Adopted Community Strategies to Offset Utility Crises in a Middle Income Locality of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Because of the spontaneous growth of Dhaka city, the utility crisis is increasing day by day. Therefore problems in utilities are considered centrally with respect to the economy and environment of Dhaka. But the local aspects are totally different from the central viewpoint. In this paper, two most prominent utility crises in Dhaka (i.e. the supply of gas and water) have been explored with their impacts and people’s coping mechanism with these problems has been documented.  The local people have been found adopting various alternative measures, even compromising their daily life cycle to make an adjustment with these problems. Keywords: Dhaka, utility service, gas, water, coping, daily routine

Optimization of nitrogen requirement for better growth and yield of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

A field experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture Sciences, Agriculture Research Field of International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), Uttara, Dhaka, to optimize nitrogen requirements for growth and yield response of brinjal (Solanum melongena). There were six treatments of urea viz., 0, 275, 300, 325, 350 and 375 kg ha-1 and the experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. The texture of the experimental soil was sandy loam and fertility status was very low. Parameters measured include: plant height, number of leaves plant-1, leaf area, number of branches plant-1, number of flower clustersplant-1, number of flowersplant-1, fruit diameter, fruits length, number of fruitsplant-1, fruit weight and yield. Present study results revealed that application of the highest dose of urea showed positive significant influence on growth and reproductive characters of brinjal (S. melongena). Similarly, yield and yield contributing characters of brinjal (S. melongena) increased with the increasing rates of urea. The highest yield (18.0 ton ha-1) was obtained from the application of 375 kg ha-1 urea, while the lowest yield (10.1 ton ha-1) was found from the control treatment. Thus, the overall study results suggested that 375 kg ha-1 urea performed the best in context Agriculture Research Field soils of IUBAT, Uttara, Dhaka. The study concluded that before final recommendation of the application dose, further study is needed in different agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh

COVID-19 related psychological distress, fear and coping : identification of high-risk groups in Bangladesh

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed psychological distress and fear across the globe; however, factors associated with those issues or the ways people cope may vary by country or context. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with psychological distress, fear, and coping strategies for people living in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in August-September 2020 using online platforms in Bangladesh. People residing in Bangladesh, aged ≥18 years, who were proficient in English and able to respond to online questionnaire. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale was used to assess the psychological stress. Level of fear was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and strategies to cope were assessed using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Results: Of the 962 participants, half of them were aged between 30 and 59 years. Being born in Bangladesh, having graduate education, perceived distress due to employment change, effect of COVID-19 on financial situation, having multiple comorbidities, and visiting a healthcare provider in the last 4 weeks were associated with higher levels of both psychological distress and fear of COVID-19. Furthermore, higher psychological distress was associated with being a female (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.33–2.47, p < 0.001), being a frontline worker (AOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.04–2.15, p < 0.05), having pre-existing psychiatric problems (AOR 4.03, 95% CI 1.19–13.7, p < 0.05), being a smoker (AOR 2.02, 95% CI 1.32–3.09, p < 0.01), providing care to a known/suspected COVID-19 patient (AOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.40–2.72, p < 0.001), having a recent overseas travel history and being in self-quarantine (AOR 4.59, 95% CI 1.23–17.2, p < 0.05), self-isolation without COVID-19 (AOR 2.63, 95% CI 1.68–4.13, p < 0.001) or being COVID-19 positive (AOR 2.53, 95% CI 1.19–5.34, p < 0.05), and having high levels of fear of COVID-19 (AOR 3.27, 95% CI 2.29–4.66, p < 0.001). A higher level of fear was associated with moderate to high levels of psychological distress (AOR 3.29, 95% CI 2.31–4.69, p < 0.001). People with pre-existing mental health problems were less likely to be resilient (AOR 0.25, 95% CI 0.11–0.54, p < 0.01), whereas those with having an income were more likely to be resilient (AOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.02–2.11, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Effective interventions to support the vulnerable groups including improved access to mental health services are of utmost importance during the pandemic. © Copyright © 2021 Rahman, Rahman, Wazib, Arafat, Chowdhury, Uddin, Rahman, Bahar Moni, Alif, Sultana, Salehin, Islam, Cross and Bahar. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Masudus Salehin, Wendy Cross" is provided in this record*

Structure-based mutagenesis of the integrase-LEDGF/p75 interface uncouples a strict correlation between in vitro protein binding and HIV-1 fitness

AbstractLEDGF/p75 binding-defective IN mutant viruses were previously characterized as replication-defective, yet RNAi did not reveal an essential role for the host factor in HIV-1 replication. Correlative analyses of protein binding and viral fitness were expanded here by targeting 12 residues at the IN-LEDGF/p75 binding interface. Whereas many of the resultant viruses were defective, the majority of the INs displayed wild-type in vitro integration activities. Though an overall trend of parallel loss of LEDGF/p75 binding and HIV-1 infectivity was observed, a strict correlation was not. His-tagged INA128Q, derived from a phenotypically wild-type virus, failed to pull-down LEDGF/p75, but INA128Q was effectively recovered in a reciprocal GST pull-down assay. Under these conditions, INH171A, also derived from a phenotypically wild-type virus, interacted less efficiently than a previously described interaction-defective mutant, INQ168A. Thus, the relative affinity of the in vitro IN-LEDGF/p75 interaction is not a universal predictor of IN mutant viral fitness

Chromatinized templates reveal the requirement for the LEDGF/p75 PWWP domain during HIV-1 integration in vitro

Integration is an essential step in the retroviral lifecycle, and the lentiviral integrase binding protein lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF)/p75 plays a crucial role during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) cDNA integration. In vitro, LEDGF/p75 stimulates HIV-1 integrase activity into naked target DNAs. Here, we demonstrate that this chromatin-associated protein also stimulates HIV-1 integration into reconstituted polynucleosome templates. Activation of integration depended on the LEDGF/p75-integrase interaction with either type of template. A differential requirement for the dominant DNA and chromatin-binding elements of LEDGF/p75 was however observed when using naked DNA versus polynucleosomes. With naked DNA, the complete removal of these N-terminal elements was required to abate cofactor function. With polynucleosomes, activation mainly depended on the PWWP domain, and to a lesser extent on nearby AT-hook DNA-binding motifs. GST pull-down assays furthermore revealed a role for the PWWP domain in binding to nucleosomes. These results are completely consistent with recent ex vivo studies that characterized the PWWP and integrase-binding domains of LEDGF/p75 as crucial for restoring HIV-1 infection to LEDGF-depleted cells. Our studies therefore establish novel in vitro conditions, highlighting chromatinized DNA as target acceptor templates, for physiologically relevant studies of LEDGF/p75 in lentiviral cDNA integration

Diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography scan in renal cell carcinoma

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is becoming more common over the world. At the same time, numerous European and North American countries have achieved lower death rates. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted from July 2013 to June 2014 in the department of radiology and imaging of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Clinically suspected 50 cases of renal cell carcinoma were included in this study. The study taken ethical clearance from the department and consent from the respondents. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software used for the analysis. Results: The mean age of the patients was 50.08±13.04 years. Male to female ratio was 2.1. More than half of the cases had hypodense lesion while 28% patients had calcification in the lesion. Mild enhancement was found in 56% cases and 50% were heterogenous in nature. Both nodal involvement and metastasis were limited. Computed tomography (CT) scan had 97.73% sensitivity and 100% specificity in diagnosis RCC. The diagnostic accuracy, positive predicative value and negative predicative values were 98%, 100% and 85.7 respectively. Conclusions: CT scan is a useful diagnostic modality in diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma

Do the dietary and lifestyle practices make the private medical students overweight: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh?

Introduction: Increased mechanization and change in the food patterns are leading to physical inactivity and more energy intake globally. That’s why, obesity and overweight are no longer confined to the industrialized countries; it has spread to the developing countries as well. In Bangladesh also over-nutrition is increasing alarmingly. As the future doctors, medical students should adopt healthy dietary and lifestyle practices from the very beginning of their youth for contributing more effectively and efficiently to the country’s healthcare. Objectives: The study assessed the prevalence of overweight, the dietary and lifestyle determinants of overweight among the students of an urban private medical college of Bangladesh. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ibrahim Medical College, a private medical college in Dhaka city. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. Data Analysis was done by SPSS version 17.0 Results: The Prevalence of overweight among the medical students was found to be 27.16% (Male 39% and female 22%) . 58% of the respondents had positive family history of overweight/obesity and around 70% of them had positive family history of Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension. The dietary factors associated with overweight were increased frequency of eating at fast food shops and drinking sweetened tea or coffee. Among the lifestyle factors, liberal family rules regarding food, prolonged gap (?120 minutes) between waking up and having breakfast, taking meal while watching TV or using computer and inadequate sleep (&lt;7 hours of sleep) were found to be associated with being overweight. Binary logistic regression concludes that positive family history of overweight/obesity; inadequate sleep and a prolonged gap between waking up and having breakfast were significantly contributing to be overweight. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight among the urban private medical college students was found to be higher than the available data of overweight in Bangladesh. Along with dietary habits, lifestyle practices are also becoming more and more important determinants of being overweight. The medical students should be counseled and advised to bring positive attitude towards healthy lifestyle and dietary practices. Keywords: Non-communicable disease, overweight, obesity, medical students, BM

Ocular manifestations among the professional computer workers attending the out patient department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University : a cross sectional study

The computer vision syndrome has become a burning issue in this modern world with the advancement of the technology and its wide use. This study was planned to determine the prevalence of computer vision syndrome among professional computer workers as well as it’s associated risk factors. The cross-sectional study was conducted in the Departments of Community Ophthalmology and Ophthalmology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka from September 2017 to February 2020. The professionals using computer on an average 4 hours per day for a duration of at least 1 year attending out patient department for having treatment for their ocular problems were the study population. A total of 77 such subjects were consecutively included in the study. In this present study, the preva- lence of computer vision syndrome (CVS) was 46.8%. The present study demonstrated that middle class and upper-middle class professionals were more likely to be associated with CVS than the lower-middle class computer professionals with risk of developing CVS in former cohort was observed to be almost 3-fold (95% CI=1.1–7.5) higher than that in the latter cohort (p = 0.027). The duration of working on computer predisposes the development of CVS with mean duration of working was on an average 1.2 years higher in subjects with CVS than that in subjects without CVS. Subjects who maintained their level of personal computer(PC) at or above their eye level (while working on computer) were more prone to develop CVS with odds of developing the condition in them being 3.6(95% CI = 1.3-9.7) times higher than the subjects who maintained the level of PC below their eye level (p = 0.010). Glare display also emerged as significant predictor of CVS with odds having the condition being 9.8(95% CI = 1.1-88.6) times higher than that with PCs without glare display (p = 0.016). Seating posture at computer also have its impact on the development of CVS. Computer workers with inappro- priate seating posture are more often associated with the development CVS. The study concluded that over one-quarter of the computer professionals suffer from computer vision syndrome (CVS). The predominant symptoms of CVS are eye strain, irritation of eye, blurred vision and headache. The factors that contribute to the development of CVS are middle class and upper-middle class professionals, prolonged working exposure to computer, level of PC at or above the eye level of the workers, glare display on the screen and inappropriate seating posture. BSMMU J 2021; 14(3): 31-3

Comparison of intraocular pressure and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women attending outpatient department of BSMMU

In a menopausal lady, a reduced level of estrogen hormone leads to changes in the intraocular pressure (IOP) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in the eyes. This comparative study was carried out in the Outpatient Departments (OPD) of the Community Ophthalmology and Ophthalmology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, from April 2017 to June 2019 to identify any difference in IOP and RNFL thickness in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women aged 40-65 years. In this study, 60 pre-and post-menopausal women were included. Participants 40-50 years old with irregular menstruation were classified as group A, while those 51-65 years old with no menstruation for at least 12 months were classified as group B. More than one-fourth (26.7%) of participants had HTN in group A and 53.3% in group B. HTN was significantly associated with group B. The rise in menopausal age had a significant impact on the mean IOP and RNFL. The mean IOP in right eye (RE) was 11.80 (3.31) mm of Hg in Group A and 15.63 (3.01) mm of Hg in Group B. The mean IOP in left eye (LE) was 12.27(3.78) mm of Hg and 15.47(2.84) mm of Hg in Group A and Group B, respectively. The mean IOP of both eyes was 12.03±3.48 mmHg in Group A and 15.55±2.82 mmHg in Group B. The mean difference of IOP in RE, LE and both were statistically significant between the two groups. The mean RNFL in RE was 103.97±7.42 μm in Group A and 98.90±}6.21 μm in Group B. The mean RNFL in LE was 101.87±6.69 μm and 97.97±6.65 μm in Group A and Group B, respectively. The mean RNFL of both eyes was 102.92±7.77 μm in Group A and 98.45±7.86 μm in Group B. The mean RNFL was statistically significant between the two groups. Post-menopausal women are at an increased risk of developing elevated IOP and thin RNFL than premenopausal women. BSMMU J 2022; 15(2): 61-6

Comparison of serum homocysteine level in young and middle-aged adult patients with coronary artery disease

Deaths due to coronary artery disease have been increasing in young people aged 15 mmol/L) was 16.2% in Group I compared to 12.4% in Group II (P=0.001). Therefore, control measures for keeping homocysteine levels within the normal range in young people might be useful. BSMMU J 2022; 15(3): 197-20