ABSTRACT
Radioactive iodine is widely used for the treatment of various thyroid disorders. Safety issues are often a source of worry and anxiety for the patients, their families and comforters. The patients are advised to restrict their social and work related activities. The work presented in this study describes the results of a structured survey conducted on patients visiting our hospital. The total number of patients inducted was 419. The patients were asked about their housing conditions, family set up, number of children, travelling modes and travelling time back to home. The hospital leaving exposure rates from the patients were measured and radiation doses to others were estimated. Patients residing in joint family system were 93%. The measured dose rate at one meter were 5.7, 11.0, 15.7, 18.7, 23.0 and 28.0 micro Svh-1 for the administered [131]I activity of 185, 370, 555, 740, 925 and 1100 MBq respectively. The corresponding radiation doses to others from the patient were estimated as 0.76, 1.53, 2.29, 3.06, 3.82 and 4.58 mSv. The patients using public transport were 78.04% whereas 21.96% used private transport. There were 11.93% of the patients with no children and 88.07% of the patients had children residing with them. It was observed that 1.67% of the patients had no toilets at home and 98.33% had multiple toilets available. The radiation protection advice and regulatory requirements need to be formulated keeping in view the individual patient life styles and other living conditions
ABSTRACT
Chronic Otitis media with Cholesteatoma is a destructive lesion of middle ear and mastoid region. In a series of 122 patients with established diagnosis of atticoantral disease, clinical characteristics of consecutive 74 patients with cholesteatoma otitis media were compared with 48 patients with chronic otitis media without cholesteatoma [Controls]. The patients answered a questionnaire, preoperative and perioperative clinical observations were recorded. There were no specific presenting symptoms or clinical signs that could distinguished the cholesteatoma patients. However, these patients had a significantly higher incidence [32%] of previous middle ear surgery than the control patients [18%]. Aural bleeding was reported in higher number in controlled cases [8.5%] as compare to cholesteatoma cases [1.3%]. Pars flaccida perforation was noted in 94% [80% isolated] in cholesteatoma patients. Extracranial complications e.g. mastoid abscess, postaural fistula, mastoiditis and otitis externa was note in 6.7% and 4% respectively in cholesteatoma and control group. The percentage of labyrinthitis and facial nerve affection was 11% and 4.1% in cholesteatoma cases respectively against 6% and 2% in control group. The cholsteatoma was not evident until the time of surgical exploration in as many as 28% of cases. Therefore surgical exploration appears to be the reliable and safest way to identify cholesteatoma
ABSTRACT
To prepare low-cost quality controls [QC] human serum and scientifically evaluate its advantages/disadvantages when compared with commercially available sera. The home made QC serum was prepared as per WHO recommended protocol from four healthy volunteers. It was screened for HIV, HCV and HBV, pooled together and stabilized with ethylene glycol. The initial 40 values were used for calculation of means, SDs and CVs for seventeen routinely measured analytes and results were compared with those of commercially available lyophilized human sera. The average concentrations of seventeen commonly analyzed constituents were found to be near the middle of the physiological range of healthy subjects and the home made serum could be a good substitute for the commercial serum of normal range. The narrower CVs of the analytes imply a lesser vial to vial variation in the home made sera. Additional advantages include easy preparation, no need for reconstitution and lower cost. Home made serum is a good substitute for the commercial serum of the normal range especially in developing countries like Pakistan