Hydatid Cyst of the Rib: A New Case and Review of the Literature

The hydatid cyst is not rare in our country, but bone lesions are less common. The disease often takes the appearance of abscess or malignant lesion. We report a case of a 35-year-old man with a hydatid cyst of the rib complicated with cutaneous fistula. The surgery allowed both diagnosis and treatment. Albendazole was then administered to prevent relapse

Haemophilus influenzae type b still remains a leading cause of meningitis among unvaccinated children - A prospective CSF analysis study

A prospective, hospital-based cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis study was undertaken in 65 children who had diagnostic lumbar puncture on admission for suspected central nervous system infections. Twenty-three children were clinically diagnosed to have had sepsis and/or meningitis. CSF bacterial culture grew Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in four cases and Streptococcus pneumonia (SP) was cultured in another child. Bacterial antigen was detected in 13 other CSF specimens and the pathogens were Hib (n = 9), SP (n = 3) and Group B Streptococcus (n = 1). No etiologic cause was identified to explain the abnormal CSP pleocytosis and biochemistry in the remaining five cases. In contrast, the CSF analysis was normal in 42 other children with probable viral and non-infectious neurological condition, mostly febrile convulsions. The overall frequency rate for all types of meningitis and especially for Hib meningitis were 43 and 31 cases per 100 000 children < 5 years of age, respectively. These findings support our earlier observations that Hib meningitis still remains the leading cause of childhood meningitis in our region. Also it reaffirms the observation that bacterial meningitis may often be under-reported if CSF positive culture alone is considered for the diagnosis

Predictors of febrile seizure: A matched case-control study

In a prospective matched case-control study carried out to determine risk factors of febrile seizures among children in the United Arab Emirates, 84 patients with febrile seizure were identified and were matched with 84 control febrile patients without seizure in the same age range, who attended the same hospital during the same period of time. Logistic regression analysis showed that the age at first seizure, family history of febrile seizure, duration of fever, and height of temperature were the only significant predictors for febrile seizures