Improving the Breastfeeding Practices in Healthy Neonates During Hospital Stay Using Quality Improvement Methodology.

Objective: To demonstrate the applications of the principles of Quality Improvement (QI) in a tertiary-care centre with the aim to improve the breastfeeding practices during hospital stay.

Methods: An operational team was formulated to identify the reasons for low proportion of exclusive breast feeding (EBF) in healthy neonates. Reason specific solutions were proposed, discussed, prioritized and tested using Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle (PDSA Cycle).

Evaluation of Endothelial Dysfunction in Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Patients.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction has early been characterized in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients. The study was aimed to study evaluation of endothelial dysfunction in idiopathic cardiomyopathy patients (DCM).

Methods: Thirty newly diagnosed patients (age >18 years) of DCM were enrolled in the study from cardiology OPD, PGIMER, Chandigarh from January 2011 to June 2012.

Hypertension as Determinant of Hyperuricemia: A Case Control Study from the Sub-Himalayan Region in North India.

Background: Association between hyperuricemia and hypertension has been recognized for many years. Whether hyperuricemia is the cause or the effect is debatable.

Materials And Methods: This case control study was conducted to assess serum uric acid (SUA) levels in fifty newly diagnosed essential hypertensive patients and fifty normotensive controls which were matched for age and sex.

Sacral Agenesis with Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction-A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Sacral agenesis (part of the caudal regression syndrome) is a rare and severe sacral developmental abnormality. It is a congenital malformation of unknown aetiology with possible involvement of genetic and teratogenic factors. It is described by various degrees of developmental failure, the most extreme and rare being sirenomelia or mermaid syndrome.

Management of Giant Cell Tumour Radius in a Three Year old Child with an Improvised Technique.

Giant cell tumours of immature skeleton have a very low incidence and epi-metaphyseal location. We are presenting giant cell tumour distal radius in a skeletally immature patient; an uncontained defect with a large soft tissue component which was managed by wide excision and reconstruction with an improvised technique.

A prospective randomized study comparing maternal and fetal effects of forceps delivery and vacuum extraction.

Objective: To compare maternal and neonatal effects of assisted vaginal delivery by forceps and vacuum extraction.

Methods: A prospective randomized study. One hundred eligible women requiring assisted vaginal delivery in the second stage of labor were randomized to deliver by forceps or vacuum extraction.

Symmetrical peripheral gangrene associated with peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Symmetrical peripheral gangrene (SPG) is a rare clinical entity. It was first described in late 19(th) century and since then has been reported with array of medical conditions mainly those complicated with shock, sepsis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Here in, we describe a parturient with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and SPG.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, India.

To study the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in a tertiary care hospital in the northern hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, India, located in western Himalayas at a moderate altitude of 2200 m above mean sea level. One hundred and eighteen newly diagnosed hypertensive patients above the age of 20 years were studied in a hospital-based cross-sectional study. MS prevalence was estimated by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria and modified National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria.

Chemoprotective role of triphala against 1,2-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride induced carcinogenic damage to mouse liver.

The present study was carried out to investigate the protective role of Triphala (a combination in equal proportions by weight of fruit powder of Terminalia belerica, Terminalia chebula and Emblica officinalis) against 1,2-dimethylhydrazinedihydrochloride (DMH) induced Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) in mouse liver. An oral dose of 3 mg/kg body wt in drinking water for 5 weeks significantly (P < 0.001) increased the levels of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin thus suggesting damage to mouse liver and biliary dysfunction.

Frontonasal dysplasia (Median cleft face syndrome).

This is a report of a rare case of frontonasal dysplasia (FND) in a full-term girl with birth weight of 2.750 kg. The baby had the classical features of FND.