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Introduction: India is among the countries reporting regular outbreaks of Dengue infections. The clinical & epidemiological profile of Dengue infection changes from time to time. Present study describes clinical & laboratory manifestations of dengue cases from a tertiary care centre. Methods: It is a descriptive observational study. Study duration was two years from Sep 2011 to Aug 2013. All the dengue patients admitted during this period were included and classified as per new WHO-2009 classification into: Dengue Fever without warning signs (DFWOWS), Dengue Fever with warning signs (DFWWS) and Severe Dengue (SD). The clinical & laboratory parameters were studied and described. Results: From the total of 150 cases, 128 cases (85.33%) were DFWWS, 15 cases (10%) were SD and 7cases (4.67%) were DFWOWS. The commonest age group affected (34 %) was between 11- 15 years. The male: female ratio of cases was 1.73:1. Clinical manifestations were fever (100%), rash (85.33%), arthralgia & myalgia (65.33%), vomiting (64.67%), pain in abdomen (54%), retro orbital pain (43.33%) & convulsions (6.67%). On examination 52% cases had hepatomegaly, 46.67% cases had hemorrhagic manifestations and Tourniquet test was positive in 34.67% of cases. In our study, 54.67% of total cases were positive for NS1 antigen, 28.67% cases were IgM positive and 16.66% cases were positive for both. Maximum number of patients had platelet counts between 40,000 to 1,00,000 (56%). Commonest complication was Encephalitis followed by ARDS. During study period, there was a single death and it was due to ARDS.

Background: There are a lot of sports supplements marketed around the globe. The research is not conclusive regarding the various energy drinks and products in the field of sports. The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of energy drink usage among football players from Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. The study evaluated energy drink usage patterns, types of energy drinks commonly consumed, frequency of consumption and motives of athletes behind consuming energy drinks. Methods: A total number of 150 football players participated in the study. They completed a questionnaire which was administered during a football tournament involving various football clubs of Aurangabad. The energy drinks usage statistics were compiled and analysed. Results: About 30% football players reported consuming at least one serving of energy drink in a week. Around 37.77% of respondents who consumed energy drinks mentioned that energy drinks helped them to regain energy after training or a tournament. Other reasons given for consuming energy drinks were replacement of body water (33.33%), to enhance performance (22.22%) and to prevent fatigue (6.66%). Conclusion: There was a very low level of awareness regarding content, benefits and proper methods of utilizing energy drinks among the football players evaluated. There is a need for campaigns and educational interventions to educate football players regarding the rationale for consuming energy drinks.

Introduction: The occupational hazards reported in jewellery workers are due to the exposure to chemicals during jewellery making like cyanide, lead, zinc, cadmium, palladium, iridium, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, chalk moulds containing high percentage of silica, etc. Spirometry lung functions were assessed in goldsmith workers and compared with the control group. Methods: Twenty males working as goldsmith workers since last 10 years and above with period of exposure to chemical fumes > 5 hours/day were tested for spirometry lung function parameters of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume at the end of one second (FEV1) and Maximum Voluntary Ventilation (MVV). The results were compared with matched controls. Results:The Mean ± Standard Deviation (SD) of FVC was 63.95±9.77% in cases and 76.95±8.1 in controls. The Mean ± Standard Deviation (SD) of FEV1 was 67.25±7.65% in cases and 73.3±8.31in controls. The Mean ± Standard Deviation (SD) of MVV was 61.8±10.54% in cases and 81±5.04in controls. All the parameters studied were significantly less in goldsmith workers. Conclusions: The spirometry lung function parameters were found to be significantly lesser in goldsmith workers when compared to the matched controls.