Physiological phimosis-the tincture of time

Background: Phimosis is one of the commonest presentations in the pediatric surgery outdoor. The main concern has been over avoidance of surgery in physiological phimosis. Different protocols have been proposed from time to time.Methods: An observational study was carried out in the pediatric surgery outdoor of SMS Medical College Jaipur, Rajasthan, India in 40 children aged 5 years or above who were treated for physiological phimosis by non-operative methods at some stage.Results: Ninety percent of the patients had resolution of phimosis by conservative means. The remaining patients were having difficulty in retraction, but no complications were identified in any patient.Conclusions: Phimosis is physiological and management should be restricted to reassurance in all cases that have no evidence of scarring or associated pathologies

Maternal vegetarian diet in pregnancy, a predisposition to hypospadias?

Background: Hypospadias constitutes one of the commonest surgically treated patient subset in a pediatric surgery set up. The causative factors have always been multifactorial. Maternal age and diet during pregnancy have been attempted to be correlated with the prevalence of hypospadias.Methods: The current study aims to find a correlation between the rises of hypospadias with increased maternal vegetarian diet taken during pregnancy. The mothers of patients presenting with hypospadias were allotted structured self-completed questionnaires. Obstetric history, dietary patterns and lifestyle information during pregnancy was obtained.Results: The mothers of patients presenting with hypospadias who had been on a vegetarian diet had an increased incidence of babies presenting with hypospadias as shown in the chart.Conclusions: Diet during gestation may play a role in the etiology of hypospadias. Although this study is limited by less number of cases, it does show the trend of increased incidence of hypospadias amongst vegetarian mothers

Competitive intelligence and firms' performance in emerging markets: An exploratory study in India

Purpose: This paper explores the relationship between competitive intelligence (CI) practices and the firm’s performance in the emerging market context of India. The paper addresses the following pertinent issues: a) Do CI activities have any relationship with the market performance of Indian firms? b) If so, what are the macro and micro environmental drivers of CI for Indian firms? How are CI activities organized within Indian firms? How is the usage and dissemination of CI taking place within Indian firms? Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a cross-sectional, survey based methodology, using a stratified sample developed from a variety of mailing lists focusing on Indian firms. Findings: Our study identifies two key aspects: a) Indian firms that exhibit higher levels of CI activities also achieve better financial performance results. b) The current level of CI activities in Indian firms is at a moderate level, thereby suggesting an opportunity for using and implementing more sophisticated CI techniques. Practical Implications: The findings of this study should assist local and foreign managers in having a more informed understanding of CI activities in the Indian marketplace. Additionally, these findings provide directives to managers regarding the untapped opportunities and potential that CI can offer them in a highly volatile and rapidly changing market scenario. Originality/value: This is the first ever study that empirically investigates the relationship between the level of CI activities and firm performance in an emerging market context. This is also the first study of its kind which explores the current state of CI practices in the Indian market

Pancreatoblastoma in a child

Pancreatoblastoma (PB) is a rare pancreatic tumor in children. Its biologic behavior is aggressive with frequent local invasion, recurrence, and metastasis, for which there has been no standard treatment regimen. Complete surgical resection has been considered for long-term survival of patients with PB. We present here a case of PB in a 3-year-old male child

Cranial migration of ventriculoperitoneal shunt

We report a rare case of an 11-month male infant with cranial migration of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt assembly. The shunt chamber was lying inside the ventricles. At the time of shunt revision, outsized burr hole and wide dural opening were observed. The ventricular migrated chamber of VP shunt was first retrieved from the ventricle followed by the removal of whole shunt assembly. A new VP shunt was placed on the other side with the chamber firmly anchored to the pericranium. The diagnosis was timely done and prevented complete shunt migration into the ventricles. We attribute factors such as outsized burr hole, wide dural opening, and poor anchoring of the straight connector of shunt chamber to periosteum because of poor tissue preservation (redo operation). Repeated flushing of the shunt chamber by cranial direction pressing on it by the mother might be a contributing factor for loosening of anchor sutures and cranial migration. Patients undergoing VP shunt procedure must be under regular follow-up for early recognition of this potential complication. Cranial migration of VP shunt is usually not a fatal complication