Se Asian J Trop Med
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the minimum incubation time required to detect positive blood cultures from newborn infants with sepsis. Data were collected retrospectively on seventy-five positive blood cultures from newborn infants in the neonatal intensive care unit of Songklanagarind Hospital. The BacT/Alert Microbial Detection System had been used to culture the samples. ⋯ If definite and possible bacterial pathogens were considered, the time to positivity was 71% at 24 hours, 95% at 36 hours and 97% at 48 hours, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive values were 70.3%, 100%, and 93.3%, respectively. Of cultures growing fungi, 80% were positive by 36 hours and all by 48 hours.
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Dengue fever (DF) and Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are widespread in Southeast Asia. An outbreak of DF/DHF in Delhi in 2003 started during September, reached its peak in October-November, and lasted until early December. This study describes the clinical and laboratory data of the 185 cases of DF/DHF admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi. ⋯ The mortality rate was 2.7%. Despite widespread measures taken to control outbreaks of DF, it caused major outbreaks. More stringent measures in the form of vector control, improved sanitation and health education are needed to decrease morbidity, mortality and health care costs caused by a preventable disease.
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Se Asian J Trop Med · Jul 2005
Which mild head injured patients should have follow-up after discharge from an accident and emergency ward? A study in a university hospital setting in Kelantan, Malaysia.
Mild head injury (MHI) is a common presentation to many hospitals in both rural and urban settings in Southeast Asia, but it is not well studied. We studied 330 patients that presented to Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia Emergency Department with possible MHI, with the intentions to identify prognostic factors that may improve the diagnosis of MHI in the emergency setting as well as to determine which patients would need follow-up. Patients' one-year outcomes were classified as discharged well (DW) for patients without post-traumatic signs and symptoms and discharged with long term follow-up (DFU) for patients with such signs and symptoms. ⋯ An abnormal CT scan was associated with older age, multiple clinical presentation, skull X-ray findings, and DFU. A similar analysis on outcomes revealed that mode of accident, older age, vomiting, confusion, headache, bleeding from ear, nose and throat, neurological deficits, absence of LOC, pupil size, multiple presentation, abnormal skull X ray, CT scan of the brain, and a GCS of 13 was associated with DFU. In conclusion, all patients involved in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), especially motorcycles, aged over 30 years of age, with multiple clinical presentations, including a lower GCS, and with abnormal radiological findings should have a longer follow-up due to persistent post-traumatic symptomatology.
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Se Asian J Trop Med · Jul 2005
Survival of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer at Ubon Ratchathani Cancer Center, Thailand.
This survival analysis was conducted at Ubon Ratchathani Cancer Center to determine the prognostic factors for survival of patients with stage IIIA, stage IIIB, and stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated at the center between 1997-2001. The study sample included 210 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Diagnosis and staging were defined employing the TNM system. ⋯ The 2-year survival rates for stages IIIA, IIIB, and IV were 16.0, 4.1, and 2.2%, respectively. The results of the study show that stage IIIA has the longest survival time. They also show that appropriate treatment is a significant factor in improving the survival of lung cancer patients.
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Se Asian J Trop Med · May 2005
Rapid immunochromatography-based detection of mixed-species malaria infection in Pakistan.
We report the identification of mixed Plasmodium infections in four recent patients with malaria clinically refractory to empiric chloroquine therapy using the rapid antigen detection kit, NOW ICT Malaria Pf/Pv. A rapid in vitro immunodiagnostic test, the NOW ICT Malaria Pf/Pv test kit was used for the detection of circulating Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and Plasmodium vivax (Pv) antigens in whole blood. Peripheral blood microscopy confirmed mixed-species infection in all the cases. ⋯ The present case series, although limited by the small number of patients with proven mixed P. falciparum-P. vivax infection, highlights the usefulness of the rapid antigen test in a highly malarious region of Pakistan where chloroquine resistance is prevalent. Although there was full concordance between the results of blood smear microscopy and rapid antigen testing, these techniques are potentially most useful when there is a discrepancy with microscopy findings. Accurate and rapid diagnosis of parasites, particularly in cases of mixed P. falciparum and P. vivax infection, is of immense importance for individual patient management and in reducing the burden of disease, especially in regions of chloroquine resistance.