BackgroundChildren with Down syndrome (DS) have about a 40 to 50% incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the distribution and frequency of CHD patterns in Libyan children with DS.MethodsAll patients with DS who were referred to the cardiology clinic between January 1995 and December 2008 were reviewed.ResultsOf the 1 193 patients reviewed, 537 (45%) had an associated CHD. Overall there were 349 (65%) patients who had a single cardiac lesion, and 188 (35%) had multiple cardiac lesions. The most common isolated cardiac lesion was atrial septal defect (ASD), found in 125 (23%) patients, followed by atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) in 103 (19%), and ventricular septal defect (VSD) in 76 (14%).ConclusionAtrial septal defect was the most common cardiac lesion. The distribution of CHDs in Libyan children with DS was similar to what has been reported internationally, but the frequency was not compared with international rates.

Rotavirus is a clinically relevant but preventable pathogen in paediatric cancer patients, since many cases seem to be nosocomial in origin. Rapid microbiological testing and contact precautions should be strictly applied to any symptomatic patient and to their immediate contacts. Prolonged viral shedding in immunocompromised paediatric patients necessitates repeated testing in order to determine the duration of isolation.

Background Thrombocytopenia is defined as a platelet count of less than 150 9 10 3 ll. It is commonly diagnosed and has attracted more interest from the researchers in pregnant women during the last 20 years, especially in hypertensive pregnant women. Aim To assess the incidence of thrombocytopenia in hypertensive pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy. Methods Five hundred forty-four pregnant women were included in this study from a total of 10,272 admitted at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Tripoli Medical Center during January-August 2007. Frequent blood pressure monitorings and full blood counts were performed in several medical follow ups. They were not known to be HBV, HCV, or HIV positive women before pregnancy, and none was reported to have evidence of HBV, HCV, or HIV upon performing HBs-Ag, anti-HCV antibody, or HIV-antigen positive tests. Data were arranged in Excel Microsoft program version 2010, and statistically analyzed by SPSS windows program version 17. Results Five hundred and forty-four women were hypertensive according to WHO hypertension definition criteria. Sixty-seven women had only one reading of high blood pressure, while 39 women fulfilled HELP syndrome criteria (hemolysis elevated liver enzymes low platelet). These 39 women were excluded from the study. Therefore, only 438 pregnant women remained eligible for the study. The mean age was (32.56 ± 1.5), with their ages ranging between 18 and 49 years. Most of the included women were primigravida 179 (39 %), gravid 2, para one were 72 (16.4 %), and the rest were gravid 3 or more (42.6 %). The blood pressure was 140-160/90-110 mmHg in 365 women (83.4 %), and 73 women (16.7 %) had blood pressure readings more than 160/110 mmHg. Mean platelets count was (206.49 9 10 3 /ll ± 3.35), and ranged between (41.0 -449.0 9 10 3 /ll). Thrombocytopenia (less than 150 9 10 3 /ll) was recorded in 103 women (23.5 %). All pregnancy cases were delivered safely with no fetal complications. Conclusion Gestational thrombocytopenia (GT) is recognized as a major cause of thrombocytopenia particularly in hypertensive pregnant women during the third trimester. Careful follow up during and after pregnancy for those women is recommended.Habas E.

Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which the blood platelet count is low. It is well established that the mild thrombocytopenia frequency is higher in normal pregnancy. This type of thrombocytopenia was named pregnancy-induced thrombocytopenia. However, recently, it has been widely known as gestational thrombocytopenia (GT). The rate is higher in women with a prior GT history and multiple pregnancies. However, it appears that GT is a physiological response to the pregnancy; placenta's peculiar structure and its unique blood flow pattern play major roles in GT development. There are no specific, precise, or known underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of GT, and no new specific management strategies are published yet. Therefore, we decided to do a non-systematic review of any recent updates that had been published in PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science about the pathophysiology of GT, its treatment, and other related topics.

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