surgical treatment of chronic anal fissure: One year's experience with GTN past

Assessment of the efficacy of topical 0.2% glyceryl trinitrate [GTN] paste in the treatment of chronic anal fissure. Sixty two patients were treated with 0.2% GTN paste and reviewed at 3, 6 and 12 weeks interval to assess efficacy and side effects. At 6 weeks, 72% of patients were treated successfully. In 28% of cases treatment was unsuccessful. At 12 weeks follow up there was no early recurrence. The prevalence of headaches was 70%. The use of GTN induces rapid healing of chronic anal fissures with a 72% healing rate in this study. But balance is required between fissure healing and headache intolerance

Somatic symptoms in old age depression

Frequent somatic symptoms in old age depression lead to the label of 'masked depression' and result in detection and undertreatment of morbidity in this age group. Depressive symptomatology of 80 elderly [age years and above] was compared with that of 118 young depressives [age range 20-39 years] at psychiatry department of Mayo Hospital. Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Bradford Somatic Inventory were used to obtain somatic symptoms profile of the patients. The elderly depressives did not report more symptoms, however, they had a specific pattern of somatic symptoms easily distinguishable from that of their younger coon parts. With such a characteristic pattern of somatic symptoms in mind, clinicians can help minimize the on detection and undertreatment of old age depression