The status of laokhowa wildlife sanctuary, Assam, India.

Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Nagaon district of Assam, India between the latitudes 26030 /N to 26032 / N and longitude 92040 / E to 92047 / E in the flood plains of the river Brahmaputra. The Sanctuary is about 25 km from Nagaon town, the district headquarter of the Nagaon district .The Sanctuary is located just in the central part of the state of Assam. It is situated in the extreme northern boundary of Nagaon district and the southern boundary of Sonitpur district. It is bounded by Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, Lawkhowa suti, Haldia suti, and Mara suti in the north, Nagaon –Silghat PWD road in the east, Leterijan in the south and forest road in the west. The soil is mainly clayey loam mixed with silt. The soil is acidic and pH varies from 4.36-6.86. The average annual rainfall remains around 2000 mm and about 70% occurs during June-September. The relative humidity varies between 65-95% and is lowest during the month of March. The present paper deals with the present status of the Sanctuary. The present study reveals the presence of 373 species of Angiosperms. The dicotyledonous plants belong to 74 families, 178 genera and 267 species, and the monocotyledonous to 18 families, 80 genera and 106 species. In addition to this 16 species of ferns were identified these belong to 12 families and 15 genera. Poaceae is the largest family in the sanctuary followed by Euphorbiaceae and Papilionaceae as the 2nd and 3rd largest families respectively.

Plasma level of antioxidant nutrients (retinol and alphatocopherol) in cases with different grades of cervical carcinoma.

A study was conducted on 23 patients on various grades of cervical cancer, selected purposely from Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Vitamin A and E level of this histologically proved cases showed mean serum level of vitamin A was 0.41 +/- 0.19 and that vitamin E was 4.21 +/- 2.15, and these low level was constant in all Histopathological grading of cervical cancer. Contraceptive user and smoker had very low level of vitamin A and E. Majority (51%) of the cases, were from lower middle class and 49% were from lower class, seventy seven percent were illiterate, 97% were married before 18 years, 57% had more than 6 children, 71% did not use contraceptive. The availability of vitamin A rich food were within reach of lower income group, than the food source of vitamin E which are usually of animal origin. It is concluded that in cervical cancer had low level of antioxidant vitamins A and E. Further study is indicated for understanding detail antioxidant nutrients role in aetiopathology of cervical cancer in Bangladesh.

A new combination chemotherapy for recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Thirty seven Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with recurrence after first remission induced by radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy with mustine, oncovin, procarbazine and prednisolone (MOPP) were randomised to treat with a new combination chemotherapy comprising of doxorubicin, oncovin, procarbazine and prednisolone (DOPP). While the other group received further cycles of MOPP. Twenty two patients received DOPP and out of them 14 (63.6%) showed complete remission (CR). Other group of 15 patients were treated with further cycles of MOPP and among them two (13.3%) showed CR. However, the overall response rate including CR and partial remission (PR) in both the groups were almost same, 90.9% with DOPP and 86.6% with MOPP. It is concluded that DOPP combination is satisfactory and most likely superior to MOPP for producing CR in patients treated with radiotherapy and/or MOPP.

Cancer morbidity.

In the present study, 1736 cases of cancer has been analysed by major sites, sub-sites and mortality trend. The most common cancerous lesion in the male was in the lungs and in the female in the uterine cervix. The second common lesion in male and female were larynx and breast respectively. In children, retinoblastoma was the commonest type of cancer.