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Byline: Sudip. Ghosh, Sharmila. Sarkar, Reena. Ghosh(Ray), Dilip. Das Sir, A 22-year-old man presented to us with complaints of recurrent painless ulcerations of the upper limbs for the preceding 2 [...]

Abnormal and excessive desire to smell certain odors or objects (desiderosmia) is reported to be seen with iron deficiency anemia. We present here four cases of desiderosmia in diagnosed patients of major depressive disorder without iron deficiency, where treatment of depression was associated with improvement in abnormal craving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients' satisfaction with healthcare services contributes to their compliance with the treatment and thus impacts their health. Therefore, patient satisfaction is increasingly being used as an indicator of health system performance in a country. Though several studies have been reported from different parts of India, most did not include psychiatric patients. This study assessed the level of satisfaction of psychiatric outpatients and its association with socio-demographic, hospital-related, and treatment-related variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 152 patients attending psychiatry outpatient department (OPD) of a tertiary care hospital. Treatment-related satisfaction was measured using the Short Assessment of Patient Satisfaction (SAPS) scale, and variables not related to treatment were assessed using Likert scales. Results: Most participants were satisfied with the overall cleanliness of the hospital (82.9%), the useable condition of toilets (73%), and waiting time in the OPD ticket counter, doctor's room, and pharmacy. More than 80% were pleased with the OPD staff's behavior and working efficiency. In the seven dimensions of the SAPS scale, satisfaction level was variable. Overall satisfaction with the care received in the hospital was 60.5%. Conclusions: The level of patient satisfaction is good in psychiatry OPD services of our hospital, and it depends on treatment-independent variables also. So, liaison between the medical- and non-medical-management teams is crucial to augment patient satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant neurocutaneous disease resulting in a wide array of clinical manifestations, primarily affecting the skin and central nervous system. Mucocutaneous features play a very important role in the recognition of this syndrome. Aims: To review the prevalence and patterns of cutaneous manifestations in tuberous sclerosis, in a group of patients from eastern India. Methods: Observational clinical study on twenty-seven consecutive patients of tuberous sclerosis collected during a period of four years. Results: Most were between 10-20 years of age; the male to female ratio was 2:1. Family history was found in two-thirds. The classical triad of tuberous sclerosis was present in only nine (33.3%) patients. Adenoma sebaceum was the most common cutaneous feature (100%), followed by hypomelanotic macules (92.6%), connective tissue nevi (66.6%), and Koenen′s tumors (33.3%). Oral mucosal fibromas were seen in six (22.22%) patients. Fibromatous plaque over forehead and scalp was seen in three patients. Limitation of the study was small size of study sample. Conclusion: Prominent mucocutaneous changes are extremely common manifestation of TSC, which may provide crucial diagnostic clues for primary care physicians.

Byline: Sudip. Ghosh, Abhijit. Dutta, Sharmila. Sarkar, Shanka. Nag, Surajit. Biswas, Prabhakar. Mandal Introduction: Focal dermal hypoplasia (Goltz syndrome), is an extremely rare genetic disorder characterized by distinct skin manifestations [...]

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a relatively common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, associated with restrictive and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities. However, there are various positive character traits among individuals suffering from ASD -- they are generally honest, decisive, and nonjudgmental. They are also reported to have excellent attention to details, which have been ascribed to their enhanced visual search skills. Aim: Our study was undertaken to assess these visuospatial perception skills among children with autism and compare the results with that of typically developing (TD) children in the Indian population. Materials and Methods: A total of 47 children with ASD and 47 age-, gender-, and education-matched TD children were assessed using tests for disjunctive and conjunction search, real-world visual search, and visual working memory. Results: Children with ASD performed significantly better than the TD children in tests for visual search and were comparable in the test for visual working memory. Conclusion: Our study showed that children with autism have enhanced visual skills, and this quality can be honed further and be utilized in jobs that require good observation skills and attention to details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanically induced purpura with its varied clinical presentations may often pose a great diagnostic challenge to the treating physician. In this report, we seek to familiarize clinicians with a relatively new and rarely diagnosed psychocutaneous disorder, stereotypical linear mechanically induced purpura of the upper limbs, which we had the chance to detect in three teenage girls from Eastern India. A review of the PubMed and Medline database reveals a paucity of information on this subject, especially in the English language literature. Only a handful of reports have been described worldwide till date. However, it is probably hitherto unreported from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Sudip. Ghosh, Debabrata. Bandyopadhyay, Loknath. Ghoshal, Sharmila. Sarkar A 22-year-old man presented with a large swelling on the back of his scalp. The lesion was present since his birth [...]

Introduction: Focal dermal hypoplasia (Goltz syndrome), is an extremely rare genetic disorder characterized by distinct skin manifestations and a wide range of abnormalities involving the ocular, dental, skeletal, urinary, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems. The objective of the present series is to emphasize the different typical as well as unusual features of this rare syndrome. Methology: This cross-sectional observational study was performed over a period of 8 years in a tertiary care hospital of Eastern India. Consecutive patients with the clinical diagnosis of Goltz syndrome were studied. Results: A total of 8 patients with Goltz syndrome were evaluated. Out of them, one patient was a boy and the rest were girl. The age ranged from 3 days to 9 years. There was no family history. A characteristic Blaschkoid hypo- and hyper-pigmented skin lesions, congenital nodular fat herniation, and skin atrophy were present in all patients. Congenital cutaneous aplasia was present in 50% of the patients. Facial asymmetry and ear deformity (megalopinna and low-set ears) were seen in 37.5% and 12.5% of patients, respectively. Cutaneous telangiectasia was noticed in 37.5% of patients. Freckle- and lentigines-like pigmentation within the hypopigmented macules was found in 25% of patients. Raspberry-like papillomas around mouth were documented in 6 (75%) patients. Dysplastic nail changes with ridging were seen in 7 (87.5%) patients. Genital abnormality in the form of bilateral undescended testes and microphthalmia with aniridia were found in one patient each. Limb defects were present in all patients. Left-sided renal agenesis was found in one patient. The patient also had multiple cortical cysts of the right kidney. Limitations: Genetic testing could not be performed in the present series. Conclusions: Our case series showed a few unusual or extremely rare manifestations such as undescended testes, dermal sinus, kyphoscoliosis, aniridia, unilateral kidney agenesis, and renal cortical cysts among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of medium energy target protons emitted in [sup 32]S-AgBr interactions at 200 AGeV and [sup 16]O-AgBr interactions at 60 AGeV in terms of scaled factorial moments up to the fifth order. The study gives evidence of a nonthermal phase transition in the [sup 32]S-AgBr data. The multifractal nature of the particle spectra has also been observed using a new method proposed by F. Takagi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychogenic purpura, also known as Gardner-Diamond syndrome, is a rare, distinctive, localized cutaneous reaction pattern mostly affecting psychologically disturbed adult women. Repeated crops of tender, ill-defined ecchymotic lesions on the extremities and external bleeding from other sites characterize the condition. We report here a case of psychogenic purpura because of the rarity of the condition and to emphasize the importance of consideration of this entity during evaluation of a patient with recurrent ecchymoses. Early diagnosis of this condition will not only minimize the cost of the medical evaluation but will also benefit the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing students are exposed to different types of stress, with which they have to make adjustments. Self concept Influences their capability of adjustment. The study was done to find out the levels of self concept in different dimensions and levels of adjustment in different spheres of the auxiliary nursing and midwifery (revised) [ANM(R)] students, to find out the association between their self concept and adjustment with different sociodemographic factors and to assess the correlation between self concept and adjustment of these students. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted on the ANM(R) students of School of Nursing, Purulia, West Bengal from October 2008 to January 2009 with sample size 50. Chi-square test was done to find out statistical association. Majority of students (64%) had self concept above average category (145-192). Considering levelsof adjustment, majority of the students (56%) fell in the above average category (5572). Mean score of adjustment was highest in the health dimension (9.96) and lowest in the area of education (6.88). No significant association was found between self concept and age, education and family income. The associations of marital status and type of family with self concept are statistically significant. No significant association was found between adjustment and sociodemographic characteristics. Positive correlation was found between self concept and adjustment (correlation co-efficient r = 0.6109). This study has various implications for nursing administration, nursing education, nursing practice and nursing research.