Four years profile of cases of as asphyxial death autopsied at Ghulam Muhammad Mehar Medical College / Hospital Sukkur

History of Asphyxial death is as old as human history. Homicide is oldest crime in human civilization and was started from murder of abel by the hand of cane. Homicide can be done by using mechanical asphyxia like, throatling, smoothering, and hanging. Similarly suicide can be done by means of hanging where throatling by one self is rare. In small children, old and feeble people smoothering is choice of homicide. Retrospective study. This study was carried out in the office of additional police surgeon and Forensic Medicine Department of Ghulam Muhammad Mehar Medical College Sukkur [GMMMC], of asphyxial death from 2007 to 2010. This retrospective study includes results of hundred autopsy examination carried out in the office of additional police surgeon and Forensic Medicine Department of Ghulam Muhammad Mehar Medical college Sukkur [GMMMC], of asphyxial death. Total period of study was four Years so that from 2007 to 2010. The study revealed that the individual in the third decade of life are maximally involved the ligature was a single loop in 77.7% cases and multiple in 22.3% cases. The most frequent non specific sign was congestion seen in 70% cases and petecheal haemorrhage in 78% cases. The hyoid bone was fractured in 30 cases. The associated injuries found were physical and sexual in nature in 73% of cases. The vast majority of cases of asphyxial death were as a result of strangulation, both manual and by means of rope [ligature]. Associated injuries of physical nature were present in 68% of cases. This reveals the cruelty of the criminals towards human being

Serum zinc level in patients with liver cirrhosis

To determine the serum zinc level in patients with liver cirrhosis. This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad Sindh, Pakistan. All patients above 12 years of age, of either gender and known [diagnosed] cases of liver cirrhosis were further evaluated for their serum zinc level. The data was analyzed in statistical software [SPSS] and the p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. One hundred twenty seven cirrhotic patients with means age 42.7559 +/- 15.8894 were evaluated and assessed. The serum zinc was low in 69% patients. According to Child-Pugh classification 72% zinc deficient cirrhotic subjects were in class C, 16% in class B and 12% in class A. 94% subjects had hepatitis C virus infection, 4% had hepatitis B virus infection and 2% had history of alcoholism. The serum zinc level was low in patients with liver cirrhosis

Frequency and pattern of herpes zoster at Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad [six months hospital based descriptive study]

Objective: to determine the frequency and pattern of herpes zoster at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad

Patiehts and methods: this hospital based descriptive study of six months was carried out at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad [Sindh] Pakistan; from March 2008 to August 2008. All patients who were above 12 years of age, attended the dermatology OPD and were diagnosed as cases of Herpes Zoster were evaluated and enrolled in the study. The diagnosis was established by history and relevant clinical examination. The data were collected on pre-designed proforma, saved and analyzed in SPSS version 10.00. The frequency and percentage of herpes zoster was calculated by detecting the number of positive cases while the pattern was assessed through prodromal, presenting symptoms, dermatome involved and observation of certain complications

Result: one hundred and ten patients were diagnosed as herpes zoster infection with mean age 38.9 +/- 10.79 years. Majority [80%] of the patients was presented in the Department of Dermatology and 76% were males. The most common prodromal symptom was paresthesia in 40 patients, itching in 35 patients, fever and headache in 20 patients, tingling in 15 patients, watering from eyes in 12 patients and burning in 10 patients. The dermatomes involved were thoracic in 78 patients, trigeminal nerve in 12 patients, lumber in 10 patients, cervical in 08 patients, and sacral in 02 patients. The complications seen were secondary infection in 42 [38%] patients, scarring in 18 [16%] patients, and post-herpetic neuralgia [PHN] in 15 [14%] patients

Conclusion: herpes zoster is a common viral infection and can be prevented when necessary by patient isolation and passive prophylaxis with varicella-zoster immune globulin. An experimental live vaccine also prevents varicella, but problems regarding its virulence for immunosuppressed patients and the durability of the protective response are still being addressed

Frequency, pattern and etiology of nosocomial infection in intensive care unit: an experience at a tertiary care hospital

Nosocomial infection is defined as an infection which develops 48 hours after hospital admission or within 48 hours after being discharged. The objectives were to assess the frequency of nosocomial infection in patients admitted to intensive care unit [ICU] and to determine the etiological factors in such patients. It was an Observational Study and conducted in Intensive Care Unit, Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad Sindh Pakistan from January 2008 to November 2008. All patients above 16 years of age admitted in the ICU for more than 48 hours and developed clinical evidence of infection that did not originate from patients' original diagnosis at the time of admission, were included in the study. Data was entered in a proforma and analyzed using SPSS version 10.0. During the study period, 97 out of 333 patients acquired nosocomial infection. The frequency of nosocomial infection was 29.13%. Respiratory tract infection was seen in 29 [30.1%], urinary tract infection in 38 [39.1%] and blood stream infection in 23 [23.7%] patients. Other infections we identified were skin, soft tissue, wound and gastrointestinal tract infections. Patients admitted in intensive care unit are at more risk of acquiring nosocomial infection from different sources. It is suggested that proper nursing care, sterilization and disinfection of instruments and equipment and careful handling of invasive procedures are the best tool to control these life threatening infections