Distribution of nodal lymphomas in a referral hospital of Mangalore city.

CONTEXT: The distribution of different types of lymphoma varies across geographic regions. AIMS: The present study was done to understand the occurrence of nodal lymphomas in a referral hospital of Mangalore city. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: The present study was conducted on 95 lymph node biopsy specimens, received in a referral hospital of Mangalore city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All cases of nodal lymphoma diagnosed between January 2007 and June 2010 in a referral hospital of Mangalore were selected for the study. The patients age and clinical details were obtained. Immunophenotyping was done for all cases of NHL and selected cases of HL. IPI score for NHL was noted and correlated with the outcome. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi square test was used. RESULTS: Out of the total 95 cases of nodal lymphoma 37 (39%) were HL while 58 (61%) were NHL. Classical HL was diagnosed in 35 cases (37%) while 2 cases (2%) were diagnosed NLPHL. B cell lymphoma formed 72% of NHL. Follicular lymphoma accounted for 28% of all NHL. T cell lymphoma formed 28% of NHL. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion the following points are significant about the distribution of lymphomas in a referral hospital of Mangalore city. The incidence of NSHL is higher while national data suggests MCHL as the most common subtype. The incidence of FL as well as T cell NHL is much higher when compared to national incidence. The epidemiological factors for this high frequency (either genetic or environmental) needs to be studied further.

Clinico-epidemiological profile of burns cases admitted to a tertiary care hospital in a coastal area of South India.

Background: Globally, approximately 2.5 lakh deaths occur every year, with majority of cases from low and middle income countries. Burns is one of the major cause of mortality and morbidity in India with around a million people affected by burns every year. This study has been aimed to study the socio-demographic profile of burn patients and also to evaluate the etiology, manner, and circumstances of occurrence of burn injuries along with their outcome. Methods: This record based retrospective study was conducted Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore Records were analyzed and information related to socio-demographic details, etiology of burns, place of burn, manner of burns were extracted. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 11.5. Results: The study included 154 participants. Majority of the participants were in the age group of 21-30years (n=50, 32.5%) followed by 31-40 years (n=35, 22.7%).More than half of the participants were females (n=84, 55%). When the etiology for burns were analyzed most of the cases were due to scalds (n=64, 41.5%) followed by flames (n=n=58, 37%). More than three fourth of the burn cases were accidental in nature (n=128, 83.1%) followed by suicidal burns (n=22, 14.2%) Conclusions: Even in the era of technological advancement burns still remains as a major issue of concern in most of the developing countries including India. It

A Concern of E-Waste in the Hospital Setting and its Ways of Disposal.

The most effective solution to the growing e-waste problem is to recycle raw materials from end-of-life electronics. Most electronic devices contain a range of materials, including metals that can be recovered for future uses. By dismantling and providing reuse possibilities, intact natural resources are conserved and air and water pollution caused by hazardous dumping is avoided. Objectives of our study were to understand the various issues of e-waste management in the hospital settings and ways of e- waste disposal. Discussion: The hospitals visited by us have not considered the environmental impact of electronic waste, let alone come to terms with how they will dispose of their electronic trash. All the hospitals in the city can have agreement with one organization to collect their e-waste which should pay these hospitals for the e-waste and process it by sorting without melting. Recycling reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the manufacturing of new products. It simply makes good judgment and is competent to recycle and to do our part to keep the environment green. Conclusion: With this study, we make a genuine effort to have hospitals free from e-waste, thereby leading to less carbon footprints.

Environmental lead levels in a coastal city of India: The lead burden continues.

Background: Urbanization, rapid industrialization, increased vehicular traffic, and consequent increase in the use of petroleum fuels in India are constantly emitting lead along with other pollutants into the environment. Apart from atmospheric lead, this element is the most widely used in everyday life. Although infants and children are the most susceptible to the effects of lead, adults are also affected to varying degrees and it had ranked as one of the most serious environmental threats to human health. Hence, we must understand the benefits of preventing lead exposure as it reduces treatment costs, increases productivity in industry, and also reduces infant mortality. These are good enough reasons for a nation wide program to prevent lead poisoning. Objectives: In the view of elevated blood lead levels (BLL) in majority of the school children in the city of Mangalore, we aimed to identify the potential sources of lead in the environment which would have probably caused the elevated BLL. Materials and Methods: More than 600 readings were taken throughout the city of Mangalore using X-ray fluorimeter. Results: Our results showed that there were elevated levels of lead in the environment surrounding the battery repair shops, battery recyclers, automotive workshops, and tyre retreaders, but interestingly, the soil around the petrol bunks did not show elevated levels of lead. Among the paints, the yellow paint showed high levels of lead. Conclusion: Similar surveys would be useful elsewhere in India and in other developing countries in order to identify the potential sources of lead and to prevent lead poisoning.

Knowledge Attitude Practice Study on Pulse Polio Immunization in Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka.

Government of India launched PPI in 1995 to eradicate polio by the end of 2000. Despite this 733 cases were reported last year alone. There is a need to understand the reason behind high number of cases being reported even after so many years of programme implementation. This study was therefore conducted to assess knowledge of people about polio and PPI, their attitude and practice towards PPI. This cross sectional study was done in Mangalore city of Karnataka. Only houses having under five children were taken for the study. Data was collected by interviewing any adult member of the household using a pretested questionnaire. Out of 100 participants 99 were literates but only 11 knew the correct mode of transmission of polio. Twenty seven had misconception that polio is a curable disease. Only 40 participants knew that polio drops can be given to children even with mild illnesses. Few (2%) participants felt that PPI causes vaccine overdose and 8 participants thought PPI to be a substitute for routine immunization. This study identified few important misconceptions associated with polio and PPI. This needs to be addressed by large scale awareness campaigns in order to eradicate polio in the near future.