Case Reports: Peritoneal hydatidosis in a young girl

We report a case of peritoneal hydatidosis that occurred post laparotomy. Patient was diagnosed nine months after she had laparotomy for suspected acute appendicitis. The whole peritoneal cavity was studded with cysts. In view of diffuse involvement, patient was managed conservatively and showed response to medical therapy

Primary calcified hydatid of spleen: a case report

Most splenic cysts are parasitic. Hydatid disease, a parasitic disease, isendemic in Kashmir. Splenic involvement alone in hydatid disease is very rare. It may remain asymptomatic or, by causing pressure due to increasing size on adjacent viscera, may become symptomatic. A non specific presentation always makes diagnosis difficult. A case of hydatid spleen in a young boy who presented with abdominal pain is reported. Radiology complemented with serology made the diagnosis. Hydatid disease should beconsidered as a differential diagnosis in every patient with a calcified cystic mass of the spleen in endemic areas.KEY WORDS: Calcified hydatid; Spleen; Splenic cyst; Case repor

Benign intermittent gastric outlet obstruction in an elderly: Endoscopic management and brief review

We describe the clinical scenario in an 80 year old female who presented with history of epigastric discomfort and postprandial fullness of three weeksduration without any alarming symptoms. On upper GI endoscopy she was found to have gastric polyp with a long stalk which was partially obstructing her pyloric ring giving rise to features of intermittent gastric outlet obstruction Polypectomy was done with complete relief of symptoms .She is following our clinic for last 6 months now. Although possibility of malignant etiology in gastric out let obstruction ranks high in the elderly some patients are lucky to have a benign cause as the index case. Report of the case and brief review ispresented.Key words:Inflammatory polyp, Gastric outlet obstruction

Torsion of the vermiform appendix: A case report

Torsion of the vermiform appendix is a rare condition with few cases reported in the literature. Various factors predispose to torsion. Various factors predispose to torsion. We report a case of primary torsion of the vermiform appendix. The clinical presentation was indistinguishablefrom acute appendicitis and the diagnosis was made at operation.Appendix was preileal in position and the direction of torsion wasanticlockwise. There was intrinsic torsion with no obvious factor fortorsion identified. Appendectomy was performed

Humic and Fulvic Acids of Gliricidia and Tithonia Composts for Aluminium Detoxification in an Ultisol

A laboratory experiment was conducted to elucidate roles of Gliricidia sepium and Tithonia diversifolia composts and their extracted humic and fulvic acids on aluminum concentration in an Ultisol. Those composts and humic and fulvic acids extracted from them mixed with soil were arranged in a complete randomized design with three replicates, and incubated for 90 days. Al concentration and pH of the soil were measured at 0, 3, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days after incubation. Results of the study showed that the highest decrease in exchangeable Al concentration (90.5%) was observed for Tithonia fulvic acid treatment during 90 days, followed by Tithonia compost (88.4%), Gliricidia fulvic acid (82.3%), Gliricida compost (82.2%), Tithonia humic acid (75.66%), and Gliricidia humic acid (73.46%) treatments, whereas control only decreased exchangeable Al concentration by 0.9%. The rate of change in exchangeable Al concentration was fast for the first 45 days, but it then slowed down for the second 45 days (45-90 days). This was particularly observed with organic acid treatments, whereas compost treatment still showed a subsequent decrease. Patterns of Al chelate and pH were very similar to that of exchangeable Al. It was thus concluded that roles of humic and fulvic acids in reducing exchangeable Al was only short term, whereas compost played roles in the long term

Physico-Chemical Characterization Of Sweet Chestnut (Castanea Sativa L.) Starch Grown In Temperate Climate Of Kashmir, India

Studies were conducted to characterize the chestnut starch for physico-chemical properties. Chemical composition of chestnut starch showed low levels of protein and ash indicating purity of starch. The results revealed low water and oil absorption capacity of chestnut starch. Starch showed high swelling power and low solubility index. Swelling power and solubility index of chestnut starch increased with increase in temperature (50–90 °C). The results revealed high initial, peak, setback, breakdown, and final viscosity but low paste development temperature. Transmittance (%) of the starch gel was low and decreased with increasing storage period. The chestnut starch gel showed increase in % water release (syneresis) with increase in time of storage but was less susceptible to repeated cycles of freezing and thawing. Starch was also characterized for granule morphology. Starch granules were of round and oval shapes, some granules showed irregular shape

A prospective study of hearing impairment in school going children of Ghaziabad city attending a tertiary care hospital

Background:Overcrowding, poor hygiene, socio-economic status, climate, lack of resources to avail medical facilities, poor medical awareness have their bearing on the incidence of hearing loss. The family of each hearing-impaired child has its own cultural, social, educational, and financial background, and its own special needs. The aim of this study is to determine the percentage of hearing impaired school going children in Ghaziabad city.Methods:The material for the present study were a representative sample constituting 1000 school children selected from various localities of Ghaziabad city within age group of 6-12 years. The children belonged to all the strata of society and children from both sexes were evaluated for hearing loss and its underlying etiological factors. Children were subjected to detailed ENT examination in our OPD.  Results:In the present study sample the incidence of hearing loss is 9.3%. The maximum cases 60.22% belonged to the low socio-economic strata. A statistically significant difference of distribution by gender was noticed with a male preponderance (61.29%) as against 38.71% for females. The hearing loss in majority of cases was of a mild degree i.e., 26 to 45 dB (34.41%) of which majority of cases (87.10%) had conductive loss. Wax was the commonest cause of hearing loss (41.94%). CSOM was found in 21.50 % of all cases. Peak prevalence of hearing loss was found at 8 years of age, again declining after that from 20.43 % to 5.38 % by 12 years of age. Also it was observed that 59.14% children were living in crowded localities of city & 40.86% were living in non- crowded/open locality which is again statistically significant (P ≤0.05).Conclusion:The inferences drawn from the present study substantiates the view point of earlier workers that school screening is the most effective method of diagnosing deafness in school going children and should be extended to all schools in all the areas. Proper assessment and diagnosis of hearing loss in children at a very early age is important because an early diagnosis determines the efficacy of methods used for the correction of the hearing loss. Also early diagnosis of hearing impairment is a key to proper rehabilitation. The cases reporting to the hospital for treatment and rehabilitation can be regarded as the tip of the ice-berg and can have more management difficulties when compared to sub-clinical cases.

Role of per-oral pancreatoscopy in the evaluation of suspected pancreatic duct neoplasia: a 13-year U.S. singlecenter experience

Background and Aims The role of per-oral pancreatoscopy (POP) in the evaluation of occult pancreatic duct (PD) lesions remains limited to case series. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of POP to differentiate malignant from benign diseases of the PD. Methods Patients who underwent POP between 2000 and 2013 for the evaluation of indeterminate PD strictures, dilatations, or with suspected or known main duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm were identified. Main outcome measurements were visual impression accuracy, POP tissue sampling, efficacy, and safety of POP. Results During the study period, 79 patients who underwent POP for the evaluation of pancreatic stricture or dilatation were identified. Technical success was achieved in 78 (97%). In the PD neoplasia group (n = 33), the final diagnosis was based on index confirmatory POP-guided tissue sampling in 29 (88%). For the detection of PD neoplasia, POP visual impression had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 87%, 86%, 83%, 91%, and 87%, respectively. When combined with POP-guided tissue sampling, the values were 91%, 95%, 94%, 93%, and 94%, respectively. Of 102 POPs performed, adverse events were noted in 12 (12%) cases. Conclusions This study demonstrates a high technical success rate, visual impression accuracy, and tissue sampling capability of POP. Examinations were performed by endoscopists with expertise in pancreatoscopy interpretation, and the results may not be generalizable

Molecular Alterations and Expression Dynamics in the Etiopathogenesis of Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid carcinoma is the most prevalent endocrine malignancy and accounts for 2% of all human cancers. In the past decade, knowledge of genetic alterations of thyroid cancer (TC) has rapidly expanded, which has provided new insights into thyroid cancer etiology and has offered novel diagnostic tools and prognostic markers that enable improved and personalized management of thyroid cancer patients. Alterations in key signaling effectors seem to be the hallmark of distinct forms of thyroid neoplasia. Mutations or rearrangements in genes that encode Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway effectors seem to be required for transformation. Mutations in BRAF were the most recently identified MAPK effector in thyroid cancer. BRAF V600E is the most common alteration in sporadic papillary carcinoma. Three RAS proto-oncogenes (NRAS, HRAS & KRAS) are implicated in human thyroid tumorigenesis. High incidence of thyroid cancer worldwide indicates the importance of studying genetic alterations that lead to its carcinogenesis. BRAF and RAS alterations represent a novel indicator of the progression and aggressiveness of thyroid carcinogenesis. The GSα-adenylyl cyclase-cyclic AMP (cAMP) cascade is effected in thyroid cancer. Promoter hypermethylation of multiple genes especially TSHR has been identified to play a role in thyroid cancers, in particular showing a close association with BRAF mutational status. So, the main aim of the study was to elucidate the involvement of BRAF and RAS gene mutations along with BRAF expression and thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) hypermethylation in North Indian patients and investigate their association with clinicopathological characteristics