Rotavirus strains not covered by licensed vaccines are increasing.

Injecting drug users (IDU) in Bangladesh are at the early stages of an HIV epidemic. To understand the dynamics of the HIV epidemic, male IDU (n = 561) were recruited from the needle/syringe exchange program in Dhaka in 2002, who underwent a risk-behavior survey and were tested for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B. Correlates of HIV infection were determined by conducting bivariate and multiple regression analyses. The median age of the IDU was 35 years, 39.6% had no formal education, approximately half were married and/or living with their regular sex partner and 26% were currently homeless. The median age at first injection was 29 years. HIV was detected in 5.9% of the IDU and homelessness was the only factor independently associated with HIV (OR = 5.5). Urgent measures must be undertaken to prevent escalation of the HIV epidemic. The study's limitations are noted.

Injecting drug users (IDU) were enrolled from two detoxification clinics and two needle/syringe exchange programmes (NEP) in central and northwest Bangladesh. Syphilis, hepatitis C and HIV rates were highest in IDU from the NEP of central Bangladesh (23, 66.5 and 1.4%, respectively), whereas current hepatitis B infection rates were highest in IDU from the NEP of northwest Bangladesh (12%). Five HIV strains were subtype C and one E/B. The 32 base pair (bp) deletion of the CCR5 gene was not detected.

Background: Very little is known about female injecting drug users (IDU) in Bangladesh but anecdotal evidence suggests that they are hidden and very vulnerable to HIV through both their injection sharing and sexual risk behaviors. In order to better understand the risks and vulnerability to HIV of female IDU, a cohort study was initiated through which HIV prevalence and risk behaviors was determined.

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Background. Compromised muscle performance is common problem in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and subsequently affects activities of daily living and quality of life (QoL). Objective. to investigate the additional effect of short-term aerobic training on both of muscle performance and QoL in patients with MS. Design. Single blinded, parallel randomized controlled trial. Setting. Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Egypt. Participants: 40 patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) were randomly divided into two equal groups; intervention (n = 20) and control (n = 20) groups. Intervention. Both groups received a therapeutic exercise program of active strengthening and stretching exercises for selected lower limbs muscles. Only intervention group received aerobic training using bicycle ergometer three sessions weekly for eight successive weeks. Outcomes measures: isokinetic dynamometer parameters; total work, power and fatigue index, to evaluate muscle performance. The Short Form health survey (SF-36) was also applied to evaluate the QoL. Results. Intervention group showed a remarkable significant improvement in all of the isokinetic parameters and in several subscales of SF-36 questionnaire as well when compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion. adding aerobic training to physical therapy program can be more beneficial in improving muscle performance and quality of life in patients with MS.

Background: Tetraplegia that results from cervical injury is the most frequent neurologic category after spinal cord injury (SCI) and causes substantial disability. Traumatic Brain injury (TBI) is a shock or a penetrating injury to the head that disrupts the brain function leading to various impairments including upper limb dysfunction. Improving arm and hand function after these injuries is a major priority of rehabilitation due to its reflect on mobility, independency and quality of life. Advances of treatment approaches and technology have been introduced in research work; one of these approaches is task-oriented training (TOT). Aim of Study:This systematic review aims to find out the evidence on the effectiveness of TOT to improve the upper limb functions among patients with SCI and TBI.Material and Methods: This systematic review performed using the PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) search engines and the associated keywords. The methodological quality assessment was done by two reviewers using PEDro scale. Random effect model and standardized mean differences were used for metaanalyses. Results:The search identified 8,424 records, of which only two trials were selected as eligible. Quality appraisal revealed the trials were of good or fair quality. Conclusion:This systematic review suggests moderate level of evidence for non-significant effect of Task-oriented training in improving upper limb function and hand dexterity in patients with spinal cord injuries and further primary research is recommended for both SCI and TBI.

Background/Aims Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation have been studied repeatedly to reduce diabetic neuropathic pain. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of aerobic training plus one of the treatment therapies on decreasing pain severity in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Methods A total of 30 patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy were randomly assigned into two equal groups: group A and group B. Both groups received aerobic training exercises. Group A received repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and Group B received transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for 5 consecutive days in 1 week. Outcome measures included pain severity assessment using the Visual Analogue Scale and the serum β-endorphin levels. Results There was a non-significant difference in pre-treatment (P=0.061) and post-treatment (P=0.652) in the Visual Analogue Scale scores between groups. However, β-endorphin levels were significantly different between groups in post- (P=0.015) rather than pre-treatment (P=0.459) levels. A significant moderate correlation between β-endorphin levels and Visual Analogue Scale scores was found in group A (r=−0.6783) at (P=0.008), while it was not significant in group B (r=0.043) at (P=0.883). Conclusions Adding transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation therapies to aerobic training showed similar effects in reducing pain severity in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.