A Case of Osteosarcoma Of The Maxilla-Challenges In Diagnosis And Management

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant neoplasm of the bone. Osteosarcoma of the jaws especially those of maxilla is rare. The diagnosis of osteosarcomas is diff icult and challenging. In this case report we highlight a rare case of osteosarcoma of the maxilla in a 29 year old male patient which was highly aggressive and was initially diagnosed as rhabdomyosarcoma. This case highlights the difficulty in diagnosing osteosarcoma merely from incisional biopsy specimens which may not be representative of the whole tumour. Limited clinical information at incisional biopsy also adds to the difficulty in arriving at the definitive diagnosis. We further discuss the treatment modalities followed in this case.

Periodontal disease as the initial oral manifestation of langerhans cell histiocytosis - a case report

Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) refers to a group of lesions presenting with a spectrum of clinical. features but sharing similar histology. These lesions are rare and treatment has been quite variable with current treatment protocol recommended being dependent on whether it is a unifocal or multi focal bone disease or a multi focal multisystem disease. However, the clinical presentations of LCH are variable and the decision to place into the appropriate clinical types may sometimes be masked by the non-discovery of all the lesions. In the oral maxillofacial area, the clinical features of these lesions may further pose a problem by nondescript manifestations as dental/periodontal/oral mucosal disorders. These oral findings may sometimes lead to inappropriate choice of treatment and delay in the diagnosis of all the lesions involved. This paper describes one such case where LCH manifest itself as a periodontal disease thus leading to delay in identifying all the sites involved and consequently a delay in id~ntifying the appropriate clinical type.

Comparision between Toxoplasma gondii DNA and specific immunoglobulins during pregnancy

Early diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women can be of great help in early intervention and prevention of congenital disorders that usually lead to fetal death. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate nested PCR amplification of the B1 gene of Toxoplasma gondii before and after treatment and in comparison to serological follow-up during treatment. The efficiency of treatment on the bases of PCR detection of T. gondii DNA was statistically significant, while it was insignificant when anti-toxoplasma specific IgM and IgG antibodies were used. PCR detection of T. gondii DNA when performed on whole blood is a rapid, sensitive and specific diagnostic procedure and is a valuable tool for establishing the diagnosis of T. gondii infection in women before or during pregnancy

Some observation on rodents and their fleas in suez area, U.A.R.

Suez district being a main receptive area of rat-borne diseases, warrants special attention and regular study of its rodent population and ecto-parasites. The present investigation attemps to reveal the present status of domestic and commensal rodents and their fleas both qualitatively and quantitatively in the distinct environments of this area. The rodent index was found to differ from one locality to another depending on the sanitary conditions and adequacy of antirat measures. Also the frequency of the various species differs, depending on the prevailing environmental conditions. A negative relationship was observed between the frequency of R. norvegicus and that of the three subspecies of R. rattus. Also it was noticed that Acomys cahirinus and A. dimidiatus can coexist in certain localities. Nevertheless the former species prevails more in rural areas, whereas the latter dominates in desert settlements. Amongst the important conclusions, a direct relationship was observed between the percentage frequency of a given species and the pregnancy rate among its females. The percentage immature can be also taken as an indirect measure of the growth in size of a given population. As regards fleas, it was noticed that the Norway rat which represents the most frequent rodent host, revealed the highest density of flea infestation. Again, this was found to differ from one milieu to another. On the other hand, the small rodent species, viz., M. musculus, and Acomys spp. showed very low flea densities which may account for a minimum role as flea carriers. X. cheopis constitutes the most dominant flea infesting rodents of this area, Ct. felis, Ct. felis strongylus and Papapulex chephrenis were occasionally met with. Females of the rodent host showed higher flea densities and again female fleas were found more abundantly than males. Ultimately, it may be stated that the rodent population being dynamic and affected with multitude of factors is so liable to change and should be always kept under strict supervision especially in receptive areas like sea ports