Jubayer Mumin

Background: The prevalence of dengue in Bangladesh has markedly risen, resulting in the most lethal epidemic in 2023 and persistently elevated levels in 2024. Regardless of stringent control measures, dengue persists with comorbidities in Dhaka City. This research explored the correlation between laboratory findings and clinical parameters with severe dengue infection. Methods: A case–control study was performed on 435 dengue patients (145 cases with severe dengue and 290 controls with non-severe dengue) hospitalized in medical college hospitals in Dhaka City from July to December 2024. Participants were matched by age (±5 years), sex, and admission date (±2 weeks). Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to find out factors associated with dengue severity. Results: Comorbidities, such as chronic pulmonary disease (AOR: 2.14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90–5.10), were associated with an increased odds of severe dengue. Symptoms such as abdominal pain (AOR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.45–3.68), lethargy (AOR: 2.70; 95% CI: 1.35–5.47), and nausea (AOR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.15–4.22) were associated with increased dengue infection severity. Severe dengue cases exhibited an elevation in serum creatinine, ALT, AST, and pulse rate, but total bilirubin, albumin, and globulin levels were associated with a reduced odds of severity. Conclusion: This study delineates characteristics associated with severe dengue infection, including comorbidities, such as chronic pulmonary disease, and signs and symptoms, such as abdominal pain, lethargy, and nausea. Laboratory results indicating higher serum creatinine, liver enzymes, and pulse rate, coupled with decreased total bilirubin, albumin, and globulin, were significantly associated with severity. These findings emphasize the significance of early surveillance, especially in patients with comorbidities, and offer critical insights for enhancing the management of severe dengue. Future studies should investigate the transition from non-severe to severe dengue.

Background: Sleep duration plays a crucial role in overall health, with far-reaching implications for individuals globally. Although research has extensively explored the association between sleep and chronic conditions, few studies have investigated the association between multiple co-existing chronic conditions on sleep duration. This study examines the association between sleep duration and the prevalence of chronic conditions in the Canadian adults from four provinces and two territories. Methodology: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2017–2018, a population-based cross-sectional survey, was used for this study. The outcome variable, sleep duration, was assessed based on the question “Number of hours per night usually spent sleeping?” and categorized into three groups: “In between 7 and 9 h,” “Short sleep duration (< 7 h),” and “Long sleep duration (>9 h).” The primary predictor, chronic conditions, was aggregated with a response of “yes” and subsequently categorized into no chronic condition, one chronic condition, two chronic conditions, and three or more chronic conditions, based on 12 recorded chronic conditions. Results: Approximately 41% of respondents reported short sleep duration, while 7.73% reported long sleep duration. Compared with respondents with fewer or no chronic conditions, those with three or more co-existing chronic conditions had significantly higher odds of reporting abnormal sleep duration. Specifically, respondents with three or more chronic conditions were 1.70 times more likely to report short sleep duration (95% CI: 1.52–1.91) and 2.58 times more likely to report long sleep duration (95% CI: 1.96–3.41). The odds of both short and long sleep duration increased progressively with a higher number of chronic conditions, indicating a graded association between chronic conditions and abnormal sleep duration. Conclusion: The study underscores a strong association between the number of chronic conditions and sleep duration among adults, highlighting that multimorbidity is associated with abnormal sleep patterns.

Background: Foodborne illnesses caused by enterotoxigenic Bacillus cereus represent a significant public health concern globally. Rapid and simple detection methods are needed, particularly in resource-limited settings where conventional laboratory infrastructure is lacking. This study aimed to develop and validate a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting three major enterotoxin genes ( nheA , cytK , and entFM ) for the rapid detection of enterotoxigenic B . cereus in food and feed samples from Bangladesh. Methods: LAMP primers for the nheA gene were newly designed, while cytK and entFM primers were adapted from previous studies. Reaction conditions were optimized using B . cereus ATCC 14579. Analytical sensitivity was determined using serial dilutions of pure culture, spiked milk, and genomic DNA. Specificity was assessed against 20 bacterial strains, including Bacillus species and non- Bacillus foodborne pathogens. The assay was validated on 30 field samples (feed, milk, and eggs) and compared with conventional PCR. Results: Optimal LAMP amplification was achieved at 64°C for 40 min. The limit of detection was 100 fg/µL for genomic DNA, 9 × 10 ² CFU/mL for pure culture, and 9 × 10 ³ CFU/mL for spiked milk—approximately 10,000-fold more sensitive than conventional PCR. The assay showed 100% specificity for enterotoxigenic Bacillus species, with no cross-amplification of non-target bacteria. In field samples, LAMP detected enterotoxin genes in 73.3% (22/30) for nheA , 53.3% (16/30) for cytK , and 80.0% (24/30) for entFM , compared to 63.3% (19/30), 40.0% (12/30), and 70.0% (21/30) by PCR, respectively. Overall diagnostic sensitivity and specificity against PCR were 96.1% and 66.7%, respectively, with substantial agreement (κ = 0.62). Conclusion: Although LAMP assays for individual B . cereus toxin genes have been described previously, this study represents the first application of this specific nheA - cytK - entFM LAMP panel in the Bangladeshi food and feed context, providing a regionally relevant, field-deployable method for food safety monitoring.

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is a globally recognized measure of health status. Previous studies have established that inadequate sleep duration and trouble falling asleep combinedly has a greater negative impact on health than either factor alone. This study aims to investigate the excess relative risk due to the interaction between short sleep duration and trouble sleeping on SRH.Method: We used the 2017–18 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) publicly used microdata file. SRH was measured on a 5-point Likert scale from poor to excellent and dichotomized into “Good or Better” and “Fair or Poor.” Sleep duration was categorized into “Less than 7 h” and “More than 7 h,” while trouble sleeping was categorized as “Yes” or “No.” A joint variable derived from these created four groups: “no sleep issues,” “fewer sleeping hours (<7 h) only,” “trouble sleeping only,” and “fewer hours & trouble sleeping.” A weighted univariable and multivariable logistic regression with robust variance estimation was conducted to estimate relative risk due to interaction.Results: Among Canadian adults, 40.96% reported less than 7 h of sleep, and 48.38% reported trouble sleeping. Approximately 11% had Fair or Poor SRH. The odds ratio for Fair or Poor SRH was 1.34 (95% CI: 1.23–1.46) for short sleep duration, 2.38 (95% CI: 2.18–2.61) for troubled sleep, and 2.97 (95% CI, 2.66–3.33) for both conditions. The adjusted RERI was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.40–1.21).Implication: These results imply that shorter duration of sleep and troubled sleeping may increase the negative influence on self-rated health.

Introduction: Non-puerperal adoptive lactation sometimes requires long preparation and substantial expense for pharmacological intervention to be successful, which are not feasible in refugee camps. Here we report two case studies of non-puerperal adoptive breastfeeding of two infants in the Rohingya Refugee Camp of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Main Issue: Two non-pregnant, non-breastfeeding caregivers with previous experience of breastfeeding brought two adopted infants—one a 12-day-old female with severe acute malnutrition, and the other a 2-day-old male with normal anthropometric measurements—to a nutritional stabilization center for feeding. After counseling, both families opted for adoptive lactation. Management: Both infants were treated with a modified Action Against Hunger protocol of in-patient management of severe acute malnutrition using the supplementary suckling technique, a procedure to feed the baby with supplementary feed. Diluted F100 was used as the supplementary feed; the energy and protein gained from it were just enough to maintain body physiology and were not responsible for any weight gain. When the infants gained weight, indicating that the caregivers were producing milk, we reduced the supplementary feed as per protocol guidelines. The caregivers were prescribed domperidone and counseled on their ability to breastfeed the infants. The cases required 35 days and 20 days, respectively, for the full establishment of breastfeeding. Conclusion: This is the first report of successful adoptive breastfeeding in a refugee camp. With proper counseling and motivation of the caregiver, induced lactation can be started without a preparatory period and with very low-cost intervention.

Corrigendum: Association of household fuel with acute respiratory infection (ARI) under-five years children in Bangladesh

The emergence of an outbreak of Monkeypox disease (MPXD) is caused by a contagious zoonotic Monkeypox virus (MPXV) that has spread globally. Yet, there is no study investigating the effect of climatic changes on MPXV transmission. Thus, studies on the changing epidemiology, evolving nature of the virus, and ecological niche are highly paramount. Determination of the role of potential meteorological drivers including temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, dew point, wind speed, and surface pressure is beneficial to understand the MPXD outbreak. This study examines the changes in MPXV cases over time while assessing the meteorological characteristics that could impact these disparities from the onset of the global outbreak. To conduct this data-based research, several well-accepted statistical techniques including Simple Exponential Smoothing (SES), Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Automatic forecasting time-series model (Prophet), and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Explanatory Variables (ARIMAX) were applied to delineate the correlation of the meteorological factors on global daily Monkeypox cases. Data on MPXV cases including affected countries spanning from 6 May 2022, to 9 November 2022, from global databases and meteorological data were used to evaluate the developed models. According to the ARIMAX model, the results showed that temperature, relative humidity, and surface pressure have a positive impact [(51.56, 95% confidence interval (CI): −274.55 to 377.68), (17.32, 95% CI: −83.71 to 118.35) and (23.42, 95% CI: −9.90 to 56.75), respectively] on MPXV cases. In addition, dew/frost point, precipitation, and wind speed show a significant negative impact on MPXD cases. The Prophet model showed a significant correlation with rising MPXD cases, although the trend predicts peak values while the overall trend increases. This underscores the importance of immediate and appropriate preventive measures (timely preparedness and proactive control strategies) with utmost priority against MPXD including awareness-raising programs, the discovery, and formulation of effective vaccine candidate(s), prophylaxis and therapeutic regimes, and management strategies.

Researchers across the world are emphasising the importance of hand-washing and limited touching of face to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, access to safe water and hygiene is inadequate in many places around the globe; hence T-zone touching restriction is considered more worthwhile compared to other prevention strategies. A systematic review was carried out to appraise the frequency of T-zone (eyes, nose, mouth, chin) touching in humans to comprehend the challenge of its restriction, and thus support public health professionals to produce evidence synthesis guidance for public. For this systemic review, data were collected by keyword searching, and several online databases were searched. The PRISMA checklist, PECO protocol and STROBE guideline were followed in this review, and pooled data were analysed in R version 4. Total of 10 single arms observational studies were included. The pooled average (SD) facial self-touch per hour was 50.06 (±47) times, and a specific touch of T-zone was 68.7 (±27). T-zone self-touch within the total facial self-touch was found higher R = 0.680, with 95% CI 0.14, 0.91, P = 0.02 and X2 = 167.63, P < 0.0001. The review found that face-touch is a type of consistent regulatory movements. Control of T-zone touch requires extensive behaviour intervention and community awareness.