Social Impact and Sustainability of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Banking Sectors: Bangladesh Perspective

In the recent years Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has witnessed a tremendous increase in awareness and control in the global arena. It is a concept where business organizations apart from their profitability and growth show interest in societal and environmental welfare by taking the responsibility of impact of their activities on stake holders, employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, and civil society. However, in developing nations the situation of CSR activities of financial institutions is not so flourishing. The aims of this study are to investigate the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities performed by ten commercial banks in Bangladesh and explore the potential social impacts and sustainability in the future. This study also traced to find the relationship among operational performance by contributing CSR activities. CSR activities affect social attention to the customers and related stakeholders. It shows the relation between after tax net operating income and CSR expenditures by banks using SPSS software.  &nbsp

Role of Parental Smoking in Severe Bronchiolitis: A Hospital Based Case-Control Study

Objective. Bronchiolitis is one of the commonest causes of hospitalization of infants and young children in Bangladesh. About 21% of under 5 children attending different hospitals of Bangladesh have bronchiolitis. Fifty percent (50%) men and three percent (3%) women of Bangladesh are smokers. Parental smoking is an important risk factor for both susceptibility and severity of bronchiolitis. The aim of this study was to find out the role of parental smoking in severe bronchiolitis. Design. Case-control study. Place and Duration of Study. The study was conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh, from July 2013 to December 2015. Patients and Methods. Sixty-four patients admitted into the ward with severe bronchiolitis were enrolled as cases and sixty-four suitably matched apparently healthy children attending EPI centre and outpatient department presenting with nonrespiratory illness were enrolled as controls. Sample size was calculated using Guilford and Frucher formula. The technique was systematic random sampling. Every second case satisfying the inclusion and exclusion criteria was enrolled in the study. Results. The mean age of the patients was 7.53 (SD ± 4.75) months. Forty (62.5%) patients were male and twenty four (37.5%) patients were female. Male-to-female ratio was 1.7 : 1. Most of the cases (60.95%) came from low socioeconomic background. More than half of the cases (53.13%) were not exclusively breastfed babies. Mean length of hospital stay was 6.41 (SD ± 2.82) days. Thirty eight (59%) cases and twenty six (34%) controls were exposed to parental smoking. Result was highly significant (p=0.005). Odds ratio was 2.8 (95% CI from 1.36 to 5.72). Conclusion. Exposure to parental smoking causes a statistically significant (p=0.005, odds ratio = 2.8) increase in the risk of developing severe bronchiolitis in the first year of life

Impact of Body Mass Index on the Association of Ankle-Brachial Index With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Objective To assess the influence of body-mass index (BMI) on the association of ankle-brachial index (ABI) with mortality. Patients and Methods We conducted a prospective study of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants enrolled from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2002 with BMI and ABI data available. ABI categories were 1.3 (high). BMI categories were <30 kg/m2 (nonobese) and ≥30 kg/m2 (obese). Cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality were assessed by National Death Index records. Cox proportional-hazards models and Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were used to compare groups. Results In total, 4614 subjects were included, with mean age 56±12 years and BMI 28±6 kg/m2. Median follow-up was 10.3 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 9.3 to 11.4 years). Low and high ABI were present in 7% and 8%, respectively. After adjustment, low ABI was associated with increased all-cause and CV mortality in nonobese (hazard ratio [HR] 1.5, 95% CI, 1.1-2.1 for all-cause and 3.0 [1.8-5.1] for CV mortality) and obese individuals (1.8 [1.2-2.7] and 2.5 [1.2-5.6], respectively) compared with reference. High ABI was associated with increased CV mortality in nonobese (2.2 [1.1-4.5]) but not obese patients; it was not associated with all-cause mortality overall or when stratified by BMI. Conclusion In a US cohort, weight influenced the prognostic significance of high ABI. This may be related to technical factors reducing compressibility of the calf arteries in obese persons compared with those who are nonobese.The University of Kansas (KU) One University Open Access Author Fund sponsored jointly by the KU ProvostKU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate StudiesKUMC Vice Chancellor for Research and managed jointly by the Libraries at the Medical Center and KU - Lawrence.KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research and managed jointly by the Libraries at the Medical Center and KU - Lawrenc

Social Impact and Sustainability of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Banking Sectors: Bangladesh Perspective

In the recent years Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has witnessed a tremendous increase in awareness and control in the global arena. It is a concept where business organizations apart from their profitability and growth show interest in societal and environmental welfare by taking the responsibility of impact of their activities on stake holders, employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, and civil society. However, in developing nations the situation of CSR activities of financial institutions is not so flourishing. The aims of this study are to investigate the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities performed by ten commercial banks in Bangladesh and explore the potential social impacts and sustainability in the future. This study also traced to find the relationship among operational performance by contributing CSR activities. CSR activities affect social attention to the customers and related stakeholders. It shows the relation between after tax net operating income and CSR expenditures by banks using SPSS software

Factors associated with relapse amongst substance abusers

Background: Relapse amongst substance abusers is common throughout the world, and Bangladesh is no exception to this. In Bangladesh, drug related problems are gradually becoming a burning issue in context of social, economical and medical perspective. The present study aimed to find out factors indicating relapse amongst substance abuser. Methods: This descriptive type of observational study was conducted in the combined military hospital and other government/private hospital/institute, especially the central drug addict treatment center, Dhaka. Informed consent was obtained prior to data collection. Collected data was classified, edited, coded, and entered into the computer for statistical analysis by using SPSS-23. The chi-Square test was used to analyze the categorical variables, and a p&lt;0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The study involved 100 patients who had a history of substance abuse. The most common substance abused was Yaba (27%), followed by cannabis (21%). The average duration of abuse for Yaba was 5.8 years, while the longest mean duration was for Alcohol (14.2 years). In the 2nd admission, the largest percentage of patients was aged 21-30 years and were male. The majority of patients were Muslim and were either unemployed or had a lower socioeconomic status. Patients age, occupation, socioeconomic status, peer pressure, and family problems all had a significant association (p&lt;0.05) with relapse at different admissions. Peer pressure and family problems were also identified as factors affecting relapse, with 67.57% and 56.76% of patients experiencing them during their 2nd admission, respectively. Conclusions: The study found Yaba to be the most commonly used drug, followed by cannabis, phensedyl, heroin, etc. Alcohol was found to have the longest duration of abuse. Most patients were aged 21-30 and unemployed in multiple admissions. Peer pressure and unemployment were major factors in substance abuse, and psychiatric illness was a common factor in relapse. The results align with global findings and highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing substance abuse, considering all relevant factors.

Role of anti-diabetic drugs as therapeutic agents in Alzheimer's disease

Recent data have suggested a strong possible link between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), although exact mechanisms linking the two are still a matter of research and debate. Interestingly, both are diseases with high incidence and prevalence in later years of life. The link appears so strong that some scientists use Alzheimer’s and Type 3 Diabetes interchangeably. In depth study of recent data suggests that the anti diabetic drugs not only have possible role in treatment of Alzheimer’s but may also arrest the declining cognitive functions associated with it. The present review gives an insight into the possible links, existing therapeutics and clinical trials of anti diabetic drugs in patients suffering from AD primarily or as co-morbidity. It may be concluded that the possible beneficial effects and usefulness of the current anti diabetic drugs in AD cannot be neglected and further research is required to achieve positive results. Currently, several drug trials are in progress to give conclusive evidence based data

Correlation of Estimated-Glomerular Filtration Rate (e-GFR) with diabetic nephropathy and non-nephropathy patients in a tertiary care hospital

The estimated glomerular filtration (e-GFR) and serum creatinine is the screening methods of reduced renal function in patients with type-II diabetes (T2DM) in both patient with diabetic nephropathy and with no diabetic nephropathy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of e-GFR in type-II diabetes mellitus patients with diabetic nephropathy and without diabetic nephropathy.This cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to February 2021 in the Department of Laboratory Medicine in collaboration with Department of Nephrology, Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka involving 60 patients from the department of Nephrology, BSMMU. Among 60 patients, 30 were with diabetic nephropathy and 30 were without nephropathy. Both nephrop- athy and without nephropathy group were selected according to selection criteria. Random blood sugar (RBS), Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum creatinine and e-GFR level were measured in all patients. After data collection and processing, all statistical analysis was done by using SPSS Version 26.0. In this study, the mean(}SD) age was 50.5}11.71 in group-I and 45.53}9.97 in group-II. The difference was statistically not significant(p=0.082). It was observed that 20(66.7%) were male and 10(33.3%) were female in group I and 13(43.3%) were male and 17(56.7%) were female in group-II. Age group 51-60 years had highest percentage of nephropathy patients 9(30.0%) and 31-40 years of age group had highest percentage of diabet- ic patient without nephropathy 13(43.3%). The mean e-GFR in Group I was 47.56}35.48 and in Group II was 93.75}31.29 which was statistically significant (p=0.001). There was a signifi- cant negative correlation between serum e-GFR and serum creatinine in between Group I (r=-0.809, p&lt;0.001) and Group II (r=-0.715, p&lt;0.001). In conclusion, serum creatinine was higher in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with nephropathy group and mean e-GFR was significantly reduced in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with nephropathy group than without nephropathy. BSMMU J 2021; 14(4): 109-11

Thermal comfort inside a gable-roofed metallic shed in a higher educational institution: a case study and detailed analysis

Central workshop is an integral part of any higher education institution, and it will be generally operated in a gable-roofed metallic shed. The users of the building are affected physiologically and psychologically due to the thermal discomfort conditions caused by improper ventilation. It is necessary to study the cause for discomfort and propose cost and effective methods to mitigate the problem. In this work, the thermal comfort inside a gable-roofed workshop was analyzed, and it was found that the discomfort was predominant from 2 PM to 5 PM. It was predicted that the conduction heat transfer could be reduced upto 55% with the help of passive cooling technique carried out using aluminium bubble wrap. During the life cycle cost study, the aluminium bubble wrap technique was found to be more economical over high-volume low-speed fan. The computer simulation aided in the prediction of overall heat transfer coefficient and conduction heat transfer through wall. The results from numerical study deviated by less than 0.1% when compared with that from the theoretical model

The Karachi intracranial stenosis study (KISS) Protocol: an urban multicenter case-control investigation reporting the clinical, radiologic and biochemical associations of intracranial stenosis in Pakistan.

Background: Intracranial stenosis is the most common cause of stroke among Asians. It has a poor prognosis with a high rate of recurrence. No effective medical or surgical treatment modality has been developed for the treatment of stroke due to intracranial stenosis. We aim to identify risk factors and biomarkers for intracranial stenosis and to develop techniques such as use of transcranial doppler to help diagnose intracranial stenosis in a cost-effective manner. Methods/Design: The Karachi Intracranial Stenosis Study (KISS) is a prospective, observational, case-control study to describe the clinical features and determine the risk factors of patients with stroke due to intracranial stenosis and compare them to those with stroke due to other etiologies as well as to unaffected individuals. We plan to recruit 200 patients with stroke due to intracranial stenosis and two control groups each of 150 matched individuals. The first set of controls will include patients with ischemic stroke that is due to other atherosclerotic mechanisms specifically lacunar and cardioembolic strokes. The second group will consist of stroke free individuals. Standardized interviews will be conducted to determine demographic, medical, social, and behavioral variables along with baseline medications. Mandatory procedures for inclusion in the study are clinical confirmation of stroke by a healthcare professional within 72 hours of onset, 12 lead electrocardiogram, and neuroimaging. In addition, lipid profile, serum glucose, creatinine and HbA1C will be measured in all participants. Ancillary tests will include carotid ultrasound, transcranial doppler and magnetic resonance or computed tomography angiogram to rule out concurrent carotid disease. Echocardiogram and other additional investigations will be performed at these centers at the discretion of the regional physicians. Discussion: The results of this study will help inform locally relevant clinical guidelines and effective public health and individual interventions

Knowledge Priorities on Climate Change and Water in the Upper Indus Basin: A Horizon Scanning Exercise to Identify the Top 100 Research Questions in Social and Natural Sciences

River systems originating from the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) are dominated by runoff from snow and glacier melt and summer monsoonal rainfall. These water resources are highly stressed as huge populations of people living in this region depend on them, including for agriculture, domestic use, and energy production. Projections suggest that the UIB region will be affected by considerable (yet poorly quantified) changes to the seasonality and composition of runoff in the future, which are likely to have considerable impacts on these supplies. Given how directly and indirectly communities and ecosystems are dependent on these resources and the growing pressure on them due to ever-increasing demands, the impacts of climate change pose considerable adaptation challenges. The strong linkages between hydroclimate, cryosphere, water resources, and human activities within the UIB suggest that a multi- and inter-disciplinary research approach integrating the social and natural/environmental sciences is critical for successful adaptation to ongoing and future hydrological and climate change. Here we use a horizon scanning technique to identify the Top 100 questions related to the most pressing knowledge gaps and research priorities in social and natural sciences on climate change and water in the UIB. These questions are on the margins of current thinking and investigation and are clustered into 14 themes, covering three overarching topics of ‘governance, policy, and sustainable solutions’, ‘socioeconomic processes and livelihoods’, and ‘integrated Earth System processes’. Raising awareness of these cutting-edge knowledge gaps and opportunities will hopefully encourage researchers, funding bodies, practitioners, and policy makers to address them