Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University

This study will compare the performance of self-collected vaginal swabs, transported without liquid media (dry swabs) and self-collected vaginal swabs, transported in liquid media (wet swabs) for detection of hrHPV DNA LBC as the reference standard.

Breast cancer is a leading cancer among Bangladeshi female. For breast cancer, there are different available treatment options according to the stage of disease. One of the important ones is radiotherapy (RT). Various side effects can occur during and after RT. Among the late side effects, numerous cardiac and pulmonary problems are significant specially in case of left sided breast cancer. In such cases, patients are being cured from cancer but the treatment itself endangering patients' general health and wellbeing by increasing risk of future life threatening cardiac and pulmonary diseases. Studies from around the world have shown that, during RT of left sided breast cancer, holding the breath for certain time after deep inspiration can reduce the radiation doses to heart and left lung without compromising doses to the chest wall. As a result, they can avoid the extra risk of treatment related late toxicities. This study will look at the utility and efficacy of Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) RT over free breathing (FB) RT in reducing the heart and left lung doses without compromising the dose to the target volumes in left sided post mastectomy breast cancer patient, which is the main objective of this study.

This project addresses the mental health challenges faced by parents caring for children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs) in Bangladesh. These parents often experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, impacting family dynamics and the child's development. The project aims to design, implement, and assess an intervention to reduce parenting stress and enhance parental well-being. This intervention focuses on emotional intelligence and will be delivered through in-person training and a mobile app. The study will use a cluster randomized controlled trial methodology, targeting parents of children diagnosed with NDDs.
The study will be conducted in Child Development Centers in public medical college hospitals across Bangladesh. It will assess changes in parental stress, mental well-being, and emotional intelligence. Data collection will occur from April 2024 to October 2024.
The project aims to recruit 480 parents from eight Child Development Centers, ensuring ethical considerations, data integrity, and participant privacy. The findings will be shared through national dissemination seminars, policy briefs, reports, and journal publications.