ABSTRACT
Background: Pneumonia is estimated to kill 410,000 children in India every year. In India, recent estimates in under-fivessuggest that 13% of deaths and 24% of the National Burden of Disease is due to pneumonia.Very few studies have evaluatedthe predictors of mortality in children with pneumonia in developing countries.Hence, this study was planned to study predictorsof mortality in children aged 1–59 months based on pneumonia severity score (PSS) in hospitalized patients with severepneumonia.Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the factors (clinical and investigational) contributing to the mortality in patientsbased on PSS in hospitalized patients diagnosed with severe pneumonia.Materials and Methods: The present observational longitudinal study was carried out in a tertiary care PICU in a Govt. NSCBMedical College, Jabalpur for of 1 years (Ian 2019–December 2019). Children diagnosed as severe pneumonia of either sexbetween age group 1–59 months admitted in a hospital were enrolled in the study. Demographic data, clinical details, andlaboratory parameters of the enrolled cases were recorded in a predesigned pretested pro forma. PSS was calculated andcorrelated with the outcome of the patients enrolled and followed up till discharge or death.Results: Mortality was observed in 11 cases, and of them, 4 (36.4%) were males and 7 (63.6%) patients were females. This studyshowed that among clinical parameters pulse rate and SpO2 were significantly raised (63.6%) and saturation was significantly<90 (72.7%) in children who succumbed to death (P < 0.05). This study observed a statistically highly significant associationof PSS with the outcome of children (P < 0.01).
ABSTRACT
Present communication reports the low dose and subchronic duration-dependent histopathological changes afterexposure to Aroclor 1254 in the kidney tissue of Swiss albino mice. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) like Aroclor1254 congeners accumulate in tissues rich in lipids and remain inside for a long time, affecting the functionality of thecells in direct and indirect ways. The most commonly observed effects were skin ailments such as chloracne, rashes,and effects on kidney functions. Animal studies indicated that PCBs could affect the functionality of the kidney,thyroid, immune, and endocrine systems. Separate groups of mice were subjected to a daily oral dose of 0.1 mg/kgbody weight (BW)/day and 1 mg/kg BW/day Aroclor 1254, dissolved in corn oil, for four subacute exposure durations(7, 14, 21, and 28 days). Control groups were received only the corn oil (vehicle). Results revealed mainly exposureduration-dependent histopathological lesions such as dilation of the tubular cells, fragmentation of cytoplasm andloss of nuclear materials, formation of large vacuoles inside the cells, and necrosis even at very low doses of Aroclorintoxication. The present study reports predominantly exposure duration-dependent histopathological effects ofAroclor 1254 in the kidney tissue of mice. The study suggested that the subacute exposure to low doses of Aroclor1254 could cause significant irreparable structural deformities in the renal cells of the kidney tissue. Results alsoshowed that renal tubular cells were more affected showing severe necrosis
ABSTRACT
Background: Congenital tracheobiliary fistula is a rare developmental anomaly with apersistent communication between the biliary system and the trachea. Characteristics: A7-day-old baby with severe respiratory distress and aspiration pneumonia. Outcome:Tracheobilliary fistula identified on bronchoscopy. Open surgical excision of fistula wasfollowed by improvement. Message: This condition should be considered in the differentialdiagnosis of intractable aspiration pneumonia.
ABSTRACT
Aroclor 1254, a polychlorinated biphenyl, is present in the environment in low concentration but references on its toxic effects on liver cell membrane proteins and the mechanism of actions are not abundantly available. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the low level, sub-acute dose and exposure duration dependent effects of Aroclor 1254 on total, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+-ATPases of the mouse liver. The hypotheses tested in the present study were, (a) whether the low, environmentally available dose and the exposure durations of Aroclor 1254 affects the membrane-bound ion dependent ATPases, and (b) if a response was observed, whether it is a direct or indirect effects of the toxicant. Groups of mice were exposed to different doses (0.1 and 1mg kg-1 body weight d-1) and exposure durations (4 d, 8 d and 12 d) of Aroclor 1254. The results indicated significant exposure duration dependent changes in the specific activity of the selected membrane bound ATPases. As the observed changes were mostly enzyme stimulation after toxication through oral administration, the effects of the Aroclor were possibly indirect, through complex chain of reactions.