Lead is found in small but appreciable quantities in air, soil drinking water and food. Exposure to such amounts of lead does not cause acute lead toxicity, but produces subtle effects, particularly in children. The CDC advocates "safe" or "acceptable" levels of blood lead up to 10 μg/dl, while OSHA declares blood lead levels up to 40 μg/dl as "safe" or "acceptable" in the occupationally exposed. The objective of the study was to see if blood levels considered "safe" can cause changes in the biogenic neurotransmitters in the developing brain which may cause neurobehavioral defects like hyperactivity and other cognitive disorders. Albino Wistar rats were divided into the control and lead-treated groups. The control group was given unleaded water, while the lead-treated group was fed with 50 ppm lead acetate in drinking water. On day 45 the animals were subjected to a passive avoidance test, their blood analysed for ZPP and lead. They were then sacrificed and the neurotransmitters-Norepinephrine (NE) and its metabolite-methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) estimated in the brain areas associated with learning and memory-the frontal cortex, hippocampus and the striatum by HPLC-ECD. Our results showed significant increases in blood lead, NE and MHPG, while ZPP increase was insignificant. The rats showed neurobehavioral abnormalities as assessed by the passive avoidance test. We concluded that low blood levels of lead cannot be considered "safe" or "acceptable" as it causes neurotransmitter alterations. Increased NE turnover is implicated in hyperactivity disorders such as ADHD and Tourette syndrome.

This article describes an entire family manufacturing lead acid batteries who all suffered from lead poisoning. The family of five lived in a house, part of which had been used for various stages of battery production for 14 years. Open space was used for drying batteries. They all drank water from a well located on the premises. Evaluation of biomarkers of lead exposure and/or effect revealed alarming blood lead levels [(3.92±0.94) , while blood pressure was high in the head of the family and his wife and normal in children. Lead concentration in well water was estimated to 180 µg L -1 . The family was referred to the National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning in India, were they were received treatment and were informed about the hazards of lead poisoning. A follow up three months later showed a slight decrease in blood lead levels and a significant increase in haemoglobin. These findings can be attributed to behavioural changes adopted by the family, even though they continued producing lead batteries.

Background: Differential diagnosis of ascites is a common clinical problem and is usually done by Serum Ascites Albumin Gradient (SAAG).However many other markers can also be utilized for the same. Aims & Objective: This study was carried out to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of ascitic fluid cholesterol, serum ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) , Total protein Ratio and serum ascites cholesterol gradient (Chol gradient/ SACG) in differentiating cirrhotic and tuberculous ascites. Material and Methods: The study included 48 patients admitted in St John's Medical Hospital, Bangalore, out of which 25 patients were diagnosed with tuberculous ascites and 23 patients were diagnosed with cirrhotic ascites. Serum and ascitic fluid (AF) albumin, Total protein (TP) and Cholesterol (Chol) were estimated. The SAAG, TP ratio, Serum ascites cholesterol gradient (SACG) were calculated. Significance was assessed at 5% level of significance. Cohen's d effect size has been computed and discrimination function analysis is done to determine the percentage of correct classification between cirrhotic and tubercular ascites. Results: SAAG showed a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 95.6% at cut off of >1.1g/dl TP ratio at a cut off > 0.5 showed sensitivity100% and specificity98% specificity. Ascitic fluid Cholesterol is high in the tuberculous group and showed sensitivity and specificity of at a cut off value of 100% and 95.5%. Ascitic fluid TP showed a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 96% at a cut off value of <2.5g/dl. Whereas SACG at a cut off value of <95mg% showed a sensitivity and specificity of 68% and 100 % respectively. Their effect sizes were (3.18, 4.21, 3.21, 3.51, 1.00 respectively). Their % discriminations were (100%, 97.9%, 95.8%, 97.9%, 60.4%). Conclusion: We conclude that SAAG is definitely the best marker along with TP ratio and AF cholesterol. However SACG is not a good marker to differentiate tuberculous ascites and cirrhotic ascites.

Malabsorption syndromes causing steatorrhoea are quite common in India. Estimation of faecal fat is an important non-invasive investigation, which provides vital information regarding the occurrence of malabsorption. The aim of this study was to estimate the fat excretion per day in stools of apparently healthy adults on an unrestricted diet in random spot stool samples using the Acid Steatocrit Method, which provides an alternate, simpler and yet reliable method of stool fat estimation. Several studies have proved the correlation of the acid steatocrit method with the conventional methods. In India, however, there has been no published data regarding the normal levels of fat in the stools, by the acid steatocrit method. We follow the normal range values, as set by the United States and the European countdes, not having a range for the Indian population. Hence, we took up a preliminary study, to estimate stool fat in a section of normal and healthy Indian population. The result obtained after screening 600 healthy and normal adults, showed the mean of stool fat to be 8.72 gms/24 hours, which is much higher than that, defined by Western literature (7 gms/24 hours). This can be accounted for, by the cultural and ethnic variations in dietary and food habits. Further studies are required in the same direction, involving larger population groups, and in different malabsorptive conditions.

In a perspective study, the asci~c fluid and serum concentration of totel cholesterol, total proteins and albumin in a group of 45 patients was studied. Patients with nonmalignant or cirrhotic mites were compared with patients having malignancy related ascites and it was proved that the escitic fluid cholesterol and the serum ascites albumin gradient helped to differentiate cirrhotic from malignant ascites. These two parameters showed a remarkable relationship to the presence/absence of malignancy. Non malignant ascites patients had ascitic fluid cholesterol values of t9.41 + 8.33 mgldl, as against the malignancy related ascites patients, who show~l levels of 95.87 + 12.4 mg/dl. Similarly; the serum -ascites albumin gradient levels were 2.89 + 0.65 in non malignant escites patients, while the malignancy related escites cases had 0.86 + 0.50. The discrimination values for cholesterol were taken as 45 mgldl while that for serum escites gradient was taken as t.t. Levels of serum cholesterol, total protein and albumin were not significantly altered.