Singap Med J
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The follow-up of chimerism status after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is essential to predict successful engraftment to assess the development of graft-versus-host disease, graft rejection and disease relapse. Analysis of short tandem repeats (STR) via polymerase chain reaction is frequently used for chimerism determination. However, most commercially-available kits have been designed for forensic purposes and may not be optimal for chimerism analysis. The present study aims to identify suitable STR markers for patient-donor pairs of predominantly Malay and Chinese ethnicity using two commercially-available forensic kits. ⋯ We found that TH01 and vWA are informative STR targets for post-HSCT chimerism analysis in predominantly Malay and Chinese patient-donor pairs. The commercially-available kits will also permit laboratories without extensive molecular biology capabilities to perform DNA typing in HSCT recipients.
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A 28-year-old Malay woman presented with recurrent abdominal pain for five years. She had delivered her child seven months earlier. She was found to have bicytopenia, with a haemoglobin level of 7.9 g/dL and a platelet count of 85 x 10(9)/L. ⋯ A splenectomy was performed and at operation, splenomegaly with a long mesentery was found. Splenic histology was negative for malignancy. The bicytopenia resolved postoperatively, and she remains well.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Comparison of two doses of corticosteroid in epidural steroid injection for lumbar radicular pain.
Low back pain and lumbar radicular pain are the leading causes of job loss worldwide. Therapeutic approaches to lumbar radicular pain, including sciatica and spinal canal stenosis, are diverse. Many clinicians use 80 mg long-acting glucocorticoids in epidural steroid injections (ESI). The aim of this study is to compare the clinical response of 80 mg versus 40 mg methylprednisolone in ESI. ⋯ In the case of lumbar radicular pain, ESI with low dose (40 mg) methylprednisolone is as effective as high dose (80 mg) with comparable results and less adverse profile.
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In most of the medical colleges in India, unclaimed bodies from various mortuaries reach the dissection hall; and here, the body donors club has yet to gain the desired dimensions. In spite of all the adverse circumstances, the cadaver and the dissection both have survived the most rigorous test of pedagological fitness--the test of time. ⋯ Thailand's approach to body donors offers a role model for resolving the present situation. The spirit of volunteerism reflects the drastic shift in public perception and a global change in approach is needed in the present time.
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Intratracheal metastasis from non-pulmonary neoplasm is extremely rare. We report a 53-year-old woman presenting with upper airway obstruction and stridor due to intratracheal metastasis from latissimus dorsi liposarcoma. ⋯ At rigid bronchoscopy, a 2-cm intratracheal mass was identified and resected with endobronchial electrosurgery to establish a satisfactory airway with marked symptomatic benefit. We discuss this unusual metastatic presentation.