Diagnosed hematological malignancies in Bangladesh - a retrospective analysis of over 5000 cases from 10 specialized hospitals

Background The global burden from cancer is rising, especially as low-income countries like Bangladesh observe rapid aging. So far, there are no comprehensive descriptions reporting diagnosed cancer group that include hematological malignancies in Bangladesh. Methods This was a multi-center hospital-based retrospective descriptive study of over 5000 confirmed hematological cancer cases in between January 2008 to December 2012. Morphological typing was carried out using the “French American British” classification system. Results A total of 5013 patients aged between 2 to 90 years had been diagnosed with malignant hematological disorders. A 69.2% were males (n = 3468) and 30.8% females (n = 1545), with a male to female ratio of 2.2:1. The overall median age at diagnosis was 42 years. Acute myeloid leukemia was most frequent (28.3%) with a median age of 35 years, followed by chronic myeloid leukemia with 18.2% (median age 40 years), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (16.9%; median age 48 years), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (14.1%; median age 27 years), multiple myeloma (10.5%; median age 55 years), myelodysplastic syndromes (4.5%; median age 57 years) and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (3.9%; median age 36 years). The least common was chronic lymphocytic leukemia (3.7%; median age 60 years). Below the age of 20 years, acute lymphoblastic leukemia was predominant (37.3%), followed by acute myeloid leukemia (34%). Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma had mostly occurred among older patients, aged 50-over. Conclusions For the first time, our study presents the pattern and distribution of diagnosed hematological cancers in Bangladesh. It shows differences in population distributions as compared to other settings with possibly a lower presence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. There might be under-reporting of affected women. Further studies are necessary on the epidemiology, genetics and potential environmental risk factors within this rapidly aging country

Environmental Finance and Green Banking: Contemporary and Emerging Issues

Environmental finance and green banking are central drivers of the transition to a sustainable economy and essential components in solutions to climate change. This book presents the latest research on theory and practices in these interdisciplinary fields, incorporating both public and corporate finance. It introduces three parts – environmental investing and financing, green banking and environmental policies in the public sector. The book explores the current trends, dynamics and ways forward for environmental finance and green banking, including fundamental theories (e.g., environmental Kuznets curve) and comparisons between traditional and green bond efficiency, corporate governance practices and disclosure, green central banking, climate finance, sustainable strategies, green Islamic banking, and public climate fund management in multi-country contexts. The contributors to this book highlight significant challenges ahead while recognizing potential opportunities, such as the revolution in green investments and trading in green bonds. This book is a welcome addition to the literature on environmental economics and finance and the economics of sustainability and climate change

Climate Services for Resilient Development in South Asia Annual Report: January to December 2019

Climate Services for Resilient Development (CSRD) is a global partnership that connects climate science, data streams, decision support tools, and training to decision-makers in developing countries. CSRD addresses the climate challenges faced by smallholder farmers in South Asia. The partnership is led by the United States Government and supported by the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID), the UK Meteorological Office, ESRI, Google, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the American Red Cross. The CSRD in South Asia initiative3 ran from November 2016 to December 2019 and was led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and funded by USAID. The consortium worked to increase resilience to climate change in South Asia by creating and making available timely and useful climate data, information, tools and services. These activities aligned with the Global Framework for Climate Services and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). In South Asia, the CSRD consortium focused primarily on Bangladesh (in alignment with Objective 1 as described above), with a secondary emphasis on Nepal and India (supporting Objective 2), and overall capacity development and awareness raising efforts across countries (Objective 3). To improve the usefulness and agricultural relevance of climate information and weather forecasts, the consortium developed strong science partnerships, and moved research into action and impact. The overarching goal was to develop and sustain the capacity development of agricultural climate services in the region. Throughout its duration, the consortium benefited from valuable inputs and guidance from USAID and its multi-partner CSRD Steering Committee