An interesting case of eosinophilic meningitis.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is one of the causative agents of eosinophilic meningitis. Humans get infected when they ingest raw or partially cooked snails or monitor lizards (Varanus bengalensis). There is a popular belief that the tongue and the liver of the monitor lizard has aphrodisiac properties.

An Interesting Case of Dysphagia in a HIV Patient.

Oesophageal tuberculosis is a rare disease. Tuberculosis (TB) can cause dysphagia due to oesophageal ulcers, Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistulas (TOFs) and an extrinsic compression which is caused by the mediastinal lymph nodes. A 33-year-old gentleman was admitted to our hospital for the evaluation of fever, dysphagia and cough.

Awareness and practice of road safety measures among undergraduate medical students in a South Indian state.

The UN general assembly has declared 2011-2020 as the "Decade of Action for Road Safety". The declaration holds significance because road traffic accidents (RTAs) have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially among the adults and middle aged individuals who constitute economically most productive age groups of society. The importance of knowledge and practice of road safety measures needs to be emphasized in the prevention of RTAs.

The Evaluation of Carotid Atherosclerosis in Patients with the HIV-1 Infection: The Role of the Antiretroviral Therapy.

Background And Objective: The recognition and the assessment of the carotid intimal thickness helps in predicting the risk of the cardiovascular events in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected patients who are on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). The objective of this study was to assess and compare the carotid intimal thickness in HIV positive individuals who were on antiretroviral therapy with HIV positive individuals who were not on anti-retroviral therapy.

Subjects And Methods: All the HIV positive individuals who were 20 years old and above, who had been diagnosed by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) guidelines were included in the study.

An interesting case of a subcutaneous nodule.

Human dirofilariasis is a zoonotic disease which is caused by the filarial nematodes, Dirofilaria repens and Dirofilaria immitis. Dirofilariae are transmitted to humans via mosquito bites. Human Dirofilariasis presents commonly as subcutaneous nodules, pulmonary nodules or nodules in the eyes.

Right ventricular endomyocardial fibrosis - A case report.

Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a progressive type of restrictive cardiomyopathy. It affects inflow portion of right and/or left ventricle and apex. It is a neglected tropical disease.

Forked rib: an autopsy case report and discussion on its clinical implications.

Congenital anomalies of the ribs are relatively uncommon. We report a case of forked rib which was observed during the routine autopsy examination of a male child of aged 7 yrs at our institution. We observed that the right side fourth rib was showing bifurcation at its anterior end.

Analysis of fatal road traffic accidents in a coastal township of South India.

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are important causes of mortality and morbidity due to the increasing number of vehicles, changes in lifestyle and the risk behaviours among general population. With the aim of exploring various epidemiological characteristics of RTAs, this retrospective analysis of medico-legal autopsies was conducted between January 2005 and December 2009 in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal in Karnataka, South India. The information was collected from post-mortem registers and inquest documents received from the investigating police officers.

Rituals can kill - A fatal case of brucine poisoning.

In some parts of India people follow a religious ritual of drinking an herbal preparation made from the bark of the Alstonia scholaris tree (Blackboard tree) on the day of the new moon in the month of July. This tree could be easily confused with the Strychnos nux vomica tree. Brucine is the predominant alkaloid present in the bark of the Strychnos nux vomica tree.

Clinico-epidemiological profile of burn patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital in coastal South India.

Every year a substantial proportion of deaths in India occur due to burn injuries. Prolonged morbidity as well as temporary and permanent disability due to burns results in a heavy economic loss. The etiological factors of burn injuries vary considerably in different communities and regions and hence the need for detailed epidemiological studies to understand the problem status in different regions.

Penetrating cardiac injuries in blunt chest wall trauma.

The present photocase illustrates the possible mechanism of direct cardiac injuries from broken sharp jagged fractured ends of ribs in blunt force trauma to the chest in run over traffic mishaps. We propose that the projecting fractured ends of the ribs penetrate the underlying thoracic organs due to the transient phenomenon of deformation of chest cavity under pressure in run over traffic mishaps.

CNS toxoplasmosis presenting with obstructive hydrocephalus in patients of retroviral disease--a case series.

CNS toxoplasmosis presenting as hydrocephalus is a very rare entity. We present three cases of HIV positive patients whose brain imaging revealed hydrocephalus and who improved with anti toxoplasma medication along with intravenous steroids and did not require any CSF shunting procedures. The mechanism of hydrocephalus in CNS toxoplasmosis is usually due to compression of CSF outflow pathway by ring enhancing lesions but even in their absence hydrocephalus can be rarely seen due to ventriculitis.

Adenomyomatous polyp of the uterus: Report of an autopsy case and review of the literature.

Adenomyomatous polyps of the endometrium are a rare subtype of endometrial polyps. In addition to the usual features of endometrial polyps, they also contain a smooth muscle component. Grossly they appear no different than ordinary endometrial polyps.

Legal terrorism in domestic violence -- an Indian outlook.

Marriage in India is a voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. It is a social association where the husband has the responsibility to take care of and maintain his wife and not to neglect his duties. But in relation to this great institution, the problem of the "dowry" still persists.

Objective structured practical examination (OSPE) in Forensic Medicine: students' point of view.

The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes of undergraduate medical students towards the objective structured practical examination (OSPE) in Forensic Medicine, in a medical college in Nepal. Participants included 59 undergraduate medical students of the 7th semester. Findings indicated that the OSPE was an acceptable tool considering the conduct of practical examination in Forensic Medicine at the undergraduate level.

Estimation of stature from the length of the sternum in South Indian females.

Estimation of stature is one of the principal elements in practical forensic casework involving examination of skeletal remains. The present study was undertaken to estimate stature from the length of the sternum in South Indian females using a linear regression equation. The material for the present study consisted of intact sternums belonging to adult females of South Indian origin aged between 25 and 35 years of age obtained during medico-legal autopsies.

Age and gender variations in trend of road traffic fatalities in Manipal, India.

Background: The incidence of road traffic fatalities has been increasing at an alarming rate and is a global cause for concern.

Aims: To assess the age- and gender-based variations in the pattern of road traffic fatalities in Manipal, southern India and to provide an epidemiological profile of the population at risk.

Settings And Design: Registry-based retrospective research on road traffic fatalities in Manipal, extending from 1994 to 2009, was conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.

Oral findings in a child with lipoid proteinosis: a case report and review.

Lipoid proteinosis, a very rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis, results in hyaline material deposition in the skin and mucous membrane of various organs leading to multisystem involvement. A case report of a 12-year-old female child is presented here who showed classic features of the disease with generalized thickening, hardening, and scarring of the skin and vocal cord infiltration causing voice changes. The patient also had numerous oral mucosal and dental findings.

Anthropometry of hand in sex determination of dismembered remains - A review of literature.

Sex determination is an important and one of the foremost criteria in establishing the identity of an individual. Identification of dismembered/severed human remains that are frequently found in cases of mass disasters and criminal mutilation is a challenging task for the medicolegal experts. The paper presents a review of anthropometric studies conducted on hand with regard to identification of the deceased from dismembered remains.

An anatomical and clinical insight on brachialis with emphasis on portal's muscle.

There have been conflicting descriptions regarding the anatomy of portal's muscle in the literature. The purpose of the present study seeks to clarify the presence, morphology, and potential function of this muscle in order to refine surgical techniques around the elbow. Forty-eight formalin fixed upper extremities were dissected and observed for attachments of brachialis meticulously and particularly over the anterior elbow joint capsule with special emphasis to the anatomical relation of the deeper fibers to the joint.

Toxicoepidemiology of fatal poisonings in Southern India.

An autopsy based retrospective study was conducted from January 2000 to December 2006 at Manipal in Southern India, and a profile of the victims of poisoning was prepared. The study was done to understand the magnitude and pattern of all poisoning fatalities in relation to the manner of death in Manipal region of Southern India. The study included a total of 198 cases of fatal poisoning.

Postmortem diagnosis of acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis.

Forensic pathologists can help in the investigation of sudden unexpected deaths in co-operation with the officials responsible for the maintenance of law and order to administer justice. Sudden unexpected deaths form the subject of medicolegal investigation if they occur in apparently healthy individuals, wherein an autopsy would shed light regarding the cause of death. A 4 year retrospective review of autopsy files at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, South India was undertaken for cases of sudden unexpected deaths due to acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis occurring between May 2004 and April 2008.

A retrospective review of homicides in Mangalore, South India.

A five-year retrospective study of homicides was carried out to determine the profile of victims and the pattern of injuries sustained between 2001 and 2005 at Government District Wenlock Hospital, Mangalore, South India. Of the 89 victims of homicide, 71 were males and 18 were females. On an average, about 17 cases of fatal assault cases were autopsied each year.

Index and ring finger ratio--a morphologic sex determinant in South-Indian children.

To investigate the sexual dimorphism of index and ring finger ratio in South Indian children. The index finger length (IFL) and the ring finger length (RFL) were measured in 350 subjects aged between 2 and 12 years using a steel measuring tape. The index and ring finger ratio was computed by dividing index finger length by ring finger length.