Spontaneous recovery from severe neurotoxic envenoming by a Malayan krait Bungarus candidus (Linnaeus) in Thailand.

A patient bitten by Bungarus candidus (Malayan krait) developed nausea, vomiting, weakness, and myalgia 30 minutes after being bitten. One hour later, ptosis and occulomotor palsies as well as tightness of his chest were noted. Respiratory failure requiring mechanical respiration appeared 8 hours after the bite and lasted for nearly 96 hours.

Interferon gamma for diagnosing tuberculous pleural effusions.

Background: A study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic value of pleural fluid concentrations of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) as a marker of tuberculosis.

Methods: Patients admitted to King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital between April 1997 and January 1998 with a lymphocytic exudative pleural effusion were enrolled into the study. The pleural fluids were examined for cytology, staining for acid fast bacilli, and mycobacterial culture.

The role of the methacholine inhalation challenge in adult patients presenting with chronic cough.

One hundred and twenty two patients who were presenting with chronic persistent cough for more than 3-4 weeks were studied. Using anatomical and stepwise approach, we could identify the cause of chronic cough in 96% of the patients. The most common causes were due to postnasal drip syndrome (PND) (45%) and bronchial asthma (26%).

Management of thai cobra bites with a single bolus of antivenin.

Between January 1981 and December 1991, 68 adults were treated at Chulalongkorn University for cobra bites. Respiratory failure developed in the bite victims even when an adequate genus-specific antivenin was administered at the onset of neuromuscular paralysis. The duration of time spent on a respirator was, however, significantly less in patients treated with an intravenous 100-ml antivenin bolus given at the onset of neurotoxic signs.

Effect of inhaled corticosteroids on bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with mild asthma.

We studied the effect of inhaled budesonide on bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in twenty mild asthmatic patients. The study was conducted as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Before entering the study, the patients performed methacholine inhalation challenge (MIC) using a reservoir method to assess BHR.