Liver cirrhosis and splenomegaly associated with Schistosoma mansoni in a Sudanese woman in Malaysia: A case report

We report a case of a patient with Schistosoma mansoni infection who presented with liver cirrhosis and splenomegaly. She was diagnosed by a serological test and Kato-Katz thick smear stool examination. The patient was a 52-year-old woman from Sudan who came to Malaysia for a week to visit her sons. The patient lives in the middle of Rabak region, Sudan, a highly endemic area for schistosomiasis where her daily routine includes rearing of cows and farming. The site of toilet and sources of drinking water are canals and wells; both infested with snails. Patient had a long history of exposure and coming into contact with water from these canals and wells.

Liver cirrhosis and splenomegaly associated with Schistosoma mansoni in a Sudanese woman in Malaysia: A case report

We report a case of a patient with Schistosoma mansoni infection who presented with liver cirrhosis and splenomegaly. She was diagnosed by a serological test and Kato-Katz thick smear stool examination. The patient was a 52-year-old woman from Sudan who came to Malaysia for a week to visit her sons. The patient lives in the middle of Rabak region, Sudan, a highly endemic area for schistosomiasis where her daily routine includes rearing of cows and farming. The site of toilet and sources of drinking water are canals and wells; both infested with snails. Patient had a long history of exposure and coming into contact with water from these canals and wells.

Genotoxic effects of two commonly used food additives of boric acid and sunset yellow in root meristems of Trigonella foenum-graecumg

Food additives are the substances that are intentionally added to modify visual appearance, taste, texture, processing or the storage life of food. There has been significant controversy associated with the risks and benefits of food additives. The effect of different concentrations of food additives viz. boric acid and sunset yellow on the chromosomes of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. was investigated. Four concentrations of the two food additives [0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1%] were used for 3 hours. All concentrations of boric acid and sunset yellow showed mitoinhibitory effect in root tips of Trigonella foenum-graecum and increase in chromosomal aberrations. Various types of metaphasic and anaphasic aberrations were scored and it was found that metaphasic aberrations were more prominent than the anaphasic aberrations. The most observed aberrations induced by boric acid were stickiness at metaphase, bridges at anaphase, stickiness at anaphase, and scattering at metaphase, while the most prevalent aberrations caused by sunset yellow were precocious movement, unorientation at anaphase, scattering at metaphase and unorientation at metaphase. The result of present study clearly establishes the genotoxic behavior of boric acid and sunset yellow

comparative study of diane-35 plus spironolactone and diane -35 plus finasteride in cases of hirsutism and acne

To compare the efficacy and safety of Diane 35 plus spironolactone and Diane 35 plus finasteride in the treatment of hirsutism and acne. A prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted on 120 Indian women with hirsutism. Group I patients were heated with Diane 35 plus spironolactone 100 mg daily and group II patients with Diane 35 plus finasteride 5 mg daily for 12 months. Hirsutism and acne score were graded every 3 months, for 18 months. The basal gonadotropins levels and androgens level were measured before the study. Statistical analysis was done by Students t-test and repeated measure analysis followed by post hoc comparison. Reduction in hirsutism and acne scores assessed every 3 months was significant [p<0.001] and similar between the two groups, indicating that if treatment was prolonged for over 12 months, reduction scores would have been better. A significant decrease in the hirsutism score of 55.3% +/- 17.2 and 59.4% +/- 17.5 was observed after 12 months in groups I and II respectively. Total reduction in hirsutism and acne scores of both groups was similar [P>0.05]. Diane 35 plus spironolactone and Diane 35 plus finasteride are equally effective and safe in the treatment of hirsutism and acne. For belier outcomes, it is recommended that the treatment period be over 12 months

A comparison between low-dose and standard-dose noncontrasted multidetector CT scanning of the paranasal sinuses

Purpose: To compare the image quality of the low-dose to the standard-dose protocol of MDCT scanning of the paranasal sinuses, based on subjective assessment and determine the radiation doses to the eyes and thyroid gland and dose reduction between these two protocols. Materials and Methods: 31 adult patients were scanned. Prior to scanning, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were placed at 4 sites: outer canthus of right eye, outer canthus of left eye, inner canthus and anterior neck (thyroid gland). Every patient was scanned twice using the standard-dose protocol (100mAs) followed by the low-dose protocol (40mAs). The images were reviewed by 3 radiologists. Wilcoxon test was used as the test of significance for the image quality assessments. The paired sample t-test was used as the test of significance for the analysis of the radiation doses measured by the TLDs. Results: Of the 30 patients selected for analysis, this study showed no significant difference in the scores for the diagnostic image quality and the anatomical structures assessments between the two protocols. The average calculated mean entrance surface doses and standard deviation for the standard-dose and low-dose protocols were 12.40±1.39 mGy and 5.53±0.82 mGy respectively to the lens and 1.03±0.55 mGy and 0.63±0.53 mGy respectively to the thyroid gland. Conclusion: The reduction of mAs from 100 to 40 resulted in a significant reduction of the radiation doses to the lens and thyroid gland by 55.4% and 38.8% respectively without causing any significant effect to the diagnostic image quality and assessment of the anatomical structures.

Gartner duct cyst in pregnancy presenting as a prolapsing pelvic mass

Gartner duct cysts are the remnants of the Wolffian duct and they are rarely seen in adulthood. We present a case of a pregnant patient with a prolapsing vaginal mass. A diagnosis of Gartner duct cyst was made after MRI was performed. The Gartner duct cyst was drained when the patient went into labour allowing vaginal delivery to be performed.