Does local infiltration analgesia in total joint arthroplasty offer any protection from prosthetic joint infections? An invitro experimental study.

Many local anaesthetic agents are now reported to have anti-microbial properties in various studies, and this ability to inhibit microbial growth is not uniform. As local anaesthetics are commonly infiltrated into the surgical field for perioperative pain management, it is very important to know if this practice offers any protection against surgical site infections. METHODS: In this study, three of the most common prosthetic joint infection-causing organisms, namely, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli, were chosen and tested against the commonly used local anaesthetics. The suspension of each organism was inoculated onto three different Mueller-Hinton agar plates and a drop of an undiluted solution of each local anaesthetic agent is inoculated onto one of the three culture plates; vancomycin and gentamicin discs were used as controls. RESULTS: The local anaesthetic agents tested could not inhibit the growth of any of the microorganisms. As there was no inhibition of bacterial growth in the experiment with the above three agents, further experiment with a diluted mixture was not performed. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that local infiltration of anaesthetic agents is less likely to provide any perioperative protection against prosthetic joint infections but may interfere with some diagnostic tests for microbiology.

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of Thyroid: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Primary thyroid lymphoma is a rare malignancy, accounting for 1-2% of extra-nodal lymphomas and 1-5% of thyroid malignancies. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common type of primary thyroid lymphoma. It usually presents with a rapidly enlarging neck mass with cervical lymphadenopathy. Though rare, early diagnosis of this condition is important because its management is quite different from the treatment of other thyroid neoplasms. It is usually treated by chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy. We present the case of a 43 years old male who presented with thyroid swelling which on histopathology and subsequent immunohistochemistry was confirmed as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the thyroid.

Associations Between Delivery Modes, Birth Outcomes and Offspring Anxiety Disorders in a Population-Based Birth Cohort of Children and Adolescents.

Objective: Mode of delivery and well-being markers for newborn infants have been associated with later psychiatric problems in children and adolescents. However, only few studies have examined the association between birth outcomes and anxiety disorders and the results have been contradictory. Methods: This study was a Finnish population-based register study, which comprised 22,181 children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and 74,726 controls. Three national registers were used to collect the data on exposures, confounders and outcomes. Mode of delivery, the 1-min Apgar score, umbilical artery pH and neonatal monitoring were studied as exposure variables for anxiety disorders and for specific anxiety disorders. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine these associations. Results: Unplanned and planned cesarean sections increased the odds for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (adjusted OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.15 and aOR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.19, respectively). After an additional adjustment for maternal diagnoses, unplanned cesarean sections remained statistically significant (aOR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.18). For specific anxiety disorders, planned cesarean sections and the need for neonatal monitoring increased the odds for specific phobia (aOR 1.21, 95% CI 1.01-1.44 and aOR 1.28, 95% CI 1.07-1.52, respectively). Conclusions: Birth by cesarean section increased the odds for later anxiety disorders in children and adolescents and unplanned cesarean sections showed an independent association. Further studies are needed to examine the mechanisms behind these associations.

Pattern of Hearing Loss Among Patients Attending ENT Department of a Tertiary Hospital in Nepal: A Retrospective Study.

This study aims to analyze the pattern of hearing loss among patients visiting ENT department in Nepal Police Hospital. Pure tone audiometry results of 1654 patients with a complaint of the hearing loss were analyzed and the results were expressed in number and percentage. Among 1654 patients, 294 patients had normal hearing on both ears. So, a total of 1360 patients had hearing loss. Among 1360 patients, 897 (66%) cases were male and 463 (34%) were female. Most commonly affected age group was 31-40 years followed by 21-30 years age group. Out of 1360 patients, 432 (31.76%) patients had unilateral hearing loss whereas 928 (68.24%) cases had bilateral hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss was the most common 1349 (49.60%), followed by conductive 683 (25.11%) and mixed 256 (9.41%) hearing losses respectively. Conductive hearing loss was more common in younger age groups whereas sensorineural hearing loss was more common in older age groups. Mild hearing loss was seen in 1079 ears (39.67%), moderate in 671 (24.67%), severe in 368 (13.52%) and profound in 170 (6.25%). The mean hearing threshold was 42.90 ± 19.26 dB on right ear and 42.60 ± 18.76 dB on left ear with no statistically significant difference (p value -0.68). Hearing loss was more common in male population with younger age group involvement. Sensorineural hearing loss was the most common type. Mild degree of hearing loss and bilateral involvement was most common.

Preterm birth, poor foetal growth and anxiety disorders in a Finnish nationwide register sample.

AIM: We examined the associations between preterm birth, poor foetal growth and anxiety disorders among children and adolescents. Additionally, we examined the impact of common comorbidities and specific anxiety disorders separately. METHODS: Three Finnish registers provided data on a nationwide birth cohort of 22,181 cases with anxiety disorders and 74,726 controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the associations. RESULTS: Extremely very preterm birth and moderate-late preterm birth were associated with increased adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for anxiety disorders (aOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.11-1.75 and aOR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03-1.23, respectively). Weight for gestational age of less than -2SD (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.17-1.42) and -2SD to -1SD (aOR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.14) were associated with increased odds ratios for anxiety disorders. When comorbidities were considered, the associations became statistically insignificant for pure anxiety disorders, but remained significant in the groups with comorbid depressive or neurodevelopmental disorders. CONCLUSION: Preterm birth and poor foetal growth increased the odds for anxiety disorders. However, the associations seem to be explained by the conditions of comorbid depressive and neurodevelopmental disorders. Comorbidities should be considered when examining and treating child and adolescent anxiety disorders.

Rapid, label-free antibiotic susceptibility determined directly from positive blood culture.

Bacterial bloodstream infections are a significant cause of global morbidity and mortality. Constrained by low bacterial burdens of 1-100 colony-forming-units per ml blood (CFU/ml), clinical diagnosis relies on lengthy culture amplification and isolation steps prior to identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). The resulting >60-h time to actionable treatment not only negatively impacts patient outcomes, but also increases the misuse and overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics that accelerates the rise in multidrug resistant infections. Consequently, the development of novel technologies capable of rapidly recovering bacteria from blood-derived samples is crucial to human health. To address this need, we report a novel bacterial recovery technology from positive blood cultures that couples selective hemolysis with centrifugation through a sucrose cushion to perform rapid, background-free cytometric ASTs without long subculturing steps. Demonstrated on the most common bloodstream infection-causing bacteria: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, near-pure bacteria are rapidly recovered (≤15 min) with minimal user intervention. Susceptibilities of recovered bacteria are readily performed via high throughput flow cytometry with excellent agreement with much slower, standard microbroth dilution assays. Altogether, this novel direct-from-positive blood culture AST technology enables susceptibility determinations within as little as 5 h, post blood culture positivity.

Time trends in treated incidence, sociodemographic risk factors and comorbidities: a Finnish nationwide study on anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: There has been a lack of research about the time trends and socio-demographic risk factors for children and adolescents who receive treatment for anxiety disorders. This study aimed to fill these gaps in our knowledge by examining a nationwide sample of Finnish children and adolescents diagnosed in specialized healthcare settings. METHODS: This study comprised national register data of all singleton children born in Finland from 1992-2006 who were diagnosed with anxiety disorders from 1998-2012. The changes in time trends in incidence were studied by dividing the study sample into three cohorts by birth years: 1992-1996, 1997-2001 and 2002-2006, who were followed up until the age of 20, 15 and 10 years, respectively. The 22,388 individuals with anxiety disorders were age and gender matched with 76,139 controls from the general population. Logistic regression was used to examine the socio-demographic risk factors and anxiety disorders in the entire sample. Comorbid disorders were examined in the oldest birth cohort (1992-1996 born). RESULTS: Comparing the 1992-1996 and 2002-2006 cohorts showed that the cumulative incidence of treated anxiety disorders at the age of 10 increased from 0.3 to 1.2% among females and 0.46 to 1.9% among males. Subjects had higher likelihood for being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder if their mothers had low maternal socio-economic status class at birth (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.45-1.61) compared to higher SES class, and marital status was single at the time of birth (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.87-2.17) compared to married or in a relationship. They had lower risk of anxiety disorders diagnosis if born in rural (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.79-0.86) or semi-urban areas (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.76-0.82) when compared to urban residence. There was a wide range of psychiatric comorbidities, and unipolar depression was the most common (31.2%). CONCLUSION: Anxiety disorders diagnosed by specialized Finnish services increased from 1998-2012 in both genders. This could indicate a real increase in overall anxiety disorders or an increase in treatment seeking. The findings on maternal socioeconomic status and single parenting improve the recognition of the environmental risk factors for anxiety disorders among children and adolescents.

Feeling Unsafe at School and Associated Mental Health Difficulties among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

This study systematically reviewed the literature on perceived school safety. We investigated the prevalence, factors and associated mental health difficulties, as well as cross-cultural findings. Five databases were searched up to 9 February 2021 for peer-reviewed papers published in English. We included quantitative studies that explored the perception of school safety among children and adolescents. The reference lists of the selected papers were also searched. We conducted a narrative synthesis of the included studies. The review included 43 papers. The mean prevalence of the students who felt unsafe at school was 19.4% and ranged from 6.1% to 69.1%. Their perceived safety was associated with a wide range of personal, school, and social factors. Not feeling safe at school was related to being victimized and mental health difficulties, including depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior. Higher perceived school safety was associated with measures such as the presence of a security officer and fair school rule enforcement. The results showed the lack of cross-cultural studies on perceived school safety. Empirical studies are needed that examine the mechanisms of school safety, using valid measures. A clear definition of school safety should be considered a key aspect of future studies.

Lingual Thyroid with Subclinical Hypothyroidism in a Young Female.

Thyroid tissue presenting as a nodule in the base of the tongue due to the embryonic failure to descend to the anterior neck is a rare clinical entity, called lingual thyroid. Clinical presentation varies depending upon the degree of obstruction caused by an enlarged nodule or features related to thyroid function. We report a case of a 27-year-old female who presented with a foreign body sensation in the throat with mild dysphagia for 3 weeks. The patient was diagnosed as lingual thyroid with subclinical hypothyroidism based on clinical findings, imaging, and fine-needle aspiration cytology. Conservative management with hormone suppression can result in size reduction of ectopic thyroid tissue improving symptoms without surgery. Lingual thyroid with mild symptoms and subclinical hypothyroidism can be managed conservatively.

Kimura's Disease: A Rare Cause of Unilateral Tonsillar Enlargement.

INTRODUCTION: Kimura's disease is a rare inflammatory disorder of unknown cause, commonly seen in young Asian males. Case Report. A 61-year-old male patient presented with a history of right tonsillar mass and cervical lymphadenopathy. The patient underwent hematological investigation and imaging followed by resection of tonsillar mass. Based on histopathological and subsequent immunohistochemistry reports, the case was diagnosed as Kimura's disease of the tonsil. Discussion. Kimura's disease commonly presents as painless subcutaneous masses in the head and neck region or cervical lymphadenopathy. Kimura's disease presenting as a tonsillar mass is a very rare condition. Patients usually have peripheral eosinophilia and elevated levels of serum IgE. The diagnosis is based on the clinical and histopathologic findings in a biopsy of the mass and/or lymph node along with elevated peripheral eosinophil and serum IgE level. CONCLUSION: The clinical presentation of Kimura's disease is highly variable. Kimura's disease should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with a tonsillar mass. A high index of suspicion along with histopathological examination helps in the early diagnosis and management. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice.

Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for anxiety disorders among children and adolescents: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for anxiety disorders have rarely been studied, even though they are highly prevalent in children and adolescents. It is important to identify the common risk factors, so that targeted preventive care and early interventions can be provided. METHODS: A systematic review of the PubMed and PsycInfo databases was conducted to 25 October 2019, according to the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. The protocol was registered on the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews and the quality assessment was carried out using the Joanna Briggs tools. RESULTS: The review identified 31 studies from eight countries, including three register studies. Cohort sizes ranged from 69 to 89,404 and diagnoses cases ranged from 4 to 7867. Although various risk factors had been researched, only few of them had been repeatedly studied and the findings were highly inconsistent. The associations between the different risk factors and anxiety disorders seemed weak compared to many other psychiatric disorders, but preterm birth and maternal somatic illnesses may increase the risk for anxiety disorders in offspring. LIMITATIONS: The studies varied considerably by study design, risk factors and anxiety disorders studied, sample sizes and follow up periods. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for anxiety disorders have been under-researched, compared to other psychiatric disorders. Our systematic review found weak links to prenatal events, but flagged up preterm birth and maternal somatic illnesses as possible avenues for future research.

Comparison of postoperative infection and graft uptake rate using single dose of intravenous co-amoxiclav versus no antibiotic in children undergoing myringoplasty: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To compare postoperative infection and graft uptake rate using single dose of intravenous co-amoxiclav versus no antibiotic in children undergoing myringoplasty. METHODS: This is a prospective, randomized controlled study conducted in children of age 6-15 years with chronic otitis media (COM) mucosal, inactive type undergoing myringoplasty. Postoperative infection over a period of 4 weeks and status of graft at or around 3 months after surgery was studied as outcome measure. RESULTS: Fifty five out of sixty children completed follow-up. The overall postoperative infection rate was 5.4%. Postoperative infection rate was 3.5% in children receiving prophylactic antibiotic and 7.4% in children receiving no antibiotic. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative infection between two groups (P > 0.05). The overall graft uptake rate was 87.27%. It was 85.7% in antibiotic used group and 88.8% in non-antibiotic group with no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative infection following myringoplasty in children is uncommon as it is a clean type of surgery. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative infection and graft uptake rate by the use of prophylactic antibiotic in the intraoperative period. This study shows no benefit of a prophylactic antibiotic on postoperative infection or graft success in myringoplasty in children. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03700814.

Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Submandibular Gland: A Case Report.

Salivary gland tumours are relatively rare and constitute about 3-4% of head and neck tumours. Most of the tumours arise from parotid glands. Submandibular gland tumours are very rare. Pleomorphic adenoma of the submandibular gland is exceedingly rare tumour. Very few studies have been reported in the literature that is exclusively conducted on pleomorphic adenoma affecting submandibular gland. Patients usually present with a slow growing, painless and mobile mass without any other associated symptoms. Radiologic studies are usually unable to differentiate benign from malignant tumours in most cases. Recurrence is rare with complete en bloc excision of the tumour along with submandibular gland. Prognosis is excellent except for the rare cases of malignant transformation. This paper describes a case of pleomorphic adenoma affecting submandibular gland with brief review of current literature on submandibular gland tumours. Keywords: pleomorphic adenoma; salivary gland; submandibular gland tumours.