Career Counseling at the Universities: The Bangladesh Scenario

In the backdrop of growing diversity of educational programs and jobs this paper looks into the needs and realities of career counseling at the university level with particular reference to the public and private universities of Bangladesh. A sample of 72 universities was taken by random selection for the study. Qualitative data for six aspects of career counseling viz., existence of career counseling center, presence of professional career counselor, arrangement of career fair or job fair, internship placement services, job placement services, and existence of alumni association were then collected from the websites of these universities and/or over phone as was necessary. Collected data were analyzed using the statistical tools of tabulation, proportions, and chart. It was found that half of the universities of Bangladesh – both public and private – virtually do not have career counseling programs. The universities of Bangladesh need to recognize the importance of career counseling and employ attention and efforts in pertinent activities for their own interest

Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma hominis, genitalium and Ureaplasma urealyticum by polymerase chain reaction in patients with sterile pyuria

Purpose: Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Ureaplasma urealyticum are associated with various diseases of the urogenital tract, but they are usually not detected by routine microbiological diagnosis

Predictive model of blood transfusion during CABG surgery in Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To determine predictors of need for transfusion of blood and blood products and create a clinical predictive model to reduce indiscriminate use of blood products during surgery. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 485 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery from January 2004 to December 2004 at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Independent predictors associated with transfusion were identified and a clinical prediction model developed. RESULTS: The transfusion rate was 37.1%. A predictive model was created based on the presence of pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, low ejection fraction and recent/ongoing myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: The study identifies some predictors of need for blood transfusion in patients undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. However, prospective studies with a larger sample of patients are needed to determine other predictors and their applicability in patient selection across institutions

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis among women attending gynecology and infertility clinics in Gaza, Palestine

SummaryBackgroundChlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium characterized by a biphasic developmental cycle of replication. The organism is recognized as one of the major causes of sexually transmissible human bacterial infection throughout the world. Since there have been no previous studies dealing with chlamydial diagnosis in Palestine, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of C. trachomatis infection among women attending gynecology and infertility clinics.MethodsEndocervical swabs were collected from 109 women, aged 18–52 years (median 29 years), attending gynecology and infertility clinics in Gaza. These specimens were processed using molecular (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA; IDEIA™ PCE Chlamydia) techniques.ResultsThe results obtained show that the overall prevalence rate of C. trachomatis was 20.2%. The sensitivity was 73% for the EIA, 86% for the MOMP (major outer membrane protein gene)-based PCR, and 100% for the plasmid-based PCR. Meanwhile the specificity was 94% for the EIA, 98% for the plasmid-based PCR, and 100% for the MOMP-based PCR. In multivariate analysis, only cervical discharge was significantly associated with positivity for C. trachomatis (adjusted odds ratio 5.6, 95% confidence interval 2.0–15.5; p=0.001).ConclusionsThe study revealed that a significant proportion of Palestinian women expressed evidence of exposure to C. trachomatis. Women with cervicitis are more likely to have been previously infected or exposed to Chlamydia infection. Furthermore, PCR proved to be superior and more efficient in the diagnosis of C. trachomatis than EIA

Maxillofacial Materials Reinforced with Various Concentrations of Polyhedral Silsesquioxanes

This study evaluates two mechanical properties, tensile strength and tear strength, of maxillofacial materials reinforced with functional polyhedral silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles at 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0% (mass/mass) loading. Adding POSS was found to significantly affect the overall tensile strength and extensibility of the maxillofacial material. Significant differences were found in mean peak load (p = .050) and extension before failure (p = .050), respectively, between concentrations of 0% and 5%. For tear resistance, a significant difference was observed in mean load (p = .002) between concentrations of 1% and 5%. Significant differences were also observed in extension before failure between concentrations of 0% and 1% (p = .002) and between 0% and 2% (p = .002). Increased resistance to tensile or shearing stresses could lead to greater clinical longevity. The following results suggest that functional nanoparticles can be used to improve properties without compromising clinical handling

Altered respiratory microbiota composition and functionality associated with asthma early in life

BACKGROUND: The microbiota of the respiratory tract has an important role in maintaining respiratory health. However, little is known on the respiratory microbiota in asthmatic patients among Middle Eastern populations. This study investigated the respiratory microbiota composition and functionality associated with asthma in Emirati subjects. METHODS: We performed 16S rRNA and ITS2-gene based microbial profiling of 40 expectorated sputum samples from adult and pediatric Emirati individuals averaging 52 and 7 years of age, respectively with or without asthma. RESULTS: We report bacterial difference belonging to Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria and Proteobacteria phyla between asthmatic and non-asthmatic controls. Similarly, fungal difference belonging to Ascomycota, Basidiomycota phyla and other unclassified fungi. Differential abundance testing among asthmatic individuals with relation to Asthma Control Test show a significant depletion of Penicillium aethiopicum and Alternaria spp., among poorly controlled asthmatics. Moreover, data suggest a significant expansion of Malassezia spp. and other unclassified fungi in the airways of those receiving steroids and leukotriene receptor antagonists’ combination therapy, in contrast to those receiving steroids alone. Functional profiling from 16S data showed marked differences between pediatric asthmatic and non-asthmatic controls, with pediatric asthmatic patients showing an increase in amino acid (p-value < 5.03 × 10− 7), carbohydrate (p-value < 4.76 × 10− 7), and fatty acid degradation (p-value < 6.65 × 10− 7) pathways, whereas non-asthmatic controls are associated with increase in amino acid (p-value < 8.34 × 10− 7), carbohydrate (p-value < 3.65 × 10− 7), and fatty acid (p-value < 2.18 × 10− 6) biosynthesis pathways in concordance with enterotype composition. CONCLUSIONS: These differences provide an insight into respiratory microbiota composition in Emirati population and its possible role in the development of asthma early in life. This study provides important information that may eventually lead to the development of screening biomarkers to predict early asthma development and novel therapeutic approaches

Location prediction based on a sector snapshot for location-based services

In location-based services (LBSs), the service is provided based on the users' locations through location determination and mobility realization. Most of the current location prediction research is focused on generalized location models, where the geographic extent is divided into regular-shaped cells. These models are not suitable for certain LBSs where the objectives are to compute and present on-road services. Such techniques are the new Markov-based mobility prediction (NMMP) and prediction location model (PLM) that deal with inner cell structure and different levels of prediction, respectively. The NMMP and PLM techniques suffer from complex computation, accuracy rate regression, and insufficient accuracy. In this paper, a novel cell splitting algorithm is proposed. Also, a new prediction technique is introduced. The cell splitting is universal so it can be applied to all types of cells. Meanwhile, this algorithm is implemented to the Micro cell in parallel with the new prediction technique. The prediction technique, compared with two classic prediction techniques and the experimental results, show the effectiveness and robustness of the new splitting algorithm and prediction technique

A new estimate of carbon for Bangladesh forest ecosystems with their spatial distribution and REDD+ implications

In tropical developing countries, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is becoming an important mechanism for conserving forests and protecting biodiversity. A key prerequisite for any successful REDD+ project, however, is obtaining baseline estimates of carbon in forest ecosystems. Using available published data, we provide here a new and more reliable estimate of carbon in Bangladesh forest ecosystems, along with their geo-spatial distribution. Our study reveals great variability in carbon density in different forests and higher carbon stock in the mangrove ecosystems, followed by in hill forests and in inland Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in the country. Due to its coverage, degraded nature, and diverse stakeholder engagement, the hill forests of Bangladesh can be used to obtain maximum REDD+ benefits. Further research on carbon and biodiversity in under-represented forest ecosystems using a commonly accepted protocol is essential for the establishment of successful REDD+ projects and for the protection of the country’s degraded forests and for addressing declining levels of biodiversity