Study of poisoning trends in north India – A perspective in relation to world statistics

India is an agriculture based country with Punjab as one of the leading food grain producing states. There is an ever increasing burden to feed the growing population. This has led to over-usage of pesticides which on one hand has contributed significantly to increase the crop yield while on the other hand has led to sharp increase in the poisoning cases in the region. The present study was undertaken to study the deaths related to poisoning in Malwa region of Punjab in 2010 with a view to assess the pattern, trends and incidence of poisoning in relation to age, sex, area, season and type of poison used. These constituted 17.6% of all the unnatural deaths. From the available data the mortality rate from poisoning in Patiala district comes to 60 per million; whereas for males it is 81 per million and for females it is 35 per million. The mortality rate from poisoning in urban population is 78 per million whereas in rural population it is 50 per million. The results of the present study have been compared to those from India and around the world.     

Antispermatogenic action of Celastrus paniculatus seed extract in the rat with reversible changes in the liver

Biochemical, histochemical and histological studies of the effects of an oily extractive from the seeds of Celastrus paniculatus were done on the testes and liver of adult rats. The testis of treated animals showed vacuolization, germ cell depletion and arrest of spermatogenesis. The livers revealed focal necrosis in animals receiving 0.2 ml i.p. every other day for 30 days, but 45 days post treatment these lesions were absent. Intermediate repair and regenerative changes were apparent 30 days post treatment. These results indicate that Celastrus paniculatus oil may have useful antifertility effects and that the degenerative changes seen in the liver are reversible with time.     

How should we manage women with fat necrosis following autologous breast reconstruction: An algorithmic approach

Fat necrosis is a common complication of autologous breast reconstruction; however, diagnostic criteria are yet to be standardized, making comparison of autologous breast reconstructive techniques challenging. A systematic review found six of 556 articles met inclusion criteria. These results were used to generate an algorithm for managing fat necrosis after autologous breast reconstruction.     

The effectiveness of bibliotherapy in alleviating tinnitus-related distress

Objective

The present study examined the efficacy of bibliotherapy in assisting individuals experiencing distress related to tinnitus.

Methods

One hundred sixty-two tinnitus sufferers from Australia participated in a study designed to examine the effectiveness of a cognitive-behaviorally based self-help book in reducing distress.To maximize the ecological validity of the findings, we excluded no individuals interested in treatment for tinnitus-related distress.

Results

The experimental condition lost 35% of participants at postassessment, compared to 10% in the control group. In an analysis of participants who completed postintervention assessment, those assigned to the intervention condition, who received a tinnitus self-help book, showed significantly less tinnitus-related distress and general distress 2 months later compared to those assigned to the waiting list control condition. The intervention group's reduction in tinnitus-related distress and general distress from preintervention to postintervention 2 months later was significant, and these participants maintained a significant reduction in distress on follow-up 4 months after they received the tinnitus self-help book. A long-term follow-up of all participants, who at that time had received the book at least a year previously, showed a significant reduction in tinnitus distress. Although these group differences and pre-post changes were significant, effect sizes were small. Intention-to-treat analyses showed no significant effect for between-groups analyses, but did show a significant effect for the 1-year follow-up pre-post analysis.

Conclusion

Information on the effectiveness of using a self-help book, without therapist assistance, in alleviating distress is important, as bibliotherapy can provide inexpensive treatment that is not bound by time or place.     

Posterior fracture dislocation of the hip from a Warrior turret injury

Fracture of the femoral head after hip dislocation is a relatively rare injury and is often associated with a poor functional outcome. Most result from high impact motor vehicle accidents. We report the case of a soldier who trapped his foot in a traversing Warrior turret and suffered a severe abduction injury to his hip. He sustained a Pipkin Type I fracture-dislocation of the hip not amenable to closed reduction and required transfer to the American Hospital in Baghdad where he underwent emergency open reduction and internal fixation of the fracture. This case report illustrates an unusual mechanism of injury resulting in a posterior fracture-dislocation and reviews the literature pertaining to the presentation, treatment and prognosis of this condition.