Surgical reconstruction for absence of sternum and pericardium in a newborn.

We report the surgical management of a 3 day old baby with absent sternum and pericardium with impending rupture of the skin cover. The repair described is innovative and may be used in place of primary repair by bringing the ribs together. Review of embryology and various modalities of closure are provided.

Variation of serum potassium and creatinine phosphokinase levels in suxamethonium-induced muscle relaxation.

Popular depolarising muscle relaxant, suxamethonium (succinylcholine chloride), produces fasciculation in group of muscles and 'after pain'. Mode of its action is neuromuscular blockage. It also may be associated with muscle fibre injury and altered membrane permeability. These may cause rise of serum K+ and creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) levels. But use of diazepam either during or as pretreatment may reduce the fasciculation, 'after pain' and rise of K+ and CPK levels. Present study was undertaken to show whether any correlation of the degree of fasciculation and postsuxamethonium myalgia is present or not and whether diazepam has any role in reducing muscle injury and in turn reducing the levels of serum K+ and CPK.

Tear glucose estimation--an alternative to blood glucose estimation.

Dextrostix, being very sensitive to measure glucose level by glucose oxidase method, was chosen to measure tear glucose level to evaluate the relationship of tear glucose to blood glucose level in 94 cases. It was found that in our population the measurement of tear glucose has definite value in interpretation of glucose status of individual. So, it was suggested to use this simple method of detection of tear glucose to interpret hyperglycaemic state of the patients. The present study was undertaken (1) to sort out a definite relationship between tear and plasma glucose concentration and (2) to devise a rapid method for detection of tear glucose level semiquantitatively with glucose oxidase impregnated strips and to evaluate its role as indicator of plasma glucose level.

On structural aspects of peptidoglycan of bacterial cell wall with special attention on mycobacteria by computer modelling.

The cell wall components of mycobacteria are said to be vitally linked with their pathogenicity. Peptidoglycan, one of the major cell wall component in most of the bacteria are multilayered in gram positive bacteria and it is diverse in nature for the Gram positive strain rather than gram negative. The cell wall of bacteria are primary targets for many drugs and antibiotics and conformation of the major cell wall components provide invaluable information and understanding at molecular level to medicinal chemists and drug designers. Mycobacterial peptidoglycan has been studied critically by computer modelling on various aspects. A plausible structure and conformation has been identified and glycan chain is found to have a pseudo two fold symmetry taking disaccharide unit as monomer with Knox & Murthy H-bond scheme. This paper attempts to clarify the understanding of organisation and possible interaction mode of peptidoglycan of organisation in complex mycobacterial cell wall structure.