Australasian Medical Journal
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Demography and Presbyacusis in Sri Lanka
No full textBackgroundPresbyacusis is the most common type of hearing loss, often having profound effects on the quality of life in old age. The objectives of this study were:1. To analyse of the effect of demographic factors on presbyacusis in Sri Lanka.2. To quantify the effect of non-demographic risk factors on presbyacusis. Method An observational cross-sectional study was carried out involving all the patients who presented to the National Hospital ENT clinic with hearing loss between April 2007 and April 2010. Patients whose pure-tone audiometry results were suggestive of sensorineural hearing deficit and whose tympanometry testing did not show any middle ear problems were assessed using an interviewer-administered questionnaire.ResultsAmong the 567 participants studied, the mean age was 63.4yrs. Fifty eight percent were females. The majority of the patients were from the Colombo district (59.3%), however, participants came from ten districts of Sri Lanka. Most of the study participants (64.2%) were married and living with their partners, but 24.7% were widowed and the rest were either unmarried or divorced. 6.1% had communication difficulties leading to disrupted social relationships and 21% felt that hearing impairment (HI) had adversely affected their psychological well-being. The onset of impaired hearing, as perceived by the patients initially and later confirmed by pure-tone audiometry and tymanometry, had occurred at an average age of 62.9yrs.ConclusionThere was no significant association between presbyacusis and other demographic factors such as gender, education level and marital status. A significant proportion of the participants had been widowed and that fact, too, can reduce their quality of life
Treatment Outcomes for Tuberculosis in Mangalore
No full textBackgroundIndia has the highest tuberculosis burden in the world. For successful implementation of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), treatment outcomes and factors which influence them need to be assessed on a regular basis. This study was thus done to find out the sputum conversion rates, treatment outcomes and sociodemographic factors of new smear positive cases (NSP) and retreatment cases of pulmonary tuberculosis of the Mangalore Tuberculosis Unit (TU) registered at the District Tuberculosis Centre (DTC), Mangalore. MethodThis record-based cross-sectional study was undertaken in June 2009. Information pertaining to NSP or Category I patients and retreatment patients or Category II patients between June 2008 to May 2009 (one year period) were recorded. ResultsOf 286 tuberculosis patients, 74.1% were on Category I treatment. The sputum conversion rate among Category I and II patients was 91.5% and 73% respectively. Category I patients showed a cure rate of 77.4%, a default rate of 7.5% and a failure rate of 15.1%. Category II patients showed a cure rate of 47.3%, default rate of 20.3% and failure rate of 32.4%. The differences in treatment outcomes between the two categories of treatment were found to be statistically significant (X2=23.737,
Health of Catering Staff at a Hospital in India
No full textBackgroundFood borne illnesses, even today, continue to be a major public health problem in both developing and developed nations. Food handlers play an important role in ensuring food safety throughout the chain of production, processing, storage and preparation.Health of food handlers is of great importance for maintaining hygienic quality of food prepared and served by them. Thus, the present study was conducted to study socio-demographic characteristics, morbidity pattern and immunization status of catering staff at a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai.Method A cross sectional study was conducted from August 2010 to November 2010. Out of the total of 162 food handlers working in 11 food service establishments, 137 were interviewed face to face using a semi-structured questionnaire, while remaining 25 food handlers were excluded because of either their absence or not giving consent. The food handlers were assessed clinically for personal hygiene and investigated for hemoglobin, stool routine and sputum AFB examination. Results82 (59.8%) food handlers were from the age group 10 – 29 years, 113 (82.5%) male, 95 (69%) married, 59 (43.1%) educated up to primary level. Only 7 (5.1%) had ever received a dose of typhoid vaccine. 103 (75.2%) had an addiction, majority consuming gutkha 59 (57.3%). Dental caries 32 (23.4%) was the most common morbidity identified. Entamoeba histolytica was isolated in 13 (9.5%) subjects.ConclusionThis study has confirmed an association between educational status and personal hygiene suggesting the need for greater personal hygiene in this group. Pre-employment and periodical medical examination should be encouraged
Contamination Of Hospital Chart Covers
No full textBackgroundVancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have been increasingly associated with patients with renal failure attending large metropolitan teaching hospitals. Monash Medical Center has been following guidelines issued by the Department of Human Services to reduce the spread of VRE, but unfortunately this has had limited impact, especially in the renal unit. In an attempt to investigate the causes of the sustained VRE prevalence in the renal unit, this study sought to determine if renal patient chart covers were contaminated with VRE and if there was any genetic similarity to patient VRE isolates.Method Using convenience sampling, chart covers of patients colonised or infected with VRE were swabbed from July to September 2010 (n=46). Samples were also collected from chart covers of non-VRE patients. Molecular typing of all matching VRE patient and chart isolates was performed using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) by the public health laboratory (Microbiological Diagnostic Unit, University of Melbourne). ResultsNone of the patients who were VRE negative (n=14) had contaminated chart covers. VRE was recovered from two drug chart covers (patient A and B) from the 31 VRE positive patients sampled. One patient (patient C) was misidentified as a VRE patient for two weeks and was subject to contact precautions while being dialysed, yet three chart types belonging to this patient were found to be contaminated with VRE.ConclusionThe findings of this study demonstrate that it is possible for patients’ hospital chart covers to be contaminated with VRE even though there was no genetic similarity to the current patient strain. In this regard, the study reveals that patient charts may have an important role in spreading VRE
Morphometric Study of Cricoid Cartilages
Get PDFBackgroundIt is important to determine the size and proportion of the larynx as such information is useful in procedures such as intubation, endoscopy and surgical manipulations. Recent interest in the cases of subglottic stenosis and post-intubational stenosis of the lower respiratory tract has led to renewed interest in ascertaining the measurements of the various laryngeal cartilages. The aim of the present study was to collect morphometric data of cricoid cartilage from a regional population.Method Fifty laryngeal preparations from adult cadavers of Western India were assessed. Sections were prepared via dissection and the removed cricoid cartilages then measured and weighed.ResultsThe mean antero-posterior diameter (19.29±2.47) of the cricoid cartilage was greater than the average transverse diameter (18.33±2.26). The height of arch of cricoid cartilage was 6.54±1.23mm and height of lamina was 21.45±1.97mm. Mean weight of cricoid cartilage was 4.53±1.27grams. The shape of the cricoid cartilage was ovoid in 46% of cases, oval in 38%, pear shaped in 12% and narrow-oblong in 4% of cases.ConclusionInter-subject variability in the dimensions of cricoid cartilages was observed. The large difference in almost all sizes and shapes of the cricoid cartilage makes it difficult to standardise the rigid stents used in these organs. Endotracheal tubes of the appropriate size should therefore be based on the measurements of individual patients. Clinicians should therefore be aware of morphological variations as they are of fundamental clinical importance
Current Knowledge About Sports Nutrition
Get PDFThe scientific literature contains an abundance of information on nutritional demands of athletes. However, designing the most suitable sports diet is very difficult. The principal aim of this article is to summarize knowledges about sports nutrition, especially intake of macronutrients and dietary supplements