Effect of Systemic Herbicides on Microbial Biomass in Relation to Availability of Some Plant Nutrients in an Alluvial Soil of West Bengal

An experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions to investigate the effect of three herbicides, viz., fenoxaprop, pendimethalin and paraquat, at their recommended field application rates (50 g, 1.0 kg and 1.0 kg a.i. ha^?1, respectively), on the changes of microbial biomass C, N and P in relation to transformations and availability of plant nutrients in an alluvial soil (Typic Orchraqualf) from West Bengal, India. Application of herbicides, in general, significantly increased the microbial biomass C, N and P, resulting in greater availability of these plant nutrients in soil. The microbial biomass C was highly increased due to application of fenoxaprop (39.8 %) followed by paraquat (28.2 %). Application of pendimethalin led to the maximum stimulation of microbial biomass N (37.1 %), while microbial biomass P was increased by 15.2 % following the incorporation of paraquat into the soil. Compared to untreated control soil, the soil retained the highest amount of organic C (19.8 %) when it was treated with pendimethalin. A similar trend was recorded with fenoxaprop for total N (19.6 %) and exchangeable NH₄ ⁺ (21.3 %) in soil. The stimulation of soluble NO₃ ^? was highest under fenoxaprop (22.3 %) followed by paraquat (20.7 %). Regarding the availability of P in soil, paraquat manifested greater stimulation (17.8 %) than fenoxaprop (15.4 %) or pendimethalin (13.1 %). Application of paraquat also gave the highest amount of total P (17.8 %) in the soil solution.     

Breastfeeding perceptions in communities in Mangochi district in Malawi

Aim: To investigate mothers’ perceptions of breastfeeding and influences from their social network. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was carried out in Mangochi district, Malawi where questionnaire data from 157 rural and 192 semi‐urban mother–infant pairs were obtained. Results: The proportion of mothers who thought that exclusive breastfeeding should last for 6 months and those who reported to have actually exclusively breastfed were 40.1% and 7.5% respectively. Of those who reported practising exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, 77.5% stated that exclusive breastfeeding should last for 6 months. This opinion was independently associated with giving birth in a Baby‐Friendly facility, OR = 5.22; 95% CI (1.92–14.16). Among the mothers who thought that exclusive breastfeeding should last for less than 6 months, 43.9% reported having been influenced in their opinion by health workers. Infant crying was the most common (62.4%) reason for stopping exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion: The findings illustrate the positive impact health workers can have, as well as the need to raise awareness of the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding among both health workers and mothers. Furthermore, continued counselling of mothers on how to deal with stressful infant behaviour such as crying may assist to prolong exclusive breastfeeding.     

Assessment of an abbreviated odorant identification task for children: a rapid screening device for schools and clinics

To validate the level of olfactory performance of children, we tested 825 volunteers, aged 4–17 years, with an abbreviated form of our pediatric odorant identification task. The test consisted of sniffing and identifying five odorants (baby powder, bubble gum, candy cane, licorice and peach). Mean olfactory scores increased as a function of age, reaching a plateau of about 94–95% correct at 8 years of age. In general, girls out–performed boys. Physicians require a test instrument such as the one we have devised to allow them to diagnose olfactory dysfunction in children. The present task is particularly applicable in screening large numbers of children in clinics or schools because it can be administered easily and rapidly. Adult subjects with olfactory dysfunction also performed poorly on this odorant identification task designed for children. Therefore, we expect that our odorant identification task will also detect children with severe olfactory dysfunction.     

Intensive short-course chemotherapy in pulmonary tuberculosis

One hundred and twenty children with possible diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis were admitted in this study for evaluating the efficacy of short course chemotherapy regimens in childhood pulmonary tuberculosis and are under follow up. In only three patients smear was positive for AFB. In 74 cases culture for AFB was done of which 18 cases (24·3%) were found to be positive. Fortyone patients were put on a standard one year regimen consisting of streptomycin, isoniazide and ethambutol as a control group and seventy nine patients were put on short-course regimens, consisting of isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrizinamide. Out of these 79 patients, 39 were in a biweekly regimen consisting of isoniazid and rifampicin after initial intensive therapy with three drugs for two months. In majority of patients clinical improvement and in all patients bacteriological improvement was observed at the end of two months period. Marked radiological improvement at the end of therapy was seen in only about two-third patients. Relapse after stopping therapy occurred in one patient with associated tubercular cervical lymphadenitis.     

Asymptomatic neonatal colonisation by Clostridium difficile

In a prospective survey of infants born in a single maternity unit, asymptomatic faecal colonisation by Clostridium difficile occurred in 31 (47%) of 66 babies who provided a faecal sample during week one of life and at age 14 and 28 days, and in 46 (30.7%) of the total of 150 babies for whom at least one faecal sample was obtained during the month of study. There was no evidence for acquisition of the organism from the mother during delivery and colonisation was unrelated to the means of delivery, infant sex, means of feeding, duration of hospital stay, or antibiotic treatment. New colonisation occurred throughout the month of the study and further evidence for environmental acquisition was obtained by the finding of a similar strain of C difficile in 7 babies from one ward together with positive environmental cultures. Colonisation was frequently transient and occasionally intermittent; most infants kept the same strain during their period of carriage. Twenty two (47.8%) babies colonised by C difficile had low titres of cytopathic faecal toxin but none had symptomatic diarrhoea or features of necrotizing enterocolitis. The in vitro toxigenic potential of 57 toxigenic isolates from 36 babies was low and 12 babies carried non-toxigenic strains. Transient colonisation by C difficile in early life is almost certainly more common than is generally recognized and the neonate provides an important reservoir of potential infection.     

Image-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of deep-seated enlarged lymph nodes

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of image-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of deep-seated lymph nodes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Image-guided FNACs were performed on 242 patients of deep-seated lymph nodes which included thoracic, retroperitoneal and abdominal nodes. A sterile 3.5/5-MHz micro convex sector probe was used for localisation of the node. The FNAC was performed using a 0.7- to 0.9-mm needle with the stylet removed and attached to a 20-ml syringe and FNAC handle after the needle was visualised in the lesion. For each case a minimum of 4-5 smears were made, and two observers without bias interpreted the smears. RESULTS: A total of 242 patients were aspirated, of which 216 (90%) aspirations were US-guided and the remaining 26 (10%) were CT-guided. Adequate material for cytologic diagnosis was obtained in 208 (86%) patients with a similar diagnostic accuracy. The aspirate material was non-representative or scanty in 34 (14%) patients. The most common cytological diagnosis was tuberculosis/consistent with tuberculosis seen in 108 (45%) patients followed by metastasis (17%) and reactive hyperplasia (10%). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was diagnosed in 22 (9%) patients. All patients were briefly followed for a period of 1 1/2 to 2 years (mean 1 year). CONCLUSION: Image-guided FNAC has a pivotal role, and is a cost-effective tool for establishing tissue diagnosis as a primary investigative modality. It is also helpful and accurate in follow-up of patients with a known malignant disease, thereby avoiding surgical intervention.