Screening practices for breast and cervical cancer and associated factors, among rural women in Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Background: Population-based screening coverage for breast and cervical cancer screening in the community is inadequately reported in India. This study assessed screening rates, awareness, and other factors affecting screening, among rural women aged 25� years in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Methods: Women aged 25� years, from five randomly selected villages of a rural block were included in this cross-sectional study in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Households were selected by systematic random sampling, followed by simple random sampling of eligible women in the house. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess screening practices, awareness, and other factors related to cervical and breast cancer. Results: Although 43.8% and 57.9% were aware of the availability of screening for cervical and breast cancer respectively, screening rates were only 23.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.4-28.4%) and 16.2% (95% CI: 11.9-20.5%), respectively. Adequate knowledge (score of ?50%) on breast cancer was only 5.9%, with 27.2% for cervical cancer. Only 16.6% of women had ever attended any health education program on cancer. Exposure to health education (breast screening odds ratio [OR]: 6.89, 95% CI: 3.34-14.21; cervical screening OR: 6.92, 95% CI: 3.42-14.00); and adequate knowledge (breast OR: 4.69, 95% CI: 1.55-14.22; cervix OR: 3.01, 95% CI: 1.59-5.68) were independently associated with cancer screening. Conclusion: Awareness and screening rates for breast and cervical cancer are low among rural women in Tamil Nadu, a south Indian state with comparatively good health indices, with health education being an important factor associated with screening practices.

Rifampicin-induced thrombocytopenia in a patient of disseminated tuberculosis

Thrombocytopenia may be associated with a variety of conditions and risks depending on its severity, ranging from mild epistaxis to life-threatening bleeding. Many drugs or herbal remedies can cause thrombocytopenia by either inhibiting platelet production and/or enhancing their destruction from the peripheral blood-mediated through an immunological mechanism implicating drug-dependent antibodies. Drugs are a common cause of acute immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in adults, the drug etiology is often initially unrecognized. Most cases of drug-induced thrombocytopenia are caused by drug-dependent antibodies that are specific for the drug structure and bind tightly to platelets by their Fab regions but only in the presence of the drug. Thrombocytopenia is an uncommon but life-threatening complication of certain antitubercular drugs. The discovery of isolated thrombocytopenia in a patient taking several medications presents a challenging clinical problem. We report a case of a young immunocompetent female who presented with disseminated tuberculosis and was found to have rifampicin-induced thrombocytopenia

An unusual cause of optic atrophy in a child.

A 13‑year‑old child presenting with gross visual impairment was diagnosed as a case of optic atrophy. However, radiological investigations revealed osteopetrosis, which, though rare, can result in optic atrophy. The aim of this case report is to highlight this possibility while evaluating cases of optic atrophy in young patients.

Gold weight implantation as a treatment measure for correction of paralytic lagophthalmos.

Ocular complications from facial nerve paralysis can be quite devastating. Facial nerve paralysis results in cosmetic as well as functional problems. Paralysis of the upper eyelids leads to lagophthalmos, which results in incomplete closure of the lid over the cornea, leading to potential complication of corneal ulceration. The management of the affected eye in patients with facial palsy has been improved. Previously, ointment, eye drops, taping, partial or complete tarsorrhaphy was the primary treatment for inability to close the eyelid. Other mechanical techniques for reanimating lid closure are palpebral springs, encircling the upper and lower eyelids with silicone or fascia lata and temporalis muscle transfer. The most popular and widely used static procedure in facial nerve palsy is the upper eyelid gold weight implant. Gold eyelid implants are designed for the gravity assisted treatment of the functional defect of lagophthalmos resulting from facial paralysis. We report a case of a patient with facial paralysis who underwent gold weight implantation of the upper eyelid for correction of paralytic lagophthalmos.