Subcutaneous mycoses: an aetiological study of 15 cases in a tertiary care hospital at Dibrugarh, Assam, northeast India.

Subcutaneous mycoses are a group of fungal infections of dermis and subcutaneous tissue which consist of sporotrichosis, chromoblastomycosis, phaeohyphomycosis, hyalohyphomycosis, mycetoma, subcutaneous zygomycosis, rhinosporidiosis, lobomycosis and disseminated penicilliosis. A total of 46 consecutive patients with clinically suspected subcutaneous mycoses attending various departments of Assam Medical College and Hospital were included in this prospective study to know the prevalence of subcutaneous mycoses in this eastern part of Assam. Direct microscopy in 10 and 40 % KOH, histopathological examination of biopsied tissue, colony characteristics on Sabourauds dextrose agar media both at 25 and 37 °C and detailed morphology of each fungus on lactophenol cotton blue mount were the basis of identification of the fungi. Subcutaneous mycoses were confirmed in 32.6 % (n = 15) cases. Out of 15 positive cases of subcutaneous mycoses, chromoblastomycosis was detected in six cases (n = 40 %), hyalohyphomycosis in three cases (n = 20 %), and lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis, disseminated penicilliosis and mycetoma in two cases each (n = 13.3 % each). In this study, seven different species of fungus were found to be responsible for five different clinical types of subcutaneous mycosis. Cladosporium cladosporioides, Bipolaris spicifera and Curvularia lunata were responsible for chromoblastomycosis, Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus terreus for hyalohyphomycosis, C. lunata for mycetoma, Sporothrix schenckii for lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis and Penicillium marneffei for disseminated penicilliosis. C. cladosporioides and C. lunata were the commonest black fungi causing subcutaneous mycosis in this sub-Himalayan belt. Rare species C. cladosporioides, B. spicifera and C. lunata were found to be causing chromoblastomycosis in this study.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma by immunohistochemistry.

Non Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) constitute a heterogeneous group of neoplasm of the lymphoid system. There are many histological subtype of NHL based on WHO classification of hematopoietic and lymphoid neoplasm. This cross-sectional study was carried out in the department of Pathology, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from January 2009 to December 2010 to observe the different subtypes of NHL using immunohistochemistry (IHC) with CD3. A total of 50 microscopically diagnosed case of NHL irrespective of age and sex were included in the study. The diagnostic morphologic criteria of each lymphoma subcategory were compiled and diagnosis was made. Mean age of the study subjects were 42.0±19.7 years with range 3-75 years and male female ratio was 1.8:1. Nodal NHL was 66% and extranodal cases were 34%. Maximum number of histolgic subtypes belonged to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and male was predominant in all histological subtypes, except peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). DLBCL was predominant in all B-cell NHL whereas PTCL was predominant in all T-cell NHL. The most childhood patients belonged to lymphoblastic lymphoma. Regarding cell lineage B-cell NHL was more common than T-cell NHL (88% vs. 12%), but high grade pattern was more predominant in T-cell type (83.3% vs. 65.9%). Among 50 study subjects histological (H & E) diagnosis reveals 46 cases as B-cell NHL and 4 as T-cell NHL but IHC confirms 6 cases as T-cell NHL.

Human resource assessment for scaling up VL active case detection in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether medical staff at PHC level would have the time to take up additional activities such as 1-day fever camps for active VL case detection. METHODS: This article assessed the workload of health staff of different professional categories working at health facilities in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Data were collected from different sites in high endemic VL areas. The study population was the health staff of government health facilities at all levels. Workload indicators of staffing need (WISN) software were adopted to carry out the analysis of staff workload and their availability in the selected health facility. The WISN difference and WISN ratio for a particular health facility were calculated from actual staffing available and calculated staffing requirement. RESULTS: The results showed a mixed picture of the availability of health workers. In most settings of Bangladesh and India, physicians with or without laboratory technicians would have time for active case detection. In Nepal, this would be performed by trained nurses and paramedical personnel. CONCLUSION: If all vacant posts were filled, active case detection could be performed more easily. The elimination programme can be scaled up with the current staffing levels in the endemic areas with some short training if and when necessary.

The Indian and Nepalese programmes of indoor residual spraying for the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis: performance and effectiveness.

Although, when applied under controlled conditions in India and Nepal, indoor residual spraying (IRS) has been found to reduce sandfly densities significantly, it is not known if IRS will be as effective when applied generally in these countries, via the national programmes for the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis. The potential benefits and limitations of national IRS programmes for the control of sandflies were therefore evaluated in the districts of Vaishali (in the Indian state of Bihar), Sarlahi (in Nepal) and Sunsari (also in Nepal). The use of technical guidelines, levels of knowledge and skills related to spraying operations, insecticide bio-availability on the sprayed surfaces, concentrations of the insecticide on the walls of sprayed houses, insecticide resistance, and the effectiveness of spraying, in terms of reducing sandfly densities within sprayed houses (compared with those found in unsprayed sentinel houses or control villages) were all explored. It was observed that IRS programme managers, at district and subdistrict levels in India and Nepal, used the relevant technical guidelines and were familiar with the procedures for IRS operation. The performance of the spraying activities, however, showed important deficiencies. The results of bio-assays and the chemical analysis of samples from sprayed walls indicated substandard spraying and suboptimal concentrations of insecticide on sprayed surfaces. This was particularly obvious at one of the Nepali study sites (Sunsari district), where no significant vector reduction was achieved. Sandfly resistance to the insecticide used in India (DDT) was widespread but the potential vectors in Nepal remained very susceptible towards a pyrethroid similar to the one used there. The overall short-term effectiveness of IRS was found to be satisfactory in two of the three study sites (in terms of reduction in the densities of the sandfly vectors). Unfortunately, the medium-term evaluation, conducted 5 months after spraying, was probably made invalid by flooding or lime plastering in the study areas. Preparation for, and the monitoring of, the IRS operations against sandfly populations in India and Nepal need to be improved.

Patch testing in contact dermatitis of hands and feet.

Eighty clinically diagnosed cases of allergic contact dermatitis of hands and feet when subjected to patch testing, Seventy four (92.5%) cases showed positive patch test reactions to different suspected antigens. Maximum number of cases belonged to housewives and tea garden workers which showed positive patch test reaction to vegetables and soaps and detergents and pesticides, respectively.

A clinico-mycological study of superficial mycoses in upper Assam.

Clinico-mycological study of one hundred clinically diagnosed cases of superficial mycoses was conducted for one year. Overall male predominance was observed and T. rubum was the commonest isolate.