What psychiatry means to us.

Psychiatry has come up as one of the most dynamic branches of medicine in recent years. There are a lot of controversies regarding concepts, nosology, definitions and treatments in psychiatry, all of which are presently under a strict scanner. Differences are so many that even the meaning of psychiatry varies amongst individual psychiatrists.

Giant pseudocyst of the anterior abdominal wall following mesh repair of incisional hernia: a rare complication managed laparoscopically.

Unlabelled: Giant pseudocyst formation of the anterior abdominal wall, following on-lay polypropylene mesh repair for incisional hernia is an under reported complication. We report an unusual case of a 56-year-old female who underwent a polypropylene mesh repair of incisional hernia 2 years back. Subsequently she developed a giant pseudocyst of the anterior abdominal wall, which was occupying the whole of the abdomen from the xiphisternum to the pubic bone, and over both the flanks.

A prospective study of the long-term efficacy of local methyl prednisolone acetate injection in the management of mild carpal tunnel syndrome.

Objective: Local glucocorticoid injections are used to treat carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, this treatment is associated with frequent relapses. An important limitation of studies with higher relapse rates is that no attempt has been made to identify patients with mild or severe disease.

A new homotriterpene from the roots of Marsdenia tenacissima Wight and Arn.

A new homotriterpene isolated from the roots of Marsdenia tenacissima Wight et Arn. has been characterized as 13-(31,32-dimethyl-30-methylene-21alpha-acetoxytetradecanyl)-29-methyl-perhydrophenanthr-1,3-diene on the basis of spectral analyses.

Doping-control urinalysis of a ginseng extract, Cold-FX, in athletes.

Nutraceuticals may induce doping infractions through contamination of the product itself or their ingestion might be metabolized within the body to create a positive doping control test. We tested this possibility using a commercially available, proprietary ginseng root extract (Cold-FX, CV Technologies Inc., Edmonton, AB).

Codelivery of a tea extract prevents morbidity and mortality associated with oral vanadate therapy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Oral administration of vanadate has a strong hypoglycemic effect but results in toxic side effects like life-threatening diarrhea. Tea is known to have potent antidiarrhea effects. We investigated the potential of suspending the vanadate in a tea decoction to reduce the diarrheatic action of vanadate.

Lysophospholipids do not directly modulate Na(+)-H+ exchange.

Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) has been reported to stimulate Na(+)-H+ exchange in rat cardiomyocytes. This action may be important in pathological conditions like ischemic injury where LPC is generated and Na(+)-H+ exchange activation is an important determinant of cardiac damage and dysfunction. It is unclear, however, if this stimulation of Na(+)-H+ exchange by LPC occurs through a direct action on the exchanger or through stimulation of a second messenger pathway.

Clinical, radiological and neurophysiological spectrum of JEV encephalitis and other non-specific encephalitis during post-monsoon period in India.

Aims: To study the spectrum of encephalitis during the post-monsoon period in a tertiary care centre of India.

Methods: Clinical, neurophysiological and radiological features of patients with encephalitis are reported in this communication. The patients were subjected to clinical examination, CT or MRI scan, EEG, motor and somatosensory evoked potentials in both upper and lower limbs bilaterally and concentric needle electromyography.

Gastroscopic-assisted laparoscopic cystogastrostomy in the management of pseudocysts of the pancreas.

Once pancreatic pseudocysts become persistent, unresolving, and symptomatic, surgical drainage is mandatory. Between January 1998 and December 2001, we performed five laparoscopic cystogastrostomies for such pseudocysts with the simultaneous use of the gastroendoscope. The mean cyst diameter was 20 cm (range, 18.

Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cardiac sarcolemmal Na(+)/H(+) exchange.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion activates the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger, which induces arrhythmias, cell damage, and eventually cell death. Inhibition of the exchanger reduces cell damage and lowers the incidence of arrhythmias after ischemia-reperfusion. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are also known to be cardioprotective and antiarrhythmic during ischemia-reperfusion challenge.

Combined abdominal and posterior sagittal approach for redo pull-through operation in Hirschsprung's disease.

Background/purpose: In Hirschsprung's disease (HD) redo pull-through (PT) is indicated for anastomotic complications and retained aganglionosis after a previous operation. Duhamel or Swenson method is used commonly for redo operations. The pelvic dissection may be difficult, especially in Swenson's type of operation, because of fibrosis resulting from previous surgery or its complications.

The use of pedicled appendix graft for substitution of urethra in recurrent urethral stricture.

Background: Recurrent posterior urethral strictures after failed urethroplasty may need urethral substitution. Skin or mucosal grafts, currently used for this purpose, have a high complication rate. The authors describe the use of pedicled appendix for posterior urethral substitution.

Recurrent pyogenic meningitis: an unusual presentation in a case of neurofibromatosis-1.

We report a case of recurrent pyogenic meningitis with cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea in a patient with neurofibromatosis-1, which has not been reported previously.

Laparoscopic surgery in hepatic hydatid cysts: a technical improvement.

Hepatic hydatid cysts are a common surgical problem that is encountered in many tropical countries, including India. Open surgical exploration and excision had been the mainstay of treatment until the advent of laparoscopy. In 1998, we successfully managed six cases of large hepatic hydatid cysts using the videoendoscope, with excellent postoperative follow-up results.

Esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula: a review of 25 years' experience.

During a 25-year period (1972-1996), 585 patients with esophageal atresia with or without tracheoesophageal fistula were treated at the Department of Pediatric Surgery, SMS Medical College, Jaipur, India. Increasing awareness of the anomaly has led to early detection and referral with fewer pulmonary complications. For purposes of analysis the period has been divided into five phases, with a steady decline in overall mortality observed from 95.

Altered cardiac Na(+)/H(+) exchange in phospholipase D-treated sarcolemmal vesicles.

Cardiac sarcolemmal Na(+)/H(+) exchange is critical for the regulation of intracellular pH, and its activity contributes to ischemia-reperfusion injury. It has been suggested that the membrane phospholipid environment does not modulate Na(+)/H(+) exchange. The present study was carried out to determine the effects on Na(+)/H(+) exchange of modifying the endogenous membrane phospholipids through the addition of exogenous phospholipase D.

ATTITUDINAL PROFILE OF MILITARY NURSING SERVICE OFFICERS.

A questionnaire designed to assess attitudinal profile was mailed to nursing officers in five representative military hospitals. 158 (77.83%) of 203 addressees responded.

Congenital urethral fistula.

A case of congenital urethral fistula with an intact glanular urethra without chordee is reported with a discussion of the possible etiology and one-stage repair.

Megalourethra with posterior urethral valves.

A case of scaphoid megalourethra associated with the posterior urethral valves was seen in a 4-year-old male. The embryology of the anomaly and its management are discussed with a review of the literature.

Role of the sodium-hydrogen exchanger in ischemia-reperfusion injury in diabetes.

Ischemic heart disease is a significant problem in the diabetic population. Animal models of diabetes show a paradoxical resistance to ischemic challenge. The present treatise will discuss the mechanics involved and the central role that Na+-H+ exchanger plays in this response to ischemic-reperfusion injury.

Perineal-mound defects.

Perineal-mound (PMD) and genital-fold defects cause anorectal malformations (ARM) in both sexes. They are common in females and usually present as a low anomaly (except rectovestibular fistula). They are rare in males and present as an intermediate anomaly.