Rh phenotypes of Chinese blood donors in Hong Kong, with special reference to weak D antigens

Among Hong Kong Chinese blood donors, 99.71 percent were found to be D+. Of these, 55.02 percent were of the phenotype CCDee. The Du phenotype was found to be present in 0.016 percent. Among the 0.27 percent who were apparently D-, 0.079 percent were of the Del phenotype, while the remaining 0.19 percent were "true D-," as defined by a nonreactive eluate obtained by an adsorption and elution procedure using anti-D. The ccdee phenotype constitutes 56.77 percent of the "apparent D-" and 80.24 percent of the true D-. Data show that anti-D rarely occurs in Hong Kong Chinese, and it is postulated that this could be due to the presence of a very weak form of the D antigen among many of those who appear to be D-.     

Metabolic efficacy following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with loop duodenal switch surgery for type 2 diabetes in Indian patients with severe obesity

Background and aimsMetabolic surgery improves glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and severe obesity. Sleeve gastrectomy with loop duodenal switch (SLDS), a loop modification of biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, is aimed to reduce the malabsorption, without compromising the efficacy. This study was designed to analyze the metabolic efficacy following SLDS.MethodsEighty patients, who underwent SLDS for T2DM and severe obesity between January 2014 and February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Complete T2DM remission was defined as HbA1_C < 6% in the absence of anti-diabetic medications. T2DM remission was analyzed at the 6-month and 1-year follow-ups in terms of various predictors. Prediction of T2DM remission by ABCD, DiaRem and IMS scores was analyzed. Lower ABCD scores and higher DiaRem and IMS scores indicate severe T2DM.ResultsFollowing SLDS, HbA1_C significantly reduced from 8.7% to 5.5% at the 6-month and 5.1% at the 1-year follow-ups. T2DM remission was 82.5% at the 6-month and 90.8% at the 1-year follow-ups. Preoperative glycemic control positively predicted, while T2DM duration and preoperative insulin use negatively predicted T2DM remission. Higher ABCD score, lower DiaRem and IMS scores predicted higher T2DM remission. Severe hypoalbuminemia was 20% in patients with 250 cm common channel and 02% in patients with ≥300 cm common channel at the 1-year follow-up.ConclusionsSLDS is an effective surgery to treat T2DM with severe obesity. Shorter T2DM duration, better preoperative glycemic control and the absence of insulin use were associated with better T2DM remission. Malabsorption was significantly lesser, when common channel was ≥300 versus 250 cm.     

Spontaneous pancreatic pseudocyst–portal vein fistula: a rare and potentially life threatening complication of pancreatitis

Pseudocyst formation following acute and chronic pancreatitis is a well known complication. A pancreatic pseudocyst fistulating into the portal vein is a rare and potentially fatal complication. We report a case of pancreatic pseudocyst – portal vein fistula, which was managed with a conservative approach.     

Herbal Medicines Used by Bapedi Traditional Healers to Treat Reproductive Ailments in the Limpopo Province,South Africa

The current study focussed on documenting the ethnobotanical knowledge of herbal medicines used by the Bapedi traditional healers to treat reproductive ailments in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Fifty one healers from 17 municipalities covering Capricorn, Sekhukhune and Waterberg districts of the Limpopo Province were interviewed between January and July 2011. Semi-structured interviews, observations and guided field surveys with the healers were employed. Thirty-six medicinal plant species belonging to 35 genera and 20 families were documented. The most used species were Zanthoxylum humile (25.5%), Catha edulis (21.6%), Ozoroa sphaerocarpa (15.7%), Hypoxis hemerocallidea (13.7%), Hypoxis obtusa (11.7%), Gomphocarpus fruticosus subsp. fruticosus and Gymnosporia senegalensis (9.8% each). The dominant growth forms among the reported medicinal plants were herbs (39%), followed by shrubs and trees with 33% and 28%, respectively. The preferred plant parts were roots (63.9%), followed by bark (13.9%), whole plant (11.1%), tubers (8.3%), bulbs (5.6%), fruits, leaves, stems and twigs (2.8% each). The majority of the species were used to treat gender specific reproductive ailments; while a minority were used for treating reproductive ailments of both genders. Twenty-two species (61.1%) are supported by reports of similar uses in other countries or have proven biological activity. This study illustrates that Bapedi traditional healers possess remarkable knowledge on medicinal plants used for treating and managing reproductive ailments.