Aparna Sarkar

NOMA NEONATORUM: ITS ÆTIOPATHOGENESIS

Noma neonatorum, a gangrenous process affecting the nose, lips, mouth, anal region, and occasionally the scrotum and eyelids, affects neonates, especially low-birth-weight and premature ill babies, and is usually fatal 1-3 days after onset. In 35 cases of noma neonatorum Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from blood-culture (86.3%), gangrenous areas (96.0%), rectal swabs (58.3%), and cerebrospinal fluid (60.0%). Blood-vessels in the deep cutis or subcutis were affected and the gangrenous process extended superficially. Noma in older children and adults is caused by fusospirochaetosis but noma neonatorum appears to be due to P. aeruginosa septicaemia.

Effect of Isometric Exercises and Proprioceptive Exercises in IT Professionals Suffering from Sub Clinical Neck Pain

Objective: To study the effects of isometric and proprioceptive exercises in IT professionals suffering from subclinical neck pain. Methodology: 30 subjects within age group of 18-40 yrs both males and females from IT companies with subclinical neck pain participated in the study. Subjects who were working for a minimum of 6 hours /day or 30 hours/ week and with the NDI score in between range of 5-14 were included in the study. Subjects were excluded if they had any other musculoskeletal, vertebro basilar insufficiency symptoms and neurological disorders, had undergone cervical spine surgery or were undergoing treatment at the time of testing. Improvements were noted on VAS score, NDI score, extensor muscle strength measurement and proprioception i.e. joint position sense. Results: Significant differences were observed within two groups i.e. group B given postural training and strength training exercises as well as group C given postural training, strength training and proprioceptive training exercises compared to group A given postural training exercises only. On intergroup analysis between groups B and C no significant difference was found. Conclusion: Strength training program with postural correction tips is equally effective as combination of strength and proprioceptive training group in improving pain, disability, muscle strength and proprioception.

Effects of obesity on quadriceps dynamic strengthening and isometrics exercise for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis patients

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause of pain and functional impairment among elders. Currently, there are neither feasible preventive intervention strategies nor effective medical remedies for the management of KOA. Of course, KOA is only one of many adverse consequences of obesity. Physical rehabilitation usually quadriceps exercises for the maintenance of joint range of motion and muscle strength is effective for the treatment of KOA. The aim of the study was to find out whether obesity has an adverse effect on the treatment of knee osteoarthritic patients when quadriceps dynamic strengthening and isometrics exercise were implemented. Sixty osteoarthritic knee patients with 30 patients each in two groups were randomly selected from Kailash Hospital and Obesity Clinics in Delhi. Patients were randomly divided into two groups (A and B) according to their BMI. In group A, non-obese KOA patients were assigned, and in group B, obese KOA patients were included. The quadriceps dynamic strengthening and isometrics exercise treatment protocol were introduced in both the groups and were given for 15 days. Pre- and post-treatment knee pain, range of motion of knee joint and quadriceps muscle strength were measured. Student t test was applied to find out the statistical level of significance. Pain was decreased with the intervention exercise, which was highly significant (p < 0.05) in both the groups. The ranges of motion for knee joint were increased, which was found highly significant in both the cases of flexion and extension (p< 0.001, < 0.05, respectively) in group A but in group B, it was found significant for flexion (p<0.001) but in case of extension ROM, it was insignificant (p>0.05). The mean difference of pre-test and post-test muscle strength for flexor and extensors was significant (p<0.01, <0.001) in group A but in group B, for flexors, it was insignificant, and for the extensor group, it was significant (p<0.01). It was found that the exercises given to group A (non-obese) were more effective than those given to group B (obese). Pain, ROM and MMT were improved significantly in group A but in group B, pain had reduced but MMT and ROM had no significant improvements. We concluded that because of more BMI in group B (obese group), effects of exercise for treatment of OA knee was not as significant as in case of group A subjects (non-obese group).