The impact of nutritional status on the outcome of Indian patients undergoing neurosurgical shunt surgery.

Undernutrition is common in surgical patients, is frequently unrecognised and is strongly associated with adverse outcomes such as high rates of complications and mortality, worsening functional status and prolonged hospitalisation. Owing to the associated infection and symptoms such as repeated vomiting, a high prevalence of undernutrition is expected in hydrocephalus patients, which may contribute to their poor surgical outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of preoperative nutritional status on the outcome of Indian patients with hydrocephalus undergoing neurosurgical shunt surgery.

Deacylation studies on furanose triesters using an immobilized lipase: synthesis of a key precursor for bicyclonucleosides.

Lipozyme TL IM immobilized on silica catalyses the deacylation of 4-C-acyloxymethyl-3,5-di-O-acyl-1,2-O-(1-methylethylidene)-beta-L-threo-pentofuranose to form 3,5-di-O-acyl-4-C-hydroxymethyl-1,2-O-(1-methylethylidene)-alpha-d-xylo-pentofuranose in a highly selective and efficient manner.

Pediatric intramedullary schwannoma without neurofibromatosis.

Pediatric intramedullary schwannoma without neurofibromatosis is extremely rare with only five cases reported so far. We present this rare finding in an 8-year-old boy who presented with a sudden onset of weakness in all limbs. An intraoperative diagnosis of schwannoma enabled us to carry out a total excision of the tumor, which resulted in near complete recovery at 18 months follow-up.

Endoscopic management of hypertensive intraventricular haemorrhage with obstructive hydrocephalus.

Background: Intracranial haemorrhage accounts for 30-60 % of all stroke admissions into a hospital, with hypertension being the main risk factor. Presence of intraventricular haematoma is considered a poor prognostic factor due to the resultant obstruction to CSF and the mass effect following the presence of blood resulting in raised intracranial pressure and hydrocephalus. We report the results following endoscopic decompression of obstructive hydrocephalus and evacuation of haematoma in patients with hypertensive intraventricular haemorrhage.

Expanding traumatic intracerebral contusion/hematoma.

Background And Aims: Delayed traumatic hematomas and expansion of already detected hematomas are not uncommon. Only few studies are available on risk factors of expanding hematomas. A prospective study was aimed to find out risk factors associated with such traumatic lesions.

Clinical implications of alignment of upper and lower cervical spine.

Aims And Objectives: The alignment of upper and lower cervical spine is presumed to be closely interrelated and the knowledge of this is mandatory when performing occipito-cervical and upper cervical fusions. The aim of this study was to establish standard values for upper and lower cervical spine alignment in the Indian population.

Materials And Methods: Five hundred eighteen asymptomatic volunteers (261 males and 257 females) between 12 and 80 years of age underwent lateral radiography with their neck in the neutral position.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy in infants.

Background: Endoscopic third Ventriculostomy (ETV) is one of the surgical options for obstructive hydrocephalus. There are varying opinions about results of ETV in infants. We are therefore presenting the results of ETV in 54 infants.

A case of thalamic abscess treated by endoscopic surgery.

We report about a 7-year-old female child with cyanotic heart disease whose thalamic abscess was successfully treated by endoscope-assisted abscess drainage. Endoscopic aspiration of thalamic abscess appears to be a safe and effective method of treatment for deep-seated abscesses, as direct visualization of the abscess cavity is possible and the completeness of evacuation can be assessed.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of antimicrobial dihydropyridines and tetrahydropyrimidin-2-ones: novel compounds against aspergillosis.

Ten 4-aryl-1,4-dihydropyridine and three 4-aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-2-one derivatives have been synthesized and examined for their activity against pathogenic strains of Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans. Although none of the three compounds belonging to pyrimidin-2-one series showed any activity against two pathogens, two of the compounds of the dihydropyridine series, that is, diethyl 4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridin-3,5-dicarboxylate and dimethyl 4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridin-3,5-dicarboxylate, exhibited significant activity against A. fumigatus in disc diffusion, microbroth dilution and percent spore germination inhibition assays.

Effect of intravenous corticosteroids on death within 14 days in 10008 adults with clinically significant head injury (MRC CRASH trial): randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Corticosteroids have been used to treat head injuries for more than 30 years. In 1997, findings of a systematic review suggested that these drugs reduce risk of death by 1-2%. The CRASH trial--a multicentre international collaboration--aimed to confirm or refute such an effect by recruiting 20000 patients.

Lumboperitoneal shunts: review of 409 cases.

Background And Aims: A prospective study was carried out to evaluate the lumboperitoneal shunt procedure.

Material And Methods: Four hundred and nine patients having communicating hydrocephalus were selected for the procedure during a 10-year period from March 1992 to February 2002. The average follow-up was 45.

Mapping and characterisation of QTL x E interactions for traits determining grain and stover yield in pearl millet.

A mapping population of 104 F(3) lines of pearl millet, derived from a cross between two inbred lines H 77/833-2 x PRLT 2/89-33, was evaluated, as testcrosses on a common tester, for traits determining grain and stover yield in seven different field trials, distributed over 3 years and two seasons. The total genetic variation was partitioned into effects due to season (S), genotype (G), genotype x season interaction (G x S), and genotype x environment-within-season interaction [G x E(S)]. QTLs were determined for traits for their G, G x S, and G x E(S) effects, to assess the magnitude and the nature (cross over/non-crossover) of environmental interaction effects on individual QTLs.

OBESITY : A MODERN DAY PLAGUE.

Obesity is the presence of excess body fat. Unfortunately obesity is taken as a mere cosmetic problem and not a medical one. Today obesity is being 'dealt' with more by the self-proclaimed fitness experts running the rapidly mushrooming fitness centres rather than by medical professionals.

Primary ectopic meningioma.

Primary ectopic meningiomas are rare. A case of a 16-year-old male who presented with a large mass in temporofrontal region is reported. X-ray skull showed soft tissue shadow with hyperostosis of frontal and temporal bone.

ROLE OF ULTRASOUND THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF STRESS FRACTURES.

Repetitive stress of exercise when exceeds bone's ability to remodel itself, leads to stress fractures. Stress fractures are the leading cause of morbidity amongst recruits during training and account for the maximum number of lost manpower days during training. Basic treatment for stress fractures is rest from aggravating activities for 4 to 8 weeks.

Adult diastematomyelia : a case report and review of literature.

Adult presentation in diastematomyelia is very rare. The common location is from first to third lumbar vertebrae. Lumbosacral adult diastematomyelia is even rarer.

Lipoma of the corpus callosum with frontal encephalocele.

Corpus callossal lipoma is a rare benign congenital disorder. These lesions may be associated with various congenital and acquired disorders. Lipoma of the corpus callosum with frontal encephalocele has not been described in the literature so far.

Primary extradural spinal melanoma.

Primary spinal melanoma is uncommon, with only 36 cases reported in the available literature. These lesions usually occur as diffuse melanomatosis. Solitary lesions are rare.