Non-invasive Prenatal Testing in Pregnancies Following Assisted Reproduction.

In the decade since non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) was first implemented as a prenatal screening tool, it has gained recognition for its sensitivity and specificity in the detection of common aneuploidies. This review mainly focuses on the emerging role of NIPT in pregnancies following assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the light of current evidence and recommendations. It also deals with the challenges, shortcomings and interpretational difficulties related to NIPT in ART pregnancies, with particular emphasis on twin and vanishing twin pregnancies, which are widely regarded as the Achilles' heel of most pre-natal screening platforms.

Single nucleotide polymorphism array versus karyotype for prenatal diagnosis in fetuses with abnormal ultrasound: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To estimate the incremental yield of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array over karyotype and to assess the diagnostic accuracy of SNP array as a stand-alone test versus SNP array with karyotype in detecting chromosomal abnormalities for prenatal diagnosis in women with an abnormal fetal ultrasound.

Study Design: Studies in which SNP array and karyotype had been used for diagnosing chromosomal aberrations in fetuses with abnormal ultrasound findings were included. A systematic search of relevant studies published in the English language in EMBASE, PubMed, CENTRAL, CDSR (Cochrane database of systematic reviews), SCOPUS and Web of science between 1996 and May 2020 was performed.

Laboratory and clinical comparison of the efficacy of prestorage leukoreduction of red cells at cold versus room temperature.

Background: The temperature at which filtration takes place has been reported to influence the efficacy of leukoreduction. We aimed to compare the residual leukocyte count (RLC) in red cell units (RCUs) filtered at cold (CT) versus room temperature (RT) and to assess whether this correlates clinically with a difference in the incidence of acute transfusion reactions (ATRs).

Methods And Materials: In the first part of the study, whole blood units collected were randomly allocated for subsequent filtration at CT and RT, respectively.

Utility of Chromosomal Microarray in Children with Unexplained Developmental Delay/Intellectual Disability.

To evaluate the chromosomal microarray (CMA) yield among children who presented with global developmental delay/intellectual disability (GDD/ID) with/without co-occurring conditions. The pathogenic copy number variation (pCNVs) findings on CMA of all children who presented with unexplained GDD/ID were categorized based on the clinical features. The karyotype results were compared with CMA.

Frequency of Platelet Crossmatch Positivity and Predictive Value for Poor Platelet Increment Among Paediatric Oncohaematology Patients in India.

Immune platelet destruction is a significant cause for platelet refractoriness. The platelet crossmatch-a solid phase red cell adherence assay utilizes donor platelets and patient serum to assess compatibility and appears to be a feasible option in resource constrained settings. This study was done to evaluate the frequency of platelet crossmatch positivity among Paediatric Oncohaematology patients and also to assess whether a positive crossmatch is predictive of unsuccessful platelet transfusions in this group of patients.

Pseudothrombocytopenia observed with ethylene diamine tetra acetate and citrate anticoagulants, resolved using 37°C incubation and Kanamycin.

Pseudothrombocytopenia (PTP) is defined by falsely low platelet counts on automated analyzers caused by in vitro phenomena including large platelet aggregates in blood samples. Diagnosis and resolution of PTP is crucial as it can lead to unwarranted interventions. We discuss a case of PTP in a pre-surgical setting, which was resolved using 37°C incubation and Kanamycin.