Quantitation of T cells in venous blood of healthy neonates

Quantitation of T Cells in blood is the part of the diagnostic workup for cellular immunity. Specimens of venous blood were collected within 24 hours of birth from 51 healthy, appropriate for gestational age infants. T lymphocytes were identified on the basis of their ability to form rosettes with sheep erythrocytes. The lymphocytes were harvested from peripheral venous blood, which is considered to be more representative of the immune status in the newborn than the cord blood. In the newborn infants the proportion in T cells was found to be considerably diminished in comparison to previously reported values for adults. Preterm infants, especially those with gestational age of 34 wk or less had significantly lower percentage of T cells in their blood as compared with term infants. The proportion of T cells was statistically reduced in infants weighing 2000g or less in contrast to those weighing 2500 g or more.     

Acute intravascular haemolysis following exchange transfusion with G-6-PD deficient blood

A neonate with hyperbilirubinaemia who developed massive intravascular haemolysis following exchange transfusion with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient blood is described. It is recommended that in areas endemic for this enzyme deficiency the donor blood should be screened before being used for exchange transfusion.     

Kala-azar-new developments in diagnosis and treatment

Kala-azar is an endemic, disease in many parts of India. Traditionally diagnosis of this disease was based on demonstrating the parasites in various tissues like bone marrow or splenic aspirates. However, lack of high sensitivity of these methods led to the use of various immunodiagnostic methods in the diagnosis of kala-azar. Antigen detection and polymerase chain reaction to detect parasitic DNA have been found to be useful in patients with an underlying immunosuppressive disease like AIDS. For treating kala-azar, pentavalent antimonial compounds are still the first-line agents. However, due to increasing resistance to this agent, many patients at present requie other drugs including amphotericin B and pentamidine. Toxic effects of these second-line agents have led to development of drug dellvery systems like liposomal amphotericin B, which has shown uniform efficacy in clinical trials. Combining stibogluconate with either paromomycin or interferon-γ has also been shown to be useful in many patients with drug-resistant kala-azar.     

Early detection of breast cancer based on gene-expression patterns in peripheral blood cells

Introduction

Existing methods to detect breast cancer in asymptomatic patients have limitations, and there is a need to develop more accurate and convenient methods. In this study, we investigated whether early detection of breast cancer is possible by analyzing gene-expression patterns in peripheral blood cells.

Methods

Using macroarrays and nearest-shrunken-centroid method, we analyzed the expression pattern of 1,368 genes in peripheral blood cells of 24 women with breast cancer and 32 women with no signs of this disease. The results were validated using a standard leave-one-out cross-validation approach.

Results

We identified a set of 37 genes that correctly predicted the diagnostic class in at least 82% of the samples. The majority of these genes had a decreased expression in samples from breast cancer patients, and predominantly encoded proteins implicated in ribosome production and translation control. In contrast, the expression of some defense-related genes was increased in samples from breast cancer patients.

Conclusion

The results show that a blood-based gene-expression test can be developed to detect breast cancer early in asymptomatic patients. Additional studies with a large sample size, from women both with and without the disease, are warranted to confirm or refute this finding.     

Marsupialization of intramyocardial left anterior descending artery: a novel approach for easy access during revascularization

The left anterior descending (LAD) artery is the most important vessel bypassed during coronary revascularization procedures. This artery usually runs a superficial course, making it easy for localization and grafting. However, many times it takes a course deep in the myocardium or is embedded in thick epicardial fat, which results in technical challenges to the surgeon for localization and grafting. So far, many techniques are described for overcoming these problems, but all require cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and in fact, intramyocardial LAD is considered a relative contraindication for off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). In the present era of enhanced interest in OPCAB, these techniques are not as helpful as they are for conventional CABG with CPB. Here, we describe a novel approach of marsupialization of the LAD for revascularization of intramyocardial LAD that is useful for off-pump as well as conventional revascularization procedures and makes grafting simple and reproducible.     

Airway problems caused by hypogonadism in male patients undergoing neurosurgery

Unanticipated difficult endotracheal intubations can pose challenges for the anesthesiologist. Risks include airway injury, hypoxemia, and death. There is intubation difficulty in various conditions including Downs syndrome, achondroplasia, acromegaly, and dwarfism. We describe difficulty in intubating the trachea with an appropriate sized endotracheal tube in two young male patients with hypogonadism presenting for neurosurgical procedures under general anesthesia. We discuss the role of hypogonadism and the effects of gonadotropin hormones on pubertal laryngeal growth in male patients.     

Severe hypothyroidism after coronary artery bypass grafting

A 56-year-old man with unstable angina underwent urgent coronary artery bypass grafting. The patient required reintubation and prolonged ventilation because of persistent drowsiness and hypotension. The patient was weaned off the ventilator and extubated; however, he remained drowsy and lethargic. Neurologic examination, electroencephalogram, and computed tomography scan of the brain did not show any organic cause of his depressed neurologic status. His metabolic profile revealed severe hypothyroidism. The patient responded well to oral thyroxine. We report the unusual manner in which hypothyroidism presented in the patient. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose and treat this complication.     

“Ambulatory PCNL” (Tubeless PCNL under Regional Anesthesia) – A Preliminary Report of 10 Cases

Aim: We report the technique, safety, outcome and efficacy of “tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) performed under regional anesthesia” in selected cases. Methods: Patients satisfying the entry criteria for the regional block (spinal low-dose anesthesia with low-dose Bupivacaine plus Fentanyl) and tubeless procedure were subjected to a tubeless spinal PCNL The patients were followed up the next day for an ultrasonography and an x-ray of the KUB region. Results: All the ten patients were discharged uneventfully the next day (mean hospital stay-40 h). No blood transfusion and postoperative analgesics (mean post op visual analogue pain score was 2.4) were required. The mean time to return of S₁ sensation, motor block and walking were 183,118 and 196.6 min respectively. There was complete stone clearance in all the cases with a mean collection of 14.5 cc was seen on the post op ultrasound. Conclusions: The present cases were reported to highlight that in a select group of patients tubeless PCNL under regional block is technically feasible and viable option. Regional block has the advantage of avoidance of general anesthesia and anaphylaxis due to use of multiple drugs. Tubeless PCNL has the advantage of avoidance of nephrostomy tube related postoperative pain discomfort and urosepsis. This synergistically (spinal + tubeless PCNL) speeds up the recovery, shortens the length of hospitalization and the analgesic requirement.     

Emergency surgery after percutaneous transmitral commissurotomy: operative versus echocardiographic findings, mechanisms of complications, and outcomes

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine the clinical profile of patients undergoing emergency surgery after balloon mitral valvotomy, to note operative findings and compare them with those of transthoracic echocardiography, to describe the mechanisms of complications, and to describe outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken of patients requiring emergency surgery after percutaneous mitral valvotomy with an Inoue balloon from January 1990 to December 2003. The data analyzed included demographic variables, causes and clinical presentations of complications, and outcome. In 14 consecutive cases of mitral regurgitation, an observational study comparing the operative findings with echocardiography was also undertaken. RESULTS: In 1388 cases of valvotomy, complications necessitating urgent surgery occurred in 31 cases (2.2%). Acute mitral regurgitation occurred in 23 cases (74.2%), and cardiac tamponade occurred in 8 cases (25.8%). Mitral regurgitation was due to leaflet tearing in all cases: anterior leaflet in 20 cases and posterior leaflet in 3 cases. Hypotension, orthopnea, and pulmonary edema were the clinical presentation for mitral regurgitation. Transthoracic echocardiography underestimated the severity of mitral valve pathology. Bilateral severe commissural fusion and pliable leaflet with paracommissural calcium was seen in anterior leaflet tearing. Cardiac tamponade with hemodynamic compromise occurred as a result of left atrial perforation in 6 cases, right atrial perforation in 1 case, and left ventricular perforation in 1 case. High septal puncture led to atrial perforation. Operative mortality was 9.6%, and low cardiac output developed in 29%. CONCLUSION: Acute mitral regurgitation and cardiac tamponade were the causes of emergency surgery after balloon valvotomy. Transthoracic echocardiography underestimated the severity of valve pathology.