Anti-D in a 'D positive' mother giving rise to severe haemolytic disease of the newborn. A dilemma in antenatal immunohaematological testing.

An Rh positive woman having the Rh(D) variant designated DVI formed a potent anti-D which caused a severe haemolytic disease in the infant. The infant received three exchange transfusions within the first 21 hours after delivery and, because of a 'late anaemia', three additional blood transfusions during the first 3 months of life. The authors point out the distinction between D variant antigens, where certain epitopes of the D antigen are lacking, and qualitatively normal D antigens with a reduced reactivity, Du.

The effect of L-dopa with and without decarboxylase inhibitor on growth hormone secretion in children with short stature.

The efficiency of L-dopa alone and L-dopa plus a dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (carbidopa) in provoking growth hormome (GH) secretion was studied 40 children with short stature. By preventing the extracerebral metabolism, carbidopa increases the availability of L-dopa to the brain. The study was designed as paired series of growth hormone stimulation tests in which the effect of L-dopa alone, in different dosage schedules, was compared with the same dose level of L-dopa plus carbidopa, When L-dopa was given in full dose (125-500 mg), there was no significant difference in the serum GH concentrations at any time of sampling.