An Exploration of Disaster Risk in Farmer’s Community of Angaria Sub-sub-district in Bangladesh.

Aims: Analysis of risk, farmer’s perceptions on risk and their adaptation practices through exploration of agriculture based farmer’s community perceptions were lack on the perspective of Angaria sub-sub-district of Dumki sub-district of Patuakhali district in Bangladesh. That is why this study was conducted to gain understanding on agriculture farmers' risk profile, its impact and potential risk reduction strategy through community participation. Study Design: A total of 23 Focus Group Discussion’s (FGD) and 04 Key Informant Interviews (KII) were conducted. A well structured pretested questionnaire schedule was developed keeping in mind the objectives and variables under this study. Place and Duration of Study: Angaria sub-sub-district of Dumki sub-district of Patuakhali district in Bangladesh, from January, 2015 to May, 2015. Methodology: Primary data was collected through face to face FGD, KII methods and extensive field visit. Secondary data was collected from different secondary sources. Results: The agriculture sector of the study area is potentially exposed by different primary and secondary risk factors such as cyclone, flood, drought, pest attack etc. which threats to agriculture production and pose the farmers to make their livelihood diversified. But due to the changing trend in risk profiles; increasing its persistence time and frequency and intensity, farmers' adaptation capacities and sustainability are more exposed to vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the farmers are decreasing in the study area. They are transforming from on-farm agriculture practices to nonfarm alternative livelihood options –not as innovative adaptive resilient options. Conclusion: Recurring disasters phenomena threatened and undermined farmers capacity to adaptations, resulted more dependence on alternative nonfarm livelihood options than appropriate on farm adaptive options. Future extensive field based research in these regards will fulfill the required information to get the most efficient small farmers friendly risk management plan which will be beneficiary to the country by establishing climate smart disaster risk management in agriculture sector.

Pattern of Tobacco Consumption among the Diabetic Patients.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a public health challenge all over the world. Recent evidence suggests that there is a positive association between smoking and the risk of diabetes. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2008 at BIRDEM Hospital, Shahbagh, Dhaka to find out pattern of tobacco consumption among diabetic patients. Age of the respondents was >15 years. With purposive sampling total 255 respondents were selected. Data was collected through face-to-face interview with structured questionnaire. Out of 255 respondents, 51.4% consumed deferent type of tobacco. Smoker was 63.36% and smokeless tobacco user was 52.67%. The highest (45.80%) had habit of smoking, 36.64% had habit of smokeless tobacco and 17.56% had habit both types of tobacco consumption. The highest smoking and smokeless tobacco consumption found within 50-60 years age group. Total 60.80% male had smoking habit and 32.82% female were smokeless tobacco consumer but no female was smoker. Twenty nine percent tobacco consumers were primarily educated, 16.08% service holders were tobacco consumer and 13.75% service holders were smoker. Among respondents lung diseases and heart diseases were common (78.54.0% and 49.36%). Respondents who consumed tobacco were suffered (74.36%) more complication than non-tobacco consumer (25.64%). So an effective awareness program is required to discourage the consumption of tobacco to protect diabetic patients.

Effects of Griseofulvin in the Treatment of Lichen Planus -A Study in BSMMU.

Lichen Planus (LP) is an inflammatory disorder of skin, mucous membranes, nails and hair. There are various modalities of treatment but none is curative. This prospective therapeutic trial was done among patients with lichen planus at the outpatient department of Dermatology & Venereology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka between November 2001 and April 2002. Total 20 patients were taken of them 12 were male and 8 were female with male to female ratio 3:2. Age of the patients was between 10 to 50 years. Patients were diagnosed clinically & confirmed histologically. They were treated with griseofulvin 500 mg daily for 6 months. Out of 20 patients, 8 had only oral lesions, of them 2 (25%) showed complete response, 3(37.5%) showed moderate improvement and 4 (37.5%) showed no response. Other 12 patients had lichen planus involving skin without oral mucosa, of them 4 (33.3%) showed moderate improvement, 4 (33.3%) showed no response and 4 (33.3%) patients worsens with treatment. So, success in patients with cutaneous lichen planus is less likely; however, griseofulvin may afford relief in selected patients with oral lesion. This study indicates that further prospective placebo controlled studies are needed to clarify the efficacy of griseofulvin in lichen planus.

Urinary Bladder Tuberculosis – A Case Report.

Genito-urinary tuberculosis is an infrequent but not uncommon condition in countries with high incidence of tuberculosis like Bangladesh. A female patient of 25 years was admitted into Faridpur Medical college Hospital with acute retention of urine with history of haematuria, dysuria, fever and difficulty in urination for about three years. USG revealed few masses in the urinary bladder, later proved by histopathological examination as granulomatous lesion consistent with tuberculosis. Anti-TB treatment was given and the masses were removed surgically. With this treatment recovery of the patient is satisfactory and symptoms are disappearing. The aim of this study to make internist more efficient to diagnose the disease by strong clinical suspicion and relevant laboratory investigation, otherwise such uncommon disease and its complications may endanger life of such patient.

Occurrence of non-protein low molecular weight cardiotoxin in Indian King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) Cantor 1836, venom.

Pathophysiology due to snakebite is a combined effect of various actions of the complex venom constituents. Importance of protein toxins in snake envenomation is well known. The present investigation reports the existence of nonprotein/nonpetide low molecular weight toxin in Indian King Cobra venom, which plays an important role in envenomation consequences in experimental animal models. A group of non-peptidic toxins (OH-NPT1) was isolated from Indian King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah by thin layer chromatography and silica gel column chromatography. UV, IR, NMR and (ESI) TOF-MS studies characterized the OH-NPT1 as a mixture of aliphatic acids having molecular weights 256, 326 and 340Da. The minimum lethal dose of OH-NPT1 was found to be 2.5 microg/20g (iv) and 4microg/20g (ip) in male albino mice. The cardiotoxic property of OH-NPT1 was established through studies on isolated guinea pig heart and auricle preparations, ECG studies in albino rat and estimation of LDH1/LDH and CPK-MB/CPK ratio in Swiss albino mice. Commercial antiserum failed to neutralize the lethality and cardiotoxicity of the toxin. However, calcium and magnesium effectively neutralized the lethal action.

Isolation and partial structural evaluation of a cardiotoxic factor from Indian common murrel (Channa striatus L.) skin extract.

It was earlier reported from this laboratory that, Channa striatus, L a common edible fish, whose skin extract (CSSE) was pharmacologicaclly potent and contains several bioactive compounds. In the present communication a cardiotoxic factor was isolated and purified by thin layer chromatography followed by silica gel and neutral alumina column chromatography. Spectroscopic studies (UV, IR, 1H and 13C NMR, FAB-MS) indicated that the lethal cardiotoxic factor (CSS-CTF II) was an aromatic alkaloid compound with -NH, > C = C < and -OH functional groups. The molecular weight was found to be 413 dalton. LD50 of CSS-CTF II was found to be 42.5 mg/kg (i.v) in Swiss albino male mice. Pharmacological studies showed that CSS-CTF II possesses hypotensive and cardiotoxic activities and produced death through apnoea in experimental animals but had no effect on nerve muscle preparations. The haematological and biochemical data also indicated the toxic nature of CSS-CTF II, through significant fall in haemoglobin, total RBC, WBC, platelet count and increased cardiac marker enzyme CPK and CPK-MB value in experimental animals. The present investigation thus established the toxic nature of CSS-CTF II isolated from edible fish C. striatus skin extract. Further work is needed to identify CSS-CTF II's mechanism of action and its antagonism for therapeutic purpose.

Mass DEC campaign for filariasis in a hyper endemic district of West Bengal.

As a part of the on-going National Filaria Control Programme, National Filaria Day was observed in Purulia district of West Bengal on 26th Nov 2000 with an extensively organized mass DEC consumption campaign preceded by IEC activities and followed by mopping up operations. In all 81.07% of the targeted population was covered, females (84.3%) being more available than males (78.3%). Percentage of coverage declines with increase in age. Municipalities and notified areas had less coverage as well as supervised consumption than in other areas. Consumption was highest in Balarampur block (88.6%). Supervised consumption among surveyed population was highest in Bandwan (56.0%). Overall patient compliance was very good, with side effects of vomiting, dizziness, headache and fever being 2.12% only among surveyed population. Disease prevalence among population covered showed 0.1% hand swelling, 0.6 to 0.8% leg swelling, while 1.1% of males had hydrocele.

Fibrinolytic activity in bleeding associated with intrauterine contraceptive devices.

A prospective study was conducted to assess endometrial fibrinolytic activity before and after insertion of copper 250 (Multiload) and after removal of the IUCD. Fibrinolytic activity was measured on the fibrin plate in the form of zone of lysis. Sixty two women in the control group had fibrinolytic activity of endometrium in the range of 0.3-9.5 cm2 (mean +/- SD 1.77 +/- 1.27), 40 women who wanted to have the IUCD removed, because of reasons other than bleeding had a range of 0-9.5 cm2 (mean +/- SD 2.28 +/- 1.88) while 48 women who had the IUCD removed because of subjective menorrhagia had a range of 2.24-7.56 cm2 (mean +/- SD 4.75 +/- 1.20) which was higher than in the other two groups.