ABSTRACT
This is a prospective study done on Bangladeshi people during the period from January 1999 to December 2002. Cases were collected from the department of Medicine in Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka; Sher-e-Bangla Medical College, Barisal and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka. We examined the chronic effect of smoking on brain atrophy quantitatively with Computed Tomography (CT). Study was performed on 219 smokers and same numbers of non-smokers from 40 to 70 years old with neither neurological nor focal abnormality in brain CT. Brain atrophy index (BAI) which was a quantitative marker of brain atrophy reported previously, was calculated from each brain CT. Smokers showed a significant increase in BAI compared to non-smokers in groups 50-54 years (p<0.01), 55-59 years (p<0.01), 60-64 years (p<0.05) and 65-70 years (p<0.05). It was suggested that age-related brain atrophy was increased by chronic smoking through advanced atherosclerosis.
Subject(s)
Aging , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Intracranial Arteriosclerosis/etiology , Smoking/adverse effects , Adult , Aged , Atrophy/diagnostic imaging , Brain/pathology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Risk Factors , Smoking Prevention , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Immunological characteristics of leukaemic blast cells from 55 patients of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were analysed using a panel of monoclonal antibodies and immunoperoxidase technique. Among 36 children the percentage of Common-ALL was found to be low (39%) as compared to western reports, whereas that of T-ALL was high (36%). Out of 19 adults, 52.6% were Common-ALL, 21.1% Early-B-ALL and 16% T-ALL; the findings being consistent with western studies. The T-ALL cases (13) were subclassified according to the stage of thymic maturation depending upon the expression of CD8 and CD4 antigens. Six were identified as early, 3 as common and 4 as late thymocyte stage.
Subject(s)
Immunophenotyping , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/immunology , Adult , Antibodies, Monoclonal , Child , Female , Humans , Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell/immunology , Male , Pakistan , PrognosisABSTRACT
The effects of Russell's viper venom on blood coagulation, platelets and the fibrinolytic enzyme system were studied in rabbits after injecting repeated doses of 0.05 MLD of the venom. Thrombocytopenia was the earliest change to appear. It was followed by rise in serum fibrinogen degradation products and prolongation of prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and thrombin time indicating a progressive consumption coagulopathy and activation of fibrinolysis. Red blood cell morphology was unchanged during the first three weeks; whereas the fragmentation appeared after the fourth week and it increased in severity with further envenomations, i.e. when chronic DIC was established.
