Empty Sella and Headache

SYNOPSIS
Empty sella is an anatomical condition caused by herniation of the subarachnoid space into the pituitary fossa through an incompetent seller diaphragm. Headache seems to be one of the most frequently reported symptoms. We studied 13 headache patients (12 females, 1 male) presenting with primary empty sella (PES) on CT scan. The characteristics of the headache were analyzed and plasma levels of pituitary hormones or cortisol assessed. We confirmed the nonspecific nature of the headache in PES even though the majority of our patients complained of daily headache, mostly localized anteriorly. Hormone plasma levels were within normal range in all the patients assessed. However, four patients reported earlier endocrine disorders and more than half of the patients presented with obesity.
In our opinion, PES should be suspected in middle-aged overweight women with daily headache even in the absence of endocrine symptomatology.     

Successful cryopreservation of human bone marrow does not require a controlled-rate freezer

We studied CFU-GM recovery from bone marrow samples frozen either in a machine for controlled-rate freezing or in a -70 degrees C freezer. We found no statistically significant difference between the two methods. Cooling-curve investigations also demonstrated that it was possible to obtain satisfactory cooling rates simply by manipulation of the shape and volume of the marrow and its container. Five patients received a total of six successful autografts for which their marrow cells were frozen without controlled-rate freezing. Thus it is not necessary to use a sophisticated machine in order to obtain satisfactory cryopreservation of human marrow stem cells.     

Beta hemolytic streptococcal carriers among school children in western Orissa.

Detection of carriers of Beta hemolytic streptococci and serogrouping of the strains isolated from throat of School Children helps in the epidemiological serosurveillance of the disease. With this in view the carriers among otherwise healthy school children in and around Buria, a small town in western Orissa, have been detected and the Streptococci isolated are grouped and typed.     

Seroprevalence of anti HCV antibody in and around Cuttack, Orissa

One hundred ninety (190) serum samples and 52 control samples consisting of high risk individuals were screened for anti HCV antibody by 3rd generation ELISA test. The prevalence rate was found to be 1.57% in total but it was 2.12% in healthy voluntary blood donors. All were males between the age group of 21 to 40 years. All the control samples were found to be seronegative for anti HCV ab.     

Studies on the extracellular tannase from newly isolated Bacillus licheniformis KBR 6

A tannase producing bacterial strain KBR 6 has been isolated from lateritic soil and identified as Bacillus licheniformis. It is capable of producing tannase in the medium containing only tannic acid. The rapid degradation of tannic acid and production of extracellular tannase was observed in three different media containing tannic acid (M1), tannic acid + basal salt (M2) and tannic acid + basal salt + glucose (M3). Maximum enzyme production and growth of the organism was obtained at 18-21 h and 30-36 h, respectively. The increased order of enzyme production in relation to different media is as per the following sequence, M3 > M2 > M1. The maximum growth and enzyme production was observed at pH 5.0. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme activity were found to be at 5.75 and 60 degrees C respectively. Paper chromatographic analysis indicates that gallic acid is the enzymatic degradative product of tannic acid.