Leptospirosis is a globally distributed zoonosis with varied clinical outcomes and multiorgan involvement in humans. In this study conducted from July 2011 to December 2011, 178 serum samples from patients suspected of leptospirosis were tested by Panbio IgM ELISA at National Public Health Laboratory, Kathmandu, out of which 51 (28.65%) were positive for anti-Leptospira IgM antibody. Leptospirosis was more common in people in their 2nd and 3rd decades of their life which together comprised 56.86% of the total positive cases. Most of those tested positive were farmers followed by students and housewives. Both animal contact and water contact seemed to play significant roles in disease transmission. Symptoms were vague with the most common being fever, headache, myalgia, abdominal pain, vomiting, jaundice, and diarrhoea. Life style heavily dominated by agronomical and farming activities in Nepal is conducive to leptospirosis transmission. Leptospirosis seems to be a significant public health problem in Nepal but is underestimated. In resource poor countries like Nepal where laboratories performing MAT or maintaining cultures are rarely available, serological test like ELISA could well depict the scenario of the disease prevalence.

The study was conducted to find the net carbon stock in the Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in Bagdaila Chisapani community forest of Dang district, Nepal. The inventory was done by a stratified sampling technique with 0.5% sampling intensity taking into account the woody plants with ≥ 5cm DBH. A total of 49 sample plots of radius 8.94m and 5.64 were established to measure tree biomass and sapling biomass respectively in the forest. The mean above-ground carbon (AGC) was 160.4 t ha-1 and the mean below-ground carbon (BGC) was 24.1t ha-1. The mean total carbon stock in the study area was estimated to be 99.02 t ha-1; of which maximum carbon stock of 143.51 t ha-1 was found in block number 5. Sal was the major tree species in the CF. The biomass and carbon content in this forest is found quite low as compared to other studies in the Sal forest and other tropical forests which were due to the presence of tree stands of less diameter and height. This study would be helpful in the long-term management of forests, planning, and research purposes. The data from this study could also be taken as a reference document for the participation of community forests in carbon accounting under the REDD+ scheme in Nepal.

Objective The purpose of this cross-sectional study conducted in different private and public sector hospitals of the major cities of Nepal and Pakistan was to compare and evaluate the antibiotic prescribing patterns. Methodology  The data was collected based on prescriptions received from different hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan and Kathmandu, Nepal without much interaction with the patients. Results Out of a total of 272 patients, 111 (40.8%) patients from Nepal and 161 (59.19%) patients from Pakistan were prescribed with 447 antibiotics. In both countries, out of total antibiotics prescribed, 42.30% were 3rd generation cephalosporins. Also, in Pakistan and Nepal, out of all the indications, 49.2% of the antibiotics were given in medical prophylaxis. Conclusion  In Pakistan, the antimicrobial prescription rate is comparatively higher than Nepal, and in both countries, there is a need of proper implementation of antibiotic prescribing guidelines for the prescription of antibiotics and the administration of antibiotics in medical prophylaxis.