Association between Infant- and Child-feeding Index and Nutritional Status: Results from a Cross-sectional Study among Children Attending an Urban Hospital in Bangladesh.

Integration of infant- and child-feeding index (ICFI) addressing the multidimensional child-feeding practices into one age-specific summary index is gaining importance. This cross-sectional study was aimed at understanding the association between the ICFI and the nutritional status of 259 children, aged 6-23 months, who attended the paediatric outpatient department of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh. The mean length-for-age z-score (LAZ) of children aged 12-23 months was significantly (p<0.05) higher among those who were at the upper ICFI tercile compared to those who were at the middle or lower ICFI tercile (-2.01 and -3.20 respectively). A significant correlation was found between the ICFI and the LAZ (r=0.24, p=0.01 and r=0.29, p=0.01) in children aged 6-8-months and 12-23-months. Multivariable analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders, also found a significant association between the ICFI and the LAZ (β=0.13, p=0.03). The predictive capability of the proposed ICFI on nutritional status of children, especially length-for-age, needs to be further evaluated prospectively among healthy children in the community.

Reliability of MRI in measuring tongue tumour thickness: a 1.5t study

Background: Tongue tumour thickness has been shown to have a correlation with neck nodal metastasis and hence patient survival. Current AJCC guidelines recommend inclusion of tongue tumour thickness measurement in routine radiologic staging. Several studies have attempted to define the accuracy of MRI in measuring tongue tumour thickness. The aim of our study was to compare tongue tumour thickness measured at T2-weighted and STIR sequences with histologic tongue tumour thickness. Methods: Twenty-eight consecutive patients of tongue cancer who had undergone glossectomy were selected retrospectively. Tumours were measured in both STIR axial and T2- weighted coronal images and compared with histologic tumour thickness on resected specimens. Pearson's analysis was performed to determine the degree of correlation. Paired samples t-test was also used for comparison of mean tumour thicknesses measured on MRI with mean histologic tumour thickness. Results: Pearson correlation analysis showed good correlation of tumour thickness measured on MRI with actual histologic tumour thickness [R=0.876]. Conclusion: MRI provides a satisfactory prediction of tongue tumour thickness which in turn can be used to determine the need for elective neck dissection in these patients. Keywords: Lymphatic Metastasis, Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods, Tongue Neoplasms