Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory condition, characterized by an excess of metabolic disorders. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of classic cardiovascular risk factors, due to an imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory adipokines. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a pro-inflammatory adipocytokine mainly produced by monocytes and macrophages with a central role in inflammatory responses, but it also induces adipocytes apoptosis, promotes insulin resistance, and stimulates lipolysis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of therapy with etanercept (ETN), adalimumab (ADA), and methotrexate (MTX) on MetS components in a cohort of PsA patients with a follow-up period of 24 months. A retrospective study has been conducted in a cohort of PsA patients. On the basis of the inclusion criteria, we identified the first 70 consecutive patients, respectively, on ADA, ETN, and MTX, for a total of 210 patients achieving PsARC criteria during the observation period. As part of the routine clinical practice, assessment of metabolic parameters and of disease activity was recorded at baseline (T0), at 12 months (T1), and at 24 months (T2). The results show that when the specific components of the MetS were considered, taking also into account by regression analysis the effect of the confounding factors, the patients on etN and ADA show a significant improvement of the metabolic syndrome components (in detail, waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose) as compared to the MTX group. In conclusion, these data suggest that the biologic treatment in PsA can no longer be taken into consideration only for its positive effect on articular and cutaneous symptoms but also on the various aspects of this complex picture.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on achieving minimal disease activity (MDA) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α with a follow-up period of 24 months. A cohort of PsA patients was assessed at the University Federico II of Naples and at University of Padova. For the aim of the present study, patients' data were collected at baseline (T0), at 12 months (T1) and at 24 months (T2). Assessment of metabolic and disease activity parameters was performed at each visit. The NCEP-ACT III criteria were used to identify subjects with MetS and the MDA criteria to evaluate the disease activity. On the basis of the exclusion and inclusion criteria, 330 subjects were included in the study; 134 patients (40.7%) were classified as not having MetS and 196 (59.3%) as having MetS. An inverse association was found between presence of metabolic syndrome and the probability of achieving MDA. Univariate analysis indicated that patients with metabolic syndrome were less likely to achieve MDA than patients without metabolic syndrome (OR 0.45, p < 0.001). This inverse association remained statistically significant in the multivariate regression model (OR 0.56, p < 0.001). Metabolic syndrome is associated with a lower probability of achieving MDA in PsA patients in therapy with anti-TNF-α.

This study has examined the coverage of childhood immunisation and tried to identify the factors affecting the acceptance of immunisation practice among children in Bangladesh using the data from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 93-94. Results from multinomial logistic regression analysis indicate that education, occupation, household economic condition, mother’s age at birth, sex of child, mother’s TT immunisation acceptance, mother’s health facility visit, health worker’s visit to mothers, and contraceptive use are the independent variables that have statistically significant association with immunisation acceptance. The most important variable identified is the health worker’s visit to mothers.

Purpose Corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences an organization in deciding its ethical approaches in the corporate practices and also important to maintain sustainable development. Islamic banks are capturing almost 40% of the total bank account holders in Bangladesh and contributing to the socio-economic and environmental development of the country through their CSR activities. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of CSR activities of Islamic banks for sustainable development in Bangladesh from the perception of the beneficiaries. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a questionnaire survey of 200 conveniently selected beneficiaries from five purposively selected Islamic banks in Bangladesh. Respondents’ agreement score for various CSR-related activities has been observed in a five-point Likert scale and, finally, to identify the impact of CSR, exploratory factor analysis has been done. Findings Results revealed that respondents are expressing strong agreement for almost all the activities, and they are much satisfied with ongoing CSR activities by Islamic banks, which implies positive attitudes of beneficiaries regarding CSR activities. The results of factor analysis further confirm the perception of respondents toward CSR activities of Islamic banks in terms of social enhancement, education and health, socio-economic well-being and contemporary arts and culture. Originality/value The Islamic banks should enhance their CSR activities for socio-economic development, provide more allocation in education programs, increase sponsorship in sports events and assist in flourishing Bangladeshi arts and culture.

Green development ensures the socioeconomic development that incorporates environmental issues while remaining economically viable for owners and tenants. Government as the authority of the state should provide favorable incentives, policy and regulatory pressure for green development. The present study aims to investigate the government policies and regulations for green development in Bangladesh and make a critical discussion of the initiatives. The study is descriptive in nature and collects secondary information. Evidence suggests that environmental degradation and climate change related risks and vulnerabilities have intensified in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh (GOB) is concerned about green development and formulates various Acts, regulations and policy initiatives since 2010. Major green development initiatives observed in the financial institutions due to the mandatory requirements by Bangladesh Bank but green bond and green insurance in capital market are yet to be developed. The GOB required taking proper policy initiatives for the garments and leather industries to ensure pollution free production system which ensures green trade initiatives. The environmental taxes and ecological compensation mechanisms should be revised. Urban green space and Government green procurement are still less concerning matter. The GOB should make effective collaboration with all related stakeholders to ensure the green development.