Status of ecotourism in Nepal: a case of Bhadaure-Tamagi village of Panchase area.

This study was conducted with an aim to assess the status of ecotourism in terms of tourism demand, tourist characteristics, and strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analysis. For this, the study was conducted in Bhadaure-Tamagi village of the Panchase Protected Forest Area of Gandaki Province, which was planned to be developed as an important tourist destination for tourists visiting Pokhara because of its cultural and natural importance. Mixed-method research approach was implemented in this research for data collection and analysis. One hundred and twenty-two tourism stakeholders (30 hoteliers, 40 homestay owners, and 52 tourists) were surveyed for quantitative data collection and analysis along with seven key informant interviews (KII) for qualitative data collection and analysis. It was observed that the current demand for accommodation facilities in the Bhadaure-Tamagi village was 23,390 bed nights per annum. The tourism demand in terms of tourism revenues estimated through this study amounted to a total of US$10,763.67 per year. The occupancy rate of accommodation facilities at Bhadaure-Tamagi village was a mere 20%, which is well below the national and international average. Despite outstanding ecotourism opportunities and a necessary regulatory framework in place, the SWOT analysis revealed that the tourism sector development is not satisfactory. In the current situation, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had adversely affected the ecotourism in the area. So, tourism promotional activities need to be focused by following appropriate health, hygiene, and safety measures.

Patterns of Macular Edema in Uveitis as Diagnosed by Optical Coherence Tomography in Tertiary Eye Center.

AIM: The aim of the study is to classify the patterns of uveitic macular edema using Optical Coherence Tomography as a diagnostic tool. METHODOLOGY: It is the Descriptive, cross-sectional study. All patients fulfilling the diagnostic criteria with Optical coherence tomography diagnosed macular edema were enrolled from 1 January 2012 to 30 June 2013. Patterns of uveitic macular edema were classified. RESULTS: A total of 65 eyes of 47 patients were included. Twenty eight (59.57%) were male. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. The mean age was 38 years (SD 14.68). Twenty nine patients (61.71%) had unilateral involvement and 18 (38.29%) had bilateral involvement. Forty five eyes of 33 cases (69.23%, 70.21%) had intermediate uveitis, followed by 10 eyes of 7 cases (15.38, 14.9%) of posterior uveitis, 6 eyes of 5 cases (9.23%, 10.63 %) of anterior uveitis and 4 eyes of 2 cases (6.16%,4.2%) of pan-uveitis. Patterns of macular edema were classified: diff use macular edema (DME), cystoid macular edema (CME) and serous retinal detachment (SRD) of which 35 (53.84%) eyes had CME. The etiological diagnosis was found in 7(14.90 %) out of 47 patients. CONCLUSION: A significant percentage of cases were idiopathic. Macular edema may go unnoticed unless OCT is performed. Macular detachment is an important feature of macular edema that affects visual acuity and is not readily detected by Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is safe and non-invasive technique and has the potential for measuring changes in retinal thickness and axial extent of edema.

AmpC and extended spectrum beta-lactamases production among urinary isolates from a tertiary care hospital in Lalitpur, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Production of AmpC and extended spectrum beta-lactamases among urinary isolates has created a serious problem to the successful management of the urinary tract infection. The main purpose of this study was to determine the rates of the extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production and AmpC beta-lactamase (ABL) production among urinary isolates. RESULTS: Among total 564 urinary isolates, 514 (91.1%) were gram negative bacilli and 50 (8.9%) were gram positive cocci. E. coli (76.1%) was the most common bacteria isolated. Staphylococcus aureus (6.7%) was the predominant gram positive bacteria isolated. 35 (6.8%) of the 514 gram negative bacilli were ESBL producers. Similarly, 14 (2.7%) of the gram negative bacilli were ABL producers. Only one isolate was ESBL and ABL co-producer. Highest rate of susceptibility of gram negative bacteria was seen toward amikacin (97.3%) followed by imipenem (94.4%). Similarly, highest rate of susceptibility among gram positive cocci was seen toward vancomycin (100%) followed by amikacin (93.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Low rates of AmpC and extended spectrum beta-lactamases production in comparison to other previous studies were reported. On the basis of the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the bacteria we reported in our study, amikacin, imipenem and nitrofurantoin can be used for the preliminary treatment of urinary tract infections caused by gram negative bacteria and vancomycin and amikacin for treatment of urinary tract infections caused by gram positive bacteria.