Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2014 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
Background. Volume of red cells in capillary blood varies from that of venous blood.The magnitude of this variation as well as its\r\nimpact on the diagnosis of anaemia in pregnancy needs to be studied. This study demonstrates the disparity between capillary and\r\nvenous PCV in pregnancy. Objectives. To determine whether capillary blood PCV (cPCV) differed fromvenous blood PCV (vPCV)\r\nof normal pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria, and its effect on diagnosis and prevalence of anaemia. Methods. PCVwas estimated\r\nusing pairs of venous and capillary blood samples from 200 consecutive pregnant women at the Antenatal Clinic of University\r\nof Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. Results. Participantsââ?¬â?¢ cPCV (median = 34.0%, IQR = 31.0ââ?¬â??35.8) was significantly\r\nlower than their vPCV (median = 34.0%, IQR = 32.0ââ?¬â??37.0) (?? = -6.85, ?? < 0.001). However, womenââ?¬â?¢s cPCV had strong positive\r\ncorrelation with their vPCV (?? = 0.883, ?? < 0.001). The prevalence of anaemia among participants using capillary and venous\r\nblood was 33.5% (67/200) and 28.0% (56/200), respectively (O.R = 1.3 (CI 95%: 0.85, 1.98), ?? = 0.233). Conclusions. Capillary\r\nblood PCV was lower than vPCV among pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria. Nevertheless, the prevalence of anaemia derived\r\nfrom cPCV did not differ significantly from that of vPCV....
Background. Various studies have raised concern of worse outcomes in patients receiving blood transfusions perioperatively\r\ncompared to those who do not. In this study we attempted to determine the proportion of perioperative complications in the\r\northopedic population attributable to the use of a blood transfusion. Methods. Data from 400 hospitals in the United States\r\nwere used to identify patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA) from 2006 to 2010. Patient and health\r\ncare demographics, as well as comorbidities and perioperative outcomes were compared. Multivariable logistic regression models\r\nwere fitted to determine associations between transfusion, age, and comorbidities and various perioperative outcomes. Population\r\nattributable fraction (PAF) was determined tomeasure the proportion of outcome attributable to transfusion and other risk factors.\r\nResults. Of 530,089 patients, 18.93% received a blood transfusion during their hospitalization. Patients requiring blood transfusion\r\nwere significantly older and showed a higher comorbidity burden. In addition, these patients had significantly higher rates ofmajor\r\ncomplications and a longer length of hospitalization. The logistic regression models showed that transfused patients were more\r\nlikely to have adverse health outcomes than nontransfused patients. However, patients who were older or had preexisting diseases\r\ncarried a higher risk than use of a transfusion for these outcomes. The need for a blood transfusion explained 9.51% (95% CI 9.12ââ?¬â??\r\n9.90) of all major complications. Conclusions. Advanced age and high comorbidity may be responsible for a higher proportion of\r\nadverse outcomes in THA and TKA patients than blood transfusions....
Background. Autologous whole blood and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have been both suggested to treat chronic tennis elbow.The\r\naim of the present study was to compare the effects of PRP versus autologous whole blood local injection in chronic tennis elbow.\r\nMethods. Forty patients with tennis elbow were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group 1 was treated with a single injection of 2mL\r\nof autologous PRP and group 2 with 2mL of autologous blood. Tennis elbow strap, stretching, and strengthening exercises were\r\nadministered for both groups during a 2-month followup. Pain and functional improvementswere assessed using visual analog scale\r\n(VAS), modifiedMayo Clinic performance index for the elbow, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) at 0, 4, and 8 weeks. Results. All\r\npain and functional variables including VAS, PPT, and Mayo scores improved significantly in both groups 4 weeks after injection.\r\nNo statistically significant difference was noted between groups regarding pain scores in 4-week follow-up examination (?? > 0.05).\r\nAt 8-week reevaluations, VAS and Mayo scores improved only in PRP group (?? < 0.05). Conclusion. PRP and autologous whole\r\nblood injections are both effective to treat chronic lateral epicondylitis. PRP might be slightly superior in 8-week followup.However,\r\nfurther studies are suggested to get definite conclusion....
The aim of our experiments was to characterise and to validate the osmotic fragility test when applied to human blood samples\r\nwith no significant alterations of osmotic fragility but with a differentiating shape of the haemolysis curve. All experiments were\r\ncarried out on human erythrocytes taken fromthe Regional Centre of Blood Donation and Blood Therapy inWroclaw. The washed\r\nerythrocytes were exposed to near-infrared radiation (NIR) or ozonated, and the osmotic fragility test was applied. The osmotic\r\nfragility, calculated from the experimental haemolysis curve for the control and cells irradiated for 15 min, is the same within the\r\nempirical error. Calculation of the first derivative of the haemolysis curve allowed us to visualise the changes in osmotic fragility\r\ndistribution after exposure to NIR. By contrast, significant changes both to the osmotic fragility value and the distribution of osmotic\r\nproperties were observed after an erythrocytes ozonation procedure. Description of cell osmotic properties requires at least two\r\nparametersââ?¬â?the value of osmotic fragility and the slope of the haemolysis curve in the region where absorbance sharply increases\r\ndue to cell haemolysis....
Introduction.White blood cell (WBC) count is often included in routine clinical checkups. We determined the prognostic impact\r\nof WBC count on all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality during an 11-year followup in a general population\r\nof 75-year-olds. Study Population. The study included 207 men and 220 women comprising 69% of the invited 75-year-olds in a\r\ndefined geographical area. Main Results.The median WBC count (in 109/L) was 6.3 (interquartile range 5.4ââ?¬â??7.2) for men and 5.7\r\n(4.9ââ?¬â??6.8) for women, ?? < 0.001 for sex difference.The hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality per 109/L increase in WBCs was\r\n1.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.03ââ?¬â??1.32; ?? = 0.016) in men and 1.28 (1.10ââ?¬â??1.50; ?? = 0.002) in women. These HRs were essentially\r\nunchanged by adjustment for established risk factors (current smoking, known hypertension, prior myocardial infarction,\r\nknown diabetes, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and body mass index). Furthermore, increased WBC\r\ncount was significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality in both sexes and with noncardiovascular mortality in women.\r\nConclusions.TheWBC count deserves attention as a potentially clinical useful predictor of survival in the 75-year-olds, especially\r\namong women....
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