Factors Associated with Child Health Card Holding among Mothers of Western Rural Nepal: A Cross Sectional Community Based Study

The use of Child Health Card (CHC) has been found effective to assess overall health status of children worldwide. The tool is simple, cost-effective and easy to use yet standard enough to interpret. Nepal recently made contextual modifications in 2006 and has incorporated it into the Health Management Information System. The card is issued to all children during their first visit for immunization. In Nepal, CHC is considered a valid and authentic report for immunization but little has been studied about its holding. The objective of our study was to find its retention rate along with the factors associated. A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in 10 village development committees of Kapilvastu district between November 15 and December 15, 2010. A total of 190 households were selected using lot quality assurance sampling technique. Higher retention rate (88.9%) of CHC was found while status of complete immunization was significantly associated with its retention [adjusted OR: 41.92, (95%CI; 2.66-658), p=0.008] after adjusting for growth monitoring, ethnicity, place of delivery, antenatal visit, breastfeeding and mother's age. This study can guide the health system and the family members the measures to sustain higher coverage and retention of CHC which can further guide to the best possible health outcomes for the child

Time and Space Domain Prediction of Water Quality Parameters of Bagmati River Using Deep Learning Methods

Bagmati river is biologically, geologically, religiously and historically significant among the river systems of the Kathmandu Valley. The river is affected by five major tributaries, including Manohara, Dhobi Khola, Tukucha, Bishnumati, and Balkhu Khola, which significantly impact the water chemistry inside the Kathmandu Valley. The data of water quality parameters pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, oxygen reduction potential, conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity among others was collected using fixed sensors (in period of 5 seconds) and mobile sensors (with latitude and longitude) along the river. The observation is important for two reasons, one because it was collected in real-time and fine scale, which is not normally possible with traditional ways, and next such observation was done for the first time in Bagmati River. The aim of this study was to predict water quality parameters of the Bagmati River using machine learning time series models, specifically ARIMA and LSTM. The LSTM model was designed with one input layer, one encoder layer, one repeat layer, one decoder layer, and one output dense layer to separate the output into temporal slices. Additionally, a DNN model was employed for location-based prediction, utilizing two input layers for latitude and longitude and seven output layers for the seven water quality parameters considered for study. The models demonstrated promising performance, but further data collection and parameter variation are recommended for continued optimization

Porous activated carbon materials from Triphala seed stones for high-performance supercapacitor applications

Porous activated carbon materials derived from biomass could be the suitable materials for high-rate performance electrochemical supercapacitors as it exhibits high surface area due to well-defined pore structure. Here, we report the novel porous activated carbon from Triphala seed stones by chemical activation with zinc chloride at different carbonization temperature (400-700 °C) under the nitrogen gas atmosphere. The activated carbon was characterized by Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman scattering and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements was used to study the surface properties (effective surface areas, pore volumes and pore size distributions). The electrochemical measurements were performed in an aqueous 1 M sulphuric acid (H2SO4) solution in a three-electrode cell set up. Triphala seed stones-derived porous carbon materials with well-defined micro- and mesopores exhibit high specific surface area ranges from 878.7 to 1233.3 m2 g-1 and total pore volume ranges from 0.439 to 0.626 cm3 g-1. The specific capacitance obtained by electrochemical measurement experiment was 208.7 F g-1 at 1 A g-1. These results indicate that the prepared nanoporous activated carbon material from Triphala seed stones would have significant possibility as supercapacitor electrode material for high-energy-storage supercapacitor applications

Low Compliance with Iron-Folate Supplementation Among Postpartum Mothers of Nepal: An Analysis of Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011

One in five maternal deaths are directly attributable to anaemia in the world. The World Health Organization recommends iron supplementation from the second trimester of pregnancy to 45 days after delivery. The aim of this study was to determine the compliance rate of iron-folate consumption and the factors associated with iron-folate consumption among post-natal mothers in Nepal. This study utilised the data of Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2011. The NDHS 2011 is a cross sectional and nationally representative survey. Of the 4,148 respondents, only 20.7 % consumed iron throughout the post-natal period for 45 days. Mothers who had higher and secondary education [adjusted Odd ratio (aOR) 3.101; 95 % CI (2.268–4.240)]; had attended four or more antenatal care visits [aOR 9.406; 95 % CI (5.552–15.938)]; lived in Far-western development region [aOR 1.822; 95 % CI (1.387–2.395)]; delivered in health facility [aOR 1.335; 95 % CI (1.057–1.687)]; and attended postnatal care [aOR 2.348; 95 % CI (1.859–2.965)] were more likely to take iron for 45 days of postpartum. Intervention to increase the compliance with the postpartum iron-folate supplementation are required to avoid adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with poor iron status with especial focus on the mothers who delivered at homes and did not attend postnatal check up

An Outbreak of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 Cosmopolitan Genotype in Nepal, 2017

Dengue virus (DENV) is one of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases, with half of the world’s population at risk of infection. In Nepal, DENV was first reported in 2004, and its prevalence is increasing every year. The present study aimed to obtain and characterize the full-length genome sequence of DENV from the 2017 outbreak. Hospital-based surveillance was conducted in two provinces of Nepal during the outbreak. Acute-phase serum samples were collected from 141 clinically suspected dengue patients after the rainy season. By serological and molecular techniques, 37 (26.9%) and 49 (34.8%), respectively, were confirmed as dengue patients. The cosmopolitan genotype of DENV-2 was isolated from 27 laboratory-confirmed dengue patients. Genomic analysis showed many amino acid substitutions distributed mainly among the E, NS3, and NS5 genes. Phylogenetic analyses of the whole genome sequence revealed two clades (Asian and Indian) among DENV-2 isolates from Nepal. The DENV isolates from hilly and Terai areas were similar to Asian and Indian strains, respectively. Further genomic study on different DENV serotypes is warranted to understand DENV epidemics in Nepal, where there are limited scientific resources and infrastructure

Poor Thermal Care Practices among Home Births in Nepal: Further Analysis of Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011

Introduction - Hypothermia is a major factor associated with neonatal mortality in low and middle income countries. Thermal care protection of newborn through a series of measures taken at birth and during the initial days of life is recommended to reduce the hypothermia and associated neonatal mortality. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of and the factors associated with receiving ‘optimum thermal care’ among home born newborns of Nepal. Methods - Data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) 2011 were used for this study. Women who reported a home birth for their most recent childbirth was included in the study. Factors associated with optimum thermal care were examined using Chi-square test followed by logistic regression. Results - A total of 2464 newborns were included in the study. A total of 57.6 % were dried before the placenta was delivered; 60.3% were wrapped; 24.5% had not bathing during the first 24 hours, and 63.9% were breastfed within one hour of birth. Overall, only 248 (10.7%; 95% CI (8.8 %, 12.9%)) newborns received optimum thermal care. Newborns whose mothers had achieved higher education (OR 2.810; 95% CI (1.132, 6.976)), attended four or more antenatal care visits (OR 2.563; 95% CI (1.309, 5.017)), and those whose birth were attended by skilled attendants (OR 2.178; 95% CI (1.428, 3.323)) were likely to receive optimum thermal care. Conclusion - The current study showed that only one in ten newborns in Nepal received optimum thermal care. Future newborn survival programs should focus on those mothers who are uneducated; who do not attend the recommended four or more attend antenatal care visits; and those who deliver without the assistance of skilled birth attendants to reduce the risk of neonatal hypothermia in Nepal

The political, research, programmatic, and social responses to adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights in the 25 years since the International Conference on Population and Development

Among the ground-breaking achievements of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was its call to place adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) on global health and development agendas. This article reviews progressmade in low- and middle-income countries in the 25 years since the ICPD in six areas central to ASRH-adolescent pregnancy, HIV, child marriage, violence against women and girls, female genital mutilation, and menstrual hygiene and health. It also examines the ICPD's contribution to the progress made. The article presents epidemiologic levels and trends; political, research, programmatic and social responses; and factors that helped or hindered progress. To do so, it draws on research evidence and programmatic experience and the expertise and experiences of a wide number of individuals, including youth leaders, in numerous countries and organizations. Overall, looking across the six health topics over a 25-year trajectory, there has been great progress at the global and regional levels in putting adolescent health, and especially adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, higher on the agenda, raising investment in this area, building the epidemiologic and evidence-base, and setting norms to guide investment and action. At the national level, too, there has been progress in formulating laws and policies, developing strategies and programs and executing them, and engaging communities and societies in moving the agenda forward. Still, progress has been uneven across issues and geography. Furthermore, it has raced ahead sometimes and has stalled at others. The ICPD's Plan of Action contributed to the progress made in ASRH not just because of its bold call in 1994 but also because it provided a springboard for advocacy, investment, action, and research that remains important to this day. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

Factors associated with the utilisation of postnatal care services among the mothers of Nepal: analysis of Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011

Background: Postnatal care is essential to save the life of the mother and newborn. Knowledge on the determinants of postnatal care assists the policy makers to design, justify and implement appropriate interventions. The current study aimed to analyse the factors associated with utilisation of postnatal care services by mothers in Nepal based on the data from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2011. Methods: This study utilised the data from NDHS 2011. The association between utilisation of at least one postnatal care visit (within 6 weeks of delivery) and immediate postnatal care (within 24 hours of delivery) with selected factors was examined by using Chi-square test (?2), followed by multiple logistic regression.Result: Of the 4079 mothers, 43.2% reported attending postnatal care within the first six weeks of birth, while 40.9% reported attending immediate postnatal care. Mothers who were from urban areas, from rich families, who were educated, whose partners were educated, who delivered in a health facility, who had attended a four or more antenatal visits, and whose delivery was attended by a skilled attendant were more likely to report attending at least one postnatal care visit. On the other hand, mothers who reported agricultural occupation, and whose partners performed agricultural occupation were less likely to have attended at least one postnatal care visit. Similarly, mothers who were from the urban areas, from rich families, who were educated, whose partners were educated, who had attended four or more antenatal visits, who delivered in a health facility and had delivered in the presence of a skilled birth attendant were more likely to report attending immediate postnatal care. Mothers who reported agricultural occupation, and whose partners performed agricultural occupation were less likely to attend immediate postnatal care. Conclusion: The majority of postnatal mothers in Nepal did not seek postnatal care. Increasing utilisation of the recommended four or more antenatal visits, delivery at health facility and increasing awareness and access to services through community-based programs especially for the rural, poor, and less educated mothers may increase postnatal care attendance in Nepal

Recycling of polyethylene/nylon 6 based waste oil pouches using compatibilizer

233-241The present investigation deals with the viability of the use of recycled oil pouch material, which is a coextruded film of LDPE/LLDPE blend and nylon 6, and the scope for improvement of its properties by addition of compatibilizers. In fact, the use of reactive compatibilizers in recycling of mixed polymer waste was well proposed. Two efficient reactive compatibilizers, viz., zinc salt of ethylene methacrylic acid copolymer (Surlyn ionomer) and polyethylene grafted maleic anhydride (Fusabond) were used for this purpose. The effectiveness of the use of compatibilizer during recycling was evaluated by infrared spectroscopy, melt flow index, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction analysis and mechanical properties. It was found that both thermal stability and mechanical properties of the recycled blend were remarkably improved by the addition of compatibilizing agent. Surlyn ionomer gave the best compatibilizing effect. However, the overall performances of compatibilized recycled oil pouch materials indicate their suitability in several demanding applications