Oral Hygiene Habits Among 6-12 Year Religious School Students

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices for oral hygiene habits among 6-12 years religious school students Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Stud: This study was carried out at the Department of Community Dentistry, LUMHS, l Jamshoro from 15 July to 10 August 2014. Materials and Methods: Cross sectional research was conducted among the religious students of Madarsa Jamia Ghousia Taheria Matiari [Rural Area] and Mumtaz ul Madaris Hirabad Hyderabad [Urban Area]. Madrasas were selected on convenient bases. Religious students between age group 6-12 year male only were included in the study. All the students were asked the questions from self-administered questionnaire and were ticked the answers. Data were analyzed in statistical package for social sciences [SPSS] version 16. Results: Majority of religious students from rural and urban areas were cleaning their teeth once a day. 36% from rural and 28% from urban areas reported for miswak [chewing stick] followed by tooth brush and tooth powder, no one was using dental floss. 59% reported for occasionally usage of miswak at the time of ablution [wadoo]. Only 10% religious students were rinsing their mouth after meal. 65% religious students were complaining of bad smell. Conclusion: it is concluded that oral health knowledge, attitude and practices [KAP] among study participants were poor and needs to be improved

Radiological appraisal of moderate to severe head injury - medicolegal implications

Objective: To compare the diagnosis of X-ray and CT scan of skull in assigning the correct kind of moderate to severe head injury [Shajjah] for medicolegal [ML] certification, and also the clinical severity of head injury against the medicolegal severity

Study Design: Comparative study

Duration and Setting: Medicolegal Section of Accidents and Emergency Department, Civil Hospital Karachi [CHK] and Radiology Department, Dow University of Health Sciences CHK, From June 2008 to May 2009

Methods: One hundred cases of moderate to severe head injury based on Glasgow Coma score [GCS] of 12 or less, with fractured skull reported for medicolegal certification were included. Those with mild injury [GCS 12 or greater], without fracture of skull, with additional face injury, or non medicolegal cases were excluded. Plain X-rays and CT scan of skull and brain were performed in every case. Radiological findings, GCS, and demographics were noted. Shajjah injury types were assigned according to Qisas and Diyat Act terms. Findings of both modalities were compared for medicolegal and clinical severity of injuries and expressed in numbers and percentages

Results: There were 54 cases of moderate and 46 cases of severe head injury. As against CT scan, plain X rays failed to reveal any injury in 21 cases later diagnosed on CT scan Hashimah [n=4], Munaqillah [n=04], Ammah [09] and Damighah [n=04] hurts. Additionally, X rays under diagnosed 60 cases of Shajjah hurts. Nine cases of Shajjah-i-Damighah were similarly diagnosed on X-ray and CT scan. The mean GCS score was 11.3 +/- 4.1 in Hashimah, 9.4 +/- 3.1 in Munaqillah, 7.8 +/- 4.1 in Ammah and 8.6 +/- 3.3 in Damighah hurt

Conclusion: In comparison with plain X rays, CT scan had superior performance in correctly assigning the ML grade of head injury in the moderate to severely injured case. The cases with higher clinical severity [lower GCS core] did not necessarily have a higher medicolegal grade of injury

Laparoscopic versus inguinal [Ivanissevich] varicocelectomy

To compare the postsurgical outcome of laparoscopic and open inguinal varicocelectomy. Quasi-experimental study. Department of Surgery, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, from July 2003 to June 2007. One hundred seven patients underwent either open inguinal or laparoscopic varicocelectomy. Diagnosis was made by clinical examination and color Doppler scan in doubtful cases. Pre-operative semen analysis was done in all patients. Operative time, postoperative analgesic requirement in number of tablets, hospital stay in days, improvement in semen parameters in subfertile subjects, pain on visual analog score, and postoperative complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. There were 50 patients in each group, with age ranging from 12-50 years [26.9 +/- 7.67 in open inguinal and 26.2 +/- 7.08 in laparoscopic group]. Average operative time was 34.8 +/- 7.89 minutes for open inguinal and 43.8 +/- 8.95 minutes for laparoscopic group. The analgesic requirement was 16.3 +/- 1.58 tablets in the open inguinal and 11.3 +/- 2.23 in the laparoscopic group. Postoperative pain was significantly less in the laparoscopic group. There was statistically significant [p < 0.001] improvement in sperm count as well as motility in both groups irrespective of procedure. The open inguinal [Ivanissevich] procedure and laparoscopic varicocelectomy had almost equivalent postoperative outcomes regarding improvement in semen parameters and postoperative complications. Open inguinal procedure had a shorter operating time while laparoscopic varicocelectomy had the advantage of less analgesic requirement and short hospital stay. On the whole, open inguinal [loupe magnified] varicocelectomy is an effective procedure where availability and costs of laparoscopic instruments are barriers

Varicocelectomy high ligation versus low ligation

To find out the outcome of two modalities in management of varicocele comparing high ligation [Paloma's procedure] and low ligation [Ivanissivich's procedure] This observational descriptive study was carried out in Surgical units of People's Medical College Hospital Nawabshah on 60 patients, belonging to age group of 15 to 36 years from January 2002 to December 2006. Patients with varicocele were divided in two groups of treatment modality equally. Group I comprising 30 patients for high ligation whereas 30 patients were kept in Group II for low ligation. Follow up was carried out for two years but response was poor. Varicocele had been observed on left side in most of the cases [95%]. Three cases [5%] presented in Grade-I, 21 [35%] in Grade-II and 36 [60%] in Grade-III varicoceles. Oligospermia was detected in 15% of cases. Group I patients were apprehensive regarding disappearance of dilatation and hanging veins postoperatively seen in 70% of cases whereas disappearance of veins were seen in 93.34% in Group II patients. Complications like haematoma and hydrocele are seen in Group II patients as compared to Group I. Wound infection and recurrence remained almost the same in both groups. High ligation was better tolerated with less complication but did require more counseling regarding disappearance of dilated veins. Paloma's procedure also does not disturb the normal anatomy of inguinal canal

Dengue virus outbreak in the year 2006 at a tertiary care centre in Sindh

Objective: To investigate the outcome of 116 patients with suspected / confirmed diagnosis of Dengue fever at our tertiary care setup. Design: A descriptive study Setting: Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad / Jamshoro. Study was carried out between October and December 2006

Methods: This study was conducted on 116 patients who were admitted in Liaquat University Hospital. Case definition was high grade fever with leucopenia and thrombocytopenia

Results: Only 52 out of 116 patients were confirmed as having Dengue IgM antibodies. The highest sufferers of Dengue fever were young adults. Almost all cases developed mild to moderate thrombocytopenia and leucopenia. Most patients recovered spontaneously in less than 10 days. Only 3 patients expired

Conclusion: Dengue fever is endemic in sub-Saharan region and in South Asia including Pakistan. Out-breaks occur from time to time. The current outbreak being the 3[rd] episode in the last 13 years points towards the importance of comprehensive research for the prevention and control of the disease. Although case fatality rates are low however it must be considered as public health problem and serious efforts shall be undertaken for public awareness and vector control

Central corneal thickness and its relationship with myopia

Objective: To study the relationship between central corneal thickness [CCT] and degree of myopia. Design: A descriptive study. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Isra University Hospital Hyderabad, Sindh - Pakistan from January to May 2004

Methods: One hundred and fifty four [154] subjects were recruited from a Refractive Surgery Clinic. Patients were divided into two groups depending upon the degree of myopia. Group I comprised of patients having myopia between -0.50 to -5.00 diopters [D] while Group II comprised of myopic patients having myopia > -5.25 [D]. CCT was measured in both eyes of each subject using ultrasonic pachymeter and data from right eye was selected for analysis. The CCT was correlated with the degree of myopia in diopters using Pearson's correlation coefficient and student - t - test with multiple comparisons

Results: Mean CCT in group I was 537.49 micron [microm] [SD+ 33.74] and in group II was 534.56 microm [SD+ 34.03]. The mean CCT showed no statistical difference between two groups [P>0.05]

Conclusion: The CCT was not correlated with the degree of myopia

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the elderly patients. An experience at Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro

Advancing age with its associated co-morbidities increases the likelihood of postoperative complications as well as conversion rate during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Recent studies have also questioned efficacy of this procedure in geriatric patients. The present study assesses the safety and applicability of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in geriatric patients. The objective of the present study was to asses safety and applicability of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the elderly patients of 65 years and above. This is a prospective analysis of 173 patients, over 65 years of age, who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy from December 2002 to November 2006 at Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro. Patients presenting with complicated and uncomplicated gallstone disease were included in the study population and all of them were operated laparoscopically. The data included demographic details, co-morbidities, underlying biliary pathology, indications for surgery, operative and postoperative complications, morbidity and mortality, and hospital stay. The statistical analysis of the data performed on SPSS version 10. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy undertaken in 173 elderly patients with a mean age of 69.72 years, out of whom 52 [30.05%] were males and 121 [69.94%] were females. Co-morbid conditions were identified in 53.17% [n=92] patients and included hypertension in 38 patients [21.96%], Diabetes Mellitus in 23 patients [13.29%], COPD in 19 [10.98%] patients, Coronary artery disease in 9 [5.20%] and cardiac arrhythmias in 3 [1.73%] patients. Indications for surgery included simple biliary colic in majority of patients [69.94%] and complicated stone disease in 52 [30.05%] subjects. There were 37 [21.38%] emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomies and 136 [78.61%] patients were operated electively. Mean operative time was 100 minutes with a SD 29.03. Fourteen [8.09%] patients required conversion to OC [Open Cholecystectomy] due to various reasons. Mean hospital stay was 6.28 days. Overall 23 [13.29%] patients developed postoperative complications. One patient died of acute MI on 2nd postoperative day. There is no undue risk in laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the elderly population and the procedure can be regarded as safe as in patients below 65 years of age

Emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis

To study the presentation and outcome of cases operated for Gynecomazia. A retrospective study spread over four years i.e. June 2002 to May 2006. Different hospitals of Karachi including Civil Hospital. 46 males who were admitted for surgery of Gynecomazia. All patients included in this study were evaluated in detail clinically and by appropriate investigations. They were counselled about the condition, and operated via a peri-areolar or sub-mammary incision, and the outcome noted in terms of healing and complications. Out of the 46 cases, majority [71.74%] presented in the age group 11-20 years with peak incidence around 16 years of age. The main symptom was breast enlargement, though pain or discomfort was also seen in 12 [26.1%] patients. The size of the breasts varied between 4-8 cms, and 34 [73.9%] cases were bilateral. Surgery was done for macromastia in 7, long standing gynecomazia in 11 and cosmetic reasons in 28 cases. Wound infection and hypertrophic scar formation constituted the few complications noted. Gynecomazia is the commonest condition affecting male breasts. In majority of the cases counselling and observation is all that is required for management, as they subside spontaneously or on medication. Surgery is indicated in those cases that do not subside or on patient demand

Analysis of total and available elements in medicinal plant moringa oleifera using atomic absorption spectrophotometer

Plant based medicaments have been man's prime therapeutic weapons to rescue him from the clutches of diseases. The role of elements particularly trace elements in health and disease is now well established. In this work, investigations have been made about a very important plant Moringa oleifera, which has traditionally played an important role particularly in the rural areas. It is a cheap source of protein, mineral rich food and an effective medicine against diseases. The aqueous extract of its leaves reduces blood pressure within a few minutes. In the present paper the analysis of Moringa oleifera for mineral elements was performed by using atomic spectrophotometer. The decoction of each part of the plant was also analyzed for different essential and trace elements. The samples of this plant were collected from surroundings of Hyderabad and voucher specimens were prepared following the standard herbarium techniques. Each part of this medicinal plant contains considerable amount of K, Mg, Zn, and Ca. These elements help to reduce the effect of hypertension