Bite by a dog under provocation: is it free from risk?

There is a common belief that rabid dogs bite without provocation, hence a dog bite under provocation is free from the risk of rabies. This is not always true as is evident from the case report narrated below. Here in this article, a man of 38 years was bitten by a dog under provocation. He developed rabies 4 months after the bite and subsequently died. Autopsy revealed Negri bodies from the brain tissue.     

How effective is amniotomy as a means of induction of labour?

Background  

Amniotomy or artificial rupture of membranes is routinely used for induction of labour.     

Is There a Sex Bias in Choosing Editors?: Epidemiology Journals as an Example

Context.— Editors, authors, and reviewers are influential in shaping science. The careers of women in public health have received less scrutiny than those of women in medicine and other branches of science. The performance of women as editors, authors, and reviewers in epidemiology has not been previously studied. Objective.— To examine changes over time in the representation of women at the editorial level in US epidemiology journals compared with the proportion of women authors and reviewers. Design and Setting.— Cross-sectional study of 4 US epidemiology journals, American Journal of Epidemiology, Annals of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, and the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (formerly the Journal of Chronic Diseases), for 1982, 1987, 1992, and 1994. Subjects.— Editors, authors, and reviewers for the selected years. Main Outcome Measures.— Sex of editors, authors, and reviewers. Results.— We identified 2415 reports associated with 8005 authors. One of 7 editors in chief was a woman, a position she shared with a man. For all journals, the proportion of editors who were women ranged from 5 (6.5%) of 77 in 1982 to 42 (16.3%) of 258 in 1994. Over all journals and all years, women comprised a higher proportion of authors (28.7% [2225/7743] ) compared with reviewers (26.7% [796/2982]) or editors (12.8% [89/696]). Conclusions.— Fewer women in public health hold editorial positions than are authors and reviewers. The reasons for this important discrepancy, including the possibility of a selection bias favoring men, should be further investigated.      

What is a Caldicott guardian?

A review of patient confidentiality issues was commissioned and its findings published as the Caldicott Report in December 1997. It made 16 recommendations and formulated six principals. To help in remembering these principles the mnemonic FIONA C can be used: Formal justification of purpose; Information transferred only when absolutely necessary; Only the minimum required; Need to know access controls; All to understand their responsibilities; Comply with and understand the law. Since the Caldicott Report in 1997 the following acts have become law. Data Protection Act 1998, Human Rights Act 1998, Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, Audit Commission Act 1998, Terrorism Act 2000, section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, and by 2005 The Freedom of Information Act 2000 will become law and affect the NHS. Consequently it can be seen that the role and responsibility of Caldicott guardians has grown significantly into what is now known as information governance.     

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in free flap surgery: is it meaningful?

Background

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a recognised modality of treatment with applications in plastic surgery. This modality of treatment works by providing higher oxygen delivery to tissues. The benefits of this modality of treatment in free flap surgery were studied.

Method

A randomised prospective study was done. Ten patients undergoing free tissue transfer by microvascular technique were studied. These patients were randomised into two groups. In Group 1 the patients were subjected to hyperbaric oxygen therapy postoperatively for seven days. Group 2 served as the control group. Patients in this group were not subjected to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Patients were evaluated up to 14 days postoperatively. The flaps were evaluated for any flap loss, presence of venous congestion in the flap, flap oedema, and completeness of healing at the flap site.

Results

No significant difference was found in terms of flap survival, time to resolution of venous congestion, resolution of oedema, and period of postoperative recovery.

Conclusion

Routine use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy does not result in better survival of free flaps.