North Bengal Medical College

About: North Bengal Medical College is a other organization based out in Darjeeling, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 624 authors who have published 691 publications receiving 5492 citations.

Comparison of results of three different methods of treatment for adhesive capsulitis of shoulder.

Abstract: In prospective randomised fashion 72 patients were selected for treatment and were assigned to one of three groups: Groups M, I, and P and treated by manipulation under anaesthesia(M), peri-articular injection (I) and by physiotherapy (P) and results were compared. Though the efficacy of different methods are comparable, but groups M and I have better outcome than group P.

Frontal assessment battery in Parkinson's disease: A study on 170 patients.

Abstract: Background: Frontal assessment battery (FAB) was devised as a specific study design to assess frontal lobe dysfunction. Since Parkinson's disease (PD) is often associated with cognitive and other higher mental function complications, FAB test has been carried out by a number of workers to assess the integrity of the frontal lobe. On the other hand, the other frequently conducted test, performed in order to evaluate the mental status, is the Mini Mental State examination of Folstein (MMSE), but its reliability has been questioned in PD, since it does not assess the functions of the frontal lobe alone. Material and Methods: The present study was undertaken in order to assess the suitability of application of the FAB test in Indian patients and to perform its comparative analysis with the MMSE scale. Results and Conclusions: It was observed that the FAB test correlated with the age and the level of education of the patient. The results also correlated with that of the MMSE study, in spite of the fact that the latter is not considered to be a test which can assess exclusively the status of the frontal lobe. To the best of our knowledge, this is first study undertaken in India in this regard.

A Study of HLA-Linked Genes in a Monosymptomatic Psychotic Disorder in an Indian Bengali Population

Abstract: 269 Objective: The etiology of delusional disorder is imperfectly understood. Involvement of biological factors has long been suspected.We examined the incidence of class I human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) in patients with delusional disorder to understand the role of HLA genes and explore a possible immunogenetic etiology for delusional disorder. Methods: We used a nested case–control study design. Psychiatric reference data were available for 27 500 patients registered between 1998 and 2003. Initially, we enrolled 150 patients with delusional disorder from the India-born Bengali population, using DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. After longitudinal follow-up, 80 patients were found to have only delusional disorder, while the remaining 70 patients represented different illnesses with paranoid symptoms and were excluded. We performed serological typing on all 150 patients and applied the polymerase chain reaction–based high-resolution molecular typing method to the 80 patients with delusional disorder. Eighty healthy donors of the same ethnic background, matched for age, sex, and other socioeconomic variables, formed the control group. Results: Some of the HLA alleles were associated with delusional disorder, and the gene HLA-A*03 was found to be significantly more frequent. This gene may influence patients’ susceptibility to delusional disorder.

Effects of age, stage of disease, and educational level on cognitive dysfunction in non-demented idiopathic Parkinsonism: A preliminary report.

Abstract: Background: Parkinsonism is known to be associated with clinically significant impairments on an array of cognitive deficits. The degree of impairment is dependent not only on the course of the disease, but also on other bio-social factors. The objective of the present study was to examine the cognitive dysfunction in non-demented idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) in relation to age, stage of disease, and educational level in a sample in Kolkata, India. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 51 (42 males, 9 females) right-handed patients suffering from non-demented IPD, of age between 40 and 82 years. Data were collected during on-phase medication by using the Kolkata Cognitive Screening Battery. Data were analyzed using means, standard deviations, and multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA). Results and Conclusion: The patients with IPD were impaired in comparison to the available normative data in almost all aspects of cognitive functioning and higher order mental processes. With increasing age, the patients showed greater impairment in delayed memory and recognition task. Patients of more severe stage showed greater impairment in MMSE, delayed recall, and information. Those with lower education had more impaired visuoconstructional ability, information, comprehension, similarities, and arithmetic.

Effects of pre-existing undernutrition on treatment-related complications and treatment outcomes in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A tertiary care center experience

Abstract: Background: Our study aimed to assess the influence of undernutrition on treatment tolerance, treatment-related complications, and treatment outcomes in acute lymphoblastic leucomia (ALL) patients during induction and maintenance phase of chemotherapy and subsequent follow-up visits. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, cohort study was conducted between January 2005 and September 2012 in the Departments of Pediatrics and Radiation Oncology in a tertiary care Medical College and Hospital of Eastern India. Using weight-for-age Z scores (WHO), we divided the 159 ALL patients into 4 groups: Group 1 without malnutrition, Group 2 with mild undernutrition, Group 3 with moderate undernutrition, and Group 4 with severe malnutrition. Data regarding blood counts, hematological support, bone marrow remission status and complications during treatment, and follow-up records were analyzed and compared to find out the impact of undernutrition on treatment tolerance and outcomes in different groups. Results: During the intensive phase of chemotherapy treatment, tolerance was assessed by the nadir of absolute neutrophil count and hemoglobin which fell significantly in moderate and severe malnutrition group. Significantly, more packed red blood cell support and platelet transfusions were required by those two groups P < 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively. The incidence of febrile neutropenia was significantly more in severe malnutrition group (P < 0.001). Ninety-eight (61.63%) patients could not complete chemotherapy within the specified 145-day period of which 23 (76.67%) patients was of severe malnutrition group (P < 0.002). Remission after induction has shown declining trend with more undernutrition. A total of 24 patients relapsed in spite of bone marrow remission which was proportionately more from moderate and severe malnutrition group. During the 5-year follow-up, 20 patients died which was proportionately more in Group 3. Conclusion: Undernutrition adversely affect the final outcome, treatment tolerance, and treatment complications in children with ALL. So, baseline malnutrition should be considered as an important prognostic factor in therapeutic decision of ALL.