One of the most serious resource and health issues in coastal communities of Bangladesh is the scarcity of safe drinking water, triggered by the combined effects of salinity, arsenic, and drought. This article explores community perception of vulnerabilities in daily life, livelihood, and environment, and investigates how communities and institutions cope with or adapt to drinking water scarcity. This study outlines community expectations for support from government and nongovernment organizations to overcome this problem. The findings reveal that nearly all respondents from the drinking water scarcity area perceive that salinity is the primary reason for the lack of safe drinking water compared to arsenic and drought hazards. Despite a number of socioeconomic factors and a geographical location that aggravates the coastal communities' vulnerability, these communities have established their own adaptation mechanism to cope with this crisis. Government and nongovernment organizations have also supported community efforts to cope with the problem. By emphasizing both community adaptation methods and efforts of institutions, this article illustrates an integrated community-based approach, which would be effective for reducing drinking water scarcity in the southwestern coastal region of the country.
Climate change may affect human health through multiple and interactive pathways that include safe water scarcity. However, impacts of climate change-induced water scarcity on health and well-being are complex. About 80% of illnesses in developing countries are attributed to unsafe drinking water and waterborne diseases. In Southwestern Bangladesh, lack of safe drinking water is a severe crisis due to climate change. The study investigated the impacts of climate change on water resources and human health in a coastal area. A questionnaire survey was carried out in two villages of Shymnagar upazila on the southwestern coast to investigate the present status of safe water sources and health care facilities and their impacts on the local community. The results show that the local community believes that climate change is having substantial impacts on freshwater sources and health. More than 70% of the respondents identified diarrhea, dysentery, and skin diseases as the prime waterborne health risks that occur through climate-related safe water scarcity. By synthesizing the ground data, we suggest pathways to health adaptation to climate change effects and safe water scarcity through locally available adaptive practices such as the use of pond sand filters, rainwater harvesting, and importing potable water with the active participation of the government, nongovernmental organizations, and communities.
Background: Amyloid- soluble oligomers (Ao) are believed to be the cause of the pathophysiology underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are normally detected some two decades before clinical onset of the disease. Retinal pathology associated with AD pathogenesis has previously been reported, including ganglion cell loss, accumulation of A deposits in the retina, and reduction of nerve fiber layer thickness as well as abnormalities of the microvasculature. Objective: This study's aim is to better understand the relationship between brain and retinal Ao deposition and in particular to quantify levels of the toxic Ao as a function of age in the retina of a rodent model of AD. Methods: Retinas and brain tissue from 5×FAD mice were stained with Congo red, Thioflavin-T (Th-T), and A plaquespecific and Ao-specific antibodies. Results: We show that retinas displayed an age-dependent increase of Th-T-specific amyloid fibrils. Staining with anti-A antibody confirmed the presence of the A plaques in all 5×FAD retinas tested. In contrast, staining with anti-Ao antibody showed an age-dependent decrease of retinal Ao. Of note, Ao was observed mainly in the retinal nuclear layers. Finally, we confirmed the localization of Ao to neurons, typically accumulating in late endosomes, indicating possible impairment of the endocytic pathway.
Conclusion:Our results demonstrate the presence of intraneuronal Ao in the retina and its accumulation inversely correlated with retinal A plaque deposition, indicating an age-related conversion in this animal model. These results support the development of an early AD diagnostic test targeting Ao in the eye.
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