Association of serum protein electrophoresis with clinicopathological characteristics and its prognostic relevance in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients.

Objective: To assess the association of serum protein electrophoresis abnormalities with clinicopathological characteristics, and its impact on overall survival in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients. METHODS: The prospective study was conducted at Haematology and Immunology departments of the University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, from 2019 to 2022, and comprised newly diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients. Lactate dehydrogenase and beta-2 microglobulin levels were measured by spectrophotometric principle, whereas serum protein electrophoresis was determined through commercially available capillary electrophoresis systems. Patients were followed up for 2 years post-diagnosis. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 50 patients, 40(80%) were males and 10(20%) were females. The overall mean age was 60±11 years. Serum protein electrophoresis was available for 40(80%) patients, and, among them, 12(30%) patients had abnormal levels, while 29(72.5%) required treatment. Overall response rate was 25(86.2%), and median two-year overall survival was 16.5 months (95% confidence interval: 10-20 months). Abnormal serum protein electrophoresis was significantly associated with Binet stage C, lower mean haemoglobin levels and higher median levels of lactate dehydrogenase and beta-2 microglobulin (p<0.05)). Regarding overall survival, the survival curves of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients with normal and abnormal serum protein electrophoresis status differed significantly (p=0.04). Conclusion: Abnormal serum protein electrophoresis could be considered a surrogate marker for advanced chronic lymphocytic leukaemia disease.

A single institution experience of the Manta closure device in endovascular aortic repair.

BACKGROUND: Majority of EVAR procedures are performed with percutaneous arterial access, unless there is severe steno-occlusive disease in the common femoral arteries (CFA). We present our experience of using MANTA closure device with a retrospective evaluation of its safety and efficacy, in the elective setting, and in the emergent setting for ruptured aortic aneurysm. DESIGN AND METHODS: Between Feb 2021 and May 2023 a total of 75 EVAR procedures were closed with a Manta device. Data was collected prospectively and analysed retrospectively. In 75 patients, 128 CFAs were closed with a Manta closure device including 4 emergent ruptured aneurysms. RESULTS: 67 male and 8 female patients with a median age of 77 years had percutaneous EVAR using Manta as a closure device. 128 CFAs were closed with Manta closure device. 3% (4/128) had deployment failures, with three requiring surgical cut down and closure. In one patient, a second Manta device deployment achieved satisfactory haemostasis. Three deployments were complicated by pseudoaneurysms of the CFA, all requiring no further interventions/treatment. No death related to severe haemorrhage from device failure. The pre- and post-procedure CFA puncture site AP diameter was recorded in a total of 106 cases with appropriate follow-up. 66% of these (70/106) had no reduction in CFA diameter post Manta closure. 34% (36/106) had some reduction of vessel AP size CFA post EVAR. No adverse features or further treatment was required due to reduction of vessel diameter in these cases (ongoing yearly surveillance). CONCLUSIONS: Manta closure device is safe and easy to deploy with an overall success rate of 97%. There is a short learning curve. Ultrasound assessment and precise puncture at the healthy section of femoral artery are the key to achieve successful haemostasis with Manta closure device. Our findings suggest there is an association of non-clinically significant mild reduction in CFA vessel AP diameter post Manta closure device, which does not require further intervention.

Clinical utility of CLL-IPI scoring system in Pakistani Chronic Lymphocytic Patients: A single center experience.

Objectives: To determine validity of the CLL International prognostic index (IPI) scoring system in Pakistani chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients, as the validity and universal applicability of various prognostic scoring systems such as the CLL-IPI remains a challenge, particularly in under-developed countries like Pakistan. Methods: This prospective single center study was conducted at Department of Hematology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore and included sixty patients with CLL diagnosed between July, 2019 to July, 2022. Patients were followed for a period of two years and 02 year overall survival (OS) was noted. Risk stratification was conducted according to CLL-IPI prognostic model. Results: Among 60 patients, the mean age was 60±11years. Advanced Binet stage B+C and elevated ß2-microglobulin >3.5mg/L was observed in 73.3% and 38.3% patients respectively. The estimated median 02 years OS was 16.5 months (95% CI: 10-20 months). In total, 40 of 60 CLL patients (67%) were accessible for follow-up analyses. For the present CLL cohort, 25% patients (n = 10) were classified as CLL-IPI low risk and intermediate risk group, 35% (n = 14) as high risk and 15% (n = 06) as very high-risk group. However, this classification of patients according to CLL-IPI did not yield significant differences in terms of OS (p = 0.24), although the median OS of CLL-IPI very high-risk group was noted as only six months and was not reached for low and intermediate risk groups. Conclusion: To conclude, clinical validation of CLL-IPI scoring system could not be established for the present CLL cohort and needs to be evaluated in further studies with larger sample size.

Continuous intrapartum fetal monitoring in gestational diabetes, where is the evidence?

Introduction: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is one of the commonest complications in the pregnancy. It differs in pathogenesis and complications from pre gestational diabetes (PGD), yet the choices of birth and management options for women in labor do not differ between both entities.Materials and method: We have performed literature search to find any evidence behind these recommendations specifically to the subset of pregnant women who have developed diet-controlled GDM, with normal fetal growth. Results: There have been no randomized control trials behind these recommendations. The aforementioned women have comparable outcomes to pregnant women who are not affected by diabetes and can be considered as low risk till any evidence is found. Conclusion: So there is an urgent need to conduct randomized controlled trials on women with well-controlled GDM and normal fetal growth scans so that these women could be provided evidence-based information on their options of birth.

COVID-19 and maternity care in South East London: shared working and learning initiative.

The SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pandemic has had an immediate and profound impact on how healthcare systems organise and deliver services and specifically, there is a disproportionate negative impact on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups and other risk factors. This has required clinical leaders to respond at pace to meet patient's care needs, while supporting staff working in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment. During the initial wave and then the later waves within our South East London sector, there were new challenges as everyone faced a novel disease necessitating real-time learning and reflection. Through informal conversations and networks, the clinicians highlighted in the first wave the need for a forum for clinical discussion. Using our existing South East London Local Maternity System and the evolving Maternal Medicine Networks alliance, we initiated a sharing and learning platform to support clinical decision-making for all maternity health professionals during the pandemic. Fortnightly, multidisciplinary virtual huddles were established allowing obstetric physicians, obstetricians, midwives and obstetric anaesthetists to share their clinical experience, operational and service challenges. This approach fostered and developed cross-site team working and shared learning across traditional, organisational boundaries. In South East London, prior to the introduction of universal testing in the first surge, we had a total of 65 confirmed positive cases of which 5 women were delivered due to COVID-19, 5 women required high dependency or intensive care and 3 women were intubated and ventilated. During the second and third waves, the COVID-19 Local Maternity System huddles provided monthly learning opportunities to share clinical practice, guidelines, vaccination updates and challenges with workforce. The huddles have proven to be a sustainable platform, which have built trust across the sector, facilitating effective teamwork and providing invaluable support for clinical decision-making. We describe the evolution of this structure and share our experience of working within this new clinical network during the first wave and how this established way of working facilitated collaboration during the second and third waves as staff and the system became more fatigued. The huddles have developed to become multi-professional, multisite collaborations with the whole group taking joint ownership to develop shared learning and are providing a forum for discussions for the emerging South East London's Maternal Medicine Network.

Eosinophilic Myocarditis Secondary to T-Cell Lymphoma Complicated by Left Ventricular Thrombus and Tear.

We describe a 54-year-old male in whom eosinophilic myocarditis secondary to T-cell lymphoma complicated by bilateral ischemic stroke was diagnosed. The source, identified as an apical tear with thrombus formation, was revealed by transthoracic echocardiography. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Familial hypertriglyceridaemia and type 2 diabetes in pregnancy: prevention of acute pancreatitis with diet control and omega-3 fatty acids.

Acute pancreatitis in pregnancy is rare and can be caused by hypertriglyceridaemia. The management of hypertriglyceridaemia in pregnancy is complex and challenging as many lipid-lowering medications have been found to be unsafe in pregnancy. Patients who present with hypertriglyceridaemia commonly have multiple risk factors such as, diabetes, alcohol excess and hypothyroidism which pose a greater challenge to the management of these patients. We present a case of a 31-year-old woman presenting with familial hypertriglyceridaemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus in her third pregnancy. She had an uneventful pregnancy with the use of omega-3 fatty acids nutritional support, low-fat diet and tight glucose control with insulin and metformin.

Measles in pregnancy.

Measles is becoming more prevalent; it can be difficult to diagnose, with severe complications in pregnancy. We report a case of measles in a 27-year-old, parainfluenza virus type 2-infected woman who was 32 weeks pregnant. She presented with fever, tachycardia, sore throat and a pruritic rash. She never had the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. Serology showed raised inflammatory markers with lymphopoenia. Throat swab showed parainfluenza virus. Chest radiography was normal. Despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy, she developed worsening respiratory failure requiring premature delivery via caesarean section.Postoperatively, she was transferred to a tertiary centre for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. She was decannulated and made a full recovery. Meanwhile, her husband was diagnosed with measles. She was then tested and measles was confirmed. The baby did not develop congenital measles.This case emphasises the importance of vaccine histories at booking of pregnancy and early multidisciplinary team input to facilitate delivery in rapidly deteriorating pregnant women.

A rare cause of postpartum headache.

Postpartum women can develop headache, and their assessment requires a thorough and multidisciplinary approach. If the headache is unresponsive to treatment and accompanied by neurological deficit, neuroimaging needs to be undertaken to rule out other life-threatening causes. 1 We present a case of 35-year-old woman with pre-eclampsia and diet-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus, who had normal vaginal delivery at 40 weeks. She had an epidural analgesia for pain relief during labour, but had inadvertent dural puncture during the procedure and developed headache 24 hours after delivery. The headache was managed conservatively and she was discharged home, but was readmitted 8 days later with worsening headache. The headache was postural on admission but became continuous, developed neurological symptoms in the form of ataxic hemiparesis and convulsions. After neuroimaging, she was found to have cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. She was commenced on anticoagulants and anticonvulsants and made a complete recovery.

Levels of platelet-derived microparticles and soluble p-selectin in patients of acute myocardial infarction (case control study).

OBJECTIVE: TTo measure levels of platelet-derived microparticles and soluble P-selectin in patients of acute myocardial infarction and their comparison with healthy controls. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted in Department of Haematology, University of Health Sciences Lahore from April to September 2013, and comprised patients of acute myocardial infarction in group 1 and healthy controls in group 2. Platelet-derived microparticles and soluble P-selectin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. SPSS21 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 80 participants, 50(62.5%) were patients and 30(37.5%) were controls. The mean levels of platelet-derived microparticles and soluble P-selectin were significantly higher in group 1 compared to group 2 (45.70±10.30 vs 10.60±0.96, and 51.46±9.30 vs 9.16±1.04, respectively) (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in levels of platelet-derived microparticles and soluble P-selectin in three intervals after acute myocardial infarction (p>0.05). Although levels of platelet-derived microparticles and soluble P-selectin did not correlate to creatinekinase-myocardial band levels (p>0.05), but there was a trend of significant correlation with cardiac troponin T (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Levels of platelet-derived microparticles and soluble P-selectin can be used as novel early diagnostic marker of acute myocardial infarction.

Delayed diagnosis of a high-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting as an obstructing rectal mass.

This case describes a 54-year-old man who presented to the surgical triage unit and was found to have a rare underlying rectal lymphoma. The patient had previously sought medical advice on multiple occasions, reporting a chronic inability to open his bowels. This case report aims to highlight the importance of thorough history taking and examination, in order to reduce delaying the diagnosis of significant pathology.

Intrauterine death at term in a cocaine user detained under the Mental Health Act.

We report the case of a 31-year-old woman who presented at 23 weeks gestation following a mixed overdose of medication. She was detained under the Mental Health Act 1983/2007 for ongoing suicidal ideation and heavy cocaine use. She had a normal nuchal scan, and unremarkable anomaly and growth scans at 19, 29, 32 and 34 weeks. At 40 weeks, an ultrasound scan confirmed fetal demise. A macerated male stillborn was delivered by forceps. Women with mental health and substance misuse problems may have reduced awareness of fetal movements, and they may be poor historians or frequent attenders for non-specific symptoms. It is crucial that these factors do not influence the ability of clinicians to thoroughly investigate symptoms and promptly identify obstetric complications.

Spontaneous rupture of uterine leiomyoma during labour.

Uterine rupture in labour requires an emergency caesarean section. In women with a uterine scar, either from gynaecological surgery or from a previous caesarean section, it is well documented that the risk of rupture is higher than in those without. Spontaneous uterine rupture in a uterus with fibroids during pregnancy or labour is extremely rare. We present a case of a 33-year-old, unbooked pregnant woman from Nigeria who had a uterine rupture secondary to fibroids. She required an emergency caesarean section in labour. The fibroids were not removed. Her baby was born alive and in good condition and she made an uneventful recovery.

The effect of body mass index on the outcome of pregnancy in women with recurrent miscarriage.

BACKGROUND: Maternal obesity is associated with menstrual disorders, infertility and sporadic miscarriages. Recurrent miscarriage (RM) affects at least 1% of couples trying to conceive. In over 50% of cases, the cause of the loss of pregnancy remains unexplained. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) and future outcomes of pregnancy in couples with "unexplained" RM. METHODS AND RESULTS: All couples referred to the specialist recurrent miscarriage clinic at St. Mary's Hospital, London, were investigated for an underlying cause. Those with unexplained RM were eligible. Demographic and clinical data were retrieved from a computerised database and medical records. The World Health Organisation (WHO) classification of BMI was used. Univariate analysis demonstrated that BMI, maternal age, number of previous miscarriages and ethnicity were significantly associated with pregnancy outcome. Logistic regression demonstrated that maternal obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) significantly increased the risk of miscarriage in couples with unexplained RM (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.06 - 2.83). Asian women with a BMI similar to Caucasian women had a higher risk of a further miscarriage (OR 2.87, 95% CI, 1.52 - 5.39). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal obesity is an independent factor associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in couples with RM. All women with RM should have their BMI recorded at their first clinic visit. The potential effect of weight loss on the outcome of subsequent pregnancies should be assessed in future studies. The increased risk of miscarriage in Asian women needs to be explored further.

A rare case of de novo gigantic ovarian abscess within an endometrioma.

We are reporting a rare case of de novo ovarian abscess in an endometrioma. Ovarian abscess within an endometrioma is a rare gynecological problem, but de novo abscess in the endometrioma is even rarer. Most of the ovarian abscesses develop in the endometriomas following interventions, e.g., aspiration, pelvic surgery, and oocyte retrieval. We are presenting a case of a spontaneous giant abscess in a large ovarian cyst in a nulliparous woman who presented with acute abdomen. Patient was treated in a district general hospital with multidisciplinary approach. Thirteen liters of the pus were drained. She has had a sub total (supra cervical) hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) performed. Histology of the abscess wall confirmed endometriotic nature of the cyst. Patient made an uneventful recovery and was discharged home on the 14th postoperative day. This case highlights that endometrioma and its complication can present as a surgical emergency and should be dealt as one.