Auricular perichondritis is an uncommon but potentially serious complication of ear piercing, particularly when the cartilaginous part of the auricle is involved. It is most often caused by bacterial infection, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa being the predominant pathogen, and may lead to cartilage necrosis and permanent deformity if not promptly treated. We report the case of a patient who developed auricular perichondritis following ear piercing, presenting with painful swelling, erythema, and tenderness of the pinna while sparing the lobule. Clinical diagnosis was supported by physical examination, and management consisted of early systemic antibiotic therapy combined with local care, leading to a favorable outcome. This case highlights the importance of early recognition of auricular perichondritis, appropriate antimicrobial treatment, and awareness of piercing-related risks to prevent functional and cosmetic sequelae.

Introduction: Polyherbal extracts contain various bioactive compounds that work synergistically to provide stronger therapeutic effects than single extracts. However, their use in the pharmaceutical field still faces challenges, especially related to low solubility, instability, and limited bioavailability. Microparticulate system technology presents an innovative solution that can increase the effectiveness of herbal drug delivery through physical protection of active compounds, controlled release, and increased absorption in the body. Objective: This review discusses research progress that integrates polyherbal extracts in microparticulate formulations, including polymer selection, manufacturing techniques, characterization, and pharmacological evaluation. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted through searches in the last ten years [2015–2025] obtained through databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using keywords related to "polyherbal" and "microencapsulation" with a focus on articles on formulation studies and pharmacological evaluations in the last ten years. Results: The study showed that microparticulates were able to improve the entrapment efficiency, phytochemical stability, and therapeutic activity of polyherbal extracts, especially in oral and transdermal routes of administration. However several limitations such as the variability of natural product composition, potential interactions between compounds, and regulatory challenges still require further attention. The development of more advanced formulation technology as well as standardized toxicological and clinical studies are urgently needed to encourage the implementation of microparticulate herbal products on an industrial scale. Conclusion: Overall, polyherbal microparticulate systems have promising prospects as a safe, effective, and competitive strategy for modernizing herbal medicines.

Physician training provides a critical lens for examining the structural strengths, limitations, and ethical orientations of healthcare systems. This commentary reflects on internal medicine training within tertiary settings in Doha [Qatar] and Ottawa [Canada] analyzing how organizational design and sociocultural context influence continuity of care, supervisory accessibility, documentation practices, evidence integration, and equity. Drawing on first-hand clinical engagement, the discussion moves beyond descriptive comparison to interrogate institutional responsibilities toward trainees, particularly the proportionality of educational benefit relative to the financial, emotional, and logistical burdens of international training pathways. By centering trainee narratives, this work underscores experiential insight as foundational to meaningful health system reform. How physicians are trained ultimately shapes clinical competence, ethical integrity, and the humanism of care delivery.

Introduction: Childhood disability represents a significant public health challenge in low-resource settings, yet detailed epidemiological profiles of children attending special education institutes in Bangladesh remain scarce. This study aimed to identify the pattern of disabilities and associated socio-demographic, perinatal, and familial characteristics among differently abled children attending Islami Bank Medical College and Hospital in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 children attending Islami Bank Medical College and Hospital in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews with mothers or guardians using a pre-tested, partially structured questionnaire. Disability types, birth history, maternal health, and familial factors were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests in SPSS version 22. Result: The mean age of children was 8.85 (±4.25) years; 66.7% were male. Autism spectrum disorder was the most common disability (44.2%), followed by cerebral palsy (15.8%), Down syndrome (15.0%), and multiple disorders (13.3%). Half (50.8%) exhibited multiple co-occurring disability characteristics. Significant associations were found between disability type and sex (p<0.05), prematurity/low birth weight (p<0.001), birth trauma (p<0.001), and maternal age at conception (p<0.001). Despite 90.8% antenatal care coverage, 92.5% of mothers did not take folic acid during the first trimester, and 95.0% were unaware of micronutrient deficiencies. Conclusion: Autism is the predominant disability among children in this setting, with notable links to perinatal factors and maternal age. Critical gaps persist in maternal nutrition awareness and perinatal care. Findings underscore the need for targeted autism services, strengthened perinatal interventions, and integrated maternal health education to mitigate disability risks and improve outcomes for differently abled children in Bangladesh.

Background: In many urban and peri-urban settings, access to safe drinking water continues to be a major public health issue. Although infrastructure has improved, the association of multidimensional household water access and clinical gastrointestinal (GI) morbidity is incompletely described for hospital-based populations. We sought to examine the relationships of household drinking water access across dimensions with GI morbidity among patients and their caregivers in tertiary hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods: A hospital-based, analytical cross-sectional observational study was carried out from July to December 2025 in two tertiary-care centers. The sample of 150 patients were recruited by consecutive sampling. Data was obtained through face-to-face interviews with a structured questionnaire which included collection of socio-demographics, methods of access to household water (source, treatment, availability and perceived quality), GI morbidity in the past six months. Independent predictors of GI morbidity were determined by multivariable logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of household GI morbidity was 72.0%. Strong bivariate predictors of GI illness included, unimproved water source (90.5% vs. 58.6% for improved sources, p<0.001), no water treatment (94.4% vs. 59.4% for treated water, p<0.001), access <12 hours/day (78.3% vs 66.7%, p=0.035) and belief that there are problems with perceived quality of drinking water (85.3 % VS.43.8 %, P< 0.001). In multivariate analysis, not practicing household water treatment was the most significant independent risk factor (aOR=8.45; 95% CI: 2.68-26.68). Additional strong predictors were perceived water quality problems (aOR=6.03), use of unimproved water sources (aOR=2.91) and access <12 hours/day (aOR=1.72). Conclusion: This study exhibits a robust, independent relationship between unimproved household water access, and in particular lack of point-of-use treatment with GI morbidity. The results point to a dual approach for public health: widespread household water treatment should be promoted as an immediate measure; and also, parallel investment in reliable, higher-level source improved infrastructure that can address the burden of waterborne disease in other such urban settings.

Background: Early and accurate diagnosis of dengue fever (DF) is indispensable for patient management and outbreak control in endemic areas such as Bangladesh. S ns1 as an early diagnostic marker is a challenge, and there are many formats of “rapid test” (RDT) today, the sensitivity and specificity of all RDT in relation to molecular gold standard has yet not been well defined for use among more vulnerable population with highest dengue burden. The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of a commercial NS1 RDT and an NS1 ELISA with reference to real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for early dengue diagnosis. Methods: A prospective diagnostic accuracy study was conducted from July 2024 to June 2025 at two tertiary hospitals in Dhaka. We enrolled 200 consecutive patients with acute febrile illness (≤5 days) meeting the WHO suspected dengue case definition. Serum was simultaneously tested with the SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo NS1 rapid diagnostic test (RDT), the PANBIO™ Dengue Early enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a multiplex real time reverse transcriptase PCR. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and concordance (Cohen’s kappa) were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Performance was analyzed by day of illness and association with RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values. Results: Out of the total 200 patients, confirmed RICT dengue-positive was found in 124 (62.0%) by RT-PCR. The NS1 ELISA was significantly more sensitive compared with the RDT (91.9% [85.6-96.1] versus 74.2% [65.5-81.6]; p<0.001). Specificities were 96.1% (88.9-99.2) with ELISA and 92.1% (83.6-97.0) with RDT. ELISA testing had good concordance with RT-PCR (κ=0.87), whereas the RDT administered only a moderate concordance (κ=0.66). Sensitivity of both tests waned with delay in presentation, but this was more marked for the RDT which registered a sensitivity of 59.1% by day 4-5. The most influential factor for both tests false negative was high RT-PCR Ct values (low viral load). Conclusion: The NS1 ELISA is far superior to the NS 1 RDT for early diagnosis of dengue in Bangladesh hospital. Though the RDT serves as a rapid triage tool, it comes with a high false-negative rate after the early febrile stage, and should be used cautiously. A reflex testing algorithm with RDT as initial screening, followed by ELISA confirmation of negative RDT cases, should be considered in order to maximize early case detection and patient management.

Malnutrition is commonly observed in children in developing countries and is a major cause of multiple illnesses. Kwashiorkor in children is characterized by generalized edema and develops as a result of protein-calorie deficiency, whereas marasmus results from calorie and energy deficiency. We report a case of an 11-month-old female infant who presented with fever, cough, and excessive crying for 2 days. She was normal 2 days back, then developed high-grade fever, which is acute in onset, intermittent, relieved by medications, with multiple spikes with kwashiorkor features as idiopathic. The child also presented with hepatomegaly, hypoalbuminemia, hypoproteinemia, and elevated transaminases. Children with kwashiorkor typically have a very low plasma albumin concentration due to protein deficiency.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the study of extremophilic microorganisms, which include halophiles and halotolerants. These microorganisms, able to survive and thrive optimally in a wide range of environmental extremes, are polyextremophiles. In this context, one of the main reasons for studying them is to understand their adaptive mechanisms to stress caused by extreme living conditions. The present study investigated the halotolerance and metabolic responses of five Eurotium species (E. amstelodami, E. chevalieri, E. cristatum, E. montevidense, and E. proliferans) under varying sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations (0–25%). Fungal growth, medium pH, pigment production (visible light absorbance at 512 nm), fluorescence (254 and 366 nm), organic matter, total nitrogen content, and antimicrobial activity against bacterial (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli) and fungal (Candida tropicalis, Candida albicans) strains were evaluated. All isolates exhibited halotolerant behavior, with maximal growth, organic matter, nitrogen content, fluorescence, and pigment accumulation at moderate salinity (15% NaCl). Antimicrobial activity was strongest at low to moderate NaCl concentrations (0–10%) and absent at ≥15% NaCl, reflecting the inhibitory effect of extreme salinity on secondary metabolite production. The pH of the culture media varied with salinity, generally decreasing under moderate salt stress and increasing at the highest NaCl levels. These patterns indicate that mild osmotic stress promotes both primary and secondary metabolism, whereas severe salinity suppresses growth and bioactive compound synthesis. The study highlights the ecological adaptability of Eurotium species to saline environments and their potential as sources of halotolerant enzymes, pigments, and antimicrobial compounds

Background: Peripheral neuropathies and neuromuscular disorders are major causes of neurological morbidity and nerve conduction studies (NCS) are central to their evaluation. Data on electrophysiological patterns in Bangladesh are limited. This study aimed to describe the demographic profiles and patterns of neuropathy among patients undergoing nerve conduction studies in a tertiary neurocare hospital in Bangladesh. Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Neurophysiology Laboratory of the National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from September 2024 to August 2025. This study reviewed the neuroelectrophysiological records of 1,500 patients. Demographic data, type of investigation and final electrophysiological diagnoses were extracted and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results: The majority of patients were aged 21–40 years (43.7%), with near-equal sex distribution. NCS alone was the most frequently performed investigation (76.8%). Normal electrophysiological findings were observed in 32.5% of the patients. Carpal tunnel syndrome was the most common abnormal diagnosis (28.0%), followed by Guillain–Barré syndrome (14.2%) and mononeuropathy (9.3%), respectively. Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome was slightly more frequent than unilateral disease, with mild severity. Among Guillain–Barré syndrome cases, acute motor axonal neuropathy was the most common subtype. Conclusion: Nerve conduction studies reveal a wide spectrum of neuropathies in routine clinical practice, with carpal tunnel syndrome and Guillain–Barré syndrome predominating. These findings provide valuable baseline data for understanding neuropathy patterns and optimizing neurophysiological services in Bangladesh.

Non-scarring alopecia results from a loss of hair or reduction in hair follicle growth. Among its forms, traction alopecia is the most common in black women and women of African descent. Although several treatments exist, their use remains limited due to the associated adverse effects. This study aimed to develop hair gels based on mango pectin combined with “makoré” butter as a natural alternative for the management of this condition. The extracted raw materials were characterized. The pectin gel was prepared at 95 °C under stirring at 800 rpm, then dispersed in the lipophilic phase under constant agitation at 1500 rpm for 10 minutes to obtain two formulations, D and D′. The gels were homogeneous, free from air bubbles and with a characteristic odor. They were unstable under centrifugation. Microscopic analysis revealed coarse emulsions, with a better distribution of globules in gel D. Over 28 days, the preparations exhibited minimal variation in pH, reflecting good microbiological stability. Both gels remained stable at 25 ± 2°C. Rheological evaluation showed shear thinning, viscoelastic, and thixotropic behavior. Overall, gel D demonstrated beneficial properties for hair, confirming its potential use for the development of phytocosmetic formulations intended for the management of traction alopecia in black women.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a significant global public health issue, often exacerbated by microvascular and macrovascular damage, resulting in heightened morbidity and mortality. Recognizing modifiable and non-modifiable characteristics linked to diabetic complications is crucial for enhancing preventative efforts and directing personalized medication. Objectives: This study aimed to identify demographic, clinical, lifestyle, and treatment-related factors associated with microvascular and macrovascular complications among adults with diabetes mellitus. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was performed at the National Diabetes Center, Al-Mustansiriya University, from September to December 2025, involving 100 persons with diabetes mellitus. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, smoking status, clinical parameters, glycaemic control (HbA1c), treatment modalities, and diabetic complications were collected. Microvascular and macrovascular complications were defined as composite binary outcomes. Bivariate analyses were performed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to identify independent predictors of microvascular and macrovascular complications, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: The prevalence of microvascular and macrovascular complications increased with advancing age and longer diabetes duration. Poor glycaemic control was associated with a higher burden of complications. In multivariable analysis, age was independently associated with microvascular complications, while diabetes duration showed a significant association with macrovascular complications. Smoking status and insulin-based therapy demonstrated trends toward higher complication risk after adjustment for demographic and clinical variables. Conclusions: Age, duration of diabetes, and glycaemic control are key determinants of diabetic complications. Biomarker-based clinical parameters combined with lifestyle and treatment factors provide valuable insight into disease staging and risk stratification. These findings support the importance of early intervention and individualized pharmacotherapeutic strategies to reduce long-term complications in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, most often arising in the setting of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors have long represented the cornerstone of systemic therapy in advanced stages, therapeutic resistance and disease progression are frequent. Recent advances in immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, have reshaped the therapeutic landscape of HCC. Pembrolizumab has demonstrated clinically meaningful antitumor activity and an acceptable safety profile in patients previously treated with sorafenib, as reported in pivotal clinical trials. This article highlights the therapeutic role of pembrolizumab as a second-line option in advanced HCC and discusses its place within current evidence-based treatment strategies, emphasizing the growing importance of immunotherapy in the multidisciplinary management of this disease.

HIV infections are difficult to treat disease till date. Not many drugs are there for treating it. In this work effort has been made to identify probable drugs with anti-HIV effects using a technique developed and presented in previous work.