Between Nepal and Canada: In Conversation with Pushpa Raj Acharya, Edmonton's 2013-14 Writer-in-Exile.

Pushpa Raj Acharya is a poet from Nepal now living in Edmonton, Canada. He is currently a member of the Borderlines Writers Circle/Writer-in-Exile programme for the year 2013-14. His poems have been published in Canada, Japan, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. His poetry collections include Dream Catcher (2012) and Chayakal (2006). Chayakal or 'The Phantom Time' is a long Nepali poem that explores connections among myth, history, and literature in the context of Nepalese civil war (1996-2006) during which the communist revolutionaries fought with the state. Influenced by T. S. Eliot's idea of paying tribute to literary tradition, and his poem 'The Wasteland', Chayakal plays with some canonical Nepali works of fiction and poetry. Dream Catcher is composed of poems on nature and journeys - both inward and outward. From 1999 onward, Acharya was a part of a project called 'Conservation Poetry Movement,' which included travelling to villages across Nepal. The project involved a group of poets writing and reading poems with the villagers. Acharya has performed poems in the ancient streets of the Kathmandu valley. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at the University of Alberta in Canada. In the following conversation, Acharya talks about Nepali literature and its place in world literature, and his journey as a writer. This interview was conducted face to face in October 2013; the conversation was then extended via e-mails from November 2013 to April 2014

The first record of European free-tailed bat, Tadarida teniotis Rafinesque, 1814, and note on probable elevational movement from Nepal

Out of the four Molossidae species from South Asia, the distribution of the European free-tailed bat, T. teniotis is most poorly known. This species has been occasionally reported from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and India; however, no records exist in Nepal. Here we report the first record of T. teniotis from Nepal and comment on its possible elevational movement in the Himalaya. Active acoustic surveys were conducted in the Kali Gandaki canyon during autumn and winter seasons at two elevational zones, 800–1200 m and 2100–2500 m, in three habitat types (forest, agricultural land, and human settlements). Echolocation calls of T. teniotis were easily distinguished by their low frequency, shallow frequency modulation, and long duration. During autumn, the activity was recorded only at 2100 to 2500 m and varied significantly from winter activity, while T. teniotis was observed at both elevational zones during winter. The result confirms the presence of T. teniotis from Nepal. Based on our observations of differential activity at different elevation zones in two seasons, we recommend more intensive studies to confirm seasonal migration and to understand seasonal demographics along the Kali Gandaki landscape and in the entire Himalayan range at large

Timing of cave emergence and return in the dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea, Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in Southern Thailand

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Possible high risk of transmission of the Nipah virus in South and South East Asia: a review

Abstract Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic, single-stranded RNA virus from the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus. NiV is a biosafety-level-4 pathogen that is mostly spread by Pteropus species, which serve as its natural reservoir host. NiV is one of the major public health challenges in South and South East Asia. However, few molecular studies have been conducted to characterise NiV in a specific region. The main objective of this review is to understand the epidemiology, pathogenesis, molecular surveillance, transmission dynamics, genetic diversity, reservoir host, clinical characteristics, and phylogenetics of NiV. South and South East Asian nations have experienced NiV outbreaks. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that two primary clades of NiV are in circulation. In humans, NiV causes severe respiratory illness and/or deadly encephalitis. NiV is mainly diagnosed by ELISA along with PCR. Therefore, we recommend that the governments of the region support the One Health approach to reducing the risk of zoonotic disease transmission in their respective countries

Management of coronary disease in patients with advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND Clinical trials that have assessed the effect of revascularization in patients with stable coronary disease have routinely excluded those with advanced chronic kidney disease. METHODS We randomly assigned 777 patients with advanced kidney disease and moderate or severe ischemia on stress testing to be treated with an initial invasive strategy consisting of coronary angiography and revascularization (if appropriate) added to medical therapy or an initial conservative strategy consisting of medical therapy alone and angiography reserved for those in whom medical therapy had failed. The primary outcome was a composite of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction. A key secondary outcome was a composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. RESULTS At a median follow-up of 2.2 years, a primary outcome event had occurred in 123 patients in the invasive-strategy group and in 129 patients in the conservative-strategy group (estimated 3-year event rate, 36.4% vs. 36.7%; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 1.29; P=0.95). Results for the key secondary outcome were similar (38.5% vs. 39.7%; hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.29). The invasive strategy was associated with a higher incidence of stroke than the conservative strategy (hazard ratio, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.52 to 9.32; P=0.004) and with a higher incidence of death or initiation of dialysis (hazard ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.11; P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with stable coronary disease, advanced chronic kidney disease, and moderate or severe ischemia, we did not find evidence that an initial invasive strategy, as compared with an initial conservative strategy, reduced the risk of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction

Health status after invasive or conservative care in coronary and advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND In the ISCHEMIA-CKD trial, the primary analysis showed no significant difference in the risk of death or myocardial infarction with initial angiography and revascularization plus guideline-based medical therapy (invasive strategy) as compared with guideline-based medical therapy alone (conservative strategy) in participants with stable ischemic heart disease, moderate or severe ischemia, and advanced chronic kidney disease (an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <30 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 or receipt of dialysis). A secondary objective of the trial was to assess angina-related health status. METHODS We assessed health status with the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) before randomization and at 1.5, 3, and 6 months and every 6 months thereafter. The primary outcome of this analysis was the SAQ Summary score (ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating less frequent angina and better function and quality of life). Mixed-effects cumulative probability models within a Bayesian framework were used to estimate the treatment effect with the invasive strategy. RESULTS Health status was assessed in 705 of 777 participants. Nearly half the participants (49%) had had no angina during the month before randomization. At 3 months, the estimated mean difference between the invasive-strategy group and the conservative-strategy group in the SAQ Summary score was 2.1 points (95% credible interval, 120.4 to 4.6), a result that favored the invasive strategy. The mean difference in score at 3 months was largest among participants with daily or weekly angina at baseline (10.1 points; 95% credible interval, 0.0 to 19.9), smaller among those with monthly angina at baseline (2.2 points; 95% credible interval, 122.0 to 6.2), and nearly absent among those without angina at baseline (0.6 points; 95% credible interval, 121.9 to 3.3). By 6 months, the between-group difference in the overall trial population was attenuated (0.5 points; 95% credible interval, 122.2 to 3.4). CONCLUSIONS Participants with stable ischemic heart disease, moderate or severe ischemia, and advanced chronic kidney disease did not have substantial or sustained benefits with regard to angina-related health status with an initially invasive strategy as compared with a conservative strategy