The interconnections among food systems, poverty, and malnutrition remain central to Bangladesh’s development trajectory. Despite substantial agricultural growth and notable reductions in poverty over the past two decades, structural challenges continue to constrain equitable access to food and nutrition. This study analyzes agricultural production trends, food system drivers, and consumption behaviors, situating Bangladesh in a comparative South Asian context. Using national survey data and secondary statistics, it further examines poverty dynamics, both income-based and multidimensional and their implications for food insecurity and nutrition outcomes. The empirical evidence highlights persistent disparities in dietary diversity, caloric intake, and affordability of healthy diets across rural–urban and socio-economic groups. Moreover, the prevalence of child undernutrition and the double burden of malnutrition underscore the fragility of current nutrition gains. The findings suggest that external shocks, including climate variability, market volatility, and global food price fluctuations, exacerbate systemic vulnerabilities. Policy analysis indicates that while government interventions in agriculture, poverty alleviation, and nutrition have achieved incremental success, gaps remain in coordination, targeting, and long-term sustainability. The paper argues for integrated, multisectoral strategies that enhance agricultural productivity, strengthen social protection mechanisms, and promote resilient, nutrition-sensitive food systems. Such approaches are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on zero hunger, poverty reduction, and improved health outcomes in Bangladesh.
Introduction Disseminated Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) disease is a rare but life-threatening complication in children with primary immunodeficiency (PID). Linezolid (LZD) is effective but limited by myelosuppression. Contezolid (CZD), a novel oxazolidinone, has shown better hematological safety in adults, but pediatric data are scarce. This retrospective case series aims to provide real-world experience on CZD use in this challenging population. Case description We report three children (aged 3–9.5 months) with PID (Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome, X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, and IL-12 receptor β1 deficiency) who developed clinically presumed or confirmed disseminated BCG disease after routine vaccination. All received CZD-containing regimens (12–20 mg/kg/dose, q12 h) alongside other antimycobacterial agents and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Outcomes Over 11–12 months of CZD-containing multidrug therapy followed by 1 year of post-treatment telephone follow-up, all patients achieved satisfactory clinical resolution of infectious lesions and no clinical relapse was observed. No CZD-attributable hematological, hepatic, renal, or neurological adverse events occurred. However, because all patients received concurrent HSCT and multiple antimycobacterial agents, the independent contribution of CZD cannot be determined. Conclusion CZD-containing regimens were well tolerated and associated with clinical improvement in these complex cases. CZD may serve as a valuable alternative when LZD is poorly tolerated. However, definitive attribution of efficacy to CZD alone is precluded by concurrent HSCT and multi-drug therapy.
Digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) have been increasingly incorporated into neonatal care, particularly in respiratory assessment. However, structured evidence regarding their clinical applications, performance, and limitations remains limited. This scoping review analyzed 35 studies published between 2019 and 2026 to map the use of digital technologies and AI in neonatal respiratory assessment. The findings showed that these approaches are mainly applied to predictive models, medical image analysis, and continuous physiological monitoring. Overall, the studies demonstrated potential for early diagnosis, prediction of respiratory outcomes, and clinical decision support. Nevertheless, the available evidence remains limited by methodological heterogeneity, lack of robust external validation, small sample sizes, and absence of protocol standardization. These findings suggest that, although promising, AI-based technologies are not yet ready for widespread clinical implementation, requiring prospective, multicenter, and standardized studies to validate their effectiveness and safety in neonatal care. IMPACT: This review synthesizes the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in neonatal respiratory assessment, highlighting their expanding role in neonatal respiratory research and clinical decision support. AI-based predictive models demonstrate potential for early identification of critical respiratory outcomes, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia and the need for mechanical ventilation. Imaging-based approaches, such as chest radiography and lung ultrasound combined with deep learning, may improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce interobserver variability. Digital monitoring technologies enable continuous, noninvasive, and real-time assessment of neonatal respiratory parameters. The lack of external validation, methodological standardization, and evidence of clinical impact limits their application, reinforcing the need for multicenter studies and structured integration of these technologies into clinical workflows.
Simone Nascimento Santos Ribeiro, Maria Eduarda Ribeiro Rocha Vargas, Raquel de Carvalho Velame et al.
Child mortality is often framed narrowly as a health issue, yet it reflects deeper structural inequalities, institutional deficiencies, and societal factors. This qualitative study investigates the representations of child deaths in Turkey by analyzing media discourse and the professional experiences of those working with children. Utilizing content analysis of 278 news articles from Cumhuriyet newspaper (2000–2024) alongside in-depth interviews with 25 professionals from social work, psychology, law, midwifery, and education, the research reveals divergent narratives: media portrayals tend to individualize and dramatize incidents, whereas professionals emphasize systemic causes such as social determinants, policy gaps, and institutional failures. The findings underscore the critical role of media visibility in shaping public awareness and highlight the need for interdisciplinary, rights-based approaches to prevention. Ultimately, the study calls for integrated policy frameworks that address child mortality through social justice, legal accountability, and cross-sector collaboration, moving beyond health-centric paradigms to safeguard children’s rights and well-being.
The presence of resilience in a person may determine their ability to bounce back from adverse experiences. This proposal suggests art therapy as an excellent modality for building resilience and therefore also a means for measuring the degree of resilience an individual possesses. Information regarding the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) drawing is analyzed in the following paragraphs and connections between the drawing and resilience are discussed. This researcher supports the PPAT directive as a tool for assessing resilience in a homeless youth population.
Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we document the association between a child’s learning disability (LD) and a broad set of outcomes for both the child and the parents. Young people with an LD report more police contact, drug use, violence, and incarceration, and have lower educational attainment, well-being, and employment. We also provide evidence that mothers are substantially more likely to be out of the labour force when they have a child with an LD, with exits concentrated around the time of diagnosis. Child ADHD shows no association with parental labour supply.
Background Parent-administered massage-based interventions are increasingly used in family-centered care for preterm infants, but their effects across infant and parental outcomes remain uncertain. Objective To systematically evaluate the effects of parent-administered massage-based interventions on growth, feeding, hospitalization, neurodevelopmental, and parental psychological outcomes in preterm infants. Methods We conducted a PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception to 26 May 2026. Eligible studies compared parent-administered massage alone or combined with tactile, kinesthetic, oral, or other developmental sensory components against routine care or non-massage controls. Random-effects models with restricted maximum-likelihood estimation were used. Parental psychological outcomes were synthesized narratively because of substantial heterogeneity. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2, and certainty of evidence with GRADE. Results Twenty-four randomized controlled trials were included. Moderate-certainty evidence indicated that massage-based interventions were associated with higher odds of breastfeeding or human-milk feeding at discharge (OR 5.42, 95% CI 2.44–11.94), shorter time to full oral feeding (MD −2.04 days, 95% CI −3.95 to −0.13), and shorter hospital length of stay (MD −4.68 days, 95% CI −7.79 to −1.57). Weight-gain velocity was greater in the primary meta-analysis (MD 5.55 g/day, 95% CI 1.71–9.38), but certainty was low, heterogeneity was very high (I 2 = 97.87%), significant small-study effects were detected, and the trim-and-fill adjusted estimate was attenuated and no longer statistically significant (MD 3.45 g/day, 95% CI −1.67 to 8.56). Parent-related psychological findings were generally favorable but were supported by low-certainty evidence. Effects on length growth, head-circumference growth, and motor development were not statistically significant; certainty for length and head-circumference growth was very low. Conclusion Moderate-certainty evidence suggests that parent-administered massage-based interventions may improve selected feeding outcomes and reduce hospital length of stay in preterm or low-birth-weight infants. The effect on weight-gain velocity remains uncertain because of very high heterogeneity, low certainty of evidence, and possible small-study effects. However, many interventions were multimodal and heterogeneity was substantial; therefore, the findings should be interpreted as effects of parent-delivered developmental-care interventions that include massage rather than massage alone, and the independent effect of massage requires confirmation. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261435482 , identifier CRD420261435482.
The article is devoted to highlighting the historical path, directions, and significance of the educational activities of Ukrainian physicians in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It demonstrates how medical science expanded beyond private consulting rooms, transforming health protection into a public and national initiative through the integration of foundational knowledge with daily prevention, culture, and public health awareness. The synthesized experience of the Shevchenko Scientific Society (NTSh), the Ukrainian Medical Society (ULT), and the network of “Prosvita” reading rooms attests to the development of medical enlightenment across four key directions: sanitary and hygienic education alongside the fight against epidemics; maternal and child healthcare; the development of professional terminology and publishing; and the preservation of medico-historical memory and ethics. The initial stage of mass public health education in Ukrainian lands was associated with overcoming infectious diseases (typhus, cholera, tuberculosis) through the publication of pamphlets and the format of “loud reading” in rural reading rooms. A foundational contribution to the system was made by prominent figures: Yevhen Ozarkevych laid the ground for Ukrainian-language medical terminology, founded the journals Likarskyi Zbirnyk and Zdorovlie, and established the free outpatient clinic “Narodna Lichnytsia”; Academician Ivan Horbachevsky explained the fundamentals of nutritional hygiene and metabolism to the general public; Zenovii Levytskyi and Ovksentii Korchak-Chepurkivskyi advanced preventive medicine, sanitary statistics, and anti-epidemic protection. The work of Feliks Selskyi contributed to reducing child and maternal mortality, overcoming popular superstitions, and introducing hygienic standards during childbirth. An important vector was the preservation of scientific heritage and ethics, realized in the works of diaspora and domestic scholars.
Lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women are under increasing threat. The combined nature of patriarchal misogyny, femmephobia and queerphobia contributes to high levels of sexual violence and harassment. Current literature focuses on biomedical health – STIs and pregnancy – and interventions targeting youth behaviour. Sociocultural factors are often treated as secondary. Here, we focus on Contextual Safety (CS) – the relationships, discourses, and interpersonal behaviours of others that afford risk, harm, or safety. Through a critical feminist lens, we explored LBQ femme-women’s retrospective accounts of CS. A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of repeated interviews with 10 femme- and LBQ-identified Australians provided insight into experiences and what can be done to protect young people. Pervasive masculine entitlement, with the media’s sexualisation of LBQ femininity, were key contributors to harm. Left with little choice, subject to feminine devaluation, participants often self-sabotaged in response to sexual threats through feigning and fawning. Participants’ experiences displayed stereotype incompatibility and confusion, leading to behaviours which validate either queer identity or a feigned cis-het identity in equally risky ways. Participants urged families and schools to minimise risk through community education. We must continue to push against the status quo to afford more safety in sexual exploration.
Background School-based physical activity (PA) interventions are a population-level strategy for improving children’s health, yet evidence on their combined effects on physical fitness and psychosocial adaptation remains fragmented. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized evidence from controlled intervention trials (randomized and non-randomized) examining school-based PA interventions on physical fitness (cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, body composition) and psychosocial adaptation (self-esteem, psychological well-being, social functioning) in children aged 6–12 years. Methods Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO from inception to 15 January 2026. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials with a minimum 8-week school-based PA intervention and at least one physical fitness or psychosocial outcome were eligible. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed using Hedges’ g. Heterogeneity was assessed with I2 and Cochran’s Q. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool for RCTs and ROBINS-I for non-randomized trials. Results Forty studies (39 randomized, 1 non-randomized) involving 21,793 participants met inclusion criteria. School-based PA interventions were associated with significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (g = 0.36, 95% CI [0.25, 0.46], p < 0.001, I2 = 98%) and muscular fitness (g = 0.24, 95% CI [0.17, 0.31], p < 0.001, I2 = 93%); the small reduction in body mass index did not reach statistical significance (g = −0.11, 95% CI [−0.27, 0.04], p = 0.154, I2 = 98%). For psychosocial outcomes, significant small effects were found for self-esteem (g = 0.18, 95% CI [0.10, 0.27], p < 0.001), psychological well-being (g = 0.15, 95% CI [0.09, 0.21], p < 0.001), and social functioning (g = 0.21, 95% CI [0.04, 0.38], p = 0.018). Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested that larger effects were associated with multicomponent interventions, durations of ≥24 weeks, and ≥3 sessions per week. Conclusion School-based PA interventions were associated with small-to-moderate improvements in physical fitness and small improvements in psychosocial adaptation in children. The findings support integrating comprehensive PA programs into school curricula. However, the small effect sizes for psychosocial outcomes and substantial heterogeneity underscore the need for rigorous studies with standardized measurement protocols.
