AMJ

We continue to receive a steady steam of submissions to the AMJ. Thank you to all our authors and especially to our reviewers who do an excellent job. My special thanks to the member of the Junior Advisory Board who work tirelessly to maintain our standards.

Picture by Kirtaph

Salivary gland swellings can result from tumours, an inflammatory process, or cysts. It can sometimes be difficult to establish whether pathology arises from the salivary gland itself or adjacent structures. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a simple, rapid and safe method to diagnose salivary gland swelling. The authors of this paper conclude that FNAC is highly sensitive and specific technique for diagnosis of most salivary gland swelling. FNAC can be used preoperatively to avoid unnecessary surgery and discomfort associated with open biopsy.

 Picture by Ambrose

Lymphadenopathies are the most common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous lymphadenitis is the most common cause of peripheral lymphadenopathy in a developing country like Nepal. The objective of this study was to compare the findings of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) to histopathology in diagnosing cervical lymphadenopathies. The authors conclude that FNAC can readily distinguish tubercular lymphadenitis from reactive and granulomatous lymphadenitis. Similarly, it can distinguish between benign and malignant lymphadenopathies. Therefore it can be used as an initial investigation for routine screening of cervical lymphadenopathies where facilities of histopathology are not available.

Picture by m_bartosch

About 2 million episodes of diarrhoea occur each year in India. Of the 6.6 million deaths among children aged 28 days to 5 year; deaths from diarrhoea are estimated to account for 1.87 million. An average Indian child less than 5 years of age can have 2-3 episodes of diarrhoea. Low socioeconomic status, bad sanitary practices, nutritional status and weaning practices significantly influence the prevalence of recurrent diarrhoea.

Picture by Sura Nualpradid

The government of India launched the pulse polio immunization (PPI) programme in 1995 with the aim of eradicating poliomyelitis by the end of 2000. Despite this, 733 children with polio were reported in 2009 alone. Therefore, there is a need to understand the reason why there are such high numbers of cases after so many years of an immunization programme . This study seeks to explore the knowledge of the general population about poliomyelitis and PPI.

Picture by Sura Nualpradid

Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is assumed to be a complication of acute otitis media (AOM), but the risk factors for CSOM are not clear. 234 patients were studied.The commonest microbial agent impicated in CSOM was pseudomonas species followed by staphylococci and coliforms. Demographic variables such as gender or age did not seem to affect the disease manifestation significantly, though CSOM was less common among older people and women.

Picture by Sura Nualpradid

Silicon and natural rubber satisfy the requirements for technical performance of childrens' pacifiers. However, this does not take into account hygiene and toxicity as parameters for the selection, which are also important when considering child health.

Picture by Sura Nualpradid

A third of world’s filariasis cases occur in India. Therefore a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) was commenced in 1997 with the aim of eliminating this disease by 2015. However the coverage of MDA was not satisfactory. The  reasons for poor coverage need to be identified. This study was conducted to assess the awareness of health personnel of lymphatic filariasis and the MDA programme. Significant misconceptions about the MDA were recorded by these researchers.

Picture by renjith Krishnan

Exposure to blood-borne pathogens from sharp injuries continue to pose a significant risk to healthcare workers (HCW). The number of sharps injuries sustained by HCW is under estimated primarily due to under-reporting. Healthcare professionals are at risk of sustaining injuries from hollow-bore needles. Sharps injuries are associated with risk of infection from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other blood-borne pathogens. The authors describe an adverse reaction following an injury from a needle used to administer the Bacillus Calmittee Gurien (BCG) vaccine.

Picture by Sura Nualpradid

Healthcare activism: Should Medical students care?