Role of Non Stress Test in Monitoring High Risk Pregnancy.

Background : Heart rate variations in fetus subjected to adverse environment provides assessment of health status. Aim : The present study is conducted to assess the efficacy of this tool in selecting high risk mother with compromised fetus at an early stage. Methods and Material : Hospital based case control study. High risk pregnancies attending hospital over a period of one year were considered for purpose of test. Normal patient were served as control. 80 high risk and 20 normal patient were considered for the study. The subjects were explained the test, need of the test, done after 28 wks. of gestation. Statistical Analysis : Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive and positive predictive value, false positive and false negative rate were assessed. Result : Test has high sensitivity and specificity with high negative predictive value.

Evaluation of a rapid dipstick test for identifying cholera cases during the outbreak.

Background & objectives: Intermittent cholera outbreaks are major problem in many of the states of India. It is essential to identify cholera at the earliest for timely mobilization of public health responses and to abort the outbreaks. The present study was a part of a diarrhoeal outbreak investigation in Secunderabad, India, during May 2009 where the usefulness of Crystal VC rapid dipstick kit was assessed for detecting the aetiologic agent of the outbreak. Methods: Stool specimens were collected from 15 hospitalized patients with acute watery diarrhoea and analyzed for detection of cholera vibrios using Crystal VC rapid dipstick kit and the usefulness of the kit was determined by comparative analysis of the same set of specimens using both microbiological and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) based assays. Results: Detection of Vibrio cholerae O1 from 10 of 15 specimens was recorded using dipstick assay. Microbiological methods detected V. cholerae O1 positivity among 11 specimens. However, RT-PCR based assay showed all 15 specimens positive for the presence of V. cholerae O1. In addition, the same assay showed that the pathogen load in the dipstick as well as RT-PCR positive specimens ranged from 106 colony forming units (cfu)/ml or more. Interpretation & conclusions: Crystal VC kit had the potential to identify cholera cases in 10 min in field conditions without having good laboratory support. Therefore, dipstick kit may be considered as cholera detecting tool in diarrhoeal outbreak investigations. Specimens from clinically typical cholera cases, if negative by dipstick, should be reanalyzed by culture based methods.

Biotyping of Vibrio cholerae O1: time to redefine the scheme.

Considering the recent emergence of "hybrid biotype" and "El Tor variant", we propose to redefine the biotyping scheme for Vibrio cholerae O1 serogroup. The existing biotyping scheme has limitations and causes confusion as many of the hybrid biotype and El Tor variant strains have phenotypic and genetic changes. A revised biotyping scheme will play a significant role to understand the ecology, epidemiology and nature of infection of V. cholerae O1 strains in future.

Design of enclosure of a grinding machine for the noise attenuation.

Since most of the equipments are usually installed in rooms or enclosed plants, the effect of an enclosure is important. Absorptive surface of the enclosure can reduce levels to the extent of 5 dB(A) which is quite significant. Effectiveness of enclosures in sound varies with the frequency of sound and the shape, size, laying pattern of sound absorbing material, which is put on the walls of the enclosure. The sound absorbing material accomplishes little shielding if there is no acoustical absorption within it. Acoustical absorbents when applied to the interior surface of the enclosure adsorb some of the energy and the noise level within the enclosure builds up only by the energy not absorbed. This paper elucidates the procedure of developing an enclosure to study its performance in attenuating sound at varying conditions. The results found encouraging and such enclosures can be developed for plant machineries by the plant personnels without getting confused by the claims and rhetoric of advertisements of big companies engaged in developing such items.

Primary involvement of penile skin in lepromatous leprosy.

Skin lesions in lepromatous leprosy (LL) are usually multiple and widespread. Though the lesion may occur anywhere on the skin, male genitalia is rarely involved. In all cases reported so far about penile lesions of LL, there were lesions on the other parts of the body also. In some of the cases scrotum was also involved. We report here a patient who presented himself with a single macular lesion of leprosy on the shaft of his penis diagnosed as a case of lepromatous leprosy on slit-skin smear and histopathological examinations.

Molluscum contagiosum-like lesions in lepromatous leprosy.

A 32-year-old male patient presented with multiple, asymptomatic, papulonodular lesions some of which were umbilicated simulating the clinical features of molluscum contagiosum. On examination the patient was found to be suffering from lepromatous leprosy. Slit-skin smear showed a BI of 6+ and histopathological examination of the nodular lesion showed features of lepromatous leprosy. The patient was treated with MDT-MB and improved remarkably in a few months.

Involvement of scalp in leprosy.

It is generally believed that hairy scalp is an immune zone for leprosy lesion, because of the higher temperature of the scalp, which is not suitable for the habitation of lepra bacilli. Here is a report of borderline tuberculoid leprosy involving scalp and the right side of the face. The patient also had features of type 1 lepra reaction and facial palsy on the right side.

Apert's syndrome.

Apert's syndrome (acrocephalosyndactyly) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by craniosynostosis, mid-facial malformations and symmetrical syndactyly. We present a 2-month-old girl having features of Apert's syndrome, with cerebral cortical atrophy and bifurcation of the right first metatarsal base, a hitherto undescribed finding.

Nevus of ota associated with nevus of Ito.

Nevus of Ota is a dermal melanocytic nevus seen predominantly in females. It is uncommon in India. Its association with nevus of Ito, another dermal melanocytic nevus, is extremely rare. We report this rare association in a male patient, which is another interesting feature of the present case.

Molecular & evolutionary genetics & drug resistance of the gastric pathogen, Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori colonizes the gastric mucosa of more than half of all people worldwide and is the major cause of peptic ulcer disease and an early risk factor for gastric cancer, even though most infections are asymptomatic. Infection occurs preferentially in early childhood and once established tends to persist for years or decades. Much of the pathology H. pylori causes probably results from the host response to infection, which is affected by bacterial genotype, human host characteristics and environmental conditions. H. pylori is one of the most genetically diverse of bacterial species, with different genotypes predominating in different parts of the world. In particular, strains from India differ from those of Europe and East Asia in DNA sequence of several diagnostic gene segments. This outcome invites speculation about H. pylori origins and the possibility of Indian-specific genes that might be uncommon in Western strains. Much has been learned from H. pylori genome sequences, along with epidemiological, mutational, molecular and immunologic analyses. Candidate bacterial colonization and virulence genes and host responses are being identified, and the hypotheses being developed are amenable to tests in cell culture and animal models. These research efforts, many of which are collaborative and international, provide insights into mechanisms of establishment and persistence of H. pylori infection and virulence, and should lead to new, far more potent and cost effective anti-Helicobacter therapies or vaccines, and thereby major improvement in human health worldwide.