AMJ

Editor of the AMJ presents at TEDx Perth

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This study aimed to assess the validity of the POSSUM (Physiological and Operative Severity Score for enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity) and P-POSSUM (Portsmouth-POSSUM) score in predicting the risk of morbidity and mortality respectively in general surgical patients presenting with conditions of various operative severities at a tertiary care centre in Haryana, a northern state of India.

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In this study, the team estimate and compare serum BChE levels in healthy controls and patients with biopsy-proven oral squamous cell cancer before definitive therapy. The team concludes that BChE may have a role in determining the prognosis of oral cancer.

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A blood transfusion is a life-saving procedure in many instances. An adequate supply of safe blood is ensured by exercising donor deferral criteria and screening for Transfusion Transmitted Infections (TTI). This study reports the profile of blood donors and reasons for donor deferral in coastal South India.

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Globally, over 500,000 females die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth each year, and of these, over 99% of deaths occur in developing countries such as Uganda. Utilisation of modern and professional care during delivery is important in lowering maternal mortality. This paper sets out to investigate the factors associated with the utilisation of modern childbirth practice so as to identify the factors that may impact on policy.

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Diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection (ARI) are leading causes of mortality and morbidity in children under the age of five in developing countries. On the African continent, pneumonia (14%) and diarrhoea (17%) cause more child deaths than Malaria (16%), HIV/AIDS (4%), and measles (1%) combined. This paper set out to investigate the factors associated with the incidence of diarrhoea and ARI in children under five years of age in Uganda.

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The study suggests that Coryneforms are no longer just  opportunistic pathogens but they are also becoming important pathogens among immunocompetent individuals as well. The emergence of drug resistance amongst these isolates is of most concern. More studies should be done on identification and on antimicrobial susceptibility of these organisms for the proper treatment of patients with such infections.

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The authors report a case of infective endocarditis due to Moraxella lacunata involving the native mitral and aortic valves, complicated by cerebral emboli and resultant hemiparesis. The patient was treated with ceftriaxone and gentamicin and improved. This appears to be the first case reported in the medical literature of native multivalvular endocarditis produced by this rare organism.

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The book has been deemed of use to doctors, pharmacists and nurses as a formulary and ready reference. In developing countries formularies are not readily available but this book can be freely downloaded from the MSF website.

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