Lead-induced morphometric changes in the kidneys of albino rats ameliorated by ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761).

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of ginkgo biloba extract on lead-induced morphometric changes in the kidneys of albino rats. METHODS: This randomised controlled study was conducted at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, from April 2009 to March 2010, and comprised male Wistar albino rats weighing between 150-180 gm who were randomly divided into three equal groups, A, B and C. These were further split into subgroups 1, 2, 3 and 4 according to the duration of the experiment (one, two, four and six weeks). Group A rats were given 1 ml normal saline intraperitoneally daily, group B rats were given lead acetate 8mg/kg intraperitoneally daily, while group C animals received 100mg/kg ginkgo biloba extract orally along with 8mg/kg lead acetate injection. The animals were sacrifised at the end of the prescribed period, and kidneys were retrieved, fixed, stained and examined under light microscope. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 120 rats, there were 40(33.3%) in each group. Time-dependent deterioration was observed in the histological architecture of kidneys in group B animals compared to the group A animals, whereas less marked changes were observed in the protected group C animals. In group B animals, the diameter of proximal convoluted tubules increased, the number of proximal convoluted tubules and their nuclei decreased, whereas diameter of the nuclei decreased after an initial increase during the first and second weeks. These parameters remained largely undisturbed in group A animals, whereas changes in group C animals were comparable with those in the controlled group A animals. CONCLUSIONS: Ginkgo biloba extract had a protective effect on lead-induced morphometric changes in the kidneys of albino rats.

Osteoid Osteoma of acetabulum, a rare presentation.

The case of a relatively frequent benign osteoblastic tumour, osteoid osteoma at an atypical site is presented. It was in a 20 year old man who attended the outpatient department of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi with pain in left groin since last 6 months which often occurred at night and was relieved by taking NSAIDs. X-ray failed to reveal the cause. CT scan showed central radiolucent nidus with surrounding sclerosis suggestive of osteoid osteoma in the left acetabulum. Acetabulum is a rare site for osteoid osteoma, the usual sites are diaphysis of long bones. Hence, the diagnosis is often difficult and delayed in such cases. CT scan, Bone scan and MRI, helped in diagnosing the condition. Resection of the lesion by open technique under fluoroscopic control was performed and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis.

Asymptomatic urinary tract infection: Cause of postoperative wound infection.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of urinary tract infection in patients given incomplete treatment before undergoing hip fracture surgery. METHODS: The descriptive case series was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, From October 25, 2012 to April 24, 2013. 84 postmenopausal women having hip fracture along with asymptomatic urinary tract infection. The infection was treated incompletely and postoperatively wound infection rate was determined. The SPSS version 17 was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The overall mean age of the 84 patients in the study was 63.57+10.34 years. Overall, 14(16.7%) patients had wound infection after orthopaedic implant surgery for hip fracture. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high occurrence of wound infection after hip implant surgery in patients having preoperative asymptomatic urinary tract infection who were treated incompletely.

Surgical site infection surveillance following total knee arthroplasty: Tertiary care hospital experience.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical Site Infection (SSI) after knee arthroplasty is a major cause of morbidity and mortality that increases the hospital stay, financial burden and mental anguish of the patient. Infection Control Unit at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) incorporated total knee arthroplasty in its surgical care surveillance program and started collecting data in June 2012. The purpose of this study is to review Surgical Site Infection (SSI) rates in patients undergoing primary total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODOLOGY: All patients from June 2012 to December 2013 undergoing knee arthroplasty at our hospital were included. Data was acquired from the hospital SSI database for knee arthroplasty surgery. Data was collected by SSI nurses for inpatients a well as post-discharge monitoring in clinics till 90 days post-op follow-up. The work has been reported in line with the PROCESS criteria. RESULTS: During this time period a total of 164 patients had primary TKR at AKUH. Out of these, 85 patients (52%) had bilateral TKR while 79 (48%) had unilateral TKR. The overall SSI was in 2 patients (1.2%). CONCLUSION: Identifying SSIs is multidimensional. Since our 2 infected cases after TKR occurred after discharge, this highlights the importance of post-discharge surveillance and not limiting the surveillance for inpatients only. Furthermore, the SSI program may be effective in controlling postoperative wound infections.

Impacts of climate change on Capparis spinosa L. based on ecological niche modeling.

Recent changes in climate are transforming the situation of life on Earth, including impacting the conservation status of many plant and animal species. This study aims to evaluate potential impacts of climate change on a medicinal plant that is known to be heat-tolerant, Capparis spinosa L. We used ecological niche modeling to estimate current and future potential distributions for the species, considering two emissions scenarios and five climate models for two time periods (2050 and 2070). The results in terms of areal coverage at different suitability levels in the future were closely similar to its present-day distribution; indeed, only minor differences existed in highly suitable area, with increases of only 0.2-0.3% in suitable area for 2050 and 2070 under representative concentration pathway 4.5. Given that climate-mediated range shifts in the species are expected to be minor, conservation attention to this species can focus on minimizing local effects of anthropogenic activity.