Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for rotator cuff tears

Ultrasonography (US) is an inexpensive, convenient, and effective tool that can be used to evaluate the shoulder. It does not expose the patient to harmful radiation and can be used to evaluate the musculoskeletal system dynamically. Additionally, US is not subject to metal artifacts when evaluating patients with previously placed hardware. Over the years, US has been found to be reliable and accurate for diagnosing rotator cuff tears (RCTs), despite its operator-dependence. The usage of US for diagnosing RCTs in orthopedic practice varies depending on practitioners' familiarity with the exam and the availability of experienced technicians. The purpose of this article is to review the diagnostic accuracy of US for identifying RCTs.

An approach on microbial biosynthesis of L-glutaminase: a tumour inhibitor.

L-Glutaminase, an amidohydrolase enzyme has been a choice of interest in the treatment of lymphoblastic leukemia. This study investigates the production of extracellular L-glutaminase synthesis were carried out by using Aspergillus oryzae was evaluated under different fermentation parameters by employing submerged fermentation method. The L-glutaminase producers detected by the pink zone around the colony by simple plate assay method. Aspergillus oryzae S2 is the potential strain among the fungal isolates. The L-glutaminase synthesis were increased their yield after the optimization of fermentation parameters. The optimum pH 5.0, temperature 350C and inoculum size 1.0 ml and it showed 217.65 IU.

Ambulance response time and emergency medical dispatcher program: a study in Kelantan, Malaysia.

This study provided data by a simple method of acquiring information related to ambulance response time (ART) and determined whether it met the international standards of ART. Additionally, this paper also compared the duration of ART at this hospital before and after the implementation of an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) program. The ART, which started when details like phone number of the caller, exact location of the incident and the nature of the main complaint were received and ended when the emergency team arrived at the scene of the incident. The parameters recorded include call processing time, time taken to prepare the team and time taken to travel to the scene. The results of the study revealed that the ART for the university hospital (HUSM) was at 913.2 +/- 276.5 seconds (mean +/- SD) and it was far below the international standard of ART as a benchmark of a good ambulance service. However, the study suggested that the EMD program that was recently implemented at the HUSM gave a significantly improvement to the ART score.

Concomitant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in treatment of non-hodgkin's lymphoma

This study includes 50 patients with Ann Arbor stage II-IV non-hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL]. Thirty patients [60%] had been treated with CHOP [cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone] and involved field radiotherapy 2500 cGy/2.5 weeks [Group A]. Twenty patients [40%] were treated with chemotherapy [CHOP] only [Group B]. The overall response was 90% in group A and 85% in group B [P > 0.05]. The complete response rate [CR] was relatively higher in group A [53.3%] than in group B [40%] [P > 0.05]. Poor prognostic factors included, advanced age, stage IV, size of tumor > 5 cm, bone marrow infiltration, aggressive histology and high LDH > 250 u/L. Relapse rate was higher in group B than in group A [37% vs, 41%] respectively [p> 0.05]. All patients tolerated their treatment well with slight variation in the incidence and severity of treatment morbidity between both groups. Conclusion, chemoradiation in the stage II - IV NHL is well tolerated and increasing the dose of radiotherapy to 4000 cGy to the involved sites may add to the response rate

Serum level of iron and transferrin in normal and anaemic pregnant women.

Serum levels of iron and transferrin, and percent saturation of total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and latent iron binding capacity were estimated in 89 women in their I, II and IIIrd trimester of pregnancy. Associated infective, metabolic or degenerative diseases were excluded after clinical examination. The women were divided into three groups of normal, mildly anaemic and severely anaemic. In the normal group serum iron levels were within normal range irrespective of period of gestation, whereas in the anaemic groups, these were lower. Serum transferrin levels were significantly low in II and III trimester of pregnancy of anaemic women. Percent saturation of TIBC was even lower than normal in Ist trimester of pregnancy in normal pregnancy (27.12%). However in mild anaemic there was significant fall and in severe anaemia, it was very low, leaving a vast latent iron binding capacity. The decrease of % saturation of TIBC even in normal pregnant women is indicative of inherent poor stores, which may be due to defective diet.

Liver abscess in children: not an uncommon problem

Thirty cases of amoebic liver abscess in children are being presented. Diagnosis was based on clinical presentation, ultrasound examination, detection of E.H. trophozoite in the aspirate and response to therapy. Aspiration of pus alongwith appropriate medication was found more appropriate management than medical therapy alone

Significance of serum leucine aminopeptidase in tumours of female genital tract.

Serum leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) was estimated in 57 female patients with tumours of the genital tract and compared with 50 age-matched controls. Serum LAP was increased in leiomyomas (p less than 0.01) but significant rise was seen in leiomyosarcomas and endometrial carcinoma of the uterus (p less than 0.001). No increase in serum LAP level, above mean control value was observed in carcinoma of cervix. LAP levels were also increased in cystadenomas of the ovary (p less than 0.01) and highly significant increase, noted in cystadenocarcinomas and dysgerminoma stage III (p less than 0.001). However, no increase of enzyme activity was observed in poorly differentiated papillary carcinoma of the ovary. The serum enzyme level was higher in cystadenocarcinomas as compared to solid ovarian carcinomas in the same clinical stage.