This study was aimed to boost up the dissolution rate of a sparingly aqueous soluble BCS Class II drug pitavastatin (PTV) by solid dispersion (SD) techniques using two hydrophilic polymers poloxamer 407 and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC). Low aqueous solubility of PTV is associated with less oral bioavailability, and a real challenge in preparing appropriate dosage form. To enhance the aqueous solubility, physical mixing and SD formulations of PTV were developed by fusion and solvent evaporation methods using two hydrophilic polymers, poloxamer 407 and HPMC. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation indicated that PTV molecules were homogeneously dispersed in carrier prepared by different formulation methods at 1:2 and 1:3 ratios of PTV: polymer assuming amorphous SD state. The thermogravimetric profiles demonstrated that PTV was stable up to 198°C and began to decompose rapidly with significant weight loss as the temperature was raised over 190°C. Formulations prepared by SD techniques were stable at high temperature. In vitro studies illustrated that cumulative drug release of PTV: HPMC/poloxamer 407 formulations prepared by physical mixing, fusion and solvent evaporation techniques were better compared to pure PTV powder (61.42±0.91%). Among all the approaches, formulations prepared by solvent evaporation and fusion methods displayed higher cumulative releases of PTV than physical mixing formulations. The results of current study clearly indicated that PTV: HPMC/poloxamer 407 (1:2) formulations (S3, S1) developed by solvent evaporation method possess enhanced dissolution profile (96.06%; 95.62%) than the fusion SD formulations (F3; 94.62%, F1; 87.05%). Whereas PTV physical mixing formulations (P2; 82.32%, P4; 80.28%) containing high amount of carrier polymers (ratio 1:3) exhibited superior in vitro dissolution rates than formulations (P3; 68.70%, P1; 71.52%) having less quantity (ratio 1:2) of HPMC/poloxamer 407. It is apparent from the findings of this study that SD formulations (S3, S1, F3, F1) of PTV with HPMC/poloxamer 407 is a very promising approach for improving the in vitro dissolution profile of the sparingly aqueous soluble PTV. Moreover, 1:2 ratio formulations prepared by fusion and solvent evaporation SD approaches were found more effective to upgrade the release rate of PTV than the 1:3 formulations. Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 20(3): 325-336, 2022 (June) Centennial Special Issue

Dengue, a mosquito transmitted febrile viral disease, is a serious public health concern in Bangladesh. Despite significant number of incidences and reported deaths each year, there are inadequate number of studies relating the temporal trends of the clinical parameters as well as socio-demographic factors with the clinical course of the disease. Therefore, this study aims to associate the clinical parameters, demographic and behavioral factors of the dengue patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh during the 2019 outbreak of dengue with the clinical course of the disease. Data were collected from the 336 confirmed dengue in-patients and analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software. Majority of the patients were male (2.2 times higher than female) who required longer time to recover compared to females (p < 0.01), urban resident (54.35%) and belonged to the age group of 18–40 years (73.33%). Dengue fever (90.77%) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (5.95%) were reported in most of the dengue patients while fever (98%) was the most frequently observed symptom. A significantly positive association was found between patient’s age and number of manifested symptoms (p = 0.013). Average duration of stay in the hospital was 4.9 days (SD = 1.652) and patient’s recovery time was positively correlated with delayed hospitalization (p < 0.01). Additionally, recovery time was negatively correlated with initial blood pressure (both systolic (p = 0.001, and diastolic (p = 0.023)) and platelet count (p = 0.003) of the patients recorded on the first day of hospitalization. Finally, a statistical model was developed which predicted that, hospital stay could be positively associated with an increasing trend of temperature, systolic blood pressure and reduced platelets count. Findings of this study may be beneficial to better understand the clinical course of the disease, identify the potential risk factors and ensure improved patient management during future dengue outbreaks.

The devastating novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide has become a global health crisis. This disease is highly contagious and caused by the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, disinfectants and sanitizers are very effective and readily available preventive agents. In this study, knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) levels of Bangladeshi people's were assessed regarding the use of disinfectants and sanitizers during the pandemic. An online questionnaire-based survey was conducted among the respondents from July 2021 to December 2021. A total number of 428 respondents participated in this survey. Data were analysed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) V26 software and interpreted. Results revealed that most of the respondents were knowledgeable, had a positive attitude and engaged in beneficial practice. Among the respondents, a significantly higher knowledge and practice score were observed among females (54.1% and 54.4%, respectively) than their counterpart. Moreover, people living in urban areas (71.7%) had a better attitude than the rural people (28.3%). In addition, a medium positive correlation between knowledge and attitude (r = + 0.482), a weak positive association between attitude and practice (r = +0.199), and a weak positive association between knowledge and practice (r = + 0.282) were found. Overall, majority of the respondents had better KAP scores in knowledge and attitude with relatively low scores in practice which indicates some space for betterment. Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 21(2): 117-126, 2022 (December)

Though mass vaccination programs helped to reduce the severity of the ongoing pandemic, various unwanted effects were reported in Turkey and Bangladesh after taking vaccines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the adverse effects of several vaccines in Turkey and Bangladesh and how the population of both countries prioritizes the continuation of vaccination compared to the side effects. An online survey with a pretest was conducted to gather data over the research period from July 10, 2021 to December 10, 2021. Finally, the questionnaire was shared with the mass population of Turkey and Bangladesh who have received at least one or two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. The quality of the questionnaire was evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha test. The study consisted of 1508 respondents from Bangladesh and 602 respondents from Turkey. Among the total 2110 respondents, 50.0% were male 66.8% were from the 18–30 years age range, and 77.5% reported living in the city area. Among all the respondents, 64.99% of those vaccinated in Bangladesh and 67.28% of those vaccinated in Turkey reported side effects after vaccinations. Participants receiving mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) experienced the most side effects, with many reporting pain at the injection site in both nations. Following that, fever, body pain, and headache were common in Bangladesh, whereas body pain, fatigue, and arm numbness were common in Turkey. The study found no significant adverse events reported in Turkey and Bangladesh following the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccination. These COVID-19 vaccines showed similar patterns of efficacy and safety during the short period of analysis. Vaccines from different manufacturers showed a non-significant level of adverse events during this binational AEFI approach to COVID-19 vaccines. More studies are recommended on the efficacy and safety of several vaccines to discover unexpected effects.