Pulmonary Function Testing in Healthy Infants in Rural Bangladesh: Feasibility Study.

Background: Infant pulmonary function testing (iPFT) in low- and middle-income countries is limited. We evaluated the early feasibility of iPFT in rural Bangladesh.

Methods: Experts established an iPFT laboratory at Zakiganj Upazila Health Complex in Sylhet, Bangladesh and trained staff.

Maternal and infant predictors of human milk macronutrient and energy concentrations in rural Bangladesh: an observational cohort study.

Background: Human milk macronutrient (protein, fat, and carbohydrate) and energy concentrations vary based on maternal and infant factors and time postpartum.

Objective: To determine the change in milk macronutrient and energy concentrations from approximately 2 to 5 months postpartum and identify factors associated with this variation among a lactation cohort in Bangladesh.

Methods: In this prospective observational lactation cohort in rural Sylhet, Bangladesh, we collected hand-expressed mid-feed human milk samples and analyzed macronutrient concentrations using mid-infrared spectroscopy.

Viral Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (ALRI) in Rural Bangladeshi Children Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRIs) remain the leading infectious cause of death among children < 5 years, with viruses contributing to a large proportion of cases. Little is known about the epidemiology and etiology of viral ALRI in rural Bangladesh.

Methods: We enrolled 3- to 23-month-old children with ALRIs attending a subdistrict hospital outpatient clinic in Sylhet district in Bangladesh.

Folate deficiency in pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth: A nested case-control study.

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) and its complications are important public health problems. Its aetiology is multifactorial and involves both modifiable and non-modifiable factors. Among the modifiable risk factors, micronutrient deficiencies, including maternal folate deficiency, are increasingly being studied in PTB.

Sclerosing Mesenteritis Presenting With Small Bowel Obstruction in a Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report.

Sclerosing mesenteritis (SM) is a rare inflammatory disorder characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis of the mesenteric adipose tissue. While SM can manifest with various gastrointestinal symptoms, its association with small bowel obstruction (SBO) is infrequent. We present a case of a 78-year-old male with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who presented with acute abdominal pain and distention.

Does the implementation of revised American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines improve the identification of stillbirths and preterm births in hypertensive pregnancies: a population-based cohort study from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a significant cause of maternal mortality worldwide. The classification and treatment of hypertension in pregnancy remain debated. We aim to compare the effectiveness of the revised 2017 ACC/AHA blood pressure threshold in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Hypoxaemia and risk of death among children: rethinking oxygen saturation, risk-stratification, and the role of pulse oximetry in primary care.

Pulse oximeters are essential for assessing blood oxygen levels in emergency departments, operating theatres, and hospital wards. However, although the role of pulse oximeters in detecting hypoxaemia and guiding oxygen therapy is widely recognised, their role in primary care settings is less clear. In this Viewpoint, we argue that pulse oximeters have a crucial role in risk-stratification in both hospital and primary care or outpatient settings.

Lung Cancer Screening: All That Glitters Is Not Gold.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can significantly improve survival rates with early detection. With the increased amount of imaging studies being performed for screening, there are more incidental lesions found. Malignancy and pulmonary infections are two of the major differentials when a lesion is found on CT.

Perinatal inflammation, fetal growth restriction, and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment in Bangladesh.

Background: There are limited data on the impact of perinatal inflammation on child neurodevelopment in low-middle income countries and among growth-restricted infants.

Methods: Population-based, prospective birth cohort study of 288 infants from July 2016-March 2017 in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Umbilical cord blood was analyzed for interleukin(IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and C-reactive protein(CRP).

Hypermetabolic Pulmonary and Mediastinal Lesions With Elevated Cancer Antigen (CA) 15-3 and CA 27-29 in a Patient With a History of Ovarian and Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer affects around 13% of women. Breast cancer gene 1 () carriers are prone to lung and lymph node metastasis, while breast cancer gene 2 () carriers tend to have bone metastasis. Findings of pulmonary nodules, mediastinal lymphadenopathy, and elevated markers such as cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 and CA 27-29 suggest metastatic disease.

Young Infant Mortality Associated with Preterm and Small-for-Gestational-Age Births in Rural Bangladesh: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To assess the relative risk of mortality in infants born preterm and small for gestational age (SGA) during the first and second months of life in rural Bangladesh.

Study Design: We analyzed data from a cohort of pregnant women and their babies in Sylhet, Bangladesh, assembled between 2011 and 2014. Community health workers visited enrolled babies up to 10 times from birth to age 59 days.

Neonatal mortality risk of vulnerable newborns by fine stratum of gestational age and birthweight for 230 679 live births in nine low- and middle-income countries, 2000-2017.

Objective: To describe the mortality risks by fine strata of gestational age and birthweight among 230 679 live births in nine low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017.

Design: Descriptive multi-country secondary data analysis.

Setting: Nine LMICs in sub-Saharan Africa, Southern and Eastern Asia, and Latin America.

Early to mid-pregnancy HbA1c levels and its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes in three low middle-income countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Hyperglycemia during pregnancy leads to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Thus, strict monitoring of blood glucose levels is warranted. This study aims to determine the association of early to mid-pregnancy HbA1c levels with the development of pregnancy complications in women from three countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Efficacy and Safety of an mRNA-Based RSV PreF Vaccine in Older Adults.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause substantial morbidity and mortality among older adults. An mRNA-based RSV vaccine, mRNA-1345, encoding the stabilized RSV prefusion F glycoprotein, is under clinical investigation.

Methods: In this ongoing, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2-3 trial, we randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, adults 60 years of age or older to receive one dose of mRNA-1345 (50 μg) or placebo.

Effectiveness of ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on invasive pneumococcal disease among children <2 years old: A prospective population-based study in rural Bangladesh.

The 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) was introduced in March 2015 in Bangladesh. In this study, we aimed to estimate the impact of PCV10 on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) identified by blood cultures and severe pneumonia identified clinically and its effectiveness on invasive disease caused by vaccine serotypes. We conducted population-based surveillance among children aged 2- <24 months between April 2012 through March 2019 in Mirzapur, a rural sub-district of Bangladesh.

Clinical hypoxemia score for outpatient child pneumonia care lacking pulse oximetry in Africa and South Asia.

Background: Pulse oximeters are not routinely available in outpatient clinics in low- and middle-income countries. We derived clinical scores to identify hypoxemic child pneumonia.

Methods: This was a retrospective pooled analysis of two outpatient datasets of 3-35 month olds with World Health Organization (WHO)-defined pneumonia in Bangladesh and Malawi.

Esophagitis Dissecans Superficialis: Unveiling the Enigmatic Entity of Esophageal Mucosal Sloughing.

Esophagitis dissecans superficialis (EDS), formerly referred to as sloughing esophagitis, is a degenerative condition affecting the squamous epithelium. EDS is known to be a benign condition that resolves on its own. The exact etiology of EDS remains unclear, although associations with medications like bisphosphonates or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, skin conditions, heavy smoking, and physical trauma have been reported.

Adult T-Cell Lymphoma (ATL) With Erythroderma in Indolent Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type I (HTLV-1) Infection.

Adult T-cell lymphoma (ATL) is a hematological malignancy of CD4+ mature T-lymphocytes commonly associated with chronic human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) infection. Chronic HTLV-1 infection induces oncogenic mutations in CD4+ T-cells, leading to an acute malignant transformation of host cells. Atypically, ATL presents with dermatological and pulmonary symptoms consistent with a "smoldering" disease pattern.

Toxic Shock Syndrome Secondary to Erythroderma: Unraveling the Underlying Triggers.

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare and life-threatening condition characterized by the systemic manifestation of severe infection. It is caused by exotoxin-producing strains of and . Erythroderma, often described as generalized exfoliative dermatitis, is a rare and severe dermatological condition involving more than 90% of the body surface, identified as an uncommon cause of TSS.

Comparative predictive power of serum vs plasma proteomic signatures in feto-maternal medicine.

Background: Blood proteins are frequently measured in serum or plasma, because they provide a wealth of information. Differences in the ex vivo processing of serum and plasma raise concerns that proteomic health and disease signatures derived from serum or plasma differ in content and quality. However, little is known about their respective power to predict feto-maternal health outcomes.