Purpose: To determine the association of postpartum depression with domestic violence experiences among women in Asia. Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is an important cause of maternal morbidity as well as mortality. There is increasing evidence that domestic violence (DV) increases the risk of PPD. Methods: We performed literature searches using the databases PUBMED, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar, for studies published between January 2010 and May 2019. The keywords "postpartum", "postnatal", "depression", and "violence" were used. Observational studies conducted within Asia, and written in the English language, were included. Results: In the 38 studies included in this review (with 37,087 participants), the prevalence of PPD ranged between 8.2% to 70% and that of DV between 6.1% to 67.4%. There were 1.6 to 7.1 higher odds of PPD among sufferers of DV. Intimate partner violence (IPV) was the most relevant factor that women experiencing psychological abuse (which was the most prevalent form of IPV) were more at risk for, and violence/intimidation by other family members was also associated with PPD. Domestic violence increased the risk of suicidal ideation in PPD. Discussion: The findings of the review unequivocally shows the association between domestic violence and PPD. Maternal mental health is a neglected area of healthcare in many parts of Asia. Likewise, domestic violence is a readily recognized, but inadequately addressed social issue. We recommend that healthcare workers be trained to recognize and support the women who are vulnerable to violence and depression during pregnancy and postpartum. Policies need to be developed at national and global levels to tackle these issues with utmost urgency.

Introduction: Road Traffic Accidents have emerged as the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. The burden of road traffic accidents has escalated gradually in Nepal and is a common cause of injury and trauma. The study aims to identify the prevalence of road traffic accidents in the emergency department. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among hospital records of cases admitted to the emergency department of tertiary care hospital between March to August, 2020. Ethical approval was taken from the ethical review board of College of Medical Sciences (reference number: 2020-035). Information was collected through pro-forma and hospital records. Convenience sampling was done. The data were entered in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 24 and analysed using descriptive statistics. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. Results: Among 4050 cases presenting to the emergency department, 228 (5.6%) (4.9-6.3 at 95% Confidence Interval) cases of road traffic accidents were seen. The most common injuries involved were soft tissue injury 90 (39.47%) and head injury 77 (33.77%). Most patients admitted to the hospital were male 178 (78.07%) aged 21 to 30 years 79 (41.38%). The vehicles mostly involved in the accidents were motorized two-wheelers 120 (50.6%) and pedestrians 51 (22.4%). Conclusions: The prevalence of road traffic accidents was similar to the findings from similar studies. Strengthening the capacities of the pre-hospital care and emergency department is necessary along with preventive intervention in public to reduce such health burden.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the strain of coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness. COVID-19 has now become a global public health crisis causing alarming numbers of morbidity and mortality. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started scientists, researchers, universities, companies, and institutions all around the world have been endeavoring to discover a potential treatment for COVID-19. Numerous studies and clinical trials on vaccines and drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 are underway across the world. However, the uncertainty around the efficacy and safety of various treatment regimens have become one of the biggest challenges in the battle against the SARS-CoV-2. This paper is a narrative review of articles regarding the various treatments and vaccines being tested for the SARS-CoV-2, available in the PubMed database along with Google Scholar. There are ongoing clinical trials on potential drugs such as remdesivir, favipiravir, lopinavir/ritonavir, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine, corticosteroids tocilizumab, azithromycin, anakinra, etc. and other therapeutic modalities like convalescent plasma therapy. Likewise, vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are being developed and tested, including mRNA, non-replicating viral vector, DNA, protein subunit candidate vaccines, etc. Although some early-stage clinical trials and studies on these drugs and vaccines have shown positive results, definitive and conclusive results are yet to be obtained. Keywords: COVID-19; antiviral drugs; COVID-19 treatment; COVID-19 vaccine; SARS-CoV-2

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Background: COVID-19 has put huge impact on our day to day life. Needless to say, the lockdown has hugely affected the education system as well. The purpose of this study was to assess students’ perceptions and attitude toward virtual learning among undergraduate and graduate students of Nepal. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study using Google form was conducted among 438 undergraduate and postgraduate students of various universities of Nepal under various academic programs. A structured questionnaire consisting of 15 items (5-point Likert scale) was distributed to the students using Google Form. Data was collected from October 2020 to December 2020. Data was analyzed by using SPSS and analyzed using descriptive statistical tools. Results: Among 438 students, more than half of the students had a positive attitude towards virtual learning. Most of the students used Zoom as a mode of application in virtual learning. More than one-third of the students found online classes effective only for theoretical subjects rather than numerical and practical subjects. More than 70% of students agreed that virtual learning could be taken as an alternative source for learning in the future. More than half of the students faced the problem of the internet during virtual learning. Conclusions: The significance of virtual learning is rising as the academic year has been disrupted due to COVID-19. Although online learning is a new method of learning that is being adapted due to COVID-19, the satisfaction level of most of the students was found to be good. The students agreed on using the distance learning approach in the future to enhance their knowledge.