Prevalence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycobacterium tuberculosis</Emphasis> infection in children in western Uttar Pradesh

This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of tubercular infection and compute the Annual risk of tuberculosis infection (ARTI) in Bijnor district of western Uttar Pradesh through a hospital-based tuberculin survey conducted at a pediatric hospital. A total of 1085 children below 18 years (0–4 years 866, 5–17 years 219), attending the out-patient department during October 2007 through September 2008 were included. Tuberculin skin test using standard PPD RT23 with Tween 80 was performed on every 4th child attending the out-patient department and induration was measured after 48 to 72 hours. Using a cut-off of 15 mm among 0–4 y aged children, the average prevalence rate was 7.4%, and using cut-off of 10 mm in 5–17 y age group the average prevalence rate was 26.9%. ARTI was 4.11% (95% CI 3.09–5.14) and 3.50 % (2.46–4.48), respectively in the two age groups.     

Investigation in tea on fate of fenazaquin residue and its transfer in brew.

Fenazaquin is a non-systemic acaricide/insecticide used widely in controlling mites and other related pests in fruits, vegetables and tea. The objective of this research was to investigate the disappearance trend in tea of fenazaquin residue level and its transfer in brew. Fenazaquin was applied on a tea crop at two rates, 125 and 250 g AI/ha in wet and dry seasons under field conditions. Samples (green shoots, made tea and its brew) were analyzed for fenazaquin and quantification was by high performance liquid chromatography using a UV detector. The residue dissipated faster in the wet season than in the dry season. Seven days after the treatment (normal round of plucking) the residues observed in the green shoots at the two rates were 2.17, 3.07 mg/kg and 2.04, 2.84 mg/kg in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. However, the degradation rale in both seasons followed first-order kinetics. Half-lives in green shoots were in range 1.43-1.70 and 2.10-2.21 days and in made tea 1.59-1.73 and 1.87-1.94 days for wet and dry seasons, respectively. During processing of green shoots to made tea considerable loss (42-70%) of residue was observed. The transfer of residue from made tea brew was in the range 3-22%. In brew residue were below 0.02 mg/l after 5 days of application at both the rates in either of the seasons. The estimated intake with brew (normal consumption of 10 cup/day/adult) thus would be below the acceptable daily intake for fenazaquin (0.005 mg/kg-body weight). To avoid health hazards due to the toxic effect of residues in brew, a waiting period for plucking the tea shoots after fenazaquin application of more than 5 days for both the seasons at recommended rate (125 g AI/ha) may be suggested and considered quite safe.     

Is the reexcision rate higher if breast conservation surgery is performed by surgical trainees?

BACKGROUND: It is essential that surgical trainees obtain adequate operative experience without compromising patient outcome. The aim of this study was to compare the reexcision and local recurrence rates between consultants (attending surgeons) and surgical trainees (residents) after breast conservation surgery. METHODS: Prospective data were obtained from the local breast cancer registry for all patients who had breast-conservation surgery between 1994 and 2000. Reexcision was carried out if the margins were deemed inadequate after taking the clinical and pathologic features into consideration. RESULTS: The primary operation (n = 505) was wide local excision = 377; wire-guided excisions = 107; and quadrantectomy = 21 patients. Sixty-five percent (n = 330) were operated on by consultants and 35% (n = 175) by residents. Second procedures (n = 137) were performed for involved margins in 95 and close margins in 31 patients. The patients in both groups were equally matched. The reexcision rate was similar for both groups of surgeons (P = 0.58). On multivariate analysis, the factors determining reexcision were nodal status, type of first procedure, and tumor type. The local recurrence rate was comparable in both groups (P = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with breast cancer treated by conservation surgery during a 7-year period, the reexcision and local recurrence rates were similar for both groups of surgeons.     

Propofol for pediatric radiotherapy

Objective : Pediatric radiotherapy is a day care procedure. In children, anaesthesia is necessary to prevent movement during the therapy. Traditionally intramuscular ketamine is used for these procedure because of its inherent safety in a child who used to be left alone in the cobalt room.Methods : This study was designed to explore the efficacy of propofol and ketamine in pediatric radiotherapy in nineteen children. The inclusion criteria was a child fasting for six hours with no fever or URTI in the past week. A child coming to the radiotherapy (RT) unit without an intravenous cannula was given intramuscular ketamine 10 mg/kg and taken for the procedure. Before the child recovered from anaesthesia an intravenous cannula, 20–22G, Vasofix was inserted for subsequent sittings of RT. The child coming with an intravenous cannula was given propofol 2.5 mg/kg with xylocaine (0.1 mg/kg) without adrenaline. The parameters recorded were pulse rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate-baseline to every 30 seconds till five minutes. Onset time, recovery time, oral feeding time and any untoward effects like nausea, vomiting, nystagmus were also noted.Result: The drug was graded on a scale of 0–10 according to parental acceptability where 0 is the worst and 10 is the best acceptability. The mean (±SD) of all the measured parameters were calculated and compared between the two groups.Conclusion : Propofol was associated with faster onset, better recovery, early oral feeding time, no nausea and vomiting and better parental acceptability. There was no hypotension, bradycardia and oxygen saturation at 60 seconds, which was betwen 94–95%, was easily treatable with supplementation of oxygen by face mask     

Exposure to Human and Bovine Noroviruses in a Birth Cohort in Southern India from 2002 to 2006

Human and bovine norovirus virus-like particles were used to evaluate antibodies in Indian children at ages 6 and 36 months and their mothers. Antibodies to genogroup II viruses were acquired early and were more prevalent than antibodies to genogroup I. Low levels of IgG antibodies against bovine noroviruses indicate possible zoonotic transmission.     

Enabling the sharing of neuroimaging data through well-defined intermediate levels of visibility

The sharing of neuroimagery data offers great benefits to science, however, data owners sharing their data face substantial custodial responsibilities, such as ensuring data sets are correctly interpreted in their new shared context, protecting the identity and privacy of human research participants, and safeguarding the understood order of use. Given choices of sharing widely or not at all, the result will often be no sharing, due to the inability of data owners to control their exposure to the risks associated with data sharing. In this context, data sharing is enabled by providing data owners with well-defined intermediate levels of data visibility, progressing incrementally toward public visibility. In this paper, we define a novel and general data sharing model, Structured Sharing Communities (SSC), meeting this requirement. Arbitrary visibility levels representing collaborative agreements, consortium memberships, research organizations, and other affiliations are structured into a policy space through explicit paths of permissible information flow. Operations enable users and applications to manage the visibility of data and enforce access permissions and restrictions. We show how a policy space can be implemented in realistic neuroinformatic architectures with acceptable assurance of correctness, and briefly describe an open source implementation effort.     

Pé caído: uma complicação iatrogênica da anestesia espinhal

Background and objectives

Foot drop in postoperative period is very rare after spinal anesthesia. Early clinical assessment and diagnostic interventions is of prime importance to establish the etiology and to start appropriate management. Close follow‐up is warranted in early postoperative period in cases when patient complain paresthesia or pain during needle insertion or drug injection.