Use of platelet components: An observational audit at a tertiary care centre.

Background Platelets should be transfused appropriately, based on the cause of thrombocytopenia. The practice and policies of transfusion vary among institutions and even among clinical practitioners, leading to inappropriate use of platelets, which might increase the risk of transfusion-related complications to recipients, and lead to a shortage of platelets. An audit of platelet components helps to determine the effectiveness and appropriateness of their use and in improving transfusion practices.

Clinical Implication of Immunohaematological Tests in ABO haemolytic disease of newborn: Revisiting an old disease.

Objective: We aimed to assess the frequency distribution of of ABO haemolytic disease of newborn (ABO-HDN) and to know the predictive value of immunohaematological tests in identifying at risk neonates.

Background: ABO incompatibility, although a common cause of haemolytic disease of newborn, has several unaddressed issues related to it.

Material And Methods: A prospective study over 20 months was carried out in a tertiary care centre in South India.

Frequency and clinical significance of red cell antibodies in pregnancy - A prospective study from India.

Background: For appropriate management of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN), it is important to detect irregular red cell antibody in the antenatal period. Though it is a simple one-step method, it is not part of routine antenatal screening in many developing countries. To reiterate the importance of antenatal antibody screening, we have assessed the frequency and clinical significance of irregular red cell antibodies in our patient population.

Evaluation and monitoring of response to platelet transfusion therapy: experience from a tertiary care center.

: Refractoriness to platelet transfusion is defined as Corrected Count Increment (CCI) <5000 after two sequential ABO identical transfusions. Immune causes include alloimmunization to HLA and/or platelet-specific antigens. Analysis of various factors leading to platelet refractoriness would help in the management of the patient in a timely manner.

Severe haemolytic disease of a newborn with variant D mimicking blocked-D phenomenon.

Anti-D is still the most common antibody causing severe haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). In a mother with a very high titer of anti-D, antibodies can coat and block the D antigens on the red blood cells of the newborn. This blocking phenomenon prevents agglutination of the D-positive red cells with the IgM anti-D typing reagent, giving false negative results.

Impact of stored red cells on clinical outcome in critically ill.

Background: The use and benefit of fresh blood and leuco-reduced blood for critically ill patients has been inconclusive. In this study we have tried to observe the same, in patients admitted to intensive care unit.

Study Design And Methods: Prospective study was done to observe the effect of transfusion in critically ill patients in a tertiary care hospital.

Red cell storage lesion and the effect of buffy-coat reduction on the biochemical parameters.

Background: Biochemical and metabolic changes in stored RBC may influence the clinical outcome. We aimed to study the temporal changes in the biochemical parameters and the effect of buffy-coat reduction on RBC storage lesions.

Materials And Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on fifteen RBC units five each of buffy coat reduced CPD/SAGM (quadruple bags), non-buffycoat reduced CPD/SAGM (triple bags) and non-buffycoat reduced CPDA (double bags).

Effect of plasma component transfusion on conventional coagulation screening tests.

Background: Conventional coagulation screening tests such as Prothrombin time, International normalized ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin time are often used to predict bleeding in various clinical situations. We aimed to observe the effect of Fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) on these parameters.

Methods: Patients' demographics, pre- and post-transfusion coagulation parameters were noted to assess the level of correction.

E-cadherin expression: a diagnostic utility for differentiating breast carcinomas with ductal and lobular morphologies.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the E-Cadherin (EC) expression in differentiating between an infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) and an infiltrating lobular carcinoma (ILC), the two most common forms of invasive breast carcinomas.

Methods: The authors evaluated the E-Cadherin expression by doing immunohistochemistical studies of all the cases of invasive lobular carcinomas (ILC) which were diagnosed in the pathology laboratory during a 3 year period and they compared the expression of E-Cadherin in an equal number of invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) of the breast.

Results: A moderate to strong inter-membranous E-Cadherin expression on immunohistochemistry was seen in all the cases of IDC, while only 1 case of ILC showed a moderate E-Cadherin expression.

Cytodiagnosis of extramedullary plasmacytomas.

Objective: Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) constitutes approximately 4% of all plasma cell neoplasms. It may present as the sole manifestation of plasma cell neoplasm, as a solitary plasmacytoma of the bone or as a consequence of multiple myeloma. This study was done to determine the role of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of EMP.

An unusual case of a pleural effusion with an abdominal mass.

A 38-year-old man presented to us with a left sided pleural effusion. Pleural fluid was aspirated and analysis revealed it to be an exudate with predominant lymphocytes and an elevated ADA level. He was discharged on antituberculous treatment.

Morphometric evaluation of endometrial blood vessels.

Five hundred endometrial specimens were studied to document the changes in blood vessels in various phases of menstrual cycle, menstrual disturbances and in unexplained infertility. Sixty-three cases were taken as control and 437 cases as study group which included cases of dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB), endometrial polyps, fibroids, adenomyosis, infertility and atrophic endometrium. Using light microscopy, the vascular morphology was studied.

Microwave histoprocessing versus conventional histoprocessing.

The aim of the study is to compare the histologic quality of the microwave histoprocessing with that of conventional method and to determine its positive impact on turnaround times and reduction of costs of tissue processing. One hundred and eighty-five paired tissue sections from different organs were taken. Each tissue sections were of size of 15 mm x 10 mm x 3 mm and divided into two; one set as experimental group and the other as control group.

Fine needle aspiration of metastatic malignant Leydig cell tumor of testis: a case report.

A 53-year-old male presented with a right inguinal mass of one-year duration. The fine needle aspiration of the inguinal mass showed a highly cellular tumor composed of sheets and isolated, large round to polygonal cells with moderate pleomorphism. Many bare nuclei were seen with occasional intranuclear inclusions.

Mast cell profile in uterine cervix.

Mast cell profile was studied in 50 neoplastic and 50 non-neoplastic conditions of the uterine cervix. The mean number of mast cells decreased to 44.8 in chronic cervicitis with ulceration, whereas the highest number of mast cells was observed in cervical polyp with a mean of 250.

Benign teratoma of the lesser omentum--a case report.

Teratomas of the lesser omentum are extremely rare and all cases reported in the literature have been benign teratomas with mature tissue elements. A case of teratoma, which behaved in benign fashion in spite of immature elements in a 16-year-old male, is reported. The patient remained free of disease 7 years after surgical resection of the tumour.