Perceptions and practices regarding use of personal listening devices among medical students in coastal south India

Today's generation enjoys having music at their fingertips. This has led to an increase in the usage of personal listening devices (PLDs) over the past decade. There are significant concerns regarding harmful effects of PLD use. To find out the perception and practice of medical students regarding use of PLDs. Cross-sectional study was carried out in Mangalore, Coastal south India. Data were collected using a 31 item semi structured questionnaire that was distributed among 570 medical students, of which 485 completed questionnaire were received giving an overall response rate of 86.14%. The study was approved by the departmental review board. Statistical analysis used: data were analyzed using SPSS Version 11.5, Chi-square test for association was used and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of the total study participants, 83.1% of them used PLDs regularly, of whom 77.7% used it for more than 1 h a day. Overall, 18.0% of the study population was aware that prolonged use of PLDs could be harmful to their health. Majority of the study subjects (72.4%) felt that the safe duration of listening to PLDs is 3 to 5 h. Among the subjects using PLDs ≥ 1 h, 60.1% preferred ear phones and among those using PLDs <1 h, 44.1% preferred earphones. Overall, 12.4% experienced temporary hearing loss on usage of PLDs. The use of PLDs among the medical students is on the rise, and they should be made more aware of the harmful effects associated with its use.     

Ameloblastic fibrosarcoma or odontogenic carcinosarcoma: a matter of classification?

A biphasic odontogenic tumor with aggressive clinical behaviour is reported. The tumor arose posterior to the right mandibular third molar involving the angle of the mandible and the ascending ramus. Within a 5 years period the patient suffered from two episodes of local progression and final disease generalization occurred 6 years after initial surgical therapy. On histopathologic evaluation, both recurrences and the distant metastasis preserved the biphasic pattern seen in the primary tumor with both epithelial and mesenchymal components exhibiting clear cytological features of malignancy. There was no evidence of sarcomatous overgrowth within the progression of the tumor. By contrast, the proportion of the epithelial component was even enlarged in the second recurrence. Thus, both pathologic features and clinical behaviour clearly distinguishes this tumor from ameloblastic fibrosarcoma and demonstrates the clear morphological as well as clinical characteristics of a true malignant mixed type tumor with a definite sarcomatous and carcinomatous component. Thus, even though a very rare lesion, our case supports the consideration of the odontogenic carcinosarcoma as an individual entity.     

Haemangiopericytoma of the thyroid gland in combination with Hashimoto’s disease

We present a hitherto unique case of haemangiopericytoma (HP) of the thyroid gland in a 15-year-old female patient suffering from Hashimotos disease for several months. Since angiogenesis has been discussed to play a major role in both diseases, we examined the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) and platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs). Most interestingly, strong expression of PDGFR and was found in spindle-shaped tumour cells and tumour vessels in HP, while VEGF and VEGFR type I and -II were negative in these regions. In contrast, VEGF was expressed in the lymphoid infiltrate of Hashimotos disease. Since PDGFR- is commonly expressed in pericytes, we suggest that the strong expression discovered in this study further supports the view that HP is derived from pericytes. The combination of HP and Hashimotos disease is most probably a coincidental event. However, this case confirms previous reports demonstrating that in patients with Hashimotos disease different neoplasias can occur.     

Follicular carcinoma arising in ectopic thyroid tissue: Case report with fine-needle aspiration findings

A 32-yr-old woman was found to have a 1 × 2 cm mass in the soft tissue of the neck 1 cm lateral to the left lobe of the thyroid gland. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy showed a follicular neoplasm. The excised mass showed a follicular carcinoma arising in lateral ectopic thyroid tissue. Subsequent excision of the thyroid gland and pathological examination showed no primary carcinoma in the gland. This report illustrates a case of primary follicular carcinoma arising in a lateral ectopic thyroid tissue in the neck. Diagn. Cytopathol. 16:39–41, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Un cas rare de lymphome B diffus primitif de la prostate et revue de la littérature

Primary malignant non-hodgkin lymphoma involving the prostate is rare. Most of the time, it is associated with extraprostatic disease. We report a case of a 72-year-old patient presenting with acute lower urinary tract irritative symptoms, due to large B-cell lymphoma limited to the prostate. Combination of chemotherapy with extern beam radiotherapy provided long-term local control.     

Discriminant value of automated leucocyte VCS parameters in the detection of tropical infections

IntroductionIn India, infectious diseases are a leading treatable cause of morbidity and mortality. Mangalore being endemic to many vector‐borne diseases, their incidence is known to show seasonal variations with sharp increase during monsoon. Leucocytes have substantial role in the immunological pathogenesis of infections.MethodsThe present series was a hospital‐based cross‐sectional study performed in a tertiary care hospital for a period of three months from June‐August wherein the cell population data of cases of malaria, dengue, leptospirosis, typhoid and rickettsial infections along with equal number of healthy controls were collected and analysed. Effectiveness of leucocyte‐related volume (V), conductivity (C) and scatter (S) parameters by Coulter®DXH800 haematology analyser in predicting these infections was appraised.ResultsA total of 324 cases comprising of malaria (50%), dengue (30.9%), leptospirosis (13.9%), typhoid (4.0%) and rickettsial infections (1.2%) were included. There was statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in the mean values of complete blood count parameters—haemoglobin, total leucocyte count, red blood cell count, haematocrit, red cell distribution width, differential leucocyte count, platelet count and plateletcrit between cases and controls and also between specific infections. The mean volumes of neutrophil, monocyte and lymphocyte were considerably increased in malaria and dengue fever compared to leptospirosis, typhoid and rickettsial infections. VCS parameters were the least altered in typhoid fever, except for a strikingly high conductivity and scatter of eosinophils.ConclusionsHaematological analysis is a part of routine evaluation of any case of febrile illness. This study showed that there are specific alterations in VCS parameters in different types of infections such as malaria, dengue, leptospira, typhoid and rickettsia, the information and analysis of which comes without any additional cost.     

Compliance with iron-folic acid (IFA) therapy among pregnant women in an urban area of south India

Background

Anaemia is highly prevalent among pregnant women and iron deficiency is the most important cause. Like many other countries, India has policies to give pregnant women iron supplements. Non-compliance is one important challenging factor in combating anaemia.

Objective

To estimate the compliance for IFA tablets among pregnant women and to study the social factors influencing it.

Methodology

This study included 190 pregnant women seeking ante-natal care in tertiary health Centres in the Mangalore city in South India. After Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) approval, data was collected by personal interview. Missing ≥2 doses consecutively was considered non-compliance. The data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 11.5.

Results

The mean age of the study population was 25.8 years (SD: 4.1). Majority of the subjects consumed mixed diet and 72.1% belonged to lower socioeconomic status. Overall, compliance with IFA tablets was 64.7%. Compliance increased with the increase in age, birth order and single daily dose. Forgetfulness and both perceived as well as experienced side effects of IFA therapy were the important factors for non-compliance.

Conclusion

There was a moderate level of Compliance towards IFA tablets with key social and demographic factors playing important role.     

Involved-node radiotherapy (INRT) in patients with early Hodgkin lymphoma: concepts and guidelines.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To describe new concepts for radiation fields in patients with early stage Hodgkin lymphoma treated with a combined modality. PATIENTS AND MATERIALS: Patients receiving combined modality therapy with at least 2 or 3 cycles of chemotherapy prior to radiotherapy. Pre- and postchemotherapy cervical and thoracic CT scans are mandatory and should be performed, whenever possible, in the treatment position with the use of image fusion capabilities. A pre-chemotherapy PET scan is strongly recommended to increase the detection of involved lymph nodes. RESULTS: Radiation fields are designed to irradiate the initially involved lymph nodes exclusively and to encompass their initial volume. In some cases, radiation fields are slightly modified to avoid unnecessary irradiation of muscles or organs at risk. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of involved-node radiotherapy (INRT) described here is the first attempt to reduce the size of radiation fields compared to the classic involved fields used in adult patients. Proper implementation of INRT requires adequate training and an efficient prospective or early retrospective quality assurance program.