ORCID Profile
0000-0001-7462-6477
Current Organisations
Monash University
,
BRAC University
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Publisher: Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology
Date: 2019
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 21-11-2018
Abstract: Estuarine bank sediments have the potential to support the survival and growth of fecal indicator organisms, including Escherichia coli. However, survival of fecal pathogens in estuarine sediments is not well researched and therefore remains a significant knowledge gap regarding public health risks in estuaries. In this study, simultaneous survival of Escherichia coli and a fecal pathogen, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, was studied for 21 days in estuarine bank sediment microcosms. Observed growth patterns for both organisms were comparable under four simulated scenarios for continuous-desiccation, extended-desiccation, periodic-inundation, and continuous-inundation systems, logarithmic decay coefficients were 1.54/day, 1.51/day, 0.14/day, and 0.20/day, respectively, for E. coli, and 1.72/day, 1.64/day, 0.21/day, and 0.24/day for S. Typhimurium. Re-wetting of continuous-desiccated systems resulted in potential re-growth, suggesting survival under moisture-limited conditions. Key findings from this study include: (i) Bank sediments can potentially support human pathogens (S. Typhimurium), (ii) inundation levels influence the survival of fecal bacteria in estuarine bank sediments, and (iii) comparable survival rates of S. Typhimurium and E. coli implies the latter could be a reliable fecal indicator in urban estuaries. The results from this study will help select suitable monitoring and management strategies for safer recreational activities in urban estuaries.
Publisher: Bangladesh Journals Online (JOL)
Date: 04-06-2013
Abstract: The leather industries of Hajaribag area, Dhaka city, produce hundreds of metric tons of inorganic and organic wastes which pollute the adjacent water bodies including the river Buriganga. In the present study, a total of 18 water s les from 6 different points along the effluent distribution route were examined. Along with the dissolved oxygen concentration (DO), acidity (pH), conductivity, and concentration of total dissolved solute (TDS), concentration of the s les were measured followed by the enumeration of total heterotrophic bacteria. Pure cultures of bacterial isolates were obtained after a brief enrichment and the isolates were biochemically identified up to genus level. The physicochemical test readings showed significant fluctuations in different points indicating radically heterogeneous conditions throughout the distribution system. The total count varied from 1.2x102 to 6.3x103 cfu/ml. Different bacterial genera including Alcaligenes spp., Bacillus spp., Corynebacterium spp., Escherichia spp., Micrococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Shigella spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. were isolated from the collected s les. The bacterial community was found to be ersified where the concentration of tannery waste was less thereby it was assumed that the tannery waste might affect the aquatic bacterial community both quantitatively and qualitatively. DOI: 0.3329/sjm.v2i1.15208 Stamford Journal of Microbiology, Vol.2(1) 2012: 20-23
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 02-11-2021
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114521004360
Abstract: Insufficiency of vitamin D, during pregnancy, is a common cause of various pregnancy-related complications. Despite such insufficiency being frequently reported among South Asian pregnant women, the absence of systematic review and meta-analysis renders the true extent of this problem being poorly characterised. In this systematic review, three main databases (PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar) were searched for original studies. We included original studies published between 1January 2001 to 31 December 2019, conducted on pregnant women who lived in South Asian countries and reported the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among the study participants. Twenty studies with a total of 7804 participants from four South Asian countries finally met our selection criteria. Overall pooled prevalence of insufficiency was 65 % (95 % CI: 51 %, 78 %) with a significant heterogeneity (I 2 = 99·37 % P = 0·00). The average level of vitamin D ranged from 9 ng/ml to 24·86 ng/ml with a weighted mean of 16·37 ng/ml (weighted standard deviation 7·13 ng/ml). The highest prevalence of insufficiency was found in Pakistan (76 %) followed by India (67 %), Bangladesh (64 %) and Nepal (14 %). Results obtained in this study suggest that vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent among South Asian pregnant women. Being the first systematic review in this region, findings from this study will help the future studies and strengthen the evidence for policymakers to develop effective mitigation strategies.
Publisher: Bangladesh Journals Online (JOL)
Date: 04-06-2013
Abstract: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are regarded as effective probiotic organisms and used with a view of augmenting the safety of the food. In the present study, five food items (meat, fish, apple, milk and carrot) were selected having high nutritive and economic value, assumptive of harboring lactic acid bacteria. A total of 29 LABs were isolated from 5 different s les after 2 batches of fermentation. All of the isolates were then tested against 4 most frequently encountered pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Vibrio cholerae. Among all these isolates, those from meat and fish s les showed positive average inhibitory coefficient (AIC) against two target pathogens, while those from milk and carrot showed positive AIC against three pathogens each, and isolates from apple revealed positive AIC against all four pathogens used. More than 50% of the isolates were found to inhibit or mask the pathogens when allowed to grow along with the in idual pathogen on the each tested food item. Out of 29 isolates, 17 were found to successfully inhibit Escherichia coli, 11 worked against S. aureus, 11 against S. typhimurium, and 13 showed significant effect against V. cholerae. Among these isolates ML4, ML8, AP5 and CR3 most notably showed the potential to inhibit or mask at least three of the target pathogenic strains. DOI: 0.3329/sjm.v2i1.15203 Stamford Journal of Microbiology, Vol.2(1) 2012: 6-9
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 20-08-2020
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 22-08-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.19.20177980
Abstract: The COVID-19 affected millions of people, and the patients present a constellation of symptoms and comorbidities. We aimed to chronicle the prevalence and correlations of symptoms and comorbidities, and associated covariates among the patients. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis [PROSPERO registration: CRD42020182677]. Databases [PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, WHO, Semantic Scholar, and COVID-19 Primer] were searched for clinical studies published in English from January 1 to April 20, 2020. The pooled prevalence of symptoms and comorbidities were identified using the random effect model, and sub-groups analysis of patients’ age and locations were investigated. A multivariable factor analysis was also performed to show the correlation among symptoms, comorbidities and age of the COVID-19 patients. Twenty-nine articles [China (24) Outside of China (5)], with 4,884 COVID-19 patients were included in this systematic review. The meta-analysis investigated 33 symptoms, where fever [84%], cough/dry cough [61%], and fatigue/weakness [42%] were found frequent. Out of 43 comorbidities investigated, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) [61%] was a common condition, followed by hypertension [23%] and diabetes [12%]. According to the patients’ age, the prevalence of symptoms like fatigue/weakness, dyspnea/shortness of breath, and anorexia were highly prevalent in older adults [≥50 years] than younger adults [≤50 years]. Diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and COPD/lung disease were more prevalent comorbidities in older adults than younger adults. The patients from outside of China had significantly higher prevalence [p 0.005] of diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, sore throat, and dyspnea, and the prevalent comorbidities in that region were diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and ARDS. The multivariable factor analysis showed positive association between a group of symptoms and comorbidities, and with the patients’ age. Epitomizing the correlation of symptoms of COVID-19 with comorbidities and patients’ age would help clinicians effectively manage the patients. There is scarce evidence on the prevalence of all symptoms and comorbidities in COVID-19 infected older adults and patients from outside of China. Previously published review studies excluded a wide range of symptoms and comorbidities from their analysis due to limited time-frame. Study on the correlation of symptoms and comorbidity with age of the COVID-19 patients are not yet to be explored. We investigated all the reported symptoms [33] and comorbidity [43] where fever [84%], cough/dry cough [61%], fatigue/weakness [42%] and dyspnea/shortness of breath [ symptoms, and ARDS [61%], followed by hypertension [23%] and frequent comorbidity. Key findings, the fatigue/weakness, dyspnea/shortness of breath and anorexia were comparatively higher in older adults than younger adults, and the patients from outside of China had a higher prevalence diarrhoea, fatigue, nausea, sore throat, dyspnea, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and ARDS. Key findings, the symptoms comprising fever, dyspnea/shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, anorexia and pharyngalgia and the comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, COPD/lung disease and ARDS were positively correlated with the COVID-19 patient’s age. These findings according to patient’s age and geographical variations may help the health care providers and policy makers. This pioneering efforts in estimating the prevalence and correlations of all frequent symptoms and comorbidities will help the clinicians and disease practitioners like WHO to implement patient-centered interventions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-03-2022
DOI: 10.1186/S41043-022-00287-W
Abstract: Vitamin D is vital for the growth and development of children. While deficiency and/or insufficiency of vitamin D among South Asian children are frequently reported in the literature, the lack of a meta-analysis has left its true extent poorly characterized. In this study, we aimed to conduct a systematic review and perform meta-analyses of the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among the children of the South Asian countries. Two major electronic search engines (PubMed and Scopus) and one database (Google scholar) were used original studies, conducted among South Asian children and adolescents and published between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2019. A random-effect meta-analysis was also performed to calculate the pooled prevalence of hypovitaminosis D followed by subgroup analyses for countries and age groups. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 41 studies with a total population size of 18,233 were finally selected. The overall prevalence of hypovitaminosis D was 61% [95% CI: 46% to 71%] with highly significant heterogeneity ( I 2 = 99.72% p 0.0001). The average level of serum vitamin D ranged from 5 ng/mL to 34 ng/mL, with a weighted mean of 19.15 ng/mL (weighted standard deviation 11.59 ng/mL). Country-wise analysis showed that hypovitaminosis D in Afghanistan was the highest [96.2% 95% CI: 91% to 99%], followed by Pakistan [94% 95% CI: 90% to 96%], India [64% 95% CI: 46% to 79%], Bangladesh [35.48% 95% CI: 32% to 39%], Nepal [35% 95% CI: 1% to 83%], and Sri Lanka [25% 95% CI: 16% to 36%]. Age group analyses revealed that hypovitaminosis D was most prevalent among neonates [85% 95% CI: 76% to 91%], followed by school-going children [57% 95% CI: 33% to 80%], and preschool children [55% 95% CI: 35% to 75%]. This study generates quantitative evidence and specific extent of hypovitaminosis D in the South Asian countries as a public health concern. Being the first systematic review for this region, results from this study will create awareness and will facilitate adopting mitigation strategies by the policymakers and the governments to address this problem.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-04-2021
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 06-08-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.05.20168674
Abstract: South Asian countries including Bangladesh have been struggling to control the COVID-19 pandemic despite imposing months of lockdown and other public health measures (as of June 30, 2020). In-depth epidemiological information from these countries is lacking. From the perspective of Bangladesh, this study aims to understand the epidemiological features and gaps in public health preparedness. This study used publicly available data (8 March-30 June 2020) from the respective health departments of Bangladesh and Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre. Descriptive statistics was used to report the incidence, case fatality rates (CFR), and trend analysis. Spatial distribution maps were created using ArcGIS Desktop. Infection dynamics were analyzed via SIR models. In 66 days of nationwide lockdown and other public health efforts, a total of 47,153 cases and 650 deaths were reported. However, the incidence was increased by around 50% within a week after relaxing the lockdown. Males were disproportionately affected in terms of infections (71%) and deaths (77%) than females. The CFR for males was higher than females (1.38% vs 1.01%). Over 50% of infected cases were reported among young adults (20-40-year age group). Geospatial analysis between 7 June 2020 and 20 June 2020 showed that the incidences increased 4 to 10-fold in 12 administrative districts while it decreased in the epicenter. As compared to the EU and USA, trends of the cumulative incidence were slower in South Asia with lower mortality. Our findings on gaps in public health preparedness and epidemiological characteristics would contribute to facilitating better public health decisions for managing current and future pandemics like COVID-19 in the settings of developing countries.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2020
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-01-2019
Abstract: Childhood obesity is rapidly rising in many developing countries such as Bangladesh however, the factors responsible for this increase are not well understood. Being the primary caregivers of children, particularly in developing countries, maternal perceptions and knowledge could be important factors influencing the weight status of children. This study aimed to assess maternal perceptions of childhood obesity and associated socio-demographic factors in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study using stratified random s ling was conducted among 585 mothers whose children aged 4 to 7 years attended preschools in a district town. Body Mass Index of the children was calculated and weight status categorized according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria. Maternal perceptions were assessed using a self- or interviewer-administered questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression was used to obtain crude and adjusted odds ratios. Fourteen percent of children were overweight or obese and approximately 30% were underweight. Only 3.1% of children were perceived as overweight/obese by their mothers. Over one-third (35%) of mothers perceived that childhood overweight/obesity could be a health problem and over two-thirds (68.6%) were not aware of any health consequences of childhood obesity. Maternal perceptions were significantly associated with maternal education, family income, and weight status of the child but were not associated with the sex of the child. We have identified knowledge gaps regarding maternal perception of childhood obesity and its contributing factors in a developing country. These findings can be used to develop and test parent-focused educational interventions for preventing childhood obesity in Bangladesh.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 15-03-2021
Abstract: Production of safe food in the densely populated areas of the developing countries is the most challenging issue due to the speedy urbanization, fragile food transportation facilities, and reduced farmlands. Given this background, a study was conducted to evaluate the agronomic properties and economic viability of lettuce grown vertically in the wall of building in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Two lettuce cultivars (V1: Green wave and V2: New red fire) and three organic growing media (P1: 40% soil + 40% vermicompost + 20% coir P2: 50% soil + 50% vermicompost P3: 20% soil + 40% vermicompost + 40% spent mushroom compost) along with control (P0:100% soil) were used. The results revealed that plant height, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, and total yield of leaf lettuce were significantly increased when the green-leafed cultivar (VI) was grown in the P1 compared to all other treatments, but V2 got maximum sensory attribute scores when grown in the P1. Lettuce leaves grown in the formulated growing media (P1, P2, and P3) had higher microbial infestation whereas, a lower content occurred in the P0. The higher economic return was observed in V1P1. These results provided baseline information for further study on urban commercial vertical farming on the building walls. These demonstrate the agronomic and economic potential for vertical farming in densely populated areas but emphasize the need for optimized food safety strategies.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-09-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S13023-020-01543-0
Abstract: South Asia is the hotspot of beta-thalassemia, with an estimated 200,000 patients whose lives depend on regular blood transfusion. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have adopted unprecedented lockdown to minimize the spread of transmission. Restriction of nationwide human mobility and fear of COVID-19 infection has put thalassemia patients in a life-threatening situation because of an acute shortage of blood supply. As a public health preparedness strategy during a crisis like COVID-19 pandemic, the plights of thalassemia patients should be considered. Government-sponsored community blood-banks needs to be established or coverage expanded as a safety net for the thalassemia patients in lower- and middle-income countries.
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 22-04-2022
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-1538605/V1
Abstract: Background : High levels of vitamin D deficiency are commonly reported even in regions with abundant sunshine. This necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the determinants that influence sun exposure practices. As the primary source of health-related knowledge for the general public, the attitude of the healthcare professionals towards sunlight and their awareness related to vitamin D deficiency can be critical in this regard. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,242 physicians, intern doctors, and senior medical students in Bangladesh from October 2019 to February 2020. A pre-tested structured questionnaire (containing twelve close-ended questions) was used. The perceptions of health risks due to sun exposure, and basic knowledge of the physiological and epidemiological aspects of vitamin D deficiency were tested. Results: An overall negative attitude towards sunlight in the context of Bangladesh was highlighted – 68% participants thought regular sun exposure would be harmful or very harmful 26% thought the level of UV radiation was very high 44% recommended using sunscreen always skin burns, heat stroke, and cancer were selected as potential consequences of regular sun exposure by 45%, 21%, and 30% respondents respectively. Overall knowledge regarding vitamin D deficiency appeared to be biased towards bone health other symptoms and associated illnesses not having obvious link to Calcium-metabolism were identified much lesser frequently. Furthermore, ‘sunrise to 10 am’ was identified as the best time to get vitamin D by 69% participants 60% believed min of weekly sun exposure would be sufficient for the Bangladeshi population an only 33% identified that prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in Bangladesh would be 50% or more. Taking vitamin D-rich food was suggested by more respondents over regular sun exposure (43% vs. 33%) as more effective remedial strategy to curb vitamin D deficiency in Bangladesh. Conclusion: In addition to highlighting some crucial knowledge gaps, results from this study provides a comprehensive baseline dataset for knowledge and attitude regarding the public health aspects of vitamin D deficiency among the healthcare providers in Bangladesh, which would be generalizable to other countries with similar socio-demographic context, and will facilitate taking more effective policies worldwide.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-10-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12889-021-11888-1
Abstract: Vitamin-D deficiency is linked to a wide range of chronic and infectious diseases. Body of literature suggested that the prevalence of this deficiency can have geographical variation. Although vitamin D deficiency is frequently reported in the South Asian population, the scarcity of systematic reviews and meta-analysis means the true extent of the disease and the underlying factors causing it are poorly characterized. A systematic search was performed using two databases (PubMed and Scopus) and one search engine (Google Scholar) for original studies on the South Asian population (published from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2019). Following the search, a random effect meta-analysis was performed to calculate population-level weighted average, the pooled prevalence of deficiency, and heterogeneity of vitamin D among different countries and genders in addition to South Asia as a whole. Our study, based on our selection criteria was narrowed down to a total of 44,717 participants which spanned over 65 studies from five South Asian countries. Overall, the pooled prevalence of deficiency was 68% [95% CI: 64 to 72%] with significant heterogeneity (I 2 = 98% p = 0.00). The average level of vitamin D ranged from 4.7 to 32 ng/mL, with a weighted mean of 19.15 ng/mL (weighted standard deviation 11.59 ng/mL). The highest prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was found in Pakistan (73% % CI: 63 to 83%) followed by Bangladesh (67% 95% CI: 50 to 83%), India (67% 95% CI: 61 to 73%), Nepal (57% 95% CI: 53 to 60%) and Sri Lanka (48% 95% CI: 41 to 55%), respectively. This finding indicated a high degree of heterogeneity among the population. (I 2 = 98.76%), Furthermore, a gender-wise analysis suggested that in South Asia, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher in females than males. Our findings reveal highly prevalent and variable vitamin D deficiency among the adults of different South Asian countries. Findings from this review would be helpful to generate hypotheses and explore the factors affecting the inter-country variability, alongside strengthening evidence for governments to prioritize mitigation strategies in this region.
Publisher: Biomedical Research Foundation
Date: 03-05-2020
DOI: 10.30577/JBA.V3I2.40
Abstract: Our brief commentary on the threat and potential impact of the public’s “panic” to the COVID-19 outbreak. As stated, Bangladesh is in a very precarious situation with the imminent threat of disease spreading throughout a densely populated country of over 160 million. We can make parallels to our recent experience with the devastating Dengue virus outbreak. We believe it is essential to share this report with other public health agencies and especially those from low-and-middle-income countries.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-02-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S13023-020-1323-Y
Abstract: Thalassaemia is a potentially life-threatening yet preventable inherited hemoglobin disorder. Understanding local socio-cultural context and level of public awareness about thalassaemia is pivotal for selecting effective prevention strategies. This study attempted to assess knowledge and perceptions about thalassaemia among college students in Bangladesh. A supervised cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1578 college students using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The survey took place from 15 February 2018 to 17 March 2018 in the Jamalpur district in Bangladesh. Besides the attitude-related questions, the study asked a total of 12 knowledge-related questions, which were scored on a scale of 0–12 points. Over two-thirds (67%) of the college students had never heard of thalassaemia. The urban-rural dichotomy was observed among those familiar with the term (46.4% from urban vs. 25.8% from rural colleges). A similar pattern was observed for knowledge score 5.07 ± 1.87 for students from the urban colleges compared to 3.69 ± 2.23 for rural colleges. Students from the science background had the highest knowledge score (5.03 ± 1.85), while those from arts and humanities background scored lowest (3.66 ± 2.3). Nearly 40% of the students were not sure or did not want to be a friend of a thalassaemia patient. Whereas 39% either declined or remained hesitant about helping thalassaemia patients by donating blood. However, most of the respondents (88%) showed a positive attitude towards ‘premarital’ screening to prevent thalassaemia. This study has identified critical knowledge gaps and societal misperceptions about thalassaemia. A better understanding of these aspects will be pivotal for disseminating thalassaemia related information. As the first study of this kind in Bangladesh, findings from this study has generated baseline data that would contribute to developing effective intervention strategies in Bangladesh and other countries with a comparable socio-cultural setting.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-08-2020
DOI: 10.1007/S00248-019-01419-2
Abstract: Faecal contamination poses health risks for the recreational users of urban estuaries. However, our understanding of the potential pathogenicity of faecal microbes in these environments is limited. To this end, a study was conducted to understand the spatial and seasonal distribution of Salmonella in water and sediments of the Yarra River estuary, Melbourne, Australia. Among 210 s les in total, culturable Salmonella were recovered from 27%, 17%, and 19% of water, bank, and bed sediment s les, respectively. The combined detection increased from 15% in winter to 32% in summer (p < 0.05) indicating seasonal variation as potential part of public health risk assessments. Further, pathogenic potential of the Salmonella isolates was characterised via the quantification of attachment and invasion capacity using human epithelial colorectal cell line Caco-2 on a subset of isolates (n = 62). While all of these isolates could attach and invade Caco-2 cells, 52% and 13% of these showed greater attachment and invasiveness, respectively, than the corresponding mean values for S. Typhimurium ATCC14028 control. Isolates from winter were on average more invasive (seven out of eight isolates with the highest invasiveness recovered from the colder s ling period) than the isolates from summer, and Salmonella collected during summer showed lower invasion (p < 0.05) compared with the control. Similar low invasion compared with the same control was observed for isolates recovered from bank sediment (p < 0.05). While the higher prevalence in summer may imply higher risks during these peak recreational periods, it is essential that this information is used in combination with quantitative microbial risk assessments to fully understand the health risks posed by Salmonella in microtidal estuaries.
Location: Bangladesh
No related grants have been discovered for Mahbubul Siddiqee.