ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Hooch blindness following consumption of adulterated alcohol has been known for centuries. OBJECTIVE: To study cases of mass alcohol intoxication followed by Hooch blindness in eastern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients of toxic amblyopia collected from a community mass intoxication following consumption of adulterated alcohol were studied. The parameters studied were the findings of ocular examination, applanation tonometry, automated perimetry and visual-evoked potential (VEP). As a part of the special investigations fundus photography and OCT were done. Routine blood examination, fasting lipid profile, postprandial blood sugar estimation were done . All patients were treated with injections of methyl prednisolone and Hydroxy cobalamine, antioxidants and local neuro-protective agents. RESULTS: Along with diminished vision (from NPL to 3/60), marked pallor of the disc without any other retinal change were noted. The amplitude on VEP was significantly reduced. However, visual improvement (up to 6/18) in 7 patients was observed within 6 weeks of treatment. CONCLUSION: Hooch blindness in India can be prevented by creating awareness among the target population and reducing the cost of country liquor.
Subject(s)
Blindness/etiology , Ethanol/poisoning , Optic Nerve Diseases/chemically induced , Adult , Aged , Blindness/diagnosis , Diagnosis, Differential , Evoked Potentials, Visual/drug effects , Humans , Middle Aged , Optic Nerve Diseases/complications , Optic Nerve Diseases/diagnosis , Prognosis , Tomography, Optical CoherenceABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: ITP can give rise to bleeding episodes in different parts of the body including the central nervous system with various systemic manifestations. CASE: An eight-year old female child, diagnosed as a case of chronic ITP for last two years, developed intense headache and vomiting for a few days before admission. This was associated with right sided mid dilated pupil with brisk reaction to light. MRI-angiography showed a bleeding aneurysm of posterior communicating artery. The features of raised intra cranial tension subsided with conservative management but the anisocoria persisted. CONCLUSION: A bleeding aneurysm can manifest with anisocoria as a sign of partial third cranial nerve palsy.
Subject(s)
Anisocoria/etiology , Cerebral Hemorrhage/etiology , Intracranial Aneurysm/complications , Oculomotor Nerve Diseases/etiology , Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/complications , Anisocoria/diagnosis , Cerebral Hemorrhage/diagnosis , Child , Female , Humans , Intracranial Aneurysm/diagnosis , Oculomotor Nerve Diseases/diagnosisABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A case report of a successful recovery from paraplegia and cortical blindness following anti-venom injection for a snake bite by a common krait is reported here. CASE: A 14-year old male patient was bitten by a common krait. On admission to a tertiary level hospital, he was started with antivenom serum. But the patient developed sudden respiratory distress following anaphylactic shock and he was kept on ventilation. The patient was discharged with paraplegia with loss of vision. He was diagnosed as a case of cortical blindness due to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Subsequently, the patient recovered from paraplegia and regained visual acuity of 6/60 in both eyes (best corrected). The boy was reexamined after four years. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of victims of neurotoxic snake bite for early signs of respiratory depression and prompt respiratory assistance, even if anti-venom is not available, is most essential as a life saving measure.
Subject(s)
Blindness, Cortical/etiology , Bungarus , Encephalitis/etiology , Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain/etiology , Paraplegia/etiology , Snake Bites/complications , Adolescent , Animals , Antivenins/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Snake Bites/drug therapyABSTRACT
Effects of Norethisterone Enanthate (an injectable contraceptive) on body weight, blood pressure, blood cell count, level of haemoglobin, fasting blood sugar and serum cholesterol were studied in 31 women. It was observed that in the successful acceptors the pregnancy rate was nil. No appreciable change could be found in the body functions studied.
Subject(s)
Norethindrone/pharmacology , Adult , Blood Cells/drug effects , Blood Glucose , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Body Weight/drug effects , Cholesterol/blood , Family Planning Services , Female , Humans , Injections, Intramuscular , Parity , PregnancySubject(s)
Diet , Eating , Energy Intake , Energy Metabolism , Social Class , Adult , Bangladesh , Calorimetry , Employment , HumansABSTRACT
PIP: Effects of hysterectomy, administration of uterine extract, posterior pituitary extract and aspirin on the length of pseudopregnancy were investigated in 174 virgin, female rats. Pseudopregnancy was induced by injecting a single dose of reserpine (1 mg/kg body weight) subcutaneously on the 1st day of diestrus. The mean length of pseudopregnancy in the control group was 13.8 days. There was an increase (p less than .001) in the duration of pseudopregnancy to 17.1 days following hysterectomy. The administration of uterine extract reduced the duration to 15.9 days. Administration of posterior pituitary extract reduced the duration of pseudopregnancy in the pseudopregnant hysterectomized rats to 12.4 days (p less than .001). Aspirin treatment did not effect the length of pseudopregnancy. It is concluded that there is a definite pituitary-utero-ovarian relationship. The neurohypophyseal hormones may be involved in the mechanism of regression of corpora lutea of pseudopregnancy in rats.^ieng
Subject(s)
Aspirin/administration & dosage , Hysterectomy , Pituitary Hormones, Posterior/administration & dosage , Pseudopregnancy/drug effects , Tissue Extracts/administration & dosage , Animals , Female , Luteolytic Agents/administration & dosage , Prostaglandins F/administration & dosage , Rats , Reserpine/administration & dosage , UterusABSTRACT
No information is available on energy expenditure and dietary intake of Bangladesh population carried out simultaneously. As a preliminary step in this direction, forty volunteers mostly from the low socio-economic groups were subjected to these studies for a 3-4 day period. Indirect calorimetric method was used for the measurement of oxygen consumption and energy expenditure. Actual weighing of food articles were carried out before consumption and values calculated from standard tables. It was found that values obtained during rest like sitting and lying including basal metabolic rate (BMR) fell within values reported in the literature. Resting energy expenditure, however, tended to rise in the later part of the day and the degree of physical activity carried out by the subjects. Rickshawpedalling required 6.66 Kcal/min to be expended without passenger and 7.84 Kcal/min with two passengers. Cartpulling required 5.5 Kcal/min without load compared to 6.08 Kcal/min with a load of 350 kg. The small difference was obviously due to a reduction in the speed of cartpulling. This was, however, not true with rickshawpedallers. Dietary intake showed that all the subjects were getting a low protein and low fat diet and that carbohydrates were the main source (over 80%) of calories. The doctors were the only group receiving some animal protein and the cartpullars eating almost none. The number of calories taken were consistent with their activities. One rickshawpedaller had an unusually high intake of over 6000 calories daily.
