Prevalence of Depressive Disorder among Patients with Epilepsy: a cross-sectional study

Background: Epilepsy is the most common neurological disease in the general population. Depression when comorbid in individuals with epilepsy contributes to low quality of life. As the epilepsy clinics do not routinely assess for major depression substantial opportunity exists to improve the quality of care for many people with epilepsy. The objective of the study was to study the prevalence of depressive disorder and associated factors in individuals with epilepsy.            Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the teaching hospital of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences, Jumla. Sixty patients with epilepsy meeting the inclusion criteria of the study were enrolled in the study.  Data was collected using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) via face-to-face interview.    Descriptive statistics was presented as frequency and percentages. Association between variables was assessed with Chi-square test. P-value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the participants in years was 32.45 (± SD 10.39). Majority of the participants were married (80%) and between 25-34 years of age (33.3%). Among the participants, 33.3% were farmers and 8.3% were housewives by occupation. The majority of the participants were literate (38.3%) and male (65%). The prevalence of depression was 55%. Various variables like age, sex, caste, education and occupation showed no association with depression. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression was more than half in individuals with epilepsy. The study recommends for screening of depressive disorder among individuals with epilepsy by attending clinicians on a regular basis

Comparison of Obstetric Outcome among Teenage and Adult Pregnancies in Tertiary Level Hospital

Background: Teenage pregnancies are a global problem but occur most often in poorer and marginalized communities. It is a high-risk situation for both mother and child because of their vulnerability to many health challenges. This study aimed to compare the obstetric outcome of teenage pregnant mothers (13-19 years) with that of adult pregnant mothers (20–29 years). Methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive comparative study design was adopted. The study was carried out in Nepal medical college and teaching hospital, Kathmandu and Mahakali hospital, Kanchanpur, using a non-probability purposive sampling technique. The data were collected from 94 teenage mothers (13-19 years) and 94 adult mothers (20-29 years) comprising of 2 health facilities. Face to face interview technique was used for the collection of socio-demographic information and obstetric-outcomes related information was collected by observations and hospital/delivery records through pre-designed proforma. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16 was used for data analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for statistical analysis. Results: The findings of this study showed higher proportion of anemia (28.7% vs. 5.3%, p < 0.001), Pereineal tear (42.3% vs. 16.1%, p = 0.001), pre-term birth (19.1% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.004) and low birth weight infants (30.9% vs. 8.5%, p < 0.001) occurred among teenagers compared to adult mothers (20-29 years). However, caesarean section was found to be lower and vaginal deliveries in higher proportion among teenagers. Conclusions: Teenage pregnant mothers had significantly higher rates of anemia, perineal tear, pre-term birth, and low birth weight. Focusing on girl-child education, strict law to prohibit teenage marriage, proper antenatal care in case if teenage pregnancy occurs can reduce teenage pregnancy and its related complications

Variation in grain zinc and iron concentrations, grain yield and associated traits of biofortified bread wheat genotypes in Nepal

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the major staples in Nepal providing the bulk of food calories and at least 30% of Fe and Zn intake and 20% of dietary energy and protein consumption; thus, it is essential to improve its nutritional quality. To select high-yielding genotypes with elevated grain zinc and iron concentration, the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth HarvestPlus Yield Trials (HPYTs) were conducted across diverse locations in Nepal for four consecutive years: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19, using 47 biofortified and 3 non-biofortified CIMMYT-bred, bread wheat genotypes: Baj#1, Kachu#1, and WK1204 (local check). Genotypic and spatial variations were found in agro-morphological traits; grain yield and its components; and the grain zinc and iron concentration of tested genotypes. Grain zinc concentration was highest in Khumaltar and lowest in Kabre. Likewise, grain iron concentration was highest in Doti and lowest in Surkhet. Most of the biofortified genotypes were superior for grain yield and for grain zinc and iron concentration to the non-biofortified checks. Combined analyses across environments showed moderate to high heritability for both Zn (0.48–0.81) and Fe (0.46–0.79) except a low heritability for Fe observed for 7th HPYT (0.15). Grain yield was positively correlated with the number of tillers per m2, while negatively correlated with days to heading and maturity, grain iron, grain weight per spike, and thousand grain weight. The grain zinc and iron concentration were positively correlated, suggesting that the simultaneous improvement of both micronutrients is possible through wheat breeding. Extensive testing of CIMMYT derived high Zn wheat lines in Nepal led to the release of five biofortified wheat varieties in 2020 with superior yield, better disease resistance, and 30–40% increased grain Zn and adaptable to a range of wheat growing regions in the country – from the hotter lowland, or Terai, regions to the dry mid- and high-elevation areas

Investigating the Biodegradability of Hydrophobic Bio-based materials : Composting and Marine decomposition of bio-based materials

This investigation aims to analyse the biodegradability of bio-based hydrophobic materials. The experiment is performed at the chemistry laboratory of Arcada UAS with the help of the supervisor. This project follows ISO 20200 for composting and SFS-EN ISO 19679 for marine biodegradability. The ISO standards should be appropriately followed to obtain the best possible results in biodegradation. The materials made from wood fibre, sugarcane fibre and biobased laboratory manufactured were used as a sample for this experimental analysis. The physical breakdown or degradation of the bio-based test material is analysed. After a month of the test, the percentage of the Degree of disintegration, i.e., the loss of the mass of the test materials, is determined at the end. This experiment visualizes the difference between the Degree of disintegration of various samples in composting and marine biodegradability. Regarding the results, the biodegradability rate of composting under controlled conditions was higher than the marine biodegradability. In composting, samples made from wood fibre have a higher rate of disintegration than those made from sugarcane fibre. The samples manufactured in the laboratory degraded within a few days, whereas the commercial paper plate samples took longer. Finally, it is recommended to use biobased materials as it creates a sustainable environment