Publications by authors named "Laxman Shrestha"

Objective: Different definitions of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy may lead to under or overtreatment. The aims of this study were to (1) define population-based pregnancy-specific reference ranges for thyroid dysfunction during early pregnancy in Nepal and assess the impact of antibody positivity, (2) quantify the diagnostic impact of population-based reference ranges compared with current practice and (3) assess the determinants of thyroid function and antibody positivity.

Methods: A total of 800 healthy pregnant women aged 20-40 years in the Bhaktapur municipality were included.

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  • Brick kiln workers in Nepal are often overlooked and face high exposure to harmful silica, yet few use personal protective equipment (PPE) to safeguard their health.
  • A study conducted in Bhaktapur revealed that only 28.9% of surveyed workers used respiratory PPE, with many lacking awareness about silicosis and the effectiveness of proper protective gear.
  • Key factors influencing PPE use included higher household income and education levels, highlighting the need for improved education and resources to address knowledge gaps and encourage safety practices.
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  • - Brick kilns produce harmful emissions that negatively impact air quality and the health of nearby workers and residents, with limited evidence on the extent of these effects; a systematic review was conducted to analyze the pollution and its health consequences.
  • - Out of 104 studies reviewed, the majority were from South Asia, focusing on key pollutants like particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO), and carbon monoxide (CO), with common health issues including respiratory problems and musculoskeletal disorders among brick kiln workers.
  • - The findings showed that traditional brick kilns emitted higher levels of PM and CO compared to improved designs, and while brick kiln workers generally had poorer health outcomes than unexposed individuals, the overall quality of the studies was low, indicating
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Introduction: Hospital-based studies have demonstrated topical applications of sunflower seed oil (SSO) to skin of preterm infants can reduce nosocomial infections and improve survival. In South Asia, replacing traditional mustard with SSO might have similar benefits.

Methods: 340 communities in Sarlahi, Nepal were randomised to use mustard oil (MO) or SSO for community practice of daily newborn massage.

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Background: The polio eradication endgame required the withdrawal of Sabin type 2 from the oral poliovirus vaccine and introduction of one or more dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) into routine immunisation schedules. However, the duration of single-dose IPV immunity is unknown. We aimed to address this deficiency.

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  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major health issue in low- and middle-income countries, with health systems not adequately prepared for its rising prevalence.
  • A study involving 239 participants in Nepal, Peru, and Uganda tested a community health worker-supported self-management program against standard care over one year, focusing on various health outcomes including the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score.
  • Results showed no significant improvement in the SGRQ scores between the two groups after one year, with higher hospitalizations in the intervention group, suggesting the need for a reevaluation of strategies to effectively manage COPD in these settings.
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  • The OptImms trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of adjusted vaccination schedules that can accommodate new vaccines for infants while maintaining adequate antibody levels against pertussis and other diseases.
  • Conducted in Nepal and Uganda, this study involves randomizing infants into different groups based on various factors like the timing and number of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine doses, with the main outcome being the measurement of antibodies against pertussis at booster doses.
  • The results of this research will help guide future policies for childhood vaccination schedules, potentially leading to more efficient immunization practices globally.
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Background: Vitamin B12 is required for healthy infant growth and development, but low and marginal vitamin B12 status is endemic in low-income and middle-income countries. We aimed to measure the effect of vitamin B12 supplementation from early pregnancy until 6 months post partum on infant growth and neurodevelopment.

Methods: In this community-based, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned (1:1) 800 pregnant women (aged 20-40 years) who were up to 15 weeks pregnant-recruited from home visits and outpatient departments at three hospitals in Nepal-to daily supplementation with 50 μg oral vitamin B12 or placebo until 6 months postpartum.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of daily life worldwide, but the impact may be higher for impoverished populations. The main aim of this study is to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different aspects of daily life in mothers in Nepal. We included 493 mothers of children aged 54-71 months participating in a randomized controlled trial on vitamin B12 supplementation.

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Background: Biomass fuels are still in use for cooking by many households in resource poor countries such as Nepal and is a major source of household air pollution (HAP). Chronic exposure to HAP has been shown to be associated with shorter telomere length in adults.

Objectives: To measure the association between exposure related to household biomass fuel in infancy and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) at 18-23 months of age among 497 children from Bhaktapur, Nepal.

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Background: Biomass fuel use for cooking is widespread in low to middle income countries. Studies on the association between biomass fuel use and cognitive abilities in children are limited.

Objective: To examine the association between biomass fuel use for cooking and cognitive abilities in Nepalese children at 4 years of age.

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The applicability of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been extensively studied throughout the world with remarkable findings. This study reports the presence and reduction of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of Nepal, along with river water, hospital wastewater (HWW), and wastewater from sewer lines collected between July 2020 and February 2021. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 50%, 54%, 100%, and 100% of water samples from WWTPs, river hospitals, and sewer lines, respectively, by at least one of four quantitative PCR assays tested (CDC-N1, CDC-N2, NIID_2019-nCOV_N, and N_Sarbeco).

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The most critical period for brain development is before a child's second birthday. Standardised tests measuring neurodevelopment are more reliable when administered after this period. Severe vitamin B deficiency affects brain development and function.

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Background: In Nepal, it is estimated that about 3 million children under 5 years of age are prone to diarrhea and previous studies have shown rotavirus as the major etiological agent. Given the high burden of rotavirus, Rotarix® vaccine was introduced in the national immunization schedule in July 2020. This study was carried out in a tertiary health center from January- September 2018 to determine the burden of rotavirus diarrhea as well as genotypic variations in the circulating virus prior to vaccine introduction in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Importance: Most of the global morbidity and mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with significant economic effects.

Objective: To assess the discriminative accuracy of 3 instruments using questionnaires and peak expiratory flow (PEF) to screen for COPD in 3 LMIC settings.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A cross-sectional analysis of discriminative accuracy, conducted between January 2018 and March 2020 in semiurban Bhaktapur, Nepal; urban Lima, Peru; and rural Nakaseke, Uganda, using a random age- and sex-stratified sample of the population 40 years or older.

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The demand for cobalamin (vitamin B12) and folate is increased during pregnancy, and deficiency during pregnancy may lead to complications and adverse outcomes. Yet, the status of these micronutrients is unknown in many populations. We assessed the concentration of cobalamin, folate and their functional biomarkers, total homocysteine (tHcy) and methylmalonic acid (MMA), in 561 pregnant women enrolled in a community-based randomised controlled trial in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

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Background: Children born with low birth weight (LBW) tend to have lower neurodevelopmental scores compared to term normal birth weight children. It is important to determine factors that influence neurodevelopment in these low birth weight children especially in the first 2-3 years of life that represents a period of substantial brain development.

Methods: This secondary data analysis was conducted using data from LBW infants enrolled soon after birth in an individually randomized controlled trial (RCT) and followed up till end of 1st year.

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The Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3) is becoming a widely used developmental assessment tool. The ASQ-3 can be completed by the caregivers (referred to as "mail out"), or by trained personnel under direct observation of the children (referred to as "home procedure"). The study was carried out to compare results obtained by the ASQ mail out with those of the ASQ home procedure in a community setting of Bhaktapur, Nepal.

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Background: Vitamin B12 deficiency is common and affects cell division and differentiation, erythropoiesis, and the central nervous system. Several observational studies have demonstrated associations between biomarkers of vitamin B12 status with growth, neurodevelopment, and anemia. The objective of this study was to measure the effects of daily supplementation of vitamin B12 for 1 year on neurodevelopment, growth, and hemoglobin concentration in infants at risk of deficiency.

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Background: Sustained social withdrawal in infancy may have organic and nonorganic causes and could hinder normal development. The Alarm Distress Baby (ADBB) scale is a widely validated screening tool of social withdrawal in children 2-24 months. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the full and modified ADBB in Nepalese infants in a community-based study.

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Cysteine is a semi-essential amino acid that has been positively associated with growth in children. However, transgenerational effects remain unclear. The aim of this analysis was to assess whether maternal plasma total cysteine (tCys) concentration is associated with various growth indicators in infants living in peri-urban settings in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

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Coronavirus disease 2019, the new public health emergency that originated in China, is spreading rapidly across the globe with limited tools to confine this growing pandemic. The virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is transmitted by droplet infection from person to person. Our current understanding of the disease spectrum is limited.

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Influenza is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the World Health Organization highly recommends maternal vaccination during pregnancy. The indirect effect of maternal vaccination on other close contacts other than newborns is unknown. To evaluate this, we conducted a nested substudy between 2011 and 2012 of influenza and acute respiratory illness (ARI) among household members of pregnant women enrolled in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of antenatal influenza vaccination in the rural district of Sarlahi, Nepal.

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Background: Despite readily availability of vaccines against both Hemophilus influenzae and Pneumococcus, pneumonia remains the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in children under the age of five years in Nepal. With growing antibiotic resistance and a general move towards more rational antibiotic use, early identification of clinical signs for the prediction of radiological pneumonia would help practitioners to start the treatment of patients. The main aim of this study was to reassess the clinical predictors of pneumonia in Nepal.

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Background: Few randomized trials have assessed the impact of reducing household air pollution from biomass stoves on adverse birth outcomes in low-income countries.

Methods: Two sequential trials were conducted in rural low-lying Nepal. Trial 1 was a cluster-randomized step-wedge trial comparing traditional biomass stoves and improved biomass stoves vented with a chimney.

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