Germination patterns and seedling growth of congeneric native and invasive Mimosa species: Implications for risk assessment.

Comparisons of plant traits between native and invasive congeners are useful approaches for identifying characteristics that promote invasiveness. We compared germination patterns and seedling growth of locally sympatric populations of native Mimosa himalayana and two varieties of invasive M. diplotricha (var. diplotricha and var. inermis) growing in southeastern Nepal. Seeds were germinated under a 12-h photoperiod or complete dark, low (25/15°C day/night) and high (30/20°C) temperatures, different water stress levels (0, -0.1, -0.25, -0.5, -0.75 and -1.0 MPa), and soil depths (0, 2, and 4 cm). Plant height, biomass allocations, and relative growth rate (RGR) of seedlings were measured. Invasive M. diplotricha had higher germination percentage, rate, and shorter germination time compared with the native species. Germination of both congeners declined as water stress increased, but the decline was more pronounced in native species. Seedling emergence declined with increasing depth in all taxa. The seedlings of invasive species were taller with higher leaf number and allocated greater proportion of biomass to shoot, whereas the native congener allocated greater biomass to root. The RGR was nearly twice as high in invasive species as it was in the native congener. Seedling height and number of leaves were always higher in invasive than in native species, and the native-invasive differences increased over time. Better germination and higher growth performance of invasive species than the congeneric native one suggests that seed germination and seedling growth can be useful traits for the prediction of species' invasiveness in their introduced range during risk assessment process.

Effect of menstrual status on lipid profile: A cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal.

Background: The ovarian follicular cell's degradation and subsequent decrease in the synthesis of estrogen results in the decreased cardiovascular protection. As a result, the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases in postmenopausal women and is characterized by change in lipid profile. This study sought to ascertain the extent of the impact that menstrual status might have on lipid profiles among premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 260 premenopausal and postmenopausal women (1: 1) and serum lipid component concentrations (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), and total cholesterol (TC)) were measured. A comparison between two groups was made between premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and regression was carried out to estimate the effect of menstrual status on lipid components. Results: Compared with premenopausal women, the concentrations of the lipid components (HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, and TC) were found to be significantly higher in postmenopausal women. Using the linear regression, menstruation status was able to predict 11.7%-13.3% of the lipid components (TG and TC) when age and weight were adjusted. Conclusion: The difference in lipid components between premenopausal women and postmenopausal women exists, with menstrual status explaining 11.7%-13.3% variance for the observed lipid level. The factors influencing the lipid profile beside the menstrual status should also be explored. External intervention such as estrogen replacement therapy is also recommended in case of deviation of lipid profile from the suggested normal clinical range.

Multimorbidity in Diabetic Patients Admitted to a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Multimorbidity is defined as the co-occurrence of two or more chronic conditions in the same individual. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus rarely occurs without coexisting diseases. With an increasing elder population and longevity, elder adults have a higher prevalence of chronic morbidity, thus increasing the chances of experiencing more than one non-communicable chronic condition, where the impact of multimorbidity is greater than the cumulative effect of the single condition. The study aimed to find out the prevalence of multimorbidity in diabetic patients admitted to a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted utilising hospital records of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted to the Department of Medicine from 1 April 2021 to 1 April 2022. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee of the same institute (Reference number: 12082022/07). The diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetic patients aged more than 18 years and confirmed with serum glucose levels were included in the study. Convenience sampling was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Out of the 107 diabetic patients, multimorbidity was present in 75 patients (70.10%) (61.42-78.77, 95% Confidence Interval). Conclusions: The prevalence of multimorbidity is higher than the similar studies done in similar settings. Keywords: co-morbidity; diabetes mellitus; multimorbidity; osteoarthritis.

Clinico-pathological Spectrum of Oral Cavity Lesions at a Tertiary Care Center in Central Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world. The disease burden is increasing at an alarming rate in developing Southeast Asian countries. This study aims to report the histopathological spectrum of oral cavity lesions at a tertiary cancer center in central Nepal. METHODS: This study included all those cases of oral cavity lesions, of which diagnostic biopsy was done from January 2018 to December 2019. The data were retrieved from the Department of Pathology of BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital. The study proposal was approved by the Institutional Review Committee at BPKMCH (Ref: 247/2020) on 28th June 2020. Convenience sampling was done. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 851 cases of oral cavity lesions were included in this study. The mean age of the study population was 55.9 years, with male to female ratio of 3:1. Malignant lesions composed of 472 (55.5%) cases followed by premalignant lesion of 104 (12%). More than 453 (95%) malignant cases were squamous cell carcinoma, of which 342 (75%) were a well-differentiated type. The buccal cavity is the most common site of malignant lesion 212 (45%), followed by tongue 96 (20%) and lower gingivobuccal region 86 (18%). CONCLUSIONS: Malignant lesions are the most common histopathological findings in the oral cavity lesion with squamous cell carcinoma type. Oral cancer is common cancer that can be prevented and cured if detected early.