Prevalence of multiple myeloma and its complication in a tertiary medical college at Calicut district, India

Background: Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that develops in the bone marrow, which is soft, spongy tissue found in the center of many bones where blood cells are produced. In myeloma, plasma cells, which are normal antibody-producing cells, transform into cancerous myeloma cells. The objectives of this study was the prevalence and complications of multiple myeloma.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in a tertiary hospital at Calicut. Semi structured questionnaire was used to study the prevalence and associated complications of multiple myeloma. History taking, physical examinations and investigations like hemoglobin estimation, peripheral smear, electrophoresis, renal function test, calcium estimation, X-ray of thoracic, lumbar spine, humerus, hip region was done. There was also an attempt to find co-morbidities hypertension, diabetes mellitus and neurological abnormalities. The variables was entered into excel and data were expressed in tables. Results: The prevalence of multiple myeloma in Calicut was found to be 77.90% of the bone marrow results were consistent with multiple myeloma. Urine Bence jone protein was positive for 22.9% of cases. Electrophoresis was done and M Band was seen positive for 78.6%. Serum blood urea value was more for 25.7% patients and 22.95% had elevated serum creatinine value. Spine compression was found among 41.4% and osteoporosis was seen in 21.4% patients. Hypertension was seen among 90% cases and Diabetes Mellitus in 4.7% of males.10 % of the patient has valvular heart disease.Conclusion: The study was able to find out the prevalence and project complications of multiple myeloma at Calicut. As there are cases in the district, present medicos who are the future doctors should be trained appropriately to diagnose and treat the disease

Breeding and larval rearing of three species of damselfishes (family: Pomacentridae)

The annual world ornamental fish trade is to the tune of around 4.5 billion dollars (1995) with a growth rate of about 8%. Nearly 50% of the revenue from the trade is contributed by marine ornamental fishes. With the spread of scientific knowledge on marine aquarium management and development of an array of aquarium gadgets, there is an Increased demand for tropical marine aquarium fishes in recent years and this opens up the possibility of developing a lucrative marine ornamental fish trade the worldover

The bubble snails (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) of Mozambique: an overlooked biodiversity hotspot

This first account, dedicated to the shallow water marine heterobranch gastropods of Mozambique is presented with a focus on the clades Acteonoidea and Cephalaspidea. Specimens were obtained as a result of sporadic sampling and two dedicated field campaigns between the years of 2012 and 2015, conducted along the northern and southern coasts of Mozambique. Specimens were collected by hand in the intertidal and subtidal reefs by snorkelling or SCUBA diving down to a depth of 33 m. Thirty-two species were found, of which 22 are new records to Mozambique and five are new for the Western Indian Ocean. This account raises the total number of shallow water Acteonoidea and Cephalaspidea known in Mozambique to 39 species, which represents approximately 50 % of the Indian Ocean diversity and 83 % of the diversity of these molluscs found in the Red Sea. A gap in sampling was identified in the central swamp/mangrove bio-region of Mozambique, and therefore, we suggest that future research efforts concentrate on or at least consider this region.publishedVersio

Seizure associated with olanzapine

Atypical antipsychotics are known to be associated with electroencephalogram abnormalities. Olanzapine can lower seizure threshold and induce epileptiform discharges. However in patients on Olanzapine for the treatment of a primary psychiatric disorder, clinical seizure is a rare occurrence. We report the case of a 23-year-old female with mild mental retardation with schizophrenia with obsessive compulsive disorder who developed new-onset generalized tonic-clonic seizure probably due to Olanzapine. Electroencephalogram showed epileptiform discharges. The seizure risk associated with Olanzapine was reviewed

Sertraline induced mandibular dystonia and bruxism

Specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been associated with the occurrence of drug-induced parkinsonism, dystonia, dyskinesia, and akathisia. Here, we describe a young female patient with a diagnosis of the moderate depressive episode who developed mandibular dystonia and bruxism with sertraline in the absence of concurrent prescription of medications, which have potential action on the dopaminergic system

Extreme sea level rise along the Indian Ocean coastline: observations and 21st century projections

Anthropogenic sea-level rise poses challenges to coastal areas globally. The combined influence of rising mean sea level (MSL) and storm surges exacerbate the extreme sea level (ESL). Increasing ESL poses a major challenge for climate change adaptation of nearly 2.6 billion inhabitants in the Indian Ocean region. Yet, knowledge about past occurrences of ESL and its progression is limited. Combining multiple tide-gauge and satellite-derived sea-level data, we show that ESL has become more frequent, longer-lasting and intense along the Indian Ocean coastlines. We detect a 2–3-fold increase in ESL occurrence, with higher risk along the Arabian Sea coastline and the Indian Ocean Islands. Our results reveal that rising MSL is the primary contributor to ESL increase (more than 75%), with additional contribution from intensifying tropical cyclones. A two-fold increase in ESL along the Indian Ocean coastline is detected with an additional 0.5 °C warming of the Indian Ocean relative to pre-industrial levels. Utilizing the likely range (17th–83rd percentile as the spread) of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change MSL projections with considerable inter-model spread, we show that the Indian Ocean region will be exposed annually to the present-day 100 year ESL event by 2100, irrespective of the greenhouse-gas emission pathways, and by 2050 under the moderate-emission-mitigation-policy scenario. The study provides a robust regional estimate of ESL and its progression with rising MSL, which is important for climate change adaptation policies