Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College (ShSMC) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.This medical college is the third public medical college in the government medical college rank after DMC & SSMC. It has been included in the Avicenna Directory of Medical Schools and International Medical Education Directory (IMED).
Objectives: To assess the association between depressive symptoms and decision-making autonomy with rural urban inequalities, and mapped province-level spatial disparities in depression prevalence in ever-married women in Lesotho. Methods: This study used cross-section data of 3297 women aged 15-49 years from the 2023-24 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS). Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9 >= 10). Women's decision-making autonomy was measured using a composite empowerment index based on participation in five household decision-making domains. Survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression models were fitted at the national level and stratified by place of residence. Model discrimination was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Spatial analyses were conducted to examine district-level variation in depression prevalence and autonomy. Results: Overall, 7.4% (95% CI: 6.3-8.7) of women reported moderate-severe depressive symptoms. Women with decision-making autonomy showed lower odds of depression nationally (AOR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.39-0.98), with a stronger effect in rural areas (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI: 0.27-0.74). Depression prevalence was highest in central-northern districts (Maseru, Berea, Leribe, Butha-Buthe) and lower levels of autonomy observed in southern and south-western provinces. Conclusions: Women's decision-making autonomy is significantly associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms in Lesotho, particularly among rural women. The observed rural-urban and spatial inequalities highlight the need for context-specific mental health and reproductive health interventions that incorporate women's empowerment as a core component.
BackgroundEndodontically treated teeth are increasingly prone to fracture over time, and their resistance to fracture is closely related to the amount of coronal tooth structure removed during access cavity preparation. Preservation of sound tooth structure through appropriate access cavity design is therefore essential for maintaining long-term tooth strength and clinical performance. Accordingly, this study evaluated the influence of traditional and conservative access cavity designs on the fracture resistance of endodontically treated mandibular first molars.MethodsForty recently obtained human permanent mandibular first molars were arbitrarily allocated into four groups, each comprising ten teeth: traditional access cavity (TradAC), contracted access cavity (ConsAC), truss access cavity (TrussAC), and intact teeth (control). The experimental groups underwent root canal treatment, and the access cavities were subsequently restored with composite resin to standardize coronal reinforcement prior to fracture testing. Fracture resistance was evaluated using a universal testing machine, and fracture patterns were analyzed under a stereomicroscope for fracture type classification. Statistical comparisons among groups were accomplished using one-way ANOVA, tracked by Tukey post hoc tests at p < 0.05.ResultsThrough this experiment, teeth prepared with TradAC exhibited significantly lesser fracture resistance compared with TrussAC and intact teeth (p < 0.05), while no substantial differences were observed between TrussAC and ConsAC or between TradAC and ConsAC (p > 0.05). Unrestorable fractures were more common in the TradAC, ConsAC, and TrussAC groups compared with the control group, although this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Based on these findings, truss access cavity design demonstrated higher fracture resistance than traditional access cavity design in endodontically treated teeth, and unrestorable fractures were more common than restorable fractures in teeth with access cavity preparations.ConclusionThese findings highlight that adopting conservative access cavity designs, particularly truss access cavities, may improve the structural durability of endodontically treated teeth and support more predictable long-term clinical outcomes.
Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes and may cause pain, sensory loss, gait impairment, ulceration and amputation. Although HbA1c reflects average glycemic exposure, it does not adequately capture short-term glucose fluctuations. Glycemic variability (GV) may contribute to nerve injury through oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and metabolic damage. This study evaluated the relationship between GV and electrophysiological severity of DPN among Bangladeshi patients with diabetes. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Neuromedicine, Uttara Adhunik Medical College & Popular Diagnostic Centre, Uttara Branch, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January 2023 to December 2025. One hundred adults with diabetes and clinical evidence or suspicion of distal symmetric DPN were enrolled. GV was assessed using continuous glucose monitoring-derived glucose coefficient of variation (CV) with mean glucose and glucose SD also recorded. HbA1c and relevant clinical and biochemical variables were documented. Motor and sensory nerve conduction studies were performed, and an electrophysiological severity score was calculated from abnormal nerve-conduction parameters. Correlation and multivariable regression analyses were performed. Results: The mean age of participants was 56.4 ± 10.8 years, and 58% were male. The mean duration of diabetes was 9.1 ± 5.4 years, and the mean HbA1c was 8.1 ± 1.4%. The mean glucose CV was 34.8 ± 7.0%. Participants with higher glycemic variability demonstrated significantly greater electrophysiological abnormalities than those with lower variability. The mean electrophysiological severity score was 4.9 ± 2.1 in the higher-GV group compared with 2.3 ± 1.5 in the lower-GV group (p < 0.001). Glucose CV showed a significant positive correlation with electrophysiological severity (r = 0.58, p < 0.001). In multivariable linear regression adjusting for age, sex, diabetes duration, HbA1c, body mass index, hypertension and serum creatinine, glucose CV remained independently associated with greater neuropathy severity (adjusted β = 0.41, p < 0.001). HbA1c was also independently associated with electrophysiological severity, although the strength of association was lower. Conclusion: Greater GV was independently associated with more severe electrophysiological DPN. GV assessment may provide additional risk information beyond HbA1c.
The incidence of oral cancer is significantly increased by a lack of knowledge about its risk factors and early symptoms. This study aimed to assess patients’ knowledge and awareness of oral cancer and precancerous lesions attending the outpatient department of Dhaka Dental College Hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 342 patients aged 18–76 years using convenience sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire assessed knowledge of risk factors, signs and symptoms, treatment, awareness of screening, and sources of information. Continuous data were dichotomized into ‘good’ and ‘poor’ knowledge levels using median splits—an approach that may limit statistical interpretability. A score of ≥ 50
A quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Unit (under the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh, between January and December of 2022, to evaluate the effect of two different doses of co-enzyme Q10 on serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in young infertile women with diminished ovarian reserve. A total of 76 infertile women aged between 18 and 35 years with serum AMH <1.2 ng/ml were enrolled in this study. Participants were allocated into two groups: group A received CoQ10 100 mg three times daily for two months, while group B received CoQ10 200 mg three times daily for the same duration. Serum AMH levels were measured before and after treatment. Baseline characteristics and pre-treatment AMH levels were comparable between the groups. Although the serum AMH increased significantly in both groups after treatment (p<0.001), the mean increase in AMH was significantly higher in group B compared to group A (1.32±0.96 ng/ml vs. 0.48±0.47 ng/ml; p<0.001). Post-treatment AMH levels were also significantly higher in group B than group A (1.93±1.02 ng/ml vs. 1.09±0.65 ng/ml; p<0.001). No serious adverse effect was reported in either group. Our data suggests that co-enzyme Q10 supplementation significantly increases serum AMH levels in young infertile women with diminished ovarian reserve and the 200 mg regimen was more effective than 100 mg regimen. International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 10 No. 03 Jul’26 Page: 148-152
