The economic impact of individually packaged screws.

BACKGROUND: Trends in orthopaedic surgery have seen a migration towards using individually packaged screws (IPS). The manufacturers claim IPS improves sterility, traceability, and avoids the effects of repeated sterilisation. In recent times there has been increasing pressure on the NHS to be more cost-efficient. Challenging decisions must be made to make cost-efficient choices without comprising the quality of care provided. AIM: This study investigates the cost-benefit of IPS compared to the conventional screw rack stored screws (SRSS). METHODS: A single-centred observational study was carried out in a district general hospital between February and March 2013. One-hundred and forty-seven screws were requested intra-operatively and the screw acquisition time was measured with a digital handheld timer. Screw acquisition time was defined as the time taken from the initial verbal request to when the screw was mounted ready for use. The screws were categorised into two groups: SRSS and IPS. RESULTS: The mean screw acquisition time for the SRSS group (n = 94) was 6.6 s (S.D ± 2.5). The mean screw acquisition time for the IPS group (n = 53) was 102.1 s (S.D ± 25.7). The mean difference between SRSS and IPS was 96 s (95%CI 90.3-100.8; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the use of IPS significantly (p < 0.001) increases the operation duration and costs compared to SRSS. Based on ankle ORIF procedures alone, the use of IPS could potentially increase department spending by approximately £76,680 per year.

Eclipta alba extract with potential for hair growth promoting activity.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Eclipta alba is traditionally known to potentiate hair growth promotion. AIM OF THE STUDY: The study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of methanol extract of Eclipta alba as hair growth promoter. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pigmented C57/BL6 mice, preselected for their telogen phase of hair growth were used. In these species, the truncal epidermis lacks melanin-producing melanocytes and melanin production is strictly coupled to anagen phase of hair growth. The extract was applied topically to assess telogen to anagen transition. Immunohistochemical investigation was performed to analyze antigen specificity. Animals in anagen phase of hair growth were positive for FGF-7 and Shh and negative for BMP4, whereas the animals in telogen phase were positive only for BMP4 antigen. RESULTS: The methanol extract of whole plant when tested for hair growth promoting potential, exhibited dose dependent activity in C57BL6 mice. The activity was assessed by studying the melanogenesis in resected skin, follicle count in the subcutis, skin thickness and surrogate markers in vehicle control and extract treated animals. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that methanol extract of Eclipta alba may have potential as a hair growth promoter.

Familial pseudarthrosis of the clavicle: does it need treatment?

The eighth family with multiple cases of congenital pseudarthrosis of the clavicle is described. This usually presents as a clavicular lump and is distinct from more common conditions such as birth fractures, craniocleidal dysostosis and neurofibromatosis. There has so far been no clear indication on whether familial pseudarthrosis of the clavicle should be treated operatively. We recommend that when a suspected case of congenital pseudarthrosis of the clavicle is diagnosed the parents and siblings be examined also. If other family members are affected, we advise that the treatment should be conservative.

Protective effects of Terminalia arjuna against Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

Terminalia arjuna has been marked as a potential cardioprotective agent since vedic period. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of butanolic fraction of Terminalia arjuna bark (TA-05) on Doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiotoxicity. Male wistar rats were used as in vivo model for the study. TA-05 was administered orally to Wistar rats at different doses (0.42 mg/kg, 0.85 mg/kg, 1.7 mg/kg, 3.4 mg/kg and 6.8 mg/kg) for 6 days/week for 4 weeks. Thereafter, all the animals except saline and TA-05-treated controls were administered 20 mg/kg Dox intraperitonially. There was a significant decrease in myocardial superoxide dismutase (38.94%) and reduced glutathione (23.84%) in animals treated with Dox. Concurrently marked increase in serum creatine kinase-MB (CKMB) activity (48.11%) as well as increase in extent of lipid peroxidation (2.55-fold) was reported. Co-treatment of TA-05 and Dox resulted in an increase in the cardiac antioxidant enzymes, decrease in serum CKMB levels and reduction in lipid peroxidation as compared to Dox-treated animals. Electron microscopic studies in Dox-treated animals revealed mitochondrial swelling, Z-band disarray, focal dilatation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) and lipid inclusions, whereas the concurrent administration of TA-05 led to a lesser degree of Dox-induced histological alterations. These findings suggest that butanolic fraction of Terminalia arjuna bark has protective effects against Dox-induced cardiotoxicity and may have potential as a cardioprotective agent.

Immunoprophylactic effects of the anti-leprosy Mw vaccine in household contacts of leprosy patients: clinical field trials with a follow up of 8-10 years.

We report here a large scale, double blind immunoprophylactic trial of a leprosy vaccine based on Mycobacterium w (Mw) in an endemic area of Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh, India. A population of 420,823 spread over 272 villages was screened where 1226 multibacillary (MB) and 3757 paucibacillary (PB) cases of leprosy were detected. A total of 29,420 household contacts (HHC) of these patients were screened for evidence of active or inactive leprosy. After exclusion of 1622 contacts for any of the different exclusion criteria, a total of 24,060 HHC could be vaccinated for vaccine or placebo under coding (20,194 administered two doses and 3866 received single dose). The vaccine consisted of 1 x 10(9) heat killed bacilli (Mw) in normal saline for the first dose and half of the first dose, i.e. 5 x 10(8) bacilli for the second dose, given 6 months after the first dose. The placebo consisted of 1/8th dose of the normal dose of tetanous toxoid. Both placebo and vaccine were given under double-blind coding, The contacts were followed up during three surveys at 3, 6 and 9 years after the initial vaccination, for detection of post-vaccination cases (PVCs) and observing any side-effects caused as a result of vaccination. The codes were opened on 24th January 2001, after the analysis of the data following completion of the third and final follow-up survey. When only contacts received the vaccine, Mw vaccine showed a protective efficacy (PE) of 68-6% at the end of first, 59% at the end of the second and 39.3% at the end of the third follow-up survey. When both patients and contacts received the vaccine, the protective efficacy observed was 68%, 60% and 28% at the end of the first, second and third surveys, respectively. When patients, and not the contacts, received the vaccine, a PE of 42.9% in the first, 31% in the second and 3% in the third survey was shown. These results suggest that the vaccination of the contacts is more valuable in achieving the objective of immunoprophylaxis than that of patients, and the vaccine effects are noted maximally in children (as compared to adolescents and adults) who constitute the most responsive group The effect of vaccine is sustained for a period of about 7-8 years, following which there is a need to provide a booster vaccination for the sustained protection.

Identification of parasite antigen, correlation of parasite density and inflammation in skin lesions of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND: Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is an unusual dermatosis following kala-azar (KA). Demonstration of the amastigotes in lesions plays an important role in the diagnosis of PKDL. It was aimed to evaluate the utility of an antibody G2D10 in detecting leishmania parasite antigen, to correlate the parasite number/percentage of parasites with the inflammation, and to assess the epidemiological significance associated with the location of the parasites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 50 cases. Hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) stains and immunohistochemical (IHC) stains, using G2D10 antibody, was performed on the skin biopsies. The number of parasites and density of inflammation were semiquantitatively assessed. RESULTS: Leishmania donovan bodies (LDBs) were identified in 50% of cases with the H & E compared to 80% positivity with the IHC. All 50 cases showed inflammation in the superficial dermis (SD). About 44% showed dense inflammation compared to 16% sparse and 40% moderate inflammation. Parasite percentage was maximum in the SD (100%) compared to 75 and 42% in the mid and deep dermis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The IHC showed a higher percentage of LDB localization (80 vs. 50%). Density of inflammation was maximum in the SD. The parasite percentage was correlated with the inflammation. Location of parasites could have an epidemiological significance.

Induction of lepromin positivity and immunoprophylaxis in household contacts of multibacillary leprosy patients: a pilot study with a candidate vaccine, Mycobacterium w

We screened 487 household contacts of multibacillary (MB) patients for evidence of disease and their lepromin status. From the 444 results available, 302 (68.02%) were lepromin positive and 142 (31.98%) were lepromin negative on initial testing. The initial lepromin status as assessed in the group of 54 contacts having disease at the outset showed 24 out of 46 (52.2%) to be lepromin positive and 22 of 46 (47.8%) to be lepromin negative. In the same group, among 24 lepromin positives, 22 (91.7%) had paucibacillary (PB) and 2 (8.3%) had multibacillary (MB) disease; among the lepromin negatives, 12 (54.5%) had PB and 10 (45.5%) had MB disease. Out of 72 initially lepromin-negative contacts administered Mycobacterium w vaccine and followed up, the cumulative percentages show that 53 (73.6%) converted to positivity after a single dose, 10 (87.5%) after a second dose and 67 (93.1%) after the third dose. The incidence of new cases with leprosy was 8 out of 231 (3.46%) among lepromin-positive contacts and 5 out of 93 (5.38%) among lepromin-negative contacts administered Mycobacterium w vaccine. Among 231 lepromin-positive contacts, the new cases occurred in those with a 1+ and 2+ lepromin response only, and no case occurred among 51 contacts with a 3+ lepromin response. The incidence among lepromin-positive contacts in this study (3.46%) was similar to the observations in two other studies: 3.2% by Dharmendra, et al. and 6.9% by Chaudhary, et al. However, the incidence among lepromin-negative contacts administered Mycobacterium w vaccine was significantly lower than that observed among lepromin-negative contacts not administered any vaccination in the other two studies (14.1% by Dharmendra, et al. and 29.0% by Chaudhary, et al.). To conclude, although a study of small sample size, the preliminary evaluation indicates that administration of Mycobacterium w vaccine seems to have the potential to reduce the incidence of leprosy among household contacts of leprosy patients. More explicit results about the vaccine will be available from the ongoing field trials in Kanpur Dehat in the near future.

Disabilities in multibacillary leprosy following multidrug therapy with and without immunotherapy with mycobacterium w antileprosy vaccine

A vaccine based on autoclaved Mycobacterium w was administered, in addition to standard multidrug therapy (MDT), to 157 bacteriologically positive, lepromin-negative, multibacillary leprosy patients supported by a well-matched control group of 147 patients with similar type of disease who received a placebo injection in addition to MDT. The MDT was given for a minimum period of 2 years and continued until skin-smear negativity, while the vaccine/placebo was given at 3-month intervals up to a maximum of 8 doses in the initial 2 years. The overall incidence of type 1 and type 2 reactions and neuritis during treatment and follow up was nearly equal in the patients in the vaccine and placebo groups; the differences were not statistically significant. The occurrence of disabilities, such as anesthesia, trophic ulcers, claw hand and grade 3 deformities, were not different statistically in the vaccine and placebo groups, an observation valid both for deformities present at induction and for those which developed during the course of therapy and surveillance. A statistically significant difference was observed in the recovery of newly developed trophic ulcers; recovery was quicker in the vaccine group. The recovery rate for motor deformities was marginally higher in the vaccine group, although not significant (p = 0.068) statistically. There was a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of grade 3 deformities following MDT with and without immunotherapy. To conclude, the addition of vaccine to MDT did not precipitate neuritis or deformities over and above that encountered with MDT alone, although it did accelerate bacteriological clearance, histopathological upgrading, conversion to lepromin positivity, and clinical improvement.

Induction of lepromin positivity following immuno-chemotherapy with mycobacterium w vaccine and multidrug therapy and its impact on bacteriological clearance in multibacillary leprosy: report on a hospital-based clinical trial with the candidate antileprosy vaccine

A vaccine based on autoclaved Mycobacterium w was administered, in addition to standard multidrug therapy (MDT), to 157 bacteriologically positive, lepromin-negative, multibacillary (LL, BL and BB) leprosy patients. The vaccinees were supported by a well-matched control group of 147 patients with similar type of disease who received a placebo injection in addition to MDT. The MDT was given for a minimum period of 2 years and continued until skin-smear negativity, while the vaccine was given at 3-month intervals up to a maximum of 8 doses. The lepromin response evaluated in terms of percentage of subjects converting to positivity status, measurement in millimeters, and duration of lepromin positivity sustained, reflected a statistically significant better outcome in the vaccine group patients (especially LL and BL leprosy) in comparison to those in the placebo group. The data indicate that lepromin-positivity status seems to have an impact on accelerating the bacteriological clearance, as is evident by the statistically significant accelerated decline in the BI of those patients who converted to lepromin positivity as compared to those remaining lepromin negative throughout therapy and post-therapy follow up. To conclude, the addition of the Mycobacterium w vaccine to standard MDT induces a lepromin response of a statistically significant higher magnitude than that observed with MDT alone.

An electron microscopic study of lymphatics in the dermal lesions of human leprosy

The dermal lymphatic vessels in lepromatous and tuberculoid leprosy lesions were studied by light- and electron-microscopy. In the lepromatous patient, lymphatic vessels were seen in both intra- and peri-granulomatous areas. The lymphatic lining cells contained lipid droplets, lysosomes, and numerous pinocytotic vesicles. Cells bearing bacilli were only occasionally seen. In the tuberculoid cases, lymphatic vessels were seen only along the edges of the granulomas and the lining cells were less prominent. Inflammatory cells, both lymphocytes and histiocytes, were found traversing the walls of lymphatic vessels in both groups of patients. The results of the study confirm the continued and increased functioning of the lymphatic drainage system in dermal leprosy lesions, and indicates that it may be a major route for the clearance of lipids from the lipid-rich bacilliferous lesions in the lepromatous patient. The lymphatic pathway appears to be a minor pathway for the dissemination of Mycobacterium leprae in comparison with the blood vascular system

Juvenile Persistent Acantholytic Dermatosis.

An 8 year old boy had recurrent episodes of erythematous papulo - vesicular eruptions on the trunk and extremities persisting for the last 4 years. Repeated biopsies revealed spongiotic acantholysis and pemphigus vulgaris in two separate biopsies. Direct immunofluorescence for fixed antibodies and indirect immunofluorescence for circulating antibodies were negative for IgG, IgA, IgM and C3. This condition is described in patients past 40 years of age. Ours is perhaps the . first child patient with this condition.