An attempt has been made to examine whether maternal education influences the antenatal care (ANC) visit in Bangladesh using sequential logistic regression models with an interaction between maternal education and place of residence. For the purpose of analysis, Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), 2014 data set have been used. The findings emerged from the study show a significant increase of adequate ANC visits among pregnant women with the increase in maternal education level. Moreover, interaction between maternal education and place of residence provides a significant effect on complete ANC visits. The finding justifies an influential impact of maternal education on ANC visits over place of residence. Female participation in the education programs needs to be increased because maternal education signifies a strong positive association with ANC visits.

Liver diseases are quite prevalant in many densely populated countries, including Bangladesh. The liver and its hepatocytes are targeted by virus and microbes, as well as by chemical environmental toxicants, causing wide-spread disruption of metabolic fuctions of the human body, leading to death from end-stage liver diseases. The aim of this review is to systematically explore and record the potential of Bangladeshi ethnopharmacological plants to treat liver diseases with focus on their sources, constituents, and therapeutic uses, including mechanisms of actions (MoA). A literature survey was carried out using Pubmed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases with articles reported until July, 2020. A total of 88 Bangladeshi hepatoprotective plants (BHPs) belonging to 47 families were listed in this review, including Euphorbiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, and Compositae families contained 20% of plants, while herbs were the most cited (51%) and leaves were the most consumed parts (23%) as surveyed. The effect of BHPs against different hepatotoxins was observed via upregulation of antioxidant systems and inhibition of lipid peroxidation which subsequently reduced the elevated liver biomarkers. Different active constituents, including phenolics, curcuminoids, cucurbitanes, terpenoids, fatty acids, carotenoids, and polysaccharides, have been reported from these plants. The hepatoameliorative effect of these constituents was mainly involved in the reduction of hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation through activation of Nrf2/HO-1 and inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathways. In summary, BHPs represent a valuable resource for hepatoprotective lead therapeutics which may offer new alternatives to treat liver diseases.

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BackgroundThe quality antenatal care (ANC) services can reduce the risk of the pregnancy complications, and hence reduce the maternal and child morbidity and mortality. To ensure the quality ANC services to the pregnant women, it is essential that healthcare providers should be fully prepared with six tracer indicators recommended by World Health Organization. In this study, the prevalence of readiness by selected covariates has been examined. Potential factors responsible for the readiness have also been identified.MethodsUsing data from nationally representative Bangladesh Health Facility Survey (BHFS), 2017, the readiness indices of health facilities providing ANC services have been measured based on the six tracer indicators of the service. The chi-square test has been applied to check the association of selected covariates with the readiness index, and to obtain the adjusted associations of covariates, we have carried out a multinomial logistic regression model. ResultsOnly 4.26% of the facilities is found to provide quality ANC services to the pregnant women. Rural facilities have lower readiness to provide quality services compared to urban facilities [RRR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.06-0.31; p<0.001]. Community clinics and private hospitals are less likely to have medium or high readiness compared to public hospitals or clinics. The health facilities having specialist or MBBS doctors are more likely to be considered as ready for quality ANC services compared to others facilities. Regional difference exists in readiness for providing the service.ConclusionA huge gap has been found in the facilities of Bangladesh to prove quality ANC services. This is a high time to reduce this gap in achieving sustainable development goals related with maternity and neonatal mortality. The present study recommends that the government of Bangladesh should take necessary initiatives to fully prepared healthcare providers so that quality ANC services can be equally provided to each pregnant woman.