Gingival and cutaneous angiosarcoma.

Multiple oral and cutaneous nodular and papular reddish-blue lesions are described in the case of a 60-year-old woman. The duration of the lesions was more than 1 year, with the oral lesion preceding the skin lesions. Histopathological examination revealed malignant vascular tumour with changes consistent with angiosarcoma. Angiosarcoma is an extremely rare malignant tumour of the oral cavity, and the present case describes oral and skin lesions with a unique clinical behaviour.

Acute Lympoblastic Leukaemia in seventy Iraqi adults: clinical and haematological findings and outcome of therapy.

Studies on acute Leukaemia from developing and Asian countries are scarce, and generally reflect poorer outcomes of therapy compared to their Western counterparts. This study was undertaken to address the latter issue in Iraqi adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). It included seventy unselected Iraqi adults (aged 14-60years), diagnosed as ALL in Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, during the period between May 1991 and June 1994. The clinical and haematological findings in the included patients were generally comparable with those reported from the West, except for the lower median age. The patients were scheduled to receive a modified intensive chemotherapy protocol, and had an overall complete remission rate of 84.3%, and all overall median survival of 24 months. Nineteen patients were still alive in complete remission after a median follow-up of 67 months, and the estimated five year disease free survival was 27.2%. The above finding compare favourably with Western studies and are among the more favourable reports from Asian countries. The study also includes a discussion of the problems facing haematologists in the management of ALL in this part of the world.

Thalassaemia genes in Baghdad, Iraq

To estimate the prevalence of thalassaemia genes in Baghdad, a study was made of 502 randomly selected pregnant women attending a major maternity care clinic in the city. A reduced mean corpuscular volume [MCV] of < 80 fl was used as a screening test for thalassaemia in this population, followed by a battery of tests, including haemoglobin analysis and iron studies, to confirm the diagnosis. Using this approach, 22 cases were diagnosed of beta-thalassaemia trait, five cases of alpha-thalassaemia trait and one case of delta beta-thalassaemia trait. Based on these figures the estimated prevalence rates of beta-, alpha- and delta beta-thalassaemia traits in Baghdad, would be 4.4%, 1.0% and 0.2%, respectively. The study also includes a discussion of the above findings in the context of those reported in other neighbouring countries

Acute haemolytic episodes & fava bean consumption in G6PD deficient Iraqis.

The relation between fava bean ingestion and the occurrence of a haemolytic episode was studied in 102 glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenate (G6PD) deficient Iraqi patients. None of the patients (mean age 12.8 yr) had a documented similar illness earlier, although all of them gave history of reported regular fava bean ingestion in the past. Further, none of the three patients who were rechallenged (2-3 months later) by the beans developed any clinical or laboratory evidence of haemolysis. The incidence of the haemolytic episodes was found to peak in April, while the fava bean season extends from February to June. This study thus does not support a causal relation between the bean ingestion and the haemolytic episodes in G6PD deficient Iraqis. Possibly, some other factor such as a viral infection may be involved.