Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma masquerading as empyema thoracis.

Non-hodgkin's lymphoma has varied presentations. Malignant lymphoma arising in chronic pyothorax is very rare and has been reported from Japan. We report a case of non-hodgkin's lymphoma presenting as empyema thoracis.

Microfilaria in bronchial aspirate.

A 65-year-old female was evaluated for suspected bronchogenic carcinoma. The chest x-ray revealed a left parahilar opacity with a raised left dome of diaphragm. Fiberbronchoscopy showed an oedematous and hyperemic left main bronchus but no growth was visualised. Bronchial biopsy did not show any evidence of neoplasm. However, the bronchial aspirate smear examination showed one microfilaria. Post bronchoscopic roentgenogram done on the next day revealed clearing of left parahilar shadow and a normal diaphragm. The patient responded well to 300 mg of diethylcarbamazine given in divided doses for 3 weeks.

A case of bilateral pulmonary hydatid cysts.

A case of bilateral hydatid lung disease is reported who presented with a history of short duration and large opacities in both lung fields. A trial of medical treatment with albendazole 400 mg BD for 6 weeks failed. The patient was managed by surgical intervention which also ultimately established the diagnosis of hydatid disease.

Burkitt's lymphoma with mandible, intra-abdominal and renal involvement--initial presentation of HIV infection in a 4-year-old child.

Burkitt's lymphoma of the jaw was first described as a jaw tumor occurring endemically in African children. We report a case of Burkitt's lymphoma in a child presenting with a painful jaw mass which proved to be Burkitt's lymphoma; renal involvement was also noted. The child was found to be HIV positive. Burkitt's may be the initial manifestation of HIV infection in the pediatric population.

Role of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of lymphadenopathy.

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and open biopsy of same enlarged lymph nodes were performed in 59 patients with lymphadenopathy. When histopathological and cytological examinations were compared, an accuracy of 91.5% was achieved with FNAC in the cases of lymphadenopathy of various etiologies. Thus, fine needle aspiration cytology being reliable, safe, rapid and economical procedure, is useful as an outdoor diagnostic procedure for diagnosing lymphadenopathy of various etiologies.

Adenosine deaminase activity in pleural fluid--a diagnostic test of tuberculous pleural effusion.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in pleural fluids was studied in 47 patients with pleural effusion of different etiology. Patients were divided into two groups: Group I - Tuberculous pleural effusion (21 patients): Group II - Non tuberculous effusion (26 patients) and these included malignant pleural effusion (9 cases), synpneumonic pleural effusion (9 cases) and transudative pleural effusion (8 cases). The mean ADA activity was 64.67 IU/L +/- 21.68 in group I and 6.99 +/- 3.69 in Group II. Increased mean pleural fluid ADA activity in tuberculous pleural effusion was highly significant (p < 0.001) when compared with pleural effusion of non-tuberculous etiology. Based on lowest value of ADA activity found in tuberculous pleural effusion (30 IU/L), the test has a sensitivity and specificity of 1.

Herniation of the lung.

An unusual rare case of pathological type of acquired hernia of lung is presented with a brief review of the pathogenesis and classification of lung hernias. Clinical features, roentgen findings and treatment are also discussed.

Ethambutol-induced thrombocytopaenia.

A rare case of thrombocytopaenia induced by ethambutol is reported. The patient developed widespread purpura 6 days after starting chemotherapy.

Allergenic significance of some fungi prevailing in the respiratory tract of allergy patients--A preliminary study.

The allergenic significance of some fungi prevailing in the respiratory tract of allergy patients was studied. The percentage of markedly positive intradermal reactions observed was higher in patients to the extracts of homologous fungi found in their respiratory passages as compared to the patients who did not show the same fungi in theri respiratory tact.