Pre-eclampsia is known to be associated with various placental morphologic changes as well as fetal growth restriction. Growth restricted neonates are at increased risk of hypoglycaemia in the first three days of life. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between occurrence of neonatal hypoglycaemia and the relative placental weight in mothers with pre-eclampsia. The blood glucose concentrations of 69 neonates born to mothers with pre-eclampsia were determined three times daily during the first three days of life. The birthweight of each of the neonates as well as the corresponding weight of the placenta were determined and recorded. The relative placental weight was calculated using the formula: Weight of placenta x 100/Birthweight of the infant. Overall prevalence of neonatal hypoglycaemia was 47.8%. Of the 69 neonates, severe neonatal hypoglycaemia (blood glucose < 1.6 mmol/L) was prevalent in 10 (14.5%) and 15(21.7%) had blood glucose level between 1.6 and 2.5 mmol/L. The relative placental weight did not differ with the severity of maternal pre-eclampsia. No statistically significant correlation was obtained between the relative placental weight and neonatal hypoglycaemia.

Gingival cyst of infant is an odontogenic cyst. It is developmental in nature. It arises from the epithelial remnant of dental lamina called cell rests of Serres. The Gingival cyst may appear within three months of age. Clinically it appears on the maxillary and mandibular ridges, and appears creamish white in color. The cyst usually does not need treatment because it tends to undergo involution and disappears. We present a case report of a solitary gingival cyst observed in a baby age four months.

The oral mucosa may present clinical features of a certain conditions similar to those observed in lichen planus called lichenoid reaction. The pathological feature resembles that of lichen planus. The pathologist requires the indication of a cause – effect relationship by the clinician in order to provide a diagnosis of lichenoid reaction. This condition is treated by removal of the causal factor. Here we report a case of lichenoid reaction due to tobacco chewing habit in an 30 year old male patient. This case was reported from Yenepoya dental college, Yenepoya University, Mangalore, India.

Malaria is a major public health problem in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Artemisinin-based combination therapy is widely used as the first-line treatment for malaria in PNG. This study was to assess the quantity of the Artemether and Artesunate ingredients in the antimalarial drugs used for the treatment of malaria in the National Capital District (NCD) PNG. Artemether and Artesunate tablets were purchased from various pharmacies in NCD. Artemether and Artesunate solutions were prepared according to the Standard United States Pharmacopoeial protocol for assay of active ingredients by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results indicated that the percent Artemether content in the three brands (ART 01, ART 02 and ART 03) of Artemether purchased in the NCD were 93.2%, 87.6% and 89.3% respectively. Four brands (ATS 01/02, ATS 03/04, ATS 05, and ATS 06) of Artesunate were purchased in the NCD. The % Artesunate content in the four brands were 109.0%, 110.0%, 101.2% and 96.2%% respectively. The three Artemether brands (100%) and two (ATS 01/02 and ATS 03/04) of the Artesunate brands (50%) did not satisfy the USP specifications for the amount of active ingredients in the drugs. Our data indicate that poor quality Artemether and Artesunate antimalarial drugs are sold in the National Capital District in PNG. This indicates the urgent need to advocate for more efficient drug monitoring and effective enforcement of regulations that prevents importation of substandard drugs into the NCD.

Environmental concerns have resulted in the search for environmentally friendly natural oils for use as mosquito larvacide. Methylated coconut oil has been found to be toxic to mosquito larvae. However, the use of methylated coconut oil is limited by resource constraints in rural communities in Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island countries where coconut oil is produced by traditional methods. This study evaluated the toxicity of traditionally produced coconut oil to fourth instar Anopheles stephensi larvae. The results showed that traditionally produced coconut oil is toxic to fourth instar Anopheles stephensi larvae. The results showed that coconut oil produced by traditional method is toxic to fourth instar Anopheles stephensi larvae. The coconut oil can be used as a larvacide for malaria vector control in community based programs utilizing community participation in the production and use of coconut oil for large scale use of coconut oil. However, a suitable surfactant needs to be identified.

The effectiveness of the universal salt iodization strategy in the control and elimination of iodine deficiency in a community requires systematic monitoring of urinary iodine concentration, which is the key biochemical indicator recommended for assessing the impact of iodine deficiency control programs. Published data on the salt iodization programme for control of iodine deficiency in the Solomon Islands is scanty. The aims of this study were to determine the iodine content of salt in the households and the urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) in schoolchildren, age 6 – 12 years, in Honiara, Solomon Islands. This was a prospective school-based study. Multistage cluster sampling method was used for selecting the study population. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 19 of the 28 primary schools in Honiara Solomon Islands. The iodine content in salt samples was measured using the single wavelength semi-automated WYD Iodine Checker Photometer. UIC was estimated using the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. Salt was available and used in 99.5% of the households. The mean iodine content in household salt samples was 55.2  17.7ppm. The iodine content was  15.0ppm in salt samples from 99.1% of households. Data indicates successful implementation of universal salt iodisation strategy. Median UIC for all the children was 328.0ug/L, Inter-quartile range was 210.38 – 437.0ug/L. UIC in 97.2% of all the children was  100ug/L and 0.7% had UIC below 50ug/L. Median UIC values for the male and female children were 337.0ug/L and 325.0ug/L respectively. UIC in 97.1% of male and 97.4% of female children was  100ug/L. Data indicate that iodine deficiency is not a public health problem among schoolchildren, age 6 – 12yrs, in Honiara. Our findings indicate the need for an efficient, sustainable, and functional monitoring system to strengthen and improve on the achievements of the USI strategy in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

Methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are common in hospitals in many countries, including South East Asia. Nosocomial MRSA is characteristically resistant to multiple antibiotics but can be treated with vancomycin. More recently MRSA have emerged in the community (CMRSA) and these characteristically are not multiply resistant like the hospital strains. MRSA have been found to spread within and between hospitals, thus are referred to as epidermic MRSA (EMRSA). It is therefore important to characterise isolates so that pathogenic and epidemic strains of MRSA can be identified. For this study 309 MRSA isolated from blood cultures between June 1998 and December 1999 were provided by the Sentry Program Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. The isolates were from hospitals in Australia, South Africa, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan. Isolates were characterised by phenotypic and molecular methods. The methods used were extended antibiograms and resistograms, bacteriophage typing, countour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) electrophoresis, plasmid profiling and analysis of the mec complex. Most of the isolates were resistant to the majority of the antimicrobials tested although all were susceptible to vancomycin. Three isolates from Hong Kong and seven from Royal Perth hospitals had resistance profiles similar to those of CMRSA. The majority of isolates were not susceptible to the International Bacteriophage Set (IBS). There was a predominant CHEF pattern amongst the South African isolates which had 88% similarity with the Australian CHEF pattern 1. However, the isolates were not related in other respects and had different plasmid profiles and mec complexes. The results indicated that the South African isolates are different from those from other hospitals and that Taiwanese and Japanese isolates are generally more diverse than those in the other countries. Hospitals in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong appear to have many different strains but do not have predominance of a particular strain. This study has provided a basis for additional studies to further characterise isolates from various countries and to understand the epidemiology of MRSA in the hospitals.

Neonatal Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) level in blood is one of the indicators recommended for assessing iodine deficiency control programs in a population. This study evaluates the TSH level in cord blood as a way of assessing the iodine status of neonates in the National Capital District, PNG. Assay of TSH in 150 cord sera was by enzyme immunoassay (EIA 96 Microwell plates) using the sensitive EIA kit provided by LiNEAR Chemicals, S.L. The median TSH level in the sera for all the neonates was 2.17mIU/L, the interquartile range (IQR) was 1.53 – 3.48mIU/L. The TSH level in only 2 (1.3%) cord serum samples was greater than 10.0mIU/L. The lower limit (2.5th) and upper limit (99.0th) of the TSH percentile cut-off levels in all the cord sera were 0.76mIU/L and 11.16mIU/L. The median TSH level in the cord sera of the male neonates was 1.98mIU/L and the IQR was 1.55 – 3.38mIU/L. For the female neonates the median TSH level was 2.22mIU/L and the IQR was 1.52 – 3.81mIU/L. The data indicates normal iodine and thyroid status and zero prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism among the neonates in NCD.

Stem cells derived from the embryo (embryonic stem cells), bone marrow or umbilical cord blood (adult stem cells) has the potential to differentiate into many cell types in the human body. The embryonic stem cell are called “pluripotent” because they can become any of the body‟s 220 cell types including bone, muscle, skin, nervous tissue as well as immune cells. Those derived from bone marrow and cord blood are considered “multipotent” because they can differentiate only to specific families of cell types such as those of muscle and bone and also replenish mature cells within tissue. Despite the potential that they have in repairing or regenerating human tissue damaged by injury or disease, embryonic stem cells have been under a lot of criticisms due to ethical, religious as well as political considerations. The development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from adult stem cells, derived from mouse and man by cellular reprogramming seems to have produced embryonic-like stem cells without destroying the embryo-which critics say it is a deliberate attempt to take away human life because it contains human DNA. As promising as they seem the iPSCs would still have to pass the test of skepticism by certain stem cell scientists and screening tests of functionality when subjected to the usual development and applications cues. These prerequisites are needed before they can be certified as truly pluripotential and therefore could be applied in the treatment of human diseases particularly those that have defied cure such as Parkinson‟s disease, multiple sclerosis and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Applications of stem cells in rejuvenating diseased or destroyed human parts are largely experimental because of various constraints. However, neurons have been generated from iPSCs made from the skin cells of patients with Parkinson‟s disease. There are also other success stories in the treatment of degenerative diseases particularly in Germany where stem cells have been employed in treating many patients suffering from diverse diseases. Even if development of iPSCs has not offered much at this time towards repairing of tissues damaged by disease, it has at least circumvented the technical complexities of cloning thus avoiding most of the ethical and legal constraints associated with human embryo cell research. It has also refuted the old dogma that cells once differentiated cannot be dedifferentiated into primordial stage of development. Embryonic stem cells remain the gold standard in stem cell research while more studies are needed to gain better insight into the pluripotency of iPSCs. Whether derived from the embryo or adult cell, stem cells hold a huge promise in regenerative medicine in the near future.

This article examines the parallel histories of medicine and history to about 1450. They emerged together as part of the shift from poetry to prose in Greek culture in the fifth century BC. They each pursued similar strategies of observation, compilation, and analysis. Hippocratic medicine provided a paradigm for Thucydides‟ development of analytic history. Medicine was further systematised by Galen in the second century AD. After the collapse and division of the Roman Empire, the Dar al-Islam became the main area of intellectual advance. Its scholars had little interest in Graeco-Roman historians, but they translated and used the scientific and medical writers. In both history and medicine they tried to create sciences based on Aristotelian philosophy. The article looks in particular at Avicenna‟s attempt to reconcile Aristotle and Galen, and compares this with the eighteenth century debate between preformationists and epigeneticists. It emphasises the need to look at such arguments in the context of their times, and notes the continuing tension between the simplicity of theory and the messiness of data. The transfer of learning from the Dar al-Islam into Western Europe paralleled that from the Graeco-Roman world into the Dar al-Islam. Again, historical writing was overlooked, but philosophical, scientific, and medical writers were translated. They would be the basis for the development of modern science.