Early Marriage in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study Exploring the Associated Factors

This cross-sectional study intends to explore the factors associated with the prevalence of early marriage among female teenagers in Bangladesh. Data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS, 2014) were used to meet the study objective. Two binary logistic models were run to estimate the factors that influence early marriage. In Model-I, the covariates were considered in a bivariate setup, and unadjusted odds ratios (UOR) were obtained from ModelII, where all the covariates were taken into account to get the adjusted odds ratio. Results show that the level of education for both females and their partners, religiosity, possession of wealth and geographical location are some important factors with significant effects on the prevalence of early marriage in Bangladesh. Based on the findings, this study recommends gearing up provisions of education for all, awareness-building through social mobilization, reform initiatives concerning Islamic beliefs and strengthening poverty-reduction strategies to speed up the process of eliminating early marriage

Two-Dimensional Nonlinear Propagation of Ion Acoustic Waves through KPB and KP Equations in Weakly Relativistic Plasmas

Two-dimensional three-component plasma system consisting of nonextensive electrons, positrons, and relativistic thermal ions is considered. The well-known Kadomtsev-Petviashvili-Burgers and Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equations are derived to study the basic characteristics of small but finite amplitude ion acoustic waves of the plasmas by using the reductive perturbation method. The influences of positron concentration, electron-positron and ion-electron temperature ratios, strength of electron and positrons nonextensivity, and relativistic streaming factor on the propagation of ion acoustic waves in the plasmas are investigated. It is revealed that the electrostatic compressive and rarefactive ion acoustic waves are obtained for superthermal electrons and positrons, but only compressive ion acoustic waves are found and the potential profiles become steeper in case of subthermal positrons and electrons

Bio-Rational Management of Maize Weevil, Sitophilus Zeamais in Maize (Zea Mays) Seeds

Bangladesh is a sub-tropical and humid country. That is why, the infestation of insects during storage is very common here. The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), locally known as “Katta Poka”, is one of the most serious cosmopolitan pest of stored cereal grain, especially of maize (Zea mays L.), in tropical and subtropical regions including Bangladesh. Considering the issue, the study was conducted in the laboratory of Department of Entomology, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) following completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications to evaluate the efficacy of four locally available botanicals and chemicals. The botanicals used were: Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf, Datura (Datura stramonium) leaf, Nishinda (Vitex negundo L) leaf and Garlic (Allium sativum L.) tablet powders at three different doses (3, 4 and 5gm)/100g of grain seed against maize weevil. The results revealed that all test materials at 5g doses exhibited higher mortality action against maize weevil while at 3g doses it gave the lowest percentage efficacy. Powdered leaves of neem and datura at 4 and 5gm were showed statistical significant (P<0.01) differences while powdered leaves of nishinda at the similar rates were observed with moderately effectiveness and powdered tablet of garlic gave the lowest mortality rate within 28 days of exposure in all tested doses. These findings suggest that botanical treatments exerted better mortality of maize weevil and reduced maize seed weight loss with higher germination capacity compared to the untreated control. It was also observed that the highest mortality percentage, lowest seed weight loss and highest germination capacity in the seeds which were treated with Sevin 85SP at the rate of 0.25g/100g maize seeds. Maize grains treated with botanicals, indicated that insect reproduction and development were impaired in all botanical pesticides. It is suggested that datura leaf, neem leaf powder can be used as good alternatives to chemical insecticides against S. zeamays due to their higher mortality, lower seed weight losses and higher germination capacity

Exploring Health Care Disparities in Genetic Testing and Research for Hereditary Cardiomyopathy: Current State and Future Perspectives.

 Hereditary cardiomyopathies are commonly occurring myocardial conditions affecting heart structure and function with a genetic or familial association, but the etiology is often unknown. Cardiomyopathies are linked to significant mortality, requiring robust risk stratification with genetic testing and early diagnosis.  We hypothesized that health care disparities exist in genetic testing for hereditary cardiomyopathies within clinical practice and research studies.  In a narrative fashion, we conducted a literature search with online databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and Science Direct on papers related to hereditary cardiomyopathies. A comprehensive analysis of findings from articles in English on disparities in diagnostics and treatment was grouped into four categories.  Racial and ethnic disparities in research study enrollment and health care delivery favor White populations and higher socioeconomic status, resulting in differences in the development and implementation of effective genetic screening. Such disparities have shown to be detrimental, as minorities often suffer from disease progression to heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Barriers related to clinical genetic testing included insurance-related issues and health illiteracy. The underrepresentation of minority populations extends to research methodologies, as testing in ethnic minorities resulted in a significantly lower detection rate and diagnostic yield, as well as a higher likelihood of misclassification of variants.  Prioritizing minority-based participatory research programs and screening protocols can address systemic disparities. Diversifying research studies can improve risk stratification strategies and impact clinical practice. [Abstract copyright: The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

Seasonal and Altitudinal Prevalence of Fascioliasis in Buffalo in Eastern Nepal

Buffalo is the most important livestock commodities for milk, meat production and several other multipurpose uses distributed densely from southern tarai to northern mid-hills in Nepal. Among several internal parasitic diseases fascioliasis is highly economic one caused by Fasciola in buffaloes. However, there are only few studies carried on prevalence of fascioliasis emphasizing buffaloes in relation to seasonal (summer and rainy, and winter) and altitudinal variations. Therefore, we examined prevalence of fascioliasis seasonally and vertically. For the purpose, we selected two districts of eastern Nepal and sampled from low altitude area known as Madhesha ranging from 175-200, Dhankuta from 800-1200 m, and Murtidhunga from 1800-2200 m elevation from the sea level, representing tarai, mid hills and high hills, respectively. Altogether from February 2013 to January 2014 at every two months interval we collected 798 fecal samples from buffaloes; 282 from Murtidhunga, 239 from Dhankuta and 277 from Madhesha. The samples were examined microscopically for the presence of Fasciola eggs using sedimentation technique. Results showed that overall prevalence of fascioliasis in buffaloes was 39.9% (319/798), ranging highest 42.6%in Madhesha followed by 39.7% in Murtidhunga and 37.2% in Dhankuta, respectively. The prevalence of fascioliasis was found to be significantly (p <0.05) high in winter (44.9%) comparing to rainy season (34.4%). The prevalence of fascioliasis in buffaloes was relatively higher in low altitude than high altitude, although it was not statistically significant (p <0.05). In our findings the female buffaloes showed higher prevalence for fascioliasis than in male. Since the fascioliasis in buffaloes is highly endemic, thus strategic deworming in high risk period is recommended along with measure to prevent pasture contamination with buffalo feces

Strategies and options for increasing and sustaining fisheries and aquaculture production to benefit poorer households in Asia [PDF in letter standard]

The last three decades have wi tnessed dramatic changes in the structure of supply and demand for fish, especially in Asia. This WorldFish research study sponsored by the Asian Development Bank focussed on nine developing countries û Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, all active players in the transformation of global fish supply and demand. The study, broken into five components and reported here, considered: 1) the profile of key aquaculture technologies and fishing practices; 2) analysis of policies, institutions and support services; 3) socioeconomic profile of major stakeholders in the fisheries sector; 4) projections of fish demand and supply in the nine Asian countries; and 5) formulation of national action plans based on the findings and recommendations of the study.Research, Fisheries, Economic analysis, Aquaculture, Fish consumption, Trade, Policies, Socioeconomic aspects, Technology, Fishery products, Asia, China, People's Rep., Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam,

Oblikovanje i vrednovanje plutajućih uljnih mikrozrnaca loratadina s produljenim zadržavanjem u želucu

Gastro retentive controlled release system of loratadine was formulated to increase the residence time in stomach and to modulate the release behaviour of the drug. Oil entrapped floating microbeads prepared by emulsion gelation method were optimized by 23 factorial design and a polymer ratio of 2.5:1.5 (pectin: sodium alginate) by mass, 15% (m/v) of oil (mineral oil or castor oil) and 0.45 mol L-1 calcium chloride solution were selected as the optimized processing conditions for the desired buoyancy and physical stability. In vitro drug release in fed state conditions demonstrated sustained release of loratadine for 8 h that best fitted the Peppas model with n < 0.45. The ethylcellulose coating on microbeads optimized by 22 factorial design resulted in controlled release formulation of loratadine that provided zero-order release for 8 h.U radu je opisana priprava plutajućih mikrozrnaca za kontrolirano oslobađanje loratadina metodom želiranja emulzije. Mikrozrnca sadrže ulja, a njihovo zadržavanje u želucu je produljeno. Priprava mikrozrnaca je optimirana 23 faktorijalnim dizajnom. Pripravci optimalne sposobnosti plutanja i stabilnosti dobiveni su uz omjer masa pektina i natrijevog alginata 2,5:1,5, udio mineralnog ulja ili ulja kastora 15% (m/v) i koncentraciju kalcijevog klorida 0,45 mol L1. Iz tih se mikrozrnaca loratadin oslobađa in vitro tijekom 8 h, a oslobađanje slijedi Peppasov model ako je n < 0,45. Mikrozrnca presvučena etilcelulozom optimirana 22 faktorijalnim dizajnom slijede kinetiku nultog reda tijekom 8 h