Clinico - epidemiological study of corrosive poisoning by different agents in Dhaka Medical College Hospital

Acute poisoning is a serious threat to society and one of the commonest causes of mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study was to have an idea about the pattern of corrosive poisoning and their socio-demographic background. This study was conducted in Dhaka Medical College Hospital over a period of six months from January to June, 2008. The total respondents were 126 in number. All patients, aged 13 years and above with acute corrosive poisoning were included. The results revealed that 23% were male and 77% female. Male, female ratio was 1: 3.34. Age between (13-30) years (88.09%) was the most vulnerable. Most of the patients (45.25%) had a background of secondary education. Students (43.7%) were the dominant group followed by housewives (30.2%). Most of the patients (80.2%) came from urban area. 88.9% attempted to commit suicide. Familial disharmony (75.4%) was the leading motive of poisoning. Twenty five types of corrosive agents were identified; out of which 83.34% cases took either Savlon (51.59%) or Harpic (31.75%). Female is the most vulnerable target who attempted to commit suicide. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmj.v42i3.19000 Bangladesh Med J. 2013 Sept; 42 (3): 78-81</jats:p

Potentials of mycosynthesized nanomaterials for efficient remediation of environmental contaminants

The emergence of environmental contaminants (ECs) either from natural or anthropogenic sources is considered a critical threat to the various components of the ecosystems. Therefore eco-friendly, innovative, and practical approaches for the remediation of ECs are needed toward sustainable environmental pollution management. Among the innovative techniques, nanomaterials are robust and contemporary research tools to combat the ECs in various ecological components. However, the preparation of desired nanoparticles (NPs) through physical and chemical means is discouraged because of the requirement of high energy inputs and adverse impacts on the environment and associated biota. Thus a keen interest of the scientific community has been growing toward sustainable production of NPs using innovative microbial techniques and their practical application. Among the huge diversity in fungi, some genera are considered as potential candidates for NPs synthesis because of their higher capabilities of bioaccumulation and secretion of large amounts of proteins and other biomolecules. These mycosynthesized NPs have exhibited excellent performances to adsorb or decontaminate various emerging ECs such as hazardous chemical dyes and heavy metals. Mycosynthesized NPs can appreciably degrade the toxicity associated with heavy metals (approximately 90%) and dyes and have shown high promise for remediation of ECs. This review updates knowledge and research progress concerning the synthesis of NPs using fungal species and discusses the future application of mycosynthesized NPs in remediation of ECs as nano-based green remediation.No Full Tex