Microorganisms present in discharging otitis media in a group of patients in Kathmandu.

Discharge from the ear is one of the commonest symptoms of infections of the ear. To study the major strains of bacteria encountered in ear discharges, this study was conducted from July 1999, to June 2001 in the microbiology laboratory of Om Hospital. A total of 115 patients, of 6-35 years of age clinically diagnosed as discharging otitis media were studied. In 60.9% single organism and in 26.08% two organisms were isolated. Results revealed that, Staphylococcus aureus (34.3%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (24.3%), Pseudomons aeruginosa (22.8%), Enterobacter sps (7.1%), Esch coli (4.3%), Citrobacter sps (1.4%), Proteus sps (1.4%), Acinetobacter sps (1.4%) and Pneumococci (1.4%) were the common organisms in the discharge. Candida albicans (2.8%) was the pathogen in two cases. In 27.8% of cases the causative agent was not demonstrated. About sixty percent (65.9%), 64.8% and 56.0% of the isolates were sensitive to amikacin, ciprofloxacin and gentamycin respectively.

Seasonal variation of skin diseases in Nepal: a hospital based annual study of out-patient visits.

The aim of this study was to determine whether there was seasonal variation in skin diseases amongst dermatology out-patients in Nepal. A retrospective study was done of all new out-patients visiting a single dermatologist, at the Om Hospital and Research Center, Kathmandu, Nepal. The study population comprised all new patients visiting the dermatology out-patient department, between January and December, 1999. Data were obtained from the hospital out-patient records and analyzed. The total number of patients with skin diseases was 1746 (Males-793; Females-953). Majority (28.6%) of the visits was in spring and the three most common diagnoses included fungal infections, acne and melasma. All skin diseases showed statistically significant seasonal variation. It is clear that occurrence of certain skin diseases in Nepal show a significant seasonal trend.

Lasers in dermatology.

Laser technology, since its inception, has grown to find it's in varied fields, and medical science has been no exception. Dermatological surgery is in itself an emerging field in medical science, and the evolution of laser technology has further widened its scope, with various therapeutic well as diagnostic applications. Though the use of this technology is rapidly evolving, controlled studies to compare the efficacy of different types of lasers in specific skin conditions, or its effect on different skin types, is lacking. This study presents the observations of the response to the Carbon-di-oxide laser used to treat various skin conditions, in the Nepali skin phenotype. Lasers are being used to treat a wide variety of dermatological conditions, many of which did not have satisfactory treatment in the past. Further studies are required to study the effect of lasers in the Nepali skin phenotype, so as to standardize the wavelengths, doses and exposure times that would be suitable to treat specific skin conditions.

Study on head and neck tumours presented in ENT OPD of Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital.

This retrospective study was carried out to analyze the types of head and neck tumours on the basis of site and histopathological type. A total of 35 patients with head and neck tumours (M: 19 and F: 16; aged 15 to 68 years) were included. Thyroid neoplasm was the commonest (20.0%) patients followed by tumour of larynx (17.1%), oropharyngeal tumour and (14.3%), oral cavity tumour ranked number one (14.3%) followed by tumours of nose (11.4%) and others. All thyroid neoplasms were follicular type whereas all laryngeal tumours were squamous cell carcinoma.