Rajshahi Medical College (RMC) is a public medical school located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. The college is affiliated to Rajshahi Medical University. It was the second such institution in erstwhile East Pakistan after Dhaka Medical College. It has a large hospital which is the central provider for advanced health care in the northern part of Bangladesh.
Objective This study applied a socio-material practice lens to examine health professionals’ responses to methanol poisoning in Bangladesh and to compare these practices with established guidelines.Design This study employed a rapid ethnographic design.Setting Data were generated in primary-level, secondary-level and tertiary-level health facilities in six districts of western Bangladesh between September 2024 and May 2025.Participants We carried out semi-structured interviews with 50 health professionals with responsibilities for managing patients experiencing alcohol-related or poisoning-related conditions.Results Among health professionals, the meanings of methanol poisoning as a diagnostic category, its symptoms and treatments are obscured by moral concerns about alcohol. Materials, including antidotes, for managing methanol poisoning were scarce, and health professionals reported using readily available medical supplies for supportive treatment, though not specifically adapted for methanol poisoning. Health professionals’ care practices for responding to methanol poisoning were often structured by these meanings and materials, with guidelines remaining largely invisible.Conclusions Socio-material practices of health professionals in response to methanol poisoning in Bangladesh are characterised by missed opportunities. Improving responses requires shifting the meanings of methanol poisoning as a diagnostic category, ensuring that materials such as treatment guidelines and appropriate antidotes, such as ethanol and fomepizole, are available and supporting providers to enact care practices that reflect these guidelines.
Background: The blood coagulation system is very delicately balanced; is maintained in a fluid state in the vasculature and rapidly clots to seal an injury. This study aims to determine the demographic and clinical pattern of bleeding disorders. Materials and Methods: This prospective type of cross-sectional study comprised 112 patients with bleeding or a history of bleeding in the Department of Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, from January to December 2016. Patients were examined for clinical presentation and underwent haematological investigations to arrive at a diagnosis. The data was obtained, tabulated and analysed by using SPSS 22. Results: In this study, 81.2% of patients suffered from congenital coagulation factors deficiency, and haemophilia was found to be the most common congenital haemostatic defect (61.6%). Bleeding disorder was found predominantly among males in 86.6% compared to females (13.4%). 1st-degree consanguinity was mainly observed in Glanzmann thrombasthenia and Von Willebrand Disease. History of prolonged bleeding was statistically associated with clinical diagnosis of the patient (p<0.01). Conclusions: Haemophilia A and B were found as the leading causes of bleeding disorder. Von Willebrand Disease (VWD) also played a role and Glanzmann thrombasthenia was the most common one that had been identified among other disorders.
Preservation of testicular viability and adequate postoperative position are central determinants of success in intra-abdominal orcheopexy. Comparative evidence between Shehata and Fowler–Stephen’s techniques remain limited. Objective: To evaluate and compare testicular viability, postoperative size, contralateral and tracted testis volume relationship, and scrotal position outcomes between Shehata and Fowler–Stephen’s orchidopexy performed in pediatric patients at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh. Methods: A comparative study (January 2023–December 2024) included 36 patients (Group A: Shehata n = 14; Group B: Fowler–Stephen’s n = 22) aged 6 months–4 years. Using laparoscopic access with a 5-mm trocar, suture-grasper device, and diathermy probe, intra-abdominal testes were relocated. After 3 months, ultrasonography and color Doppler evaluated testicular viability, size, perfusion, and postoperative position. Operative time and post operative position of testis was noted. Results: Postoperative testicular viability was 100 % in Shehata versus 86.4 % in Fowler–Stephen’s (p = 0.048). Mean testicular size was also increased in Shehata technique in comparison to in Fowler–Stephen’s method. The contralateral average testicular volume was comparable to averaged volume of tracted testis in both procedures. Postoperative scrotal position was satisfactory in 92.9 % versus 81.8 % (p = 0.186), with mild re-ascent in 7.1 % and 18.2 %, respectively. Conclusion: Shehata orchidopexy achieved superior viability, larger postoperative testicular size, greater volumetric symmetry with the contralateral side, and more stable scrotal positioning, indicating traction-based vessel preservation yields better physiological outcomes.
ABSTRACT Background and Aims Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, affecting a substantial proportion of the population, and exhibits a geographical heterogeneity in incidence. Data on the epidemiology and trends of gastric cancer in Bangladesh remain limited. The study aimed to observe the trends in gastric cancer at a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. Methods This hospital‐based retrospective study was conducted in the department of Gastroenterology of Rajshahi Medical College from January 2018 to December 2025. All the patients who underwent upper GI endoscopy during the study period were initially enrolled. From the hospital records, including histopathology reports, confirmed cases of gastric cancers were included for this study. Results A total of 17,298 patients underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital from 2018 to 2025. Among them, 364 patients were diagnosed with gastric cancer (mean age: 56.7 ± 14.6 years; males 61.8%; male–female ratio 1.6:1). Adenocarcinoma was the most common histological type (98.3%). Significant female predominance was noticed among gastric cancer patients younger than 40 years (p = 0.01). Overall, a declining trend in the detection of gastric cancer was observed, although age‐specific analysis revealed variable patterns. The antrum (180/364, 49.4%) was the most frequent tumor location, followed by the body (108/364, 29.6%) and fundus (76/364, 20.8%). An apparent increase in the proportion of antral tumors was noticed since 2021, whereas involvement of the body and fundus demonstrated inconsistent variations. Conclusions Gastric cancer detection at this center declined overall, but the female predominance among younger patients and the rising antral proportion suggest a possible shifting epidemiological pattern that warrants population‐based research and targeted early detection strategies.
Background: Among complete blood counts, hemoglobin, hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume are commonly used in diagnostic medicine to evaluate normal and abnormal hematological status. As complete blood count depends on lifestyle, dietary habits, ethnicity and environment, country-wise normal level of complete blood count can help in judgmental decision and aid interpretation and accurate diagnosis of diseases. Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Physiology in collaboration with Department of Pathology at Rajshahi Medical College, Rajshahi over a period of 1 year from January 2025 to December 2025. Based on predefined eligibility criteria, a total of 475 apparently healthy adults of both gender in Rajshahi City were included in this study. Data were analyzed by SPSS software, version-26 and p value less than 0.05 was statistically significant for all tests. Results: Regarding age distribution out of 475 respondents, 201 (42.30%) were within the age group of 20-29 years. The normal levels of Hb, hematocrit and MCV were 9.30-15.90 gm/dl, 31.40-48.50% and 70.70-96.31 fl, respectively. Hemoglobin, hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume were significantly higher in less than forty years than forty years or more aged respondents. Conclusions: Normal level of hemoglobin, hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume are important to diagnose diseases, screen blood donors and assess overall health.
