Public’s Knowledge and Beliefs towards Universal Safety Precautions during COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal: A web-based Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been declared as a global pandemic. In the absence of vaccines or specific drugs for COVID-19, a better understanding and implementation of universal safety precautions is essential for the prevention of COVID-19 virus infection globally. People’s adherence to the universal precautions safety measures against COVID-19 is essential which is largely affected by their knowledge and belief. Objectives: To assess the public’s knowledge and belief toward the universal safety precautions during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional web-based online survey was conducted in general public in Nepal during April, 2020. A self-designed questionnaire was prepared using Google forms via docs.google.com/forms for the collection of the data. The study participants were grouped into two categories according to their level of knowledge: excellent (score 80% and above) and average (score less than 80%). Descriptive statistics mean, frequency and percentage were used to analyze the data. Results: Out of 228, majority were male (90.4%) and aged 36-45 years (36%). Mean knowledge score was 4.68±1.41. Most of them (57.9%) had average knowledge. Average of the correct responses in the knowledge and belief domain were found to be 66.9% and 71.2% respectively. Majority of the public (55.3%) believed that home-made alcohol-based hand sanitizer is equally effective to factory-made standard sanitizer against COVID-19 virus. Conclusion: Knowledge toward universal safety precautions against COVID-19 were average among the majority of the public. There was gap between knowledge and belief domain. There is an unmet need for long term educational interventions among the public regarding the preventive methods against COVID-19. Keywords: Knowledge; Belief; COVID-19; Nepal; Public; Universal safety precautions

Food Nanotechnologies: Purchasing a Double Edge Sword

Rapid development of nanotechnology has revolutionsed various areas of conventional food science and food industry. The novel properties of nanoparticles (NPs) have led to increasing application of nanotechnology in food industry. Nanofood market have a variety of products like the creamy ice-cream, drinks with no fat, enhanced flavour with nutrients and better textured, coloured and fresh looking food. Continuous monitoring for food spoilage or contamination is possible too. Nanotechnology has transformed the food industries which claim health benefits along with better taste. With the increasing use of NPs especially in food products, where humans are in close contact of the engineered nanomaterials (NMs), it is important to ensure safety before use. Bio-nano interactions often result in novel reaction and formation of products leading to toxicity. NPs mediated toxicity mainly includes inflammation, oxidative damage and genotoxicity. Prolong use of these particles can cause detrimental effects on health. Presently, due to lack of appropriate guidelines and regulations for food nanotechnology there are uncertainties regarding risk identification. Hence, it is essential to evaluate the consequences of this technology in terms of general public and occupational health risks associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of NMs, before instigating the same in day to day use

One-Step versus Two-Step Diagnostic Test for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Comparison between one-step Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended two-step oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Material and methods: This study has a sample size of 200; 100 participants each were subjected to either of the two tests. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and non-GDM diagnosed by one-step test versus two-step test, respectively, were compared to one another and results were compared on the basis of various antenatal complications and fetomaternal outcomes. Results: No statistical difference was found between both the groups on the basis of various antenatal and fetomaternal outcomes. Conclusion: In Indian subcontinent with poor resources and lack of follow-up, single-step DIPSI can be preferred to ADA recommended two-step OGTT; however, large database studies are still required

One-Step versus Two-Step Diagnostic Test for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Aim: Comparison between one-step Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended two-step oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Material and methods: This study has a sample size of 200; 100 participants each were subjected to either of the two tests. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and non-GDM diagnosed by one-step test versus two-step test, respectively, were compared to one another and results were compared on the basis of various antenatal complications and fetomaternal outcomes. Results: No statistical difference was found between both the groups on the basis of various antenatal and fetomaternal outcomes. Conclusion: In Indian subcontinent with poor resources and lack of follow-up, single-step DIPSI can be preferred to ADA recommended two-step OGTT; however, large database studies are still required

One-Step versus Two-Step Diagnostic Test for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Aim: Comparison between one-step Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended two-step oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Material and methods: This study has a sample size of 200; 100 participants each were subjected to either of the two tests. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and non-GDM diagnosed by one-step test versus two-step test, respectively, were compared to one another and results were compared on the basis of various antenatal complications and fetomaternal outcomes. Results: No statistical difference was found between both the groups on the basis of various antenatal and fetomaternal outcomes. Conclusion: In Indian subcontinent with poor resources and lack of follow-up, single-step DIPSI can be preferred to ADA recommended two-step OGTT; however, large database studies are still required

Efficacy of lysine versus mupirocin in the treatment of non-diabetic foot ulcer: the sessing scale for assessment of pressure ulcer

Background: This present studies intended to evaluate the wound healing ability, efficacy and tolerability of lysine cream (15%) in non- diabetic foot ulcer assessed by way of sessing scale.Methods: A randomized, open-label, interventional study was directed on 20 subjects (participants) non-diabetic ulcers. Participants were grouped into two groups, control (n=10) and case (n=10). The control was treated with standard treatment with mupirocin and the test group was treated with standard treatment alongside lysine cream (15%) twice every day. Wound healing in the participants was assessed by the sessing scales.Results: A total of 20 participants were allotted into two groups. The results expressed as mean±standard deviation values imply the size and depth of the foot ulcer from the first week to the 8th week. Both the groups showed a significant increase the ulcer healing and decrease the pressure of foot ulcer of over a period of 8 weeks. Assessment of the first week showed no significant ulcer healing and its pressure. The overall outcome indicated that the lysine-treated group extensively reduced each of the parameters favouring wound healing than the standard therapy with mupirocin (control group).Conclusions: Results concluded that, lysine cream is better efficacious in the repair of wound and additionally well tolerated compared to mupirocin

Ethyl 4-(4′-heptanoyloxyphenyl)-6-methyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-one-5-carboxylate Prevents Progression of Monocrotaline-induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Rats

Therapies to prevent onset and progression of pulmonary arterial pressure are not very effective yet. This study was designed to investigate the effects of a novel dihydropyrimidinone, ethyl 4-(4′-heptanoyloxyphenyl)-6-methyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-one-5-carboxylate (H-DHPM) on pathogenesis of monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). For the same purpose, rats were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) a single dose (60 mg/kg) of MCT which led to development of PAH in 21 days. MCT insult caused high mortality, pulmonary vascular and parenchymal remodelling. Since the course of PAH pathogenesis is characterised by an early onset and progression phases, H-DHPM was administered i.p. at 30 mg/kg dosage in MCT pre-injected animals either from day 0 through day 21 or day 14 though day 21 of MCT injection in two separate treatment groups. H-DHPM significantly improved survival, prevented remodelling of pulmonary vasculature and parenchyma and subsequently ameliorated PAH pathogenesis. Moreover, we observed significant decrease in right ventricle hypertrophy, measured by wet weight of right ventricle (RV) divided by wet weight of left ventricle plus septum (LV+S), in H-DHPM treated groups as compared to MCT injected animals. These findings suggest H-DHPM not only prevented development of PAH but also treated the PAH pathogenesis in progressive phase. In conclusion, our data determines H-DHPM, might be a future drug for the prevention of PAH

Advances in Rapid Detection and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Tests: A Review

The rise of antibiotic resistance is an emerging problem of the millennium. Clinical microbiology plays an important role in combating the problem by facilitating diagnostics and therapeutics thus managing infection in patients. Diagnostic failures are a major limiting factor during bacterial infection that causes inappropriate use of antibiotics, delay in start up of treatment and decrease in the survival rate during septic conditions. Thus rapid and reliable detection is highly relevant during such bacterial infections and also at the time of disease outbreak as many such pathogens can be used as biothreat agents or bioweapons affecting human health and posing risk to national security. This review highlights the importance of various methods for fast pathogen detection and antimicrobial susceptibility determination. These methods have the potential to provide very precise and rapid ways for bacterial screening and identifying the correct antibiotics to cure infectio

Effects of different rates of nitrogen and pinching on yield and yield attributes of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.)

Proper pinching practice and the optimum rate of nitrogen (N) enhance the production of marigold. An experiment was conducted at a farmer’s field in Gadawa-4, Gangaparaspur, Dang, Nepal from July 2018 to November 2018 to investigate the effects of different rates of nitrogen and pinching on yield and yield attributes of African marigold (cv. Kolkata Local). Two factorial experiment was laid in the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. There were eight treatments, consist of four rates of nitrogen (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha) and two levels of pinching (pinching and non-pinching). The maximum plant height (89.70 cm), the diameter of flower (4.29 cm) and the fresh weight per flower (4.32 g) and early days to 50% flowering (61.58) were obtained at non- pinching. The highest number of flowers (60.66), yield per plant (237.49 g) and yield per hectare (9.89 t/ha) were obtained with pinching. The highest plant height (92.20 cm) was recorded at 150 kg/ha of N but the highest yield per plant (238.18 g) and yield per ha (9.91 t/ha) was obtained at 50 kg/ha of nitrogen application. No significant effect was noted on the days to 50% flowering, number of flowers per plant, fresh weight per flower and diameter of flowers by different rates of nitrogen. The interaction of pinching and different rates of nitrogen showed non- significant effect on yield per plant and yield per ha. But, the combination of pinching and nitrogen rates at 50 kg/ha recorded the maximum yield per plant (249.20 g) and yield per ha (10.36 t/ha). Hence it is suggested to use pinching practice with optimum application of nitrogen @ 50 kg/ha to obtain high yield of marigold