Monitoring the human rights situation of people with disabilities is a necessary step to evaluate whether the constitutional, legal and policy framework in place are adequate and effective on the ground, as well as to determine the degree... more
Monitoring the human rights situation of people with disabilities is a necessary step to evaluate whether the constitutional, legal and policy framework in place are adequate and effective on the ground, as well as to determine the degree of human rights violations affecting the lives of persons with disabilities in the country. It felt urgent need to develop a sustainable system to ensure that disability rights data collection to be carried out which is achieved by the implementation of DRPI tools and method and building monitoring capability within Nepalese disability rights movement through National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal.
The DRPI holistic monitoring project aims at monitoring the human rights situation of people with disabilities in Nepal. It scrutinize an evidence based information on implementation status of laws and policies within the country that protect and promote the human rights of persons with disabilities in conjunction with personal experiences, societal attitude with the information published in media outlets.
Written by:
Birendra Raj Pokharel, Dhurba Gnawali, Yubaraj Kattel,Mukunda Dahal, Jagadish Prasad Adhikari
Polymers currently utilized for tissue engineering applications do not possess surfaces with nanostructured features. However, the tissue that the polymers will replace is composed of proteins that have nanometer dimensions. Undoubtedly,... more
Polymers currently utilized for tissue engineering applications do not possess surfaces with nanostructured features. However, the tissue that the polymers will replace is composed of proteins that have nanometer dimensions. Undoubtedly, in situ, cells are accustomed to interacting with surface roughness values in the nanometer regime due to the presence of such proteins in natural tissue. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to design, synthesize and evaluate (using in vitro cellular models) poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) with nanostructured surface features to serve as the next generation of more efficient tissue engineered materials. For this purpose, nanostructured PLGA was created by treating conventional PLGA with various concentrations of NaOH for select periods of time. To eliminate surface chemistry changes created though the etching process, PLGA was cast from silastic molds of NaOH-treated nanostructured PLGA. Results provided the first evidence of increased numbers of vascular cells (specifically, endothelial and aortic smooth muscle cells) and bladder smooth muscle cells on nanostructured compared with conventional PLGA substrates. For this reason, the present results suggest, for the first time, that PLGA should incorporate a high degree of nanostructured surface roughness to enhance tissue regeneration for vascular and bladder applications.
Osteoblast (bone-forming cell) and chondrocyte (cartilage-synthesizing cell) adhesion on novel nanostructured polylactic/glycolic acid (PLGA) and titania composites were investigated in the present in vitro study. Nanostructured polymers... more
Osteoblast (bone-forming cell) and chondrocyte (cartilage-synthesizing cell) adhesion on novel nanostructured polylactic/glycolic acid (PLGA) and titania composites were investigated in the present in vitro study. Nanostructured polymers were created by chemically treating micron-structured PLGA with select concentrations of NaOH for various periods of time. Dimensions of ceramics were controlled by utilizing either micron or nanometer grain size titania. Compared with surfaces with conventional or micron surface roughness dimensions, results provided the first evidence of increased osteoblast and chondrocyte adhesion on 100 wt% PLGA films with nanometer polymer surface roughness dimensions. Results also confirmed other literature reports of enhanced osteoblast adhesion on 100 wt% nanometer compared with conventional grain size titania compacts; however, the present study provided the first evidence that decreasing titania grain size into the nanometer range did not influence chondrocyte adhesion. Finally, osteoblast and chondrocyte adhesion increased on 70/30 wt% PLGA/titania composites formulated to possess nanosurface rather than conventional surface feature dimensions. The present study, thus, provided evidence that these nanostructured PLGA/titania composites may possess the ability to simulate surface and/or chemical properties of bone and cartilage, respectively, to allow for exciting alternatives in the design of prostheses with greater efficacy.
We report here an unusual case of post-traumatic isolated sixth nerve palsy occurring while nursing the patient in trendelenburg position. This is the first case to be reported in the available literature of posture induced delayed onset... more
We report here an unusual case of post-traumatic isolated sixth nerve palsy occurring while nursing the patient in trendelenburg position. This is the first case to be reported in the available literature of posture induced delayed onset isolated post-traumatic sixth nerve palsy and highlights importance of avoiding head down position while nursing patients with head injury.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jkmc.v3i1.10921Journal of Kathmandu Medical College Vol. 3, No. 1, Issue 7, Jan.-Mar., 2014, Page: 32-33
Introduction: Neonatal period is the most susceptible period of life due to different causes, which in most cases are preventable. Every year millions of neonates are born and a large proportion of them are admitted to the neonatal... more
Introduction: Neonatal period is the most susceptible period of life due to different causes, which in most cases are preventable. Every year millions of neonates are born and a large proportion of them are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for various indications. One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce under five mortality by two thirds by 2015. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the clinical profile, pattern of diseases and common causes of mortality and morbidity in neonates admitted to NICU. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at level III Neonatal NICU of a tertiary -care teaching hospital from January, 2012 to December, 2012. Results: Total of 361 neonates were admitted in NICU. Eighty six neonates (23.8%) were admitted due to prematurity and 73 (20.2%) with birth asphyxia. Among birth asphyxia, 40(54.8%)were in HIE III, 27.4% and 17.8% in HIE II and HIE I, respectively. One hundred eighteen (32.6%) cases were...
ABSTRACTConventionally, studies investigating the design of synthetic bladder wall substitutes have involved polymers with micro-dimensional structures. Since the body is made up of nano-structured components (e.g., extracellular matrix... more
ABSTRACTConventionally, studies investigating the design of synthetic bladder wall substitutes have involved polymers with micro-dimensional structures. Since the body is made up of nano-structured components (e.g., extracellular matrix proteins), our focus has been in the use of nano-structured polymers in order to design a three-dimensional synthetic bladder construct that mimics bladder tissue in vivo. In order to complete this task, we fabricated novel, nano-structured, biodegradable materials to serve as substrates for bladder tissue constructs and tested the cytocompatibility properties of these biomaterials in vitro. The results from our in vitro work to date have provided the first evidence that cellular responses (such as adhesion and proliferation) of bladder smooth muscle cells are enhanced as poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) surface feature dimensions are reduced into the nanometer range.
ABSTRACT A reduction of material consumption in thin-film photovoltaic devices can make solar energy economically more viable. However, since thin films essentially absorb less light, there is an imminent need for existing technology to... more
ABSTRACT A reduction of material consumption in thin-film photovoltaic devices can make solar energy economically more viable. However, since thin films essentially absorb less light, there is an imminent need for existing technology to improve light harvesting. We present an effective approach of better light absorption, enhanced photocurrent generation and therefore higher quantum efficiency of poly (3-hexylthiophene): 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl) propyl-1-phenyl-[6, 6]-methanofullerene (P3HT:PCBM) bulk heterojunction photovoltaic/photodetector devices. We have integrated a thin semi-continuous gold film (SCGF) (~20nm) sputtered at percolation threshold between the active P3HT:PCBM layer and the indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrode. At critical metal concentrations, i.e. percolation threshold, the light reaching the SCGF undergoes a broadband trapping with characteristic time of 200 fs, through complex interactions with fractal gold clusters. This thin SCGF together with the ITO serves as an anode. The interface between SCGF and the polymer represents the metaldielectric composite (MDC) that supports broad-band surface plasmon resonances that store electromagnetic radiation at the nanoscale and acts as an effective bulk type of concentrator without the need of increasing the photovoltaic device physical collection area. Here we report a six-fold enhancement in the integral quantum efficiency over the solar spectrum for device employing plasmon-active gold layer. Such enhancement is an important contribution for the future design of more efficient photodetecting/photovoltaic devices. The experimental results are supported by the theoretical modeling of metal-dielectric composites by block elimination method in 3D. The AC and DC responses of MDC, local field distribution, broad optical response and photon trapping in the percolating MDC were numerically calculated.
ABSTRACTBiomaterials that successfully integrate into surrounding tissue should match not only the tissue's mechanical properties, but also the dimensions of the associated nano-structured extra-cellular matrix (ECM) components. The... more
ABSTRACTBiomaterials that successfully integrate into surrounding tissue should match not only the tissue's mechanical properties, but also the dimensions of the associated nano-structured extra-cellular matrix (ECM) components. The goal of this research was to use these ideals to develop a synthetic, nano-structured, polymeric biomaterial that has cytocompatible and mechanical behaviors similar to that of natural vascular tissue. In a novel manner, poly-lactic acid/polyglycolic acid (PLGA) (50/50 wt.% mix) and polyurethane were separately synthesized to possess a range of fiber dimensions in the micron and nanometer regime. Preliminary results indicated that decreasing fiber diameter on both PLGA and PU enhanced arterial smooth muscle cell adhesion; specifically, arterial smooth muscle cell adhesion increased 23% when PLGA fiber dimensions decreased from 500 to 50 nm and increased 76% on nano-structured, compared to conventional structured, polyurethane. However, nano-structure...
