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Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Antimicrobial Uses and Resistance Among Public University Students in Bangladesh

Marzan M, Islam DZ, Lugova H, Krishnapillai A, Haque M, Islam S

Infect Drug Resist, 2021;14:519-533.
PMID: 33603416 DOI: 10.2147/IDR.S289964

Background: Antibiotics are lifesaving drugs, and inappropriate uses lead to the resistance that renders them ineffective. This study aims to understand knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) concerning antibiotic use and resistance among university students in Bangladesh.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed from January to April 2020 among students at Jahangirnagar University (JU), Bangladesh. Purposive sampling was conducted through an in-person interview using a structured questionnaire. Students from the faculties of biological sciences and non-biology background were included. The univariate ordinal regression technique was used to analyze the relationship between predictors and good knowledge about the antibiotics. A two-tailed p-value was calculated to determine statistical association.
Results: Out of 205 study participants, 92 and 113 responders were from biological science faculty and non-biology disciplines, respectively. Less than half of the students (42.4%) showed a good knowledge level (scores higher than 80%). Biology-background students possess better knowledge than non-biology students [odds ratio (OR) = 4.44, 95% confidence level (CL) (2.56, 7.70), p < 0.001]. A better attitude was noticed among all students. The self-medication rate was quite low, and more than 90% of students were found to consume antibiotics according to the physician's prescription. Lack of treatment adherence was recorded, and students admitted to stop-taking antibiotics when symptoms disappeared (48.67% biology and 36.26% non-biology). Multivariate regression analysis was unable to detect any significant association between self-medication and gender, student category or the level of knowledge about antibiotics.
Conclusion: Students of biological science background possessed better knowledge indicating the importance of appropriate curriculum imparted in knowledge buildup. Introducing a short course about the risk and development of antibiotic resistance will grow the students' awareness to avoid the resistance phenomenon.
Breast Cancer Management in the Era of Covid-19; Key Issues, Contemporary Strategies, and Future Implications

Prodhan AHMSU, Islam DZ, Khandker SS, Jamiruddin MR, Abdullah A, Godman B, et al.

Breast Cancer (Dove Med Press), 2023;15:51-89.
PMID: 36733464 DOI: 10.2147/BCTT.S390296

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several priority diseases were not getting sufficient attention. Whilst breast cancer is a fatal disease affecting millions worldwide, identification and management of these patients did not initially attract critical attention to minimize the impact of lockdown, post-lockdown, and other measures. Breast cancer patients' conditions may not remain stable without proper care, worsening their prognosis. Proper care includes the timely instigation of surgery, systemic therapy, and psychological support. This includes low-and middle-income countries where there are already concerns with available personnel and medicines to adequately identify and treat these patients. Consequently, there was a need to summarize the current scenario regarding managing breast cancer care during COVID-19 across all countries, including any guidelines developed. We systematically searched three scientific databases and found 76 eligible articles covering the medical strategies of high-income countries versus LMICs. Typically, diagnostic facilities in hospitals were affected at the beginning of the pandemic following the lockdown and other measures. This resulted in more advanced-stage cancers being detected at initial presentation across countries, negatively impacting patient outcomes. Other than increased telemedicine, instigating neo-adjuvant endocrine therapy more often, reducing non-essential visits, and increasing the application of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy to meet the challenges, encouragingly, there was no other significant difference among patients in high-income versus LMICs. Numerous guidelines regarding patient management evolved during the pandemic to address the challenges posed by lockdowns and other measures, which were subsequently adopted by various high-income countries and LMICs to improve patient care. The psychological impact of COVID-19 and associated lockdown measures, especially during the peak of COVID-19 waves, and the subsequent effect on the patient's mental health must also be considered in this high-priority group. We will continue to monitor the situation to provide direction in future pandemics.
Fulltext Strategies to Overcome Erroneous Outcomes in Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Testing: Insights From the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sajal SSA, Islam DZ, Khandker SS, Solórzano-Ortiz E, Fardoun M, Ahmed MF, et al.

Cureus, 2024 Nov;16(11):e72954.
PMID: 39498425 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.72954

The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, has been regarded as the diagnostic gold standard. However, the excessive sensitivity of RT-PCR may cause false-positive outcomes from contamination. Again, its technical complexity increases the chances of false-negatives due to pre-analytical and analytical errors. This narrative review explores the elements contributing to inaccurate results during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers strategies to minimize these errors. False-positive results may occur due to specimen contamination, non-specific primer binding, residual viral RNA, and false-negatives, which may arise from improper sampling, timing, labeling, storage, low viral loads, mutations, and faulty test kits. Proposed mitigation strategies to enhance the accuracy of RT-PCR testing include comprehensive staff training in specimen collection, optimizing the timing of tests, analyzing multiple gene targets, incorporating clinical findings, workflow automation, and implementing stringent contamination control measures. Identifying and rectifying sources of error in RT-PCR diagnosis through quality control and standardized protocols is imperative for ensuring quality patient care and effective epidemic control.
Fulltext Correction: Strategies to Overcome Erroneous Outcomes in Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Testing: Insights From the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sajal SSA, Islam DZ, Khandker SS, Solórzano-Ortiz E, Fardoun M, Ahmed MF, et al.

Cureus, 2024 Nov;16(11):c199.
PMID: 39583600 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.c199

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.72954.].