Health research is a moral duty because it is the foundation for evidence-based care by all health care practitioners. Hence, paediatric research is essential for improving health outcomes of children. Waiting for adult studies before conducting paediatric studies may prolong the denial of effective treatment for children. The CIOMS and other guidelines clearly allow research procedures that involve a low degree of risk. However, the critical need for pediatric research on drugs and biological products underscores the responsibility to ensure that children are enrolled in clinical research that is both scientifically necessary and ethically sound. Even in a resource poor setting of a developing country like Bangladesh, the things that should be taken under considerations are the status of children as a vulnerable population; the appropriate balance of risk and potential benefit in research; ethical considerations underlying study design, including clinical equipoise, placebo controls, and non-inferiority designs; the use of data; compensation; and parental permission and child assent where applicable to participate in research. Such ethical dilemmas are more evident in paediatric research especially when a collaborative research is done by a developed country in a developing country setting. It is the role of the health policy makers, and community of paediatric physicians, nurses, and caregivers to advocate not only for more research for children but also to ensure that the research conducted is of the highest quality from ethical viewpoint. CBMJ 2020 July: Vol. 09 No. 02 P: 54-58

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a soil bacterium that positively impacts soil and crops. These microbes invade plant roots, promote plant growth, and improve crop yield production. Bacillus subtilis is a type of PGPR with a short shelf-life due to its structural and cellular components, with a non-producing resistance structure (spores). Therefore, optimum formulations must be developed to prolong the bacterial shelf-life by adding humic acid (HA) as an amendment that could benefit the microbes by providing shelter and carbon sources for bacteria. Thus, a study was undertaken to develop a biofertilizer formulation from locally isolated PGPR, using HA as an amendment. Four doses of HA (0, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1%) were added to tryptic soy broth (TSB) media and inoculated with B. subtilis (UPMB10), Bacillus tequilensis (UPMRB9) and the combination of both strains. The shelf-life was recorded, and viable cells count and optical density were used to determine the bacterial population and growth trend at monthly intervals and endospores detection using the malachite green staining method. After 12 months of incubation, TSB amended with 0.1% HA recorded the highest bacterial population significantly with inoculation of UPMRB9, followed by mixed strains and UPMB10 at 1.8x107 CFUmL-1, 2.8x107 CFUmL-1and 8.9x106 CFUmL-1, respectively. Results showed that a higher concentration of HA has successfully prolonged the bacterial shelf-life with minimal cell loss. Thus, this study has shown that the optimum concentration of humic acid can extend the bacterial shelf-life and improve the quality of a biofertilizer.

A 6 years and 6 month old child hailing from Dhaka admitted into AKMMCH with the complaints of abdominal pain for 3 days and vomiting for 1 day. Abdominal pain was in umbilical region, severe, colicky, non-radiating and aggravated after taking meal. Patient’s mother also complained about vomiting for 1 day, 3-4 times, contained ingested food particle and associated with anorexia. Patient did not pass the stool for 1 day. Patient was infested with Ascaris lumbricoids 6 months back. On examination vitals were normal, abdomen was soft and tender, there was ill defined lump present in right iliac fossa, firm in consistency, adhere to underlying structures and free from overlying skin. So it is clinically diagnosed as a case of intestinal obstruction with appendicular lump. Further investigations confirmed that it is a case of intestinal obstruction due to worm bolus. AKMMC J 2020; 11(2) : 140-144

Background: Coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has induced a sense of panic around the world and has been declared Pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 11th March 2020. Bangladesh a country of 17 million people is not an exception regarding COVID-19. It has reported around five lacs COVID-19 cases with seven hundreds of deaths. In dealing those challenges AKMMCH has started opening a COVID-19 unit since July 2020 in order to render services for the admitted cases. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the clinical spectrum of COVID-19 admitted cases, co morbidities, in addition to selected socio-demographic characteristics under review. Material and Methods: This descriptive type of retrospective record review was carried out among 1690 COVID-19 confirmed cases during the period of July-December 2020. Data were generated from hospital COVID unit admission records using a checklist. Data entry and statistical analysis were performed manually and by using computer. Results: The study revealed that majority of the cases was found within age 31-70 years with mean age 52.58 and standard deviation ± 21.7. About 76% cases were male and 24% were female. It also revealed that the clinical spectrum of COVID-19, 63% & 23% cases were moderate and severe cases respectively and only 9% were critically severe. Majority of the cases had chronic illnesses and the most common co-morbidities were Hypertension (44%), Diabetes (26%) and Cardiac diseases (10%). Conclusion: It may be stated that male persons with more than 52 years of age were mostly affected by COVID-19 diseases. Usually moderate to critically severe patient were admitted in hospital COVID-19 unit for better treatment. Hypertension, Diabetes, Asthma and Cardiac diseases were found as the most common co-morbidities. A comprehensive case management protocol involving allied disciplines (medicine, cardiology, and endocrinology) can be implemented towards improved services and better out come in particular. AKMMC J 2022; 13(1) : 3-7

Introduction: Inadequate knowledge on nutritious foods and feeding practices are determinant of malnutrition rather than lack of food. Health professionals particularly nurses pass long contact time with the mothers, so positive attitude among them can be used in motivating mothers for infant and young child feeding. There is little data available in this regard, therefore evaluation of nurses’ knowledge, attitude and practice on complementary feeding is very important. This study was conducted among the female nurses in a tertiary level hospital of Bangladesh to find out the knowledge, attitude and practice of complementary feeding to their own under-2 children. Methods: The descriptive study was carried out at Dhaka Medical College Hospital between September 2014 and August 2015. Total 95 nurses having children from 6 months up to 2 years of age were enrolled as sample. Results: It showed that 63.1% of the nurses had good understanding on complementary feeding. But 46.3% of them did not know the duration correctly and 27.4% considered infant formula as the complementary food. Almost all had the positive attitude but 28.4% stated that distraction during feeding is needed. Among the respondents, 97% strongly agreed about the importance of complementary feeding but 67.4% of the nurses introduced complementary food before 6 months of age. Only 58.9% of them continued breast feeding up to 2 years. Conclusion: The study reflects that although most of the nurses have adequate knowledge and positive attitude towards complementary feeding but deviation was noted in timely Introduction of complementary food and use of feeding bottle. This indicates clear disparity between knowledge and practice of the female nurses. J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2022; 40: 87-92