Mycosis fungoides : Tumour D'emblee

A 60-years old male patient presented with nodules and noduloulcerative lesions of mycosis fungoides (MF) of 6 months duration without any previous premycotic, patch or plaque stage.     

Measurement of surface alpha contamination using electret ion chambers.

Electret ion chambers are inexpensive, light-weight, commercially available, passive charge-integrating devices for accurate measurement of different radiations. Performance of electret ion chambers for surface alpha contamination measurement was evaluated. Ion chambers of two types and electrets of three thicknesses were used for the study. Calibration of the electret ion chambers was performed using reference alpha standards of different energies and radioactivities. Effects of various parameters such as chamber dimensions, electret thickness, alpha particle energy, position of alpha source from the chamber centerline, source localized or uniformly distributed, level of alpha contamination, Mylar window covering the chamber, and ambient radon and gamma radiation on the response of the electret ion chambers were determined. Suitable combinations of chambers and electrets to measure surface alpha contamination were determined.     

Nutritional status of pavement dweller children of Calcutta City

Pavement dwelling is likely to aggravate malnutrition among its residents due to extreme poverty, lack of dwelling and access to food and their exposure to polluted environment. Paucity of information about nutritional status of street children compared to that among urban slum dwellers, squatters or rural/tribal population is quite evident. The present study revealed the magnitude of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) and few associated factors among a sample of 435 underfives belonging to pavement dweller families and selected randomly from clusters of such families, from each of the five geographical sectors of Calcutta city. Overall prevalence of PEM was found almost similar (about 70%) to that among other 'urban poor' children viz. slum dwellers etc., but about 16% of them were found severely undernourished (Grade III & V of IAP classification of PEM). About 35% and 70% of street dweller children had wasting and stunting respectively. Severe PEM (Grade III & IV) was more prevalent among 12-23 months old, girl child, those belonged to illiterate parents and housewife mothers rather than wage earners. It also did increase with increase of birth rate of decrease of birth interval.     

Primary liposarcoma of the orbit: a clinicopathological study

Primary liposarcoma of the orbit is a rare tumour. There are very few cases of orbital liposarcoma reported in the literature, mostly of the myxoid variety. In this paper, the authors report the clinical presentation, histopathological features, results of diagnostic studies and management of a case of orbital low grade myxoliposarcoma with local recurrence, together with a review of the literature.     

Pregnancy outcome in patients with repeat visits to the labor observation area near term

Patients whose pregnancies are near term and who repeatedly visit the labor observation area but are found not to be in labor and have no clear diagnosis for their complaints remain a source of concern for the obstetrician. In order to determine whether this is a population with special perinatal risks, such cases were reviewed over a 4-month period at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. Seventy-one patients were identified who had repeatedly visited the labor observation area near term. Compared with those in the general obstetrics population, these patients had a significantly increased risk of cesarean section for "failure to progress." Repeat visitors to the labor observation area should be viewed as having a high risk for later abnormalities of active labor. Careful management of labor abnormalities in such patients could theoretically lower their need for cesarean section.     

Isolated tuberculosis of testis.

Isolated epididymo-orchitis is an uncommon presentation of tuberculosis. We report a case of left sided epididymo-orchitis and scrotal involvement due to tuberculosis in a young male patient. The diagnosis was suspected on clinical examination of scrotum and confirmed by FNAC of scrotal and testis. Patient improved after taking antitubercular treatment. Key words: infection, scrotum, treatment.     

Epidemiology of work-related burn injuries: experience of a state-managed workers' compensation system

BACKGROUND: Population-based incidence rates of work-related burn injuries and associated risk factors specific to anatomic sites and degree of burn are not known. METHODS: Using a state-managed workers' compensation database, we estimated incidence rates of work-related burn injuries and identified high-risk occupations and associated exposures. RESULTS: The annual incidence rate of occupational burn was 26.4 per 10,000 workers, with the highest rate observed in the manufacturing sector for males and in the service sector for females. Welders, cooks, laborers, food service workers, and mechanics had higher incidence rates of burn injury compared with other occupations. Wrist and hand burns accounted for a majority of burn injuries, with females experiencing greater incidence of these distal upper extremity burns (8.9 in females and 6.7 in males per 10,000 workers, respectively). Third-degree burns (incidence rate, 1.3 per 10,000 workers) were also most frequently observed in the upper extremities compared with other anatomic sites. The majority of wrist and hand burns were caused by hot liquids/ objects, whereas the majority of eye burns were associated with chemical exposures. Younger cooks and food service workers were at greater risk of burn than older coworkers. CONCLUSION: Specific occupations are associated with degree of burn, anatomic site, and exposures. This information will be useful for targeted intervention among high-risk occupations and work groups.     

A conservative surgical approach for management of iatrogenic pulmonary artery perforation

Accidental malposition of a chest tube in the pulmonary artery is a potentially fatal complication. Here we describe a 66 year-old obese woman with prior cardiac transplantation, intubated for respiratory failure and felt to have a large left pleural effusion. A chest tube was inserted using a trocar tube, and resulted in near-exsanguinating hemorrhage immediately, with development of hypovolemic shock. Prompt clamping of the tube proved life-saving, and CT scan confirmed placement of the tube in the main pulmonary artery. Initial stabilization, followed by a planned surgical approach, resulted in successful removal of the tube.