In recent times there is much concern about artificial ripening of fruits in many parts of the world including Bangladesh. Large amount of tropical fruits are produced in Bangladesh. Though fruits like mango naturally ripen in trees; some chemicals are used to ripen them artificially which hasten the ripening process. Ripe fruits are not suitable to carry & distribute as they get rotten. So fruit traders pick unripe fruits & use certain methods to increase the shelf life of them. For many years Ethylene had been used as a fruit ripening agent. But nowa- days Calcium carbide is getting popular in this regard as it has a faster ripening property. But inappropriate use of Carbide to ripen fruits is associated with many health hazards. In this topic we have tried to reveal the essentials of this burning issue & looked for solutions.     DOI = 10.3329/jom.v9i1.1425 J MEDICINE 2008; 9 : 42-44

Objective- To observe diurnal variation in stroke onset and its relation to diabetes mellitus. Methods - A consecutive series of 139 patients with stroke was admitted at a reference hospitals; the time of onset of symptoms were noted. We compared the diurnal variations between stroke onset both in the diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Results - Time of occurrence of stroke was highest in the second quadrant of the 24 hour clock and lowest in the first quadrant. There was no significant association between time of occurrence of stroke and diabetes mellitus Conclusions - Our study contributes further evidence for a susceptibility stroke event between 6 AM and noon and gives further insights into the possible mechanisms leading to cerebrovascular ischemia. This study also concludes that there is no association between diurnal variation in the occurrence of stroke and diabetes mellitus. Key Words: diurnal variation, stroke onset   DOI = 10.3329/jom.v9i2.1434 J MEDICINE 2008; 9 : 75-77