Sunsari District Research Articles

Prevalence of Breast Lump and Risk Factors of Breast Cancer among Reproduvtive Aged Women of Jabalpur VDC of Sunsari District, Nepal

Introduction Breast self-examination (BSE) and clinical examination of the breast recommended as complementary method of screening for women in the reproductive age group. BSE is of great potential value for the early detection of breast cancer. BSE has been proposed as a means of reducing the breast cancer problem. Although it is reported to be not as effective as mammography or examination by a trained physician, it may be a valuable approach, particularly in the countries that cannot afford sophisticated screening services for the entire female population at risk. Objectives To identify the burden of breast lump in selected age group and associated risk factors of breast cancer in breast lump cases. Methods All women (15 to 49 years) of Jalpapur enrolled in the study. Training program organized to the co-workers to develop skill on physical examination. Pre-testing of the tool was done in Dharan Municipality of Sunsari district. It is near by area from Jalpapur for feasibility and practicability of the study. Data collection procedure was started after validation and pre-testing of the tools. Prevalence drawn based on physical examination of breast in sampled population. Risk factors calculated based on responses given by the participants and obesity calculated by the body mass index (BMI) calculation technique provided by World Health Organization. Results Out of 541 respondents, 21(3.9%) cases had breast lumps and found that women aged 40-49 years were high-risk group for having breast lump. The most prominent associated risk factors of breast cancer among lump cases might be menstrual period (11-21 days), grand multi-gravita, breast feeding, age of menarche (12 years), age of first childbirth (15-19 years) and body mass index (<18.5). Conclusion The data collected from Jalpapur VDC of Sunsari district conclusively brought out that women aged between 15 to 49 years, were not free from breast lumps. There is no significant relation of age with breast lump in this study.

Oral cleanliness of 12-13-year-old and 15-year-old school children of Sunsari District, Nepal

The aim of the study was to evaluate the oral cleanliness of school children in the District of Sunsari, Nepal. A multi-stage random sampling oral epidemiological survey was conducted in private and government, urban, rural town and rural village schools in 15 illakas of Sunsari District, Eastern Nepal. A total of 600, 12-13-year-old and 600 15-year-old school children were examined by trained examiners using the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). The average age-group, debris and calculus index scores were combined to obtain the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). The mean OHI-S scores were compared and evaluated using the parametric t-test for two independent samples. The mean OHI-S for urban 12-13-year-old school children was 0.98 compared to 1.34 for school children of rural towns and 1.44 for school children of rural villages and these differences in mean OHI-S were statistically significant (P < 0.005). In the 15-year-old age group, urban school children had a mean OHI-S score of 1.00 compared to 1.37 for rural towns and 1.43 for rural villages. The variance in the mean OHI-S scores were statistically significant (P < 0.005). The overall level of cleanliness in the school children surveyed was good. Children of urban schools had the lowest scores followed by school children from rural towns and then rural villages. When the mean OHI-S scores were compared with the DMFT scores, there was an inverse relationship between oral cleanliness and dental caries. Frequency of sugar consumption and the availability and affordability of fluoridated toothpaste may be important factors in the development of dental caries than oral cleanliness.

Descriptive Epidemiology of a Gastroenteritis Out Break in Sunsari District, Nepal

Gastroenteritis (GE) outbreak and cholera epidemics continue to be the major publichealth problems in Nepal. Every year during and immediately after the rainy season,outbreak of GE occurs. In the post monsoon period of 1998 also, outbreak of GEoccurred in a wide area covering several districts in terai region. In this paper, severalepidemiological aspects of the current outbreak are being reported. This study wascarried out in sunsari district. The cases of GE brought to district hospital wereinterviewed by a trained health worker to collect information about the episode andpossible source of infection. Stool samples were collected from the patients and testedfor organisms. On the spot visits were made to collect more information. Water sampleswere also collected and tested in Microbiology laboratory, B. P. Koirala Institute ofHealth Sciences (BPKIHS). There were 947 cases of GE. Among them 55.2% werefemales and 44.8% males patients. The age ranged from 7 months to 86 years withmean age of 22.8 years. There were 8 deaths. Maximum number of cases occurred inthe first fornight of October 1998. Due to prior administration of antibiotics, no growthwas seen in 27 samples. However, 4 samples showed growth of Shigella. Vibrio cholerawas isolated from 2 cases. Eight out of thirteen water samples were found to beunsatisfactory for drinking. The contamination of drinking water source andunhygienic habits were the main causes for such outbreaks. Therefore, it is pertinentthat GE outbreaks may be prevented by simply promoting sanitation and hygienicpractices related to handling of drinking water and defecation.

Traditional Knowledge on Wild Fiber Processing of &lt;i&gt;Allo&lt;/i&gt; in Bhedetar of Sunsari District, Nepal

In Bhedetar village in the eastern Sunsari district, rai, magar and tamang people, indigenous to the eastern hills of Nepal, have found an ingenious use for the allo plant (Girardiana diversifolia). They have culturally and socially determined uses for the plant as food, fodder and medicine, but they have also been earning their livelihood by making fabric and clothing from this plant. At the local level, they derive allo fibers from the plant to make sacks, bags, coarse clothes, fishnets and namlo (headstraps to carry load) which is sold in the local market or in some cases is bartered for food or other necessary items in some rural communities. On a more macro level, the allo fibers are outsourced to the capital city of Kathmandu where various items made from allo fiber are prepared and exported from Nepal as handlooms and handicrafts. Keywords: Handloom; allo; fibers; Sunsari district; Nepal. DOI: 10.3126/kuset.v5i1.2853 Kathmandu University Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology Vol.5, No.1, January 2009, pp 136-142

Factors Related to Defaulters and Treatment Failure of tuberculosis Patients in the DOTS Program in the Sunsari District of Eastern Nepal

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate reasons underlying failure to complete DOTS treatment in TB patients in Dharan and the Sunsari district of eastern Nepal. Methods : A descriptive, qualitative study using semi structured questionnaires after identifying cases from register data. Results were then compared with the results of informal recorded discussions, direct observation, and focus group discussions. All defaulter and treatment failure TB patients in the DOTS program in Sunsari district from July 2002 to July 2003 were included in the study. Results : All of the defaulter patients in this study were struggling financially, and said that they had trouble leaving work to go to the DOTS centre, as well as difficulty with distance and transport. Other issues such as alcohol, stigma, poverty, inadequate education and the use of private clinics and traditional healers were discussed. Conclusion : Almost half the Nepalese population is infected with TB. Despite meeting the WHO goals for default and treatment failure it is important to aggressively address those aspects that can be changed so the country can continue to reduce the burden of TB on its community. Recommendations are made from the results of this study that may help improve adherence to DOTS programmes. Keywords : tuberculosis; Nepal; DOTS; defaulter; compliance DOI: 10.3126/saarctb.v6i1.3061 SAARC J. Tuber. Lung Dis. HIV/AIDS 2009 VI (1) 25-30

Fisheries Communities and Resource-Use Pattern: Chimdi Lake and its Surrounding Wetlands

The study was carried out among the fisheries dependent communities of Chimdi lake area, Sunsari district. Major stakeholders of fisheries communities in this lake and its surrounding areas, their expectations and role were identified. Keywords: Chimdi lake, Fisheries Community, Wetlands, Sunsari districtdoi:10.3126/on.v2i1.323Our Nature (2004) 2: 35-39

Report of Molluscs from Chimdi lake (Birju Tal), Sunsari district, Eastern Nepal

Molluscs from Chimdi lake have been reported. Ten species of Gastropod representing seven families and four species of bivalves representing two families are described here.Keywords: Molluscs, Chimdi lake, Sunsaridoi:10.3126/on.v2i1.325Our Nature (2004) 2:45-46

Pattern of Distribution of Malocclusions in Patients Seeking Orthodontic Treatment at BPKIHS from Sunsari District of Nepal

Setting: College of Dental Surgery, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Sunsari, Nepal. Aims: To evaluate the pattern and distribution of malocclusions in patients seeking for orthodontic treatment from Sunsari district of Nepal. Material and Methods: Total of 350 patients who were permanent inhabitants of Sunsari district of age range 8-36 years were included in the study. A standard format was prepared to record the data. Descriptive statistics for mean, standard deviation and frequencies were calculated. Ages and Class I, II and III malocclusions were cross tabulated to check for any relationship using ANOVA. Intra investigator error was calculated using kappa statistics. Results: The prevalence of Class I, II and III malocclusions were 62.28 %, 29.4%.and 8.2% respectively. Out of 350 cases studied for various occlusal traits the nature of distribution of various occlusal findings were: absent teeth-12.6%, supernumerary teeth-2.9% ectopic eruption-7.1%, midline diastema-16%, incisor crowding-52.9%, spacing-30%, malformations-3.1%, increased overjet (&gt;4mm)- 42.3%, anterior open bite . 5.1% and deep bite (&gt;4mm )- 40 % and cleft lip and palate was 0.28%. Most prevalent age group seeking orthodontic treatment was 12-24 years with females to male ratio of 2.3:1 Comparison of mean ages with different malocclusion groups using ANOVA was statistically not significant. Conclusion: Class I malocclusion was the most prevalent followed by Class II malocclusion and the Class III malocclusion showed least prevalence. There were diverse occlusal traits. Keywords: Malocclusion; Angle’s Classification; Sunsari; BPKIHS

Physico-Chemical Studies on Chimdi Lake of Sunsari District during its Restoration Stage

Chimdi Lake was ecologically a valuable site but due to the exploitation, almost all parts of the Lake changed into a terrestrial habitat. The issues of lake conservation have been brought into light recently and the work for rehabilitation; protection and conservation have been initiated by local peoples. Water quality plays an important role in determining the biodiversity of any water body. Various physico-chemical parameters such as atmospheric temperature, water temperature, transparency, total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, humidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide, total alkalinity, acidity, total hardness, calcium hardness, calcium, magnesium and chloride were estimated on monthly basis from March 2004 to February 2005. Physico- chemical values revealed that the lake is a suitable site for the habitat of aquatic lives.DOI: 10.3126/on.v8i1.4337