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Sliding hip screws (SHS) are commonly used for fixation of extra-capsular hip fractures, and there is increasing use of minimally invasive methods of insertion of such devices. We describe a case series of 579 consecutive patients operated on by the senior author using such a technique. Data were collected prospectively and analysed retrospectively. The technique involves a 5cm incision, retraction of vastus lateralis superiorly by a chain retractor, and use of a SHS clamp to stabilise the plate on the femur. The patients had a mean age of 81 years, surgery time of 43 minutes and hospital stay of 17 days. 77% were female and 35% required a blood transfusion post-operatively. Everyone was mobilised fully weight-bearing post-operatively. Follow-up was at six weeks for radiographic review and then subsequently at one year. The commonest complications were superficial wound infection (1.7%), detachment of the plate (0.9%) and cut-out of the lag screw (0.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the survival of 145 patients presenting to a single centre with a pathological metastatic fracture of the proximal femur. The single surviving patient had a follow-up of 17.7 years. Mean survival for the 144 patients who died was 332 days (range 2 to 3053 days), being longest for those with myeloma (662 days), lymphoma (> 633 days) and breast tumours (477 days) and lowest for lung tumours (110 days). The most common sites for the primary tumour were breast (36%), prostate (23%) and lung (17%). 47% of fractures were intracapsular, 28% trochanteric and 25% subtrochanteric. 99% of the fractures were treated surgically with a mean hospital stay of 19 days. The commonest fracture healingcomplication was further fracture of the femur around or immediately below the implant which occurredafter 9/144 (6.2%) of operations. The difference in survival of patients related to the primary tumour site is of relevance in planning surgical treatment and discussing prognosis with patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS of 1012 rural school-going children, selected ran domly, were performed. There were 776 males and 236 females in the age group of 5-15 years. The values of weight and height were recorded for every child in the study sample. Age and sex break-up was studied and compared with the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) standard.The comparison made separately for boys and girls showed that the values for both sexes and in all age groups were less than the ICMR standard. The majority (83.6%) of the children belonged to the middle and low social class according to the modified Prasad's classification. An inference is, therefore, drawn that rural school children of middle and low socio-economic status are shorter and lighter as com pared with even their own counterparts on whom the ICMR values are based.The state of health of school-going children in India is far from satisfactory despite the fact that school health programmes along with other nutritional pro grammes have been in operation for several decades. School-going children constitute a sizeable section of India's population, i.e. about 27%, which is easily accessible and also receptive.An early and convenient method of assessing nutri tional and socio-economic status of growing children is anthropometry. Physical growth, in terms of weight and height, is considered an important parameter reflecting the pattern of growth and development in a community. In the developing countries, the growing children by and large are depnved of good nutrition on account of their poor socio-economic status, ignorance and lack of health promotional facilities. This nutritio nal deprivation results in relative stunting of growth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]