Dhaka National Medical College

Data science and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly used in public health surveillance, triage, diagnostics, and service delivery, while legal and audit controls often lag behind deployment. This paper integrates the third wave of digital era governance (DEG3) with corporate governance mechanisms to frame public health AI as auditable decision infrastructure. Using a structured review and qualitative documentary analysis of public records from 12 jurisdictions between 2016 and 2024, the study identifies recurring failures in senior oversight, contracting transparency, audit rights, model documentation, monitoring and redress. Findings show that capability-first deployments scale faster than accountability mechanisms, whereas pooled standards, auditable procurement and independent assurance reduce repeated failures. The paper proposes a corporate-governance-informed control architecture for lawful, auditable and rights-based scaling of public health AI.

Varicocele is the most frequent surgically correctable cause of male factor infertility and the mechanisms underlying the detrimental impact of varicocele on testicular function are not fully understood. The current evidence suggests that varicocele is accompanied by significant changes of the microenvironment of the testicles, not only are the veins dilated, but there are also deep changes. Venous drainage defects and abnormal testicular hemodynamic can favour the development of hyperthermia, hypoxia, oxidative stress, inflammation and hormonal disturbances, which can affect cellular homeostasis, impairing spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis. A growing body of evidence also indicates that there is considerable variation in the clinical presentation and reproductive outcomes of affected men, which may be attributable to genetic susceptibility, epigenetic dysregulation, and molecular alterations. The above changes have been associated with sperm DNA damage, dysfunction of sperm, Leydig cell dysfunction and progressive loss of testicular architecture. While varicocele surgery can enhance semen quality and reproductive outcomes in the right patients, there is great variability in response to surgery. The use of molecular profiling and multi-omics technologies has now enhanced the understanding of the molecular pathways involved in varicocele-associated infertility and may enable the development of predictive biomarkers and more personalized treatment plans. This review synthesises current evidence regarding the pathophysiological, genetic, and molecular mechanisms underlying varicocele associated male infertility and examines their clinical implications for diagnosis, treatment, and future precision-based approaches.

Background:Childhood eating behaviors arise from the interaction of socio-demographic, emotional, and environmental influences that shape food-related responses early in life. Guided by a behavioral-ecological perspective, this study explored key determinants of emotional, physical-activity-related, and social-interaction-based eating behaviors among school-aged children in Bangladesh. Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 school-going children (aged 4-12 years) across urban, semi-urban, and rural areas in Bangladesh. Data were collected through structured interviews with guardians. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata 17. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics, while Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results:Behavioral changes were most frequent in the emotional domain (90.5%), followed by physical activity-related (88.1%) and social interaction-related behaviors (86.2%). Parental education and urban residence were consistent predictors of greater behavioral variation. Higher household income was associated with lower odds of physical-activity-related changes (AOR = 0.09, P < .05), while religion was linked to social eating differences (AOR = 0.32, P < .05). Conclusion:Parental education, residence, income, and religion significantly shape children's eating behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of integrating emotional and environmental perspectives in designing child nutrition programs, particularly for low-income and less-educated families.

Introduction: TB spondylitis is an extrapulmonary form of the disease, known eponymously as Pott’s disease in recognition of the British physician, Dr. Percivall Pott, who first described the condition in 1779, occurs in 1%-5% of TB patients. It is the most common form of skeletal tuberculosis and accounts for nearly half of all extrapulmonary skeletal TB cases worldwide. When diagnosed early, TB spondylitis can be treated conservatively in an effort to avoid complications. However, late diagnosis often requires both medical and surgical interventions to manage progressive bone destruction, spine instability, kyphosis, and spinal cord damage. Case Presentation: We report the case of Ariyan, a 20-year-old immunocompetent male who presented with progressive back pain, loss of appetite and evening rise of temperature for six months of duration. Whole-spine MRI with contrast performed on 15 May 2025, revealed tubercular spondylodiscitis at three anatomically separate spinal regions: C5–C7 with pre- and para-vertebral epidural abscess causing cervical compressive myelopathy; D1–D10 with extensive paraspinal soft tissue collection and thoracic cord compression; and L4–S2 with epidural abscess and lumbosacral nerve root compression. Cord signal change on T2-weighted imaging was noted at the D12–L1 junction. QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (IGRA) Result: POSITIVE, CT guided FNAC showing epithelioid cell clusters with lymphocytic infiltrate and necrotic background, consistent with tuberculous granulomatous inflammation— confirming TB infection. Outcome: The treatment has been initiated with the conventional four-drug antitubercular therapy comprising Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide, and Ethambutol (HRZE) to help his body fight this infection in the best way. His neurological progress is closely monitored at regular intervals with the help of MRI scans to monitor how his spine is healing from within. In addition to this, he has also started his rehabilitation journey to help him regain his movements, strength, and activities that were taken away from him. Conclusion: This case stands as one of the most extensive presentations of multifocal spinal tuberculosis seen in recent literature. What makes it truly remarkable is not just the sheer span of spinal involvement, stretching from the cervicothoracic junction all the way down to the sacrum, but the fact that it unfolded in a young man who was otherwise healthy, with a fully intact immune system and no prior history of tuberculosis. he was, by every measure, an unlikely candidate for a disease of this magnitude. Yet his case serves as a powerful reminder that tuberculosis can defy expectation, strike without warning, and devastate silently before it is ever named. It compels us to think beyond the obvious, to image the whole spine, not just the symptomatic segment, and above all, to diagnose early, because in spinal tuberculosis, every delay carries the risk of neurological damage that may never fully reverse. Medicine Today 2026, Vol.38 (2): 332-335

Hydrogels with tunable physicochemical properties are being increasingly explored for advanced biomedical applications. In this study, two composite hydrogels were rapidly fabricated through the free radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) with the in situ formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the presence and absence of graphene oxide (GO). The resulting GO-AgNP-poly(acrylic acid) and AgNP-poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels have been systematically characterized by functional group analysis, crystallinity, thermal stability, elemental analysis, and morphological studies using attenuated total reflectance-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and field-effect scanning electronic microscopy, respectively. Both hydrogels demonstrated pH-switchable swelling-deswelling (on/off) behavior; however, the incorporation of GO provided interfacial channels that enhanced solvent interaction. The in situ-formed AgNPs (∼13 nm) endowed the hydrogels with strong antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Cytotoxicity studies confirmed excellent biocompatibility with Vero, HeLa, and BHK-21 cell lines. The synergistic combination of pH-responsiveness, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and cytocompatibility positions these novel composite hydrogels as promising candidates for smart wound healing and tissue engineering applications.