Pregnant Women’s Mental Health Status and its Related Factors Amidst COVID-19: A Cross- Sectional Study

Introduction: Since the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, it has challenged the psychological aspect of everyone. Pregnant women being the vulnerable group are most likely to be at increased risk. This study aimed to assess the mental health status of the pregnant women residing in Nepal during COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional online study was carried out among 368 pregnant women during lockdown using Perceived stress scale-10, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale and Edinburg Perinatal Depression Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mean age of the participants was 27.06±4.64years. Getting infected with the virus (71.7%) was the major fear and inadequate antenatal checkup (61.1%) was the major effect experienced by the participants. The prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression was 41%, 28.5% and 33.2% respectively. Age, salary status of oneself and their husband, healthcare frontliner in the family and effect of social distancing were significantly associated with perceived stress. Age, education, employment, monthly income, trimester and effect of social distancing were significantly associated with anxiety. Salary status of husband, trimester, parity, being infected with COVID-19 and effect of social distancing were associated with depression. Conclusion: High prevalence of mental health disorders during COVID-19 outbreak suggests the importance of special attention on monitoring the maternal mental health status during such public health emergencies. Measures such as awareness program targeted to pregnant women and health education programs on how to cope during the pandemic situations should be made effective to rule down the mental health burden of COVID-19

Entrepreneurial behavior of large cardamom growers: A case study in Lamjung district of Nepal

Study on entrepreneurial behavior of large cardamom growers in Lamjung District, Nepal was conducted from December 2017 to June 2018 in Marshyangdi Rural Municipality of Lamjung district. The Rural Municipality was selected purposely for the study due to the recent establishment of Cardamom Zone under the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project in the Municipality focusing on large cardamom development. Altogether 80 large cardamom growers were selected randomly from 454 large cardamom growers of the study site. Data were collected through household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, personal observations, and other secondary sources. Results showed that a greater proportion of large cardamom growers were found to have medium level of innovativeness (45%), decision-making ability (51.2%), information-seeking ability (48.8%), risk orientation (46.2%), leadership ability (43.8%), achievement motivation (46.2%) and low management orientation (56.3%) which contributed to the overall medium entrepreneurial behavior (47.5%) of large cardamom growers in the study area. About 35 percent of farmers were belonging to the low entrepreneurial behavior and only a few numbers of farmers (17.5%) were under the high entrepreneurial behavior category. The high number of farmers with low and medium entrepreneurial behavior and a low number of farmers with high entrepreneurial behavior has resulted in poor commercialization of large cardamom in the study area. Educational status, landholding, extension participation, economic motivation, experience in large cardamom farming, and area of large cardamom cultivation were found to have a significant correlation with the entrepreneurial behavior of large cardamom farmers while age had a negative and significant effect. There is still scope to increase the number of large cardamom farmers with high entrepreneur behavior for commercializing large cardamom in the study area but programs should be designed and implemented accordingly

Agronomic management and climate change scenario simulations on productivity of rice, maize and wheat in central Nepal using DSSAT ver 4.5 crop model

Average productivity of 3.50 t/ha of rice, 2.50 t/ha of maize and 2.45 t/ha of wheat in Nepal have been very less than their potential productivity  for which précised agronomic management and changing climatic scenarios have been reported the most challenging factors at present. Cropping system Model (CSM)-Crop Estimation through Resource and Environment Synthesis (CERES)- Rice, Maize and Wheat, embedded under Decision Support System for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT) ver. 4.5 was evaluated from a datasets of farmers’ field experimentations of the central Nepal (Terai-Nawalpur and mid-hill-Kaski districts), and showed high sensitivity of model over change in different agronomic management and climate change scenarios. Model calibration was done by using maximum attainable yield treatments for all tested cultivars while validation was accomplished by using the remaining treatments for predicting growth, phenology and yield of all crop cultivars and results were found perfectly matched with the observed results. Further, the different agronomic management options and climate change scenarios as advocated by IPCC for 2020, 2050 and 2080 from base line of 1995 was studied to simulate the growth and yield performance of diverse crop cultivars. The hybrids and short duration cultivars of all three cereals were found more affected due to climate change than the local and long duration crop cultivars. The model simulation results obtained on rice, maize and wheat using DSSAT ver 4.5 model highlighted that there is utmost importance to develop new climate ready crop cultivars to feed the future generation over different climate change scenarios as suggested by IPCC, 2007 and the simulation results should be extrapolated to the major domains of similar agro-ecozones in Nepal. It is suggested that CSM- CERES- model would be reliable and valid approach for getting strategic decision support system especially with regards to the climate change adaptation measures in Nepal

Etiological Profile and Neurodevelopment Outcome of Neonatal seizure

Introduction Neonatal seizures are the most common manifestation of neurological disorders in newborn period. It is an important determinant of outcome as well. This study aims to delineate the etiological profile and neurodevelopmental outcome of neonatal seizure. It is also aimed to identify the predictors of neurodevelopmental outcome in survivors. Methods We recruited consecutively 117 neonates with clinically proven seizures admitted in XXXXX hospital, between February 2014 to February 2016. All of them underwent neurological diagnostic testincluding complete blood count, electrolytes, EEG, CSF analysis, neuroimaging depending upon the etiology of seizure in newborn period. After discharge, all infant with neonatal seizure underwent regular neurological examination at least 3 times within first year of life. We tested prognostic value of adverse outcome including developmental delay, post neonatal seizure, vision and hearing impairment. Results During the study period among total 954 neonates admitted in NICU and neonatal ward, 117 (12.26%) developed clinical seizures. The most common cause of neonatal seizure was hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy 69(59%), followed by infection 20 (17.09%) and metabolic disturbances collectively constituted 16(13.7%). The outcomes were mortality 16(13.7%), post neonatal seizure 18(15.4%), developmental delay 31(26.5%), vision impairment 19(16.2%) and hearing impairment 26 (22.2%).Low Apgar score at 1 minute (p=0.03), low Apgar score at 5 minute (p=0.001), early onset seizure (p<0.001), intractable seizure (p<0.001)and more than one drug used for seizure control (p=0.001) were early prognostic factors for adverse outcome. Key words: hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, Apgar score, seizure, developmental delay

Keraunoparalysis, a neurological manifestation after lightning strike: a case Report

Lightening strike can have wide range of physical and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Burn, extensive tissue damages, cardiac rhythm disturbances and secondary injuries are well described and observed. The patient may also go through transient neurological symptoms, which may go unseen in some cases while in some cases it may get extra attention and series of investigations. Keraunoparalysis is one of the immediate neurological complications encountered after lightning strike. This manifests as transient self-limiting symptoms. Keywords: keraunaparalysis, lightning, neurological symptom

In vitro evaluation of different fungicides against Rhizoctonia solani and Alternaria citri infecting citrus

Rhizoctonia solani&nbsp;and&nbsp;Alternaria&nbsp;citri&nbsp;are major plant pathogens of citrus, causing considerable production losses. Chemical fungicides are widely used for disease control. Using the food poisoning technique under in vitro conditions, an experiment was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of several fungicides against those pathogens. To evaluate the effect on Rhizoctonia solani mycelial growth, five different chemicals, viz. SAAF (Carbendazim 12% WP + Mancozeb 63% WP), Bavistin (Carbendazim 50% WP), VACOMIL PLUS (Metalaxyl 15% WP + Copper oxychloride 35% WP), and Raze (Copper oxychloride 50% WP) were used at 100 ppm and 200 ppm concentration each. Similar chemicals were used for Alternaria citri except for additional Mancozab (Mancozeb 75% WP).&nbsp;Mycelial growth inhibition was measured until the fungus nearly covered the plate in control.&nbsp;All fungicides reduced the fungal growth compared to control. After 96 hours of incubation with&nbsp;Rhizoctonia solani, maximum inhibition (100%) was achieved at both concentrations of Bavistin, followed by SAAF @ 200 ppm (97.59%) and SAAF @ 100 ppm (88.25%), whereas VACOMIL PLUS and Raze had the minimum effect on the mycelial growth. Similarly, after 8 days of incubation of&nbsp;Alternaria citri, SAAF @ 200 ppm showed the highest inhibition (70.86%), followed by SAAF @ 100 ppm (65.11%), Mancozab @ 200 ppm (64.39%), and Mancozab @ 100 ppm (47.48%), but the effect of Bavistin, Raze, and VACOMIL PLUS had the lowest impact. The chemical proven effective against the pathogens should be trialed in pot and field experiments for further verification.&nbsp

Attempting affirmative political ecologies: Collective transformative learning for social justice in Nepal's community forestry

Whilst political ecology scholarship has contributed much to articulating social injustices associated with Nepal's community forestry, here we took a different approach, by attempting an 'affirmative political ecology.' We drew on feminist and activist scholarship to inspire collective action that engaged directly with challenges of social justice and those charged with delivering it through their work. Guided by theories and practices of 'transformative learning' and a range of associated reflective practices, our participatory action research involved 4 facilitators and (up to) 25 participants who work across Nepal's forest bureaucracy (and for some, the wider community-based natural resource management sector). Together physically, remotely and through our writing, we reflect upon the operation of power in our professional – and personal – lives, exploring how that may enable a more informed and meaningful engagement with social justice within the workplace, and beyond. This article presents the process of our collective reflection and learning, and shares some of its initial outcomes based on the experiences of the 15 co-authors. Whilst 'simply' having the time and space to come together was hugely important, it was the form and feel of that space that was particularly significant, as we focused on co-creating a safe space which was non-judgmental and based on mutual respect, enabling comfortable and open discussion of often unspoken and uncomfortable issues. Ultimately, this article argues that collective practices of reflection and transformative learning can create shared learning, understanding, empathy and solidarity, and thus that it offers hope in the face of on-going social injustices. It therefore urges political ecologists to work towards such caring and affirmative collective engagements with practitioners as one way in which to affect change

Assessment of hospitalization costs and its determinants in infants with clinical severe infection at a public tertiary hospital in Nepal

Sepsis, an important and preventable cause of death in the newborn, is associated with high out of pocket hospitalization costs for the parents/guardians. The government of Nepal’s Free Newborn Care (FNC) service that covers hospitalization costs has set a maximum limit of Nepalese rupees (NPR) 8000 i.e. USD 73.5, the basis of which is unclear. We aimed to estimate the costs of treatment in neonates and young infants fulfilling clinical criteria for sepsis, defined as clinical severe infection (CSI) to identify determinants of increased cost. This study assessed costs for treatment of 206 infants 3–59 days old, enrolled in a clinical trial, and admitted to the Kanti Children’s Hospital in Nepal through June 2017 to December 2018. Total costs were derived as the sum of direct costs for bed charges, investigations, and medicines and indirect costs calculated by using work time loss of parents. We estimated treatment costs for CSI, the proportion exceeding NPR 8000 and performed multivariable linear regression to identify determinants of high cost. Of the 206 infants, 138 (67%) were neonates (3–28 days). The median (IQR) direct costs for treatment of CSI in neonates and young infants (29–59 days) were USD 111.7 (69.8–155.5) and 65.17 (43.4–98.5) respectively. The direct costs exceeded NPR 8000 (USD 73.5) in 69% of neonates with CSI. Age <29 days, moderate malnutrition, presence of any sign of critical illness and documented treatment failure were found to be important determinants of high costs for treatment of CSI. According to this study, the average treatment cost for a newborn with CSI in a public tertiary level hospital is substantial. The maximum limit offered for free newborn care in public hospitals needs to be revised for better acceptance and successful implementation of the FNC service to avert catastrophic health expenditures in developing countries like Nepal. Trial Registration: CTRI/2017/02/007966 (Registered on: 27/02/2017).publishedVersio

Relationship of thyroid peroxidase antibody test with abnormal thyroid function tests

Background: Autoimmune thyroid disease results from a complex interaction between genetic and enviromental factors. The aim of this study was to find association of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody with abnormal thyroid function tests. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective  study, conducted in 160 patients who showed abnormal thyroid function tests  in grande city clinic and hospital services and Kantipur dental college  for  duration  of 18 months since Baisakh 2072.Results: Among 160 individuals , 126(78.8%) were female and 34(21.2%) were male. Subclinical hypothyroidism (56.3%) were most common than overthyperthyroidism (18.0%), overthypothyroidism (16.9%) and subclinical hyperthyroidism (8.8%). Anti thyroid peroxidase antibodies test  was shown positive in  102/160 (63.8% ) cases.Conclusion: According to the present study, anti- thyroid peroxidase antibody has been significantly associated with thyroid dysfunction, it can be used as diagnostic marker for thyroid autoimmune diathesis.</p

Building Agricultural Knowledge of Soil-biodegradable Plastic Mulch

The use of polyethylene (PE) mulch causes environmental pollution where incomplete removal leaves fragments susceptible to escape to ecosystems, such as the ocean, where they can cause ecological harm. PE mulch is generally nonrecyclable due to contamination with soil and crop debris after use, leaving growers with few end-of-life options for used PE mulch. Research studies have shown that soil-biodegradable plastic mulch (BDM) is comparable to PE mulch in terms of performance, soil health, and overall economics and is preferred from an environmental perspective, but the adoption of BDM by producers is still low. Previous research has shown that the primary barriers to BDM adoption are insufficient knowledge about BDM, high purchase cost, and unpredictable breakdown of BDM in the soil. The high purchase cost of BDM compared with PE mulch is offset by the costs for PE mulch removal, transport, and disposal fees. This project was conducted to develop BDM training materials, to educate and assess BDM knowledge gained by extension personnel and other agricultural professionals through trainings and webinars, and to educate producers about BDM through hands-on experience. Thirty-six research and extension publication outputs from two previous US Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative BDM projects were reviewed and transcribed into 45 new extension publications that included 11 slide presentations, 5 lecture slides, 10 fact sheets, and 3 videos. All the training materials are posted on a public university website. Professional development trainings were conducted at local, regional, national, and international levels to provide agricultural professionals the current, science-based information on BDM and resources for information. Survey results showed that at a local level, the greatest change of knowledge among participants was observed for “BDM use in organic production” (60%), and the lowest reported change of knowledge was observed for “limitations to PE mulch disposal” (19%). At a regional level, out of 58 participants, 23% to 35% of participants learned “a lot” and 35% to 51% learned “some new information” regarding BDM from the webinar. At the national level, out of 30 participants, 48% responded that they learned “a lot” and another 48% learned “some new information” on BDM from the training. Growers were trained about BDM via field days and on-farm demonstrations where five strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) growers volunteered to participate in BDM trials. The participant growers observed no difference in weed control and fruit yield between the PE mulch and the BDM. Growers expressed concerns about slow biodegradation of BDM after soil incorporation, potential impacts on soil biological activity, food safety concerns with BDM fragments and that BDM is not currently permitted for use in organic production