Medical Specialties Commons^™

What Are The Therapeutic Options For Strokes Secondary To Intracranial Large Artery Stenosis?, Maria Khan, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal

Section of Neurology

No abstract provided.

Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis Caused By Naegleria Fowleri, Karachi, Pakistan., Sadia Shakoor, Mohammad Asim Beg,, Syed Faisal Mahmood, Rebecca Bandea, Rama Sriram, Fatima Noman, Farheen Ali,, Govinda S. Visvesvara, Afia Zafar

Department of Medicine

We report 13 cases of Naegleria fowleri primary amebic meningoencephalitis in persons in Karachi, Pakistan, who had no history of aquatic activities. Infection likely occurred through ablution with tap water. An increase in primary amebic meningoencephalitis cases may be attributed to rising temperatures, reduced levels of chlorine in potable water, or deteriorating water distribution systems.

What Are The Therapeutic Options For Strokes Secondary To Intracranial Large Artery Stenosis?, Maria Khan, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Safety Of Insulin Tolerance Test For The Assessment Of Growth Hormone Deficiency In Children, Saira Waqar Lone, Yasir Naqi Khan, Farah Qamar, Irum Atta, Mohsina Noor Ibrahim, Jamal Raza

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety of insulin tolerance test (ITT) for assessing growth hormone (GH) deficiency in children.

METHODS: This hospital based study was conducted at the National Institute of Child Health, Karachi from 1st November 2008 till 30th October 2009. All children suspected of growth hormone deficiency, were included after excluding all other causes of short stature. Verbal informed consent was taken from the parents. Children less than 2 years of age, weighing less than 10 kg, untreated/inadequately treated hypothyroidism or Addison's disease, epilepsy, having history of hypoglycaemic fits or cardiac disease were excluded. All children were subjected to …

Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (Capd) Associated Peritonitis In A Child: A Rare Case Of Peritonitis Caused By Sphingomonous Paucimobilis, Arwa Quresh Tambawala, Sadaf Hamid, Iqtidar Khan, Asad Ali

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

First identified in 1977, Sphingomonous Paucimobilis has emerged as an opportunistic human pathogen. It is primarily known to cause a range of mostly nosocomial, non-life-threatening infections that typically are easily treated by antibiotic therapy. Sources of its isolation linked to clinical disease include blood, spinal fluid and leg ulcers. It has also been reported as a rare cause of peritonitis in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. We present a case of a child with peritonitis due to this organism. Clinical features, bacteriology and treatment option and response have been discussed.

Prevalence Of Resistance Associated Polymorphisms In Plasmodium Falciparum Field Isolates From Southern Pakistan, Najia Karim Ghanchi, Johan Ursing, Mohammad A. Beg, Maria I. Veiga, Sana Jafri, Andreas Martensson

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:Scarce data are available on Plasmodium falciparum anti-malarial drug resistance in Pakistan. The aim of this study was, therefore, to determine the prevalence of P. falciparum resistance associated polymorphisms in field isolates from southern Pakistan.
Methods:
Blood samples from 244 Patients with blood-slide confirmed P. falciparum mono-infections were collected between 2005-2007. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt K76T), multi drug resistance (pfmdr1 N86Y), dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr A16V, N51I, C59R, S108N, I164L) and dihydropteroate synthetase (pfdhps A436S, G437A and E540K) genes and pfmdr1 gene copy numbers were determined using PCR based methods.
Results:The prevalence …

Participating In A Community Of Learners Enhances Resident Perceptions Of Learning In An E-Mentoring Program: Proof Of Concept, Timona Obura, William. E. Brant, Fiona Miller, I. J. Parboosingh

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background

Community learning and e-mentoring, learning methods used in higher education, are not used to any extent in residency education. Yet both have the potential to enhance resident learning and, in the case of community learning, introduce residents to basic lifelong learning skills. We set out to determine whether residents participating in an Internet based e-mentoring program would, with appropriate facilitation, form a community of learners (CoL) and hold regular community meetings. We also determined resident and faculty perceptions of CoL and Internet sessions as effective learning experiences.

Methods

A six-month e-mentoring pilot was offered to 10 Radiology residents in …

Incidence And Impact Of Baseline Electrolyte Abnormalities In Patients Admitted With Chemotherapy Induced Febrile Neutropenia., Asim Jamal Shaikh, Samira Ahmed Bawany, Nehal Masood, Ausaf Ahmed Khan, Ahmed Nadeem Abbasi, Syed Najeeb Niamutullah, Adnan Zaidi, Salman Adil, Shiyam Kumar

Section of Haematology/Oncology

Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) and myelosupression remain a challenging oncologic medical emergency and dose limiting toxicity associated with chemotherapy for cancers. Various factors are known to affect the outcomes for Patients diagnosed with FN. Electrolyte abnormalities have commonly been observed, but the real incidence and their impact has been only scarcely studied in literature. Methods: This was a prospective, observational study. A total of two hundred and fifteen (215) Patients admitted between January 2007 and August 2008 were included. Analysis of data was made using SPSS version16.0. Toxicity profile was graded according to CTC version 3.0. Results: Almost equal number …

Cilostazol Versus Aspirin For Secondary Prevention Of Vascular Events After Stroke Of Arterial Origin, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal, Imama Naqvi, Muhammad R Husain, Bhojo A Khealani

Section of Neurology

Background:Aspirin is widely used for secondary prevention after stroke. Cilostazol has shown promise as an alternative to aspirin in Asian people with stroke. ObjectiveS: To determine the relative effectiveness and safety of cilostazol compared directly with aspirin in the prevention of stroke and other serious vascular events in Patients at high vascular risk for subsequent stroke, those with previous transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or ischaemic stroke of arterial origin. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (last searched September 2010), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 4), MEDLINE (1950 …

Osteochondral Grafting Of Knee Joint Using Mosaicplasty, Muhammad Abdul Wajid, Muhammad Idrees Shah, Mohsin E. Azam, Tashfeen Ahmad

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Focal cartilage defects of articular surface-traumatic and degenerative are difficult to treat, thus a variety of surgical techniques have been developed and reported for treatment of such defects. Procedures such as Priddies perforations, microfracture, abrasion chondroplasty have shown long-term results which are often less than adequate. One of the reasons is that all these techniques lead to the formation of fibrocartilage which has inferior mechanical properties as compared to the native hyaline cartilage. Mosaicplasty is a procedure which aims at replacing the lost articular cartilage with hyaline cartilage including underlying bone support, thus providing adequate stability to the cartilage and …

Arthroscopic Repair Of Meniscal Tears With Inside-Out Technique, Hasnain Raza, Kashif Abbas, Masood Umer

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Objective: To review the clinical results of arthroscopic meniscal repair and to identify factors that may affect the outcome.
Methods: A total of 15 arthroscopic meniscal repairs with inside-out in 14 patients over a 7-year period were evaluated retrospectively. The mean age was 41.2 +/- 11.5 years with a range of 26-64 years. Eleven patients underwent repair for medial meniscal tear, two patients for lateral meniscus and one patient for both in the same knee. All patients were functionally evaluated by Lysholm functional knee scores over an average follow-up of 1 year and 5 months (range: 0.5-7 years).
Results: The …

Thoracolumbar Tuberculosis: Implications For Appropriate Management Based On Disease Location And Proposal Of A Novel Scoring System, Shahryar Noordin, Salim Allana, Tashfeen Ahmad, Zafar Sajjad, Khabir Ahmad, Ather Enam, Riaz Hussain Lakdawala

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Objective: To identify factors indicating disease severity in patients with thoracolumbar tuberculosis requiring surgical intervention.
Design: Medical charts of patients who underwent surgery for thoracic and lumbar spinal tuberculosis from 1990-2005 were reviewed. Patients with different levels of disease were compared in terms of neurological deficits, duration of symptoms, previous antituberculous therapy, nutritional status and associated co-morbids.
Results: Ninety-three patients aged 7-77 years (mean age 40 years) were included. Thoracic spine was involved in 80% of operated patients, and lumbar spine in 20%. Severe neurological impairment (Frankel A to C) was present in 68% of patients with thoracic disease, as …

Abdominal Angina: A Rare Cause Of Chronic Abdominal Pain, Ziaur Rehman, Abdul Rehman Alvi, Ziad Sophie

Section of General Surgery

We report here a case of chronic postprandial abdominal pain and weight loss of more than one year duration. He was diagnosed to have abdominal angina (chronic mesenteric ischemia) on CT angiography. Open surgical revascularization procedure-right common iliac mesenteric polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bypass graft achieved positive short and longterm outcome with follow-up of twenty two months.

Differentiating Asthma From Its Mimics, Zeeshan Waheed, Muhammad Irfan, Mohammad Salih, Ali Bin Sarwar Zubairi

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

All that wheezes is not asthma this adage accredited to Chevalier Jackson emphasizes the importance of differentiating asthma from its mimics, particularly if the patient is not responding to usual therapy. The above statement also warrants further diagnostic evaluation and management of non-asthma conditions that mimic asthma. We present here a case of a middle aged female who presented with severe bronchospasm, initially labeled as asthma but was resistant to usual anti-asthma therapy. After further workup she was eventually diagnosed to have esophageal achalasia.

Disability, Depression And Disc Surgery: Lets Be Careful With The Evidence, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

No abstract provided.

Requirement Of Argininosuccinate Lyase For Systemic Nitric Oxide Production, Ayelet Erez, Sandesh Cs. Nagamani, Oleg A. Shchelochkov, Muralidhar H. Premkumar, Philippe M. Campeau Campeau, Yuqing Chen, Harsha K. Garg, Li Li, Asad Mian, Terry K. Bertin, Jennifer O. Black, Heng Zeng, Yaoping Tang, Anilkumar K. Reddy, Marshall Summar, William E. O’Brien, David G. Harrison, William E. Mitch, Juan C. Marini, Judy L. Aschner, Nathan S. Bryan, Brendan Lee

Department of Emergency Medicine

Nitric oxide (NO) is crucial in diverse physiological and pathological processes. We show that a hypomorphic mouse model of argininosuccinate lyase (encoded by Asl) deficiency has a distinct phenotype of multiorgan dysfunction and NO deficiency. Loss of Asl in both humans and mice leads to reduced NO synthesis, owing to both decreased endogenous arginine synthesis and an impaired ability to use extracellular arginine for NO production. Administration of nitrite, which can be converted into NO in vivo, rescued the manifestations of NO deficiency in hypomorphic Asl mice, and a nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-independent NO donor restored NO-dependent vascular reactivity in …

Redo Coronary Artery Surgery; Early And Intermediate Outcomes From A Tertiary Care Hospital In A Developing Country, Syed Shahabuddin, Junaid Alam Ansari, Fahad Jawaid Siddiqui, Muneer Amanullah, Shahid Ahmed Sami

Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate outcomes of re-operative coronary artery surgery in a tertiary care hospital in a developing country.

METHOD: Preoperative, intra-operative and postoperative variables were analyzed in 82 consecutive patients who underwent re-operative coronary surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass.

RESULTS: The mean age was 63.3 +/- 7.7 years, 91.2% were male and 9.8% female. Coronary artery disease risk factors were present in more than 50% of the patients. History of preoperative myocardial infarction was positive in 56% patients. There was strong clinical and angiographic indication for surgery with unstable angina in 50% patients and > 80% had multivessel disease. Only 5% patients …

A Ten-Year Review Of Neonatal Bloodstream Infections In A Tertiary Private Hospital In Kenya, Ruchika Kohli-Kochhar, Geoffrey Omuse, Gunturu Revathi

Pathology, East Africa

Introduction: Neonatal mortality in developing countries is usually due to an infectious cause. The gold standard of investigation in developing countries is a positive blood culture. It is important to know the aetiology of neonatal bloodstream infections so that empiric treatment can be effective.

Methodology: We conducted a retrospective clinical audit over ten years between January 2000 until December 2009, looking at the aetiology of both early and late onset neonatal sepsis. We analysed data from 152 (23%) patient isolates out of 662 suspected cases of neonatal sepsis.

Results: Our study revealed that Gram-positive organisms were the predominant cause of …

Malaria Rapid Testing By Community Health Workers Is Effective And Safe For Targeting Malaria Treatment: Randomised Cross-Over Trial In Tanzania, M. Mubi, A. Janson, M. Warsame, A. Martensson, K. Kallander, M.G. Petzold, B. Ngasala, G. Maganga, L.L. Gustafsson, A. Massele, G. Tomson, Zul Premji, A. Bjorkman

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Early diagnosis and prompt, effective treatment of uncomplicated malaria is critical to prevent severe disease, death and malaria transmission. We assessed the impact of rapid malaria diagnostic tests (RDTs) by community health workers (CHWs) on provision of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and health outcome in fever patients.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Twenty-two CHWs from five villages in Kibaha District, a high-malaria transmission area in Coast Region, Tanzania, were trained to manage uncomplicated malaria using RDT aided diagnosis or clinical diagnosis (CD) only. Each CHW was randomly assigned to use either RDT or CD the first week and thereafter alternating weekly. …

Pre-Referral Rectal Artesunate In Severe Malaria: Flawed Trial, K.F. Hirji, Zul Premji

Pathology, East Africa

Background:Immediate injectable treatment is essential for severe malaria. Otherwise, the afflicted risk lifelong impairment or death. In rural areas of Africa and Asia, appropriate care is often miles away. In 2009, Melba Gomes and her colleagues published the findings of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of rectal artesunate for suspected severe malaria in such remote areas. Enrolling nearly 18,000 cases, the aim was to evaluate whether, as patients were in transit to a health facility, a pre-referral artesunate suppository blocked disease progression sufficiently to reduce these risks. The affirmative findings of this, the only trial on the issue thus far, …

Aggressive Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma Presenting As Schwanoma : A Case Report, Mohammad Sohail Awan, Montasir Junaid, Zain A. Sobani

Department of Radiology

Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are thought to arise from pluripotent muscle cell precursors intended to form the bodyís future striated muscle. Due to the wide distribution of striated muscle across the body these tumors may appear anywhere and cause symptoms accordingly. Presenting symptoms are highly variable and based on the tumor size and location making clinical diagnosis difficult. The diagnosis of RMS is based on histological examination; however they express varying cytologic pictures representing the different stages of rhabdomyoblasts and their development into skeletal muscle presenting pictures from highly to poorly differentiated neoplasms. Therefore their histological diagnosis also requires the use of …

The State Of Emergency Care In The Republic Of Kenya, Benjamin Wachira, Ian Martin

Family Medicine, East Africa

Approximately 580,000 km2 in size, the Republic of Kenya is as big as Botswana but only half the size of countries like South Africa, Mali, and Angola. Kenya is comprised of eight provinces: Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western. The 2009 census revealed a population of over 38 million people, with a population density of approximately 66 persons per square kilometre. Majority of the population (68%) lives in rural areas, as compared with the sub-Saharan African average of approximately 62%. With a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of US $1,600 in 2010, Kenya is …

Fmic Annual Report 2011 | English, French Medical Institute For Mothers And Children

French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC) Archives

No abstract provided.

Suicide Bombing: A Geopolitical Perspective, Haider Naqvi, Syed Faraz Kazim, Shafqat Huma

Department of Psychiatry

Suicide bombing is a very complex phenomenon. It has been a focus of research in recent times. However inherent biases of researchers muddle the picture: researchers from western countries focus the issue around political liberty and notion of democracy, while those from Islamic countries tend to take the afterlife-reward notion as an incentive for suicide bombing. However in order to understand this complex phenomenon it is important to consider the contextual factors. In this review we have attempted to highlight various geopolitical factors which contribute to increased incidence of suicide bombing in South East Asia.

Survey Of “Northern” Child And Maternal Health Research Being Conducted In Canada, M. H. George, Robert Armstrong

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to better understand the scope of research being conducted by Canadian paediatric and maternal health centres on the topic of maternal child health of northern populations. In addition, the results are intended to help assess the prospects for the creation of a research network dedicated to this topic.

Study design: Questionnaire study complemented with review of database.

Methods: Data were collected using a short questionnaire with qualitative and quantitative questions. Surveys were sent by email to members of two Canadian national paediatric groups, representing 17 organizations. Supplementary information was obtained through review of …

Anaesthetic Challenges In Emergency Surgical Repair Of Acute Aortic Dissection Rupturing Into The Pericardium In A Pregnant Patient, Mohammad Irfan Akhtar, Khalid Samad

Department of Anaesthesia

Acute aortic dissection in pregnancy is a serious situation, because rapid and appropriate surgical decision making is required to save the life of both mother and baby. Aortic dissection is rare in young women but is likely during pregnancy (third trimester) secondary to the hyperdynamic and hypervolaemic circulatory state associated with pregnancy. A 35 years old 27 weeks pregnant patient weighing 90 kg presented in the emergency with severe chest pain. In the immediate post cardiopulmonary bypass period, the patient started bleeding profusely from the anastamotic sites irrespective of utilization of all the conventional methods of haemostasis including multiple units …

Aortic Dissection Or Myocardial Infarction?, Saulat H. Fatimi, Maria Mahboob, Awais Ashfaq

Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Aortic dissection is a rare and a life threatening event. Classically, aortic dissection presents as sudden, severe chest, back or abdominal pain that is characterized as ripping or tearing in nature. However, a timely diagnosis can be elusive in the event of an atypical presentation. So, a high index of clinical suspicion is mandatory for the accurate and rapid diagnosis of aortic dissection .We report a case of a 56 years old male who presented with signs and symptoms of myocardial infarction and was later found to have aortic dissection. This patient was successfully managed with surgery.

Validation Of Updated Partin’S Table In Pakistani Patients Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy For Prostate Cancer, Nazim Muhammad, Farhat Abbas, Nuzhat Faruqui, Muhammad Islam, Zubair Ahmad

Section of Urology

Objectives: To establish the usefulness and validity of 2007 Partin’s table in our population with prostate cancer.
Materials and methods: Between January 1998 to June 2009, all patients with clinically localized carcinoma prostate who were treated with intent of radical retro-pubic prostatectomy (RRP) were included. Clinical, operative and pathological data was gathered. All biopsy and final histopathology Gleason scores were re-assigned in a double blind manner. Pre-operative serum PSA, TNM clinical stage and biopsy Gleason scores were plotted on Partin’s table and its predictive value and pathological findings of specimen were compared and analyzed by using Receiver operating characteristic …

Accuracy Of Computed Tomography In Diagnosing Malignancy In Solitary Pulmonary Lesions, Imaad-Ur-Rehman, Wasim Memon, Yousuf Husen, Waseem Akhtar, Raafay Sophie, Muhammad Akbar Baig

Department of Radiology

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate accuracy of Computed Tomography (CT) for diagnosing malignancy in solitary pulmonary lesions (SPLs).

METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from 20-01-2007 to 30-06-2008 at the Radiology department, Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) Karachi. Fifty-three patients with solitary pulmonary lesions (SPLs) seen in prior chest x-rays or chest CT scans were referred to radiology department for CT guided biopsy. CT scan was performed for each patient prior to biopsy and CT evaluation of the SPLs was performed followed by CT guided Biopsy. Histopathological diagnosis of the lesion was taken as the gold standard.

RESULTS: CT was found …

Course And Outcome Of Obstetric Patients Admitted To A University Hospital Intensive Care Unit, F. Githae, Vitalis Mung’Ayi, William Stones

Anaesthesiology, East Africa

Background: Obstetric Critical Care is an important service in the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality, but few developing country data are available.

Objectives: To review all maternity patients admitted to the ICU over a seven year period to determine the causes and outcomes of these admissions and the frequency and causes of maternal morbidity and mortality.

Design: Retrospective patient file and ICU chart review.

Subjects: ICU Charts and medical files of obstetric patients admitted to the ICU at The Aga Khan University Hospital between (November 2003 – November 2010) were reviewed.

Setting: The ICU at The Aga Khan University …