Insufficient physical activity is highly prevalent among the Bangladeshi adult population. Promoting overall PA at leisure-time and commuting considering country context can be feasible options with special attention to the women.

Background The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has wreaked havoc on healthcare staff and caused serious psychological distress. We aimed to determine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Bangladeshi nurses, as well as the relationship between occupational factors and mental health symptoms. We conducted a cross-sectional study among registered nurses in Bangladesh. We used the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) to assess mental health symptoms. Results Among the 547 nurses included in the study, the prevalence of mild to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress was 50.5%, 51.8%, and 41.7% respectively, and 61.9% of the respondents reported mild to severe psychological impact for COVID-19. Psychological symptoms were more prevalent among female nurses than male nurses (p <0.05). Linear regression revealed that having complete personal protective equipment (PPE) during working was significantly associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress (p <0.05). Facing any emotional abuse working in the COVID-19 pandemic situation was significantly associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and greater psychological impact of the outbreak (p <0.05). Conclusions A high prevalence of mental health symptoms was observed in nurses. We recommend the implementation of mental well-being interventions and ensuring a proper work environment for nurses during the pandemic.

This study was designed with a view to investigate the prevalence of poultry diseases in Gazipur district of Bangladesh. A total of 679 poultry birds (313 layers, 338 broilers and 28 cockrels) either dead or live were brought for diagnosis of diseases at Gazipur Sadar Upazilla Veterinary Hospital. The diseases were diagnosed on the basis of history, clinical signs and post-mortem findings. The diseases encountered in layers were bacterial diseases 52.29% (salmonellosis 38.56%, colibacillosis 6.7%, fowl cholera 4.79% and necrotic enteritis 1.60%), viral diseases 23.95% (avian influenza 2.56%, Newcastle disease 16.61%, infectious bronchitis 3.19% and avian leucosis 0.64%), mycoplasmal disease (mycoplasmosis 14.70%) and protozoal disease (coccidiosis 5.75%). Salmonellosis was most prevalent disease in age group of >20 weeks, while Newcastle disease most common in 8 to 20 weeks of age group. In case of broiler, bacterial diseases 28.99% (salmonellosis 21.30% and colibacillosis 7.69%), viral diseases 53.24% (infectious bursal disease 28.99%, Newcastle disease 8.87% and infectious bronchitis 15.38%), mycoplasmal disease (mycoplasmosis 7.1%) and protozoal disease (coccidiosis 6.5%). In cockrels, the most prevalent disease was colibacillosis 35.71% followed by salmonellosis 28.57%, Newcastle disease 14.28% and mycoplasmosis14.28%. So among the diseases, salmonellosis is most prevalent disease followed by infectious bursal disease and mycoplasmosis in different kinds of poultry of Gazipur district of Bangladesh.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. March 2016, 2(1): 107-112

Background It is said that psychological stressors have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may contribute to suicidality. A few studies were conducted investigating suicidality amid the first wave of the pandemic in Bangladesh, but none of these studies explored the predictive role of the suicidality-related factors (eg, behavior and health-related variables, COVID-19 risk, fear of COVID-19). Thus, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of suicidality and the predictive models explaining suicidality variance among Bangladeshi young adults during the second wave of the pandemic. Methods An online-based cross-sectional survey was conducted during the second wave of the pandemic (between 1 and 13 April 2021; a year after the pandemic's inception in the country). The survey questionnaire collected information on socio-demographics, behavior and health-related variables, COVID-19 risk, fear of COVID-19, depression, anxiety, and suicidality. A total of 756 data were analyzed (male 59%; mean age 22.24 ±4.39 years), and hierarchical regression was performed considering suicidality as the dependent variable. A p -value <0.05 was set to be statistically significant with a 95% of confidence interval. Results About 8.2% reported having at least suicidal thoughts within the pandemic inception to survey time (one-year suicidal ideation). More specifically, 7.40% had only suicidal ideation, whereas 0.10% planned for suicide, 0.70% attempted suicide. None of the socio-demographic variables was significantly associated with suicidality. Taking drugs, performing less physical activity, poor self-reporting health condition, being comorbid, being at higher COVID-19 risk, having fear of COVID-19 infection, and suffering from depression and anxiety were significantly associated with a higher risk of suicidality. However, the final model including all of the studied variables explained a 17.1% (F=8.245, p <0.001) variance in terms of suicidality. Conclusion Although this study reported a lower severity of suicidality than prior Bangladeshi studies conducted during the first wave of the pandemic, a portion of people are still at risk of suicide and they should be given attention.

Decontamination of pathogens on surfaces of substances is very important for controlling infectious diseases. In the present experiments, we tested various disinfectants in aqueous phase as well as on plastic surface carrying a viral inoculum, through dropping and wiping decontamination techniques, comparatively, so as to evaluate virucidal efficacies of those disinfectants toward an avian coronavirus (infectious bronchitis virus: IBV). We regard this evaluation system applicable to SARS-CoV-2. The disinfectants evaluated were 0.17% food additive glade calcium hydroxide (FdCa(OH)2) solution, sodium hypochlorite at 500 or 1000 ppm of total chlorine (NaClO-500 or NaClO-1000, respectively), NaClO at 500 ppm of total chlorine in 0.17% FdCa(OH)2 (Mix-500) and quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) diluted 500-fold in water (QAC-500). In the suspension test, all solutions inactivated IBV inoculum that contained 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS) under detectable level within 30 sec. In the carrier test, all solutions, except NaClO-500, could inactivate IBV with 0.5% FBS on a carrier to undetectable level in the wiping-sheets and wiped-carriers. We thus conclude that suspension and carrier tests should be introduced to evaluate disinfectants for the field usage, and that this evaluation system is important and workable for resultful selection of the tested disinfectants against avian coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces, particularly on plastic fomite.

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Background E-learning is a relatively trending system of education that has been placed over conventional campus-based learning worldwide, especially since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess e-learning readiness among university students of a developing country like Bangladesh and identify the independent predictors of e-learning readiness. Methods From 26 December 2020 to 11 January 2021, a total of 1162 university students who had enrolled for e-learning completed a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were collected online via “Google Form” following the principles of snowball sampling through available social media platforms in Bangladesh. A multivariable linear regression model was fitted to investigate the association of e-learning readiness with perceived e-learning stress and other independent predictor variables. Results A total of 1162 university students participated in this study. The results indicated that with the increase of students’ perceived e-learning stress score, the average e-learning readiness score was significantly decreased (β = -0.43, 95% CI: -0.66, -0.20). The students did not seem ready, and none of the e-learning readiness scale items reached the highest mean score (5.0). The age, gender, divisional residence, preference of students and their parents, devices used, and having any eye problems were significantly associated with the students’ e-learning readiness. Conclusion During the prolonged period of the COVID-19 pandemic, e-learning implication strategies are needed to be assessed systematically with the level of readiness and its’ impacts among students for the continuation of sound e-learning systems. The study findings recommend evaluating the e-learning readiness of university students and the mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 catastrophe in Bangladesh.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled all educational institutions from the conventional campus-based education system to e-learning worldwide. However, adapting to this new platform, e-learning readiness may cause perceived stress among students. This study aimed to examine the association between e-learning readiness and perceived e-learning stress and the relationship between sociodemographic and e-learning related factors. Results A cross-sectional study was employed, where 1145 e-learning enrolled university students were surveyed. The result indicated that nearly 91% of students reported moderate (76.07%) to the higher level (14.85%) of perceived e-learning stress, whereas more than half of them (58.17%) were at the sub-optimum level of readiness. Furthermore, it was found that students with the sub-optimum level of readiness compared to optimum had a significantly higher chance of reporting moderate and high level of perceived e-learning stress. Besides, parents’ highest education, residence, students’ preference in (e-learning or learning format), and having any eye problems were associated with perceived e-learning stress. Conclusions A sudden introduction of e-learning during the COVID-19 catastrophe has brought about challenges, including the students' readiness, that might exacerbate the perceived stress level in different ways. This study reported that most of the students were at sub-optimal levels of readiness and suffered from moderate to high levels of perceived e-learning stress. The findings should integrate into the education monitoring system to enhance students' coping strategies, incite readiness, straighten, and nourish existing policies. Key messages The moderate and higher level of e-learning stress was 76% and 15%, respectively. Here, 58% of students were at the sub-optimum level of e-learning readiness. Students’ sub-optimum level of e-learning readiness was significantly associated with the perceived moderate and high level of e-learning stress.