Postoperative pain relief following inguinal hernia repair in children by wound infiltration with levobupivacaine

The present study has been designed to compare the postoperative pain relief for inguinal hernia repair in children through wound infiltration with levobupivacaine with that provided by paracetamol administration per rectaly. This interventional study was carried out in the Department of Paediatric surgery, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh and Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, during the period from January 2009 to September 2010. A total of 120 patients were included in this study. Among them 60 patients in Group-A (study group) where post incisional wound infiltration with levobupivacain after inguinal herniotomy and before skin closure was done and 60 patients in Group-B (control group) where paracetamol was given per rectally after anesthesia induction. Both groups were followed up post operatively for 23 hours. In Group A maximum analgesic period was 8.30 hours and minimum analgesic period was 5.30 hours. On the other hand in Group B maximum analgesic period was 6.50 hours and minimum analgesic period was 4.50 hours. Duration of post operative analgesia between two groups of the patients were significant [p<0.01]. Post incisional wound infiltration with levobupivacain has significantly better efficacy to rectal administration of paracetamol with respect to providing pain relief following inguinal hernia repair in children. Longer duration of analgesic action is more achieved in the Levobupivacaine group.

A cheap and convenient modification of arsine generator used for arsenic estimation

In a study observing the effect of spirulina in the treatment of chronic arsenic poisoning quantitative estimation of arsenic in the urine of the patients was necessary. It was decided to try a modification of the arsine generator in the process. An alternative apparatus was designed following the structure of arsine generator by White (1976) using a 50-ml conical flask with rubber cork, 4-ml injection vial, two 3" long glass tubes and a glass test tube. An experiment was carried out with solutions containing known amounts of arsenic. The alternative arsine generator was tried in the estimation of arsenic content in those solutions. The results revealed that the apparatus permitted correct measurement of arsenic concentration. The alternative arsine generator was cheap easy to use and provided authentic results in estimation of arsenic concentration in the urine of patients with chronic arsenic poisoning.

Peripheral blood stem cell autotransplantation in treatment of childhood cancer

The levels of circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells were measured sequentially in eight children receiving chemotherapy for acute leukemia or neuroblastoma. Significant increases in the progenitor levels (up to 50-fold in CFU-GM numbers) were observed during post-chemotherapy cytopenia in all cases, but differences among individuals in the kinetics of recovery of less committed progenitors (CFU-mix) contrasted with the synchronized-mode of expansion of committed progenitors (CFU-GM). Peripheral blood cells were collected by repeated continuous-flow leukaphereses from three of the children during post-chemotherapy expansion of the progenitor pool and were cryopreserved after fractionation procedures. Infusion of these stored cells into the patients after marrow-ablative chemotherapy established trilineage hematopoiesis. This use of stem cell rescue should be useful as an alternative to bone marrow transplantation and extends the application of cure-oriented salvage therapy to childhood cancers.

[Recovery kinetics of hematopoiesis after peripheral blood stem cell autotransplantation]

Hematopoietic recovery kinetics was evaluated in five children with therapy-refractory cancers who received peripheral blood stem cell autotransplantation (PBSCT) following marrow-ablative chemotherapy. Four children received graft containing more than 1.5 X 10(4) CFU-GM/kg and days required to achieve granulocyte counts of greater than 0.5 X 10(9)/l were 6, 10, 13, and 18, respectively. One patient received 0.9 X 10(4) CFU-GM/kg, but, recovery of granulopoiesis was retarded (greater than 30 days). The days required to achieve platelet count of greater than 50 X 10(9)/l were 12, 15, 16, 195, and greater than 240, respectively. Transient decrease of blood cell counts developed 3 to 5 weeks after transplantation and thereafter, the recovery of hematopoiesis became stable. With the use of a large number of progenitors, PBSCT seems to be safe and effective new type of stem cell rescue operation as an alternative to bone marrow transplantation.

[Rapid and complete hematopoietic reconstitution following peripheral blood stem cell autotransplantation in a child with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

Rapid and complete hematopoietic reconstitution was achieved in a child with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who was autografted with peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC). A large number of PBSC was collected by two courses of 3-4 hour-lasting lymphopheresis during early remission induced by the second-line chemotherapy and then cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. A myeloid progenitor cell dose of 203 X 10(4) CFU-GM/kg body weight was reinfused to the patient following marrow-ablative chemotherapy (MCNU 600 mg/m2, cytosine arabinoside 6 g/m2, etoposide 300 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 160 mg/kg). Neutrophil count reached 0.5 X 10(9)/l by day + 7 and platelet count reached 20 X 10(9)/l by day + 9. Thereafter, white blood cell count continued to increase and reached a maximum of 38 X 10(9)/l on day + 14. Thus, the rapid recovery of hematopoiesis minimised marrow aplasia-related risks. This approach of stem cell rescue operation can be applied to the treatment of children with cancer, who otherwise have no hope to be cured, as an alternative to bone marrow transplantation.

[Cryopreservation of circulating stem cells in large quantities]

We have collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells in large quantities by leukapheresis from children with malignant disorders. The cells were fractionated on discontinuous gradients of Percoll for enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells and reduction of sample volume. They were subsequently frozen in a programmed freezer and stored in liquid nitrogen. This procedure allows a reduced DMSO volume to be infused into patients and increases storage space. The recovery rates of progenitors evaluated by freeze-thaw analysis in small aliquots were 89% for granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) and 106% for granulocyte, erythroid, macrophage, megakaryocyte colony-forming units (CFU-GEMM). Hence, we conclude that circulating stem cells can be collected and cryopreserved in large quantities without any loss of capacity. Further studies to evaluate the relevance of performing rescue surgery with these stem cells following marrow-ablative chemotherapy are underway.