Diagnosed hematological malignancies in Bangladesh - a retrospective analysis of over 5000 cases from 10 specialized hospitals

Background The global burden from cancer is rising, especially as low-income countries like Bangladesh observe rapid aging. So far, there are no comprehensive descriptions reporting diagnosed cancer group that include hematological malignancies in Bangladesh. Methods This was a multi-center hospital-based retrospective descriptive study of over 5000 confirmed hematological cancer cases in between January 2008 to December 2012. Morphological typing was carried out using the “French American British” classification system. Results A total of 5013 patients aged between 2 to 90 years had been diagnosed with malignant hematological disorders. A 69.2% were males (n = 3468) and 30.8% females (n = 1545), with a male to female ratio of 2.2:1. The overall median age at diagnosis was 42 years. Acute myeloid leukemia was most frequent (28.3%) with a median age of 35 years, followed by chronic myeloid leukemia with 18.2% (median age 40 years), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (16.9%; median age 48 years), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (14.1%; median age 27 years), multiple myeloma (10.5%; median age 55 years), myelodysplastic syndromes (4.5%; median age 57 years) and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (3.9%; median age 36 years). The least common was chronic lymphocytic leukemia (3.7%; median age 60 years). Below the age of 20 years, acute lymphoblastic leukemia was predominant (37.3%), followed by acute myeloid leukemia (34%). Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma had mostly occurred among older patients, aged 50-over. Conclusions For the first time, our study presents the pattern and distribution of diagnosed hematological cancers in Bangladesh. It shows differences in population distributions as compared to other settings with possibly a lower presence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. There might be under-reporting of affected women. Further studies are necessary on the epidemiology, genetics and potential environmental risk factors within this rapidly aging country

Halal Certification of Food, Nutraceuticals, and Pharmaceuticals in the Arab World

Food is an organic need and essential to our survival, whereas nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals play an important role in disease prevention and cure. The food processing and healthcare industries are often linked together for economic growth and health promotion. However, the complexity of the ingredients and processes led communities to question their motivation, accuracy, and imposed standards. Different standards are often applied to ensure high quality, reproducibility, and traceability. Many processed products contain ingredients derived from animals, where the consumption of such products is prohibited by several religions and lifestyles. Patients who want to avoid certain medications derived from animal need to know the source of origin and detailed ingredients contained in their medicines. Recently many Muslim and non-Muslim countries have realized the value of Halal products and led to an increase in Halal awareness. This chapter aims to provide more insight into the issue of Halal status of food and medications in the context of healthcare and describe the process of certification and the list of ingredients and drugs with potential non-Halal sources. Traceability procedure and identification of a long list of ingredients is a challenge but also key for verifying the Halal status of the end product. Implementation of Halal-Tayyib concept is essential to determine the Halalness of food and pharmaceuticals. To increase confidence, eliminate suspicion, and improve trust with producers, Halal certification is required. However, exerting 100% effort is possible, whereas achieving products that are 100% clean and pure and comply with Shari’ah is debatable