Bhaktapur District Research Articles

Effect of Teachers' Health Behaviors on Students' Health; A Social Cognitive Viewpoint of Role-Modeling

Teachers as role models teach and set an example through their actions. Students routinely observe and are directly influenced by the teacher's health behavior. Unfortunately, school teachers are vulnerable to many health issues that affect student success. Teachers are often absent, showing examples of poor health. This study sought information on the impact of teachers' health behaviors on student health from a cross-sectional descriptive study of mixed methods in secondary schools of Bagmati Province, Nepal. The total sample size of the students in the quantitative interview was 412 from 46 randomly selected schools in the Rasuwa, Bhaktapur, and Chitwan districts. Another 30 students from different schools were selected for in-depth study. It focused on finding out how students identify teachers as role models. Since the concept of role models appears in Albert Bandura's social learning/cognitive theory, which focuses on cognitive concepts, this study examined student cognition to connect to the role modeling structure of the theory. This theory focuses on how children and adults cognitively process social experiences and how these cognitions affect behavior and development. In the light of this theory, it was explained the effect of teacher health behaviors on student's health. Observable health behaviors of teachers are proved to have positive and negative impacts on students' health.

Teacher Retention in Private Schools of Nepal: A Case from Bhaktapur District

Retention of qualified teachers is a crucial part for the quality education in schools because qualified, experienced and stable teachers can enhance the academic standard of students. It is equally important for the smooth operation and success of schools. Considering these facts, a quantitative research with correlational research design was carried out with the objective of finding out relationship between teacher retention and domains of its determinants in private schools of Bhaktapur district, Nepal. The data was collected through a questionnaire. This study concluded that financial and school culture domains have a powerful and significant impact on teacher retention. Similarly, there is a significant association between teacher retention and social domain, and between teacher retention and emotional domain. This study suggested that school administrators and policy makers need to understand that there is a strong positive impact of financial domain and school culture domain on teacher retention. They need to formulate policies which can satisfy financial needs and create a good school culture. Similarly, they need to improve teacher retention by addressing emotional domain and social domain.

Prevalence, Associated Factors and Awareness of Hypertensive Retinopathy among an Elderly Population with Hypertension in Nepal: The Bhaktapur Retina Study.

Hypertensive retinopathy is a common complication in patients with hypertension. This study aims to assess the prevalence, associated factors and awareness of hypertensive retinopathy among an elderly population with hypertension in Bhaktapur, Nepal. This is a population-based, cross-sectional study conducted from 2013 to 2015 in Bhaktapur district, Nepal. The sample size was 2100 subjects aged 60 years and above. From this sample, all diagnosed patients with hypertension were analyzed. A detailed history was obtained, and an ocular examination was performed. Information was complete for 1860 (88.57%) subjects. The age of the study population ranged from 60 to 95 years with the mean age of 69.64±7.31 years. Hypertension was found in 643 subjects (34.61%), of which 224 (12.04%) were newly diagnosed cases. Among the subjects with hypertension, hypertensive retinopathy was found in 81 cases (12.6%). Hypertensive retinopathy was more frequent in the age group 70-79 years (15.23%), males (13.25%), illiterates (13.56%), diabetics (16.49%), and body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 (14%). None of the factors was found to be statistically significant. Among the study participants, awareness regarding the effect of hypertension on eye, retina and vision was found to be 13.84%, 8.4%, and 11.98% respectively. Prevalence of hypertension and hypertensive retinopathy among an elderly population of 60 years and above in Bhaktapur district, Nepal were similar to other countries. Hypertensive retinopathy was higher among males, illiterates, diabetes and BMI> 25kg/m2. Awareness of hypertensive retinopathy was 8.4% among hypertensive subjects. Emphasis should be directed toward improving awareness campaigns.

Oral Solid Dosage form Modification in Community Pharmacies of Kavrepalanchok and Bhaktapur Districts of Nepal

Background People may modify their oral solid dosage form of medicine to deal with problem faced during medicine administration. The modification of dosage form may adversely affect the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicine.
 Objective To investigate the causes and practices of oral solid dosage form modification among the consumers going to community pharmacies.
 Method A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in five community pharmacies of Kavrepalanchok and Bhaktapur districts of Nepal. The consumers visiting these pharmacies for their oral solid dosage form of medicine were invited to participate in interview using structured questionnaire.
 Result Among 419 participants,13.6% of participants reported having problem of taking intact medicine. Most of them (12.4% of total participants) experienced difficulty swallowing the medicine. The swallowing difficulty is significantly associated with age and sex (p < 0.05). Around one third (36.8%) of participant with medicine administration problem modified the dosage form of medicines. One quarter of medicine dosage form modifications (25.0%) were inappropriate. Medicine dosage form modification is associated with age and number of daily medicine intake (p < 0.05). Among participants modifying dosage form of medicines, 66.7% were advised to do so mainly by family and friends; 33.3% were modifying on their own and 76.2% were unaware of possible effects of medicine dosage form modification. About 62.3% of total participants were never asked about any problems on taking medicines by doctor/pharmacists.
 Conclusion Difficulty swallowing medicines and medicine dosage form modification were prevalent in the Nepalese population. Medicine dosage form modifications also involved inappropriate modifications due to specialized design of such dosage forms. So, it seems important to provide proper counseling while dispensing such dosage forms.

Ethnomedicinal exploration of plants utilized by the people of Suryabinayak Municipality in Bhaktapur District, Nepal

Ethnomedicinal exploration of plants utilized by the people of Suryabinayak Municipality in Bhaktapur District, Nepal

PRODUCTION, MARKETING AND BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS OF CARROT IN MADHYAPUR THIMI, BHAKTAPUR

A study was conducted to analyse the production, marketing and Benefit Cost ratio of carrot in Madhyapur Thimi municipality, Bhaktapur district, Nepal from February to April 2021. A total of 60 respondents were selected randomly for the study. Facts were accumulated via head to head interview method using a semi-established questionnaire. Socio-demographic study showed that 58% males and 42% females were involved in carrot farming. Almost 80% carrot produced by the farmers in this area was found to be collected in the nearest collection center. In the study area, all the respondents were found cultivating F1 hybrid variety ‘Nepa Dream’. The cost of production of the carrot in the main season was Rs.29997 per ropani (0.05 ha). The average yield of carrot was 2057 kg per ropani. Gross income from the carrot production was Rs.99137 per ropani. The net profit was Rs.69139 per ropani and the average Benefit- Cost Ratio was 3.36. Unavailability of inputs in required quantity and time and lack of labor were major problems followed by lack of technical skills, proper marketing channel and postharvest loss.

PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PRACTICES OF CAULIFLOWER CROP IN CHANGUNARAYAN MUNICIPALITY, BHAKTAPUR DISTRICT, NEPAL

A study was conducted to analyse the production and marketing practices of cauliflower crop in Changunarayan municipality of Bhaktapur district, during February to March, 2021AD to assess the existing production practices of main season cauliflower, to delineate its marketing activities and to identify the major problems that had been causing a barrier among the farmers. A total of 60 respondent farmers were purposely selected and interviewed by using a semi- structured questionnaire. The study revealed that 61.67 percent of the respondents were dependent on agro vet for the seed. 48% percent were using Snow Mystique (hybrid) variety. September to October was the main sowing season for cauliflower production. Tube well and river water was the major source of irrigation and manual weeding was carried out by all the respondents. The infestation of disease and pest was the major problem in the survey site. The respondents were found deficient in the skill of cultivation and the knowledge about correct dose, frequency and time of pesticides application. They had been selling their cauliflower produce to middleman and also to consumer directly. The average benefit cost ratio of the cauliflower farming in the observed location was 1.83 at a mean rate of Rs.25-35 consistent with kg cauliflower.

Polypharmacy among Geriatric People: Community Pharmacy based study in Bhaktapur district, Nepal

Background and Objectives: Polypharmacy among geriatric group is a major problem. Risk of an adverse effect increases exponentially with number of drugs used, partly because multiple drug therapy reflects the presence of many disease. The aim of this study was to assess the polypharmacy among geriatric people visiting community pharmacy of Bhaktapur district. Material and Methods: A prospective cross sectional study was conducted among 114 geriatric people (>60Years). The data collected from patients included: Socio-demographic details as age, gender, comorbid diseases, medication history. In this study, polypharmacy was considered as having > 5 medications per prescription. Medication appropriateness for patient was analyzed by applying, screening tool to alert to right treatment (START) and screening tool of older person’s prescription (STOPP) criteria. Results: Out of 114 geriatric patients 57.9% were male and 42.1% were female. Number of drugs prescribed to the patients were 634 with an average of 5.56 drugs per person. Cardiovascular drugs accounted for most (33.4%) followed by gastrointestinal tract drugs (11.5%), anti-diabetic drugs (10.89%). Over the counter drugs (OTC) were more common among geriatric, mainly proton pump inhibitor and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. Depending upon the number of drugs, five and more than five drugs were consumed by single patients (n=73). Poly pharmacy can be seen among 64.03% geriatric patients. Potentially inappropriate medications were prescribed to 54 patients, overprescribing to38.5% and omission to 8.7% depending upon screening tool to alert to right treatment (START) and screening tool of older person’s prescription (STOPP) START. Conclusions: In this study polypharmacy was more common among geriatric group. Geriatric group were receiving around 64.03% polypharmacy, 47.3% inappropriate prescription and 33.3% using over the counter drugs.

Prevalence of Refractive Error and Ocular Pathologies among School Children: Finding from the School Eye Program of Dhulikhel Hospital

Background Childhood blindness and visual impairments could lead to the onset of blindness among children and adolescents. New cases appear particularly between the ages of 6-15 years and if uncorrected, runs a risk of developing Amblyopia, strabismus. There exists a mounting need to strengthen and modify established school eye health programs in Nepal as per the local needs and conditions.
 Objective To determine the prevalence of refractive error and ocular pathologies among school children in rural Nepal.
 Method This cross-sectional study was conducted in nine schools of Kavrepalanchowk and Bhaktapur district with 953 students screened from December 2018 to February 2020. The team of optometrist, ophthalmic assistants and ophthalmologist applied a standard protocol for screening of refractive error as a part of the school eye program of Dhulikhel Hospital. Other standard eye examinations were performed to note the ocular pathologies. The association of socio-demographic factors of students having refractive errors with that in emmetropes was identified using logistic regression analysis.
 Result A total of 953 students were screened in nine study sites, age ranged from 5-19 years. There were 183 students (19.2%) with refractive errors. Blurred vision was the common complaint reported by 2.5% of students. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed higher age group children (aOR=2.93; 95% CI: 1.62-5.29; P=0.01) and urban area children (aOR=4.37; 95% CI: 0.87-21.98; P=0.07) to have higher odds of refractive error.
 Conclusion Refractive error is the major eye problem among school children. Despite its high prevalence, there is still a major gap in timely diagnosis and treatment. Regular vision screening and timely treatment is required for better addressing refractive error among school-going children.

Pattern of Alcohol Use and its Effects in Relation to the Age of Initiation of Alcohol Use among the Residents of Jhaukhel Area of Bhaktapur District

Over the past few decades, alcohol consumption has increased in quantity and frequency. Several studies have suggested that people who start drinking at younger age have an increased risk of alcohol use disorder. This study was carried out to assess the pattern of alcohol consumption in relation to the age of initiation of alcohol use among the residents of Jhaukhel area of Bhaktapur district. A cross sectional descriptive survey was conducted in Jhaukhel area of Bhaktapur district among the permanent residents aged 15 years and above through a purposive sampling technique using a pre tested self-constructed proforma. Assessment of alcohol use, harmful/ hazardous drinking and alcohol dependence was done using an AUDIT questionnaire as a tool. Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were applied and ‘p’ value was calculated to see the association between age of onset of alcohol use and the alcohol use pattern and effects. The level of significance was set at 5%, and ‘p’ value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 190 respondents were interviewed. Mean age of the respondents was 41.25 ± 16.4 years while mean age of initiation of alcohol consumption was 20 ± 4.3 years and 31 (30.4 %) of drinkers initiated alcohol consumption before legal drinking age (18 years). This was more among males (36.5%) than females (14.3%), (p-value: 0.03, OR: 3.4, 95%CI: 1-11) Initiating alcohol consumption early in life before 18 years was strongly associated with binge drinking pattern (P value: <0.001, OR: 9.5, 95%CI: 2.7-33.3). Those who initiate drinking before 18 years were more likely to suffer from alcohol related medical problems compared to those who initiated drinking after 18 years (OR: 6.63, 95% CI: 2.3-19.3, P value: 0.001). Parental consumption of alcohol was found to be associated with the early initiation of alcohol use (OR: 2.7, 95%CI: 1.01-6.96, P value: 0.03). Early initiation of alcohol consumption before legal drinking age was not only a predictor for binge drinking and alcohol dependence, but also a risk factor for alcohol related medical problem, accidents and self-inflicted injuries. Hence this is a serious issue which needs to be addressed at the individual, family as well as community level.

Microbial Quality Analysis of Panipuri Samples Collected from Different Parts of Bhaktapur

Objectives: The study was aimed to identify potential bacterial pathogens from the panipuri samples collected from different vendors of Bhaktapur district and determine their antibiogram patterns. Methods: Altogether 120 (40 puri, 40 stuffing and 40 pani) samples of panipuri were collected from different vendors of Bhaktapur district in a cold chain and were transported to the microbiology laboratory. Puri and stuffing were then pre-enriched, enriched and cultured while pani samples were processed using the MPN method. All the isolates were identified following standard microbiological procedure and subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing following CLSI guidelines. Results: The result revealed contamination of 77.5% stuffing, 67.5% puri and 52.5% pani samples with pathogenic bacteria. Among bacterial pathogens, the highest number was Staphylococcus aureus followed by Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. 100% of S. aureus were found to be resistant to ampicillin and novobiocin. Similarly, 94.1% of E. coli were resistant to ampicillin followed by ciprofloxacin (64.7%). A very few isolates of Salmonella spp, Shigella spp and Vibrio spp were resistant to tetracycline. The highest number of multidrug-resistant bacteria were S. aureus, followed by Klebsiella spp and E. coli. Conclusion: The study showed that the panipuri samples from street vendors were found to be highly contaminated with pathogenic bacteria which might affect consumers’ health. Thus, to prevent any food-borne illness in the future, frequent evaluation and regulation of the quality of such foods should be carried out.

Job Satisfaction among School Teachers in Duwakot, Bhaktapur District, Nepal

Introduction: Job satisfaction is one of the determinant factors for professionals. The job satisfaction concerning school teachers reflects their strong motivation towards their job. This study aimed to measure the job satisfaction among teachers of Government and Private schools of Changu Narayan Municipality.
 Methods: A cross-sectional study was done at seven government and five private schools of wards no. 1 and 2 of Changu Narayan Municipality Bhaktapur District, Nepal over one month (20th April - 19th May 2021). Schools of Changu Narayan Municipality Ward No. 1 and 2 were purposively selected. The data was collected through validated questionnaire on Job Description Index (JDI)8 which consists of 17 domains. Data were entered in Excel and data analysis was done in SPSS version 20.
 Results: The overall job satisfaction was 65.77±11.52 which indicates that the majority of teachers were highly satisfied with their job.
 Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate job satisfaction among school level teachers was satisfied in their occupation especially in teaching profession. The domain sources of job satisfaction in school teachers appear to be work itself, coworker, relationship with students and sense of achievement. Whereas motivation in profession is most likely to be less job satisfaction among Government and Private schools.

Knowledge, Acceptability, Perception and Stigmas on Safe Abortion among the women of reproductive age group (15-49 years) in Bhaktapur District.

Introduction: The termination of pregnancy by the removal of a foetus or an embryo before surviving outside the uterus or before attaining its viability is called abortion. This study was conducted to study the knowledge, acceptability, perception and stigma of safe abortion among women of reproductive age group. 
 Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in Bhaktapur District, Nepal from July 2019 to December 2019. Women of reproductive age group were included in the study. The semi-structured questionnaires were used as a data collection tool and Likert scales were used for perception and stigma which were self-designed. For Likert scale on perception and stigma, Cronbach’s α was calculated from the pre-tested samples which was found to be acceptable i.e., 0.649 and 0.856. Interview was taken as data collection technique. Data-entry was done in Epi-Data and analysed through SPSS 16.0. Chi square test was used to measure the association between dependent and independent variables.
 Result: The association between “Knowledge and Perception” was found to be significant with p-value of 0.04, the association between “Knowledge and Stigma” was also noted to be significant with p-value of 0.00 and “Knowledge and Acceptability” was also found to be significant with p-value of 0.00 through the assessment of knowledge, acceptability, perception and stigma.
 Conclusions: The study emphasises on educating and making aware every woman on safe abortion, its legalisation and its amended law to avoid the stigma and unsafe abortion practices.

Perceptions of Adolescents Regarding Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer in women is a major health burden. In Nepal, most common cancer in female is breast cancer. Knowledge plays an important role in improvement of health seeking behavior. Knowledge may positively affect attitude and practice. So, this study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding breast cancer among the adolescents. A cross-sectional study was done among students of 23 randomly selected highher secondary schools of Bhaktapur district. Total 990 participant were assessed with questionnaire regarding knowledge and attitude towards breast cancer. Out of total 400 participants, 89.6% of male and 88.5% of female respondents had poor knowledge regarding breast cancer. 63.2% of the female and 50.9% of the male respondents had good attitude towards breast cancer. Religion, education of parents and ethnicity of respondents showed positive association with respondent's knowledge of breast cancer. Gender, education and ethnicity of respondents showed positive association with respondent's attitude of breast cancer. Majority of the respondents had poor knowledge and half of respondents had good attitude towards breast cancer. Therefore, educational programs and awareness campaigns that target adolescents to improve their knowledge and attitude regarding breast cancer must be encouraged.

Effect of Mid-Term Cropping System Adoption on Soil Chemical Properties at Changunarayan Municipality, Bhaktapur, Nepal

Soil chemical properties plays a crucial role in crop yield. In this study, we evaluated the chemical properties of soils under three different cropping systems practiced for more than five years in Changunarayan municipality of Bhaktapur district of Nepal. The cropping systems includes- (i) cultivation inside polyhouse (Treatment A: polyhouse), (ii) paddy-wheat rotation (Treatment B: P-W), and (iii) paddy-wheat-vegetable rotation (Treatment C: P-W-V). Thirty-nine composite samples (13 replicates from each site) were taken from the area based on variation in landforms. Soil pH, organic matter (%), total nitrogen (%), available phosphorus (mgkg-1), and available potassium (mgkg-1) were evaluated for each sample. The study revealed that the soil pH was acidic and ranges between 4.71 and 5.39, organic matter (1.6-2.39%), total nitrogen (0.091-0.13%), phosphorus (4.48-29.24mg kg-1) and potassium (88.04-109.52 mg kg-1). A significant lower mean pH (4.71), and higher mean organic matter (2.39%), total nitrogen (0.13%) and available phosphorus (29.24 mgkg-1) were observed in cultivation under polyhouse. Incorporation of vegetable in paddy-wheat system gave significant (p<0.05) higher accumulation of soil phosphorus and consistently raised other nutrient status. Moreover, cultivation under polyhouse raised C:N ratio (10.55) significantly than other system. This finding can be relevant to wide range of readers that focus on soil chemical properties and can be used in developing future research strategy and sustainable soil management system in the area.

Ambient PM2.5 and Daily Hospital Admissions for Acute Respiratory Infections: Effect Modification by Weight Status of Child

The high level of ambient particulate matter in many developing countries constitutes a major health burden, but evidence on its impact on children’s health is still limited in these regions. We conducted a time-stratified case-crossover analysis to quantify the short-term association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and hospital admissions due to acute respiratory infections (ARI) among children in Bhaktapur district, Nepal, and to investigate the potential modification of the effect by nutritional characteristic. We analyzed 258 children admitted to the pediatric hospital for ARI between February 2014 to February 2015. We observed evidence of increased risk on the same (lag 0) and preceding day (lag 1). The cumulative estimate of their average (lag 01) suggested each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with a relative risk (RR) of 1.16 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.31). The strongest evidence from a stratified analysis of three categories of weights was observed in the overweight group (RR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.17–2.69) at lag 01, while the estimates for the normal weight and underweight groups were closer to the non-stratified estimates for all-ARI cases. The findings suggests that pediatric ARI is an important morbidity associated with inhalable PM2.5 and that more research is needed to elucidate and validate the observed dissimilarity by weight.

Lightning Fatalities and Injuries in Nepal

AbstractLightning is one of the most devastating hazards in Nepal because of a large amount of atmospheric water vapor coming from the Indian Ocean and a large orographic lifting of this moist air. In 2019, a total of 2884 people were affected, with loss of USD 110,982, and the fatality number was the highest (94) in reported lightning events since 1971. The long-term analysis of this hazard is very scanty in Nepal. Therefore, this study analyzes lightning fatality events, fatality rates, and economic loss from 1971 to 2019 collected from the DesInventar dataset and the Disaster Risk Reduction portal of the government of Nepal using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and geographic information system (ArcGIS) tools. The analysis shows that the overall countrywide lightning fatality rate of the entire period is 1.77 per million per year. District lightning fatality rates range from 0.10 to 4.83 per million people per year, and the Bhaktapur district has the highest fatality density (0.067). Furthermore, there were a total of 2501 lightning fatality events in which 1927 people lost their lives and 20 569 people were affected. The increase in lightning fatality events in recent years is due to internet penetration and other measures of information gathering that result in lightning fatality reports reaching agencies collecting information. The high and low concentrations of loss and damage are mainly due to geographic distribution, population density, and economic activities. This study recommends the establishment of lightning early warning systems in the Nepal Himalayas to save life and property.

Antibiotic Use in Broiler Poultry Farms in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal: Which Antibiotics and Why?

Inappropriate antibiotic use in food-producing animals is associated with the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. In industrial broiler poultry farms in three districts of Kathmandu valley, Nepal, we assessed antibiotic use prevalence, and their classes, types, and quantities. A cross-sectional questionnaire study involving field visits to large poultry farms (flock size ≥ 3000) of the Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur districts was conducted. Of 30 farms (total flock size 104,200; range 3000–6000), prevalence of antibiotic use was 90% (95% CI: 73–98%). Six (22%) farms used antibiotics as prophylaxis, while 21 (78%) used it for therapeutics. Seven antibiotics from six classes (including quinolones, macrolides, and polymyxins) were used. The most commonly used antibiotics were tylosin (47%), colistin (47%), and dual therapies with neomycin and doxycycline (33%). A total of 50,000 grams of antibiotics (total weight including active and inactive ingredients) were used (0.5 grams/chicken/45 days of flock life) with eight (26%) farms using more than two antibiotics. No farms had records on clinical indications for prophylaxis or treatment. No post-mortem records of sick birds were available. Prevalence of antibiotic use in broiler farms of Kathmandu valley is high and includes “highest priority critically important antibiotics” for human use, with direct implications on public health.

Epidemiologic Pattern of Cancer in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: Findings of Population-Based Cancer Registry, 2018.

PURPOSEAlthough cancer is an important and growing public health issue in Nepal, the country lacked any population-based cancer registry (PBCR) until 2018. In this study, we describe the establishment of the PBCR for the first time in Nepal and use the registry data to understand incidence, mortality, and patterns of cancer in the Kathmandu Valley (consisting of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur districts), which comprises 10.5% of the estimated 29 million population of Nepal in 2018.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe PBCR collects information from facilities and communities through the active process. The facilities include cancer or general hospitals, pathology laboratories, hospice, and Ayurvedic centers. In the communities, the field enumerators or female community health volunteers collected the data from the households. In addition, the Social Security and Nursing Division under the Department of Health Services, which provides subsidy for cancer treatment of underprivileged patients, was another major source of data. The collected data were verified for residence, accuracy, and completeness and then entered and analyzed using CanReg5 software.RESULTSIn the Kathmandu Valley, the PBCR registered 2,156 new cancer cases with overall age-adjusted incidence rate for all cancers of 95.7 per 100,000 population (95.3 for males and 98.1 for females). The age-adjusted mortality rate for males was 36.3 (n = 365) and for females 27.0 (n = 305) per 100,000 population. We found that the commonest cancers in males were lung and stomach, whereas in females, they were breast and lung cancer. Gallbladder cancer was among the top five common cancers in both sex.CONCLUSIONThese findings provide a milestone to understand the cancer burden in the country for the first time using the PBCR and will be helpful to develop and prioritize cancer control strategies.

Prevalence of Diabetes in Tuberculosis Patients in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the data on the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among tuberculosis (TB) patients at the Urban Directly Observed Treatment Centers in the Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur districts of Nepal were collected. The prevalence of DM was assessed in 67 previously treated TB (PTTB) and 214 new TB patients. DM was diagnosed in 8 PTTB and 20 new TB patients. Clinical interviews identified 14 patients with DM, rapid blood glucose test was used to diagnose DM in 4 patients, and oral glucose tolerance test was used to diagnose DM in another 4 patients. Impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glycemia were observed in 8 and 5 patients, respectively. The 18-24-year age group had the largest number of new TB patients (82, 38.3%). However, the incidence of DM among TB patients was higher in the >35-year age group. Moreover, DM was diagnosed in 24.2% of PTTB patients and in 23.1% of new TB patients. To determine the impact of DM screening in TB patients, a larger number of samples should be analyzed. DM screening for patients with TB is expected to start in developing countries. This should be initiated by conducting clinical interviews about DM and glucose tests using rapid kits.