A molecular approach (multiplex polymerase chain reaction) for diagnosis of rhinosporidiosis

A New multiplex PCR have been developed in our laboratory using primer sets, aiming amplification of both D.N.A target fragments obtained in 18S RNA of commonly encountered fungi in human being and in Rhinosporidium seeberi using F1-fw/F2-rev (500 bp target) and Rhino-fw/ Rhino-rev (.177 bp target). This multiplex PCR has been found to be able to delect R. seeberi from clinical samples and differentiate it from other fungi. Furthermore, by this multiplex PCR, R. seeberi, phylogenitically appears to belong to a member of so called DRIPs clade of fish parasite not a cyanobacterium as claimed previously, by some workers.     

A molecular approach (multiplex polymerase chain reaction) for diagnosis of rhinosporidiosis

A New multiplex PCR have been developed in our laboratory using primer sets, aiming amplification of both D.N.A target fragments obtained in 18S RNA of commonly encountered fungi in human being and in Rhinosporidium seeberi using F1-fw/F2-rev (500 bp target) and Rhino-fw/ Rhino-rev (.177 bp target). This multiplex PCR has been found to be able to delect R. seeberi from clinical samples and differentiate it from other fungi. Furthermore, by this multiplex PCR, R. seeberi, phylogenitically appears to belong to a member of so called DRIPs clade of fish parasite not a cyanobacterium as claimed previously, by some workers.     

Medical management of Aspergillus flavus endocarditis

An 11-year-old boy underwent a matched unrelated bone marrow transplant for refractory acute myeloid leukemia. He developed invasive aspergillus pneumonia and endocarditis post-transplant. The fungal endocarditis was successfully eradicated with liposomal amphotericin at the dose of 10 mg/kg/day. Surgical intervention was not required and no serious side effects of liposomal amphotericin were observed at this dose.     

Occult foreign bodies in the aero digestive tracts in infancy

Foreign body impaction in aero digestive tract in infancy is difficult to diagnose sometimes. In this review of five unusual cases of occult foreign body impaction in aero digestive tract has been presented and their management discussed     

Toxicity of Thiocyanate to Fish, Plankton, Worm, and Aquatic Ecosystem

Received: 4 August 1999/Accepted: 16 November 1999     

Central venous catheter tip position and malfunction in a paediatric oncology unit

An audit of 151 central venous catheters (CVCs) in 118 children with malignant disease was carried out over 20 months. The types included 31 valved silastic (Groshong), 58 non-valved silastic (Hickman), and 62 non-valved polyurethane (Cuff Cath) CVCs. There was no difference between the three groups with regard to the clinical diagnosis. The mean patient age at catheter insertion was 5.5 years and the mean weight 21.6 kg. None of the catheter types were associated with an increased risk of problems at insertion, migration, mechanical damage, blockage, sampling, or catheter infection. The incidence of catheter infection was 1.4/1,000 catheter days. Exit-site infection was less frequent with Groshong CVCs (P <0.05), which were in situ for the shortest period. The risk of problems with blood sampling was significantly increased in those catheters whose tip was sited outside the right atrium (P <0.005). For the 60 CVCs removed electively, the mean duration in situ was similar for all catheter types; 43 were removed following a problem. Of these, Groshong catheters were in situ for the shortest period (P = 0.05), probably as a result of delayed anchoring of the cuff. The tip position was the single most important determinant in the correct functioning of CVCs, irrespective of the type of catheter. Intraoperative screening of the tip position at catheter insertion is therefore mandatory for optimal catheter functioning.     

Determinants of symptom interval in childhood cancer

The duration of symptoms before diagnosis (lag time) was defined for 184 of 236 children diagnosed as having a malignancy at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh for the time period January 1982 until December 1990. The natural logarithm of the lag time was correlated with age, gender, diagnostic group, white cell count in acute leukaemia, clinical stage of disease in solid tumours, and event free survival. Age was significantly associated with lag time, older children presenting later. In the diagnostic groups, mean lag time ranged from 2.8 weeks in nephroblastoma to 13.3 weeks for brain tumours. Diagnostic group was predictive for lag time after adjustment for age, with for example, a significantly longer lag time for those with brain tumours. However lag time was not predictive of event free survival and it is likely that lag time has other major determinants. When compared with previous studies, there also appears to be a regional variation in lag time for diagnostic groups. It seems likely that this is a reflection of geographical difference in the structure of health systems and is therefore yet another important determinant.