ABSTRACT
Enteric fever is a common but serious disease that affects mostly children and adolescents in the developing countries. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi remains responsible for most of the disease episodes; however, S. Paratyphi A has also been reported as an emerging infectious agent of concern. The control measures for the disease must encompass early diagnosis, surveillance and vaccine to protect against the disease. Sanitation and hygiene play a major role in reducing the burden of enteric diseases as well. The current status of diagnostics, the surveillance practices in the recent past and the vaccine development efforts have been taken into account for suggesting effective prevention and control measures. However, the challenges in all these aspects persist and cause hindrance in the implementation of the available tools. Hence, an integrative approach and a comprehensive policy framework are required to be in place for the prevention, control and elimination of typhoid fevers.
ABSTRACT
This is a case report of a girl aged 4 years who presented with repeated attacks of chocking and dysphagia. She was diagnosed to be having an acquired tracheo- oesophageal fistula caused by fish bone impaction. She was treated successfully. In this report, the literature was reviewed of this rare condition.
Subject(s)
Animals , Barium Sulfate/diagnosis , Bone and Bones , Child, Preschool , Contrast Media/diagnosis , Deglutition Disorders/diagnosis , Endoscopy, Digestive System , Esophagus/pathology , Female , Fishes , Foreign-Body Migration/complications , Humans , Respiratory Tract Infections/diagnosis , Tracheoesophageal Fistula/diagnosisABSTRACT
Cities and towns of the world are now facing enormous rise of noise pollution problem due to very high population rise, transport congestion and associated commercial and industrial activities. Burdwan, a district headquarter (100 km away from Kolkata) is one such town where noise pollution is very frequent. In order to assess noise level, noise data were collected from various places of the town by sound level meter with a duration of 30 minutes/location during specified time like 6.00 am, 10.00 am, 1.00 pm, 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm. Most of the monitoring places either belongs to silence category or commercial category areas. From the tabulated data, it was found that sound level lies within the range of 64-85 dB or above in different time at different places. The locations that belong to the silence zone have the noise level up to 90 dB. Statistically noise level in all these zones differ significantly at their peak hours. Noise pollution adversely affects our environment as well as human beings. Sound causes both pathological and psychological disorders in human beings. Implementation of rules and regulations under section 20, 21J, 41, 68(I), 70, 90, 111A of Environment Protection Act, 1986 and of course various technological methods and public awareness are very essential to check noise pollution in Burdwan town.
Subject(s)
Environmental Monitoring/methods , India , NoiseABSTRACT
Results of Thyroid function tests of 671 individuals have been studied. The analysis shows that T3 and T4 hormone tests are not efficacious as compared to TSH test (p < 0.001) and in diagnosing Hypothyroid cases T3 and T4 lead to almost same results while in detecting Hyperthyroid cases T3 is superior to T4 (p < 0.01).
Subject(s)
False Negative Reactions , False Positive Reactions , Humans , Sensitivity and Specificity , Thyroid Diseases/blood , Thyroxine/blood , Triiodothyronine/bloodABSTRACT
Effect of group IIB metals on the endogenous status of metallothionein (MT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) was studied in two vital detoxifying organs namely, liver and kidney of rat. The metals were administered at non lethal levels (1/10 LD50) which were found to cause no death. Zinc showed accumulation in both liver and kidney, cadmium preferentially in the liver while mercury in the kidney. Hepatic MT content was increased by 18-fold, 15-fold and 2-fold by cadmium, zinc and mercury respectively while renal MT was increased maximally by zinc. Among the metals, mercury caused highest depletion of hepatic GSH level (51%). The renal GSH showed differential response to the metal treatment, the level increasing slightly by cadmium and depleting significantly by zinc and mercury. A positive correlation was found between group IIB metal accumulation and the manifestation of toxic response.
Subject(s)
Animals , Glutathione/metabolism , Kidney/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Male , Metallothionein/metabolism , Metals/metabolism , Oxidation-Reduction , Rats , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
Pituitaries were collected from a common carp, yprinss carpi, belonging to vitellogenic phase and cells were disaggregated by using 0·3% collagenase and 0·05% tsypsin. Enzymatically dispersed cells were incubated in vitro in Ca2+-free medium to observe the effect of Canna punctatus GnRH (cGnRH) and Ca2+ on pituitary cell cAMP accumulation. Addition of cGnRH (20 Big) to pituitary cell incubation (6 × 104 cells/well) containing 4 mM theophylline, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, caused two-fold increase of cAMP accumulation in comparison to control, Addition of Ca2+ (2 mM) to cGnRH further augmented cAMP accumulation, i.e., four-fold as compared to control. Increasing concentrations of cGnRH in the presence of Ca2+ resulted in a dose-dependent increase in cAMP accumulation. To examine the specificity of Ca2+ augmentory effect on cGnRH-stimulated pituitary cell cAMP accumulation, a specific Ca2+-channel blocker, verapamil was used, At 3 μM dose verapamil completely waived Ca2+-augmentation of cGnRH stimulatory effect on cAMP. Interestingly, verapamil also significantly inhibited cGnRH stimulation of cAMP in the Ca2+-free medium. Extent of Ca2+ plus cGnRH stimulatory effect on cAMP was further increased by the addition of 25 pmol of calmodulin, a Ca2+-carrier protein, Addition of verapamil to this system strongly inhibited Ca2+ and ealmodulin augnientory effect on cGnRH. Reduced level of cAMP in the pituitary cell due to verapamil was even lower than that of cGnRH plus ealmodulin incubation. Data indicates a contamination of Ca2+ in an apparently Ca2+-free medium, Results suggest that in lower vertebrate, i.e., fish, GnRH stimulation of pituitary cell cAMP is dependent on extracellulnr Ca2+ and incubation of pituitary cell in Ca2+-free medium is truly not free of Ca2+.
ABSTRACT
Two cases with true hermaphroditism are described. A 2 year old child presented with ambiguous genitalia, and had bilateral ovotestis in the labioscrotal folds. A 20 year old boy presented with grade V gynaecomastia and periodical bleeding as well as seminal discharge after phallic stimulation; he had right sided ovotestis, normal size uterus, left ovary and hypoplastic fallopian tubes. Male gender was assigned to both. Cytogenetically both were 46XX. Gonadectomy was done in both the cases. Bilateral mastectomy and hysterectomy was done in the second case.