Tushaar Shah. Catalysing Co-operation: Design of Self-governing Organisations. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1996. 315 pages. Hardbound. Indian Rs 295.00.

Within the different types of organisational structures available, it is generally believed that co-operative organisations serve the poor better than the other available alternatives. This belief is based on the fact that these organisations are usually owned and controlled by the people and their objective is to provide services instead of making profits. They are, therefore, considered an important instrument for equitable development, and have been given a prominent role in the national development strategies in many developing countries. It is surprising, however, that the performance of cooperatives is not as satisfactory as it could have been. They have met with only occasional success in Asia. This book explores the causes of this failure

Effectiveness of Foleys Intrauterine Balloon Tamponade in Management of Postpartum Haemorrhage and Factors Associated With its Failure; A Tertiary Care Experience

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness and factors associated with the failure of intrauterine balloon tamponade (IUBT) in managing postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). METHODOLOGY We conducted a retrospective observational study including data from 160 patients aged 21-30 years at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, managed for PPH with IUBT, after failed medical treatment from Jan 2020 to December 2021. Data were collected retrospectively in three months, from January to March 2022. IUBT was successful if, after 24 hours of insertion, no or less than 100ml bleeding occurred.RESULTS Among the patients managed by IUBT, the majority had uterine atony (81.25%), 17.5% had lower segment hemorrhage, and 1.25% of cases had a placental abruption. The mean estimated blood loss was 1263.7±398.7 ml. The procedure was successful in 89.3% of cases. Sixteen patients underwent a hysterectomy for failed IUBT. There were six maternal deaths, mainly due to acute renal failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Between the successful and unsuccessful cases of IUBT, there was a statistically significant difference in the gravidity, mode of delivery, gestations, booking, peripartum BP, pulse rate, hemoglobin, platelet count, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), blood loss during the procedure, DIC, and intensive care unit admissions (p<0.00). The median hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets count, and lymphocytes were significantly higher before IUBT insertion (p<0.00).CONCLUSION IUBT is an effective, easy-to-use, inexpensive, and safe tool in the management of PPH. Low hemoglobin, thrombocytopenia, high PT, aPTT, and DIC are associated with low success rate

Carotenoid Extraction from Locally and Organically Produced Cereals Using Saponification Method

Carotenoids are important phytochemicals contributing nutritional health benefits in the human diet, with a significant contribution from cereals as one of the major food component around the world. Different methods have been described and adopted for the extraction and isolation of carotenoid compounds. Saponification can be seen as an option for carotenoid extraction from cereals as it converts retinol esters to retinol and removes other abundant compounds such as triglycerides. Extraction of carotenoids content of locally adapted and organic cereals have been limitedly investigated and was, therefore, evaluated in the present study, with a specific aim to understand genotypic and local cultivation effects and interactions. Therefore, 17 diverse cereal genotypes of local origin were grown organically in four localities and evaluated for carotenoid content and composition by HPLC. The results showed a large variation in content and composition of carotenoids in locally adapted and organically grown cereal genotypes, with lutein as the dominating type in wheat and rye, while zeaxanthin was the dominating type in barley. High-level genotypes showed values (9.9 mg/kg of total carotenoids) similar to the highest values previously reported in specific types of wheat. The barley genotypes showed relatively high stability in carotenoids content within and between cultivation locations, while large interactions were found with the cultivation location for the rest of the genotypes, indicating their local adaptation. The local adaptation of the cereal genotypes evaluated contributes large opportunities for local production of high value, highly nutritious food products, while the direct value of these genotypes for conventional plant breeding for varieties performing similar over broad environmental ranges, are more limited

Hepatitis G Virus associated aplastic anemia: A recent case from Pakistan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aplastic anemia (AA) is a serious and rare disorder characterized by a hypocellular bone marrow. Hepatitis associated aplastic anemia (HAAA) is a variant of aplastic anemia in which aplastic anemia follows an acute attack of hepatitis. Several reports have noted an association between HGV and hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia besides other hepatitis causing viruses.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A female girl of age 11 year with a history of loose motion for one month, vomiting for last 15 days and poor oral intake for last few days is reported here. The physical examination presents fever, pallor whereas bleeding, hepatomegaly, Splenomegaly and bruising were absent, abdominal ultrasonography confirmed the absence of hepatomegaly, Splenomegaly and lymphodenopathy. The laboratory investigation parameters were: haemoglobin 6.2 g/L, total leucocytes count 1.51, neutrophils 0.47%, absolute reticulocyte count 0.5%, Monocytes 0.16%, red cell count 3.2 mil/uL, Picked cell volume (PCV) 30.13%, Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) 78 fL, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) 26.3 pg. The liver enzymes were alanine aminotransferease (ALT) 98 IU/L, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 114 IU/L. Serologic and molecular tests for hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, TTV, B19 were negative, whereas HGV RNA PCR test was found positive for hepatitis G virus. The bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy examination revealed hypo- cellularity, erythropoiesis, myelopoiesis and megakaryopoiesis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HAAA is an uncommon but severe condition, which may occur following idiopathic cases of acute hepatitis. Our finding suggests the involvement of HGV in the development of aplastic anemia. In patients presenting with pancytopenia after an episode of acute hepatitis, the definitive diagnosis should be considered and confirmed by RT-PCR and if possible by bone marrow biopsy.</p