Assessment of the severity of acute poisoning using poison severity score [PSS] and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score [APACHEII]

Drug intoxication is a major medical and health problem in developed as well as in developing countries. In the course of time, the rate incidence of drug intoxication has increased. Subjective evaluation of clinical status by individual clinicians may differ in terminology, and even in management of the severity of illness. Hence, various descriptive and prognostic evaluation scales [scoring systems] have been developed during the last three decades. The objective of the present study was the assessment of the severity of acute poisoning using Poison Severity Score [PSS] and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II Score [APACHEII]. The study was carried out on 435 patients suffering from acute intoxication and admitted to the Poison Unit at the Main University Hospital. The results showed that most of the patients were in the age group of 15-30 years and that organophosphorus pesticides were the most common type of poison encountered. Accidental poisoning represented the largest mode of poisoning where most of the patients [80.5%] suffered from typical symptoms and signs. Patients follow-up revealed complete recovery in 30.1% of cases, clinical improvement in 64.4% of cases and two deaths. PSS was applied to all cases where a remarkable improvement was seen in most cases of the three PSS categories [mild. moderate, and severe] with no significant relation between PSS and patients outcome. On the other hand, applying APACHEII score to all cases showed a significant relationship between APACHEII score and both duration of stay in hospital and patients outcome. In addition, the present study showed that APACHEII was a good indicator for mortality

Isolation of fungi from European type public toilet seats in Alexandria

Many factors may contribute in the etiology of dermatophyte infections. Mycological study of the water closets in Alexandria City districts was done in a trial to clarify the role of the toilet seats in this regard. Unfortunately, the washing and cleaning facilities in all the studied water closets were found to be nearly nil. Some pathogenic yeasts and fungi, with many other saprophytic ones were isolated from the studied toilet seats. The potentially pathogenic yeast [C and ida albicans] was found with the highest frequency of isolation. Trichophyton rubrum was found to be second to it. The lowest one was found to be the trichophyton mentagrophytes. This may have a sort of relation to the transmission of the dermatophyte infection. Further and more extensive study, including the bacterial flora of the toilet seats may be recommended. Also, hygienic measures of all water closets should have a prime importance

Prevalence of functional amblyopia among Egyptian population Alexandria during the year 1991

The fact that the amblyope is exposed to the potential risk of blindness from loss of the good eye by disease or injury adds urgency to our effort to learn more about amblyopia in Egypt for better management of this socio-economic problem. The study was carried out to determine the prevalence of this problem in Alexandria governorate. The standard cluster sampling technique was used. It involved screening of 30 clusters [each consisted of 25 house-holds] i.e. 3810 subjects representing population of Alexandria. The overall prevalence was 4.03%. Anisometropic amblyopia was the most common type seen in this study [39.85%] most of them were myope [43.04%], while the strabismic type was the second common type [24.81%] most of them were hypermetrope [48.85%]. This high overall prevalence of amblyopia calls for early detection and management in the pre-school age or first year of school enrollment [4-6 years]

Some psychological profiles in COPD and acute bronchitis

Thirty patients were included in this study, 10 patients with manifestations of acute bronchitis, 20 patients with COPD. Psychiatric profile was done in both groups and one found that there was a high prevalence of psychiatric changes in the form of depression [55%] and anxiety [45%] among the COPD patients while the prevalence of these changes in acute bronchitis was much less. There was no correlation between arterial blood gases and the psychiatric state