Recurrence of tuberculosis among newly diagnosed sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients treated under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme, India: A multi-centric prospective study.

Introduction: There is lack of information on the proportion of new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients treated with a 6-month thrice-weekly regimen under Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) who develop recurrent TB after successful treatment outcome.

Objective: To estimate TB recurrence among newly diagnosed PTB patients who have successfully completed treatment and to document endogenous reactivation or re-infection. Risk factors for unfavourable outcomes to treatment and TB recurrence were determined.

Are WHO approved nucleic acid amplification tests causing large-scale "false identification" of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis?: Programmatic experience from south india.

Introduction: The nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs): Line probe assay and GeneXpert (Xpert) have evolved as the primary tool for identification of rifampicin (RIF)-resistant (RR) tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, primarily because of the ease and speed. We rechecked RR isolates identified by NAATs from presumptive RR TB cases belonging to South India by the Revised National TB Control Program, India using multiple RIF concentrations on Bactec MGIT system and compared the mutation patterns with the resistance levels.

Methodology: Standard protocol for Bactec MGIT system as given by the manufacturer modified for the multiple RIF concentrations was used.

MRI follow-up in syringomyelia. Observations from twelve cases.

In 12 patients syringomyelia was diagnosed using MRI. The underlying cause was a hindbrain hernia in 8 patients, a posterior fossa cyst in one case, and in 3 patients the underlying cause remained unknown. Syringo-subarachnoid shunting in 8 patients failed to decrease pain and the size of the syrinx, motor lesion and gait disturbance in the majority of patients.

Blinded evaluation confirms long-term asymmetric effect of unilateral thalamotomy or subthalamotomy on tremor in Parkinson's disease.

In the past, stereotactic surgery was a regular treatment for prominent unilateral tremor in Parkinson's disease (PD), but follow-up studies were usually short-term and always unblinded. We examined 17 PD patients in long-term follow-up (mean, 10.9 years after surgery) and used videotapes and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale to blindly compare tremor ipsilateral and contralateral to the side of surgery.

Cerebral reperfusion in brain death of a newborn. Case report.

A case of "sudden infant death" after 15 minutes of successful resuscitation of cardiovascular function is presented. While apnoic cranial nerve areflexia and electrocerebral silence persisted, angiography and transcranial Doppler sonography demonstrated nearly normal cerebral perfusion, which even increased day by day inspite of the persistence of other signs of brain death. The phenomenon "cerebral reperfusion" is concluded to be compatible with the diagnosis of brain death.

Lesions of the sensorimotor region: somatosensory evoked potentials and ultrasound guided surgery.

In 10 patients with lesions of the sensorimotor cortex cortical SEP were registered to identify the postcentral gyrus, and intra-operative ultrasound sonography served to locate the lesion. The combination of both techniques helped to find the optimal approach to the lesion. Postoperative results were considered favourable, as only one patient suffered transient postoperative deterioration, six were unchanged and in three patients the pre-operative motor deficits were improved.

Transcranial Doppler sonography and intracranial pressure monitoring in children and juveniles with acute brain injuries or hydrocephalus.

Transcranial Doppler sonography is a noninvasive method of obtaining information about changes in cerebral hemodynamics and intracranial pressure. After severe head injuries the development of brain swelling and brain edema can be assessed and the efficacy of treatment monitored. Development of severe brain edema accompanied by a rapid increase in intracranial pressure can be recognized by a decrease in blood flow velocity and rise in the pulsatility index.

[Cerebral blood flow velocity. A prognostic factor following severe craniocerebral trauma?].

Head injuries lead to changes in cerebral blood flow velocity (BFV)--measured with the transcranial Doppler ultrasonography--in 19 out of 31 patients, i.e. 61%.

Cysts of the third ventricle.

Cysts of the third ventricle, predominantly being of congenital origin, are often summarized under the heading of ependymal or neuroepithelial cysts, if they contain an epithelial covering. Though surely they form a heterogeneous group, even by histochemistry and electron microscopy a differentiated classification on a histogenetic basis is difficult because of overlaps in structural details. The aim of this study is checking by immunohistochemistry with antibodies to cytokeratins (KL 1), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), S 100 protein (S 100), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).

Long-term follow-up of children and juveniles with arachnoid cysts.

In the vast literature on intracranial arachnoid cysts, communication of long-term follow-up is rare. Therefore, we studied the case histories of 60 children and juveniles operated on in our hospital since 1951. The most favorable cases were patients with temporal cysts: 93% recovered fully or with only slight deficits.

Contribution to the problem of giant cell astrocytomas.

Histological, immunocytochemical, and biological features of 38 giant cell gliomas were investigated. The invasion of these tumors and its giant cells by histiocytes, lymphocytes, plasma cells, and especially by eosinophilic granulocytes is viewed as an immune response, which may explain a favorable clinical course. Fifty-three percent of the patients were younger than 45 years at the time of surgery.