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A randomized controlled study of valethamate bromide administered by intramuscular injection in acceleration of labor was done in 60 consecutive primigravidae and 60 consecutive multigravidae admitted in labor at 2-4 cm cervical dilatation. There was no difference observed in the rate of cervical dilatation between those who received valethamate bromide and those who received normal saline. However, maternal tachycardia was observed in significantly more women primigravida RR 1.97, 95% CI 1.3-3.0; multigravida RR 2.16, 95% CI 1.3-3.6) who had received valethamate bromide.

Background:Autologous serum skin test (ASST) is a simple in-vivo clinical test for the detection of basophil histamine releasing activity and to diagnose chronic autoimmune urticaria (CAU) among chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) patients. Diagnosing these patients is also important as they may need high doses of antihistamines and systemic corticosteroids during acute exacerbations.Aims and Objectives:The aim of this study is to study the prevalence of CAU among cases of CSU by using ASST.Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional study done among 48 patients presenting with CSU. Detailed history, physical examination and routine investigations were recorded for all patients. ASST was done on all the 48 patients.Results:Of the 48 patients included in the study, 20 patients (41.6%) were ASST positive, while the remaining 28 (58%) were ASST negative. The median duration of disease in both ASST positive and negative patients was 1 year. ASST positivity was higher (66.6%) among patients with a history of round shaped weals, though not statistically significant. ASST positivity was seen in 5 (71.4%) out of seven patients with systemic involvement, which was again not statistically significant.Conclusion:Our study did not show any significant difference between patients with and without antibodies regarding mean age and sex distribution, clinical morphology of individual weals, duration, severity, systemic symptoms, angioedema, atopy, and association with other autoimmune conditions.

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Monilethrix is a rare hereditary condition generally considered to be an autosomal-dominant disorder with variable penetrance. Here, we report a case of monilethrix in a 13-year-old boy with an affected sibling. A therapeutic trial with oral N-acetyl cysteine was attempted. There was slight improvement after 2 months of therapy. The hair density, however, did not show any further improvement subsequently. Monilethrix remains as a therapeutic challenge for dermatologists.

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Chemotherapy-induced acral erythema is a painful erythema of the palms and soles which occurs following chemotherapy. It is usually seen due to cytarabine, doxorubicin and fluorouracil. We present a 40-year-old male patient, a biopsy proven case of squamous cell carcinoma of the floor of the mouth, who developed a bullous variant of acral erythema after a single intravenous dose of methotrexate. He also had fever, buccal mucositis, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and hyperpigmented macular rash on the face and upper trunk. The bullous variant of acral erythema due to methotrexate has rarely been reported.