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Background: Heart rate variability has been considered as an indicator of autonomic nerve function status. Few works have been done to assess the heart rate variability in normal healthy subjects in different countries. Objectives: To assess the cardiac autonomic nerve function status in healthy Bangladeshi population of different age groups by analyzing time domain measures of Heart Rate Variability. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from the period of July 2012 to June 2013. For this purpose, a total number of 180 healthy subjects were selected with the age ranging from 15-60 years of both sexes. All the study subjects were divided into 3 different groups according to age (Control 15-30 years; middle age 31-45 years; older age 46-60 years). Each group included 60 subjects of which 30 were male and 30 were female. The subjects were selected from different areas of Dhaka city by personal contacts. HRV parameters were recorded by a 4 active channels, RMS Polyrite-D-2 machine For statistical analysis, one way ANOVA, unpaired Student's 't'-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient test were performed. as applicable. Results: Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were significantly (p<0.001) higher in older group in comparison to control & middle age group. Again RR interval and RMSSD (p<0.001), were significantly lower in older age group (p<0.05) compared to control & also to middle age group. But HR was found significantly higher (p<0.05)in both middle and older subjects than control and also in older (p<0.05) compared to middle age. Correlation analysis showed moderate negative correlation of mean R-R with age in middle age whereas significant negative correlation for RMSSD both in middle and older age subjects.. Conclusion: In this study, markedly decreased cardiac parasympathetic function were found with aging process.

Animal bite is common in Bangladesh. A cross sectional  type of descriptive study was carried out at the Institute of  Public Health (IPH), Dhaka to find out the knowledge and  practices related to wound care among animal bite cases  during the month of February, 1998. A total of 200 patients  were interviewed, 55% of them came from urban area.  Maximum (65.5%) patients were teenagers and adult (above  13 yrs.) with mean age 22.15 yrs. Male and female ratio  was 80.5:19.5. Majority of cases were poor (76.5%) and  only 12% attained educational level of SSC pass or above.  In 92.5% cases dog was the biting animal, 60% of which  were stray. Only 91(45.5%) patients took immediate  measures for wound care. Of them only 11 patients knew  and washed the wound by soap and water and 3 patients did  it after getting advice from physicians. 134 (67%) patients  consulted with physicians one hour to several days after,  whereas 33% within one hour. Among the attending  physicians 31.5% were MBBS doctors but 57.5% were  Kabiraz, Fakir, Moullana and others. In 50 present animal  bite cases, Fold remedies or herbal medicine were advised  in comparison to 42% for vaccination. But only 3 (1.5%)  patients got the message of wound care by washing with  soap and water. Emphasis on planning on educational  programme on "What people should do after an animal  bite" has been recommended. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/medtoday.v24i1.14111 Medicine TODAY Vol.24(1) 2012 pp.27-30

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been considered as an indicator of autonomic nerve function status. We aimed to find out the reference values of heart rate variability by power spectral analysis in our healthy population of both sex. This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from the period of July 2012 to June 2013. For this, 180 subjects were selected with the age ranging from 15-60 years. All the study subjects were divided into 3 different groups according to age (Group A: 15-30 years; Group B: 31-45 years; Group C: 46-60 years). Each group contained 60 subjects of which 30 were male and 30 were female. Analysis of HRV parameters were done in Department of Physiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, low frequency normalized unit, low frequency / high frequency ratio were significantly higher in male than female. Again high frequency power, high frequency normalized unit were significantly higher in female than male of same age group. This study concludes that male showed higher cardiac sympathetic activities while female showed higher cardiac parasympathetic activities in different age groups.Bangladesh Med J. 2014 Sep; 43 (3): 146-150