A Nepalese bipolar case amidst risk and protective factors during COVID‐19 pandemic

Bipolar disorder is a chronic and recurring psychiatric illness. Emphasis on enhancing key protective factors like social support systems and promoting this to minimize risk factors like non‐compliance is one of the key strategies tied to enhance overall psychological, intellectual, and emotional health for symptoms remission and relapse prevention even during adverse situations like the COVID‐19 crisis. We intend here to point out implication of the dynamics of the protective and risk factors for bipolar mood through a 23‐year patient from eastern Nepal, which is largely harmonious in its multi‐ethnic, multilingual and multicultural social composition. This attribute of social cohesiveness and compassion is evident in this case report. When disturbed and ill, neighbors from native semi‐urban Nepalese society did support even in the times of crisis of COVID‐19 pandemic. The support of other people including neighbors is a key factor for the short‐term and long‐term management of bipolar mood.     

Clinical profile of falciparum malaria in a tertiary care hospital

Falciparum malaria presents with protean manifestations and is associated with a variety of complications and has a high mortality. One hundred and fifty-eight consecutive cases of falciparum malaria were studied with respect to the clinical presentation, complications, and response to treatment. The mean age of patients was 38.60 +/- 15.45 years and majority of them were males i.e., males being 110 (69.62%) and females being 48 (30.37%). The commonest presenting manifestations were fever with chill and rigor (98.10%), altered sensorium (48.10%), algid malaria (18.35%), and jaundice (27.21%). The other presenting features being oliguria (6.96%) and bleeding manifestations due to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (4.43%). The frequently encountered complications were anaemia (74.68%), jaundice (40.50%), cerebral malaria (45.56%), thrombocytopenia (40.50%) and renal failure (24.68%). Most of the patients i.e., 126 (79.74%) recovered with treatment and 32 (20.25%) succumbed. Higher mortality was associated with higher parasite count, presence of complications like anaemia, jaundice, renal failure, DIC, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and septicaemia. Most of the deaths were encountered in patients where there was delay in clinical diagnosis, in the pre-hospital phase, and consequent presentation in multiorgan failure. Early diagnosis and institution of specific therapy were rewarding in the remaining patients in this series.     

Associations between betel nut (Areca catechu) and symptoms of schizophrenia among patients in Nepal: A longitudinal study

Betel nut is one of the mostly widely used substances in the world, particularly across Asia. Arecoline, a partial muscarinic agonist, has been hypothesized to have beneficial effects on both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. This study aims to further explore associations between betel use and symptoms of schizophrenia in a 4-month longitudinal study in Nepal. Sixty Nepali patients with schizophrenia were recruited from regional outpatient clinics. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Social Adaptation Self-Evaluation Scale were used to assess symptoms and social functioning in regular betel users and non-users. No significant group differences or dose–response relationships were noted on either initial or follow-up assessments. Stratifying by sex also failed to reveal an association between symptoms and betel use, which stands in contrast with previously reported data from Micronesia. There were no differences seen in social functioning other than a significantly higher proportion of betel users holding jobs. It was also noted that significantly fewer betel chewers were taking anti-cholinergic medication, which may tentatively indicate a potentially therapeutic role in the future for partial muscarinic agonists in the treatment of medication-induced movement disorders.     

Cross-cultural gene− environment interactions in depression,post-traumatic stress disorder,and the cortisol awakening response: FKBP5 polymorphisms and childhood trauma in South Asia

Abstract

Despite increased attention to global mental health, psychiatric genetic research has been dominated by studies in high-income countries, especially with populations of European descent. The objective of this study was to assess single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FKBP5 gene in a population living in South Asia. Among adults in Nepal, depression was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), and childhood maltreatment with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). FKBP5 SNPs were genotyped for 682 participants. Cortisol awakening response (CAR) was assessed in a subsample of 118 participants over 3 days. The FKBP5 tag-SNP rs9296158 showed a main effect on depressive symptoms (p = 0.03). Interaction of rs9296158 and childhood maltreatment predicted adult depressive symptoms (p = 0.02) but not PTSD. Childhood maltreatment associated with endocrine response in individuals homozygous for the A allele, demonstrated by a negative CAR and overall hypocortisolaemia in the rs9296158 AA genotype and childhood maltreatment group (p < 0.001). This study replicated findings related to FKBP5 and depression but not PTSD. Gene–environment studies should take differences in prevalence and cultural significance of phenotypes and exposures into account when interpreting cross-cultural findings.     

Impact and cost-effectiveness of a universal strategy to promote physical activity in primary care: population-based Cohort study and Markov model

Background

This study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of a universal strategy to promote physical activity in primary care.

Methods

Data were analysed for a cohort of participants from the general practice research database. Empirical estimates informed a Markov model that included five long-term conditions (diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, colorectal cancer and depression). Simulations compared an intervention promoting physical activity in healthy adults with standard care. The intervention effect on physical activity was from a meta-analysis of randomised trials. The annual cost of intervention, in the base case, was one family practice consultation per participant year. The primary outcome was net health benefit in quality adjusted life years (QALYs).

Results

A cohort of 262,704 healthy participants entered the model. Intervention was associated with an increase in life years lived free from physical disease. With 5 years intervention the increase was 52 (95 % interval ?11 to 115) per 1,000 participants entering the model (probability increased 91.9 %); with 10 years intervention the increase was 102 (42–164) per 1,000 (probability 99.7 %). Net health benefits at a threshold of £30,000 per QALY were 3.2 (?11.1 to 16.9) QALYs per 1,000 participants with 5 years intervention (probability cost-effective 64.7 %) and 5.0 (?9.5 to 19.3) with 10 years intervention (probability cost-effective 72.4 %).

Conclusions

A universal strategy to promote physical activity in primary care has the potential to increase life years lived free from physical disease. There is only weak evidence that a universal intervention strategy might prove cost-effective.