Cover Story

Words by Dr Prashant Rijal A one year old boy from Kathmandu, presented at GIH with a history of cough, fever, difficulty in breathing for two days. His physical examination revealed a very severe chest wall in drawing and head nodding, high grade fever and low oxygen level. Chest X …

Close your eyes and imagine a patient with a neurological illness. The image that conjures up in your mind is that of an elderly person with a deformed face, who is unable to speak, who has one arm glued to the chest, and who is gradually dragging his/her weak but …

Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses certain parts of a person’s immune system to fight diseases like cancer. This is a most recent treatment option modality available for cancer patients with fantastic results. Immunotherapy can be done in two ways: i. Stimulating the patient’s own immune system to work harder …

It was during the 2015 earthquake of Nepal, when we felt the need for having open spaces around us. Entire locales used to gather together in the available open spaces when the disaster struck. People were quite afraid to go their houses due to the threat of reoccurring aftershocks. Nepal …

Researchers are trying to answer the question: can we live longer in a healthy way? Investments in life-extending drugs and clinical trials are on the rise regarding the subject. Remarkable innovations in medical care and the wide use of vaccines have been key to increasing life expectancy worldwide. The over-65-year-old …

Antimicrobials—including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics—are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe …

There are increasing cases of dengue virus infection in the valley, and most of the patients are undergoing home-based treatment. As a rule, a small proportion of patients may go into the critical phase and develop severe dengue, which can be life threatening. There are certain signs that patients should …

July 30, 2021: A Disturbing Fact: 50% of Bottled Drinking Water Is Contaminated! The DFTQC tested 27 samples of bottled drinking water in FY 2020/21 and found that 16 were contaminated enough to be unfit for consumption. In the same fiscal year, the department filed cases against 100 firms for …

Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering. Assisted suicide is intentionally helping another person to kill themselves. There are four main types of euthanasia—1. active (the direct administration of a lethal substance to the patient by another party with merciful intent), 2. passive (withholding or …

The endocrine system has eight major endocrine glands, which secrete different hormones that are very potent, with even small amounts having profound effects on metabolic processes. The major glands are: pineal gland, pituitary gland, pancreas, gonads (ovaries and testes), thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, hypothalamus, and adrenal glands. About 50 different hormones …