Phenotypic and Genotypic Association of the Duffy Blood Group Antigens (Fy, Fy) in Healthy Blood Donors.

Objective: To determine the Duffy blood group antigens (Fya, Fyb) phenotypic and genotypic distribution among blood donors reporting in a tertiary care transfusion centre in the northern region of Pakistan.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Immunohaematology and Molecular Biology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from August 2023 to March 2024.

Association of single nucleotide polymorphism rs3213119 variant of gene in diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis patients.

Objective: To identify the gene variant (rs3213119) and to find its association in Pakistani clinical population of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Methods: It was a population association (unrelated) case control study, performed from January - December 2022 at Laboratory of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi. Blood samples were collected from all 150 study participants, followed by DNA extraction and Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction performed at Center for Research in Experimental and Applied Medicine (CREAM) Laboratory of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical College Rawalpindi.

Genotypic Frequency of Rh Cw Antigen in Blood Donors of Northern Pakistan.

Objective: To determine the genotypic frequency of Rh Cw antigen in blood donors of Northern Pakistan.

Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Molecular Haematology, Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion (AFIT), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from August 2022 to January 2023.

Prevalence and Association of Transfusion-Transmissible Infections with Age of Blood Donors: A Regional Transfusion Centre Study in Northern Pakistan.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and association of Transfusion-Transmissible Infections (TTIs) with age of blood donors in a regional transfusion centre located in Northern Pakistan.

Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from January 2017 to December 2021.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Immature Platelet Fraction (IPF) to Differentiate Between Thrombocytopenia due to Peripheral Destruction versus Bone Marrow Failure.

Objective: To analyse the predictive value of immature platelet fraction (IPF) as an independent diagnostic marker to differentiate between hyperdestructive and hypoproductive thrombocytopenia.

Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Rawalpindi, from February to July 2022.

Exploring health seeking behaviour among incidentally diagnosed HIV cases in Rawalpindi, Pakistan: A qualitative perspective.

Objective: To identify the determinants of health-seeking behaviour among incidentally diagnosed cases of HIV and to explore the patterns of care seeking behaviour among these HIV infected persons.

Methods: The qualitative study based on the grounded theory was conducted from February to September 2019 at the Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and comprised incidentally diagnosed new cases of human immunodeficiency virus. Data was collected using in-depth interviews to understand how local environments and settings impact healthcare-seeking behaviour.

Bone marrow infiltration by Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: An experience in a tertiary care centre.

Objective: To determine the frequency and patterns of bone marrow infiltration in non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from April to October 2021, and comprised patients of either gender aged 20-80 years who had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Following assessment and as per standard protocol, bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy were done on all patients from the posterior superior iliac spine, and slides were prepared and assessed.

Detection of asymptomatic Leishmania donovani in healthy voluntary blood donors.

Objective: To check incidence of Asymptomatic Leishmania donovani reporting to Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion Rawalpindi.

Material And Methods: Two thousand (n = 2000) consecutive healthy voluntary blood donors were tested for 18 s rRNA by Real time Polymerase chain reaction. One thousand (n = 1000) subject's permanent resident of Azad Kashmir along with a thousand (n = 1000) healthy voluntary blood donors from rest of Pakistan were included.

Menstrual abnormalities after COVID-19 vaccines: A systematic review.

The objective of this systematic review is to give a comprehensive interpretation of menstrual cycle changes after the COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, it is imperative to assess reports of menstrual changes following vaccination to dispel concerns that COVID-19 vaccines hinder the likelihood of pregnancy in the long run. A literature review was conducted using digital databases to systematically identify the studies reporting any menstrual abnormalities after the COVID-19 vaccine.

Noninvasive prenatal testing of beta-thalassemia for common Pakistani mutations: a comparative study using cell-free fetal DNA from maternal plasma and chorionic villus sampling.

Background: The discovery of circulating cell-free fetal DNA (cff-DNA) in maternal plasma has inspired the noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) approaches for various genetic fetal screening including rhesus D typing, sex determination, aneuploidies, and single-gene disorders.

Objective: Noninvasive determination of paternally inherited beta-thalassemia mutations in maternal total cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) by using allele-specific amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) real-time PCR (RT-PCR) in concordance with the conventional invasive method.

Methods: An observational study was conducted at the Armed Forces Institute of Blood Transfusion in collaboration with the genetics resource center from March 2021 to August 2021.

Clinical and Lab profile of severe and uncomplicated malaria: A prospective study from Khuzdar Balochistan.

Objectives: Khuzdar, the largest city of Southern Balochistan, is endemic for malaria with API of 6. The study was aimed at comparing the clinico-lab profile of severe and uncomplicated malaria in the region and to determine any association with age. No such study is reported in the region so far.

Heritable Thrombophilia in Venous Thromboembolism in Northern Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is referred to as formation of clots in a deep vein or lodging of thrombus towards the lungs which could be fatal yet preventable. The risk of developing VTE can be increased by various factors. Where there are innumerable acquired causes, the possibility of inherited thrombophilia cannot be ignored.

Genotyping for Dombrock blood group alleles in Northern Pakistani blood donors.

Genotyping can be used to identify rare blood group antigens and to solve suspected blood group discrepancies, particularly when serologic methods are limited. Unfortunately, only a few such studies have been performed in Pakistan. The present study was conducted to determine the frequency of Dombrock blood group alleles by genotyping samples from blood donors from the north of Pakistan.

Detection of West Nile virus lineage 1 sequences in blood donors, Punjab Province, Pakistan.

Objectives: This study was performed to determine the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquito specimens and human blood donors in Pakistan.

Methods: A total of 4150 mosquito specimens were collected using CO-baited traps from five selected districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The mosquitoes were taxonomically identified using standard morphological keys, resulting in 166 pools.

Nucleic Acid Amplification Test For Detection Of West Nile Virus Infection In Pakistani Blood Donors.

Background: The study was planned to determine the presence of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in Pakistani blood donors, using Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAT).

Methods: The blood donors for study were selected on the basis of the standard questionnaire and routine screening results. Six donors were pooled using an automated pipettor and NAT for WNV was performed on Roche Cobas s 201 NAT system.

Hepatitis B genotypes and surface antigen mutants present in Pakistani blood donors.

Background: The prevalence of chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is 2-4% in the Pakistani population, defining Pakistan as an intermediate prevalence country. In this study, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) reactive blood donations were screened using a combination of serological and molecular methods to identify immune escape HBV mutant strains and to determine the HBV genotypes and subtypes present in Pakistan.

Methods: Blood donations were collected at the Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion (AFIT) located in northern Pakistan and the Hussaini Blood Bank (HBB) located in the south.

Where does the Albumin go? Human Albumin Solution usage following the implementation of a demand management programme.

Objective: To outline the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTFT) and Evelina London Children's Hospital (ELCH) demand management plan for human albumin solution (HAS) and usage.

Background: There is no UK-wide guidance governing the use of HAS. A severe shortage in 2015 prompted a Trust demand management programme.

Seroprevalence of Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus-1/2 in Blood Donors in Northern Pakistan: Implications for Blood Donor Screening.

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus-1/2 (HTLV-1/2) in blood donors in Northern Pakistan.

Study Design: Descriptive study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion, Rawalpindi, from July to August 2013.

Trends in human immunodeficiency virus seroprevalence in blood donors in northern Pakistan.

Objective: To study trends in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroprevalence in blood donors in northern Pakistan.

Study Design: Analysis of annual data from blood transfusion centre.

Place And Duration Of Study: Data records from people who had donated blood at the Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion (AFIT) between 1998 and 2013 were retrieved and analysed.

Impact of nucleic acid amplification test on screening of blood donors in Northern Pakistan.

Background: The Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion located in Rawalpindi, Northern Pakistan, acts as a regional blood center with more than 50,000 donations collected annually. Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) was introduced in our institution in September 2012 for screening all seronegative blood donors.

Study Design And Methods: The study was conducted from September 21, 2012, to September 20, 2013.

Frequencies of Duffy blood group alleles in Northern Pakistani donors.

Objective: Find the allele frequencies of Duffy blood group antigens in donor population from northern Pakistan.

Design: Cross sectional study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Transfusion (AFIT), Rawalpindi in year 2012.