Objective: Autonomic dysfunction qualifies a major public health problems owing to their high prevalence and incidence globally. Among many predisposing factor of autonomic neuropathy such as age, gender, genetic, diabetes etc, obesity also has significant . impact Although a lot of progress has been achieved in past decade on accessibility and awareness about health, the obesity remains impending and burgeoning health concern in Nepal. With this trend, we can foresee that the Body Mass Index (BMI) one of the commonly used indirect measure of obesity, might potentially turn out to be one of the leading factor of autonomic dysfunction. Methods: 100 healthy subjects were screened and divided into 2 groups- Group I (BMI>30) and Group II (BMI< 30). Height & weight were measured & BMI was calculated. Resting heart rate (RHR) was recorded with Lead II of ECG. Blood pressure (BP) and Heart Rate (HR) were recorded in supine position and on immediate standing. Cold pressure test (CPT): Resting BP was recorded in sitting position. Then the subjects were asked to immerse the hand in cold water, and the BP was measured from other hand. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16 (Statistical Package for Social Science). Result: Our result showed that RHR of Group I (79.32±4.22) was higher than that of Group II (74.38±7.26). However, on student –T test, BP and HR response to immediate standing (P=0.34 &P=0.23 respectively) were non-significant between group I and group II person. When the correlation was done for the change in BP in response to CPT in between obese and non-obese person it was found to be significant (P=0.04). Conclusion: Our data suggests that the BMI can be a predictor of autonomic dysfunction.

Forest fire is considered as the most persistent terrestrial disturbance affecting ecosystems, natural resources and threats to human life. Nepal predominantly faces forest fires during dry seasons (November-June) with increasing trend in the recent years that need proper management interventions. In line to this, our paper aims at assessing fire risk zones in four districts of central Nepal representing different geographical characteristics, through hotspot analysis and further proposing potential fire stations. Data acquired from Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) was projected through the Projected Coordinate System and integrated into ICOUNT for hotspot analysis using Neighbor Count Tool and Getis-Ord Gi* tool, Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) technique and neighborhood function for proposing fire stations from ArcGIS. It was observed that hotspots and cold spots are demonstrated by points with the values 6.969622 > z > 0.926061 (red) and -1.705619 < z < -0.926060 (blue). Likewise, in terms of physiography, Chure zone has the highest concentration of hotspots followed by Terai whereas cold spots are mostly concentrated in the Hilly region. In order to mitigate the problem of forest fire, establishment of fire stations for the areas with road access is pertinent, while in areas with poor, or without road access, formation of Forest Fire Management Committee (FFMC) is recommended. These management interventions can serve as a milestone for prevention and control of forest fire in the days to come, for Nepal.

Aim: Obesity is associated with the metabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure, body fat abnormality, and glucose intolerance which may influence the morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. The present study is to determine the correlation of common anthropometric indices of obesity with blood pressure among population in mid-western region of Nepal. The result will provide us insight on relevant anthropometric indices for predicting hypertension based on linear correlation calculated from our data. Methods: We screened 500 healthy subjects to study the correlation between anthropometric indices and blood pressure.Result: Our result showed strong correlation between Sum of Skin fold, waist circumference, and waist hip ratio with blood pressure (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial blood pressure). However some of the anthropometric indices like hip circumference and body mass index did not have significant correlation with blood pressure. Conclusion: Provided obesity related morbidity and mortality is burgeoning in our society it is imperative to identify right indicators of cardiovascular disease for specific population. Relevant anthropometric indices can serve as excellent indicators if used based of scientific validation. JNGMC, Vol. 14 No. 2 December 2016, Page:70-74