Lactoferrin levels in mother's milk

This study was aimed to see the significance of Lactoferrin in human breast milk among lactating mothers of healthy and sick babies. This study was conducted at pathology and paediatrics departments of Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences Nawabshan, Shaheed Benazirabad between Jan 2011 to Dec 2011. Cross sectional study. Lactoferin levels in breast milk of 356 mothers of healthy babies were estimated and similarly lactoferrin levels in breast milk of 318 lactating mothers of sick babies were estimated and these results were analyzed. The mean lectoferrin level in breast milk of 356 lactating mothers of healthy babies was 9.37 mg/ml and the mean lactoferrin level in breast milk of 318 mothers nursing sick babies was 3.73 mg/ml. There is decrease in lactoferrin levels of lactating mothers of sick babies in their mature milk, which could account for the susceptibility of their babies to infection

Determnation of total globulin in serum by direct method in patients with hepatitis-B and C

To establish a convenient and practicable direct method for estimation of globulin in the serum. The study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry. Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center Karachi. This was a prospective study performed during the period of January 2008 to June 2008. A single, convenient and stable method has been developed for the direct spectrophotometric analysis of globulin in the serum, which has good conformance to Beer's law and is also reproducible. The analysis is based on Hopkins-Cole reaction, which is a direct method for the estimation of total globulin in the serum. The method is based on the estimation of serum tryptophan levels. There is a direct correlation between total serum globulin and total serum tryptophan levels. Globulin differs markedly from albumin in the proportion of their tryptophan content. The glyoxylic acid condenses with tryptophan residues present in globulin and produces purple colour in the presence of copper in an acidic medium. The intensity of colour produced is directly proportional to the concentration of globulin present. The method has no statistical difference with indirect method, both in normal and diseased subjects. In patients when only globulin estimation is required, it can be done by direct method, which is convenient, fast, simple and is not laborious and saves time by avoiding double test performance

Lipoprotein [a] behaviour in viral hepatitis patients

To correlate liver lipoprotein [a] level with biochemical parameters of viral hepatitis, induced due to most common causes, hepatitis B and C. This was a prospective study performed during the period of January 2008 to June 2008. Patient selection was done by simple random enrollment of adult males and females after confirmation of their diagnosis by ELISA method. Total of 80 patients positive for hepatitis B and C virus infection with and without cirrhosis were enrolled for study. Normal subjects were selected as control for study. Serum lipoprotein [a] was estimated by ELISA method and prothrombin time by one stage method. While enzymes assay was done by enzymatic method. The mean values of lipoprotein [a] were found statistically significantly diminished in all groups, which indicate decreased synthesis by the damaged liver. It showed statistically significant negative correlation with prothrombin time, AST and ALT in all patients groups. The results of our study indicate that there is an apparent decline in lipoprotein [a] level in both patients of with and without cirrhosis irrespective of causative organism, relatively more decline in patients of cirrhosis. The apparent decline and evidence of more decrease in the level of lipoprotein [a] with the increase in the stage of disease and its significant correlation with other biochemical parameters, reflects that the evaluation of lipoprotein [a] serum levels may contribute, among other markers, to a more complete evaluation of liver function in patients of viral hepatitis

Seasonal paradox in acute meningitis at Nawabshah

To assess the reasons for paradoxical increase in cases of meningitis in the summer of the year 2001. Design: An observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Medical Unit III, Peoples Medical College Hospital, Nawabshah, Pakistan, from 1st January, 2001 to 31st December, 2001. Subjects and A total number of 229 cases of meningitis were admitted throughout the year with typical clinical features or CSF findings. Maximum number [179] was noted from April to July, which was alarming. The reason for this change was assessed in these cases. One hundred and seventy-nine cases of meningitis presented from 1st April to 31st July 2001. They were predominantly males n= 107 [59.7%] with age range of 15 to 64 years. Presenting symptoms were fever and headache in all and altered sensorium in 160 [89%] cases with positive signs of meningeal irritation in 175 [97.8%]. Cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed altered biochemistry and neutrophil leucocytosis in all cases. Organism was identified in 139 [77.65%] cases on gram staining. Culture was done only in 61 [34.07%]. Predisposing factors were smoking in 93 [52%] and diabetes in 17 [9.5%] cases. Five female patients were pregnant. Common organisms detected were gram positive diplococci [Streptococcus pneumoniae] in 83 [59.7%], gram negative diplococci [Nisseria meningitides] in 51 [36.7%] and Haemophilus influenzae in 5 [3.6%]. As the frequency of isolates were approximately same as in other seasons, the increased in meningitis cases during summer was probably due to hot and dry weather causing low absolute humidity

Antibiotic sensitivity pattern of salmonella typhi isolates in rural sindh

One hundred and twenty strains of Salmonella typhi isolated between January 1994 to December 1995 from peripheral blood of patients clinically suspected to be suffering from typhoid fever, were tested for susceptibility to common antibiotics by standardized single-disc diffusion method of Bauer-Kirby technique. A high level of resistance to first line durgs was observed; co-trimoxazole, 60.00%; Ampicillin, 57.50%; Amoxicillin, 54.16% and chloramphenicol, 50%. Sensitivity of S. typhi to Quinolone group ranging from 98.34 to 99.17%, Cephalosporins, 90-91.67%; Aztreonam, 89.17%. The study brings forward the need of performing blood culture and sensitivity for managing typhoid fever with confidence. Whenever, there is a strong clinical suspicion of enteric fever, after drawing blood sample for culture, treatment with Quinolone, may be started till antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the isolate is determined

Chronic suppurative otitis media: microbial profile in the rural sindh

In this study the tubo-tympanic variety has affected the pre-school and school going children although there was no bacteriologically significant difference in different age groups. Different anaerobe isolates include Bacteroides species [17.82%], Bacteroides melaninogenicus [11.60%] and Bacterioldes fragilis [06.22%] and anaerobic gram-positive cocci [07.56%], Peptostreptococcus [06.67%], Peptococcus [0.89%], while in mixed infections the Pseudomonas species was the most common isolate [27.78%], Proteus mirabilis [12.00%], Proteus vulgaris [0.89%], followed by aerobic gram-positive Staphylococci [10.22%] and Diphtheroids [12.00%]