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Faculty members and students are invited to submit their research publications, theses, dissertations, and scholarly works to increase visibility, access, and long-term preservation.
Recent Submissions
Numerical simulation of mass and heat transport phenomena of hydromagnetic flow of Casson fluid with sinusoidal boundary conditions
(John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2023-11-01) Islam M.R.; Reza-E-Rabbi S.; Yousuf Ali M.; Rasel, Md. Mehedi Hasan; Ahmmed S.F.; Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
A magnetic field might interact with its surroundings, influencing chemical and physical processes in materials processing, heat exchangers, and other scientific study. Therefore, a computational study of non-Newtonian (Casson) free convective MHD unsteady fluid flow has been highlighted in this article with mass and heat transit property through a vertical infinite porous plate. A sinusoidal boundary conditions as well as chemical reaction and thermal radiation have been considered. Using a collection of nondimensional variables, the flow related equations are also turned into nondimensional form. The EFDM algorithm is employed in order to arrive at a numerical solution via Compaq Visual Fortran. The reliability of the numerical solution has been confirmed using stability testing and convergence analysis. The whole system is convergent when the values of Prandtl number and Lewis number are greater than or equals to 0.075 and 0.025, respectively. A visual depiction of the impact of the pertinent factors on dimensionless velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles are displayed through graphical representation as well as with tabular representation. It has been inspected that when the magnetic component is regarded, it greatly affects the heat transfer factors of Casson nanofluid and the heat also rises when Eckert number, heat source and radiation parameter accelerate. It is also found that the Sherwood number is increased as the impact of chemical reaction parameter and the Lewis number, also the skin friction is decreased as the influence of porosity term got accelerated. The comparison of the current findings with the data that were previously published serves as the final stage in validating the present study.
High prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the trachea of intensive care units admitted patients: Evidence from a Bangladeshi hospital
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024-01-01) Haque, Sabrina; Ahmed, Akash; Islam N.; Haque, Fahim Kabir Monjurul; Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Recent research has shown that antibiotic-resistant microorganisms are becoming more prevalent in intensive care units (ICUs) at an exponential rate. Patients in the ICU can get infected by pathogens due to invasive operation procedures and critical health conditions. This study primarily emphasized tracheal samples from ICU patients due to their reliance on ventilators, increasing their susceptibility to Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP). Moreover, the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens makes treatment strategies more challenging for these patients. In this study, we tested 200 tracheal specimens to determine the prevalence of microorganisms and analyzed the antibiotic susceptibility of these isolates against regular antibiotics, including 4th generation drugs. Among the 273 isolates, 81% were gram-negative bacteria, 10% were gram-positive bacteria, and 9% were fungi. The most prevalent gram-negative bacteria were Acinetobacter spp. (34%), Klebsiella spp. (22%), Pseudomonas spp. (14%), and Escherichia coli (9.2%). The most prevalent gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (5.9%), and the fungi were Candida spp. (7.3%). Among the most prevalent bacteria, except Staphylococcus aureus isolates, around 90% were resistant to multiple drugs, whereas 60% of Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were extensively drug resistant. Sensitivity analysis against the gram-negative and gram-positive drug panel using a one-way ANOVA test followed by Tukey’s post hoc test showed that in the in vitro assay, colistin was the most effective antibiotic against all gram-negative bacteria. In contrast, linezolid, vancomycin, and fusidic acid were most effective against all gram-positive bacteria. Regular monitoring of nosocomial infections and safe management of highly resistant bacteria can help prevent future pandemics.
The implementation of national action plan (NAP) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Bangladesh: Challenges and lessons learned from a cross-sectional qualitative study
(MDPI, 2022-05-01) Ahmed, Syed Masud; Naher, Nahitun; Tune, Samiun Nazrin Bente Kamal; Islam, Bushra Zarin; BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health
This study explored the current situation of the National Action Plan (NAP) on Antimicro-bial Resistance (AMR) implementation in Bangladesh and examined how different sectors (human, animal, and environment) addressed the AMR problem in policy and practice, as well as associated challenges and barriers to identifying policy lessons and practices. Informed by a rapid review of the available literature and following the World Health Organization (WHO) AMR situation analysis framework, a guideline was developed to conduct in-depth interviews with selected stakeholders from January to December 2021. Data were analysed using an adapted version of Anderson’s governance framework. Findings reveal the absence of required inter-sectoral coordination essential to a multi sectoral approach. There was substantial coordination between the human health and livestock/fisheries sectors, but the environment sector was conspicuously absent. The government initiated some hospital-based awareness programs and surveillance activities, yet no national Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework was established for NAP activities. Progress of implementation was slow, constrained by the shortage of a trained health workforce and financial resources, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. To summarise, five years into the development of the NAP in Bangladesh, its implementation is not up to the level that the urgency of the situation requires. The policy and practice need to be cognisant of this fact and do the needful things to avoid a catastrophe.
Medication adherence and health-related quality of life among people with diabetes in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study
(John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2023-09-01) Ahmed, Sabrina; Saif-Ur-Rahman K.M.; Dhungana R.R.; Ganbaatar G.; Ashraf F.; Yano Y.; Miura K.; Ahmed M.S.A.M.; BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health
Introduction: Good adherence to anti-diabetic medications is an important protective factor for decreasing diabetes-related complications and disabilities but its association with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is understudied. The current study aimed to assess an association between medication adherence to anti-diabetic drugs and HRQoL among people with diabetes in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 480 people with diabetes aged between 50 and 70 years, who attended a tertiary-level hospital in Dhaka city. We used the EuroQol-5 Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) to measure HRQoL and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale to assess the level of medication adherence to anti-diabetic drugs. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the significance of relevant factors. Results: The mean age of the participants was 59.0 (standard deviation [SD], 7.0) years. The majority of the participants (74%) had a lower level of medication adherence. The mean value of (EQ-5D-5L) was 2.0 (SD, 1.0). The percentage of severe disability in different domains were 6.7% for mobility, 3.5% for self-care, 11.9% for usual daily activities, 11.9% for pain/discomfort and 11.3% for anxiety. After adjusting for age, sex, years of education, household expenditure, hypertension, duration of diabetes, glycemic status and multi-morbidities; low adherence to anti-diabetic medication was inversely associated with pain (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.08–0.80; p =.036), and positively associated with anxiety (OR, 7.18; 95% CI, 1.03–9.59; p =.043). Conclusions: Low medication adherence to anti-diabetic drugs was associated with anxiety and pain among the EQ-5D-5L indexes measured in people with diabetes in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and adverse pregnancy outcome in South Asia: A systematic review
(John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2021-10-01) Mistry, Sabuj Kanti; Close Das Gupta, Rajat; Alam S.; Kaur K.; Shamim, Abu Ahmed; Puthussery S.; BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health
Introduction: The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing in developing countries including the South Asian Nations. The current study aimed to examine the association of GDM with adverse pregnancy outcomes from foetal and maternal perspectives in South Asia. Methods: A systematic review was conducted including primary studies published since January 2020 from South Asian countries. Following electronic databases were searched to locate the articles: MEDLINE, EMBASE and EMCARE. Data were extracted using a customized extraction tool and methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using modified Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) quality assessment tool. Narrative synthesis was performed as statistical pooling was not possible due to the heterogeneous nature of the studies. Results: Eight studies were included in the review. Overall, the review found a positive correlation between GDM and adverse foetal outcomes such as macrosomia, neonatal hyperglycaemia, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), stillbirths and low birthweight (LBW), but the findings were not conclusive. GDM was also positively associated with preeclampsia but the association between GDM and C-section delivery was not conclusive. Conclusion: Policymakers, public health practitioners and researchers in South Asia should take in to account the link between GDM and adverse pregnancy outcomes while designing interventions to promote maternal health in South Asia. Researchers should focus on conducting longitudinal studies in future to clearly understand the epidemiology and pathobiology of this issue.