A retrospective analysis of 189 patients of maxillofacial injuries presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Punjab, India

Introduction  

Maxillofacial injuries form a major aspect of trauma management in trauma centers. Prompt diagnosis and management is needed to provide better quality of life and cosmetic results as compared to delayed interventions.     

Tracheostomy in critically ill patients

ENT surgeons are called in more often these days to perform tracheostomy in critically ill patients. When to perform tracheostomy is a question, which is most often asked. There are definite advantages for performing tracheostomy at an early stage of intensive care, but at the same time we need to be aware of the possible complications that are associated with it. Tracheal stenosis being one of the most common complications, which can be prevented if proper care is taken from the time tracheostomy is done.     

International Emergency Medicine: A Review of the Literature from 2006

The field of international emergency medicine (IEM) has grown rapidly over the past several decades, with a rise in the number of IEM fellowship positions, sustained growth in the international sections of major emergency medicine organizations, and an increase in the range of topics included under its rubric. One of the greatest obstacles to the continued growth of IEM remains the lack of a high-quality, consolidated, and easily accessible evidence base of literature. In response to this perceived need, members of the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association IEM Committee, in conjunction with members of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine International Health Interest Group, embarked on the task of creating a recurring review of IEM literature. This article reviews 25 IEM research articles published in 2006. Research articles were selected for the review according to explicit, predetermined criteria that included both methodological quality and perceived impact of the research. It is the authors' hope that this annual review will act as a forum for disseminating best practices while also stimulating further research in the field of IEM.     

Randomised,cross-over,comparative bioavailability trial of matrix type transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) of carvedilol and hydrochlorothiazide combination in healthy human volunteers: A pilot study

The present study deals with transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) of Carvedilol (CRV) and Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). It compares the bioavailability of these two study drugs from a TDDS with conventional immediate release oral tablets in healthy volunteers. The TDDS was also evaluated for any adverse drug reaction. This was an open-label, randomised, single centre, two-treatment, two period, single dose, crossover pilot study of two formulations of cardiovascular agents. Subjects (n = 10) were randomised to have a TDDS applied to their abdominal skin for 72 h or receive one oral tablet each of CRV and HCTZ respectively in period I, followed by 1-week washout period. They received the alternative treatment in period II. A significant improvement in bioavailability was observed with the transdermal patches over oral tablets as observed by the mean AUC_(0 ? t) values 4004.37 ± 180.98 and 1824.30 ± 17.43 ng h/mL respectively for CRV and HCTZ as compared to 753.46 ± 53.34 and 392.89 ± 34.23 ng h/mL respectively, with the oral tablets. The TDDS possesses significant potential for skin irritation. The TDDS developed in our laboratory produced therapeutically effective plasma concentrations of the cardiovascular agents up to a range of 60 to 72 h (in different volunteers with a mean = 66 h). It could be concluded from these observations that the TDDS meets the intended goal of at least 2 day management of stage II hypertension with application of a single transdermal patch, hence improving patient compliance over the inconvenience seen with frequent oral administration.