Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski is a perennial herb, it belongs to the tribe Heliantheae of family Asteraceae. S. trilobata has traditionally been used to treat infections, indigestion and hepatitis; it shows antibacterial, antifungal activity (1). To standardize and differentiate the species anatomical features such as anatomy of nodes, petioles and leaves and dermatological parameters were screened. In addition to these parameters the species were screened phyto-chemically for major chemical groups such as volatile oil, starch, proteins, tannin, saponins, fats, glucosides and alkaloids.

Increasing peer-pressure for publishing research articles accounts for the several instances of misconducts in the form of fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, salami slicing and authorship related issues. Advancement in technology has not only enabled the process of speedy publications but also the detection of unethical practices. Instances of paper retraction and suspension of authors is leading to loss of trust among researchers. A continuous training on research ethics needs to be encouraged from the level of universities and research institutes. This article aims to imbibe a sense of responsibility among authors, reviewers, editors and publishers in making correct ethical decision in research publication in order to achieve a healthy research outcome.

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the use of contraceptive methods among women seeking safe abortion services in a family planning center, Kathmandu. Methods: It was a descriptive cross sectional study undertaken among 119 women seeking safe abortion services from August 18 to September 2018 at Marie Stopes Center, Gongabu, Kathmandu. Non- probability purposive sampling technique was adopted and data were collected through face to face interview. The collected data was analyzed by SPSS version 16 using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Results: Among a total of 119 respondents enrolled in the study, a total of 90 (75.64%) women used post abortion contraceptive methods. Among them, nearly half (44; 48.9%) had used oral contraceptive pills and least users were IUCD (19; 14.4%). More than half (67; 56.3%) had terminated the current pregnancy due to the reason of completed family. Almost three-fifth of them (50; 57.47%) had history of discontinuation of family planning methods in the past due to side effects. Similarly, almost three-fifth (68; 57.1%) had preferred medical abortion for termination of the current pregnancy. There was statistically significant association between post abortion contraceptive use with educational level (p=0.01), parity (p=0.000), contraceptive use in past (p=0.012), plan of future pregnancy (p=0.001), and family planning discussion with husband/partner (p=0.000). Conclusion: There is an increasing trend in the use of some forms of post-abortion contraceptive measures in Nepal from 56.0% in 2014 to 75.64% in 2018 after surgical or medical abortion. Among the post-abortion contraceptive non-users, more than half denied use of post-abortion contraceptives due to fear of side effects. Hence, raising the knowledge, attitude, practice and social awareness of post-abortion contraceptive use among women of reproductive age groups would certainly reduce undue fear of the use of post-abortion contraceptive use, its side effects and also help to raise the acceptance and compliance of its use.

Endophytes are unknown symbionts that live in plant tissues without indicating their presence. The association of endophytes with plants is well established. They not only help in water and mineral uptake but also play an important role in metabolic activities of certain plants. Endophytes play an imperative role to maintain the health of plants, as they can protect or prepare the plant against abiotic and biotic stresses and help in enhancing growth and yields. In present investigation about endophytes in plants, Indian laburnum (Cassia fistula L.), a flowering plant found mostly in India and South Asia belonging to legume family of angiosperm was used. Traditionally the leaves of plant are used for skin diseases, burning sensation, dry cough, dysentery, inflammation, fever etc. Isolates from leaves collected from Aurangabad district of Marathwada region in India showed the presence of fungal endophytes. Fungal strains like Phyllosticta fallopiae, Colletotrichum cobbittiense and Diaporthe brasiliensis was found.

Introduction: Birth defect refers to any abnormality of physical structure or form or function of prenatal origin, whether genetic or not, which is present at birth. Congenital birth defect is one of the causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality especially in developed countries. Studies of congenital birth defects are useful to establish baseline data, document changes over time and identify clues to etiology. This study was aimed to determine the overall prevalence of newborns with congenital birth defects, outcomes of those babies at birth, modes of delivery as well as various organ systems involved. Methods: It is a short term observational study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan from July, 2016 to December, 2016 after ethical approval. All the intramural deliveries after 22 weeks of gestation in six months were looked for gross congenital birth defects soon after birth through meticulous examination. Antenatal sonographic documentation of fetal anomalies was noted and correlated after birth. The birth defects were categorized according to the ICD10th Revision of birth defects. Results: During the study duration, there was a total of 6,496 births out of which 26 babies had birth defects. All the babies were delivered to mothers of age less than 35 years with no history of parental consanguinity. 11 (42.3%) babies were born to mothers with no folic acid supplementation and three (11.5%) babies had ambiguous sex. Most of them (22; 84.6%) were alive at birth and majority of them born vaginally (19; 73.0%) and had normal birth weight (18; 69.2%). Majority of them had defects detected incidentally after delivery (19; 73.0%) and were non-lethal. The most common birth defect was related to central nervous system (12; 46.15%). Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of congenital birth defects was 0.4%. Majority of the birth defects (73.0%) were detected after delivery. Most of the babies with defects (84.6%) were alive at birth and non-lethal. The most common birth defects were related to central nervous system (46.15%). Hence, preconceptional counselling and folic acid supplementation are recommended for prevention, termination for lethal defects and surgical repairs of non-lethal defects for viable newborns after delivery.

2-Thiopyridine has been used for the synthesis of 2-pyridones. Aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction has been utilized for the transformation of 2-pyridine into 2-pyridones. Reusability of the released dithiol into generation of 2- thiopyridine explores reactivity of thiol as a template in synthesis of pyridine core. The present method explores making 2-pyridone derivatives utilizing 2-thiopyridines whereas thiol act as a template for pyridine synthesis.