Surface markers of lymphoblasts in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

58 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) were studied for the effect of initial clinical and laboratory features and surface markers of lymphoblasts on the prognosis. 18.9% of them had T cell leukaemia while 3.4% had B-cell leukaemia. Six pre-treatment features were related to T-cell ALL, i.e. - age over 6 years, boys, presence of mediastinal enlargement, haemoglobin over 8g/dl, markedly elevated leucocyte count and CNS involvement. 90% of T-Cell ALL survived for less than 6 months. Both the cases of B-cell leukaemia died within 8 weeks. Identification of T and B cell leukaemia warrants more aggressive treatment for these patients to achieve remission and survive longer

Multiple Causes for Delay in Arrival at Hospital in Acute Stroke Patients in Aydin, Turkey

This descriptive, hospital-based study, performed in western Turkey, was designed to assess the level of pre-hospital delay and reasons for such delay in acute stroke patients, taking into consideration certain factors such as socioeconomic status, availability of transport options at onset of symptoms. Data were collected from hospital records, and a questionnaire was administered that included questions about socio-demographics, self-reported risk factors and questions related to hospital arrival. The rate of patients arriving at the hospital more than 3 hours after symptom onset was found to be 31.6% for this study. Approximately 1/3 of patients delayed going to the hospital because they were waiting for symptoms to go away while 1/3 of patients were not aware of the importance of seeking immediate medical help. There was a significant relationship between the use of ambulance transportation and length of time before arrival at the hospitals, though there was no statistically significantly relationship between the existence of stroke risk factors and hospital arrival delay. These results will likely be helpful to health care decision makers as they develop a model for stroke health care and community based training

A Comparative Study of Leptospirosis and Dengue in Thai Children

Two of the most common causes of acute febrile illnesses among children in the tropics are leptospirosis and dengue. Early in illness, these two conditions are often indistinguishable and rapid laboratory confirmation of the infecting pathogen is generally not available. An enhanced ability to distinguish leptospirosis from dengue in children would guide clinicians and public health personnel in the appropriate use of limited healthcare resources