Tropical Doctor

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Kimura's disease is a chronic, benign inflammatory condition of the subcutaneous tissue. It presents as painless, subcutaneous nodules of the head and neck, which are firm, painless, and may be single or multiple. It is most commonly seen in young adult Asian men. The nodes remain stable or may slowly enlarge over time. Elevated serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, peripheral blood eosinophilia and lymphoid proliferation with eosinophilic infiltration on histopathological examination are the characteristic features...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an easy and readily available biomarker of systemic inflammation, has been less studied so far as a putative marker of asthma control. Our study aimed to assess its feasibility. A total of 90 asthmatic children, aged 5-18 years, diagnosed according to Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines, were. Control status of asthma was assessed using the asthma control test (ACT) or childhood ACT and categorized as controlled group-1 (ACT > 19) and uncontrolled group-2 (ACT ≤ 19)...

The cheaper surgical dressings often leave residual adhesive, which can be unsightly and uncomfortable. We describe a simple and cost-effective procedure for removing adhesive residue using micropore tape. This technique can be easily performed by anyone, including the patients themselves.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Noma is a neglected tropical disease of an underserved population. Our review describes the volume and scope of existing research evidence on psychosocial aspects of Noma in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Our literature search was conducted on all original peer-reviewed research articles on the psychosocial aspects of Noma in each country in SSA using PubMed, Google Scholar, and a direct search of reference list of pertinent journal articles. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines was used to describe the review...

Hepatobiliary fascioliasis is one of the rare but important parasitic infection in endemic areas such as Pakistan. Clinical manifestations overlap with common clinical conditions such as hepatitis and biliary stones causing common bile duct obstruction. Fascioliasis is a zoonotic infection caused by a leaf-shaped organism known as Fasciola Hepatica. Humans are accidentally infected by consuming contaminated water or food, especially undercooked cattle and sheep liver or raw green vegetables. We report three cases with similar clinical manifestations presenting in two different cities in Pakistan...

This prospective, observational, cross-sectional study was undertaken to estimate the burden of anaemia in malaria and to evaluate the contribution of haematogenic factors and haemolysis in its pathogenesis. Haematogenic factors (vitamin B12, folic acid, lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin, total iron binding capacity, direct Coombs test) were estimated in patients with malaria at the time of admission. They were categorized as anaemics or non-anaemics and their complications and outcomes were recorded. P. vivax (97/112) and P...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) related surgical infections are a global challenge. The burden of antimicrobial resistance is high throughout South-East Asia, and this is reflected in our local institution in Cambodia. Between 2011 and 2013, we analysed 251 wound swab samples at the Children's Surgical Centre, Phnom Penh; 52.5% of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates ( n  = 52/99) were MRSA positive. Ten years on, we have sought to investigate whether there is a difference in MRSA rates within our adult and paediatric patient population...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Enteric fever, an endemic disease, is a significant health problem in developing low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We studied the utility of Typhoid IgM/IgG assay in Widal titre positive samples among malaria negative patients. A total of 30 febrile patients were included. A blood sample was collected for performing the Widal test and a rapid lateral flow immune assay (Typhoid IgG/IgM tests). A total of 13/30 were positive on blood culture; however, Salmonella typhi grew on only two (6.6%). Of the 30 samples, 24 (80%) were positive for the rapid immunochromatographic (ICT) test None of the samples negative by the rapid ICT test grew Salmonella typhi ...

More than 50% of the world's youth and many economies with the greatest growth rates are in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Many prevailing diseases in these areas comprise neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) - the 13 bacterial and parasitic infections that predominantly affect the poorest one-sixth of the world's population. The lack of published data, heightened by the disregard of researchers of developed countries, amounts to the 'missing piece' when attempting to draw a global picture of such diseases using systematic reviews or meta-analyses because of the imbalance in distribution...

Ponseti treatment has been well-established as the gold standard for the treatment of idiopathic clubfoot in high-income countries and middle- and low-income countries (LMICs). The tenotomy is usually performed in the clinic using a scalpel blade under local anesthesia. However, we believe that by adapting the technique from Minkowitz et al . to a low-resource setting, we can help address some of the known barriers to Ponseti care. Using a needle instead of a blade makes the procedure less cumbersome easier to learn and easier to understand for the provider, family and the patient...

Fibrocystic disease of breast is characterized by lumpiness and discomfort. Our 48-year-old perimenopausal patient had a painless progressively enlarging non-tender lump in her right breast since 1 year. On physical examination a 10 × 8 cm firm non-tender lump was observed occupying almost the whole breast, whose surface was nodular though not fixed. The operative specimen appeared like a honeycomb with multiple cavities filled with yellowish firm material typical of tuberculosis. Surprisingly, histology found neither this nor malignancy...

In low-income countries, the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is most frequently achieved using Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) microscopy rather than the GeneXpert system. The performance of the former has not been evaluated against the latter in Ethiopia. A total of 180 PTB-suspected patients were enrolled in our study. Sputum specimens were tested both by ZN microscopy and geneXpert. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ZN microscopy were 75%, 99.4%, 92.3%, and 97...

Complete tract excision for complex fistula-in-ano, where the sphincter, is divided is increasingly being followed by immediate sphincter repair. We concluded, by a prospective study conducted on 60 consecutive patients, that this procedure is feasible and safe, and polydioxanone and polyglactin 910 in repair result in a comparable outcome.

2,4-Diethylamine (2,4-D) is a chlorphenoxy herbicide widely used in north India, marketed as 'Sohna' and 'Zura'. Multi-organ dysfunction and mortality is high in cases of accidental or suicidal ingestion owing to the lack of any antidote. We report a case series of 2,4-D poisoning from a single tertiary centre of north India managed with variable outcomes.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.