Patch testing in hand eczema: a cross-sectional study from a teaching hospital of North India

Background: Hand eczema is a common dermatological disorder in different occupational groups with multifactorial etiology. Patch Testing serves as an important tool for identifying responsible allergens.Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology, SKIMS-MCH, Srinagar for duration of one year from June 2016 to June 2017. Patients of either gender with hand eczema, aged 18 years and above, presenting to outpatient department were enrolled in the study. After taking informed written consent from patients, a detailed history was taken, and clinical examination was performed on first visit. Patch testing with Indian Standard Series was performed a fortnight after complete resolution of signs and symptoms of eczema and after complete withdrawal of the drugs.Results: Out of 116 patients 60 (51.7%) were males and 56 (48.3%) were females. Male to female ratio was 1.07:1. Mean age of presentation of females was 35.42±12.52years and of males was 49.2±10.01years. The commonest allergen was Nickel sulphate (23.2%) followed by Potassium dichromate (15.1%). Nickel sulphate was most common allergen in females while Cobalt sulphate and Paraphenylene diamine were most common allergens in males. House wives (36.2%) and farmers (11.2%) were occupations with high frequency of hand eczema.Conclusions: Patch testing in clinically diagnosed cases of hand eczema can play a vital role in not just the confirmation of the label but can also reduce the socio-economic burden on such patients

Antibacterial activity of honey in north-west Pakistan against select human pathogens

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the antimicrobial activity of commercially available honey and raw honey samples in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, against pathogenic bacterial strains.MethodsWell diffusion assays were performed to screen pure and diluted honey samples for antibacterial activity against six Gram-negative and six Gram-positive bacterial strains. Zones of inhibition were measured and compared with 10 mg Gentamycin.RESULTSWhen honey samples were diluted to 20%-70%, the honey samples showed no activity to mild antibacterial activity. The highest antibacterial activity was recorded when 90% and pure undiluted honey samples were tested and compared with a control Gentamycin disc (10 mg).ConclusionCommercially processed honey and raw honey samples from north-west of Pakistan possess good antimicrobial potential

Suprapatellar versus infrapatellar approach for intramedullary nailing in tibial shaft fractures

Background: Tibial shaft fractures accounts about 2% of all adult fractures and it is a common traumatic injury caused by high-energy trauma. The intra-medullary nail fixation either by Suprapatellar approach or Infrapatellar approach has been reported to be a successful surgical procedure for the treatment of proximal tibia fractures. Aim was to compare the clinical and functional outcomes of tibial shaft fractures treated with IMN using the suprapatellar and infrapatellar methods. Methods: The present prospective comparative study was conducted to compare the clinical and functional outcomes of tibial shaft fractures managed by Suprapatellar or Infrapatellar intramedullary nailing technique. This study was conducted in the Post Graduate Department of Orthopedics in SKIMS, MCH Bemina, Srinagar for a period of 02 years from May, 2020 to May, 2022. A total of 40 patients with tibial shaft fracture were included in the study. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, SPSS Inc., v.16). Results: It was observed that the majority of the participants (37.5%) were in 31-40 year’s age group, there were male predominance with the male to female ratio 2.33:1. In SP technique excellent results were observed in 80% of the study subjects whereas in IP technique, 70% patients had excellent results. Conclusions: It is concluded that SP technique shows better results as compared to IP technique in the management of tibial shaft fracture

A comparative study of Ilizarov ring fixators and limb reconstruction system fixators in the treatment of compound tibial shaft fractures

Background: Tibia is the most commonly fractured long bone, and the prevalence of compound fractures has risen due to an increase in high-energy traumatic incidents. In addressing challenging tibial fractures with significant soft tissue damage, infected tibial nonunion, and compound tibial fractures, medical professionals have turned to specialized treatments, such as Ilizarov ring fixators and limb reconstruction system fixators. These fractures typically cannot be managed effectively with traditional internal fixation methods. To facilitate early weight-bearing, limb lengthening, and efficient wound care, two minimally invasive fixation systems have been developed: the Limb Reconstruction System and the ring fixator. Methods: The study was conducted on 40 patients with compound tibial shaft fractures treated by Ilizarov ring fixators and limb reconstruction system fixators with the aim to evaluate the functional outcome, union rate and amount of limb lengthening using Ring and ILRS fixators in compound tibial fixators. Results: In our study, a significant portion of the participants fell within the age range of 28 to 37 years, comprising 45% of the total sample. Furthermore, the majority of the study subjects were male, constituting 65% of the participant pool. The primary mode of injury reported in our study was road traffic accidents, accounting for 77.5%. Conclusions: The study concluded that LRS fixators show good and promising results like easy to apply, carry, compress, distract and clean while Ilizaro ring fixator is technically demanding, difficult to carry and cumbersome to the patient

Surgical resection of Haglund deformity by lateral approach: our institutional experience on 29 heels

Background: Haglund deformity is a common cause of posterior heel pain and consists of a constellation of soft tissue and osseous abnormalities. The treatment starts with conservative approach and ends with surgical treatment in case conservative treatment fails and the symptoms are bothersome. Different surgical procedures and approaches have been used for this deformity. But in the literature, the results have been inconsistent. In this study we evaluated the clinical and functional outcome of osteotomy of the calcaneal tuberosity with debridement of the retrocalcaneal bursa and the Achilles tendon using a lateral approach at our institute.Methods: A total of 29 feet in 25 patients that underwent surgical procedure from August 2013 to March 2017 at our institute were included in this study. The clinical and functional outcome was evaluated using AOFAS ankle-hind foot scale.Results: The mean AOFAS ankle-hind foot score had improved by 32 points from the pre-operative mean score, with a mean score of 86 at the final follow up of one year. Five out of 29 operated feet had superficial surgical site infection in the postoperative period that responded to antibiotic therapy and regular antiseptic dressings. One patient had local betadine allergy.Conclusions: We conclude lateral approach to debridement and calcaneal tuberosity resection is an effective method with good clinical and functional outcome in patients with refractory Haglund deformity.

Evaluación de concentraciones de macrominerales en sangre de vacas Desi lactantes y secas

Objective. This study was conducted during winter season at rural livestock farm of district Sargodha, Pakistan, in order to define the macrominerals status in blood plasma of lactating and dry Desi breed cows. Material and methods. Twenty lactating and twenty dry cows were used and their blood plasma was analyzed for Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu and Fe using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results. In lactating cows, the plasma Ca concentration was lower than dry cows (6.8 vs. 7.6 mg/dl, p<0.001), while Mg concentration was similar between lactating and dry cows. Plasma Zn concentration in lactating cows was higher than dry cows (0.78 vs. 0.60mg/l, p<0.01) and it resulted lower than the normal range in both groups. Plasma Cu level in lactating cows was lower than dry cows (0.56 vs. 0.76 mg/L, p<0.001) and it was lower than the normal range only in lactating cows. Lactating cows resulted in higher plasma Fe concentration compared to dry cows (3.8 versus 2.6 mg/L; p<0.01). Conclusions. From our findings, it can be concluded that the observed minerals level meets the needs of ruminants and the plasma level of different minerals is affected by the physiological stages of cows.201

Bioconcentration of some macrominerals in soil, forage and buffalo hair continuum: A case study on pasture irrigated with sewage water

AbstractThe present study aimed to evaluate the bioaccumulation of some macrominerals in grazing buffaloes fed forage irrigated with sewage water or canal water. In particular, the transfer of sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) from soil to plant and in turn to animals was evaluated under sub-tropical environmental conditions. Samples of soil, forage and buffalo hair were collected and digested by wet method. Sodium and K concentrations were significantly higher in the soil but lower in the forages; however, Mg and Ca concentrations in both soil and forages were higher. The correlation between soil, forage and hair showed an imbalanced flow of Na, Mg and K and a balanced flow of Ca from soil to forage and then to animals. Based on the findings, the highest rates of transfer of minerals were found for sewage water treatment, whereas lowest rates were found for canal water treatment, except for Na. As the transfer of minerals depends on their bioavailability, the highest values may be due to the high rates of mineral uptake by plants. Thus, the high transfer rate of some elements by plants could become toxic in future causing detrimental effect to grazing livestock

Determination of genetic variation and heritability estimates for morphological and yield traits in chickpea (Cicer arietinum) under late sown conditions

Genetic variability was estimated along with heritability (h2) and genetic advance (GA) among 45 genotypes of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). High genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variability were observed for plant height, leaf length, leaflet length, width of leaflet, number of primary branches/plant, number of secondary branches/ plant, number of pods/plant, pod length, pod width, 100-seed weight and seed yield/plant. The differences between genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variability was very small in all these traits indicating negligible role of environment. The characters, which showed poor estimates for PCV and GCV were days to maturity, days to 50% flowering, number of leaflets/leaf and seeds/pod. In the present study, high heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for seed yield/plant, width of leaflet and primary branches/plant indicated the presence of a considerable proportion of total variability due to genetic causes particularly the additive gene effects to be important for determining these traits. On the other hand, high heritability with moderate genetic advance was observed for number of primary branches, number of secondary branches, plant height, pod length, and pods/plant indicating the influence of environment for these traits. Low heritability percentage coupled with low and moderate genetic advancement has been observed for days to maturity indicated that this trait was greatly influenced by environment

Estimation of Chromium in Soil-Plant-Animal Continuum: A Case Study in Ruminants of Punjab, Pakistan

The increased use of waste water for agriculture purposes has increased around the globe. There are toxic metals present in waste water which affect plants, animals and human health. But at the same time it also contains useful nutrients which increase growth of plants. Different indices were applied to evaluate the metals present in water soil plant and milk. Various and correlation were determined with the help of SPSS, mean significance was found at the probability levels of 0.05, 0.001 and 0.01. The highest value of Cr was found in Avena sativa (0.7872 mg/kg) collected from site 5 while lower concentration of Cr was observed in Brassica campestris (0.0743 mg/kg) at site 4. In soil samples, Trifolium alexandrinum showed highest value of Cr (0.9887 mg/kg) at site 1 while lowered concentration was observed in Zea mays (0.1862 mg/kg) at site 3. Milk samples of site 5 had higher value of Cr (0.2898 mg/kg) and lowest at (0.1540 mg/kg) site 2. Water samples of site 3 had high value of Cr in them (1.849 mg/kg) and lowered concentration was found in water samples of site 5 (0.219 mg/kg). Cr concentration in fodders ranges from 0.0743 to 0.7872 mg/kg, soil 0.1862 to 0.9887 mg/kg, milk 0.1540 to 0.2898 mg/kg and water 0.219 to 1.849 mg/kg. In water samples, Cr level were above than permissible limit. In milk samples, concentration of Cr was greater than permissible limit which shows that it is hazardous to human health, may be due to pollution of environment like air, water and soil. This study concluded that if animals are allowed to graze on contaminated fodders and drink wastewater then metals were accumulated in their tissues and milk which causes toxicity to human health