No abstract

Orf of the hand is an uncommon zoonotic infection caused by a dermotropic DNA virus that belongs to the Parapoxvirus genus of the family Poxviridae. It is transmitted to humans through contact with infected sheep and goats and is reported as an occupational disease. We report nine cases of human orf seen in the hands of individuals, who were not occupationally exposed, after the feast of sacrifice in Turkey. Three cases were teachers and six out of the nine were housewives. We observed musculoskeletal complications and misdiagnoses. It is important to consider human orf in the differential diagnosis of hand lesions to prevent overtreatment and complications.

Object The groove for the vertebral artery (VA) may be bridged on C-1, forming a canal through which the artery passes. Because this variant may significantly affect the commonly performed C-1 posterior laminectomy, the authors studied the incidence and radiological appearance of this anatomical feature in surgical specimens. Methods Anatomical measurements were performed using a Vernier caliper (accurate to 0.1 mm) on 166 dry C-1 vertebrae. In addition, a convenience sample of 172 cervical x-ray films was evaluated. Partial osseous bridging was detected in eight (4.8%), and a complete osseous bridge, forming the canalis arteriae vertebralis (canal for the VA), was seen unilaterally (eight on the left and two on the right) in 10 (6%) and bilaterally in eight (4.8%) of the dry vertebrae. On lateral radiography, a complete bone bridge was observed on nine (5.2%) and a partial bridge on 10 (5.8%) of the 172 studies. Conclusions The discovery of a common variant may necessitate an immediate change in surgical management, and this anomaly could even increase the rate of surgery-related complications. The VA canal, present in the C-1 vertebra in approximately 5% of the specimens evaluated, was a variant that may be protective against VA injury. Knowledge of this variant may help the surgeon undertaking procedures in the C-1 region.

PurposeThis was a collaborative study from the Ophthalmology and Gastroenterology departments of a tertiary care hospital, designed to investigate the local ocular surface parameters in patients with celiac disease (CD).MethodsFifty-six eyes of 28 patients with CD and 58 eyes of 29 healthy adult subjects serving as controls were evaluated. The Schirmer test, tear-film break-up time, and conjunctival impression cytology were performed in addition to a complete ophthalmological examination. Impression cytology specimens of each group were graded and scored in the range 0-3.ResultsThe 28 patients with CD consisted of 24 females (86%) and 4 males (14%). The mean age was 34.4±11.3 years (22-55 years). Tear-film break-up time and Schirmer test results were significantly lower in the study group than in the controls (P<0.05). Also, there was a significant difference between the groups for impression cytology grading scores (P=0.001).ConclusionsThe CD group showed a marked preponderance of females with an F/M ratio of six females per male, as reported in the literature. Tear-film functions and conjunctival surface epithelial morphology were significantly altered in patients with CD.

The thickness of the plantar fascia at origin did not change with athletic activity at the amateur level.