SETTING Two tertiary care hospitals and 12 peripheral health institutions (PHIs) in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. OBJECTIVE To determine factors associated with the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among tuberculosis (TB) patients and examine differences in the proportion of new DM cases among TB patients diagnosed at tertiary care centres and PHIs. DESIGN A descriptive study: TB patients ...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology of intestinal parasitoses during a 5-year period in patients attending a tertiary-care hospital in a non-endemic setting. METHODS In the period 2006-2010, 15,752 samples from 8,886 patients with clinically suspected parasitosis were subjected to macroscopic and microscopic examination, to parasitic antigen detection assays, and t...

Sir, We read with interest the article on cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) in your journal. CVST is reported to be commoner in developing countries, and has been linked to pregnancy, multiparity and infection. Developments in imaging, immunology and genetics have provided valuable information about risk factors and clinical spectrum of CVST. We report our experience of CVST, highlighting...

BACKGROUND Ultrasound assessment of amniotic fluid has important implication in obstetrics care and it has become an integral and important component of pregnancy assessment. Changes in amniotic fluid volume are associated with adverse outcome. Excess volume is associated with foetal anomalies and aneuploidy and less volume is associated with Intra Uterine Growth Retardation, renal anomalies in...

Background Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS) is an increasingly recognized clinical entity. ACOS significantly impacts on patient outcome compared to isolated asthma or COPD. However, ACOS definition and diagnosis criteria have not been well standardized. ACOS prevalence and clinical features in Thailand has never been studied. Objective: To investi...

BACKGROUND Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes for complete loss of vision among working-aged adults around the world. The present study aims to evaluate the rate of DR and its risk factors among the adults with young-onset diabetes from a tertiary care setting in Sri Lanka. METHODS A consecutive sample of 1,007 individuals referred from multiple centers, were invited for t...

BACKGROUND Despite the clinical significance of Salmonella infections, surveillance data worldwide remains limited and is more so exemplified by the lack of reports from Africa especially in eastern, central and western Africa. This study reports on Salmonella serotypes as significant causes of blood stream infections (BSI) and multidrug antibiotic resistance at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ac...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of operable breast cancer care in a tertiary care institution. DESIGN A retrospective analysis of all breast cancer patients seen in our institution between 1995 and 2000. Data were abstracted from the charts of these patients. Indicators were based on an international consensus conference and other publications. SETTING A tertiary care health care institut...

BACKGROUND The number of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in India has increased substantially over the last decade; yet many more are required. There is limited information on the actual costs of setting up and running an NICU in India. OBJECTIVE Systematic and comprehensive calculation and analysis of the costs of neonatal intensive care in a tertiary care teaching hospital. METHODS ...

The northward spread of leishmaniasis from Mediterranean to Continental Europe affects our area where it is typically associated with Leishmania infantum infection. In this study a 22-year survey was performed in patients (including both patients with and without history of travel through endemic areas other than Italy) attending the University Hospital of Parma, Northern Italy, in order to mak...