Inferior vena cava thrombosis in a case of amoebic liver abscess: Is hypercomplementemia responsible for this rare entity.

Among the liver abscesses, thrombosis of the inferior vena cava (IVC) has been reported mainly in amoebic liver abscess (ALA) caused by Entamoeba histolytica (E.H). It is an unusual complication especially in paediatric age group. Association of hypercomplementemia and IVC thrombosis has not been discussed previously. Published data suggest that E.H can activate the complement system and can cause hypercomplementemia. A very few studies suggest that complement activation and hypercomplementemia are associated with thrombus formation. We describe a paediatric case of ALA complicated by IVC thrombosis extending to the right atrium and discuss the possible role of hypercomplementemia in causation of IVC thrombosis in cases of ALA.

Pericardial Effusion in Children: Experience from Tertiary Care Center in Northern India.

Objective:To describe profile and outcome in children with significant pericardial effusion. Methods: Hospital records of 25 children admitted with significant pericardial effusion during January 2010 to March 2013 were analyzed. Results: Thirteen (52%) children had tubercular, 6 (24%) had bacterial, 3 viral, 2 recurrent idiopathic and one had malignant pericardial effusion. Only 3 children in our series required surgical drainage. Conclusions: Echocardiography guided percutaneous pericardiocentesis and pigtail catheter placement was found to be safe and effective.

Failure of Secondary Prophylaxis with Erythromycin in Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Background: Erythromycin is recommended for secondary prophylaxis in children with rheumatic heart disease, who are allergic to penicillin. Case Characteristics: A 9-year-old girl, with rheumatic heart disease, on secondary prophylaxis with erythromycin 250 mg BD, presented with acute rheumatic fever. Outcome: Responded to steroids and started on a higher dose (250 mg TDS) of erythromycin for secondary prophylaxis. Message: There is need to document the resistance of group A streptococci to erythromycin.

Bardet-Biedl Syndrome – A Rare Cause of Cardiomyopathy.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare autosomal recessive condition characterized by retinitis pigmentosa, polydactyly, obesity, learning disabilities, hypogonadism and renal anomalies. Cardiomyopathy in association with BBS has previously being reported only twice in literature. We report a case of a patient presenting with features of cardiomyopathy, who was subsequently diagnosed to have BBS.

Ruptured Sinus of Valsalva Masquerading as Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Ruptured sinus of Valsalva is a rare lesion in pediatric age group. We are reporting a twelve year old child with hyperdynamic circulation being diagnosed and treated as Rheumatic heart disease.

Physicochemical and Phytochemical evaluation of different black tea brands.

Standardization of herbal drugs raw material is essential to assess the quality, based on the consistency (concentration) of their active principles. Tea plant (Camellia sinensis) contains Caffeine that is responsible for the stimulating effect of the beverage. The objectives of this study are extraction, qualitative estimation of caffeine by TLC method, physicochemical standardization, phytochemical evaluation(qualitative tests) and chemical tests for detection of inorganic elements from different black tea brands. The different black tea brands (Brooke Bond Taj Mahal, Tata Premium and Duncan Double Diamond) are suddenly collected from local market. Standardization including – organoleptic properties, foreign matter, pH of aqueous solution ash values, extractive values, successive extractive values, moisture content, volatile oil content, Preliminary phytochemical screening and chemical tests for inorganic elements. The results obtained from this study can be used to standardize different black tea brands in the market.