Philadelphia chromosome- positive myelodysplastic syndrome with single lineage dysplasia.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of acquired clonal disorders characterized by dysplastic and ineffective hematopoiesis in the bone marrow. Various specific karyotypic and molecular abnormalities associated with MDS further guide the prognosis. Although translocation t(9;22)(q34;q11) (Philadelphia positive [Ph+]) and corresponding BCR-ABL fusion transcript are classically defined to differentiate CML from non-CML myeloproliferative disorders, it is also associated with adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL), acute myeloid Leukemia (Ph+ AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (Ph+ MDS).

Clinicopathological Profile of the von Willebrand Disease in a Tertiary Care Centre in Varanasi.

 The von Willebrand disease (vWD) is one of the most common inherited bleeding disorders in India; however, the diagnostic tests and its interpretation require specialized laboratory and personnel which are not readily available in the eastern part of North India. The purpose of this study is to estimate the relative prevalence of vWD and study the clinical and laboratory features including advanced diagnostic tests.  All patients referred to the pathology department for evaluation of bleeding were evaluated for vWD during a period of 4 years.

Clinicopathological features of hemophilia in a tertiary care centre of India.

Context: Inherited bleeding disorders are common in India and hemophila and von Willebrand diseases are the most common among them. These patients can present in any department including paediatrics, medicine, orthopaedics and even gynaecology so knowledge about hemophilias and facilities for specialized tests for diagnosis are required. Few centres of north-eastern part of India perform these tests so hemophilias remain an underdiagnosed and underreported disease.

Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (ISHBT) Consensus Document on Hematological Practice During COVID-19 Pandemic.

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide public health emergency with widespread impact on health care delivery. Unforeseen challenges have been noted during administration of usual haematology care in these unusual COVID-19 times. Medical services have been overstretched and frontline health workers have borne the brunt of COVID-19 pandemic.

Case Report: Histoplasmosis Accompanying Disseminated Tuberculosis in an Immunocompetent Adolescent Boy.

The incidence of tuberculosis in India is quite high. In such a situation, empirical antitubercular therapy (ATT) is often resorted to, when some of the investigation findings are clearly diagnostic of tuberculosis. This may mean missing out on coinfections.

Idiopathic Fatal Pancytopenia: A Case Report.

Pancytopenia is defined as decrease in red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Many disease processes involve the bone marrow primarily or secondarily resulting in pancytopenia. A 55-year-old male presented with generalized body weakness and few episodes of malena for last one year.

Floatation of decalcified bone marrow core biopsy - a clue to marrow hypocellularity.

Unlabelled: Background : Examination of bone marrow plays a pivotal role in the practice of haematology. It can be evaluated by three ways - bone marrow aspiration smears (BMA), bone marrow touch imprints (BMI) and bone marrow biopsy (BMB). BMB sections are considered to be the gold standard for assessing overall marrow cellularity.

Value of bone marrow imprint smears in early diagnosis of bone marrow pathologies.

Background: Examination of bone marrow plays a pivotal role in the practice of haematology. It can be evaluated by three ways-bone marrow aspiration (BMA), bone marrow touch imprints (BMI) and bone marrow biopsy (BMBx).

Aim And Objective: To study the efficacy and reliability of BMI smears in comparison to BMA smears, in making a diagnosis of diseases involving bone marrow.

Primary cerebral nocardiosis in a renal transplant recipient: a case report.

Nocardial brain abscess is a rare central nervous system infection. A 50 year old renal transplant recipient developed a nocardial cerebral abscess. It manifested clinically with pyrexia of unknown origin, recurrent episodes of convulsions and a right sided hemiparesis.

Primary amoebic meningo-encephalitis due to Naegleria fowleri.

Primary amoebic meningo-encephalitis is a fulminant, often rapidly fatal infection affecting individuals with a recent history of swimming in warm fresh water. A fatal case of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis due to Naegleria fowleri in a 35 years old male suffering from human immunodeficiency virus with pulmonary tuberculosis infection is reported. Naegleria fowleri was diagnosed by wet mount examination of cerebrospinal fluid and the diagnosis was confirmed by culture of the cerebrospinal fluid on non-nutrient agar layered with Escherichia coli.

Immunosuppressive therapy in aplastic anemia.

Objective: To assess the response to antithymocyte globulin based immunosuppressive therapy (IST) in pediatric patients with idiopathic aplastic anemia.

Methods: Thirty patients (19 boys and 11 girls) with aplastic anemia received antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine. Twenty-two patients had severe and 8 had very severe aplastic anemia.

Mycotic keratitis in India: a five-year retrospective study.

Background: Mycotic keratitis is a fungal infection of the cornea. This infection is difficult to treat and it can lead to severe visual impairment or blindness. It is worldwide in distribution, but is more common in the tropics and subtropical regions.

Cryptococcal meningitis with an antecedent cutaneous Cryptococcal lesion.

Cutaneous cryptococcosis, caused by an encapsulated yeast, Cryptococcus neoformans, is generally associated with concomitant systemic infection. Here we report a case of primary cutaneous cryptococcosis with spread to central nervous system in an HIV seronegative young boy. In the present case, a 17-year-old boy who was suffering from a non-healing ulcer on his right great toe for 5 months, presented with the signs and symptoms of meningitis.

Cutaneous zygomycosis: a possible postoperative complication in immunocompetent individuals.

Fungi in the class of zygomycetes usually produce serious infections in diabetics and immunocompromised hosts. Cutaneous zygomycosis is a less common form, with an unpredictable extent of anatomical involvement and clinical course. Here, we report two cases of primary cutaneous zygomycosis as postoperative complications in otherwise healthy females.

A case of Actinomycotic mycetoma involving the right foot.

A 45-year-old male presented with history of multiple swellings over the foot with sinuses discharging seropurulent pus. Actinomadura madurae was demonstrated and identified by microbiological culture from the pus obtained directly of the lesion. This case is reported to emphasize the importance of laboratory diagnosis in the management and assessment of the prognosis of such cases.

Evaluation of different serological techniques in laboratory diagnosis of brucellosis.

Diagnosis of brucellosis is vital for early institution of proper therapy as untreated cases may progress to chronic stage. Though the demonstration of the causative agent in blood is considered as the most conclusive test in the diagnosis of brucellosis, isolation of brucella organism by blood culture is relatively low. Hence a number of sensitive and rapid serological tests have been introduced for the diagnosis of brucellosis.

Pulmonary fungal ball in non-immunocompromised patient: a case report.

Fungal ball caused by Aspergillus species is an opportunistic infection. We describe a case report of a patient with culture positive Aspergillus fumigatus who presented with complaints of cough and expectoration with recurrent episodes of haemoptysis. Tuberculosis is the commonest cause of haemoptysis in India.

Hepatocellular carcinoma presenting as neutrophilic leukaemoid reaction--a rare entity.

Leukaemoid reaction is a rare, growth factor-driven, paraneoplastic manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma. It may masquerade as the neutrophilic chronic myeloid leukaemia or as chronic neutrophilic leukaemia. A 52-year-old male presented with hepatosplenomegaly and severe leucocytosis.

Pulmonary nocardiosis presenting as fungal ball--a rare entity.

Pulmonary intracavitary infection caused by Nocardia is an opportunistic infection and is believed to be a rare entity. We describe a case report of a patient with culture positive Nocardia asteroides who presented with complaints of cough and expectoration with episodes of haemoptysis and dyspnoea. The diagnosis of nocardiosis was made by microscopic examination of the surgically resected portion of the lung and confirmed on culture.

RAEB-t in young adults--a rare entity.

Refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB-t) in young adults is a rare entity. RAEB-t presenting with megaloblastic erythropoiesis should be differentiated from nutritional B12 and folic acid deficiency and from acute erythroleukemia. We report two cases in the present article.