Vitamin D status among the population visiting Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Bhutan

Objective: To study the vitamin D status among the Bhutanese population visiting the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, Bhutan. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study involving the extraction of data from a hospital database. Records of Bhutanese patients who had taken vitamin D tests in the last two years (2020–2021) were included in the study. Result: A total of 1175 individuals took the vitamin D test during the study period, and the age ranged between 1 day and 94 years. Over 60% of the participants were females. The study found that over 83% of our study population had serum vitamin D levels lower than the normal range/deficient. Around 18% of the participants had severe deficiency. Conclusion: The study found that most participants, including children, had vitamin D deficiency, and the finding was homogenous across gender and age groups. Further studies are required to validate these findings and identify the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in the population for targeted public health interventions

Electrospun nylon fibers for the improvement of mechanical properties and for the control of degradation rate of poly(lactide)-based composites

Poly(lactide) (PLA) composites filled with electrospun nylon 6 fibers were prepared. This allowed to simultaneously improve the mechanical properties and tune the degradation of the PLA matrix. The interfacial adhesion between the PLA matrix and the nylon fibers was very good. The major effect of electrospun fibers on the matrix was that of modifying the semicrystalline framework, thickening the polymer lamellae. This allowed increasing the mechanical properties of the material, and on the other hand to modify its degradation rate. The modulus of the composites was increased up to 3-fold with respect to neat PLA. The peculiar morphology of matrix-filler interaction moreover slowed down the degradation rate of the material and improved the dimensional stability of the specimens during the degradation process. This shows the potential of electrospun fibers as a way to tune the durability of PLA-based products, widening the range of application of this promising material

Participatory varietal selection of potato and agronomic performance with farmers’ feedback on new varieties.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the widely produced, consumed and traded horticultural crops in Bhutan. Hence, potato cultivation has helped to transform the Bhutanese agriculture from subsistence to an emerging market-oriented agriculture. However, its productivity has remained stagnant over the years due to lack of varietal diversity and degeneration of seed quality. Therefore, variety development research was conducted to increase yield and provide alternative varieties. The advanced evaluation trial using mother and baby approach was conducted using suitable International Potato Center (CIP)-originated potato clones of 399053.11, 394034.7, 394611.112, 396034.268, 397196.3, 392797.22 and 303381.30 and Desiree as the local check (control) at Bumthang and Khangma in 2015. Following the evaluation and release of a new potato variety, three demonstration trials were conducted in Chukha, Haa and Wangdue districts to compare the yields of two new varieties with Desiree. When the clones were assessed based on yield and preference ranking by the farmers, 397193.3 and 392797.22 clones outstood as high yielders and most preferred ones, while 394034.7 was considered as the least yielder and least preferred clone in Bumthang. The two clones (397193.3 and 392797.22) had significantly (P<0.05) high yield and were the most preferred ones compared to Desiree in both the mother and baby plots. Having fulfilled all the research requirements, 392797.22 were released in June 2017 as Yusi Maap to address yield stagnation, as an alternate redskinned variety. Besides being a micro-nutrient-dense variety, Yusi Maap has moderate resistance to late blight. In three demonstration trials, Desiree yielded the least among the three varieties. Analysis on the farmers’ preference ranking showed that Yusi Maap was most preferred in three locations probably due to the red skin and better yield. The results of this study is has potential to positive impact potato production and enhance farmers’ livelihood through higher yields