survey of the educational needs on hygenic problems of puberty in girls

In this descriptive study, 250 students aged 12-14 were studied by random sampling. Data were gathered by interview and questionnaire. The results indicated that the subjects possessed a poor knowledge on puberty health [mean of 3.61 from 10]. The most important sources of acquiring relevant information were: the subjects, mothers [68.4], friends [11.2], health instructors [12%], books and journals [4.4%] and others [4%]. There was a relationship between the students, age and knowledge [p=0.0001]. 41.2% of the students enjoyed a poor knowledge on menstruation. The age average of the girls for menarche was 12.5. The finding suggests instructing mothers in the first place to convery useful and proper information to their offspring. Also instructors can have a forceful role in conveying the related information. Incorporating the information into the students' textbooks before puberty can also yeild useful results

Alloantibody detection in major beta thalassemic patients transfused within less-than-20-day intervals

Mismatched red blood cell phenotypes between donors and recipients in multiple blood transfusions can result in the development of alloimmunization in recipients. We studied in this research the effect of alloantibodies on the increase of need of blood transfusion in major thalassemiacs. This is a descriptive study in which 2 groups of major thalassemiacs with more and less than 20 days of blood transfusion intervals [27 patients vs. 25] were evaluated for the presence and frequency of alloantibodies and related factors. We used t-test and t-student tables for evaluating the results. 55% of patients in the first group had developed alloantibodies and their annual transfused blood volume was more than those who were not immunized [p<0.005]. Male gender and initial blood transfusion in children under 3 years old were related to the absence of alloantibodies. 100% of patients in the second group were immunized, and those who received higher amounts of blood units annually [493 ml/kg and 508 ml/kg] were patients with more than two types of alloantibodies. Alloimmunization involved K [27.5%], N [12.5%], CW, s, Fy[b] [5%], C, S, E, e and M [2.5%] antigens. 100% of antibodies were of warm immunoglobulin type, and 16% both warm and cold. 17.3% of thalassemiacs were splenectomized and their need for transfused blood was less than unsplenectomized patients [p<0.005]. In most cases, annual blood transfusion in both groups was estimated to be much more than what was expected. We conclude that red blood cell matching, at least for Kell and Rh systems, is necessary to prevent alloimmunization in thalassemiacs. Hypersplenism and low quality of blood, that can increase the need for transfused blood, should be taken into consideration