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This paper evaluates the effectiveness of respondent driven sampling (RDS) to sample males who have sex with males (MSM) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A major objective for conducting this survey was to determine whether RDS can be a viable sampling method for future routine serologic and behavioral surveillance of MSM as well as other socially networked, hard to reach populations in Bangladesh. We assessed the feasibility of RDS (survey duration; MSM social network properties; number and types of initial recruits) to recruit a diverse group of MSM, the efficacy of an innovative technique (systematic coupon reduction) to manage the implementation and completion of the RDS recruitment process and reasons why MSM participated or did not participate. The findings provide useful information for improving RDS field techniques and demonstrate that RDS is an effective sampling method for recruiting diverse groups of MSM to participate in HIV related serologic and behavioral surveys in Dhaka.

Supplementation of crystalline amino acids (CAA) in shrimp diets is unsuccessful in most cases. In the present study, various pre‐coated CAA were developed to minimize the leaching losses from diets in water and assessed using kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus juveniles. Experimental diets were supplemented with coated CAA or non‐coated CAA to simulate the dietary amino acid profile to that found in the whole body protein of shrimp. The four diets contained CAA coated with either carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (diet 1), zein (diet 2), k‐carrageenan (diet 3) or agar (diet 4), respectively. Another four diets contained CMC‐coated CAA with the addition of either zein (diet 5), casein‐gelatin (diet 6), zein and k‐carrageenan (diet 7), or casein‐gelatin and k‐carrageenan (diet 8), respectively. The 8 weeks feeding trial demonstrated that the diets containing coated CAA gave significantly higher weight gains than diets containing non‐coated CAA, with the highest value for the diet 6. The diets containing coated CAA also yielded higher feed conversion efficiency, protein efficiency ratio, and specific growth rate than diets containing non‐coated CAA. Leaching trials suggested that shrimp growth performance was improved partly due to the retardation or reduction of CAA leaching by coating them with specific binders.

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Bangladesh has been conducting annual serological surveillance for HIV and syphilis since 1998 among most at-risk populations including sex workers, males having sex with males, injecting drug users (IDUs) and heroin smokers. During the seventh round conducted between January and June 2006, 10,368 people were sampled and the overall HIV prevalence was 0.9%. The highest HIV rate was recorded in male IDUs from the capital city Dhaka (7%), and the rates have risen significantly over the rounds (P < 0.001). In Dhaka, most of the HIV-positive IDUs (10.5%) were localized in one neighbourhood, while in the remaining neighbourhoods 1% were positive (P < 0.001). In all other groups, HIV prevalence was <1%. Active syphilis rates were highest in female IDUs (9.9%) followed by female street-based sex workers (8.6%). However, rates in female sex workers in Dhaka declined significantly over the years (P < 0.001). Bangladesh has to act urgently to prevent escalation of the epidemic.