma cervix is a significant health concern, particularly in lower socioeconomic groups. The effectiveness of interdigitated versus sequential brachytherapy, both with concurrent chemoradiation, in treating this condition remains underexplored. Methods: This quasi-experimental study at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital enrolled 63 patients with biopsy-proven squamous cell cervical cancer. They were randomly divided into two arms: arm a received pelvic EBRT 50 Gy in 25 fractions, followed by HDR brachytherapy (7 Gy weekly × 3 weeks) starting after 30 Gy of EBRT; arm B received the same pelvic EBRT, followed by HDR brachytherapy (7 Gy weekly × 3 weeks) starting a week after the completion of EBRT. Results: Mean age was 47.82±8.45 years (range: 29-64 years). The mean OTT was significantly reduced in arm-A (36.58 days) compared to arm-B (59.5 days). In terms of treatment response, 90.32% of patients in arm-A and 78.12% in arm-B experienced a complete response. Conclusions: Interdigitated brachytherapy with concurrent chemoradiation significantly reduces treatment time without compromising treatment effectiveness. Despite a shorter treatment duration, the complete response rate was slightly higher in the interdigitated arm

Incidence of K-wire fixation of upper limb fractures for road traffic accidents in Bangladesh

Background: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a significant public health issue globally, particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh. This study focuses on the epidemiological and clinical aspects of upper limb fractures resulting from RTAs, with an emphasis on the treatment modalities employed. Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed hospital records of 40 patients with upper limb fractures due to RTAs at Chakaria Unique Hospital, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, within the period of 1 year, from February 2023 to January 2024. The study included cases with comprehensive documentation of fractures resulting specifically from RTAs. Excluded were injuries not related to upper limb fractures and those not caused by RTAs. The focus was on patient demographics, the nature of the fractures, treatment methods (particularly K-wire fixation), and documented outcomes. Results: The majority of the patients were young males, with the highest incidence in the 21-30 age group (40.00%). Two-wheeler vehicles were the leading cause of these injuries (57.50%). Treatment modalities varied, with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) combined with K-wire fixation being the most prevalent (35.00%). Other methods included ORIF alone and ORIF with plate-screw, each accounting for 25.00% of cases. Right-sided injuries were more common (57.50%) than left-sided (42.50%). Conclusions: The study highlights the predominance of upper limb fractures in younger males due to two-wheeler accidents. The preference for combined ORIF and K-wire fixation in treatment reflects the complexity of these injuries. The findings call for enhanced road safety measures and further research into optimized treatment protocols for upper limb fractures in Bangladesh

Ab initio Investigation of Vibrational, Thermodynamic, and Optical properties of Sc2AlC MAX compound

The structural, vibrational, thermodynamical and optical properties of technologically important, weakly coupled MAX compound, Sc2AlC are calculated using density functional theory (DFT). The structural properties of Sc2AlC are compared with results reported earlier. The vibrational, thermodynamical, and optical properties are theoretically estimated for the first time. The phonon dispersion curve has been calculated and the dynamical stability of this compound has been investigated. The optical and acoustic modes are observed clearly. We have calculated the Helmholtz free energy (F), internal energy (E), entropy (S) and specific heat capacity (Cv) from the phonon density of states. Various optical parameters have also been calculated. The reflectance spectrum shows that it this compound has the potential to be used as a solar reflector.Comment: Submitted for publicatio

Household-level risk factors for secondary influenza-like illness in a rural area of Bangladesh

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.Objective To describe household‐level risk factors for secondary influenza‐like illness (ILI), an important public health concern in the low‐income population of Bangladesh. Methods Secondary analysis of control participants in a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effect of handwashing to prevent household ILI transmission. We recruited index‐case patients with ILI – fever (<5 years); fever, cough or sore throat (≥5 years) – from health facilities, collected information on household factors and conducted syndromic surveillance among household contacts for 10 days after resolution of index‐case patients’ symptoms. We evaluated the associations between household factors at baseline and secondary ILI among household contacts using negative binomial regression, accounting for clustering by household. Results Our sample was 1491 household contacts of 184 index‐case patients. Seventy‐one percentage reported that smoking occurred in their home, 27% shared a latrine with one other household and 36% shared a latrine with >1 other household. A total of 114 household contacts (7.6%) had symptoms of ILI during follow‐up. Smoking in the home (RRadj 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2, 3.0) and sharing a latrine with one household (RRadj 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2, 3.6) or >1 household (RRadj 3.1, 95% CI: 1.8–5.2) were independently associated with increased risk of secondary ILI. Conclusion Tobacco use in homes could increase respiratory illness in Bangladesh. The mechanism between use of shared latrines and household ILI transmission is not clear. It is possible that respiratory pathogens could be transmitted through faecal contact or contaminated fomites in shared latrines

Role of bronchoalveolar lavage in the diagnosis of lung cancer

Background: Early diagnosis of lung cancer plays a vital role in reducing the lung cancer death rate. Different modalities can be applied e.g. radiology, bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and fine needle aspiration cytology. Cytological diagnostic techniques are safer, economical, and provide quick results. The aim of the study was to find out diagnostic yields of bronchoalveolar lavage in diagnosing lung cancer, and to determine the sensitivity, and specificity of BAL fluid cytology considering the bronchial biopsy as the gold standard.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka during the period from November 2018 to March 2020 with a total of 38 participants.Results: 33 (86.84%) patients were male, and 5 (13.16%) were female; the mean age was 58.29±13.11 years. In clinical presentations, cough was present in all 100% of the patients, and some more frequent presentations were shortness of breath in 26 (68.4%), hemoptysis in 24 (63.15%), and chest pain in 21 (55.26%). Majority of the patients (78.95%) were smokers. Considering histopathological findings, maximum patients had squamous cell carcinoma 13 (38.23%), then adenocarcinoma 11 (32.35%), small cell carcinoma 5 (14.70%), large cell carcinoma 3 (8.82%), and poorly differentiated non-small cell carcinoma 2 (5.88%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy of BAL were 70.59%, 100%, 100%, 28.57%, and 73.68% respectively.Conclusions: BAL fluid cytology is a useful tool for the diagnosis of lung cancer. It has good sensitivity, and specificity, and shows nearly identical information as biopsy

Microsatellite marker assisted molecular and morpho-physiological genetic diversity assessment in 38 genotypes of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Identification of genetic diversity and their relationships among breeding materials is crucial in crop improvement strategies. In this study, 38 sesame genotypes were characterized for their genetic diversity. The results revealed significant variations among various traits such as plant height, maturity, capsule plant-1 and seeds capsule-1. The number of capsule plant-1 showed significant positive correlation with seeds capsule-1. The highest heritability was found for the numbers of capsules plant-1 (98.67%). The 38 genotypes were separated into six distinct clusters. Comparison within the populations of the cluster IV and those of cluster VI had the highest capsules plant-1, seeds capsule-1 with enormous genetic diversity. For molecular characterization, 7 microsatellite markers and 5 SSR primers with polymorphism were finally chosen for genetic diversity analysis. Altogether, 19 alleles were identified among the 38 genotypes, and the average number of alleles per locus was 3.80. The lowest and the highest numbers of alleles were 3 and 5, respectively. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.3201 to 0.5934 and SI-ssr30 showed to be highest at 0.5934. The UPGMA based clustering depicted a significant variation at molecular level among the sesame genotypes, having a coefficient of similarity between 0.29 and 1.00. The present study confirmed that extensive genetic diversity existed among the sesame genotypes and valuable agronomic traits may result in the development of high yielding genotypes