Knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among 2nd to 4th Phase MBBS Students of Bangladesh.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), being one of the fastest-growing disabilities in children, is an omnipresent, immutable neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired socialization, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviour patterns. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from 30 October to 30 November 2019 among the MBBS students of 21 medical colleges in Bangladesh to assess their knowledge of autism. The 'Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers (KCAHW)' questionnaire containing 19 item questions divided into four domains was used. The total median score in the KCAHW questionnaire is 13 out of 19. The final total of respondents numbered 483. There were 215 (44.51%) male and 268 (55.49%) female students. Among 21 medical colleges, 10 are situated in the Dhaka district and 11 outside Dhaka; 14 medical colleges were public, and seven were private. The study shows that students' knowledge of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not up to the mark. While assessing the knowledge in each domain, Domain 4 (knowledge regarding nature, comorbidities, and onset) shows that only 32.6% of students of 4th phase and 21.5% of other phases have scored more than the median value, revealing that medical students were not familiar with nature, comorbidities, and the onset of ASD. It can be reliably diagnosed before two years of age, but the practical scenario is a different picturesque. Thus, medical students should have bona fide knowledge to diagnose this progressively prevailing disorder at the earliest possible time. We hope this study's aftermath will significantly impact the integrity and diversity of autism spectrum disorder.

Frequency of Dysglycemia and Obesity among Undergraduate Students of a Medical College of Bangladesh.

Due to high genetic susceptibility and rapidly urbanizing lifestyle, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is rapidly increasing in Bangladesh especially in the younger population. This cross-sectional study was conducted from 14 to 25 November 2019 among the undergraduate students of a government medical college of Bangladesh to find out the frequency of dysglycemia and associated risk factors in them. A total of 364 students were included in the study. Relevant medical history was taken; clinical examinations and anthropometric measurements were done. Capillary blood glucose (CBG) was measured in fasting state. Out of 364 participants, 7(1.92%) had DM and 26(7.14%) were pre-diabetic. Two-fifth (19.5%) was hypertensive or pre-hypertensive. Almost half of them were either overweight (36%) or obese (13.5%) and 39% had abdominal obesity. Subjects with dysglycemia and normoglycemia did not differ in age, gender, smoking status, diastolic blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and presence of abdominal obesity and other diseases. A higher number of subjects in the dysglycemia group had first degree relative with type 2 DM (T2DM). Systolic BP was also higher in this group. T2DM in the first-degree relative was found to be a significant predictor of dysglycemia in the study subjects. Adoption of a healthy lifestyle with the aim of reduction of these modifiable cardiovascular risk factors is of utmost importance to ensure a healthy future generation.