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Objective: Relapse is not an unusual phenomenon in leprosy, there are many predisposing factors which may lead to occurrence of relapse; some of these include the presence of persistent bacilli, drug monotherapy, inadequate or irregular therapy. Patients usually presents with presence of multiple skin lesions and/or thickened nerves, reason for early relapse is probably bacillary persistence due to inadequate treatment and for late relapse due to or re-infection. The objectives of this study are to assess various clinico-epidemiological factors associated with the occurrence of relapses in leprosy patients.Methods: A hospital record based retrospective follow-up study has been performed and 117 relapse cases of leprosy were included. Leprosy relapse cases presented in the study hospital were interviewed using a predesigned and pretested preformed. Each patient was subjected to clinical, bacteriological and disability assessments for diagnosis of relapse and followed until the completion of multi drug therapy.Results: During a study period, relapse was seen more in male as compared to female. The duration between cessation of treatment and re-appearance of new lesions varied from 1 to 33 years. Disability proportion was high among MB patients. Conclusion:Relapse in leprosy should be thoroughly examined and looked for drug resistance.

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One of the areas of interest in the ion-beam modification of materials is that of alteration of specifically mechanical properties. To this end a method has been developed allowing in situ investigation of the stress, Young's modulus and mechanical hysteresis of small samples during and following ion-implantation. The samples are typically in the form of ~ 2 mm ⨉ 2 mm squares a few thousand angstroms thick, deposited on a ~ 50µ thick metal support, and forming a mechanical marginal oscillator. The measurement is carried out by flexing the samples at ~ 500 Hz under a servo-stabilized sinusoidal strain with a peak value in the range 0 to ~ 10−3. The accuracy of the method is typically ~ 1% or better for the measured quantities.Results are presented showing strain dependent (nonlinear) mechanical effects, thermal annealing effects, ion implantation of boron into copper and ion-beam mixing of copper films on aluminum substrates.

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