Outbreak of diarrheal diseases causes mortality in different geographical locations of Bangladesh during the 2021 COVID-19 era

ObjectivesDiarrhea is a major public health problem in low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh. Of the different spectrums of diarrheal diseases, cholera occurs every year, causing outbreaks and epidemics following a biannual seasonal pattern. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalization for diarrheal diseases decreased in 2020 compared to the previous years. However, in 2021, massive outbreaks occurred in different geographical locations of the country. We described that an outbreak of diarrheal diseases causes mortality in different geographical locations in Bangladesh.MethodIn this study, we present a report of diarrhea outbreaks that were reported in 2018–2021 in different parts of Bangladesh, and data have been captured from different sources such as print and electronic media as well as from a nationwide surveillance system.ResultsAmong these locations, districts of Barisal Division, Kishorganj, Noakhali, Gopalganj, Bandarban, and Chattogram were the major hotspots of the outbreaks where high morbidity due to acute watery diarrhea and even mortality, which is usually low in Bangladesh, were recorded.ConclusionEarly detection and prevention and strengthening of the surveillance system are needed to combat the diarrheal upsurge, take immediate control, and adopt preventive strategies

Impacts of co-management on fish biodiversity and livelihoods of fishers of Baikka beel, Moulvibazar, Bangladesh

Co-management plays a significant role in fisheries and natural resources management. In the case of fisheries, it has most often been taken to mean a sharing of responsibility for sustainable resource management between government and fishing communities. Baikka Beel, situated in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh has been identified and established as a wetland sanctuary by local community members in conjunction with the Management of Aquatic Ecosystem through Community Husbandry (MACH) project. In this study, the role of co-management institutions, including federations of resource user groups (FRUGs) and resource management organizations (RMOs) were investigated on sustainable wetland resource management and fish production and biodiversity in Baikka Beel. Study results shown that the knowledge and attitudes of MACH fishers towards sustainable resource management were positive and optimistic than non-MACH fishers; MACH fishers were involved with AIGAs. The results from independent samples t-test showed that the income of MACH group from fishing was significantly lower than the income of non-MACH group while income from AIGAs of MACH group was significantly higher than the income of non-MACH group. Fishing rights of both MACH and non-MACH fishers are not well established due to current leasing system. Both production and biodiversity of fish has been improved due to community-based sustainable management of Baikka Beel

Insights from a computational analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: Host-pathogen interaction, pathogenicity, and possible drug therapeutics

[Introduction] Prominently accountable for the upsurge of COVID-19 cases as the world attempts to recover from the previous two waves, Omicron has further threatened the conventional therapeutic approaches. The lack of extensive research regarding Omicron has raised the need to establish correlations to understand this variant by structural comparisons. Here, we evaluate, correlate, and compare its genomic sequences through an immunoinformatic approach to understand its epidemiological characteristics and responses to existing drugs. [Methods] We reconstructed the phylogenetic tree and compared the mutational spectrum. We analyzed the mutations that occurred in the Omicron variant and correlated how these mutations affect infectivity and pathogenicity. Then, we studied how mutations in the receptor-binding domain affect its interaction with host factors through molecular docking. Finally, we evaluated the drug efficacy against the main protease of the Omicron through molecular docking and validated the docking results with molecular dynamics simulation. [Results] Phylogenetic and mutational analysis revealed the Omicron variant is similar to the highly infectious B.1.620 variant, while mutations within the prominent proteins are hypothesized to alter its pathogenicity. Moreover, docking evaluations revealed significant differences in binding affinity with human receptors, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and NRP1. Surprisingly, most of the tested drugs were proven to be effective. Nirmatrelvir, 13b, and Lopinavir displayed increased effectiveness against Omicron. [Conclusion] Omicron variant may be originated from the highly infectious B.1.620 variant, while it was less pathogenic due to the mutations in the prominent proteins. Nirmatrelvir, 13b, and Lopinavir would be the most effective, compared to other promising drugs that were proven effective

Roles of Stakeholders Towards Project Success: A Conceptual Study

Stakeholder plays significant roles in project success. They ensure clear communication of project goals, contribute to decision-making, and demonstrate commitment, increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes. They also act as advocates within their organizations, generating buy-in and support. The main purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the roles of shareholders in a project success. The paper is conceptual in nature and uses a number literatures ranging from 2007 to 2023 from a good number of journals. After scrutinized the literature review, the paper concludes a number of findings. The findings implies that stakeholders in a project is crucial for its success and sustainability. They play a significant role in ensuring the performance of the project. Project managers need to acquire stakeholder management skills to address the communication requirements of stakeholders. This is important for the success of the project. The paper recommend that policymakers, practitioners and academia have to ensure the expectations and make a balance among the stakeholders

In Vivo Antidiarrheal and Cytotoxic Potential of Different Fractions of Pandanus Foetidus Leaves

Abstract This study investigated the antidiarrheal and cytotoxic effects of methanol, petroleum ether, chloroform and aqueous fractions of Pandanus foetidus leaf extract. Antidiarrheal effect was measured in castor oil induced-diarrhea, -enteropooling and -gastrointestinal motility (GI) test models in albino mice. Cytotoxicity was investigated in brine shrimp lethality bioassay. All data were analyzed by the software, statistical package for social science (SPSS), Version 18.0. The extracts (200 mg/kg) showed a remarkable antidiarrheal activity by reducing the number of defecation and maintaining the consistency of feces. The petroleum ether, chloroform and aqueous fraction of the extract significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited the diarrheal incidence at the dose of 200 mg/kg. Castor oil induced enteropooling and fluid accumulation was significantly reduced by methanol and chloroform fraction, whereas gastrointestinal motility was shrunk by the aqueous fraction only. Loperamide was used as a reference drug in the above mentioned models. In cytotoxicity test, the lowest LC 50 was found to be 106.97 μg/ml by the chloroform fraction of the extract. The results demonstrated that Pandanus foetidus extract could be used as pharmaceutical preparation of antidiarrheal and cytotoxic agent obtained from appropriate solvent system

Use of oral cholera vaccine as a vaccine probe to determine the burden of culture-negative cholera.

Analyses of stool from patients with acute watery diarrhea (AWD) using sensitive molecular diagnostics have challenged whether fecal microbiological cultures have acceptably high sensitivity for cholera diagnosis. If true, these findings imply that current estimates of the global burden of cholera, which rely largely on culture-confirmation, may be underestimates. We conducted a vaccine probe study to evaluate this possibility, assessing whether an effective killed oral cholera vaccine (OCV) tested in a field trial in a cholera-endemic population conferred protection against cholera culture-negative AWD, with the assumption that if cultures are indeed insensitive, OCV protection in such cases should be detectable. We re-analysed the data of a Phase III individually-randomized placebo-controlled efficacy trial of killed OCVs conducted in Matlab, Bangladesh in 1985. We calculated the protective efficacy (PE) of a killed whole cell-only (WC-only) OCV against first-episodes of cholera culture-negative AWD during two years of post-dosing follow-up. In secondary analyses, we evaluated PE against cholera culture-negative AWD by age at vaccination, season of onset, and disease severity. In this trial 50,770 people received at least 2 complete doses of either WC-only OCV or placebo, and 791 first episodes of AWD were reported during the follow-up period, of which 365 were culture-positive for Vibrio cholerae O1. Of the 426 culture-negative AWD episodes, 215 occurred in the WC group and 211 occurred in the placebo group (adjusted PE = -1.7%; 95%CI -23.0 to 13.9%, p = 0.859). No measurable PE of OCV was observed against all or severe cholera culture-negative AWD when measured overall or by age and season subgroups. In this OCV probe study we detected no vaccine protection against AWD episodes for which fecal cultures were negative for Vibrio cholera O1. Results from this setting suggest that fecal cultures from patients with AWD were highly sensitive for cholera episodes that were etiologically attributable to this pathogen. Similar analyses of other OCV randomized controlled trials are recommended to corroborate these findings

Protection conferred by typhoid fever against recurrent typhoid fever in urban Kolkata.

We evaluated the protection conferred by a first documented visit for clinical care of typhoid fever against recurrent typhoid fever prompting a visit. This study takes advantage of multi-year follow-up of a population with endemic typhoid participating in a cluster-randomized control trial of Vi capsular polysaccharide typhoid vaccine in Kolkata, India. A population of 70,566 individuals, of whom 37,673 were vaccinated with one dose of either Vi vaccine or a control (Hepatitis A) vaccine, were observed for four years. Surveillance detected 315 first typhoid visits, among whom 4 developed subsequent typhoid, 3 due to reinfection, defined using genomic criteria and corresponding to -124% (95% CI: -599, 28) protection by the initial illness. Point estimates of protection conferred by an initial illness were negative or negligible in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated subjects, though confidence intervals around the point estimates were wide. These data provide little support for a protective immunizing effect of clinically treated typhoid illness, though modest levels of protection cannot be excluded