Burden of human metapneumovirus infections among children with acute respiratory tract infections attending a Tertiary Care Hospital, Kathmandu.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are one of the most common causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Every year millions of children suffer from viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) ranging from mild to severe illnesses. Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is among the most frequent viruses responsible for RTIs. However, HMPV infections and their severity among children have not been explored yet in Nepal. PURPOSE: Therefore, the study was focused on HMPV infections and other potential viral etiologies or co-infections using multiplex PCR among children attending Kanti Children's Hospital and assessed the clinical characteristics of the infections as well as found the co-infections. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was designed and a convenience sampling method was used to enroll children of less than 15 years with flu-like symptoms from both outpatients and inpatients departments over three months of the study period. RESULTS: HMPV infection (13.3%) was the most predominant infection among the different viral infections in children with ARIs in Kanti Children's Hospital. The HMPV was more prevalent in the age group less than three years (21.8%). Cough and fever were the most common clinical features present in all children infected with HMPV followed by rhinorrhea, sore throat, and wheezing. HMPV-positive children were diagnosed with pneumonia (42.9%), bronchiolitis (28.5%), upper respiratory tract infections (14.3%), and asthma (14.3%). The prevalence of HMPV was high in late winter (14.3%) followed by early spring (13.5%). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the baseline information on HMPV and associated co-infection with other respiratory viruses for the differential diagnosis based on molecular methods and also the comparison of clinical presentations among the different respiratory syndromes.

An Update on S100A16 in Human Cancer.

S100A16 is a member of the S100 protein family. S100A16 is expressed in a variety of human tissues, although at varying levels. S100A16 expression is especially high in tissues rich in epithelial cells. mRNA and protein levels of S100A16 have been reported to be differentially expressed in the majority of human cancers. Functionally, S100A16 has been linked to several aspects of tumorigenesis, for example, cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Accordingly, S100A16 has been suggested to have both tumour-promoting and suppressive roles in human cancers. S100A16-mediated cellular functions are suggested to be mediated by the regulation of various signaling pathways/proteins including EMT-related proteins E-cadherin and Vimentin, PI3K-AKT, p53, MMP1-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, JNK/p38, etc. In addition to the functional roles, expression of S100A16 has been suggested to have prognostic potential in various cancer types. The aims of this review are to summarise the expression profile, identify common molecular partners and functional roles, and explore the prognostic potential of S100A16 in human cancers.

Binocular vision findings in normally-sighted school aged children who used digital devices.

PURPOSE: To determine the binocular vision status in normally-sighted school aged children who used digital devices. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at B.P. Koirala Lions Center for Ophthalmic Studies, Kathmandu, Nepal for a duration of one year. One hundred and eighty school aged children (71 female and 109 male) aged 7 to 17 years were included in the study. All the children underwent detailed ophthalmic and binocular vision examinations. The duration of the use of digital devices by the children were asked to either the parents or guardians present at the time of the study. The study participants were divided into two groups: children who used digital devices for the last six months (users group) and those who hadn't used digital devices for the last six months (non users group). The users group was again divided into two subgroups: children who used digital devices for less than 3 hours per day and a day per week (low digital device users subgroup) and children who used digital devices for more than 3 hours per day and all days in a week (high digital device users subgroup). RESULTS: Accommodative amplitudes, accommodative facility, and positive fusional vergence for both near and distance were significantly reduced in the high digital device users group than in the low digital device users subgroup (p <0.01). Stereo acuity, near point of convergence, and negative fusional vergences for both near and distance were not statistically significantly different between the two subgroups. Prevalence of accommodative and vergence anomalies (except convergence insufficiency) was more in the high digital device users subgroup than in the low digital device users subgroup (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Children who used digital devices for a significantly greater amount of time had significantly reduced amplitudes of accommodation, accommodative facility, and positive fusional vergence both at near and distance.