Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of bacterial pathogens for uncomplicated urinary tract infection in female patients at a tertiary level hospital

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) remain the common infections in outpatients as well as hospitalized patients. Antimicrobials are frequently used drugs for the treatment of UTIs. Periodic evaluation of antimicrobial activity of different antimicrobial agents is essential as the pattern of antimicrobial sensitivity may vary over period. The aim of this study was to identify the antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of the isolated uropathogens in female patients in urinary tract infection at a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. Methods: This observational cross-sectional type of study was conducted in the department of pharmacology and therapeutics in collaboration with department of microbiology SBMC, outpatient department of medicine, and gynaecology and obstetrics, SBMCH, Barishal, from January 2017 to December 2017. Results: In this study, age of the subjects ranging from 18 to 65 years, majority subjects (57.0%) belonged to age group of 31-44 years. The mean age was found 44.5±9.1 years. Out of 200 cases, 83% cases hailing from rural area and 17% from urban site. In this study microbial culture result of uncomplicated UTI revealed that 103 (51.5%) of urine samples had significant bacteriuria. E. coli was found to be the most prevalent 47 (45.6%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae 18 (17.4%), Proteus spp. 11 (10.6%) and Enterobacter spp. 9 (8.7%). Conclusions: The pattern of resistance to commonly used antimicrobials for treating UTI alerts us against indiscriminate usage of antimicrobials

The Effects of Mothersa Profession on their Childrenas Academic Performance: An Econometric Analysis

This study focused on school going children s educational performances of working nonworking mothers Factors including parents highest level of education and their profession family income family size and the number of school-going siblings in the family were considered as the explanatory variables of educational performances Based on the primary data collected through a random sample survey of the students from two schools in Chittagong University campus and applying the regression analysis of the ANCOVA model this study found that mothers level of education and family income have a significantly positive impact on students academic performances though the mothers employment status has a negative impact except those who are employed in teaching profession Thus this study suggests that the ideal profession for mothers is teaching which plays a vital role on their children s educational performances than the other professional mother

PIPER CHABA EXTRACTS WITH ANTIBIOFILM ACTIVITY INFLUENCE ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC AND ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC RESPONSES IN DIABETIC WISTER RATS

Objectives: Piper chaba, native to South and Southeast Asia, has been traditionally used as a medicinal plant. Aim of this study was to evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities of P. chaba root extracts (RE) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats along with its antimicrobial activity. Methods: Diabetes was induced in Wister rats through the intraperitoneal administration of STZ (50 mg/kg b.w.). Antidiabetic and antilipidemic activities of the RE (in methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate and distilled water) were evaluated by administering oral dose (200 mg/kg b.w.) for 21 days. Metformin (12.1 mg/kg b.w.) was used as a positive control. Blood samples of rats were drawn by tail vein puncture and cardiac puncture to determine the fasting blood glucose (FBG) and serum level of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), respectively. Standard protocols were followed to determine the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against two different strains of bacteria. Results: Oral administration of P. chaba RE for 21 days resulted in a significant (p< 0.001) decrease in FBG and TC, TG, and LDL levels (p<0.001), when compared to the untreated diabetic rats. Significant (p<0.001) increase of HDL was observed when ethyl acetate and aqueous RE were administered. Out of four, two extracts showed varying antimicrobial activities, particularly against the gram-positive bacteria.  Conclusion: It became evident for the first time that P. chaba extracts possess antimicrobial activities and can serve as biochemical compounds with great alternative therapeutic potential in the management of diabetes and hypercholesterolemia

Milt quality determination of a critically endangered fish, olive barb (Puntius sarana, Ham.) in Bangladesh

The present study was aimed to evaluate the characteristics of the olive barb sperm. Milt was collected fortnightly from 49 male fish (mean weight 90.8 g and length 18.64 cm) from April to July in 2008. In the olive barb ejaculated milt, volume (µl/g), motility (%), duration of motility (s), concentration (x 10 super(10)/ml) and pH values were found to be 6.06±0.32, 88.27±0.71, 171.41±7.41, 5.16±0.05 and 7.75±0.04, respectively. Milt volume was significantly (P<0.05) correlated with sperm concentration. Milt volume, sperm concentration, motility and duration of motility significantly varied (P<0.05) during spawning season

Informal Sector Employment and Economic Growth: Evidence from Developing Countries in SDG Perspective

The understanding of the role of informal employment in economic growth is important to facilitate developing countries in safeguarding the decent work, productive employment, and inclusive growth agenda mentioned in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 8. The present study attempts to this end by investigating the role of informal employment on economic growth with an aim to assist in fulfilling target 8.3 of SDG. This study utilizes the data available for 20 developing countries for the period 2011–2019. Panel data analysis techniques have been applied, considering the percentage of total employment in the informal sector as the main explanatory variable of the models. The relevant macroeconomic indicators are included in the model as control variables. Empirical findings from Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), and Dynamic Fixed Effect (DFE) models indicate a positive effect of informal employment on the economic growth of developing countries. The other macroeconomic indicators, per capita income, national expenditure, money supply, and economic freedom, are also found to contribute to the economic growth of the selected countries. This study reveals an important bidirectional causal association between informal employment and economic growth, a unidirectional causal link from per capita income to informal employment and from informal employment to national expenditure. Taking into account the contribution of the informal sector to the economy, this study fosters the need for achieving the targets mentioned in SDG 8 by adopting appropriate policies rather than punishing this sector immediately

The effect of the informal sector on sustainable development: Evidence from developing countries

This study aims to explore the impact of the informal sector on the sustainability of development. A large panel data set of 50 developing countries that spans over 2010–2019 has been utilized to this end while the informal sector is evaluated in terms of working poverty. Selecting indicators from three dimensions of sustainability, that is, economy, society, and environment, this study has constructed three indices and combines those to construct a symptomatic composite index of sustainability. Both the short run and long run panel data models have been applied to empirically investigate the impact of informal economic activities on the sustainability of development. Economic growth, national expenditure, and economic freedom of countries are used as control variables in the models and the estimated outcomes are found to be robust in empirical investigations. The outcomes of the study imply that the informal sector plays a detrimental role in the sustainable development of developing countries while economic growth and economic freedom contribute positively. Therefore, the prescribed strategy is to reduce informality from business and other economic activities that limit the scope of the economies and to understand the domain through which interventions can be made to move to a more formal economy. Integration of informal business and SMEs into the formal sector and firm-level awareness building in Corporate Social Responsibility can also be suggested to find a path towards sustainable development in addition to increased economic growth and enhanced economic opportunities of the developing countries

The effect of the maternal vitamin D level on the risk of spontaneous pregnancy loss in the first trimester

Background: Pregnancy loss in the first trimester is one of the most disappointing matters for a mother. But spontaneous pregnancy loss in the first trimester is the most common negative outcome of pregnancy. It's estimated that about 10% of known pregnancies are lost in the first trimester whereas fewer than 4% of pregnancies miscarry in the second trimester. Aim of current study was to assess the effect of the maternal vitamin D level on the risk of spontaneous pregnancy loss in the first trimester.Methods: It was a case-control study conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, Sir Salimullah medical college Mitford hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period of September 2018 to August 2019. A total of 100 patients were included in this study. Statistical analyses of the results were obtained by using window-based computer software devised with SPSS version 22.0.Results: In analyzing the association of serum vitamin D status with first-trimester pregnancy state it was observed that more than half (52.0%) patients had severe deficiency (<10 ng/ml) in the case group and 14 (28.0%) patients in the control group. In total 24 (48.0%) patients had deficiency (10-20 ng/ml) in case and 35 (70.0%) in control group. Only 1 (2.0%) patient had insufficiency (21-29 ng/ml) in control group. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05) between the two groups.Conclusions: Maternal serum vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with early spontaneous pregnancy loss in the first trimester

Maxillary dental arch width changes by extraction and non-extraction orthodontic treatment among angle’s class I malocclusion patients

This study examined the pretreatment and post treatment dental arch width changes between the extraction and non-extraction cases in Angle’s class I patients. Sixty pre-treatment and post-treatment dental casts from 30 extractions and 30 non-extractions participants were selected for the study. The inter-canine and inter-molar maxillary arch width were measured by Vernier gauge caliper. An unpaired t-test was performed to evaluate the arch width changes between extraction and non-extraction groups. The results showed that inter-molar and inter-canine maxillary arch widths in the non-extraction group were slightly higher than those in the extraction group in both pre- and post-treatment, but the differences were not statistically significant. In conclusion, the extraction and non-extraction techniques used in orthodontic treatment did not change the inter-caning and inter-molar arch widths

Life cycle environmental sustainability and energy assessment of timber wall construction : a comprehensive overview

This article presents a comprehensive overview of the life cycle environmental and energy assessment for all residential and commercial constructions made of timber walls, globally. The study was carried out based on a systematic literature analysis conducted on the Scopus database. A total of 66 research articles were relevant to timber wall design. Among these, the residential construction sector received more attention than the commercial sector, while the low-rise construction (1–2 stories) gained more attention than high-rise construction (>5 stories). Most of these studies were conducted in Canada, Europe, Malaysia, and the USA. In addition, the end-of-life phase received limited attention compared to upstream phases in most of the studies. We compared all environmental and energy-based life cycle impacts that used “m2” as the functional unit; this group represented 21 research articles. Global warming potential was understandably the most studied life cycle environmental impact category followed by acidification, eutrophication, embodied energy, photochemical oxidation, and abiotic depletion. In terms of global warming impact, the external walls of low-rise buildings emit 18 to 702 kg CO2 kg eq./m2, while the internal walls of the same emit 11 kg CO2 kg eq./m2. In turn, the walls of high-rise buildings carry 114.3 to 227.3 kg CO2 kg eq./m2 in terms of global warming impact. The review highlights variations in timber wall designs and the environmental impact of these variations, together with different system boundaries and varying building lifetimes, as covered in various articles. Finally, a few recommendations have been offered at the end of the article for future researchers of this domain