An outbreak of Plasmodium falciparum malaria due to Anopheles minimus in central Assam, India

Epidemiological investigations were conducted in Nellie subcentre, PHC Jhargaon, under Morigaon district (Assam). The results of fever cases revealed 68 per cent slide positivity rate (SPR) and 40 per cent slide falciparum rate (SfR). The Pf proportion was > 87 per cent and remaining cases were P. vivax infections. An. minimus was incriminated as a malaria vector during the study period. The sporozoite rate was 3.08 per cent. The indoor man mosquito contact was 35 per bait/night as against 23 in outdoors. Results of susceptibility test revealed that the vector was still susceptible to both DDT and malathion at discriminating dosages. The study revealed that inadequate surveillance and vector control measures were contributing factors for malaria outbreak. In view of this, insecticide treated nets may be introduced to provide cost-effective control of malaria.     

Melkersson-rosenthal syndrome

Melkersson - Rosenthal syndrome was described by Melkersson and Rosenthal separately in the year 1928 and 1931 respectively. It is supposed to be a rare syndrome of bilateral alternating recurrent facial paralysis alongwith fissured tongue and oedema of the lips, face and eyelids. A case of Melkersson - Rosenthal syndrome is reported with all the classic findings which is a rarity. In this case there was alternating facial paralysis to begin with followed by bilateral paralysis third time, along with oedema of lips and face, fissured tongue, and dialation of sig-moid colon with absence of haustrations.     

Threshold control of chaotic neural network

The chaotic neural network constructed with chaotic neurons exhibits rich dynamic behaviour with a nonperiodic associative memory. In the chaotic neural network, however, it is difficult to distinguish the stored patterns in the output patterns because of the chaotic state of the network. In order to apply the nonperiodic associative memory into information search, pattern recognition etc. it is necessary to control chaos in the chaotic neural network. We have studied the chaotic neural network with threshold activated coupling, which provides a controlled network with associative memory dynamics. The network converges to one of its stored patterns or/and reverse patterns which has the smallest Hamming distance from the initial state of the network. The range of the threshold applied to control the neurons in the network depends on the noise level in the initial pattern and decreases with the increase of noise. The chaos control in the chaotic neural network by threshold activated coupling at varying time interval provides controlled output patterns with different temporal periods which depend upon the control parameters.     

Chorioretinitis and vitreitis due to Tropheryma whipplei after transplantation: case report and review

Abstract: Whipple's disease is a very rare chronic multisystemic bacterial disease characterized by diarrhea, malabsorption, fever, and polyarthritis. Ocular manifestations occur very rarely. Previous reports have suggested that the use of immunosuppressive drugs appears to accelerate or exacerbate the clinical course of Whipple's disease; however, the illness has yet to be reported in the setting of transplantation. Herein, we describe what we believe is the first reported case of Whipple's disease after transplantation. The patient is a 51‐year‐old woman who developed progressive visual floaters and blurring of vision 30 years after living‐related kidney transplantation for an autosomal‐dominant polycystic kidney disease. Her allograft was functioning well on maintenance immunosuppressive therapy with azathioprine and prednisone when she developed visual abnormalities. Transient weight loss, gastrointestinal symptoms, and migratory polyarthralgia predated the onset of ocular disease by several years. The diagnosis of Whipple's bilateral vitreitis and chorioretinitis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrating Tropheryma whipplei nucleic acid in vitreous fluid and peripheral blood sample as well as by demonstration of the bacilli by cytopathology. Intraocular vancomycin, intravenous ceftriaxone, and prolonged course of oral trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole therapy led to clinical improvement and recovery of visual acuity.     

Primary tuberculosis of bilateral submandibular salivary glands

A rare case of primary tuberculosis of bilateral submandibular salivary glands is presented with review of relevant literature. The patient was managed on conservative therapy.     

Perspective: three-dimensional imaging of the musculoskeletal system

An evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders in 202 patients using three-dimensional CT displays has revealed the usefulness of the technique, especially in patients with fractures of skeletal areas with complex anatomy, articular disorders of the hip, and spinal stenosis. In some cases, plastic models of diseased areas have been created from the CT data and are reasonably accurate, providing a graphic representation of the disease and the ability to perform rehearsal surgery. A preliminary investigation of three-dimensional displays of MR images indicates that the technique is feasible, although its clinical practicality requires further analysis.     

7-(Trifluoromethyl)-4-aminoquinoline hypotensives: novel peripheral sympatholytics

A family of 7-(trifluoromethyl)-4-aminoquinolines that are hypotensive agents and that act by a novel sympatholytic mechanism is described. Structure-activity relationships in this series have been elucidated. Some of the more potent hypotensives were evaluated for safety in the mouse. A candidate, 1-[(4-fluorophenyl)sulfonyl]-4-[4-[[7-(trifluoromethyl)-4- quinolinyl]amino]benzoyl]piperazine hydrochloride (losulazine hydrochloride) has been selected for clinical development. Losulazine hydrochloride is a hypotensive agent in the rat, cat, and dog. At acute effective hypotensive doses, it does not block the response of the sympathetic nervous system to stimuli. Both animal pharmacology and clinical experience suggest that losulazine hydrochloride may be free of the clinically limiting side effects that often plague compounds that decrease blood pressure by interfering with autonomic neurogenic function.