Russeting is a commercially important disorder of the fruit skin of apples (Malus ×domestica Borkh.). It is thought to result from microscopic cracking of the cuticle on the fruit surface and the subsequent formation of a periderm just below. The study investigates 22 apples cultivars having widely different russeting susceptibilities to determine if susceptibility could be related to the mechanical characteristics of the cuticles at maturity. The mass per unit area of the cuticular membrane (CM), the dewaxed cuticular membrane (DCM), and the cuticle’s wax content all varied significantly among the cultivars examined but no simple correlative relationships with russeting susceptibility could be found. Across all cultivars, the mass of wax per unit area was linearly related to CM mass per unit area (R = 0.77, P < 0.0001). The cuticle of all cultivars was markedly strained as indexed by the release of biaxial strain in the CM on extraction of the wax. The release of biaxial strain was linearly and positively related to wax mass per unit area. Maximum force () in uniaxial tensile tests, strain at maximum force (), and the stiffness (S) differed widely among the cultivars tested, but, again, there were no relationships between these mechanical properties and russeting susceptibility. Wax extraction from the CM decreased the in uniaxial tensile tests, increased , and decreased the S. Our results show that none of the cuticle variables measured at maturity nor any of the isolated-cuticle mechanical properties contributes significantly to russeting susceptibility.

The prevailing havoc due to rapid spread of COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented impact on dental care delivery. With the postponement or cancellation of all routine dental work, other than emergency care, the dental economy has come to a grinding halt. Aerosols and droplets are generated in many dental procedures, so dental professionals are under an enormous risk of occupational exposure to COVID-19. With no clear forays for the restoration of normalcy, the current crisis poses unique challenges to commence and sustain dental practice. Teledentistry has emerged as a panacea to the delivery of health care, with modified approaches promoting a virtual method of consultations, avoiding direct physical contact. Teledentistry can aid in prescreening patients for COVID symptoms, inquiring about travel history or a recent COVID-19 test result, that helps in risk stratification and deferring dental care to protect vulnerable and high-risk groups. But, it is improvident to restrict the utility of teledentistry to this time of pandemic only. Proactive integration of teledentistry in dental practice will enhance the virtual care which will change the way in which dental care services are rendered in the future.

People with cancer are at high risk for coronavirus infection because of immunosuppressive nature of disease itself and adverse effect of treatment. Knowledge and adoption of preventive practice is critical to control the outbreak of infectious disease in vulnerable populations. Hence, this study aimed to identify the awareness, perceived risk and preventive practices regarding coronavirus disease among people with cancer. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 83 cancer patients in Bir Hospital. Total enumeration sampling technique was used to collect data for two weeks and interview schedule was used. Data was analyzed in SPSS version 16, descriptive and inferential statistics was calculated. Out of 83 participants, mean score of knowledge was 37.33±7.5 and 76% of study participants had adequate awareness (>75% of total score) and the mean practice score was 24.6±2.88. None of the study participants were practicing preventive measures as per guidelines of government. The study found that level of awareness was significantly associated with the age of the participants (p=0.04). However, other socio-demographic factors were not associated with awareness. The study concluded that people with cancer had adequate awareness but had inadequate practices on preventive measures as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Population and WHO, which should be mandatory to contain disease outbreak. Therefore, there is an urgent need to focus on the adoption of preventive behaviors for cancer patients.

The initial step in bacterial infection is adherence of the bacterium to the target cell surface. Helicobacter pylori exploits the interaction of bacterial adhesin protein HopQ with human epithelial CEACAMs (CEACAM1, 5, and 6) to stably adhere to gastric epithelial cells, which is necessary for delivery of the H. pylori CagA oncoprotein into the epithelial cells via a type IV secretion system. In contrast to human CEACAMs, however, HopQ does not interact with Ceacam1 (mouse CEACAM1) in vitro or in CHO cells ectopically expressing Ceacam1. Since the mouse genome lacks Ceacam5 and Ceacam6, no significant HopQ–Ceacam interaction may occur in mouse gastric epithelial cells. Here, we found that the mouse stomach has a much lower expression level of Ceacam1 than the expression level of CEACAM1 in the human stomach. Consistently, mouse gastric epithelial cells resist CagA delivery by cagA-positive H. pylori, and the delivery is restored by ectopic expression of human CEACAM1 or CEACAM5 in mouse gastric epithelial cells. Thus, despite the fact that mice are routinely used for H. pylori infection studies, a low expression level of Ceacam1 in the mouse stomach together with the loss or greatly reduced interaction of HopQ with Ceacams make the mouse an inappropriate model for studying the role of H. pylori-delivered CagA in gastric pathogenesis, including the development of gastric cancer.

Pediatric cardiology is an established sphere of modern medicine; however, Nepal presently has limited facilities and skilled practitioners dedicated to this subspecialty of pediatric medicine. The purpose of this review is to analyze present status of pediatric cardiology and children’s heart care in Nepal. Observation of the children consulted and those admitted to the cardiac unit of Kanti Children’s Hospital (KCH), as well as the review of hospital records and existing scientific literature, have revealed that majority of cardiac diseases afflicting Nepalese children originate from infections that are preventable to a great extent. Congenital heart problems are the second leading source of cardiac disease in the Nepalese pediatric population. In order to develop pediatric cardiology as a successful field in Nepal in the coming years, the major issues to address include: early diagnosis, systematizing long-term antibiotic prophylaxis to patients who require it, improving referral and patient transportation securing, funding for the long hospital stays required, expenditure, training health personnel for the tender pre and post-surgical care, and expanding and improving patient and community heart health education. Several national and international organizations could provide important assistance for controlling the preventable and treatable infections associated with pediatric cardiac disease and heart defects as well as care of children with heart problems.Key Words: Children, congenital heart disease, heart, Nepal, pediatric cardiology, rheumatic heart disease.