The population trajectories of Bangladesh and West Bengal during the twentieth century: A comparative study.

This study traces the demographic evolution in present-day Bangladesh and West Bengal, which together comprised the former province of Bengal in British India. It presents time-trend analysis of vital rates and their proximate as well as indirect determinants using registration, census and survey data for pre and post-Partition Bengal. Evidence suggests that although the two wings were historically under the same provincial government, there were significant differences in their demographic profiles, arising from differences in occupational structure, ongoing ecological changes, religion, and in the extent of development efforts. These long-term historical disparities set the course of subsequent demography and explain the contemporary fertility and mortality differentials between Bangladesh and West Bengal. Statistical analysis of survey data suggests that a higher age at marriage in West Bengal coupled with greater levels of healthcare utilization in the state have contributed to a more favourable health situation relative to Bangladesh. The culture in West Bengal appears to be more conducive to utilization of healthcare which has been shaped by a long history of exposure to western influences and to social movements, among other considerations. It has also facilitated the process of fertility transition in West Bengal which plausibly initiated during the late 1950s. For Bangladesh, the study maintains that the synergy created by a host of factors contributed to the remarkably rapid decline in fertility during the 1980s. It is pointed out that the plateauing in the fertility rate in the country since the 1990s is testament to the fact that a strong family planning programme alone cannot complete a demographic transition. This study concludes that the culmination of ongoing socioeconomic processes over the course of the twentieth century has provided the backdrop for the demographic transition in present-day Bangladesh and West Bengal

Effects of yoga on physiological indices, anxiety and social functioning in multiple sclerosis patients: A randomized trial

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) as a chronic disease could affect patients’ various domains of life. Aim: This study was conducted to study the effect of yoga on the physiological indices, anxiety and social functioning of patients with MS in southwest, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study, 60 MS patients were enrolled according to inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to two groups of 30 each. Prior to and after intervention, the patients’ vital signs were measured. For case group yoga exercises were performed three sessions a week for 12 weeks while control group performed no exercise. The data were gathered by questionnaire and analysed by descriptive and analytical statistics in SPSS. Results: Prior to intervention, there was no significant difference in fatigue severity and pain between the two groups but the mean fatigue severity and pain in case group decreased compared to the control group after the intervention. Prior to intervention, there was no significant difference in mean physiological indices between the two groups but the mean physiological indices in case group decreased significantly after the intervention (p<0.05). Conclusion: Yoga is likely to increase self-efficacy of MS patients through enhancing physical activity, increasing the strength of lower limbs and balance, and decreasing fatigue and pain, and finally to promote social functioning and to relieve stress and anxiety in these patients

Influence of Sugar Cane Mechanical Harvest on Clear Juice Quality at Elguneid Sugar Factory

This study aimed to investigate the influence of mechanical harvest on juice clarification in Elguneid sugar factory. Elguneid factory was designed to treat a hand cut cane more than a mechanical cut cane. So, the clarification system was tuned to meet this purpose. Color, turbidity, reducing sugar, sugar content, purity, pH, brix, temperature and phosphate content were determined. The results showed: the color has increased from 3910 to 13921 ICUMSA, turbidity from 3242 to 8496 and reducing sugar increased to 0.928%. Sucrose content decreased from 14.39 to 11.69% and purity from 88 to 83%. The results of Pol% and Purity% were taken at the beginning of crushing season, where the mechanical harvest was higher than hand cut. A comparative study between hand cut and mechanical harvest was made at the middle of the crushing season. The optimum brix in the clarifiers matched the turbidity decreased at brix 12%, 13% respectively. Also from the tests carried out it was shown that the flocculant and phosphoric acid, which were used by the factory personnel was lower than the standard values, phosphoric acid was 183ppm and the polymer was 1,6ppm. These low values affected the precipitation process. There is a relationship between the amount of mud and type of harvest. It was noticed that there is a relationship between sugar yield and type of harvest

Investigation on changing pattern of health status of juvenile Hypophthalmichthys molitrix from farming systems in Bangladesh

An experiment was carried out to investigate the health status of Hypophthalmichthys molitrix among three different fish farms at Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Fish sampling and water quality parameters were collected on a monthly basis. Samples of skin, muscle, gills, liver and kidney were examined through histological technique. Results from water quality parameters suggested that water temperature had a distinct effect on fish health of H. molitrix, which was mostly evident during the colder months. Infectious symptoms were usually evident in July to October and the severity of pathology was increased in November and December. These were evident from their clinical signs that include scale loss, haemorrhagic lesion, and reddish spots or from their histopathological symptoms such as necrosis, pyknosis, inflammation, haemorrhage, hypertrophy, missing of gill lamellae, vacuums, tubular and pillar cells degeneration, inflammation, clubbing, and suspected bacterial colonies. Results suggest that the health condition of the fishes from BAU fish farm was the best over the other two farms, whereas Government fish farm followed by NGO fish farm were severely affected with EUS, protozoan and bacterial infection. Moreover, internal organs like liver and kidney were more affected than skin, muscle and gills

Trends in equity in use of maternal health services in urban and rural Bangladesh

Background Maternal healthcare utilization is a major determinant of maternal mortality. Bangladesh is experiencing a rapid pace of urbanization with all future growth in population expected to be in urban areas. Health care infrastructure is different in urban and rural areas thus warranting an examination of equity in use rates of maternal healthcare. This paper addresses whether the urban–rural and rich-poor gaps in use of selected maternal healthcare indicators have narrowed or widened over the last decade. The paper also explores changes in the service provider environment in urban and rural domains. Methods The 2001 and 2010 Bangladesh Maternal Mortality and Health Care Survey data were used to examine trends in use of antenatal care from medically trained providers and in deliveries taking place at health facilities. Separate wealth quintiles were constructed for urban and rural areas. The concentration index was calculated for urban and rural areas to measure equity in distribution of antenatal care (ANC) and facility deliveries across wealth quintiles in urban and rural domains. Results The gap in use of ANC provided by medically trained personnel narrowed in urban and rural areas between 2001 and 2010 while that in facility deliveries widened. The difference in use of ANC by the rich and the poor was not as pronounced as that in utilization of facilities for deliveries. Over the last decade, equity in utilization of health facilities for deliveries has improved at a faster rate in urban areas. Private sector has surpassed the public sector and appears to be the dominant provider of maternal healthcare in both domains with the share of NGOs increasing in urban areas. Conclusions The faster pace of improvement in equity in maternal healthcare utilization in urban areas is reflective of the changing service environment in urban and rural areas, among other factors

Trends in equity in use of maternal health services in urban and rural Bangladesh

Abstract Background Maternal healthcare utilization is a major determinant of maternal mortality. Bangladesh is experiencing a rapid pace of urbanization with all future growth in population expected to be in urban areas. Health care infrastructure is different in urban and rural areas thus warranting an examination of equity in use rates of maternal healthcare. This paper addresses whether the urban–rural and rich-poor gaps in use of selected maternal healthcare indicators have narrowed or widened over the last decade. The paper also explores changes in the service provider environment in urban and rural domains. Methods The 2001 and 2010 Bangladesh Maternal Mortality and Health Care Survey data were used to examine trends in use of antenatal care from medically trained providers and in deliveries taking place at health facilities. Separate wealth quintiles were constructed for urban and rural areas. The concentration index was calculated for urban and rural areas to measure equity in distribution of antenatal care (ANC) and facility deliveries across wealth quintiles in urban and rural domains. Results The gap in use of ANC provided by medically trained personnel narrowed in urban and rural areas between 2001 and 2010 while that in facility deliveries widened. The difference in use of ANC by the rich and the poor was not as pronounced as that in utilization of facilities for deliveries. Over the last decade, equity in utilization of health facilities for deliveries has improved at a faster rate in urban areas. Private sector has surpassed the public sector and appears to be the dominant provider of maternal healthcare in both domains with the share of NGOs increasing in urban areas. Conclusions The faster pace of improvement in equity in maternal healthcare utilization in urban areas is reflective of the changing service environment in urban and rural areas, among other factors

The relationship between ultra processed food consumption and premature coronary artery disease: Iran premature coronary artery disease study (IPAD)

BackgroundUltra-processed foods (UPF) consumption may affect the risk of PCAD through affecting cardio metabolic risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate the association between UPFs consumption and premature coronary artery disease (PCAD).MethodsA case–control study was conducted on 2,354 Iranian adults (≥ 19 years). Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 110-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and foods were classified based on the NOVA system, which groups all foods according to the nature, extent and purposes of the industrial processes they undergo. PCAD was defined as having an stenosis of at least single coronary artery equal and above 75% or left main coronary of equal or more than 50% in women less than 70 and men less than 60 years, determined by angiography. The odds of PCAD across the tertiles of UPFs consumption were assessed by binary logistic regression.ResultsAfter adjustment for potential confounders, participants in the top tertile of UPFs were twice as likely to have PCAD compared with those in the bottom tertile (OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.97–3.23). Moreover, those in the highest tertile of the UPFs consumption had more than two times higher risk for having severe PCAD than those in the first tertile (OR: 2.64; 95% CI: 2.16–3.22). In addition, there was a significant upward trend in PCAD risk and PCAD severity as tertiles increased (P-trend &lt; 0.001 for all models).ConclusionHigher consumption of UPFs was related to increased risk of PCAD and higher chance of having severe PCAD in Iranian adults. Although, future cohort studies are needed to confirm the results of this study, these findings indicated the necessity of reducing UPFs intake

Investigation on changing pattern of health status of juvenile Hypophthalmichthys molitrix from farming systems in Bangladesh

An experiment was carried out to investigate the health status of Hypophthalmichthys molitrix among three different fish farms at Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Fish sampling and water quality parameters were collected on a monthly basis. Samples of skin, muscle, gills, liver and kidney were examined through histological technique. Results from water quality parameters suggested that water temperature had a distinct effect on fish health of H. molitrix, which was mostly evident during the colder months. Infectious symptoms were usually evident in July to October and the severity of pathology was increased in November and December. These were evident from their clinical signs that include scale loss, haemorrhagic lesion, and reddish spots or from their histopathological symptoms such as necrosis, pyknosis, inflammation, haemorrhage, hypertrophy, missing of gill lamellae, vacuums, tubular and pillar cells degeneration, inflammation, clubbing, and suspected bacterial colonies. Results suggest that the health condition of the fishes from BAU fish farm was the best over the other two farms, whereas Government fish farm followed by NGO fish farm were severely affected with EUS, protozoan and bacterial infection. Moreover, internal organs like liver and kidney were more affected than skin, muscle and gills

Measuring the technical efficiency of the listed IT companies: Evidence from Bangladesh

This study aimed to measure the technical efficiency of information technology (IT) companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in Bangladesh. It included ten listed IT companies for the period 2016–2020. The input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach was used to measure technical efficiency. This study used two inputs, such as fixed assets and capital expenditure, and three outputs, such as return on equity, return on assets, and total income, to measure technical efficiency. All the required data were collected from publicly available annual reports, the sample companies’ websites, and the website of DSE. The study found that Bangladeshi-listed IT companies were not adequately technically efficient, with an average efficiency score of 56.6 percent, requiring a 43.6 percent improvement in efficiency during the period 2016–2020. This inefficiency was due primarily to pure technical inefficiency followed by scale inefficiency. The findings of the study are expected to provide important and useful information to the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), the ICT Division of the Bangladesh government, and the sample companies