Efficacy of amikacin and ciprofloxacin against clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Tuberculosis was a leading cause of death at the turn of the 20th century and continues to be one of the medical scourges of mankind. Before the availability of antimicrobial drugs the cornerstone of treatment was rest in the open air in sanatoria. The major breakthrough in treatment of tuberculosis came with the discovery of Streptomycin.

A crimean - congo haemorrhagic Fever outbreak in northern balochistan.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics, epidemiology, predictors of fatal outcome (PFO), and management effects of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) patients during an outbreak in Northern Balochistan.

Design: Descriptive study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Fatima Jinnah Hospital and Combined Military Hospital, Quetta, from June to October, 2001.

Frequency of tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis detection at a single laboratory in islamabad.

Objective: To determine the frequency of tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis and to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of microscopy and conventional Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) culture technique in the diagnosis of cervical lymphadenitis caused by M. tuberculosis (MTB) Study Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Mycobacteriology, Public Health Laboratories Division, National Institute of Health, Islamabad, from January 2003 to December 2004.

Trend of blood groups and Rh factor in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of different blood groups and Rh factors in a random population sample from urban and rural areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad region of Pakistan.

Methods: Blood group and Rh factor determination was carried out by the antigen-antibody agglutination test from October 2003 to October 2004, and encompassed 2518 subjects.

Results: The percentages of various groups among male and female subjects, respectively, were recorded as 27.

Clinicopathological features of lupus anticoagulant; experience at AFIP during last seven years.

Background: The lupus anticoagulant (LA) belongs to family of immunoglobulins, most commonly an IgG isotype. These antibodies have been identified most frequently in association with thromboembolic events, recurrent fetal loss and thrombocytopenia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presenting clinical and pathological features in patients LA positive presenting at AFIP Rawalpindi over the period of Jan 1993 to Nov 2000.

Penetration and activity of antibiotics in brain abscess.

Penetration of antimicrobial agents into the cerebrospinal fluid is dependent on numerous factors, including their serum protein binding, molecular size and lipid solubility, and degree of local inflammation. The choice of an appropriate agent is further complicated by diverse bacterial flora involved in brain abscess, local resistant patterns and activity of the drug in abscess environment. This update examines the conventional and newer agents in the above context for their role in the management of brain abscess.

Genus and species-specific IgG and IgM antibodies for pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objective: To evaluate three different enzyme immunoassays for serological diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and to compare their diagnostic accuracy in different combinations.

Design: A non-interventional comparative study.

Place And Duration Of Study: The study was carried out at the Department of Microbiology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi between April and September 2001.

Diagnosis of beta-thalassaemia major in previously transfused patients.

Objective: The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of blood transfusion(s) on the haematological picture of b-thalassaemia major.

Design: Retrospective case control study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Department of Haematology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi from January 1999 to December 2000.