Role of Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Severity Assessment and Mortality Prediction in COVID-19 Patients.

Background Early risk stratification of COVID-19 may yield a better prognosis by tailoring effective treatment strategies. Recent studies have identified that elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has prognostic value in terms of disease severity and mortality in patients with pneumonia. This study aims to explore the potential of CEA as a marker for both severity assessment and mortality prediction in COVID-19 patients.

Disseminated histoplasmosis: Long journey of a febrile young man.

A 19-year-old non-diabetic, non-HIV male presented with eighteen months of fever, weight loss, skin rash and lymphadenopathy. He was treated with anti-tubercular medication for more than twelve months in multiple institutions based on repeated biopsy reports of lymph nodes showing granuloma suggestive of tuberculosis. Before he was diagnosed at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) with disseminated histoplasmosis at eighteen months of his disease, he already lost twenty kg weight, developed multiple small joint pain, back pain, and cough along with previously mentioned symptoms.

Recent Dengue Infection in Bangladesh: A Seasonal Endemic Progressing to Year-long Serious Health Concern.

Unlabelled: Dengue represents one of the most dangerous mosquito-borne viral diseases. Although the disease has been prevalent around the globe over the centuries, recent outbreaks of dengue have devasted the healthcare delivery system of many countries. Being a global infection, dengue virus (DENV) is endemically present mainly in Latin America and Caribbean countries as well as countries in South Asia.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity in SARS-CoV-2 Infected Noncritically Ill Hospitalized Patients.

Objectives: This study determined the baseline hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hormonal levels and their associated factors in noncritically ill hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 91 noncritical RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients (aged 18 to 65 years) recruited consecutively from the COVID unit of two tertiary care hospitals over a period of six months. After the screening, relevant history and physical examinations were done, and blood was drawn between 07:00 am to 09:00 am in a fasting state to measure serum cortisol and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay.

Clinical profile and early severity predictors of dengue fever: Current trends for the deadliest dengue infection in Bangladesh in 2022.

Objectives: In 2022, Bangladesh had the highest dengue-related fatality (281). This study evaluated clinical profiles to detect early changes to predict dengue fever severity.

Methods: This prospective observational study was performed in four government hospitals from June to November 2022 in Dhaka.

Features and risk factors of post-COVID-19 syndrome: findings from a longitudinal study in Bangladesh.

Background: A comprehensive study of the post-COVID syndrome (PCS) remains scarce in low-and middle-income countries. We assessed the prevalence, incidence rate, evolution over time, and risk factors of PCS among hospitalized (HS) and non-hospitalized (NHS) COVID-19 survivors.

Methods: We undertook a prospective longitudinal study of COVID-19 survivors at months 1, 3, and 5 post-discharge or post-isolation period.

A child resides within a young adult: The first reported case of Alström syndrome in Bangladesh.

A 32-year-old male case with short stature presented to us with audio-visual impairment, obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, and hypogonadism. The single-gene genetic analysis revealed an ALMS1 gene mutation. A diagnosis of ALMS was reached for meeting one major and four minor criteria.

Disseminated mucormycosis: An unusual case of ascites with bone marrow invasion.

Mucormycosis is a fatal invasive illness most frequently seen in immunocompromised hosts with uncontrolled diabetes, hematological malignancies, organ transplantation, or long-term steroid treatment. It has a poorer outcome than other fungal diseases due to its rapid spread and resistance to antifungal agents. We report a rare case of disseminated mucormycosis including the bone marrow, peritoneum, lung, and lymph nodes in an apparently immunocompetent 58-year-old gentleman who presented with two months of ascites and weight loss.

A Young Female With Borderline Lepromatous Leprosy and Tuberculous Lymphadenitis: A Rare Coinfection.

In Bangladesh, tuberculosis and leprosy are endemic mycobacterial diseases; however, co-infection is rarely seen. Our patient had a high-grade fever, symmetrical polyarthritis, polymorphous erythematous lesions, widespread lymphadenopathy, peripheral neuropathy, bilaterally thickened ulnar nerves, and claw hands. A lymph node biopsy revealed tuberculosis having acid-fast bacilli with caseating epithelioid histiocytic granuloma.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of dengue and COVID-19 coinfected patients in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Background: Dengue-COVID-19 coinfection is one of the greatest emerging challenges in dengue-endemic areas during the continuing pandemic. With coinciding clinical and laboratory pictures, early diagnosis becomes burdensome, with management discrepancy.

Methods: A descriptive study was performed on dengue-COVID-19 coinfected patients during July-August 2021 for an overview of disease progression, severity and outcome.

A Case of Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Presenting with Mononeuritis Multiplex.

Background: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), also known as Churg Strauss syndrome, is an uncommon vasculitis associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA). The hallmarks of the disease are asthma, eosinophilia, and systemic vasculitis with varying degrees of neurological, cutaneous, cardiac, gastrointestinal, and renal involvement. Diagnosis is often difficult since the symptoms are diverse, and a number of differentials need to be excluded.

Metastatic tuberculous abscess: A rare manifestation of cutaneous tuberculosis.

Cutaneous tuberculosis (CTB), a rare manifestation of tuberculosis is one of the most challenging diagnoses to establish. Metastasic tuberculous abscess is a form of CTB which is characterized by cold abscesses on the patient's extremities or trunk without any involvement of underlying tissue. Here we report a case of 56-year-old Bangladeshi male with no previous history of TB, who presented with multiple abscesses over the body for 3 months.

Recommendations for Vaccination Against Seasonal Influenza in Adult High Risk Groups: South Asian Recommendations.

Influenza is a global public health problem and concern especially in high risk people. Prevention plays a key role in avoiding complications of influenza related illnesses. Despite the existing prevalence of influenza, and documented importance of vaccination, the uptake of influenza vaccine is very poor.

Living on the extreme margin: social exclusion of the transgender population (hijra) in Bangladesh.

The transgender people (hijra), who claim to be neither male nor female, are socially excluded in Bangladesh. This paper describes social exclusion of hijra [The term is used in this abstract both in singular and plural sense] focusing on the pathway between exclusion and sexual health. In an ethnographic study, 50 in-depth interviews with hijra, 20 key-informant interviews, and 10 focus-group discussions (FGDs), along with extensive field observations, were conducted.