Serum sodium and osmolal changes in tuberculous meningitis.

Twenty children from 2 months to 7 years (mean age 2.74 years +/- 1.62) diagnosed to have tuberculous meningitis (TBM) were evaluated for serial serum sodium levels and osmolality of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), serum and urine on admission and the results compared with 20 age and nutritionally matched controls, and these investigations repeated on day 3 and day 10.

Epidemic of Vibrio cholerae 0139 in Calcutta.

As one of large outbreaks of cholera-like illness in the Indian subcontinent, Calcutta and its neighbouring areas experienced an unprecedented epidemic due to a new strain of V. cholerae non-01, designated as V. cholerae 0139 Bengal, since January 1993.

Vibrio cholerae O139 in Calcutta.

Vibrio cholerae O139 was recovered from 28 of 79 children with acute watery diarrhoea. Clinically, they presented with watery diarrhoea (100%), vomiting (79%), abdominal cramps (61%), anorexia (61%), dehydration (100%), and absence of fever. Both clinical and blood biochemical parameters of these cases were similar to the illness caused by the new strain in adults.

Clinical and laboratory predictors of invasive diarrhoea in children less than five years old.

Five hundred and thirty-three children < 5 years of age with acute watery diarrhoea were followed for appearance of blood in their stools to evaluate various clinical and laboratory predictors of dysentery. The statistical analysis was performed in two steps. Firstly, clinical and laboratory variables were evaluated as 'predictors' for isolation of invasive bacterial enteropathogens from stool culture.

Cerebrospinal fluid osmolal changes in bacterial meningitis.

Sixty children with acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) were prospectively studied for their serum sodium values and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), serum and urinary osmolality. The results have been compared with 20 age and nutritionally matched controls. Even though mean serum osmolality (283.

Hydroxyamidines as new extracting reagents for spectrophotometric determination of cadmium with 4-(2-pyridylazo)naphthol in industrial effluents, coal, and fly ash.

A simple, sensitive, and selective extractive spectrophotometric method for the determination of cadmium in trace quantities with N1-hydroxy-N1,N2-diphenylbenzamidine (HDPBA) and 4-(2-pyridylazo)naphthol (PAN) is described. The method is based on the extraction of cadmium with HDPBA into chloroform at pH 9.0 +/- 0.

Auxotyping of Neisseria gonorrhoeae as an additional epidemiological marker.

Auxotypes and penicillin sensitivity of 102 strains of N. gonorrhoeae were studied. Ten distinct auxotypes on the basis of growth requirement to seven amino acids were observed.

Immunoprophylaxis in pertussis.

Pertussis is one of the common paediatric infectious diseases and an important public health problem specially so in the developing countries. An effective vaccine against this disease is available and given along with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids. However, the association of systemic, especially the neurological, complications have made it a controversial agent.