Ibrahim Medical College (IMC) is a private medical school in Bangladesh, established in 2002. It is located in the Shahbag neighborhood of Dhaka. It has another campus in Shegunbagicha. It is affiliated with University of Dhaka as a constituent college.
Background and objectives: The corneal endothelium is essential for maintaining corneal transparency and visual function. Chronic hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can impair endothelial pump activity, resulting in reduced endothelial cell density (ECD) and increased central corneal thickness (CCT). Because endothelial cells do not regenerate, progressive cell loss may lead to irreversible endothelial decompensation. This study evaluates the association of T2DM with ECD and CCT and examines how these parameters relate to diabetes duration, glycaemic control (HbA1c) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted at BIRDEM General Hospital, included 86 patients with T2DM and 86 individuals in the non-diabetic group. The T2DM group was subdivided by DR status (no DR, non-proliferative DR and proliferative DR). Following standard ophthalmic examinations, specular microscopy was performed to measure ECD and CCT in the right eye. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis and multivariate regression (SPSS version 26). Results: Individuals with T2DM demonstrated a significant loss of endothelial cells, with mean ECD 275 cells/mm² lower than the non-diabetic group (2585·18 ± 263·12 vs 2860·06 ± 244·45 cells/mm²; p<0·001). CCT did not differ significantly between groups (527·60 ± 32·93 vs 524·37 ± 40·81 µm; p=0·568). In multivariate regression, age contributed to a loss of 21·25 cells/mm² per year (p<0·001), while T2DM independently accounted for an additional loss of 191·12 cells/mm² (p<0·001). Increasing intraocular pressure (IOP) had no significant effect on ECD (loss of 15·17 cells/mm² per mmHg; p=0·277). Conclusion: T2DM is associated with substantial endothelial cell loss, which is accentuated by longer disease duration, poor glycaemic control and the presence of DR, whereas CCT remains unaffected. January 2026; Vol. 20(1):004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.20.004 *Correspondence: Umama Islam, Cornea, LASIK & Refractive Surgery, Vision Eye Hospital, 229, Green Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205.Email: dr.umamaislam@gmail.com. © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(CC BY 4.0
Objectives To assess knowledge regarding gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among pregnant women attending antenatal care facilities in Bangladesh and identify sociodemographic factors independently associated with good knowledge. Design Nationwide facility-based cross-sectional study. Setting Seventy diabetes screening centres and affiliated antenatal care facilities of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (BADAS) across urban and rural Bangladesh. Participants Of 6631 women retained in the parent-study analytical cohort, 6120 women aged 18-45 years with an observed knowledge outcome were included in the present analysis. Participants were recruited consecutively during routine antenatal care visits between November 2019 and October 2020. Primary outcome measures Knowledge regarding GDM was assessed using an interviewer-administered questionnaire comprising six pregnancy-specific domains adapted from a previously validated Bangladeshi instrument (Cronbach's alpha=0.72). Responses were scored from 0 to 6, and good knowledge (score>5) was analysed using population-averaged generalised estimating equations (GEEs) with centre as the clustering unit. Results Among 6120 women with an observed knowledge outcome, 23.2% had poor knowledge, 66.9% had average knowledge and 9.9% demonstrated good knowledge regarding GDM. In centre-clustered multivariable GEE analysis, middle household expenditure (adjusted OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.54), urban residence (adjusted OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.07), family history of diabetes (adjusted OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.45), receipt of preconception care (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.55) and absence of previous pregnancy complications (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.55) were independently associated with good knowledge. Maternal age, educational attainment and occupation were not independently associated with good knowledge. Conclusions Knowledge regarding GDM among pregnant women attending BADAS-affiliated antenatal care facilities in Bangladesh was suboptimal, with significant socioeconomic and urban-rural disparities. Strengthening structured GDM counselling within routine antenatal and preconception care may improve maternal health education and support earlier detection and management of GDM.
Background Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Pathway Substrate 8 (EPS8) is believed to function as a tumor driver; however, to understand its molecular characteristics across tumors, a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of EPS8 is lacking. Objective This study aimed to investigate the prognostic, molecular, and immunological significance of EPS8 across multiple human cancers. Methods Comprehensive analyses were conducted using GEPIA2, UALCAN, TIMER2.0, cBioPortal, SMART, GSCA, Enrichr, and the TCGAplot R package to evaluate survival prognosis, gene expression, DNA methylation, immune infiltration, proteomic expression, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), genetic alterations, drug sensitivity, and enriched pathways. Results EPS8 overexpression in LGG ( p = 7.2 × 10−5) and PAAD ( p = 9.4 × 10−6) was significantly associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival. Amplification was the most common genetic alteration, with alteration frequencies approaching 6% in TGCT and UCEC. In KIRC and PAAD, EPS8 expression correlated with tumor stage. Immune infiltration analysis revealed significant associations between EPS8 expression and immune cells. EPS8 expression also showed significant correlations with both TMB and MSI in STAD and ESCA. Enrichment analysis indicated an association between EPS8 and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and similar pathways. Conclusion These findings suggest that EPS8 has prognostic and immunological significance across multiple cancer types and may serve as a potential biomarker. The observed associations with immune-related features and drug response provide a basis for future experimental studies to evaluate its role in cancer biology and its potential relevance to immunotherapy. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
Background and objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is a significant public health concern globally including Bangladesh. Currently, Bangladeshi population is being evaluated for vitamin D status using reference interval derived from western studies. Reference interval derived from western populations may not reflect the actual status of vitamin D status of Bangladeshi population due to differences in sun exposure, ethnicity and dietary habits. Therefore, this study aimed to find out the reference intervals and the lower cutoff value of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency in healthy Bangladeshi adult population. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted involving two population groups. Group-1 comprised of adequately sun exposed healthy coastal fishermen and Group-2 included healthy urban dwellers. Group-1 represented an ideal population for assessing the reference serum vitamin D level while Group-2 population was used to detect the cut-off value of vitamin D deficiency level in adult Bangladeshi population. Chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) was used to estimate serum 25(OH) D. Serum iPTH and other biochemical parameters were analysed by standard methods. The reference interval of vitamin D was determined according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Guidelines C28-A3. The lower cut-off value of vitamin D deficiency level was determined by detecting deflection point of parathyroid hormone (PTH) level compared to serum 25(OH)D level. Results: Total 125 and 371 individuals were enrolled in Group 1 and Group 2 respectively. The mean age of the Group-1 and 2 study populations were 37.98±11.61 and 44.19 ± 11.48 years respectively. The mean serum vitamin D levels of Group-1 and 2 study population were 27.36±7.27 ng/ml (95% CI: 26.08, 28.65) and 21.53±15.98 ng/ml (95% CI: 19.9, 23.16) respectively. Serum reference interval of vitamin D of healthy adults (Group-1) was found as 15.88 to 45.27 ng/ml. The cut-off value for vitamin D deficiency in Group-2 adult population was 12.16 ng/ml (95% CI: 11.04, 13.28) as depicted by first upward deflection of serum iPTH when serum 25(OH)D level fell below 12.16 ng/ml. Conclusion: The findings suggest that current Western-based vitamin D reference intervals may not be appropriate for the Bangladeshi population. The results of our study would help the clinicians and policymakers in developing strategies to address vitamin D deficiency in Bangladesh. January 2026; Vol. 20(1):006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.20.006 *Correspondence: Wasim Md Mohosin Ul Haque, Department of Nephrology, Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders, Dhaka, Bangladesh. E-mail: wmmhaque@live.com. © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(CC BY 4.0).
Background: Infertility is frequently accompanied by substantial psychological distress, making accurate assessment of perceived stress an important component of care for affected women. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is one of the most widely used instruments for measuring subjective stress appraisal, however, its factor structure and reliability have shown considerable variability across populations, particularly regarding its four reverse-coded items. This study aimed to evaluate the internal consistency and factor structure of the Bangla PSS-10 among infertile women in Bangladesh. Materials and methods: This study presents analysis using a dataset collected as part of a cross-sectional study conducted among 151 married, reproductive-aged women with infertility recruited from two hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and corrected item-total correlations. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using principal component analysis examined the underlying factor structure, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using the diagonally Weighted Least Squares (WLSMV) estimator, tested the theoretically derived two-factor model of perceived helplessness and perceived self-efficacy. Results: The full 10-item scale showed inadequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α= 0.548). EFA supported a two factor structure, with the six helplessness items loading cleanly (0.450–0.780) but the four reverse-coded self efficacy items loading moreweakly (0.419–0.717). CFA confirmed suboptimal global model fit (χ²(34) = 105.93, CFI = 0.874, TLI = 0.833, RMSEA = 0.119, SRMR = 0.103). Standardized loadings for the perceived helplessness subscale were acceptable (0.387–0.793, α= 0.719, = 0.739), whereas the perceived self-efficacy subscale showed weak loadings (0.252–0.564) and poor reliability (α= 0.394, ω= 0.423), with the two latent factors showing no significant correlation (ϕ= 0.054, p = 0.604). Conclusion: The Bangla PSS-10 performed adequately for its helplessness items but poorly for its reverse-coded self efficacy items among infertile women, a pattern consistent with reverse-wording method effects reported in other cultural adaptations of the scale. A refined six-item helplessness-focused structure may offer a more psychometrically sound alternative for this population, though further validation using bifactor modelling, larger samples, and external validity measures is recommended before clinical or research application. IAHS Medical Journal Vol 9(1), June 2026;102-106
