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

Thrombocytopenia in malaria

To determine the frequency of thrombocytopenia in Malarial Parasite [MP] positive patients. A cross-sectional study. Medical Unit-III, Ward-7, JPMC, Karachi, from June to October 2006. One hundred twenty four MP positive cases were included in the study. Infections with both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax species were included. Complete blood picture with platelet count was obtained in all patients. Thrombocytopenia was defined as platelets count of < 150.000/cmm. Among 124 patients of MP positive, 100 [80.6%] were found to have thrombocytopenia. Over all 64 patients had Plasmodium falciparum, while 60 patients were having Plasmodium vivax infection. The frequency of thrombocytopenia was 71.87% [n=46] in falciparum and 93.33% [n=56] in vivax infection. Thrombocytopenia was a common haematological finding in patients with Plasmodium infection particularly marked in vivax species infection