ABSTRACT
Background: Current Leishman staining technique for staining thin blood films for differential leukocyte count is too time consuming to meet emergency needs in hospitalized patients with infectious and other deadly diseases. This study aimed at discovering optimal phenol: Leishman powder ratio appropriate for modified Leishman stain and finding an optimized staining reaction and facilitating rapid cellular analysis of blood without alteration in quantity and quality. Methodology: Leishman stain was modified using phenol crystals and liquefied phenol. Various ratios of phenol and Leishman powder were experimented in absolute methanol. Fixing and staining times of staining process were manipulated to develop new staining procedures that gave optimal staining reaction on thin blood films prepared within two hours of receipt. Results were presented as photomicrographs of stained slides. Results: 30mg and 50mg of phenol crystals or 30μL and 50μL of liquefied phenol were required to give 1:5 and 1:3 phenol: Leishman powder ratios respectively. Two modified Leishman staining techniques were developed. The first fixed thin blood films for 25 seconds and stained for 50 seconds while the second technique fixed slides for 1 minute Original Research Article RRRreResearch…….. Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 4(27): 4591-4606, 2014 4592 and stained for 3 minutes. Photomicrographs of thin blood films showed excellent staining results that compared well with the conventional technique. Conclusion: Unlike the conventional method which requires a total of 10-12 minutes, to complete the staining process, modified Leishman staining techniques require only 75.0 seconds and 4.0 minutes! Batches of blood films can be stained within a short time thus facilitating rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients.
ABSTRACT
Pregnant women are at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to physiological changes that accompany pregnancy, such as congestion of the cervix, edema of the vaginal mucosa, and alterations in the vaginal flora. Syphilis and HIV are both transmitted sexually and so it is not surprise that a substantial number of people are infected with both agents. The rate of HIV and syphilis co-infection varies depending on the prevalence of both infections in the community or the patient group being studied, along with individual risk factors. 1913 apparently healthy pregnant women were recruited for the study after obtained their consent. Detection of HIV p24 antigen and antibodies to HIV1/2 was screened for using BIO-RAD in-vitro diagnostic enzyme immunoassay; syphilis was screen for using DIA-PRO in-vitro diagnostic Bio-probes enzyme immunoassay for the determination of antibodies to Treponema pallidum. Age group 26-30 had highest prevalence of HIV and VDRL in the study years, a decreasing trend was observed in the prevalence of HIV and syphilis infection within the study years. Seroprevalence of HIV and VDRL were 63(3.29%) and 03(0.16%) respectively. The prevalence of HIV and VDRL co-infection was 01(0.05%) observed in age group 26-30. This present study clearly documents a relatively declined in sero-prevalence of HIV and VDRL within the consecutive three years of study, this reflects the level of HIV and VDRL in the general population.