An Effective Management for Thalassaemic Patients during Pregnancy

Background : Presence of thalassaemia is considered high risk in pregnancy. The present study find out the role of antenatal and intrapartum care to improve the outcome of pregnancy in thalassaemia. Materials and Method : The prospective longitudinal study was carried out on 25 patients. CBC, LFT, Ferritin, Hb electrophoresis, serial USG was done. Chorionic villous sampling was offered to thalassaemic women to decrease the number of babies born with Thalassaemia. Furthermore, management and treatment options provided to mother to overcome the incidence of maternal and neonatal complications during current pregnancy. Results : 44% of thalassaemic pregnant women had HbE ? thalassaemia, 8% ? thalassaemia major and others had thalassaemia carriers, while only 20% of their partners showed ? thalassaemia trait. All patients were anemic and during delivery mean Hb% were 8.42 g/dl, MCH 22.09 pg, MCV 73.56 fl, MCHC 29.86 g/dl and ferritin 241.51 ng/ ml. Third trimester USG exhibited 32% developed IUGR (Intrauterine growth restriction). 40% patients received blood transfusion after delivery. ? thalassaemia trait was identified in 20% babies at 6 month. Conclusion : Postpartum haemorrhage is a major complication of thalassaemia in pregnancy. After delivery a thorough neonatal check-up and haematological work-up is important for prevention of neonatal mortality and early detection of thalassaemia.

Primary internal iliac artery ligation – an effective technique for surgical hemostasis in wertheim’s hysterectomy.

Objective: Lessening intra-operative blood loss by the technique of bilateral internal iliac artery ligation as 1st step in Wertheim’s Hysterectomy. Methods: 20 cases of early Stage Cancer Cervix, who underwent Wertheim’s hysterectomy over period June 09 to Dec 12 in CRG Hospital, Ujjain and Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment, were studied. The demographic data, hemoglobin before and after surgery, and requirement of intra-operative blood transfusion, were studied. Results : 80% patients had less than 200ml intra-operative blood loss. Conclusion : Alleviating troublesome bleeding during dissection of lymph nodes and ureteric tunnel by primary ligation of internal iliac artery is a statistically proven optimum technique of Wertheim’s Hysterectomy.

Identification of allergens in Indian fishes: hilsa and pomfret exemplified by ELISA and immunoblotting.

Enzymed-linked immunosorbent assay of hilsa and pomfret muscle extracts showed specific IgE binding to ten allergic patients' sera, the results corroborated to that of skin prick test. Comparison of allergen profiles of the two fish extracts by immunoblotting revealed a common antigenic protein of 50 kDa and some high molecular weight fish allergens instead of low molecular weight parvalbumin found in several fishes. Purified and well characterized fish allergens are always considered better than crude fish extracts for diagnostic use.

Antiserum directed against cell surface antigens is lethal to Leishmania donovani promastigotes.

The purified flagellar fraction of Leishmania donovani promastigotes consists of 30-35 polypeptides. Antiserum raised against this fraction reacts with both flagella and pellicular membrane antigens as evident from immunoblot and immunofluorescence studies. Only 3 of these immunoreactive polypeptides are flagellum-specific. The antiserum agglutinates the cells and inhibits their growth in liquid culture medium. Moreover, glucose uptake and glucose-stimulated oxygen uptake of the promastigotes are significantly inhibited by the antiserum. The results indicate that the antiserum has a profound lethal effect on the in vitro propagation of the parasite.