Parental stress often has long-term consequences for offspring. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects and how they are shaped by conditions offspring subsequently experience are poorly understood. Telomeres, which often shorten in response to stress and predict longevity, may contribute to, and/or reflect these cross-generational effects. Traditionally, parental stress is expected to have negative effects on offspring telomeres, but experimental studies in captive animals suggest that these effects may depend on the subsequent conditions that offspring experience. Yet, the degree to which parental stress influences and interacts with stress experienced by offspring to affect offspring telomeres and survival in free-living organisms is unknown. To assess this, we experimentally manipulated the stress exposure of free-living parent and offspring house sparrows (
Passer domesticus
). We found a weak, initial, negative effect of parental stress on offspring telomeres, but this effect was no longer evident at the end of post-natal development. Instead, the effects of parental stress depended on the natural sources of stress that offspring experienced during post-natal development whereby some outcomes were improved under more stressful rearing conditions. Thus, the effects of parental stress on offspring telomeres and survival are context-dependent and may involve compensatory mechanisms of potential benefit under some circumstances.
The interaction between human and wildlife sharing same resources often result negative outcomes and are referred as the human wildlife conflict which affects not only humans but also the wild species. Such conflicts, especially from the mega-herbivores such as elephants has become one of the major management challenges for the Chitwan National Park (CNP), Nepal. Spatial and temporal patterns of human elephant conflict (HEC) in the buffer zone of CNP were analyzed using park data and questionnaire survey conducted among three hundred and ninety residents of thirteen buffer zone user committees (BZUC) within Chitwan district from October 2016 to May 2017. Five hundred and forty-three HEC incidents including three human deaths and two human injuries were reported in BZUC from January 2013 to April 2017. Crop damage was found to be the most common type of damage caused by elephants and were higher during post-monsoon. Property damage incidents were higher during the winter season. There was a negative association between the number of HEC incidents and distance from the forest edge of the national park. However, no significant relation of HEC incidents was observed with average monthly temperature and rainfall. Despite of increasing HEC incidents, majority of people (77%) had positive attitude towards elephant conservation and considered elephants as nation’s treasure.
The antenatal screening of HIV in all women is becoming an integral part of routine antenatal checkup in Nepal, by prevention of parent to child transmission (PPTCT) program. The aim was to analyze the response to implementation of PPTCT program in a peripheral hospital and to study the involvement of husbands for counseling and testing. Data of 3360 women attending the antenatal clinic from January 2010 to December 2010. Data of husband counseling and testing was also analyzed. Acceptability of the test after pretest counseling is 99 %. Women attended post test counseling and collected reports in 58.6%. Sero prevalence of HIV was 0.73% of which 62.5% came for post test counseling. Only 10 % of husbands of total antenatal cases came for counseling of which 6.6% got tested. The acceptability of the test after pretest counseling is satisfactory but the follow up for the post test counseling is to be improved. There is need to enhance male involvement to make husband friendly antenatal clinic.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jcmsn.v7i3.6707 Journal of College of Medical Sciences-Nepal, 2011, Vol-7, No-3, 36-38
Animals inhabiting colder climates have a larger body size (Bergmann’s rule) and smaller body extremities (Allen’s rule), which help homeothermic animals to retain heat. Such ecogeographical phenomena have frequently been observed in animals along the latitudinal gradient and have occasionally been tested along the elevational gradient. This study tested whether these ecogeographic rules hold true for the morphology of sparrows (Passer spp.) along the elevational gradient offered by the Himalaya in central Nepal. Seventy house sparrows and twenty-eight tree sparrows were captured from 22 different localities of central Nepal between 100 and 3400 m asl, and morphological traits such as body size (body mass, tarsus length, wing length and tail length) and body extremities (bill length and bill width) were measured. Linear regression analysis was used to test the association of morphological measurements with elevation and climatic variables. House sparrows (Passer domesticus) had a wider elevational distribution range and exhibited significantly larger body sizes than the Eurasian tree sparrows (P. montanus). House sparrows had larger body sizes and smaller bills at higher elevations in adherence to Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule. Bill length in house sparrows showed a positive association with the temperature following the proposition of Allen’s rule. However, the morphological measurements in Eurasian tree sparrows did not show a distinct pattern with elevation and climatic variables. Therefore, this study concludes that ecogeographical phenomena such as Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule could be species-specific based on their biological and ecological characteristics.
Epilepsy is commonly found neurological disorder in developing countries where huge treatment gap exists. Amongst many etiologies, neuroinfection is found to be prevalent in developing countries. We designed a self-structured goal directed questionnaire and interviewed 20 consecutive patients with epilepsy.We also collected their clinical symptoms and neuroimaging reports. 70 % were males. Majority (30%) had neuroinfection (20% neurocysticercosis and 10% meningitis). Eighty percent of patients had a belief on traditional healer. Epilepsy in Nepal still remains a big challenge. Public awareness to reduce infections may help in reducing seizure incidence and prevalence in developing countries like ours.
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