Search

Introduction: Empathy is the cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship and a crucial quality associated with better patient compliance and clinical outcomes. This study aims to assess the level of empathy and its association with the level of stress in 3rd and 4th year medical students Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kathmandu Medical College after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee and informed written consent from all the participants. The respondents completed a structured questionnaire including demographic profile, Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version, and Perceived Stress Scale. Data were entered and analyzed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20. Results: A total of 255 questionnaires were obtained with a response rate of 85.2%. The mean empathy score was 101.79 (SD = 11.26) and the mean perceived stress score was 18.55(SD = 5.56). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between empathy and stress (p-value

Introduction:Dementia is a public health concern as the prevalence is increasing worldwide with significant increase being in low-middle income countries. However these countries appear to be less prepared in handling this rise in terms of diagnosis and management. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kathmandu medical College, from June 2017 to July 2017. Purposive sampling was done and the medical students who were in their first and final year of study were included in the study after obtaining an informed consent. Results: Total 185 students were included in the study, 80 (43.24%) from first year and 105 (56.75%) from final year of medical study. The mean score of knowledge among the students was 17.44± 2.46; 15.32± 1.22 among first year and 19.06± 1.87 among the final year students. Majority of the students said they have heard about dementia however, only 3 (3.75%) of first year and 43 (41.9%) from final year students have either attended a class or CME on dementia Conclusion:The knowledge about dementia was found to be average among medical students but better among final year medical students in comparison to first year. The knowledge was found to be better statistically among those who had either attended a class or CME on dementia or had exposure through different medias. Keywords:alzheimer`s disease; dementia; knowledge; medical students.

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to establish the buffalo mammary epithelial cell line (BuMEC) and characterize its mammary specific functions.MethodologyBuffalo mammary tissue collected from the slaughter house was processed enzymatically to obtain a heterogenous population of cells containing both epithelial and fibroblasts cells. Epithelial cells were purified by selective trypsinization and were grown in a plastic substratum. The purified mammary epithelial cells (MECs) after several passages were characterized for mammary specific functions by immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR and western blot.Principal findingsThe established buffalo mammary epithelial cell line (BuMEC) exhibited epithelial cell characteristics by immunostaining positively with cytokeratin 18 and negatively with vimentin. The BuMEC maintained the characteristics of its functional differentiation by expression of β-casein, κ-casein, butyrophilin and lactoferrin. BuMEC had normal growth properties and maintained diploid chromosome number (2n = 50) before and after cryopreservation. A spontaneously immortalized buffalo mammary epithelial cell line was established after 20 passages and was continuously subcultured for more than 60 passages without senescence.ConclusionsWe have established a buffalo mammary epithelial cell line that can be used as a model system for studying mammary gland functions.

Abstract Solid-state lithium-based batteries offer higher energy density than their Li-ion counterparts. Yet they are limited in terms of negative electrode discharge performance and require high stack pressure during operation. To circumvent these issues, we propose the use of lithium-rich magnesium alloys as suitable negative electrodes in combination with Li6PS5Cl solid-state electrolyte. We synthesise and characterise lithium-rich magnesium alloys, quantifying the changes in mechanical properties, transport, and surface chemistry that impact electrochemical performance. Increases in hardness, stiffness, adhesion, and resistance to creep are quantified by nanoindentation as a function of magnesium content. A decrease in diffusivity is quantified with 6Li pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance, and only a small increase in interfacial impedance due to the presence of magnesium is identified by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy which is correlated with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The addition of magnesium aids contact retention on discharge, but this must be balanced against a decrease in lithium diffusivity. We demonstrate via electrochemical testing of symmetric cells at 2.5 MPa and 30∘C that 1% magnesium content in the alloy increases the stripping capacity compared to both pure lithium and higher magnesium content alloys by balancing these effects.

Background: Lockdown is an emergency measure or condition in which people are temporarily prevented from entering or leaving a restricted area or building during a threat or danger. Since the start of COVID-19 till date, almost one-third of the world's population is under some degree of restriction and lockdown, and the mental health effect of which is something that is being discussed widely. Aim: The study aimed to assess the effect of lockdown on mental health among individuals (patients or accompanying person) seeking services at a tertiary care center. Materials and Methods: Kathmandu Medical College is a tertiary care center and a medical college in Kathmandu, Nepal. In this study, we enrolled every 4th individual coming to the hospital's outpatient department registration counter to seek service and giving consent, for the duration of 1 month during the ongoing lockdown period. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and approved by the department and was used to collect sociodemographic details and to rate the stress level. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) Nepali version was used to assess psychological well-being of the participants and a score of ≥3 by binary method was taken as positive case. Results: The total number of cases enrolled in the study was 204, out of them 62.2% were male and 32.8% were female and the mean age was 32.03 years. Twenty-three percent (23.5%) had preexisting health conditions. Out of the 204 participants, 67.6% said they were stressed following the lockdown and the mean rated stress was 2.90 in a scale ranging from 1 to 7. The frequently identified stressors were fear of contamination, restricted movement, and for inadequate supplies. Twenty-seven percent said they had some psychological symptoms and the most common symptoms were palpitation and sleep disturbance. Seventy-three individuals (36.5%) were found to have psychiatric problem according to their scores in GHQ-12. Rated stress and GHQ-12 scores were found to be strongly correlated (P = 0.000). Similarly, those who stated "Yes" in psychological symptoms significantly scored higher on GHQ-12 and stress (both P = 0.000). Conclusion: The lockdown has caused stress in majority of cases, and a significant number of individuals have diagnosable mental health conditions. Mental health impact of the lockdown is something that needs to be addressed seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of the x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope techniques is employed to analyze the magnetoimpedance and magnetodielectric properties of single phase 45PMN-20PFW-35PT ceramics.

The interface between the Li metal electrode and inorganic solid electrolyte is crucial for developing reliable all-solid-state Li batteries. Here, the authors show that the Li plating current density distinctly affects the chemistry and morphology of interphase components formed at the interface.

Despite improvements in the detection and treatment of severe mental disorders, suicide remains a significant public health concern. Suicide prevention and control initiatives can benefit greatly from a thorough comprehension and foreseeability of suicide patterns. Understanding suicide patterns, especially through social media data analysis, can help in suicide prevention and control efforts. The objective of this study is to evaluate predictors of suicidal behavior in humans using machine learning. It is crucial to create a machine learning model for detection of suicide thoughts by monitoring a user's social media posts to identify warning signs of mental health issues. Through the analysis of social media posts, our research intends to develop a machine learning model for identifying suicide ideation and probable mental health problems. This study will help immensely to comprehend the environmental risk factors that influence suicidal thoughts and conduct across time. In this research the use of machine learning on social media data is an exciting new direction for understanding the environmental risk factors that impact an individual's susceptibility to suicide ideation and conduct over time. The machine learning algorithms showed high accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score in detecting suicide patterns on social media data whereas SVM has the highest performance with an accuracy of 0.886.

Kicking off on 1 October with the United Nations International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP) and concluding on 10 October in conjunction with World Mental Health Day, the OLDER ADULT MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK was a brand-new ten-day initiative launched by the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA). It was focused on raising awareness of the importance of Better Mental Health for Older People with virtual programs from all around the world on each of these ten days. As part of this Awareness Week, the IPA hosted a discussion entitled Mental healthcare services and advocacy for the older people amidst COVID crisis: Voices from South Asia, organized on October 6th, 2021 in conjunction with the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS), Indian Association of Geriatric Mental Health (IAGMH), SAARC Psychiatric Federation (SPF), and the Asian Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA). This is the event report of the same panel discussion which highlights the unique challenges to old age mental healthcare among the SAARC nations, calls for urgent collaborative action, and focuses on human rights and dignity-based mental healthcare for older adults in these rapidly ageing countries.

This paper focuses on the need of increasing the demand for safety and security of concrete structures in the wake of the breakdown of terrorism acts through explosions, missile and nuclear attacks on strategic domestic, government and defence buildings. The blast protecting design is necessary to protect people from death, and to prevent serious damage to the concrete structural components. The newly developed super plasticized concrete such as Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) is an ideal application for blast load. Several research organizations works focused on the development and design of new Blast-proof concrete to increase structural resistance. The terrorist attack and blast resistant structures (TABRS) design enhances the building security against explosives and terrorist effects in structural stability design, which is essential for a structures to be fully blast resistant. So far, there is no published report on the UHPFRC material used. Consequently, The experimental work is carried out with special micro particles to increase density and toughness of concrete, in order to control blast load. The test results shows that the utilization of Hooked end steel fiber enhanced the mechanical properties at 90°C temperature, helping in gaining the high compressive strength and flexural strength. Results in 28 days are examined and compared with the recent research works. From the acquired test results it is evident that UHPFRC has superior properties than HSC,NSC. Finally, it is concluded that the material can be best utilized for Blast protective structures, military and defense buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Spinal anaesthesia is conventionally performed using a landmark-guided midline approach. These surface landmarks may be absent, indistinct or distorted in the presence of obesity, previous spinal surgeries, deformities, or degenerative changes associated with ageing. In the present study, we compared the efficacy of real-time ultrasound (RUS)-guided paramedian approach, and pre-procedure ultrasound (PUS) landmark-guided paramedian approach in obese patients. Methods: Eighty patients with body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2 were included in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to two intervention groups, i.e., RUS and PUS approach. The primary end point was to attain a successful lumbar puncture. Variables like the number of attempts, the number of passes, the time taken for identifying landmark(s), and time for a successful lumbar puncture(s) were secondary end points and were recorded in both the groups. Results: The median number of attempts were 4 (IQR 2-4) and 2 (IQR 1-2), respectively, in the PUS and RUS group (P-value < 0.001). The median number of passes, the median time for identifying space, and the time for successful lumbar puncture was statistically significantly less in the RUS group, than the PUS group. Conclusion: The time taken for the identification of the space, the number of attempts, number of passes, and the time taken for successful lumbar puncture was more in the PUS group as compared to the RUS group.

Background: Spinal anaesthesia is one of the commonest anaesthetic techniques for infra-umbilical surgeries. Administration of dexmedetomidine for sedation during spinal anaesthesia is found to prolong the duration of block. Aim and Objectives: To evaluating the effect of intravenous dexmedetomidine on block characteristic of spinal anaesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine. Material and Methods: A total of 120 patients scheduled for various elective surgeries under spinal anaesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups of each containing 60 subjects. Group D received 1μg/kg bolus dexmedetomidine over 10 minutes immediately after spinal anaesthesia followed by 0.5μg/kg/hr infusion till the end of surgery and Group S received similar amount of saline. Data collected include onset of sensory and motor blockade, time for two segmental regression of block, duration of analgesia and sedation score were noted. Results: Onset of sensory block was faster in group D (2.38±1.48 min) as compared to Group S (3.03±0.22 min). Onset of motor block was significantly faster in Group D (6.97±0.93 min) as compared to Group S (8.01±0.85 min). Time required for two segment regression was prolonged in Group D (122.67±7.15 min) as compared to Group S (65.76±4.71 min). Total duration of analgesia was also prolonged in group D (4.29 ±1.04 hr) compared to Group S (2.24±0.29 hr). Conclusion: Intravenous administration of dexmedetomidine prolongs the duration of sensory and motor blockade with arousable sedation.

Introduction: Depression is one of the major problems encountered by medical students. This may cause a negative effect on cognitive functioning and learning of students resulting in poor health care and service delivery in future. The presence of this major problem is necessary to be evaluated. Enough recent data regarding its prevalence is not available in our country. Thus, the main aim of this study is to find the prevalence of depression among medical students of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Methods:This is a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a tertiary care teaching hospital over a four-month period (July to October 2019) among undergraduate medical students. Ethical clearance was received from the Institutional Review Committee of the same tertiary teaching hospital. Random sampling technique was used to collect data to meet the calculated sample size. Data analysis was done in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. Results: The prevalence of depression among selected medical students of Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital is 59 (27.2%) [33.12%-21.28%] at 95% Confidence Interval]. Thirty (14%) of the participants were mildly depressed, 21 (10%) moderately depressed while 8 (4%) were severely depressed according to Beck’s Depression Index II. Conclusions: The prevalence of depression among medical students is relatively significant as found in similar studies done in other centres. Thus appropriate programs and strategies should be implemented to avoid depression from causing a negative effect on cognitive functioning and learning of students and create a favorable environment for students to talk about their mental health issues.