Zinc in CSF of patients with febrile convulsion

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study was carried out from July-December 1999 to see the status of zinc in CSF of children with febrile convulsion and to compare this to that of control. METHODS: Forty-two cases of febrile convulsion and 30 controls (fever without convulsion) were enrolled into the study. CSF zinc was estimated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) in Atomic Energy Center, Dhaka and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean zinc level in CSF in the study sample was 40.19mgm/L and that in control was 74.98mgm/L. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The study concludes that a significantly lower of zinc exists in CSF of children with febrile. However no relationship was found between CSF zinc status with age, sex, degree & duration of fever and time of lumbar puncture after convulsion.     

Hydrops fetalis: report of 3 cases

Ultrasound is a well recognized imaging modality for prenatal diagnosis of fetal congenital anomalies. Reported cases are hydrops fetalis diagnosed during ultrasonic evaluation of fetal condition in the Center for Nuclear Medicine and ultrasound (CNMU), Mymensingh. Only fetal ascites was detected in one case of 26 +/- 2 wks of gestation, fetal ascites with hydramnios and thick placenta was seen in another case of 28 +/- 2 wks of gestation. In third case, there was fetal ascites, scalp edema, hydrothorax and myelomeningocele with oligohydramnios at 20 +/- 2 wks of gestation; sonographic diagnosis was hydrops fetalis with myelomeningocele. Follow up was advised in first two cases and third case was terminated electively. To decrease the mortality rate and to improve the outcome of hydrops fetalis cases appropriate prenatal investigations and therapy is needed. Recent advances in prenatal ultrasound have made possible the early detection of hydrops fetalis which is helpful for proper management in time.     

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of soft tissue tumours (STT)

Objectives: The cytological findings of 50 ST Ts were evaluated aiming to determine the role of FNA in diagnosis of STTs Methods: Fifty patients with soft tissue tumours underwent FNA in the preoperative investigation during a one year period. The smears were stained with Papanicolaou and May-Graunvald Giemsa stains. Results: Forty-four cases were reported as benign, whereas 2 were malignant. Four cases revealed insufficient material. The malignant STTs were small round cell tumour and malignant spindle cell tumour. Cytological and histological correlation could be achieved in 40 cases. The overall sensitivity and specificity were 25% and 100% respectively with overall accuracy of 80%. Conclusion: A reliable diagnosis of STTs can be made with FNA when supported by other clinical and other diagnostic data. Key words: FNA, soft tissue tumours.