Microbiological, histopathological and clinical changes in chronic infected wounds after citric acid treatment Citric acid treatment of chronic infected wounds offers excellent results. It has been found to be effective against a variety of bacteria causing wound infections. In vitro studies have revealed the efficacy of citric acid against bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. Clinical results with this treatment showed early formation of healthy granulation tissue and enhancement of the healing process

Altered platelets have been reported in patients with diabetes mellitus and has been considered as a 'prothrombotic state' with enhanced platelet reactivity. They have been associated with increased risk of vascular complications in these patients. Platelet indices correlate with functional status of platelets and is an emerging risk factor of vascular complications in diabetes. The study was undertaken to know the efficacy of platelet analysis in assessing the prognosis of diabetes mellitus. A prospective hospital based study of platelet parameters MPV, PDW and P-LCR was carried out on 280 cases diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes Mellitus and 280 controls with normal blood glucose levels. The blood glucose levels and HbA1c level were also measured. Statistical evaluation was performed by using Student's unpaired test and Pearson correlation test. The average age of presentation with type 2 diabetes mellitus was 53 ± 5.7 years. The mean duration of diabetes was 4.7 ± 2.5 years. MPV, PDW and P-LCR were significantly higher in diabetics compared to non diabetics (11.3 ± 1.0 vs. 9.0 ± 0.6, 14.2 ± 2.5 vs. 10.7 ± 0.7 fl, 35.0 ± 8.1 vs. 23.0 ± 2.4%). Among the diabetics, MPV, PDW and P-LCR were higher in those with complications as compared to those without complications, which was not statistically significant. The higher values of MPV, PDW and P-LCR indicates that they serve as better risk indicator of initial vascular complications in diabetes mellitus patients and can be used as a simple and cost effective tool to assess vascular events.

Objective: Fixation in cytology is to preserve and maintain clear and consistent morphological features. Ethanol is most commonly used a gold standard fixative in cytology, but it has few disadvantages such as expensive, flammable, evaporates easily, subjected to pilferage and not easily available. So honey can be used as fixative as it contains several minerals, trace elements, vitamins, carbohydrates and acts as a fixative because of its inherent properties by enabling cellular preservation and dehydration. Considering this objective of present study is to evaluate the fixative properties of honey in comparison with ethanol in a double blinded manner. Materials and Methods: Two oral smears were obtained from each individual (n=50) by gently scraping the buccal mucosa. One slide was fixed in ethanol (95%) and the other in honey (20% processed) for a minimum of 15 minutes and stained with Papanicolaou stain. Two separate pathologists who were blinded for the fixative used evaluated the slides for 5 parameters (Cell morphology, Nuclear and Cytoplasmic staining, Clarity and uniformity of staining,) Results: Among 50 cases evaluated by both pathologists, results showed that honey fixed smears had acceptable nuclear and cytoplasmic staining, well preserved cell morphology, clarity and uniformity of staining as comparable to ethanol with no statistical difference between both fixatives. Conclusion: Hence in search of a better, eco-friendly and cost effective fixative, 20% processed honey can be efficiently used in cytological smear fixation for the preservation of cellular details.

Background: Granulomas are the commonest lesions that the pathologists come across in routine practice. Granulomatous inflammation is a distinctive pattern of chronic inflammation that is encountered in a number of infectious and non-infectious conditions. A definitive diagnosis made by demonstration of the etiological agent is essential, which will bear an impact on patient management and outcome.Methods: This is a retrospective study considering the cases of 2 years. The cases diagnosed as infectious granulomatous skin lesions by clinical presentation, histopathological study of skin biopsies of such patients attending our hospital since July 2010 to July 2012 were included in the study. Clinical history and relevant data were obtained from respective requisition forms of biopsies received. Results:The study includes 67 cases. A male predominance was noted with 47(70.14%) cases while females constituted 20(29.85%) cases. The study shows that 80% of cases are distributed between 21 to 50 yrs of age while the prevalence of infectious granulomatous dermatoses is highest in the age group of 21-30 yrs. Among the different types of infectious granulomatous dermatoses, leprosy contributed to the major etiology, followed by tuberculosis of skin, leishmaniasis and actinomycosis. Conclusion:Clinical data with the laboratory workup and special stains together are needed for the definitive diagnosis and management of patients with granulomatous lesions. Cooperation between clinician and pathologist is more important in the field of skin disease than in almost any other field if the patient is to derive the greatest benefit from the biopsy.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of parotid, a rare disease, was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration in a young child and later confirmed on histopathology. Of all salivary gland tumors, mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most difficult to diagnose by fine needle aspiration cytology due to overlapping cytomorphology with benign lesions. So, fine needle aspiration cytology helps in early diagnosis and management.