A study on smoking and associated psychosocial factors among adolescent students in Kolkata, India.

Tobacco use among school children and adolescents is an increasing problem world-wide, particularly in the developing countries. A cross-sectional observational study was carried out in six co-educational high schools in Kolkata, West Bengal among 526 students of 15-19 years to determine the prevalence of smoking and to find out any difference among the smokers and non-smokers regarding factors related to family relations, peer group and personal characteristics. The overall rate of smoking was found to be 29.6%, mean age of initiation of smoking was earlier in males. Among smokers 75% students started smoking by 15 years. Smoking of father and peer group, family conflict and pornography addiction were found to have significant association with smoking of students. Early school health based interventions addressing these factors might help in effectively tackling this problem.

Internal jugular vein phlebectasia presenting with hoarseness of voice.

Internal jugular phlebectasia presents as a soft cystic mass in the neck that appears on straining. We present a case of a 7-year-old girl who presented with a painless soft cystic mass in the neck associated with hoarseness of voice. Based on clinical examination and CT image, diagnosis of right internal jugular phlebectasia was made.

Profile of childhood cancers: a multicentric study.

The incidence of cancer has been increasing steadily in the developing world including India. Childhood cancers are a special entity with different genetic, environmental factors playing a role in their aetiology. The profiles of cancer incidence reflect the racial, cultural and geographical diversity within populations. This article shows the profile of childhood cancer across three medical college hospitals in the state of West Bengal in India and the data were collected from the period between 2008 and 2011. The results showed leukaemia was the most common cancer affecting children followed by lymphoma and retinoblastoma.The profile of childhood cancers showed wide variation among the age groups. Frequency of retinoblastoma, renal tumours, neuroblastoma and hepatic tumours were higher in children less than five years whereas lymphoma, leukaemia, bone tumours and central nervous system tumours were found more in children above five years. As many of common childhood malignancies are curable there is need to have a dedicated paediatric cancer registry for assessing the magnitude of problem in our country as paediatric cancers show wide variation across centres.

An unusual presentation of a mesenteric lymphangioma.

Lymphatic malformations are the second most common benign vascular tumour in children, after haemangioma. They may be localised or generalised and commonly occur in the cervicofacial region, axilla and thorax. They appear early in life with almost all cases evident by the age of 3 years. Lymphangioma or cystic hygroma is a mass of dilated lymphatics. The following case in a 4-year-old boy of intraabdominal cystic lymphangioma is being reported due to its rarity and its confusing presentation. The boy presented with progressive swelling of abdomen and respiratory distress. A repeat USG after second episode of rapid increase of abdomen showed a huge cystic swelling of whole abdomen and pelvis. CT scan of abdomen suggested mesenteric lymphangioma. The cyst was excided and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of lymphangioma.