Perceived risk, preventive behavior and enabling environment among health workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: an Online Survey

Introduction: Perceived risk, preventive behavior and enabling environment play vital role to prevent COVID-19 transmission in health care settings. The study aimed to assess perceived risk, preventive behavior and enabling environment among healthcare workers of different cadre during COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal. Methods: A cross sectional online survey was conducted among 427 health workers from April 25 to June 10, 2020. A structured questionnaire was prepared in Google form. Perceived risk was measured using 10 items scale, value ranging from 10 to 50. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed at 5% level of significance. Ethical approval was taken from Nepal Health Research Council. Results: Of total, 49.6% respondents were male; 38.4% were from government organizations and 48.0% were doctors. Mean perceived risk was 31.8, 32.8, 31.3 among doctors, nursing professionals and others respectively; and it did not have significant difference among them. However, significant differences were observed in different items of perceived risk across difference cadre of health workers. Most of the health workers reported practice of preventive behavior always or most of the time. Of total, 5.4% doctors and 6.9% other health workers reported they had sometimes access to soap and water. 11.7% doctors, 7.5% nursing professionals and 7.8% other health workers had sometimes access to hand sanitizer; 18.0% doctors, 10.4% nursing professionals and 12.1% other health workers had sometimes access to face mask. Conclusion: Perceived risk of COVID-19 was high, preventive behavior was satisfactory; but access to enabling environment was poor. Therefore, adequate attention should be given to ensure the availability of protective equipment at work place

ZnO Nanoparticles Modulate the Ionic Transport and Voltage Regulation of Lysenin Nanochannels

Background: The insufficient understanding of unintended biological impacts from nanomaterials (NMs) represents a serious impediment to their use for scientific, technological, and medical applications. While previous studies have focused on understanding nanotoxicity effects mostly resulting from cellular internalization, recent work indicates that NMs may interfere with transmembrane transport mechanisms, hence enabling contributions to nanotoxicity by affecting key biological activities dependent on transmembrane transport. In this line of inquiry, we investigated the effects of charged nanoparticles (NPs) on the transport properties of lysenin, a pore-forming toxin that shares fundamental features with ion channels such as regulation and high transport rate. Results: The macroscopic conductance of lysenin channels greatly diminished in the presence of cationic ZnO NPs. The inhibitory effects were asymmetrical relative to the direction of the electric field and addition site, suggesting electrostatic interactions between ZnO NPs and a binding site. Similar changes in the macroscopic conductance were observed when lysenin channels were reconstituted in neutral lipid membranes, implicating protein-NP interactions as the major contributor to the reduced transport capabilities. In contrast, no inhibitory effects were observed in the presence of anionic SnO2 NPs. Additionally, we demonstrate that inhibition of ion transport is not due to the dissolution of ZnO NPs and subsequent interactions of zinc ions with lysenin channels. Conclusion: We conclude that electrostatic interactions between positively charged ZnO NPs and negative charges within the lysenin channels are responsible for the inhibitory effects on the transport of ions. These interactions point to a potential mechanism of cytotoxicity, which may not require NP internalization

The role of hydropower in South Asia’s energy future

With rising energy demand in Asia, the high potential for hydropower development and the need for low-carbon energy development, hydropower would seem to have a significant role in South Asia’s energy future. However, the extent of hydropower development will depend on several risk factors, including the cost of alternative energy sources, the environmental sustainability of hydropower and social issues of equitable development. Using a risk-analysis framework, it is concluded that the future of hydropower will depend on how well policies and institutions manage the risks, facilitate efficient financial markets, and promote fair and friendly cross-border electricity trade

Regenerative callus induction and biochemical analysis of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

Stevia Leaves are the principal source of stevioside, which is estimated to be 100-300 times sweeter than table sugar. Stevioside has clinical significance as they are reported to maintain glucose levels in human blood. Owing to the difficulties in propagation of stevia through seeds and vegetative methods, callus culture has been an efficient alternative for generation of stevioside. The aim of this study is to develop an efficient and standardized protocol for maximum induction and multiplication of callus from a leaf. Callus culture was established from leaves in MS basal media fortified with various combinations (BAP, NAA, 2,4-D, KN, IBA) and concentrations of phytohormones. The best callusing (100%) was recorded in MS media supplemented with (2,4-D 1.0mg/l + NAA 1.0mg/l). The callus was harvested after 4 weeks and screened for the presence of various bioactive compounds. The qualitative results showed that the extracts of callus contained bioactive compounds like flavonoids, glycosides, phenol, tannins, sterols and saponins thereby making callus one of the sources for extraction of various secondary metabolites

EN-BIRTH Data Collector Training - Handbook and Manual

The EN-BIRTH study aims to validate selected newborn and maternal indicators for routine facility-based tracking of coverage and quality of care for use at district, national and global levels. The item contains the EN-BIRTH_Trainer's Manual (14 June 2017) and EN-BIRTH_Training Handbook (23 May 2017)

The Great Glacier and Snow-Dependent Rivers of Asia and Climate Change: Heading for Troubled Waters

The glacier- and snow-fed river basins of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) mountains provide water to 1.9 billion people in Asia. The signs of climate change in the HKH mountains are clear, with increased warming and accelerated melting of snow and glaciers. This threatens the water, food, energy and livelihood security for many in Asia. The links between mountains and plains and the differential impacts of climate change on societies upstream and downstream need to be better established to improve adaptation measures. This chapter sheds light on climate change impacts on the cryosphere and mountains, the impact on river systems and the social consequences of such changes in mountains, hills and plains. In high mountains and hills, the impact of climate change is clear, as seen in changes in agropastoral systems and the increasing occurrence of floods and droughts, with losses and damages already high. Moving downstream, the climate change signal is harder to separate from other environmental and management factors. This chapter outlines how climate change in the mountains will impact various sectors in the hills and plains, such as hydropower, irrigation, cities, industries and the environment. It discusses how climate change will potentially lead to increased disasters and out-migration of people. The chapter concludes by highlighting necessary actions, such as the need to reduce emissions globally, build regional cooperation between HKH countries, increase technical and financial support for adaptation, and more robust and interdisciplinary science to address changing policy needs

Development and validation of a photographic food atlas for portion size assessment in the southern plains of Nepal.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a photographic food atlas of common foods for dietary assessment in southern Nepal. DESIGN: We created a life-sized photographic atlas of forty locally prepared foods. Between March and June 2014, data collectors weighed portion sizes that respondents consumed during one mealtime and then a different data collector revisited the household the next day to record respondents' estimations of their previous day's intakes using the atlas. Validity was assessed by percentage error, Cohen's weighted kappa (κ w) and Bland-Altman limits of agreement. SETTING: Dhanusha and Mahottari districts in southern Nepal. SUBJECTS: A random sample of ninety-five adults in forty-eight rural households with a pregnant woman. RESULTS: Overall, respondents underestimated their intakes (mean error =-4·5 %). Rice and dal (spiced lentil soup) intakes were underestimated (-14·1 % and -34·5 %, respectively), but vegetable curry intake was overestimated (+20·8 %). Rice and vegetable curry portion size images were significantly reliably selected (Cohen's κ w (se): rice=0·391 (0·105); vegetable curry=0·430 (0·139)), whereas dal images were not. Energy intake over one mealtime was under-reported by an average of 569 kJ (136 kcal; 4·5 % error) using recall compared with the weighing method. CONCLUSIONS: The photographic atlas is a useful tool for field estimation of dietary intake. Average errors were low, and there was 'modest' agreement between weighed and recalled portion size image selection of rice and vegetable curry food items. Error in energy estimation was low but with wide limits of agreement, suggesting that there is scope for future work to reduce error further