Knowledge attitude and practice of paediatricians regarding tuberculosis case management in five major districts of Punjab state, India

Background: The operational research was done to assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice regarding TB case management of Pediatricians. Place were five major cities of Punjab state, India. i.e. Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda.Methods: Study design was observational cross-sectional study. Period was one year. The data collection was done from Paediatricians from 5 cities inhabiting approximately half of the urban population of Punjab, using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire and knowledge of TB and its management was assessed.Results: Total of 139 pediatricians participated in the study, 69% were male. Majority pediatricians had adequate knowledge of TB disease and case suspicion. Adequate knowledge of TB diagnosis was seen in 87% doctors. Only 20% doctors had adequate knowledge about treatment of TB cases. Overall 64% of Pediatricians referred TB cases to DOTS centre for treatment.Conclusions: Improving the treatment knowledge of paediatricians can go a long way in improving management of TB cases.

Displaced Tibial Plateau Fractures: Is There A Role Of Conservative Treatment In The Present Scenario.

This retrospective case series includes 92 closed tibial plateau fractures treated by operative (66 patients) and conservative (26 patients) methods at our institution.The means and mean differences of grades of the objective variables of extensor lag and range of motion and articular step were better in the surgically treated patients (p value <0.05), while those of axial alignment and side to side instability did not show any statistical significance. An average articular step of more than 1.6 mm significantly deteriorated the functional outcome.Achieving articular congruity is the most important factor for the successful outcome of tibial plateau fractures. Operative treatment in the presence of adequate expertise and infrastructure gives satisfactory results. Type V and VI fractures are highly unstable fractures and need to be treated by more stable fixation in the form of dual plating and/or locked compression plating. The variables like extensor lag, range of motion and radiological articular step directly correlate with the functional outcome of tibial plateau fractures. The conservative treatment should only be accepted as last option in case of displaced tibial plateau fractures.

Hepatoprotective Activity of Turmeric and Garlic against 7-12, Dimethylbenzanthracene Induced Liver Damage in Wistar Albino Rats.

Aim: In present study the antioxidant activity of turmeric was studied in Wistar albino rats. Study design: The experimental animals were divided in to five groups each containing six animals. Group I served as normal control. All the other four groups, viz. II, III, IV and V were first challenged with7-12 Dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA). Thereafter, group III, IV and V received Indole-3-Carbinol, turmeric and turmeric with garlic respectively for four weeks. Group II have Received no intervention other than DMBA. Methodology: At the end of the study all the animals were sacrificed and the effects of DMBA, Indole-3-Carbinol, Turmeric and Turmeric with garlic were monitored by growth rate during study period and also by assaying the levels of lipid peroxidation (MDA), superoxidedismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in liver and kidney homogenates. In addition serum alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phoshatase (ALP), urea and Creatinine levels were also studied. Results: The results showed that the difference in total body weight gain was not significant among all the groups. Body weight in group II was found to be reduced than the body weight on zero day. There was significant decrease in SOD and CAT, but significant increase in MDA in both the tissue homogenates. The levels of AST, ALT, ALP, Creatinine and Urea were significantly increased in group II. Reversal effects of DMBA were shown by group IV and V but they were lower than group III. Cyst formation in liver was observed in group II rats only. Enlargement and paleness of liver was maximum in group II as compared to other treated groups. Conclusion: In present study the turmeric have shown the reversal effects of DMBA induced carcinogenicity.

Breast Metastasis From Carcinoma of The Posterior Pharyngeal Wall.

The head and neck malignancies constitute five percent of all the cancers world-wide. With increasing local regional control and survival rates, the incidence of distant metastasis is increasing. The most common site for distant metastasis from head and neck cancers is lung followed by the bones, liver, and mediastinal nodes. Breast metastases from extramammary malignancies are uncommon, constituting about two per cent of all breast tumors. We present a case of carcinoma of the posterior pharyngeal wall metastatic to breast in a male patient.

Recurrent Leiomyosarcoma of The Scrotum.

Leiomyosarcoma of the scrotum is a rare tumor. These tumors usually present as firm, rubbery, nontender, irregular masses. Scrotal leimyosarcomas tend to be slow growing tumors that tend to be present for years. It is best treated by wide local excision. We present a case of recurrent leiomyosarcoma of scrotum in a 57 year old patient, who recurred four times after excision in 3 years and was controlled by combination chemotherapy.

Evoked electromyogram as a function of facial nerve.

Compound muscle action potentials were recorded bilaterally from alae nasi muscles following stimulation of facial nerve in 45 normal subjects in the age group of 20-30 years. Latency, amplitude and total duration of the compound muscle action potential were compared on both sides. A significant positive correlation between the three parameters with the highest for the amplitude was observed. Therefore it is suggested that amplitude is a better parameter for comparison while testing for side to side facial nerve integrity.