Candida albicans biofilm formation and growth optimization for functional studies using response surface methodology.

Aim: Optimization of Candida albicans growth and biofilm formation is essential for understanding the recalcitrance of this pathogen to advance functional analysis on hospital tools and material surfaces. Optimization and quantification of biofilm have always been a challenge using the conventional one variable at a time (OVAT) method. The present study uses central composite design-based response surface methodology for optimization of conditions to induce growth and biofilm formation in Candida albicans on polystyrene microtiter plates.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of kidney masquerading as renal carcinoma.

Inflammatory pseudotumor also known as inflammatory fibroblastic tumor is a rare benign tumor, which commonly affects the lung. It is very rarely seen in the genitourinary tract. As the preoperative diagnosis, clinically and radiologically is inconclusive, it is imperative to surgically remove and confirm it on histopathologic examination.

Unusual fungal infections in renal transplant recipients.

Fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in renal transplant recipients. The causative agent and the risk factors differ depending on the period after the kidney transplant. Also the incidence varies according to the geographical area.

An Overlap of Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia and Kimura's Disease: Successful Treatment of Skin Lesions with Cryotherapy.

Kimura's disease is characterized by a triad of painless subcutaneous masses, eosinophilia in the peripheral blood and in tissues with marked increase in Serum Ig E. Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) manifests with the presence of dermal papules and nodules. Unique clinical, histopathological, and biochemical findings are noted in these individual entities.

Wilkie's Syndrome and Left Adnexal Mass: Unusual Presentation of Duodenal Adenocarcinoma.

Duodenal adenocarcinoma (DACa) is a rare malignancy, the presenting symptoms of which are vague and nonspecific. We report the case of a patient presenting with symptoms of subacute small bowel obstruction whose CT scan revealed i) left adnexal mass and ii) compression of 3(rd) portion of duodenum with reduced aortomesentric angle consistent with Wilkie's syndrome (WS). Laparatomy in addition revealed a distal duodenal stricture, which showed a well differentiated DACa causing subtotal intestinal obstruction.

Nondiabetic Renal Disease in type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Clinicopathological Study.

Background: The prevalence of nondiabetic renal disease (NDRD) among type 2 diabetics varies widely depending on the populations being studied and the selection criteria. Also, for patients found to have NDRD different predicting factors have been identified by different studies.

Objectives: TO DETERMINE: (i) Frequency and spectrum of NDRD in type 2 diabetics with atypical clinical renal disease, in our set up and (ii) common clinical markers that are associated with NDRD in our local population.

Necrotising soft tissue infection-risk factors for mortality.

Unlabelled: Necrotising Soft Tissue Infection is a rapidly progressing fatal disorder, the prognosis of which depends on early diagnosis and management.

Objective: In this study, our objective was to assess the factors contributing to mortality due to NSTI.

Methods: A retrospective review of the records of all patients with NSTI involving fascia, skin or muscle between January 2007 and December 2011, was performed.

Imaging in classic form of maple syrup urine disease: a rare metabolic central nervous system.

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of branched-chain amino acid metabolism. The condition gets its name from the distinctive sweet odour of affected infants' urine. MSUD is caused by a deficiency of the branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase enzyme complex, leading to accumulation of the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) and their toxic by-products (ketoacids) in the blood and urine.

A Rare Case of Primary osteosarcoma of urinary bladder.

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal soft tissue tumor without attachment to the bone, and is able to produce osteoid or cartilaginous matrix. This entity accounts for 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas. Thus far, less than 35 cases of bladder osteosarcomas have been reported in the literature.

Can bronchial asthma be classified based on the immunological status?

Background: Bronchial asthma is a chronic disorder of the airways. Bronchial asthma can be broadly categorized into atopic and nonatopic based on the immunological status, which may be helpful to plan appropriate treatment. In this study, the cytokine profile of the blood was estimated to evaluate the difference between the atopic and the nonatopic asthmatics.

Protein S deficiency in a case of superor sagital vein thrombosis.

Cortical vein thrombosis (CVT) is rare and is most common in the third decade of life. Cerebral venous thrombosis may be due to a variety of pathologic conditions like deficiencies of protein S (PS), antithrombin III, protein C, factor V Leiden, prothrombin gene mutations and hyperhomocysteinemia. Protein S is a vitamin K-dependent anticoagulant present in plasma and prevent thrombosis in association with protein C.

Hematometra and acute abdomen.

We report a case of a young woman who presented as acute abdomen due to hematometra resulting from cervical fibroid. This uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain should be considered in women especially with amenorrhea.

Spontaneous aseptic pneumoperitoneum.

Pneumoperitoneum indicates the need for urgent laparotomy. But under certain clinical situations like, patient on ventilatory support should arouse the suspicion of supradiaphragmatic source of pneumoperitoneum. Supradiaphragmatic causes account for 10%.

Bubble CPAP - a primary respiratory support for respiratory distress syndrome in newborns.

In preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), the application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is associated with benefits in terms of reduced respiratory failure and reduced mortality. We conducted this prospective study to evaluate the effectiveness of bubble-CPAP as primary mode of respiratory support. Bubble CPAP was found to be safe and effective means of treating mild and moderate grade RDS, it was also observed to be more successful in babies born to mothers who had received antenatal steroids.

Wolf in lamb's skin: Vulval carcinoma mimicking bartholin gland abscess.

Vulvar cancer is a rare malignancy, representing approximately 4% of the female genital tract malignancies. This case emphasizes the importance of considering the unusual diagnosis of vulval cancer in a young woman when confronted with a large or recurrent Bartholin gland lesion, and underlines the need for careful pathological examination of such specimens.

APACHE-II scoring system in perforative peritonitis.

Background: Prospective assessment of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II (APACHE-II) scoring system of stratification of disease severity has been shown to provide objective discrimination between low-risk and high-risk groups of patients with intra-abdominal sepsis. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the performance of APACHE-II score in prediction of mortality risk in patients with peritonitis due to hollow viscus perforation.

Study Design: Fifty patients admitted to a teaching hospital with peritonitis due to hollow viscus perforation were prospectively studied over a 2-year period.

Evoked electromyogram as a function of facial nerve.

Compound muscle action potentials were recorded bilaterally from alae nasi muscles following stimulation of facial nerve in 45 normal subjects in the age group of 20-30 years. Latency, amplitude and total duration of the compound muscle action potential were compared on both sides. A significant positive correlation between the three parameters with the highest for the amplitude was observed.

Antibiotic resistance among gram-negative bacteria of lower respiratory tract secretions in hospitalized patients.

Data on antibiotic resistance pattern of gram-negative bacterial isolates of lower respiratory tract secretions of hospitalized patients were fed into WHONET computer and analyzed for the year 1999. Out of 860 samples, 269 (31.2%) were culture positive.

Urinary pathogens' resistance to common antibiotics: a retrospective analysis.

The susceptibility of urinary pathogens to common antibiotics was investigated and the results analysed retrospectively using the WHONET computer program. Of 1776 urine samples (44 catheterized) processed, 510 (28.7%) urinary pathogens were isolated.