Effect of Pesticides and Chemical Fertilizers on the Nitrogen Cycle and Functional Microbial Communities in Paddy Soils: Bangladesh Perspective

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - The concept of the Nitrogen (N) cycle has been modified over the years based on certain new pathways, including comammox, anammox, and DNRA...     

VIRAL ENCEPHALITIS PRESENTING AS CATATONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA (A Case Report)

A rare case of viral encephalitis in an 18 year old recruit who presented with signs of catatonic schizophrenia is reported.KEY WORDS: Viral encephalitis, Catatonic schizophrenia     

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.     

AZATHIOPRINE INDUCED BONE MARROW SUPPRESSION IN LIVE RELATED RENAL ALLOGRAFT RECIPIENTS

Over a follow-up period of 6 years, 4 out of 31 live related renal allograft recipients (12.9%) developed azathioprine induced bone marrow suppression. Presentation in 3 patients was with fever and 2 patients also had associated graft dysfunction. All patients had leucopenia, 2 patients in addition had anaemia and one patient had pancytopenia. Bone marrow suppression developed 9.6 months (3.5-16.0 months) following transplantation and recovery followed over a period of 30 (18-49 days) days after withdrawal of the drug. One patient succumbed during the phase of bicytopenia.KEY WORDS: Azathioprine, Bone marrow suppression, Kidney transplantation     

CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL CORRELATION IN NEONATAL AUTOPSIES

Of the 253 neonates admitted to a neonate intensive care unit during the period Jan 91 to Sep 93, 43 neonates died. Autopsy was done in 23 of these (53%). The mean duration of stay of the neonates in the intensive care unit prior to death was 5.6 days (range 2 hours to 10 days). Antemortem diagnoses included asphyxia neonatorum (4), meconium aspiration syndrome (2), septicemia (5), prematurity (3), birth trauma (2), congenital anomalies (2), hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (1), and non-specific diagnosis (4). There were 6 major autopsy findings that, if known prior to death, would have altered clinical management and might have resulted in cure or prolonged survival. There were 8 additional major findings that, if known prior to death, would not have altered management There were 14 minor findings related to major diagnoses but unrelated to the primary cause of death.KEY WORDS: Autopsy, Cause of death, Perinatal mortality     

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.