Assessment of Cytokine (α-TNF) with Erythropoietin and their Correlation in Pulmonary Tuberculosis with Anaemia

Globally tuberculosis is the 9th leading cause of death worldwide. As pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a chronic disease, anaemia of inflammation due to bacterial burden play a vital role in pathophysiology of anaemia. Inflammation interferes with erythropoietin (EPO) function. Methods: The present study was an analytical type of case control study. The study included 100 newly diagnosed anaemic PTB cases and 50 newly diagnosed non anaemic PTB controls. The PTB was confirmed by microscopic examination of sputum specimen for the detection of Acid-Fast Bacilli (AFB). Both cases and controls were subjected to hematological analysis by automated cell counter and serum α-TNF and EPO by ELISA method. Results: Statistically significant difference was observed in levels of both α-TNF and EPO in anemic and non-anemic PTB groups (p<0.001). α-TNF (214.56±82.30) levels were found to be significantly higher in anaemic PTB group while EPO level (58.44 ±14.97) were found to be significantly higher in non anaemic PTB group. Significant inverse correlation (r1=cases, r2=controls) was observed between α-TNF and EPO (r=-0.257, p<0.05) and α-TNF and Hb (r=-0.202, p<0.05) in both the groups. Conclusion: Increased α-TNF with decreased EPO and hemoglobin infers that inflammation interferes with normal functioning of EPO and probably contributes in induction of anemia in tuberculosis patients.

Mean Platelet Volume and Platelet Volume Distribution Width in Canine Parvoviral Enteritis

Bacterial translocation from the damaged intestinal tract, reported in canine parvoviral (CPV) enteritis, is thought to be responsible for the systemic inflammatory response resulting from coliform septicemia, which could ultimately progress to septic shock and death. Alterations in platelet indices, specifically mean platelet volume (MPV), is a consistent finding in critically ill people and dogs with and without sepsis. Increased MPV has been reported to be an indirect indicator of platelet activation and of bone marrow response in people and dogs with sepsis. The study aim was to compare admission MPV and platelet volume distribution width (PVDW) in dogs with CPV enteritis to that of healthy aged-matched control dogs. Forty-eight dogs with CPV enteritis and 18 healthy age matched control dogs were included. CPV infection was confirmed with electron microscopy and concurrent blood-borne infections were excluded using PCR. EDTA whole blood samples were analyzed on an automated cell counter, ADVIA 2120, within 30-60 min from collection. There was no significant difference for platelet count between the groups. The MPV for CPV infected dogs (median: 14.0; IQR: 12.2–15.1) was significantly higher compared to controls (11.3; IQR: 10.3–13.1, P = 0.002). The PVDW for CPV infected dogs (66.9; IQR: 64.2–68.8) was significantly higher compared to controls (63.3; IQR: 60.2–65.1, P &lt; 0.001). These findings suggest that significant platelet activation is present in dogs with CPV enteritis which may play a role in the disease outcome, similar to people with sepsis. Further studies are required to investigate the prognosticating ability of MPV in dogs with CPV enteritis.

Evaluation of thrombocytopenia: A single-center experience

To evaluate the common etiologies and bleeding manifestations in patients of thrombocytopenia and its clinical presentation, methods of investigation, and impact of various modes of management. Total 104 patients with platelet count less than l00,000 per cu.mm. with age, more than 12 years admitted to hospital between January 2010 to October 2011 were included in this study. Platelet count on automated cell counter less than 100,000 per cu.mm. and confirmed in peripheral smear were included in the study. All EDTA samples were processed in Abacus junior 5 hematology Analyser. Peripheral blood smear review was done for all cases. Clinical history and physical examination were collected from patients and medical record files.The present study included 56 male patients and 48 female patients. The most common bleeding manifestation was petechial rash 8.6%, hemoptysis and traumatic bleeding account for 1.9 % each, whereas 74% of patients did not present with any bleeding issues. Total 66 patients presented with symptoms of fever, 73 had signs of pallor, 22 patients had splenomegaly, 16 patients had hepatomegaly. Total 37.5% of patients were diagnosed with malaria and 1 patient (0.96%) was diagnosed with plasma cell leukemia. Chronic liver disease, megaloblastic anaemia, ITP (Idiopathic thrombocytopenia) and chronic renal failure account for 9.6%, 13.4%, 5.7% and 3.8% respectively. Total 16 patients had platelet counts less than 20000/cu.mm. and 37 patients had platelet count between 60000-80000/cu.mm. Malaria (39 patients) was the major cause of thrombocytopenia. Out of 39 patients with malaria 10 patients had P. Falciparum, 27 had P. Vivax and 2 patients had both. Patients with a platelet count less than 100,000/cu.mm have very high chances of bleeding manifestation. Cutaneous bleed is the most common manifestation. Malaria can be present with signs of thrombocytopenia. Timely and accurate diagnosis is the key to the management of thrombocytopenia.

Potential of an Automated- and Image-Based Cell Counter to Accelerate Microalgal Research and Applications

Efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have resulted in enhancement of the position of microalgae in feedstocks for food, feed, healthcare, and biofuels. However, stabile microalgal biorefineries require a sustainable and reliable management system of microalgae, which are sensitive to environmental changes. To expand microalgal applicability, assessment and maintenance of microalgal quality are crucial. Compared with conventional methods, including hemocytometry and turbidity, an automated- and image-based cell counter contributes to the establishment of routine management of microalgae with reduced work burden. This review presents the principle of an automated cell counter and highlights the functional capacities of the device for microalgal management. The method utilizing fluorescence function to evaluate the chlorophyll integrity of microalgae may lay the groundwork for making a large variety of microalgal biorefineries, creating an important step toward achieving SDGs.

Comparison of platelet count by manual and automated method

Background: Since the emergence of dengue fever in the past few years, platelet count has become a routine test in every pathology lab. Common methods are by peripheral blood smears made from blood collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) tubes, by neubaeur chamber, automated method by hematology cell counter.Methods: Blood samples of 460 adult patients and 72 children (<15 years), including indoor and outdoor, between May to August 2019, attending Hind institute of medical sciences, were collected in EDTA tubes. Samples were properly mixed on blood shaker and immediately peripheral blood smears were made and stained with Leishman stain. Platelet count of every sample was done by peripheral blood smear and by Mindray (BC5150) automated cell counter, simultaneously.Results: Results by manual slide method are slightly higher than automated method but significantly not different from automated method.Conclusions: Traditional slide method can also be used if done carefully comparable to automated method especially useful in small labs which can’t afford automated cell counter.

Use of the automated cell counter Luna-II for estimating the abundance of marine microalgae cells and their sizes in cultures

Marine microalgae isolated in algologically pure cultures are widely used for basic and applied research. All studies related to microalgae are accompanied by an assessment of their abundance and cell size. The main method for determining these parameters is light microscopy. However, this method is quite time-consuming, therefore, at present, various kinds of automatic particle counters are increasingly being used. This significantly reduces the processing time of microalgae samples and increases the accuracy of measurements. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the possibility of using an automatic particle counter Luna-II to find out the abundance of cells of certain types of marine microalgae and determine their linear sizes. The performed work allowed us to show the possibility of using this counter to quickly record the abundance of culture cells of marine microalgae and determine their linear sizes with high accuracy. Reliable results can be obtained for dense cell suspensions represented by single cells with a low percentage of doublets and triplets (not more than 3%) and a high sphericity index (above 0,95). For algal cultures, the cells of which have an average and low sphericity index, reliable results can only be obtained by the abundance of cells, provided that there is a slight presence of sticking cells (doublets and triplets) in the suspension. The presented automatic counter can be used when conducting ecological and physiological studies on the cultures of certain types of marine planktonic algae, as well as in monitoring activities related to assessing the quality of the aquatic environment using microalgae as bioassays.

Assessment of clinical and hematological profile in dengue fever

Background: Dengue is one of the most important viral diseases especially in the tropical regions. According to the WHO almost 50 million people get dengue infection annually and WHO estimates almost half of the world’s population lives in countries having endemicity for dengue infection. This study is an attempt to elucidate the positive laboratory profile of serologically diagnosed dengue patients so as to facilitate early diagnosis, treatment, management and vector control measures, to reduce the morbidity and mortality because of this disease.Methods: This study was conducted on 80 indoor patients. Patients presenting to the emergency department, outpatient department (OPD) or pediatric OPD with complaints of fever and clinical features of dengue with positive NS1 antigen test or dengue antibody serology IgM or IgG or both were included in the study. Hemogram was done on automated cell counter analyzer (Sysmex XP 100) which included hemoglobin, hematocrit, total leucocyte count (TLC), differential leucocyte count (DLC) and platelets count.Results: Raised hematocrit (>47%) was noted in 10 (16.6%) of patients at presentation and the hematocrit ranged from 20- 51%. The total leukocyte count ranged from 1500 cells/cumm to >11000 cells/cumm. Leucopenia with less than 4000 cells/cumm was present in 25 % cases. In the present study out of 80 cases of dengue fever, 85% cases had thrombocytopenia and 15% cases had severe thrombocytopenia (< 20,000/cumm) with bleeding manifestations.Conclusions: Hemoconcentration, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, and raised liver enzymes SGOT and SGPT along with reactive/ plasmacytoid lymphocytes on peripheral smear gives enough clues to test for dengue serology so that dengue cases can be diagnosed in their initial stages.