Aquaculture technology adoption in Kapasia thana, Bangladesh: some preliminary results from farm record-keeping data

A report on the adoption by target farmers of three aquaculture technologies in Kapasia Thana, Bangladesh. Preliminary results indicate that there were significant changes in fish production and resource use by farmer-cooperators from their previous practices.Aquaculture systems, Technology transfer, Small scale aquaculture, Kapasia, Bangladesh,

Household socioeconomics, resource use and fish marketing in two thanas of Bangladesh

This is a report of a socioeconomic survey carried out on a sample of households from owners and operators of small waterbodies in two subdistricts in Gazipur, Bangladesh, to find out the benefits of aquaculture if introduced there. The findings indicate that improved aquaculture technology will benefit the owners and operators of the small water bodies, and that low-cost technologies for aquaculture must be promoted among poor and landless people in order for them to adopt aquaculture.Household surveys, Socioeconomics, Sociological aspects, Fish culture, Fishery economics, Fish consumption, Marketing, Bangladesh,

A prospective study of prevalence of anti-microbial susceptibility of bacterial isolates in lower respiratory tract infections

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) is one of the most common causes of mortality and morbidity across all age groups. In recent years, antibiotic resistance is constantly increasing. Thus, there is a need to monitor the bacteriological profile of pathogenic organisms. The present study aims to identify bacterial pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern.Methods: A prospective, observational, single centered study was conducted at tertiary care hospital for a period of 1 year i.e. from March 2016 to March 2017. A total of 733 sputum samples were collected and analyzed in microbiology lab. The samples went subjected to microscopy testing, culture and antibiotic sensitivity using suitable bacteriological methods.Results: From 733 sputum samples, about 51.34% were males and 48.56% were females. Approximately 49.65% of total samples were growth positive. Klebsiella was found to be the predominant microorganism followed by Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and streptococcus. The gram-negative bacteria showed highest sensitivity for piperacillin/tazobactam, imipenem and ciprofloxacin. The gram-positive bacteria were found to be more susceptible for vancomycin, teicoplanin and amikacin.Conclusions: LRTIs are contagious form of disease and can rapidly disseminate among community. The irrational use of antibiotics complicates the management due to the antibiotic resistance. Local trend of antibiotic susceptibility pattern should be known as it helps in increasing the appropriate use of the antibiotics, decreasing the mortality and morbidity and reduces the anti-microbial resistance

IoT-Based Remote Health Monitoring System Employing Smart Sensors for Asthma Patients during COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID19 and asthma are respiratory diseases that can be life threatening in uncontrolled circumstances and require continuous monitoring. A poverty stricken South Asian country like Bangladesh has been bearing the brunt of the COVID19 pandemic since its beginning. The majority of the country's population resides in rural areas, where proper healthcare is difficult to access. This emphasizes the necessity of telemedicine, implementing the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT), which is still under development in Bangladesh. This paper demonstrates how the current challenges in the healthcare system are resolvable through the design of a remote health and environment monitoring system, specifically for asthma patients who are at an increased risk of COVID19. Since on-time treatment is essential, this system will allow doctors and medical staff to receive patient information in real time and deliver their services immediately to the patient regardless of their location. The proposed system consists of various sensors collecting heart rate, body temperature, ambient temperature, humidity, and air quality data and processing them through the Arduino Microcontroller. It is integrated with a mobile application. All this data is sent to the mobile application via a Bluetooth module and updated every few seconds so that the medical staff can instantly track patients' conditions and emergencies. The developed prototype is portable and easily usable by anyone. The system has been applied to five people of different ages and medical histories over a particular period. Upon analyzing all their data, it became clear which participants were particularly vulnerable to health deterioration and needed constant observation. Through this research, awareness about asthmatic symptoms will improve and help prevent their severity through effective treatment anytime, anywhere.Comment: Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing (2022

Malaria Reemergence in Northern Afghanistan

Field investigations were conducted in Kundoz Province, an Afghan high-risk area, to determine factors responsible for the rapid reemergence of malaria in that country, where 3 million cases were estimated to have occurred during 2002. Results indicate the presence of nonrice-field–dependent Plasmodium falciparum and rice-field–associated P. vivax malaria

Detection of infectious disease outbreaks in twenty-two fragile states, 2000-2010: a systematic review.

Fragile states are home to a sixth of the world's population, and their populations are particularly vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks. Timely surveillance and control are essential to minimise the impact of these outbreaks, but little evidence is published about the effectiveness of existing surveillance systems. We did a systematic review of the circumstances (mode) of detection of outbreaks occurring in 22 fragile states in the decade 2000-2010 (i.e. all states consistently meeting fragility criteria during the timeframe of the review), as well as time lags from onset to detection of these outbreaks, and from detection to further events in their timeline. The aim of this review was to enhance the evidence base for implementing infectious disease surveillance in these complex, resource-constrained settings, and to assess the relative importance of different routes whereby outbreak detection occurs.We identified 61 reports concerning 38 outbreaks. Twenty of these were detected by existing surveillance systems, but 10 detections occurred following formal notifications by participating health facilities rather than data analysis. A further 15 outbreaks were detected by informal notifications, including rumours.There were long delays from onset to detection (median 29 days) and from detection to further events (investigation, confirmation, declaration, control). Existing surveillance systems yielded the shortest detection delays when linked to reduced barriers to health care and frequent analysis and reporting of incidence data.Epidemic surveillance and control appear to be insufficiently timely in fragile states, and need to be strengthened. Greater reliance on formal and informal notifications is warranted. Outbreak reports should be more standardised and enable monitoring of surveillance systems' effectiveness

Identifying structures, processes, resources and needs of research ethics committees in Egypt

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Concerns have been expressed regarding the adequacy of ethics review systems in developing countries. Limited data are available regarding the structural and functional status of Research Ethics Committees (RECs) in the Middle East. The purpose of this study was to survey the existing RECs in Egypt to better understand their functioning status, perceived resource needs, and challenges.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We distributed a self-administered survey tool to Egyptian RECs to collect information on the following domains: general characteristics of the REC, membership composition, ethics training, workload, process of ethics review, perceived challenges to effective functioning, and financial and material resources. We used basic descriptive statistics to evaluate the quantitative data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We obtained responses from 67% (12/18) of the identified RECs. Most RECs (10/12) have standard operating procedures and many (7/12) have established policies to manage conflicts of interests. The average membership was 10.3 with a range from 7-19. The predominant member type was physicians (69.5% of all of the REC members) with little lay representation (13.7%). Most RECs met at least once/month and the average number of protocols reviewed per meeting was 3.8 with a range from 1-10. Almost three-quarters of the members from all of the 12 RECs indicated they received some formal training in ethics. Regarding resources, roughly half of the RECs have dedicated capital equipment (e.g., meeting room, computers, office furniture, etc); none of the RECs have a formal operating budget. Perceived challenges included the absence of national research ethics guidelines and national standards for RECs and lack of ongoing training of its members in research ethics.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study documents several areas of strengths and areas for improvements in the operations of Egyptian RECs. Regarding strengths, many of the existing RECs meet frequently, have a majority of members with prior training in research ethics, and have written policies. Regarding areas for improvements, many RECs should strive for a more diverse membership and should receive more financial resources and administrative support personnel. We recommend that RECs include more individuals from the community and develop a continuing educational program for its members. Institutional officials should be aware of the resource capacity needs of their RECs.</p

Aquaculture technology adoption in Kapasia Thana, Bangladesh: some preliminary results from farm record-keeping data

A report on the adoption by target farmers of three aquaculture technologies in Kapasia Thana, Bangladesh. Preliminary results indicate that there were significant changes in fish production and resource use by farmer-cooperators from their previous practices