Trends In Firearm Injuries Related To Accidental Causes: A Study.

Gunshot wounds are the second leading cause of death after road traffic accidents within young population in many countries which is the most productive section of the society. This study describes demographics, causative factors, intent, incident locations of firearm injuries and gun-related activities in which patients were engaged at the time of injury among patients treated in hospital emergency departments for unintentional firearm-related injuries. It is a prospective study conducted over a period of 1 year i.e. May 1, 2007 to April 31, 2008 and all the cases of Gunshot Injuries (GSI) that presented to the casualty department of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College & Hospital (JNMCH), Aligarh, INDIA were analysed. The information of the cases was obtained from casualty records, history and examination of patient and photograph of the patient's wounds. Parameters studied are age, sex, site of wounds, weapon used, circumstances leading to injury and shot by whom. A total of 198 cases of firearm related injuries reported and 50 were found to be due to unintentional causes. These injuries are most common in children (28%) and most common cause was ceremonial firing (40%). Head and neck region is most commonly affected (34%) followed by trunk (30%). Most frequently used weapon is shotgun (50%). Firearm injuries are one of the emerging causes of unintentional injuries to children and youth. This study suggests that efforts should be made to limit unsupervised access to firearms, to promote safe storage of firearm and apart from strict licensing law, medical assessment is recommended.

Clinicopathological study of non-neoplastic lesions of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.

An analysis of cases presenting as mass in nasal cavity (NC), paranasal sinuses (PNS), and nasopharynx (NP) was done over a period of 7 years in Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh. A provisional diagnosis was made after clinical assessment and radiological investigations, but final diagnosis was made after histopathological examination. The incidence of masses in NC, PNS, and NP was 34.3 cases per year, non-neoplastic lesions constituted 60% of these cases and their incidence was 20.7 cases per year. All the cases were carefully examined histopathologically and it was found that the region was affected by a variety of non-neoplastic lesions. Among 240 cases, 145 were non-neoplastic and 95 were neoplastic The lesions in the decreasing order of frequency were - nasal polyp, rhinoscleroma, tuberculosis, fungal infection, fibrous dysplasia, ossifying fibroma, cysts, nasal glioma, and cemento-ossifying fibroma. NP was involved by a range of neoplastic lesions; however, no non-neoplastic lesion was seen in this region.

Effects of cervical traction and exercise therapy in cervical spondylosis.

A randomised clinical trial was conducted in the Department of Physical Medicine, Chittagong Medical College Hospital from July, 2001 to June, 2002. The objectives of the study were to find out the effects of cervical traction (CT) and exercise on the patients with chronic cervical spondylosis. A total of 199 patients with cervical spondylosis were included in the clinical trial. One hundred patients were treated with cervical traction plus exercise and 99 patients were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Posture correction advice was given to all patients. The patients were treated for 6 weeks. There was a marked improvement in both the groups after treatment (P<0.001). But there was nearly significant difference regarding improvement in treatment with CT plus exercise than with NSAID (P = 0.06). The results indicate that the improvement of the patients with chronic cervical spondylosis was more in CT plus exercise than analgesics. So, CT & neck muscle strengthening exercise may have some more beneficial effects than NSAIDs on chronic cervical spondylosis.

Serum lactate dehydrogenase in head and neck malignancy patients.

50 patients of head and neck malignancy were selected for this study while excluding those associated with renal, hepatic, cardiac and metabolic diseases. Age and sex matched even number of controls were also included for comparison. Serum LDH levels in the control group were 124.2 +/- 3.50 I.U./L. Higher levels of LDH were observed in patients with malignancy of head and neck (335.50 +/- 21.60 I.U./L, P < 0.001). Serum LDH level was also related to histopathological stage of malignancy, being higher in poorly differentiated tumour as compared to moderate and well differentiated malignancy. Patients without metastasis had insignificantly lower serum LDH levels as compared to those with metastasis.

Central auditory toxicity of sisomicin in guineapigs.

The central auditory toxicity of sisomicin was studied in guineapigs administered sisomicin (135 mg/kg body weight) sc for 10 days. Total lipids, phospholipids and cholesterol were estimated in the pons, inferior colliculus, medial geniculate body and auditory cortex. While the total lipids were increased in a non-preferential manner in all the regions studied, phospholipids and cholesterol levels registered no change. This study suggests the possible central auditory toxicity following sisomicin administration.