Smokeless tobacco product prices and taxation in Bangladesh: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Smokeless tobacco use occupies a significant portion of overall tobacco consumption in Bangladesh. Yet very little is known about the effectiveness of tax and price policy in controlling the use of smokeless tobacco use in the country. METHODS: The paper examines the price distribution of various smoked (cigarette, bidi) and smokeless tobacco products (zarda, gul) using the univariate Epanechnikov kernel density function. It estimates the own and cross price elasticity of demand for the most widely used smokeless tobacco product zarda using twostep regression analysis. The analysis is based on data from the ITC Bangladesh Wave 3 Survey which is a nationally representative cohort survey of tobacco users and nonusers conducted in in Bangladesh during 2011-12. RESULTS: The price elasticity of lower price brands of zarda is estimated at −0.64 and of higher priced brands at −0.39, and the cross price elasticity of zarda with respect to cigarette price at 0.35. The tax increase on smokeless tobacco needs to be greater than the tax increase on smoked tobacco to bridge the wide price differential between the two types of products that currently encourages downward substitution from smoked to smokeless tobacco and discourages quitting behavior. CONCLUSIONS: This paper argues that increasing tax on smokeless tobacco simultaneously with the tax increase on smoked tobacco can have significant negative impact on the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in Bangladesh. Finally, a specific excise system replacing the existing ad valorem excise tax can substantially contribute to the revenue collection performance from smokeless tobacco products.

Abnormal Uterine Bleeding in Perimenopausal Age: Different causes and its relation with histopathology.

Background: Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is the most common reason for gynecological visits for perimenopausal bleeding and may account for more than 25% of all hysterectomies. Objective: This study was aimed to review the causes of abnormal uterine bleeding in perimenopausal women establishing the correlation with ultrasonographic and histopathological examinations. Study Method: This descriptive study was conducted in the department of gynecology and obstetrics, Ibn Sina Medical College, Dhaka during January to December 2012. Two hundred and eleven women were selected for this study, who admitted into the hospital with abnormal uterine bleeding in perimenopausal age. The clinical, ultrasonographic and histopathological findings of these women were evaluated in this study. Results: Menorrhagia was the major symptom (52.6%) irrespective of age and parity. All these women underwent D&C followed by either medical management or hysterectomy depending upon the diagnosis. The histopathological findings of endometrium were analyzed and confirmed as fibroid uterus (58.28%) and DUB (17.58%) correlated well with transvaginal sonography (TVS) and histopathological examination. Hysterectomy conferred other uterine lesions as adenomyosis (18.71%), endometrial polyp (4.81%) and malignancy (1.06%). Conclusion: Abnormal uterine bleeding in perimenopausal age group is a common but ill-defined entity which needs proper evaluation. Accurate diagnosis of the causative factors of AUB in this age group is of utmost importance so that appropriate management can be established early that leads the minimization of the patients’ sufferings.