Exploring Migration and Disaster Nexus

The nexus between migration and disaster has commonly been referred to in previous researches. In particular, previous studies often describe migration as a coping strategy for climate and water-induced disasters (WID). Yet, limited studies have explored the role of migration in triggering disaster and intensifying the risk and exposure of communities to such events. Considering this research gap, this study aims to assess the linkage between internal and external migration and disaster events. Employing qualitative research methods and taking the Extended East Rapti River Watershed located in Chitwan and Makwanpur districts of Nepal as a case, this study indicates that unmanaged internal migration in the study area has increased the prospects of WID and its risk in the region. These instances were mainly due to over-exploitation of resources and change in land-use practices in the Chure region and Tarai. Likewise, haphazard growth of urban and semi-urban areas, expansion of settlements in hazardous areas, and an increase in built-up areas in the watershed have further contributed to an increase in incidences of WID as well as the risk, exposure, and vulnerability of the residents to such events. The research also reveals that poor governance to manage the process of migration and urbanization is largely responsible for this phenomenon than the migrants alone. Finally, this article suggests not undermining the role of different types of migration and their governance while studying the migration-disaster nexus

Knowledge and Practice Towards Use of Mouthwash Among Dental Practitioners in Chitwan

Background: Good oral hygiene has always been an important aspect of total health care. Mouthwashes are chemical formulations used as an adjunct to effectively eliminate the dental plaque. Dental practitioners play a major role in maintenance of good oral hygiene, their opinion over the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding prescribing mouthwashes is of greater value and significance. The main objective of the study was to assess the dental practitioner’s knowledge of mouthwashes and practice of using mouthwash in Chitwan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken among the dental practitioners in Chitwan using a self-administered questionnaire. A total 140 completely filled questionnaires were included in the study. The results were analyzed for descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages) using the SPSS software. Results: Among the 140 participants, majority of them 98(70%) were female. Regarding brands of mouthwash, 40.8 % and 29.3% of the dental practitioners were aware of Chlorhexidine and Listerine mouthwash respectively. Majority of the dental practitioners agreed that mouthwash leave behind extrinsic stains and supragingival calculus. Conclusions: The present study revealed that the dental practitioners have adequate knowledge and excellent practice of using mouthwash. With time the dental practitioners should keep themselves updated

Phytochemical screening, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of Nepalese medicinal plants Swertia chirayita and Dendrobium amoenum

Research on medicinal plants are important to Nepal because most of its rural population relies on it as mode of medicine. Medicinal plants namely Swertia chirayita and Dendrobium amoenum were collected from mid hills of Nepal. The present study was undertaken to find the antimicrobial activity, phytochemical presence and their cytotoxicity in different extraction medium. The percentage yield from the plants were highest in warm methanol extraction with 12.6%, followed by ethyl acetate and lowest was for cold methanol. Plant extract showed the presence of antioxidants like alkaloid, terpenoids, flavonoids, tannin, glycosides. The Brine Shrimp Bioassay of methanol and ethyl acetate extract showed cytotoxicity. Chiraito extract showed LC50 of 199 ppm for Dhunche sample, 128.82 ppm for Daman sample and 131.82 ppm of Illam sample. The antibacterial activity of methanol extract of Chiraito and Dendrobium amoenum showed significant bioactivity by inhibiting growth of microbial species selected for the test. The zone of inhibition shown by the extracts was comparable to the standard antibiotics. Similarly, methanol extract of Chiraito also showed significant antifungal activity with the zone of inhibition comparable to amphotericin.Nepal Journal of Biotechnology. Dec. 2015 Vol. 3, No. 1: 48-5

Carglumic Acid Treatment of a Patient with Recurrent Valproic Acid-induced Hyperammonemia: A Rare Case Report

Valproic acid, first manufactured as an anticonvulsant, is commonly used to treat both neurological and psychiatric conditions. A rare and deadly side effect of this medication is hyperammonemia, presenting as lethargy, confusion, seizure, and, ultimately, coma. In rare circumstances, hyperammonemia can be recurrent and devastating, especially in patients with an underlying N-acetyl glutamate synthase (NAGS) deficiency, as the valproic acid can enhance this enzyme deficiency and inhibit the conversion of ammonia into urea in the liver. For these subtypes of patients, the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has recently approved carglumic acid, a medication that can act as a scavenger by effectively increasing the levels of NAGS, ultimately enhancing the conversion of ammonia to urea. In our case report, we have mentioned a patient with treatment-resistant bipolar disorder, who presented with elevated ammonia levels secondary to valproic acid treatment. Valproic acid was the only drug that was effective in his case, so we initiated therapy to reduce his elevated ammonia levels. After a thorough evaluation, we found the patient had a genetic NAGS deficiency. Carglumic acid was initiated and proved efficacious in our patient

A Review of the Mechanism of Antagonism of N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor by Ketamine in Treatment-resistant Depression

The biochemical processes involved in depression go beyond serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor has a major role in the neurophysiology of depression. Ketamine, one of the prototypical NMDA antagonists, works rapidly in controlling depressive symptoms, including acutely suicidal behavior, by just a single injection. Ketamine may rapidly increase the glutamate levels and lead to structural neuronal changes. Increased neuronal dendritic growth may contribute to synaptogenesis and an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), as well as increased levels of BDNF, may increase long-term potentiation and result in an improvement in the symptoms of depression. The mechanisms of ketamine’s proposed effect as an off-label treatment for resistant depression are outlined in this paper

Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus Due to Urinary Tract Obstruction: A Systematic Review

Background: Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) due to obstructive uropathy is not widely known by physicians and hence not well represented in the literature. To better understand its presentation, clinical course, and available treatments, we conducted a systematic review of case reports on NDI due to urinary tract obstruction.Methods: This observational study was a systematic review of 19 human cases found in the literature. It was done retrospectively to focus on whether NDI can occur due to obstruction of the urinary tract and, if so, what the mechanism (pathophysiology) is.Results: We found that the most common symptom of NDI due to urinary tract obstruction was polyuria. The most common cause of NDI due to urinary tract obstruction was cancer. The most common site for obstruction was the ureter. And the most common test used to confirm the diagnosis was failure to concentrate urine after the administration of desmopressin. Surgical intervention was the most common treatment to relieve obstruction.Conclusion: We found that urinary tract obstruction can cause NDI. With early diagnosis and timely relief of the obstruction, NDI can be reversible

A Case-Control Study of Trace-Element Status and Lung Cancer in Appalachian Kentucky

Appalachian Kentucky (App KY) leads the nation in lung cancer incidence and mortality. Trace elements, such as As, have been associated with lung cancers in other regions of the country and we hypothesized that a population-based study would reveal higher trace element concentrations in App KY individuals with cancer compared to controls. Using toenail and drinking water trace element concentrations, this study investigated a possible association between lung cancer incidence and trace-element exposure in residents of this region. This population-based case-control study had 520 subjects, and 367 subjects provided toenail samples. Additionally, we explored the relationship between toenail and fingernail trace-element concentrations to determine if fingernails could be used as a surrogate for toenails when patients are unable to provide toenail samples. We found that, contrary to our initial hypothesis, trace element concentrations (Al, As, Cr, Mn, Co, Fe, Ni, Cu, Se, and Pb) were not higher in cancer cases than controls with the exception of Zn where concentrations were slightly higher in cases. In fact, univariate logistic regression models showed that individuals with lower concentrations of several elements (Al, Mn, Cr, and Se) were more likely to have lung cancer, although only Mn was significant in multivariate models which controlled for confounding factors. While drinking water concentrations of Al, Cr and Co were positively related to cancer incidence in univariate models, only Co remained significant in multivariate models. However, since the drinking water concentrations were extremely low and not reflected in the toenail concentrations, the significance of this finding is unclear. We also found that fingernail concentrations were not consistently predictive of toenail concentrations, indicating that fingernails should not be used as surrogates for toenails in future studies

The mammalian LINC complex regulates genome transcriptional responses to substrate rigidity

Mechanical integration of the nucleus with the extracellular matrix (ECM) is established by linkage between the cytoskeleton and the nucleus. This integration is hypothesized to mediate sensing of ECM rigidity, but parsing the function of nucleus-cytoskeleton linkage from other mechanisms has remained a central challenge. Here we took advantage of the fact that the LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex is a known molecular linker of the nucleus to the cytoskeleton, and asked how it regulates the sensitivity of genome-wide transcription to substratum rigidity. We show that gene mechanosensitivity is preserved after LINC disruption, but reversed in direction. Combined with myosin inhibition studies, we identify genes that depend on nuclear tension for their regulation. We also show that LINC disruption does not attenuate nuclear shape sensitivity to substrate rigidity. Our results show for the first time that the LINC complex facilitates mechano-regulation of expression across the genome

α Cell Function and Gene Expression Are Compromised in Type 1 Diabetes.

Many patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have residual β cells producing small amounts of C-peptide long after disease onset but develop an inadequate glucagon response to hypoglycemia following T1D diagnosis. The features of these residual β cells and α cells in the islet endocrine compartment are largely unknown, due to the difficulty of comprehensive investigation. By studying the T1D pancreas and isolated islets, we show that remnant β cells appeared to maintain several aspects of regulated insulin secretion. However, the function of T1D α cells was markedly reduced, and these cells had alterations in transcription factors constituting α and β cell identity. In the native pancreas and after placing the T1D islets into a non-autoimmune, normoglycemic in vivo environment, there was no evidence of α-to-β cell conversion. These results suggest an explanation for the disordered T1D counterregulatory glucagon response to hypoglycemia. Cell Rep 2018 Mar 6; 22(10):2667-2676