Effect of altitude and shade on production and physical attributes of Coffee in Gulmi, Syangja and Palpa districts of Nepal

Coffee (Coffea spps.) is the second most traded commodity in the world after raw oil. Coffee is grown in mid hills of Nepal from an altitude of 700masl to 1500masl under different shade management practices. Nepalese coffee farmers grow coffee in a traditional way with almost zero application of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and hence Nepalese coffee is popular as organic coffee or specialty coffee in the world. A study was carried out in three Coffee potent adjoining districts of Nepal: Gulmi, Syangja and Palpa. Ripe coffee cherries were harvested from every 200m altitude from 700masl to 1500masl under shade management and without shade management practices. Different physical attributes such as 1000 cherry weight, wet parchment weight, dry parchment weight, green beans weight, defected beans, and green bean diameter were observed. Production from each altitude level was recorded and highest production (7.04 kg per plant) was obtained from an altitude of 900-1100masl . The highest 1000 cherry weight (1297.17g) and the highest green bean weight (450.33 g) were obtained from 900-1100masl. Under no shade management, number of defected beans were 98 per 1000 beans whereas it was 64 under shade. The interaction of altitude and shade management practice had significant effect upon production (P=0.035), 1000 cherry weight (P<0.001), dry parchment weight (P=0.049) and green bean weight (P<0.05). Coffee produced at an altitude of 900-1100masl under shade management practice were found to have higher production and of better quality with fewer defected beans whereas that produced at extreme lower of 700-900masl and extreme higher altitude of  1300-1500masl were found to have lower production and poor quality

Impact of adoption of heat-stress tolerant maize hybrid on yield and profitability: Evidence from Terai region of Nepal

Abiotic stresses (drought, heat) are one of the major impediments to enhancing the maize productivity of marginal farmers in the facet of climate change. The present study attempts to investigate the impact of heat-tolerant maize hybrid on yield and income in the Terai region of Nepal. This study uses cross-sectional farm household-level data collected in August 2021 from a randomly selected sample of 404 rural households. We used a doubly robust inverse probability weighted regression adjustment method to obtain reliable impact estimates. Adoption of heat-tolerant hybrid increases yields by 16% and income by 44% in the spring season (a stress condition). Overall, yield increases by 12%, net income by 31%, saving of 40% in seed costs, and per capita food expenditure increases by 8.50%. Hence a conducive environment must be created for scaling up heat-tolerant maize varieties to increase productivity, minimize risk, and transform of the maize sector

Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs in southern Scandinavia and the possible influence of meteorological factors

Ixodes ricinus ticks are Scandinavia's main vector for tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), which infects many people annually. The aims of the present study were (i) to obtain information on the TBEV prevalence in host-seeking I. ricinus collected within the oresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak (oKS) region, which lies in southern Norway, southern Sweden and Denmark; (ii) to analyse whether there are potential spatial patterns in the TBEV prevalence; and (iii) to understand the relationship between TBEV prevalence and meteorological factors in southern Scandinavia. Tick nymphs were collected in 2016, in southern Scandinavia, and screened for TBEV, using pools of 10 nymphs, with RT real-time PCR, and positive samples were confirmed with pyrosequencing. Spatial autocorrelation and cluster analysis was performed with Global Moran's I and SatScan to test for spatial patterns and potential local clusters of the TBEV pool prevalence at each of the 50 sites. A climatic analysis was made to correlate parameters such as minimum, mean and maximum temperature, relative humidity and saturation deficit with TBEV pool prevalence. The climatic data were acquired from the nearest meteorological stations for 2015 and 2016. This study confirms the presence of TBEV in 12 out of 30 locations in Denmark, where six were from Jutland, three from Zealand and two from Bornholm and Falster counties. In total, five out of nine sites were positive from southern Sweden. TBEV prevalence of 0.7%, 0.5% and 0.5%, in nymphs, was found at three sites along the Oslofjord (two sites) and northern Skane region (one site), indicating a potential concern for public health. We report an overall estimated TBEV prevalence of 0.1% in questing I. ricinus nymphs in southern Scandinavia with a region-specific prevalence of 0.1% in Denmark, 0.2% in southern Sweden and 0.1% in southeastern Norway. No evidence of a spatial pattern or local clusters was found in the study region. We found a strong correlation between TBEV prevalence in ticks and relative humidity in Sweden and Norway, which might suggest that humidity has a role in maintaining TBEV prevalence in ticks. TBEV is an emerging tick-borne pathogen in southern Scandinavia, and we recommend further studies to understand the TBEV transmission potential with changing climate in Scandinavia

Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs in southern Scandinavia and the possible influence of meteorological factors

publishedVersio

Non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol versus low density lipoprotein cholesterol as a discriminating factor for myocardial infarction

Abstract Background Serum total cholesterol (TC) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) have been used as major laboratory measures in clinical practice to assess cardiovascular risk in the general population and disease management as well as prognosis in patients. However, some studies have also reported the use of non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C). As non-HDL-C can be calculated by subtracting HDL-C from TC, both of which do not require fasting blood sample in contrast to LDL-C which requires fasting blood sample, we aimed to compare non-HDL-C with LDL-C as a predictor of myocardial infarction (MI). Methods This hospital based cross sectional study was undertaken among 51 cases of MI and equal number of controls. MI was diagnosed based on the clinical history, ECG changes and biochemical parameters. 5 mL of fasting blood sample was collected from each research participant for the analysis of lipid profile. Non-HDL-C was calculated by using the equation; Non-HDL-C = TC – HDL-C. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 14.0. Results 42 MI cases were dyslipidemic in contrast to 20 dyslipidemic subjects under control group. The differences in the median values of each lipid parameter were statistically significant between MI cases and controls. The lipid risk factors most strongly associated with MI were HDL-C (OR 5.85, 95% CI 2.41-14.23, P value = 0.000) followed by non-HDL-C (OR 3.77, 95% CI 1.64-8.66, P value = 0.002), LDL-C/HDL-C (OR 3.38, 95% CI 1.44-7.89, P value = 0.005), TC/HDL-C (OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.36-7.56, P value = 0.026), LDL-C (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.20-6.10, P value = 0.017), TC (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.04-6.97, P value = 0.042) and Tg (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.01-6.39, P value = 0.047). Area under the receiver operating curve was greater for non-HDL-C than for LDL-C. Non-HDL-C was also found to be more sensitive and specific than LDL-C for MI. Conclusions HDL-C and non-HDL-C are better discriminating parameters than LDL-C for MI. Thus, we can simply perform test for HDL-C and non-HDL-C both of which do not require fasting blood sample rather than waiting for fasting blood sample to measure LDL-C.</p

Use of baclofen and propranolol for treatment of neurogenic fever in a patient with pontine hemorrhage: A case report

Key Clinical Message Neurogenic fever (NF) is a potentially life‐threatening complication commonly seen in patients with pontine hemorrhage. This case report highlights the successful use of oral baclofen and propranolol as an effective treatment strategy to manage NF. Abstract Neurogenic fever (NF) is a common complication following pontine hemorrhage and poses significant challenges for clinicians in terms of diagnosis, management, and patient outcomes. This study delves into the efficacy of treatment methods involving baclofen and propranolol for neurogenic fever in patients with pontine hemorrhage. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in the duration and intensity of fever. Moreover, the treatment modality was well‐tolerated and devoid of any adverse effects. These findings suggest that the use of oral baclofen and propranolol may be a promising therapeutic option for managing neurogenic fever in patients with pontine hemorrhage

Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Heat-Tolerant Maize Hybrids in the Mid-Western Terai Region of Nepal

High atmospheric temperatures can reduce maize production in different parts of Asia. Heat stress is the major driving force behind the need for varietal development that confers a heat tolerance trait (drought + heat tolerant) to maize hybrids. CIMMYT has developed heat-tolerant maize hybrids and deployed them in the market in collaboration with NARS partners. This study was conducted to estimate farmers’ willingness to pay for heat-tolerant maize hybrids in the Terai region of Nepal. A socioeconomic survey of 404 randomly selected maize-growing households was conducted to estimate farmers’ willingness to pay using the contingent valuation method. Given the economic importance of heat-tolerant maize hybrids in maize cultivation, the survey showed that the average WTP for heat-tolerant maize hybrids was 71% more than that for the current varieties in the market, including overall seed sources and subsidized seed. Without a subsidy, the farmers’ WTP price was at a 19% premium compared to the average price paid for conventional hybrids. Factors such as education, owning land, the interaction of hybrid adopters and owning land, soil depth, the number of goats/sheep, and the semi-pucca homes of households influenced the WTP for heat-tolerant maize hybrids. Heterogeneous demand was observed with respect to years of hybrid maize cultivation, farmers’ association with the network group, and the gender of the head of the household. In the context of climate change and global warming scenarios, Nepal’s agriculture policy should prioritize increasing domestic seed production and the distribution of heat-tolerant maize hybrids through a public–private partnership model

Clinical efficacy and safety outcomes of bempedoic acid: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis after CLEAR Outcomes trial

Purpose: Statins are the cornerstone therapy for primary or secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, a significant portion of patients are intolerant to statin or show inadequate lipid-lowering. Bempedoic acid (BA) has been shown to decrease low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in clinical trials. However, the evidence on the effect of BA on clinical cardiovascular outcomes was limited until the CLEAR Outcomes trial. Thus, to fully appraise the available data, we performed this meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, Pubmed Central, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched for relevant articles published before May 1, 2023. Pertinent data from the included studies were extracted and analyzed using RevMan v5.4. Results: Out of 2209 studies evaluated, five randomized control trials with 17,384 patients with established ASCVD or at high risk of ASCVD were included for analysis. The BA therapy reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (OR 0.85, CI 0.77-0.93; <0.0001), non-fatal myocardial infarction (OR 0.75, 95 % CI 0.64-0.88; p <0.0001), hospitalization for unstable angina (OR 0.69, CI 0.53-0.89; p = 0.005) and coronary revascularization (OR 0.80, CI 0.61-0.91; <0.0001) significantly without decreasing the risk of all-cause death (OR 1.19, CI 0.73-1.94; p = 0.49), cardiovascular death (OR 1.04, CI 0.87-1.25; p = 0.68) and non-fatal stroke (OR 0.84, CI 0.66-1.06; p = 0.15). Conclusion: Based on our analysis the bempedoic acid addition to therapy reduced cardiovascular events in selective patients who are either intolerant to statins or do not achieve recommended LDL-C levels despite being on a maximum dose of statins and/or ezetimibe