Evaluation of glucose challenge test using cut off values 130mg/dl and 140 mg/dl for gestational diabetes mellitus screening

Background: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is associated with several adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Thus, screening for early detection of GDM and its treatment is important.Methods: This was hospital based descriptive study done over one year in department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, TUTH, Nepal. Six hundred ninety-seven women fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled at 18-22 weeks of gestation. High risk factors were assessed and GCT was performed in women with risk factors during enrollment. Diagnostic OGTT was performed in women who screened positive (GCT ≥130mg/dl). Screen negative high-risk women were re-screened at 24-28 weeks. In women without known risk factors, GCT was performed at 24-28 weeks and OGTT was performed when screen positive. The diagnosis of GDM was made according to Carpenter and Coustan criteria.Results: Out of 697 enrolled women, 12 were excluded for various reasons and 685 women were analyzed. Women having risk of GDM were 28.9%. The prevalence of GDM was 2.92% and 2.48% with GCT cut off 130 mg/dl and 140 mg/dl respectively. Lowering the threshold to 130 mg/dl identified three extra cases (p=0.010). The prevalence among high risk group was 8.58% and 7.07% with the cut off value 130 mg/dl and 140 mg/dl respectively with three extra cases detected on taking cut off value 130 mg/dl (p=0.014). Among low risk women the prevalence of GDM was same i.e. 0.61% with both the cut off values.Conclusions: Lowering threshold of GCT to 130 mg/dl could identify significant percentage of extra cases of GDM especially in high risk women

Situation Analysis of Patients Attending TU Teaching Hospital after Medical Abortion with Problems and Complications

Introduction: In Nepal medical abortion has been approved for use since 2009. There were many cases coming to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital coming with problems and complications following medical abortion. Thus the objective of this study was to analyze the cases that came to TUTH following medical abortion with problems and complications. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of TUTH. Study was carried from 1st August 2011 to 30th November 2012. Women who came to TUTH with any complaints following medical abortion were interviewed, examined and treatment provided. Relevant clinical finding were noted. Results: There were a total of 57 cases during the study. Most (66.6%) of the women were in age group 20-29 years age. There were 45 (79%) women who had abortion up to 9 weeks. Medical shop was the main place where most of the women (45.6%) directly come to know about medical abortion. More than 34 (77.2%) received the service from medical shops without any supervision. Most 31 (54.4%) presented with incomplete abortion. There were three cases of continuing pregnancy and four presented with ectopic pregnancy. Eighteen (31.6%) cases needed admission. Fifty six percent of the cases were treated with manual vacuum aspiration, six cases underwent laparotomy and there was one maternal mortality. Conclusions: There is a need for proper dissemination and implementation of guideline for management of these women and adequate supervision to reduce the problems and complications. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Keywords: complications; incomplete abortion; medical abortion; problems

Charging of drops impacting onto superhydrophobic surfaces

When neutral water drops impact and rebound from superhydrophobic surfaces, they acquire a positive electrical charge. To measure the charge, we analyzed the trajectory of rebounding drops in an external electric field by high-speed video imaging. Although this charging phenomenon has been observed in the past, little is known about the controlling parameters for the amount of drop charging. Here we investigate the relative importance of five of these potential variables: impact speed, drop contact area, contact line retraction speed, drop size, and type of surface. We additionally apply our previously reported model for sliding drop electrification to the case of impacting drops, suggesting that the two cases contain the same charge separation mechanism at the contact line. Both our experimental results and our theoretical model indicate that maximum contact area is the dominant control parameter for charge separation

Impact of air pollution on global burden of disease in 2019

Air pollution consisting of ambient air pollution and household air pollution (HAP) threatens health globally. Air pollution aggravates the health of vulnerable people such as infants, children, women, and the elderly as well as people with chronic diseases such as cardiorespiratory illnesses, little social support, and poor access to medical services. This study is aimed to estimate the impact of air pollution on global burden of disease (GBD). We extracted data about mortality and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to air pollution from 1990 to 2019. The extracted data were then organized and edited into a usable format using STATA version 15. Furthermore, we also estimated the impacts for three categories based on their socio-demographic index (SDI) as calculated by GBD study. The impacts of air pollution on overall burden of disease by SDI, gender, type of pollution, and type of disease is estimated and their trends over the period of 1990 to 2019 are presented. The attributable burden of ambient air pollution is increasing over the years while attributable burden of HAP is declining over the years, globally. The findings of this study will be useful for evidence-based planning for prevention and control of air pollution and reduction of burden of disease from air pollution at global, regional, and national levels

Brokering justice: global indigenous rights and struggles over hydropower in Nepal

This article explores the dynamics of brokerage at the intersection between the justice conceptions enshrined in global norms and the notions of justice asserted in specific socio-environmental struggles. Using the case of a small hydropower project in Nepal, we trace the attempts of an indigenous activist to enrol villagers in his campaign against the background of villagers’ everyday negotiations with the hydropower company. The study shows how global norms, such as indigenous peoples’ rights, may fail to gain traction on the ground or even become sources of injustice in particular contexts

Effects of climatic factors on diarrheal diseases among children below 5 years of age at national and subnational levels in Nepal: an ecological study

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of diarrhea, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income countries such as Nepal, is temperature-sensitive, suggesting it could be associated with climate change. With climate change fueled increases in the mean and variability of temperature and precipitation, the incidence of water and food-borne diseases are increasing, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This national-level ecological study was undertaken to provide evidence linking weather and climate with diarrhea incidence in Nepal. METHOD: We analyzed monthly diarrheal disease count and meteorological data from all districts, spanning 15 eco-development regions of Nepal. Meteorological data and monthly data on diarrheal disease were sourced, respectively, from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and Health Management Information System (HMIS) of the Government of Nepal for the period from 2002 to 2014. Time-series log-linear regression models assessed the relationship between maximum temperature, minimum temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and diarrhea burden. Predictors with p-values < 0.25 were retained in the fitted models. RESULTS: Overall, diarrheal disease incidence in Nepal significantly increased with 1 degrees C increase in mean temperature (4.4%; 95% CI: 3.95, 4.85) and 1 cm increase in rainfall (0.28%; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.41). Seasonal variation of diarrheal incidence was prominent at the national level (11.63% rise in diarrheal cases in summer (95% CI: 4.17, 19.61) and 14.5% decrease in spring (95% CI: -18.81, -10.02) compared to winter season). Moreover, the effects of temperature and rainfall were highest in the mountain region compared to other ecological regions of Nepal. CONCLUSION: Our study provides empirical evidence linking weather factors and diarrheal disease burden in Nepal. This evidence suggests that additional climate change could increase diarrheal disease incidence across the nation. Mountainous regions are more sensitive to climate variability and consequently the burden of diarrheal diseases. These findings can be utilized to allocate necessary resources and envision a weather-based early warning system for the prevention and control of diarrheal diseases in Nepal

Determinants of institutional birth among women in rural Nepal: a mixed-methods cross-sectional study

Background: Encouraging institutional birth is an important component of reducing maternal mortality in low-resource settings. This study aims to identify and understand the determinants of persistently low institutional birth in rural Nepal, with the goal of informing future interventions to reduce high rates of maternal mortality. Methods: Postpartum women giving birth in the catchment area population of a district-level hospital in the Far-Western Development Region of Nepal were invited to complete a cross-sectional survey in 2012 about their recent birth experience. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to determine the institutional birth rate, social and demographic predictors of institutional birth, and barriers to institutional birth. Results: The institutional birth rate for the hospital's catchment area population was calculated to be 0.30 (54 home births, 23 facility births). Institutional birth was more likely as age decreased (ORs in the range of 0.20-0.28) and as income increased (ORs in the range of 1.38-1.45). Institutional birth among women who owned land was less likely (OR = 0.82 [0.71, 0.92]). Ninety percent of participants in the institutional birth group identified safety and good care as the most important factors determining location of birth, whereas 60 % of participants in the home birth group reported distance from hospital as a key determinant of location of birth. Qualitative analysis elucidated the importance of social support, financial resources, birth planning, awareness of services, perception of safety, and referral capacity in achieving an institutional birth. Conclusion: Age, income, and land ownership, but not patient preference, were key predictors of institutional birth. Most women believed that birth at the hospital was safer regardless of where they gave birth. Future interventions to increase rates of institutional birth should address structural barriers including differences in socioeconomic status, social support, transportation resources, and birth preparedness

Prevalence and risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease in Nepal: evidence from a nationally representative population-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine population-based prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its associated factors in Nepal. STUDY DESIGN: The study was a nationwide population-based cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional survey conducted in a nationally representative sample of 12 109 Nepalese adult from 2016 to 2018 on selected chronic non-communicable diseases was examined. Multistage cluster sampling with a mix of probability proportionate to size and systematic random sampling was used for the selection of individuals aged 20 years and above. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome in this study was population-based prevalence of CKD in Nepal. A participant was considered to have CKD if the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio was greater than or equal to 30 mg/g and/or estimated glomerular filtration rate is less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 at baseline and in follow-up using modification of diet in renal disease study equations. The secondary outcome measure was factors associated with CKD in Nepal. The covariate adjusted association of risk factors and CKD was calculated using multivariable binary logistic regression. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of CKD in Nepal was 6.0% (95% CI 5.5 to 6.6). Factors independently associated with CKD included older age (adjusted OR (AOR) 2.6, 95% CI 1.9 to 3.6), Dalit caste (AOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.3), hypertension (AOR 2.4, 95% CI 2.0 to 3.0), diabetes mellitus (AOR 3.2, 95% CI 2.5 to 4.1), raised total cholesterol (AOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.6) and increased waist-to-hip ratio (AOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.3). CONCLUSION: This nationally representative study shows that the prevalence of CKD in the adult population of Nepal is substantial, and it is independently associated with several cardiometabolic traits. These findings warrant longitudinal studies to identify the causes of CKD in Nepal and effective strategies to prevent it

Unveiling the "Three Finger Pharmacophore" required for p53-MDM2 Inhibition by Saturation Transfer Difference NMR Initial Growth Rates Approach

Inhibitors of the p53-MDM2 protein-protein interaction are emerging as a novel and validated approach to treating cancer. In this work we describe the synthesis and inhibitory evaluation of a series of isoquinolin-1-one analogues, and highlight the utility of an initial growth rates STD NMR approach supported by protein-ligand docking to investigate p53-MDM2 inhibition. The approach is illustrated by the study of compound 1, providing key insights into the binding mode of this kind of MDM2 ligands and, more importantly, readily unveiling the previously proposed three finger pharmacophore requirement for p53-MDM2 inhibition