Md. Anower Hussain

Background and aims: Breastfeeding (BF) is a vital component of newborn care, providing immunization and essential immunities and fostering a strong mother-infant bond. This study, a pioneering investigation in our country, aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) surrounding BF among mothers visiting Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) centers. Subjects and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June to December 2021, involving 400 mother-child pairs selected using purposive sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was administered to assess participant KAP regarding BF. Chi-squared tests and binary logistic regression analyses were employed to analyze the data. Results: Approximately 63%, 65%, and 69% of mothers exhibited satisfactory knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards BF, respectively. The mothers' education level (p = 0.0001), economic status (p = 0.0001), and habitat (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with their knowledge about BF. Of the participants, 85% received education on BF before delivery (p = 0.0001), and 98% received it after delivery (p = 0.03), both demonstrating significant associations with good BF knowledge. Additionally, a significant association (p = 0.008) was observed between economic status and mothers' attitudes toward breastfeeding. Among the sociodemographic variables examined, only the mother's age demonstrated a significant influence (p = 0.009) on breastfeeding practices, with approximately 38% of mothers aged over 25 exhibiting good breastfeeding practices. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that mothers’ education, older age, monthly income, and receiving BF education during pregnancy and after delivery were significantly associated (p≤0.05) with satisfactory KAP on BF. Conclusion: The findings indicate that knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards breastfeeding among mothers attending EPI centers in our country are generally satisfactory. Education, older age, monthly income, and the receipt of BF education during and after pregnancy emerged as significant determinants of positive KAP on BF. Keywords: Breastfeeding, knowledge, attitude, practice, EPI center, Bangladesh.

The study explored the correlation between serum biomarkers and hepatocellular carcinoma detection in various fishing groups, utilizing a descriptive and experimental approach in Bangladesh. The study identified fishers often consume tobacco, polluted drinking water, and lack sufficient sunlight, all of which are extremely detrimental to their health. Fishermen who mostly fish at night and spend little time on the water during the daytime hours do not get enough sunlight, nor do they get enough vitamin D. An increased risk of liver cancer was found to be directly and strongly correlated with insufficient serum levels of vitamin D. In addition, a negligent lifestyle, a lack of awareness about hepatitis, and inadequate nutritional assistance have significantly increased their risk. Our results contribute to the information on HCC assessment and evaluation by clarifying the relevance of serum vitamin D, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), creatinine (Cr), and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) in distinguishing between categories and sexes. According to the study, the combination of AFP, Vitamin-D, and Cr (AFP+Vit-D+Cr) has a high predictive value, which improves diagnosis and offers a reliable instrument for identifying liver cancer.