A Comparative study of three types of measles vaccines was undertaken among 1005 children. Of these 527 were vaccinated with the Serum Institute of India (SII) vaccine, 230 with Schwarz (SC) and 248 were vaccinated with Edmonston-Zegreb (EZ) vaccine (imported from Zegreb). Though the majority of children reacted favourably with all the three vaccines (SII: 98.43%; SC: 93.40%; EZ: 93.0%) with a rise in titre, but the percentage of seroconversion was significantly higher with the SII vaccine (p < 0.01). The Schwarz and Edmonston Zagreb vaccines showed significantly less GM titre as compared with the other age group i.e. 9-12 months (p < 0.05). With Serum Institute of India (SII) vaccine the GM titres were almost similar in the different age groups. The overall GM titre obtained with the SII vaccine was significantly higher than the SC vaccine (p > 0.001) as well as the EZ vaccine (p > 0.001). It is of interest to note that among the infants, 22.5% children had measles antibody in them before vaccination.

Antibodies, Viral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intranasal administration of fusidic acid cream in leprosy.

The effect of local treatment of nostrils with fusidic acid cream was investigated in 30 previously untreated lepromatous leprosy patients. The cream was applied in the nostrils after flushing the nostrils with normal saline, twice a day for a period of four weeks. It was found that 20 mg/gm of sodium fusidate was effective in reducing the morphological index of the nose-blow smear to zero in two weeks in majority of the patients. No untoward side effect was seen in any of the patients. Such nasal treatment along with multidrug therapy may help in reducing the patient's level of infectiousness to their contacts, since the nose is recognized to be an important portal of exit of M. leprae.

Administration, Intranasal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Gelatin particle agglutination assay to detect anti-PGL-I antibodies in leprosy patients and in household contacts: a preliminary study.

A preliminary study of anti-phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) IgM antibody detection using M. leprae gelatin particle agglutination (MLPA) test kit is described. Antibodies were demonstrated in 70% of our leprosy patients taking antileprosy treatment. The percentage of positivity of multibacillary cases was 86.0, whereas that of paucibacillary cases was 30.0. Good correlation was found between bacteriological index and the presence of antibodies. Antibodies were detected in 28% of our patients released from treatment. Fourteen out of 27 household contacts were found to have antibodies but none of the normal controls were seropositive. These preliminary data demonstrate that MLPA test is not applicable as sero-diagnostic test or as a test of cure, but may be useful for epidemiological studies and as a research tool.

Agglutination Tests↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of two multidrug regimens in multibacillary leprosy.

One of the technical problems relating to the multidrug therapy of leprosy is the slow decrease in the bacteriological index (BI) in multibacillary patients. In this study we have compared a regimen containing rifampicin given daily for 9 months with the standard WHO multidrug regimen for multibacillary leprosy. We have found, at the end of two years, a significantly greater fall of BI in patients who had received the regimen containing daily rifampicin as compared to those who had received pulsed doses of rifampicin. The doses of dapsone and clofazimine were similar in these two groups. It appears that daily administration of rifampicin may be useful in treating multibacillary patients in whom reduction in the BI is slower than expected. However, in view of its high cost and the very much increased incidence of type-2 lepra reactions and hepatitis, daily rifampicin therapy cannot be recommended for a control programme.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Does preoperative biliary stenting affect the outcome of pancreatico-duodenectomy?

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists whether preoperative endoscopic biliary stenting to reduce serum bilirubin level affects the outcome of pancreaticoduodenectomy. AIM: To determine whether preoperative endoscopic biliary stenting is associated with altered morbidity or mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy. METHODS: In 37 consecutive patients with periampullary lesion undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy over a 6-year period, frequency of septic complications, occurrence of pancreatic leak or bleeding, duration of hospital stay, and mortality were studied; of these, 15 had preoperative biliary stenting and 22 had not. RESULTS: Postoperative infective complications occurred more often in the patients with biliary stent than in those without (26% vs 0%, p=0.04). Postoperative recovery time, hospital stay and mortality were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Preoperative biliary stenting is associated with septic complications, but this does not affect postoperative recovery after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hyperkeratotic and verrucous skin lesions on lower extremities of leprosy patients.

Three morphological varieties of hyperkeratotic and verrucous skin lesions on the anterior aspect of ankle joints in patients with leprosy are described: (i) verrucous lesions with thread-like horny projections similar to filiform warts; (ii) irregular compact hyperkeratotic lesions with deep fissures in between; and (iii) hyperkeratotic lesions with linear fissures corresponding to the transverse creases on the anterior aspect of the ankle. Chemical cautery was useful for the treatment of the first two varieties, and a potent topical corticosteroid with salicylic acid was useful for the third.

Adult↗