Urban Governance, Urbanization and Informal Sector in Solid Waste Management: A Case of Kathmandu, Nepal

With the rising number of world population living in urban areas and the changing consumption habits, solid waste management has become a predominant urban problem. The problem is further compounded in urban areas of Global South where rapid unplanned urbanization has brought forward the issue of poor basic urban services like water supply, solid waste management, energy supply and transport. The rapid urban growth taking place in capital of Nepal, Kathmandu and the burgeoning solid waste management challenge in the metropolitan is a representative case put forward by this dissertation. Solid waste management in Kathmandu is limited to collection and disposal with minimum consideration on ground to move from current disposal-oriented practices towards resource management-based approach. The existing government structure is struggling to provide waste services to the growing number of urban residents and does not have capacity to diversify solid waste management practices and move towards circular economy in waste. The inability to provide waste services to all residents and its non-compliance to solid waste management regulations indicate the weak government structure. This demands for the exploration of each actor and their engagement in solid waste management, for which the concept of solid waste governance is taken as an entry point. More specifically the governance aspect of integrated solid waste management framework is taken as a first step to investigate the situation. In addition, physical aspects as put forward by the integrated solid waste management framework such as storage, collection, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, transportation and disposal are touched upon while delving into the everyday operations of waste management. The governance aspect of the framework focuses on achieving actor inclusivity, financial sustainability with sound institutions and proactive policies for attaining integrated solid waste management. The integrated framework arose out of the need for the recognition of actors both formal and informal contributing to waste systems. It also marks for attaining financial sustainability with comprehensive institutions for implementing waste related policies. It embarks for a shift away from the state centric to an integrated approach for waste management

The impacts of climate change on human wellbeing in developing countries

Climate change is the central challenge facing the world today. With rising temperatures, increasing extreme weather events and other climate catastrophes, it is but essential to urgently usher in a green growth paradigm. In this piece, published in collaboration with the International Growth Centre (IGC) blog, Nikita Sharma argues that Developing countries are set to face the brunt of the climate crisis and need international support to move towards sustainability without compromising on growth

Genital tuberculosis in infertile women: role of hysterolaparoscopy and tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction

Background: Genital tuberculosis is an important cause of female infertility in developing countries like India. It is one of the major causes for severe tubal disease leading to infertility.Methods: A prospective study was conducted in which 100 women presented to hospital with infertility were subjected to hystero-laparoscopy over 1 year. Endometrium sent for tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction (TB-PCR) and HPE and results were formulated.Results: Out of 100 women, 28% were diagnosed with Genital tuberculosis (GTB) using accepted clinical criteria, TB-PCR and endometrial HPE. 25 of these 28 were diagnosed by hysterolaparoscopy (89.24%) alone, 16 by positive endometrial TB-PCR (57.14%) and another 2 by HPE (7.14%).Conclusions: In country like ours where TB is endemic, a multi-pronged approach to diagnosis increases the chances of successfully diagnosing this destructive disease

The role of Sevista (ormeloxifene) in the management of dysfunctional uterine bleeding

Background: Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) is a common gynaecological disorder that usually ends up in hysterectomy and causes psychological and physiological stress. Medical management with hormones and NSAIDS has inherited side effects. Ormeloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, is emerging as a safe and effective agent for dysfunctional uterine bleeding. The objective of the study was to evaluate the role of ormeloxifene in medical management of dysfunctional uterine bleeding.Methods: 30 patients, on whom diagnosis of dysfunctional uterine bleeding was made, were included in the study. Patients were given ormeloxifene 60mg twice a week for 12 weeks and then once a week for 12 weeks. The primary outcome measures were menstrual blood loss (assessed by pictorial blood assessment chart score), hemoglobin concentration and endometrial thickness. The secondary outcome measures were acceptability and side effects of ormeloxifene.Results: There was a significant reduction in mean PBAC score from 316 to 52 after six months of treatment. The mean hemoglobin concentration increased significantly from 8.4 to 9.8 gms/dl with a rise of 1.4gm/dl (p <0.05). The mean pretreatment endometrial thickness was 10.8mm and it decreased significantly to 8.1mm after 6 months of treatment with ormeloxifene (p < 0.05). 76.7% of the women showed marked subjective improvement in symptoms. The most common side effect reported was amenorrhea (13.3%).Conclusions: Ormeloxifene can be considered as an effective and safe therapeutic option for the medical management of dysfunctional uterine bleeding

Development and Validation By RP-HPLC Method For the Estimation of Piperine Coenzyme Q10 In Bulk and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

Safety is the fundamental principle in the provision of pharmaceutical products for health care of human being. Nutritional supplements used in medical practice are gaining considerable momentum in the world during the past decades. But this supplement is needed to be analysed before releasing in market to avoid any complications. A combination of piperine and coenzyme Q10 is used as nutritional supplement. As no analytical method has been developed for their simultaneous estimation a simple, specific, sensitive, precise and accurate RP-HPLC method was developed for the determination of CoQ10 and piperine in bulk or pharmaceutical dosage form. Coenzyme is very popular for its antioxidant property for protecting LDL from oxidation and piperine maintains cardiovascular system and increases bioavailability of coenzyme Q10. In this developed method, Waters X Bridge C8 column (250mm x 4.6mm,5μm) was used as a stationary phase and acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran(THF), and water used in 65:32:3 (v/v) ratio as mobile phase with 1 ml/min flowrate with PDA detector detection at 275nm. The RP-HPLC was developed according to ICH guideline parameters. The retention times of Coenzyme Q10 and Piperine were 4.56 and 8.19 min respectively. The linearity ranges have lied between 4-6μg/ml, 240-360μg/ml. Correlation coefficient for both is 0.997. The present successfully validated method was applicable for the assay of piperine and coenzyme Q10 in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage forms

Diagnostic evaluation of tubal patency in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Infertility  has  always  been  one  of  the  most  elusive  symptom  complexes  that  perplex  the best gynecologists.  Amongst female factors, tubal factors are responsible for 25-30% of infertility. Hysterosalpingography and diagnostic laparoscopy with chromopertubation are widely used in the evaluation of tubal factors of infertility. Aim of the study was to compare hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy in the diagnosis of tubal patency in infertile patients.Methods: In this study 50 patients of infertility were evaluated prospectively in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Government Medical College, Jammu from April 2019 to March 2020. The findings of HSG and laparoscopy were compared.Results: Mean age at presentation for primary infertility was 28.6±4.20 years and for secondary infertility it was 32.1±3.84 years. Majority of patients of primary (77.6%) and secondary infertility (54.5%) had duration of infertility of 1-5 years in our study. The sensitivity of HSG was 90.91% and specificity was 77.78 % with positive predictive value of 83.33% and negative predictive value of 87.50%, when tubal pathology was defined as any form of tubal occlusion detected at laparoscopy, either one sided or two sided.Conclusions: HSG demonstrates high sensitivity in our study. So, it should be used as the initial investigation for identifying tubal patency. As the specificity is less, we suggest that laparoscopy is necessary to recognize those cases of tubal block which were unrecognized or wrongly recognized on HSG. In addition, the patients who were found to have tubal block on HSG, laparoscopy helps in finding the cause of infertility like existence of peritubal adhesions and endometriosis that can guide appropriate therapy

Mifepristone as pre-induction cervical ripening agent in term pregnancy

We hereby report the results of a prospective randomized study where we compared efficacy of mifepristone and prostaglandin (PGE2) gel for pre-induction cervical ripening

Sustainable Livelihood and Socio-economic Status: A Study on the Role of Microfinance in Sonitpur District of Assam

In todays world, it is imperative to earn a sustainable livelihood which can cope-up with unforeseen shock or disaster and can recover from the same to live a life in a better way. In this study, focus has been given on the role played by micro finance in supporting the livelihood generating activities by helping in acquiring the livelihood assets. Further, the changes in the socio economic status of the beneficiaries of micro finance have also been studied. This study has been conducted in two randomly selected development blocks of Sonitpur district in Assam viz. Balipara development block and Rangapara development block. A sampling size of 400units has been taken up for collecting the primary data required for the study, consisting of the members of theSelf-Help Groups (SHGs) as the sampling unit. The collected primary data have been analyzed with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)software, have shown positive results regarding acquiring the livelihood assets by the rural folk with the help of micro finance. Moreover, Social Status Index and Economic Status Index has also been computed to study the socio-economic changes among the beneficiaries of micro finance

Enhancement of lipase production by ethyl methane sulfonate mutagenesis of soil fungal isolate

Strain improvement through random mutagenesis is an extremely developed practice and it plays an important role in the economic growth of microbial agitation processes. The present study comprises of genetic improvement of fungus isolated from petrol pump soil by ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis for increased production of extracellular lipase. Random mutagenesis was performed by incubating the spore suspension of fungus with EMS at a concentration of 5% (v/v) and 8% (v/v) for 30, 60 and 90 min, respectively. Control set was prepared by incubating the spore suspension with sterile distilled water. Control plate showed maximum number of fungal colonies whereas number of colonies was decreased as we increased exposure time of EMS from 30 to 90 min. The lipase activity of six mutagenic strains and wild strain was determined under submerged fermentation and solid state fermentation. Treated culture named as EMS5%-60min (obtained after 60 min exposure with 5% EMS) exhibited maximum activity (32.09 ± 1.84 IU/ml/min) in SmF as compared to wild strain (8.77 ± 3.52 IU/ml/min) and another treated strain named as EMS8%-90min (obtained after 90 min exposure with 8% EMS) exhibited maximum activity (7.99 ± 0.12 IU/g/min) in SSF as compared to wild strain (1.77 ± 0.71 IU/g/min). The activity of mutagenic strain i.e. EMS5%-60min was increased to 365.90% as compared to 100% activity of wild strain in SmF whereas activity of another mutagenic strain i.e. EMS8%-90min was increased to 451.41% as compared to 100% activity of wild strain in SSF

POTENTIAL ANTI-CANCER SUPERFOODS: A MINIREVIEW

Cancer, a leading cause of mortality worldwide, has gained much attention and concern for its debilitating effects. Among the various oncological treatments and therapies like surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy, immune therapy, targeted therapy, Chemoprevention or Chemotherapy has recently being recognized as a promising strategy for prevention of afflicting disease like cancer. Chemoprevention is the use of natural or synthetic agents (alone or in combination) to suppress or prevent the process of oncogenesis. The role of diet and nutrition in cancer development has been overlooked for decades, despite of its strong scientific evidence. Only in recent years, plants, vegetables, herbs and spices of traditional diet and medicines have been accepted as one of the main sources of chemo preventive substances