PRODUCTION ECONOMICS AND MARKETING OF POTATO IN OKHALDHUNGA, NEPAL

Potato is a major staple food crops in the hilly region of Nepal. To assess the production economics and marketing of potato, a study was conducted at Siddicharan municipality and Molung rural municipality of Okhaldhunga, Nepal in 2019. Altogether 60 samples, 30 from each location were selected randomly. Economic analysis was performed through cost benefit analysis and Cobb Douglas Production function. Among the different variety used by the farmers, Kufri Jyoti was the most preferred variety. The main constraints in potato production were shortage of irrigational structure followed by low information on use of chemical fertilizer, lack of labor at the time of harvesting, insufficient quantity of manure, prevalence of middle man, high cost of transportation, and unavailability of improved seed. The mean difference between the farm gate price and market price of Siddicharan and Molung was 7.33 and 5.96, respectively, which were statistically significant at p<0.1. The overall average benefit cost ratio was found to be 1.23 in which Siddicharan and Molung had BC ratio of 1.55 and 0.99, respectively, which was significant at p<0.01 which indicated that farming in Molung was not profitable. Overall the seed cost, labor cost, FYM cost, and bullocks cost should be increased by 900%, 186.95%, 101.88%, and 626.31%, respectively, and chemical cost, machinery cost, and transportation cost should be decreased by 99.98%, 73.11%, and 99.57%, respectively. Return to scale was found to be 0.227 which implies that it was increasing at decreasing rate of return

Measuring fidelity, feasibility, costs: an implementation evaluation of a cluster-controlled trial of group antenatal care in rural Nepal

Background Access to high-quality antenatal care services has been shown to be beneficial for maternal and child health. In 2016, the WHO published evidence-based recommendations for antenatal care that aim to improve utilization, quality of care, and the patient experience. Prior research in Nepal has shown that a lack of social support, birth planning, and resources are barriers to accessing services in rural communities. The success of CenteringPregnancy and participatory action women’s groups suggests that group care models may both improve access to care and the quality of care delivered through women’s empowerment and the creation of social networks. We present a group antenatal care model in rural Nepal, designed and implemented by the healthcare delivery organization Nyaya Health Nepal, as well as an assessment of implementation outcomes. Methods The study was conducted at Bayalata Hospital in Achham, Nepal, via a public private partnership between the Nepali non-profit, Nyaya Health Nepal, and the Ministry of Health and Population, with financial and technical assistance from the American non-profit, Possible. We implemented group antenatal care as a prospective non-randomized cluster-controlled, type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation study in six village clusters. The implementation approach allows for iterative improvement in design, making changes to improve the quality of the intervention. Assessments of implementation process and model fidelity were undertaken using a mobile checklist completed by nurse supervisors, and observation forms completed by program leadership. We evaluated data quarterly using descriptive statistics to identify trends. Qualitative interviews and team communications were analyzed through immersion crystallization to identify major themes that evolved during the implementation process. Results A total of 141 group antenatal sessions were run during the study period. This paper reports on implementation results, whereas we analyze and present patient-level effectiveness outcomes in a complementary paper in this journal. There was high process fidelity to the model, with 85.7% (95% CI 77.1–91.5%) of visits completing all process elements, and high content fidelity, with all village clusters meeting the minimum target frequency for 80% of topics. The annual per capita cost for group antenatal care was 0.50 USD. Qualitative analysis revealed the compromise of stable gestation-matched composition of the group members in order to make the intervention feasible. Major adaptations were made in training, documentation, feedback and logistics. Conclusion Group antenatal care provided in collaboration with local government clinics has the potential to provide accessible and high quality antenatal care to women in rural Nepal. The intervention is a feasible and affordable alternative to individual antenatal care. Our experience has shown that adaptation from prior models was important for the program to be successful in the local context within the national healthcare system. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02330887, registered 01/05/2015, retroactively registered

The Effects of Plasma on Plant Growth, Development, and Sustainability

Cold atmospheric or low pressure plasma has activation effects on seed germination, plant growth and development, and plant sustainability, and prior experimental studies showing these effects are summarized in this review. The accumulated data indicate that the reactive species generated by cold plasma at atmospheric or low pressure may be involved in changing and activating the physical and chemical properties, physiology, and biochemical and molecular processes in plants, which enhances germination, growth, and sustainability. Although laboratory and field experiments are still required, plasma may represent a tool for efficient adaptation to changes in the climate and agricultural environments

Mapping of Translocator Protein (18 kDa) in Peripheral Sterile Inflammatory Disease and Cancer through PET Imaging

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the translocator 18 kDa protein (TSPO) with radioligands has become an effective means of research in peripheral inflammatory conditions that occur in many diseases and cancers. The peripheral sterile inflammatory diseases (PSIDs) are associated with a diverse group of disorders that comprises numerous enduring insults including the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, or musculoskeletal system. TSPO has recently been introduced as a potential biomarker for peripheral sterile inflammatory diseases (PSIDs). The major critical issue related to PSIDs is its timely characterization and localization of inflammatory foci for proper therapy of patients. As an alternative to metabolic imaging, protein imaging expressed on immune cells after activation is of great importance. The five transmembrane domain translocator protein-18 kDa (TSPO) is upregulated on the mitochondrial cell surface of macrophages during inflammation, serving as a potential ligand for PET tracers. Additionally, the overexpressed TSPO protein has been positively correlated with various tumor malignancies. In view of the association of escalated TSPO expression in both disease conditions, it is an immensely important biomarker for PET imaging in oncology and PSIDs. In this review, we summarize the most outstanding advances on TSPO-targeted PSIDs and cancer in the development of TSPO ligands as a potential diagnostic tool, specifically discussing the last five years.KEYWORDS:translocator protein inflammation PET cancer polymorphis

Naturally occurring clinically significant anti-M alloantibodies with wide thermal range: A series of three cases

Anti-M antibodies are usually of the immunoglobulin (Ig)-M type and have a cold thermal range, which is generally considered clinically insignificant. However, in some cases, there may also be an IgG component present exclusively. In addition to the discrepancy in blood grouping (attributable to the IgM component), the presence of an IgG component reacting at 37°C can interfere with pretransfusion testing, making it difficult to find fully compatible blood within a short time. In this report, we discuss three children: two boys aged five and 1½ years, respectively, and a female toddler aged 1 year who were all successfully treated using M-antigen negative packed red blood cells along with the standard treatment plan of the hospital. This was made possible by an established institutional blood donor registry comprising O-typed blood donors (n = 374), who were phenotyped for 21 erythrocyte antigens using commercially available monoclonal antisera (Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Pvt Ltd., Mumbai, India)

Establishing a regional rare blood donor registry in Uttarakhand, India

Background and Objectives: Uttarakhand, a state in northern India, is home to various local communities, including the Garhwali, Kumaoni, and Jaunsari. In addition, individuals from neighboring countries such as Nepal and Tibet reside in Uttarakhand for many years, resulting in a diverse population. However, currently, there is no regional registry for rare blood donors in this state. The aim of this study was to develop a rare donor registry in Uttarakhand which could in future become a part of the national rare blood donor registry. Methods: During the routine donation process, samples were taken from randomly selected O-typed blood donors who are residents of Uttarakhand. Seventeen monoclonal antisera included Rh (anti-D, anti-C, anti-c, anti-E, and anti-e), Duffy (anti-Fya and anti-Fyb), Kell (anti-K and anti-k), Kidd (anti-Jka and anti-Jkb), Lewis (anti-Lea and anti-Leb), M, N, S, and s (Ortho Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, India). Furthermore, four polyclonal antisera from our serum repository, Diego (anti-Dia), Indian (anti-Ina), Rh (anti-Cw), and anti-Gp-Mur were used for phenotyping. The study was financially aided by the Uttarakhand State Council of Science and Technology (UCOST), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Government of India. Results: Over a period of 16 months (November 2021–February 2023), out of a total of 17,004 blood donations, O blood type donors accounted for 29.9% (5085/17,004) of the donors screened. Among these, 7.3% (374/5085) of the donors were from the interior and plain areas of Uttarakhand. Our study revealed a high prevalence of k and e antigens, with 96.7% and 92.5%, respectively. The least prevalent antigen was Rh (Cw), observed in only 0.5% of cases. We also identified rare blood antigens such as Diego, Indian, and Gp-Mur and compared our findings with other studies. Furthermore, we identified a donor with an H-deficient phenotype, specifically the Bombay blood group (Oho). Conclusion: We have successfully established a regional registry for rare blood donors in Uttarakhand, which will be valuable for managing complex transfusion scenarios in the future. Further, given Uttarakhand's proximity to China and Nepal, the presence of individuals from these countries aptly connects the fields of anthropology and transfusion medicine

Cold atmospheric plasma and silymarin nanoemulsion synergistically inhibits human melanoma tumorigenesis via targeting HGF/c-MET downstream pathway

Background Recent studies claimed the important role of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) with nanotechnology in cancer treatments. In this study, silymarin nanoemulsion (SN) was used along with air CAP as therapeutic agent to counter human melanoma. Methods In this study, we examined the combined treatment of CAP and SN on G-361 human melanoma cells by evaluating cellular toxicity levels, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) levels, DNA damage, melanoma-specific markers, apoptosis, caspases and poly ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1) levels using flow cytometer. Dual-treatment effects on the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF/c-MET) pathway, sphere formation and the reversal of EMT were also assessed using western blotting and microscopy respectively. SN and plasma-activated medium (PAM) were applied on tumor growth and body weight and melanoma-specific markers and the mesenchymal markers in the tumor xenograft nude mice model were checked. Results Co-treatment of SN and air CAP increased the cellular toxicity in a time-dependent manner and shows maximum toxicity at 200 nM in 24 h. Intracellular RONS showed significant generation of ROS ( 2 times) and DNMT and showed damage in G-361 cells. Increase in Caspase 8,9,3/7 (> 1.5 times), PARP level (2.5 times) and apoptotic genes level were also observed in dual treated group and hence blocking HGF/c-MET pathway. Decrease in EMT markers (E-cadherin, YKL-40, N-cadherin, SNAI1) were seen with simultaneously decline in melanoma cells (BRAF, NAMPT) and stem cells (CD133, ABCB5) markers. In vivo results showed significant reduction in SN with PAM with reduction in tumor weight and size. Conclusions The use of air CAP using μ-DBD and the SN can minimize the malignancy effects of melanoma cells by describing HGF/c-MET molecular mechanism of acting on G-361 human melanoma cells and in mice xenografts, possibly leading to suitable targets for innovative anti-melanoma approaches in the future