Inequality of handwashing practice using antimicrobial agents in Bangladesh: a household level analyses.

OBJECTIVES: About 2.3 billion individuals worldwide are still deprived of the amenity of handwashing with antimicrobial agents. The progress of handwashing with antimicrobial agents in Bangladesh is relatively slower than in many developing countries. The objective of this study was to capture the inequality of the prevalence of handwashing with antimicrobial agents and to identify the factors that are potentially contributing to socio-economic inequalities of handwashing practice in Bangladesh. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: The present study used the nationally representative cross-sectional data from the latest Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2017-18. A total of 19,457 households were included in the analysis of this study. A regression-based decomposition method was applied to assess the socio-economic contributors of inequality. RESULTS: This study showed that only 38% of Bangladeshi households wash their hands with antimicrobial agents while a pro-rich socio-economic inequality was observed. Household's wealth index was responsible for about 46% of the overall inequality of handwashing with antimicrobial agents while the type of place for handwashing variable contributed 38% of total inequalities. Hygienic toilet facilities (12%) and exposure to mass media (7.4%) are other determinants of total inequalities of handwashing with antimicrobial agents. CONCLUSIONS: Despite recent declines in attributable mortality, handwashing with antimicrobial agents remains an important determinant of public health problems in many developing countries like Bangladesh. The regular programs aimed at promoting best hand hygiene practices and ensuring the availability of the necessary infrastructure at the community level will be important measures to eliminate this inequality at the population level.

Comparative genomics of Vibrio cholerae O1 isolated from cholera patients in Bangladesh.

Whole genome sequencing was utilized to investigate the genomic profile of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains, isolated from symptomatic patients in a low-income urban area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Comparative genomics using bioinformatics tools were applied to identify major virulence factors, biotype and antimicrobial resistance genes in three V. cholerae O1 strains (VC-1, 2 and 3) isolated from two case patients. A phylogenetic SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism)-based analysis was conducted to infer the relatedness to V. cholerae O1 strains isolated elsewhere. The V. cholerae strains were the El Tor variant carrying ctxB1 (standard classical genotype). SNP-based global phylogeny revealed that the three isolates were strictly clonal and the closest neighbouring genomes were epidemic clones of V. cholerae O1 isolated in 2010 from cholera patients in Pakistan. All strains harboured the integrase gene of the SXT element (intSXT ), antimicrobial resistance genes for aminoglycosides, phenicol, sulphonamide and trimethoprim except VC-1 that lacked sulphonamide resistance genes. The multilocus sequence typing (MLST) revealed that the strains belonged to sequence type, ST69. The study provides knowledge on current genetic traits of clinical V. cholerae O1 circulating in urban household clusters of Bangladesh which may help in predicting emergence of new pandemic strains in Bangladesh. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Vibrio cholerae has frequently experienced genetic changes with rapid evolution of pandemic clones in the Ganges Delta region. Whole genome sequencing can reveal genetic information of current pathogenic V. cholerae in Bangladesh which includes cefotaxime genotypes, virulence factors, altered antimicrobial resistance pattern as well as mobile genetic element compared to global pandemic strains. This study data could be used in planning future surveillance strategies in Ganges Delta region by informing new epidemiology of current outbreak strains.

Enhancement of reproductive performances of Gangetic leaffish, Nandus nandus through up regulation of serum Ca²âº concentration, improved morphological alteration of liver and ovary with dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as biofunctional compounds with feed is an effective way for gonadal maturation without any hazardous effects on animal health, and thus it is possible to save the vulnerable species from the danger of extinction. In the present study sperm quality, level of Ca(2+) concentration in serum, histological structure of the liver and developmental stages of ovary of an endangered fish species, Nandus nandus were investigated for the confirmation of the positive effects of PUFAs in reproduction and gonadal maturation. Fishes were collected from Brahmaputra River, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Treated group was fed 1% squid extracted phospholipid supplemented diet that was mixed with silver carp fish muscle where as controlled group was fed the same except phospholipid. For histology of liver and gonads, samples were dehydrated, cleaned and infiltrated, embedded in paraffin wax and sectioned. After that, the samples were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The photomicrographs of the stained samples were taken by using light microscope. In comparison with the control group, treated group exhibited higher gonadal maturation which resulted in spontaneous spawning. Treated female demonstrated advanced gonadal developmental stages in comparison with the controlled female during different months. During spawning season, lipid granules and normal morphological alteration were observed in case of treated fish liver, whereas less lipid granules with more histological alteration of liver were observed in control group. Serum Ca(2+) concentration in treated female was found significantly higher (P < 0.01) in contrast to the controlled female during the breeding season which was an indicator of the augment of estrogen secretion during ovarian maturation. Better sperm quality, early maturation of oocytes, less histological alteration of liver hepatocytes and spontaneous spawning performances of PUFA-treated fish were as a result of the efficiency of PUFAs in enhancing maturation. The experiment suggests that supplementation of dietary PUFAs improve the spawning performances of fish.

Measurement of radioactivity in soils of Karamjal and Harbaria mangrove forest of Sundarbans for establishment of radiological database.

This work presents the first in-depth study of soil radioactivity in the mangrove forest of Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans. It used HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry to measure the amount of natural radioactivity in soil samples from Karamjal and Harbaria sites of the world's largest mangrove forest. The activity concentrations of most of the 226Ra (14±2 Bqkg-1 to 35±4 Bqkg-1) and 232Th (30±5 Bqkg-1 to 50±9 Bqkg-1) lie within the world average values, but the 40K concentration (370± 44 Bqkg-1 to 660±72 Bqkg-1) was found to have exceeded the world average value. The evaluation of radiological hazard parameters revealed that the outdoor absorbed dose rate (maximum 73.25 nGyh-1) and outdoor annual effective dose (maximum 0.09 mSvy-1) for most samples exceeded the corresponding world average values. The elevated concentration of 40K is mainly due to the salinity intrusion, usage of fertilizers and agricultural runoff, and migration of waste effluents along the riverbanks. Being the pioneering comprehensive research on the Bangladesh side of the Sundarbans, this study forms a baseline radioactivity for the Sundarbans before the commissioning of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh.

YbNiB(4): a Kondo lattice with low-dimensional antiferromagnetic fluctuations.

We have grown single crystals of YbNiB(4) using a Ni(60)B(40) flux and determined the magnetic properties of this compound by means of magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and electrical resistivity measurement. Yb ions in YbNiB(4) are in a trivalent state and present a transition from a paramagnetic state to an antiferromagnetic (AF) state at T(N1) = 5.4 K and a further transition towards a second AF state at T(N2) = 4.0 K. Kondo type behavior in the resistivity and an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient γ = 100 mJ mol(-1) K(-2) provide evidence for a significant Kondo interaction. A broad maximum in χ(T) at around 8 K, well above T(N1), suggests low-dimensional antiferromagnetic correlations. Both mechanisms lead to strong fluctuation in an extended temperature range above T(N1), up to the characteristic energy of this system, which was estimated to be T(4f) = 16 K from an analysis of the entropy.

Superconductivity and magnetism in K-doped EuFe(2)As(2).

Superconductivity is found in 50% K-doped EuFe(2)As(2) samples below 33 K. Our results from electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and (57)Fe and (151)Eu Mössbauer spectroscopy provide clear evidence that the ordering of the Fe moments observed at 190 K in undoped EuFe(2)As(2) is completely suppressed in our 50% K-doped sample; thus there is no coexistence of the Fe magnetic order and the superconducting state. However, short range ordering of the Eu moments coexists with the superconducting state below 15 K. A bump in the susceptibility well below T(c) as well as the broadening of the Fe Mössbauer line below 27 K evidence an interplay between the Eu magnetism and the superconducting state.

Ferromagnetic resonance studies of strain tuned Bi:YIG films.

Bismuth-doped Yttrium iron garnet (Bi:YIG) thin films known for large magneto-optical activity with low losses still need to get probed for its magnetization dynamics. We demonstrate a controlled tuning of magnetocrystalline anisotropy in Bi-doped Y3Fe5O12 (Bi:YIG) films of high crystalline quality using growth induced epitaxial strain on [1 1 1]-oriented Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG) substrate. We optimize a growth protocol to get thick highly-strained epitaxial films showing large magneto-crystalline anisotropy, compare to thin films prepared using a different protocol. Ferromagnetic resonance measurements establish a linear dependence of the out-of-plane uniaxial anisotropy on the strain induced rhombohedral distortion of Bi:YIG lattice. Interestingly, the enhancement in the magnetoelastic constant due to an optimum substitution of Bi3+ ions with strong spin orbit coupling does not strongly affect the precessional damping (∼[Formula: see text]). Large magneto-optical activity, reasonably low damping, large magnetocrystalline anisotropy and large magnetoelastic coupling in Bi:YIG are the properties that may help Bi:YIG emerge as a possible material for photo-magnonics and other spintronics applications.

Thermal transport studies on charge density wave materials LaPt2Si2 and PrPt2Si2.

We measured the thermal properties of polycrystalline samples of LaPt2Si2 and PrPt2Si2 using thermopower (S) along with thermal conductivity (κ) in the temperature range 10 K-300 K. Significant anomalies related to charge density waves (CDW) around 112 K and 88 K respectively have been observed in [Formula: see text] in both systems. Analysis of thermopower by a two band model suggests that the observations are consistent with a reduction of electron charge density. A change in slope accompanied by a drop in the value of thermal conductivity has been observed around T CDW in case of LaPt2Si2. Analysis of thermal conductivity of this material suggests that the CDW mainly affects electronic contribution to thermal transport. Only a slight change of slope has been detected in temperature dependent thermal conductivity in the case of PrPt2Si2 around T CDW, while its resistivity shows a clear anomaly which shows that electronic part of thermal conductivity is mainly influenced by the CDW in this case also. It is interesting to note that the lattice contribution to thermal conductivity remains unaffected by the CDWs in both materials.

Kondo effect with tunable spin-orbit interaction in LaTiO3/CeTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructure.

We have fabricated epitaxial films of CeTiO3 (CTO) on (0 0 1) oriented SrTiO3 (STO) substrates, which exhibit highly insulating and diamagnetic properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to establish the 3+ valence state of the Ce and Ti ions. Furthermore, we have also fabricated δ (CTO) doped LaTiO3 (LTO)/SrTiO3 thin films which exhibit variety of interesting properties including Kondo effect and spin-orbit interaction (SOI) at low temperatures. The SOI shows a non-monotonic behaviour as the thickness of the CTO layer is increased and is reflected in the value of characteristic SOI field ([Formula: see text]) obtained from weak anti-localization fitting. The maximum value of [Formula: see text] is 1.00 T for δ layer thickness of 6 u.c. This non-monotonic behaviour of SOI is attributed to the strong screening of the confining potential at the interface. The screening effect is enhanced by the CTO layer thickness and the dielectric constant of STO which increases at low temperatures. Due to the strong screening, electrons confined at the interface are spread deeper into the STO bulk where it starts to populate the Ti [Formula: see text] subbands; consequently the Fermi level crosses over from [Formula: see text] to the [Formula: see text] subbands. At the crossover region of [Formula: see text] where there is orbital mixing, SOI goes through a maximum.

Quantitative Analysis of Nucleic Acid Extraction Methods for Vibrio cholerae Using Real-time PCR and Conventional PCR.

The devastating diarrheal disease cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Nucleic acid extraction is the primary step for several molecular detection approaches. In order to identify the sources of cholera illness, an efficient, fast and easy DNA extraction method for toxigenic Vibrio cholerae is desired which can be applied on diverse type of samples. This methodology developmental setup study was performed in the Environmental Microbiology Lab, Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh from March 2015 to May 2015 attempted to compare three DNA extraction methods for efficient detection and quantification of Vibrio cholerae. Three nucleic acid extraction methods: (Boiled template, Phenol: Chloroform: Isoamyl alcohol, QiaAmp® mini kit), were assessed for four, routinely tested, templates: crude culture, suspension in water, phosphate buffer saline (PBS), and food by conventional and real time PCR targeting the toxin-coding ctxA gene. Finally, the results were compared in context of processing time and overall cost. Cycle threshold (Ct) values were within acceptable parameters by real time PCR (5 to 35 cycles). All the three extraction methods produced sufficient yield of DNA and copy number for detection by real time and conventional PCR. The boiled template method for water samples yielded low amount of DNA in comparison to the other methods, and is therefore sensitive to detect by non-quantitative, conventional PCR only. Despite an overall low detectability from water samples, our comparison reveals that the boiled template method is the most suitable method for high quality and quantity pathogenic DNA particularly in light of limited access to expensive kits and reagents, time constraints, and high sample load.

Doppler evaluation of left to right shunt (Qp/Qs) in patients with isolated ventricular septal defect (Vsd).

A prospective observational study was carried out in the department of cardiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in collaboration with the department of cardiology, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka from January 2000 to October 2001. All the patients were clinically evaluated. ECG & Doppler echocardiography were done.All the patients underwent cardiac catheterization. Complex congenital heart disease & cyanotic heart disease patients were excluded from the study. Doppler estimated pulmonary to systemic blood flow ratio (Qp/Qs) was done by conventional (velocity time integral method) method. In cardiac catheterization Qp/Qs ratio derived from oximetric data which has become a well established part of clinical practice. Doppler derived Qp/Qs were compared with catheter derived Qp/Qs. 30 patients with VSD were included. In those patients Doppler derived Qp/Qs ranged from maximum 4.5 to minimum 1.10. Mean (+/-SD) was 1.88+/-0.86 In patients with VSD mean (+/-SD) Qp/Qs at catheterization was 1.80+/-0.80. Qp/Qs ranged from maximum 4.10 to minimum 1.1 In those patients the correlation coefficient for invasively determined Qp/Qs versus Doppler estimated Qp/Qs was .92 (standard error of estimate [SEE] = 0.19) & the line of regression passed close to the origin. The results of this study demonstrate that The Doppler technique allows the noninvasive evaluation of Qp/Qs with a high degree of accuracy & allows determination of the stage of VSD by the consecutive assessment of shunt magnititude.

Evaluation of stentangioplasty in university cardiac center.

In this ongoing prospective study conducted in University Cardiac Center, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, from July 2004 to January 2006. Fifty (50) patients (mean age 56+/-7.2 years) underwent stentangioplasty were evaluated. The study group of 50 patients consisted of 42 (84%) men and 08 (16%) women. The aim of this study was to evaluate in-hospital success, failure and complications during the procedures. About risk factors 19(38%) had hypertension, 13(26%) were smoker, 11(22%) suffered from diabetes mellitus, 05(10%) had family history of ischaemic heart disease. Average left ventricular ejection fraction was 54+/-7. Target vessel percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) were done in 61 vessel, intracoronary stent implanted in 58 vessels, direct stenting were done in 35 cases, failed PTCA were in 03(6%) cases and two had dissection. The native vessels had a mean reference diameter of 2.91 mm and their luminal diameter increased significantly after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). All the patients were discharged by one to three days of the procedure with improvement of their clinical condition. In conclusion, intracoronary stent deployment in coronary artery stenosis following balloon angioplasty is a valid and beneficial strategy with good in-hospital results.

Superconducting and charge density wave transition in single crystalline LaPt2Si2.

We present results of our comprehensive studies on single crystalline LaPt2Si2. Pronounced anomaly in electrical resistivity and heat capacity confirms the bulk nature of superconductivity (SC) and charge density wave (CDW) transition in the single crystals. While the charge density wave transition temperature is lower, the superconducting transition temperature is higher in single crystal compared to the polycrystalline sample. This result confirms the competing nature of CDW and SC. Another important finding is the anomalous temperature dependence of upper critical field H C2(T). We also report the anisotropy in the transport and magnetic measurements of the single crystal.

Development of NaCl-tolerant strain in Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. through in vitro mutagenesis.

One NaCl-tolerant chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) variant (E2) has been developed in a stable form through IN VITRO mutagenesis using ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) as the chemical mutagen. Salt tolerance was evaluated by the capacity of the plant to maintain both flower quality and yield under stress conditions. Enhanced tolerance of the E2 variant has been attributed to the increased activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and, to a lesser extent of membrane damage than NaCl-treated control plants. Isoform analysis revealed that an increase in total SOD activity in the E2 variant was solely due to significant activation of the Cu/Zn isoform. Elevated levels of carotenoids and ascorbate in E2 leaves have been reflected in their higher free radical scavenging capacity (RSC) expressed in terms of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging ability. Data reflect that a proper balance between enzymatic and non-enzymatic defence systems is required for combating salinity stress in chrysanthemum. Better performance of the E2 progeny under same salinity stress condition, even in the second year, confirms the genetic stability of the salt-tolerance character. On the whole, the E2 variant, developed through 0.025 % EMS treatment, might be considered as a NaCl-tolerant strain showing positive characters towards NaCl stress.

Coexistence of superconductivity and a charge density wave in LaPt2(Si1-x Ge x )2 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.5).

Interplay between a charge density wave (CDW) and superconductivity in LaPt2(Si1-x Ge x )2 has been studied by electrical transport and magnetic measurements. LaPt2Si2 crystallizes in CaBe2Ge2 type structure which shows a first order structural phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic accompanied by a CDW transition at 112 K and superconducting transition at around 1.22 K as confirmed by temperature dependence of resistivity and magnetic measurements. For 2[Formula: see text] doping of germanium, while the CDW temperature T CDW decreases, the superconducting transition temperature T C shows an increase. T CDW increases for 5[Formula: see text] doping of germanium and the superconducting transition decreases. These findings demonstrate the competing nature of a CDW and superconductivity.

Valence fluctuation and magnetic ordering in EuNi2(P(1-x)Ge(x))2 single crystals.

Unusual phases and phase transitions are seen at the magnetic-nonmagnetic boundary in Ce-, Eu- and Yb-based compounds. EuNi2P2 is a very unusual valence fluctuating Eu system, because at low temperatures the Eu valence stays close to 2.5 instead of approaching an integer value. The Eu valence, and thus the magnetic property in this system, can be tuned by Ge substitution in the P site as EuNi2Ge2 is known to exhibit the antiferromagnetc (AFM) ordering of divalent Eu moments with T(N)=30K. We have grown EuNi2(P(1-x)Ge(x))2 (0.0≤ x ≤0.5)) single crystals and studied their magnetic, thermodynamic and transport properties. Increasing Ge doping to x > 0.4 results in a well-defined AFM ordered state with T(N)=12K for x = 0.5. Moreover, the reduced value of magnetic entropy for x = 0.5 at T(N) suggests the presence of valance fluctuation/the Kondo effect in this compound. Interestingly, the specific heat exhibits an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient upon Ge doping. Subsequently, electronic structure calculations lead to a non-integral valence in EuNi2P2 but a stable divalent Eu state in EuNi2Ge2, which is in good agreement with the experimental results.

Optimization and Validation of Real Time PCR Assays for Absolute Quantification of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli.

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is a dynamic and cogent assay for the detection and quantification of specified nucleic acid sequences and is more accurate compared to both traditional culture based techniques and 'end point' conventional PCR. Serial dilution of bacterial cell culture provides information on colony forming unit (CFU) counts. This is crucial for obtaining optimal standard curves representative of DNA concentration. This approach eliminates variation in the standard curves caused by loss of DNA by serial dilution of nucleic acid elute. In this study, an assay was developed to detect and quantify DNA by real-time PCR for two pathogenic species, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae). In order to generate a standard curve, total bacterial DNA was diluted in a 10-fold series and each sample was adjusted to an estimated cell count. The starting bacterial DNA concentration was 11ng/µL. An individual E. coli cell has approximately 5.16 femtograms of DNA. Therefore, 11 ng/µL of DNA would indicate 2.48×107cells. Both SYBR Green and TaqMan assays were validated for uidA region in E. coli and ctxA region in V. cholerae, respectively and was based on previously published assays for this standard curve experiment. PCR efficiency for uidA gene and ctxA gene were obtained 103.8% and 99.21%, respectively. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and coefficient of variation (CV %) indicated that standard curve generated by genomic DNA dilution had higher repeatability. Although not statistically significant, low F ratios indicated that there was some variation in CT values when genomic DNA dilution was compared to dilution of cell suspension in media. Different water samples spiked with pure cultures of E. coli and V. cholerae were used as unknown samples. The standard curve constructed by the serial dilution of genomic DNA exhibited greater efficiency when compared to that of the standard curve obtained from serial dilution of cell suspension since in the former method DNA is not lost during extraction from culture dilutions.

Muon spin relaxation study on itinerant ferromagnet CeCrGe3 and the effect of Ti substitution on magnetism of CeCrGe3.

A Muon spin relaxation (µSR) study has been performed on the Kondo lattice heavy fermion itinerant ferromagnet CeCrGe3. Recent investigations of bulk properties have revealed a long-range ordering of Cr moments at Tc = 70 K in this compound. Our µSR investigation between 1.2 K and 125 K confirm the bulk magnetic order which is marked by a loss in initial asymmetry below 70 K accompanied with a sharp increase in the muon depolarization rate. Field dependent µSR spectra show that the internal field at the muon site is higher than 0.25 T apparently due to the ferromagnetic nature of ordering. The effect of Ti substitution on the magnetism in CeCrGe3 is presented. A systematic study has been made on polycrystalline CeCr(1-x)Ti(x)Ge3 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1) using magnetic susceptibility χ(T), isothermal magnetization M(H), specific heat C(T) and electrical resistivity ρ(T) measurements which clearly reveal that the substitution of Ti for Cr in CeCrGe3 strongly influences the exchange interaction and ferromagnetic ordering of Cr moments. The Cr moment ordering temperature is suppressed gradually with increasing Ti concentration up to x = 0.50 showing Tc = 7 K beyond which Ce moment ordering starts to dominate and a crossover between Cr and Ce moment ordering is observed with a Ce moment ordering Tc = 14 K for x = 1.0. The Kondo lattice behavior is evident from temperature dependence of ρ(T) in all CeCr(1-x)Ti(x)Ge3 samples.

The health effects of ionizing radiation: a survey of local health officials in New England and New York.

The purpose of the study is to determine the educational needs of public health officials concerning their knowledge, attitude, beliefs, and practices with specific reference to ionizing radiation. The public health directors or designates, working in health departments whose jurisdictions fall within a 60-mile radius of the 14 operating nuclear power plants in the New York-New England region, were studied. A review of the literature indicates that historically there appears to have been a limited effort to conduct such a needs assessment in the United States. A questionnaire was developed to measure the public health directors' knowledge, attitudes, and practice. The instrument was mailed in the summer of 1992 to all public officials listed in the National Directory of Local Health Departments. Knowledge, attitude, and practice questions were analyzed in terms of frequency of correct, incorrect, and don't know responses. The data presented convey the message that there should be public input into the risk assessment of nuclear plants and that local health departments should inform the public about the health risks posed by nuclear plants in their locality. The authors recommend that an appropriate Federal agency sponsor a national survey and that States should establish a training program on the health effects of ionizing radiation for local public health officials.