Studies on congenital abnormalities and related risk factors.

Congenital malformations were studied prospectively covering 11680 consecutive deliveries. The overall incidence of malformations was 2.3%. Musculoskeletal system was the most commonly involved system. The incidence of malformation was higher in still borns, premature, low birth weight babies and those with positive heredo-familial history. It was also higher in babies, born to mothers who were more than 35 years of age and gravida four and above. Consanguinity of marriage, drugs and hormone ingestion during pregnancy, antenatal complication like hydramnios, pre eclamtic toxemia, gestational diabetes was associated with high incidence of congenital malformations.

IgA nephropathy in northern Pakistan

A light and immunofluorescence microscopy study was performed on 238 patients on whom percutaneous renal biopsies were obtained. On light microscopy the glomerular lesions were predominantly focal WHO Class III and diffuse mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis Class IV. The mesangial deposits showed high association with IgM deposits and presence of early complement components, indicative of both classical and alternative pathways of C3 activation in our patients. The main presentation was with nephrotic syndrome, proteinuria, and microhaematuria in our patients. This study shows the existence of IgA nephropathy in Pakistan but not as frequent as reported in papers from other countries. This is a review article

Bronchoscopic evaluation of 475 patients during 1982-89

A total of 475 patients were examined with fiberoptic Bronchoscope. Out of these 375 were male and 100 females, age from 10-89 years. 84 patients turned out to be carcinoma bronchus based on bronchoscopic findings. Majority of them were smokers. 237 cases were of inflammatory nature. Out of these 183 were male and 54 female. Majority of them were tuberculous in nature. Four patients were subsequently diagnosed as hydatid cysts, 3 female and one male. One female patient came with bronchospasm and bronchoscopic examination revealed foreign body [husk of sugar cane] impacting in the right main bronchus, it was removed bronchoscopically and patient got relief. The remaining 149 patients revealed no pathology