Kartagener's syndrome

Lower respiratory tract infections are a common problem in our society. In recurrent lower respiratory tract infections the cause may be either general impairment of immune mechanism, abnormalities of mucus or abnormalities of cilia. We report a case where the patient was having recurrent lower and upper respiratory tract infections and had situs inversus totalis. The present case i.e. Kartagener's syndrome is an inherited disorder transmitted in autosomal recessive manner with variable penetrance. Although there is no specific treatment for this condition, failure to recognize the condition may subject the patient to unnecessary repeated admissions and investigations and inappropriate treatment

Mortality rate in adult tetanus patients in district D. I. Khan, NWFP - Pakistan

This study was conduct to know about the real and present situation in our set up where tetanus still remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality despite free availability of a safe and effective vaccine. The study was conducted in medical unit of DHQ teaching hospital D. I. Khan over a period of four years. A total of 150 cases of tetanus were studied with 120 patients being males and 30 females. Diagnosis of tetanus was based on clinical examination. The patients were given conventional therapy for tetanus and comparison was made with other studies. Among these 150 patients of tetanus, 29 [19.3%] patient died, 22 being males and 7 females. Mortality rate in adult patients with tetanus is lower than reported in most other studies

Impact of class attendance upon examination results of students in basic medical sciences

A number of studies have shown the impact of attending the classes during the session on examination results of students. Students with good lecture attendance show good results while those with poor lecture attendance are at risk for poor performance in the examinations. In this study we wanted to test this in students of basic medical sciences in our set up. All the students in Basic Medical Sciences of Gomal Medical College, D.I. Khan, Pakistan, during the session 1999-2000 were enrolled for this study. Performance of these students in one of their three annual term tests, which covered duration of studies for four months, from February 2000 to May 2000, was analyzed. Students were grouped into two, Group-A with =75% attendance and Group-B with <75% attendance. The frequency of failure in the two groups was compared using the chi square test. Results of the term test showed that the percentage of failure in students of Group-B with less than 75%, attendance was significantly higher when compared to Group-A with equal or more than 75% attendance. Our results supported the previous studies showing that attendance in the classes during teaching sessions had a direct impact on performance of students in the examinations. Students with good attendance show good results while those with poor attendance are at risk for poor performance during examinations in basic medical sciences