Purbanchal University

About: Purbanchal University is a education organization based out in Biratnagar, Nepal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 154 authors who have published 178 publications receiving 1551 citations.

Total Phenolic Content, Flavonoid Content and Antioxidant Potential of Wild Vegetables from Western Nepal.

Abstract: Eight selected wild vegetables from Nepal (Alternanthera sessilis, Basella alba, Cassia tora, Digera muricata, Ipomoea aquatica, Leucas cephalotes, Portulaca oleracea and Solanum nigrum) were investigated for their antioxidative potential using 2,2-dyphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ferric thiocyanate (FTC) methods. Among the selected plant extracts C. tora displayed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value 9.898 μg/mL, whereas A. sessilis had the maximum H2O2 scavenging activity with an IC50 value 16.25 μg/mL—very close to that of ascorbic acid (16.26 μg/mL). C. tora showed the highest absorbance in the FRAP assay and the lowest lipid peroxidation in the FTC assay. A methanol extract of A. sessilis resulted in the greatest phenolic content (292.65 ± 0.42 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g) measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent method, while the smallest content was recorded for B. alba (72.66 ± 0.46 GAE/g). The greatest flavonoid content was observed with extracts of P. oleracea (39.38 ± 0.57 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/g) as measured by an aluminium chloride colorimetric method, while the least was recorded for I. aquatica (6.61 ± 0.42 QE/g). There was a strong correlation between antioxidant activity with total phenolic (DPPH, R2 = 0.75; H2O2, R2 = 0.71) and total flavonoid content (DPPH, R2 = 0.84; H2O2, R2 = 0.66). This study demonstrates that these wild edible leafy plants could be a potential source of natural antioxidants.

Tillage and residue management effects on soil aggregation, organic carbon dynamics and yield attribute in rice–wheat cropping system under reclaimed sodic soil

Abstract: Conservation tillage and residue management are the options for enhancing soil organic carbon stabilization by improving soil aggregation in tropical soils. We studied the influence of different combinations of tillage and residue management on carbon stabilization in different sized soil aggregates and also on crop yield after 5 years of continuous rice–wheat cropping system on a sandy loam reclaimed sodic soil of north India. Compared to conventional tillage, water stable macroaggregates in conservation tillage (reduced and zero-tillage) in wheat coupled with direct seeded rice (DSR) was increased by 50.13% and water stable microaggregates of the later decreased by 10.1% in surface soil. Residue incorporation caused a significant increment of 15.65% in total water stable aggregates in surface soil (0–15 cm) and 7.53% in sub-surface soil (15–30 cm). In surface soil, the maximum (19.2%) and minimum (8.9%) proportion of total aggregated carbon was retained with >2 mm and 0.1–0.05 mm size fractions, respectively. DSR combined with zero tillage in wheat along with residue retention (T6) had the highest capability to hold the organic carbon in surface (11.57 g kg−1 soil aggregates) with the highest stratification ratio of SOC (1.5). Moreover, it could show the highest carbon preservation capacity (CPC) of coarse macro and mesoaggregates. A considerable proportion of the total SOC was found to be captured by the macroaggregates (>2–0.25 mm) under both surface (67.1%) and sub-surface layers (66.7%) leaving rest amount in microaggregates and ‘silt + clay’ sized particles. From our study, it has been proved that DSR with zero tillage in wheat (with residue) treatment (T6) has the highest potential to secure sustainable yield increment (8.3%) and good soil health by improving soil aggregation (53.8%) and SOC sequestration (33.6%) with respect to the conventional tillage with transplanted rice (T1) after five years of continuous rice–wheat cropping in sandy loam reclaimed sodic soil of hot semi-arid Indian sub-continent.

Reliability and validity of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) for detecting perinatal common mental disorders (PCMDs) among women in low-and lower-middle-income countries: a systematic review

Abstract: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), originally developed in Britain, is one of the most widely used screening instruments for assessing symptoms of the Perinatal Common Mental Disorders (PCMDs) of depression and anxiety. However, its potential to detect PCMDs in culturally diverse low- and lower-middle income countries (LALMICs) is unclear. This systematic review aimed to appraise formally validated local language versions of the EPDS from these resource-constrained settings. Following the PRISMA protocol, we searched MEDLINE-OVID, CINAHL-Plus and PUBMED to identify studies reporting translation, cultural adaptation and formal validation of the EPDS to detect PCMDs among women in LALMICs. The quality of the studies meeting inclusion criteria was assessed using standard criteria and a new process-based criteria; which was developed specifically for this study. We identified 1281 records among which 16 met inclusion criteria; three further papers were identified by hand-searching reference lists. The publications reported findings from 12 LALMICs in14 native languages. Most of these local language versions of the EPDS (LLV-EPDS) had lower precision for identifying true cases of PCMDs among women in the general perinatal population compared to the original English version. Only one study met all criteria for culturally sensitive translation, the others had not established the comprehensibility of the local version amongst representative groups of women in pre-testing. Many studies tested the LLV-EPDS only amongst convenience samples recruited at single health facilities. Diagnostic interviews for confirmation of mental disorders could have been influenced by the mental health professionals’ lack of blinding to the initial screening results. Additionally, even when diagnostic-interviews were carried out in the local language, questions might not have been understood as most studies followed standard diagnostic protocol which had not been culturally adapted. Most of the LLV-EPDS from non-English speaking low- and middle-income-countries did not meet all criteria for formal validation of a screening instrument. Psychometric properties of LLV-EPDS could be enhanced by adopting the new process-based criteria for translation, adaptation and validation.

Financial implications of skilled attendance at delivery in Nepal.

Abstract: To measure costs and willingness-to-pay for delivery care services in 8 districts of Nepal. Household costs were used to estimate total resource requirements to finance: (1) the current pattern of service use; (2) all women to deliver in a health facility; (3) skilled attendance at home deliveries with timely referral of complicated cases to a facility offering comprehensive obstetric services. The average cost to a household of a home delivery ranged from 410 RS ($5.43) (with a friend or relative attending) to 879 RS ($11.63) (with a health worker). At a facility the average fee for a normal delivery was 678 RS ($8.97). When additional charges, opportunity and transport costs were added, the total amount paid exceeded 5300 RS ($70). For a caesarean section the total household cost was more than 11 400 RS ($150). Based on these figures, the cost of financing current practice is 45 RS ($0.60) per capita. A policy of universal institutional delivery would cost 238 RS ($3.15) per capita while a policy of skilled attendance at home with early referral of cases from remote areas would cost around 117 RS ($1.55) per capita. These are significant sums in the context of a health budget of about 400 RS ($5) per capita. The financial cost of developing a skilled attendance strategy in Nepal is substantial. The mechanisms to direct funding to women in need must to be improved, pricing needs to be more transparent, and payment exemptions in public facilities must be better financed if we are to overcome both supply and demand-side barriers to care seeking.

Impact of mass media on the utilization of antenatal care services among women of rural community in Nepal

Abstract: Antenatal care has several benefits for expecting mothers and birth outcomes; yet many mothers do not utilise this service in Nepal. Mass media may play an important role in increasing the use of antenatal care and other maternal health services. However, the effect of mass media on increasing health service utilisation has remained an under studied area in Nepal. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of mass media on the utilisation of antenatal care services in rural Nepal. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Sinurjoda Village Development Committee of Dhanusha District, Nepal. A total of 205 mothers of children aged under 1 year were selected using systematic random sampling. Logistic regression was employed to examine the association between selected antenatal care services and mass media exposure after adjusting for other independent variables. A majority of mothers were exposed to mass media. Radio was accessible to most (60.0 %) of the participants followed by television (43.41 %). Mothers exposed to mass media were more likely to attending antenatal visits [Odds ratio (OR) 6.28; 95 % CI (1.01–38.99)], taking rest and sleep during pregnancy [OR 2.65; 95 % CI (1.13–6.26)], and receiving TT immunization [OR 5.12; 95 % CI (1.23–21.24)] than their non-exposed counterparts. The study reported a positive influence of mass media on the utilisation of antenatal care services in Nepal. Therefore, further emphasis should be given to increase awareness of women of rural Nepal through mass media to improve utilisation of antenatal care services in Nepal.