Rafiqul Islam

ORAL MAINTENANCE THERAPY FOR CHOLERA IN ADULTS

Abstract An oral solution containing glucose, sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium chloride or citrate was used as maintenance therapy for acute cholera. In comparison with control patients who received only intravenous replacement of their stool losses, the patients who received the oral solution required 80% less intravenous fluids for cure. This reduction in requirements for intravenous fluids could make therapy for acute cholera in adults more widely available.

Physico-Mechanical and Degradation Properties of Gamma-Irradiated Biocomposites of Jute Fabric-Reinforced Poly(caprolactone)

Jute fabric-reinforced poly(caprolactone) biocomposites (30–70% jute) were fabricated by compression molding. Tensile strength, tensile modulus, bending strength, bending modulus and impact strength of the non-irradiated composites (50% jute) were found to be 65 MPa, 0.75 GPa, 75 MPa, 4.2 GPa and 6.8 kJ/m2, respectively. The composites were irradiated with gamma radiation at different doses (50–1000 krad) at a dose rate of 232 krad/hr and mechanical properties were investigated. The irradiated composites containing 50% jute showed improved physico-mechanical properties. The degradation properties of the composites were observed. The morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscope.

Comparative Studies of Mechanical and Interfacial Properties Between Jute Fiber/PVC and E-Glass Fiber/PVC Composites

Composites (50 wt% fiber) of jute fiber reinforced polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix and E-glass fiber reinforced PVC matrix were prepared by compression molding. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength (TS), tensile modulus (TM), bending strength (BS), bending modulus (BM) and impact strength (IS) of both types of composites was evaluated and compared. Values of TS, TM, BS, BM and IS of jute fiber/PVC composites were found to be 45 MPa, 802 MPa, 46 MPa, 850 MPa and 24 kJ/m2, respectively. It was observed that TS, TM, BS, BM and IS of E-glass fiber/PVC composites were found to increase by 44, 80, 47, 92 and 37.5%, respectively. Thermal properties of the composites were also carried out, which revealed that thermal stability of E-glass fiber/PVC system was higher. The interfacial adhesion between the fibers (jute and E-glass) and matrix was studied by means of critical fiber length and interfacial shear strength that were measured by single fiber fragmentation test. Fracture sides after flexural testing of both types of the composites were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Household air pollution from cooking and risk of adverse health and birth outcomes in Bangladesh: a nationwide population-based study

BackgroundHousehold air pollution (HAP) from cooking with solid fuels has become a leading cause of death and disability in many developing countries including Bangladesh. We assess the association between HAP and risk of selected adverse birth and maternal health outcomes.MethodsData for this study were extracted from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey conducted during 2007–2014. Selected adverse birth outcomes were acute respiratory infection (ARI) among children, stillbirth, low birth weight (LBW), under-five mortality, neonatal mortality and infant mortality. Maternal pregnancy complications and cesarean delivery were considered as the adverse maternal health outcomes. Place of cooking, use of solid fuel within the house boundary and in living room were the exposure variables. To examine the association between exposure and outcome variables, we used a series of multiple logistic regression models accounted for complex survey design.ResultsAround 90% of the respondents used solid fuel within the house boundary, 11% of them used solid fuel within the living room. Results of multiple regression indicated that cooking inside the house increased the risk of neonatal mortality (aOR,1.25; 95% CI, 1.02–1.52), infant mortality (aOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.00–1.40), ARI (aOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.08–1.33), LBW (aOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.10–1.43), and cesarean delivery (aOR,1.18; 95% CI, 1.01–1.29). Use of solid fuel, irrespective of cooking places, increased the risk of pregnancy complications (aOR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.19–1.55). Compared to participants who reported cooking outside the house, the risk of ARI, LBW were significantly high among those who performed cooking within the house, irrespective of type of cooking fuel.ConclusionIndoor cooking and use of solid fuel in household increase the risk of ARI, LBW, cesarean delivery, and pregnancy complication. These relationships need further investigation using more direct measures of smoke exposure and clinical measures of health outcomes. The use of clean fuels and structural improvement in household design such as provision of stove ventilation should be encouraged to reduce such adverse health consequences.Trail registrationData related to health were collected by following the guidelines of ICF international and Bangladesh Medical Research Council. The registration number of data collection was 132,989.0.000, and the data-request was registered on March 11, 2015.

Knowledge and awareness about STDs among women in Bangladesh.

BackgroundKnowledge and awareness concerning sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has become the burning issue of the day. Although STDs pose serious risks to health security, there is very little literature quantifying the knowledge and awareness of these diseases and their principal socioeconomic determinants. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of different socio-economic and demographic factors on knowledge and awareness about STDs among women in Bangladesh.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study using data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011. It involves 10,996 women in six divisions of Bangladesh – Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Barisal, Khulna and Sylhet. In this study, the percentage distribution and logistic regression model are used to identify which factors are associated with knowledge and awareness among women in Bangladesh about STDs.ResultsThere is a significant association between geographic division (Dhaka: OR = 1.669, 95% CI = 0.89-2.10, Khulna: OR = 2.234, 95% CI = 1.2-3.2); places of residence (Rural: OR = 0.363, 95% CI = 0.20-1.08), respondent’s age (20-29 years: OR = 1.331; 95% CI = 0.98-2.31); education (Primary: OR = 2.366, 95% CI = 1.98-3.1, secondary: OR = 10.089, 95% CI = 8.98-12.77, higher: OR = 20.241, 95% CI = 18.33-22.65); listening to radio (OR = 1.189, 95% CI = 1.29-3.12) and watching TV (OR = 2.498, 95% CI = 2.22-4.09) with knowledge and awareness among women in Bangladesh about STDs.ConclusionThere is a need to improve the education in Bangladesh about STDs particularly among those in the rural areas and older ages of women (30-49 years). Formal, informal and special educational knowledge and awareness programmes may be implemented to educate people concerning STDs in Rajshahi, Sylhet and Chittangong division. Campaigns and mass media can be used to increase the knowledge and awareness among the community, especially among women. Policies concerning the issue of STDs need to be improved and can be emphasized in collaboration with government agencies to ensure the success of these campaigns.

Effect of the Incorporation of PVC on the Mechanical Properties of the Jute-Reinforced LLDPE Composite

Jute fabrics-reinforced linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) matrix composites (50 wt% fiber) were prepared by compression molding and mechanical properties were studied. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix was incorporated instead of LLDPE in the jute based composites and their mechanical properties were investigated and compared with the control composites. It was found that with the increase of PVC in the LLDPE based composites, the mechanical properties were found to improve significantly. Degradation tests of the composites for upto 24 weeks were performed in soil medium. Water uptake and Thermo-mechanical properties of the composites were also studied.

The effect of multiwall carbon nanotube additions on the thermo-mechanical, electrical, and morphological properties of gelatin–polyvinyl alcohol blend nanocomposite

A highly stable and uniform dispersion of multiwall carbon nanotubes in aqueous solution was achieved to prepare multiwall carbon nanotubes/gelatin–polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposites with varying multiwall carbon nanotubes content using solution casting. Optical microscopic images confirmed the homogenous dispersion and distribution of multiwall carbon nanotubes in solution and polymer matrix. The tensile strength and tensile modulus of the composite containing 1% multiwall carbon nanotubes (wt/wt) were found to increase by 128.1 and 284.8% compared to that of the gelatin–polyvinyl alcohol blend. Dynamic mechanical analysis revealed an increase in the storage modulus and a decrease in the loss factor (tan delta) for the composite. Electrical properties exhibited a typical percolation behavior when a small amount of multiwall carbon nanotubes (0.1 wt%) was loaded. X-ray diffraction showed that incorporation of multiwall carbon nanotubes increased the crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy also showed a homogeneous distribution of multiwall carbon nanotubes in the composite matrix. The nanocomposites were further characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermo-gravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry.

Thermo-therapeutic applications of chitosan- and PEG-coated NiFe2O4 nanoparticles.

The paper reports the thermo-therapeutic applications of chitosan- and PEG-coated nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles. In this study NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by the co-precipitation method, tuning the particle size through heat treatment in the temperature range from 200-800 °C for 3 h. XRD and TEM analysis revealed that the the ultrafine nanoparticles were of size 2-58 nm. Crystallinity of the NiFe2O4 nanoparticles in the as-dried condition with the particle size ∼2-3 nm was confirmed from the presence of a lattice fringe in the HRTEM image. VSM measurements showed that a superparamagnetic/ferromagnetic transition occurs with increasing particle size, which was further confirmed by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The nickel ferrite nanoparticles with optimum particle size of 10 nm were then coated with materials commonly used for biomedical applications, i.e. chitosan and PEG, to form homogeneous suspensions. The hydrodynamic diameter and the polydispersity index (PDI) were analyzed by dynamic light scattering at the physiological temperature of 37 °C and found to be 187 nm and 0.21 for chitosan-coated nanoparticles and 285 nm and 0.32 for PEG-coated ones. The specific loss power of rf induction heating by the set-up for hyperthermia and r 2 relaxivity by the nuclear magnetic resonance were determined. The results of induction heating measurements showed that the temperature attained by the nanoparticles of size 10 nm and concentration of about 20 mg ml(-1) was >70 °C (for chitosan) and >64 °C (for PEG). It has been demonstrated that the required temperature for hyperthermia heating could be tuned by tuning the particle size, shape and magnetization and the concentration of solution. For other potential biomedical applications of the NiFe2O4 nanoparticle solution, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging, the NMR studies yielded the T 1 and T 2 relaxivities as 0.348 and 89 mM(-1) s(-1) respectively. The fact that the T 2 relaxivity is orders of magnitude higher than T 1 indicates that this is suitable as a T 2 contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging.

THREATENED FISHES OF THE WORLD: Cirrhinus reba (Hamilton 1822) (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae)

The threatened Reba carp Cirrhinus reba is one of the foods high in nutritional value in Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. However, natural populations have been declined due to overexploitation and various ecological changes in its natural habitats leading to an alarming condition and deserving high conservation importance. This paper recommends actions for the conservation of the remaining isolated population of C. reba in Asian countries.

THREATENED FISHES OF THE WORLD: Eutropiichthys vacha (Hamilton, 1822) (Siluriformes: Schilbeidae)

River catfish Eutropiichthys vacha is one of the foods high in nutritional value in Asian countries. However, natural populations have seriously declined or are on the verge of extinction due to over-exploitation and various ecological changes in its natural habitats, leading to an alarm- ing situation which deserves high conservation attention. This paper suggests conservation measures that should be taken into account to- wards the preservation of the remnant isolated population of E. vacha in Asian countries.