Root tips were soaked 1-2 hours at 18-20" C. in a freshly prepared saturated aqueous solution of a-bromonaphthalene, 1-2 hours in water, and fixed in a mixture consisting of 1% chromic acid, 5 ml.; 2% osmic acid, 1 ml.; and 0.002 M 8-0xyquinoline, 1 ml. for 0.5-1.0 hour at 10-14" C. They were then successively treated as follows: water 1-2 minutes; 1% H,SO,, 10-15 minutes; water, 1-2 minutes; 1% Cr03, 0.5-1.0 hour; water 3-5 minutes; 1 N HCl, 45 minutes at 60" C.; water 3-5 minutes; leucobasic fuchsin (de Tomasi) 0.5-1.0 hour. The brightly stained tips of the roots were cut off and squashed in the usual manner in a drop of aceto-carmine under a cover glass. The cover glass was sealed with paraffin and the slide stored overnight. T h e paraffin was removed and the cover glass separated in a -l : l mixture of acetic acid and n-butyl alcohol. Final processing consisted of passing the slide through pure n-butyl alcohol; a 1:l mixture of redistilled turpentine and n-butyl alcohol (to remove-the osmic acid stain); n-butyl alcohol, 2 changes, and covering in balsam.

Prenatal Diagnosis (PND) forms an important part of primary preventive management for families having a child affected with primary immunodeficiency. Although individually sparse, collectively this group of genetic disorders represents a significant burden of disease. This paper discusses the prenatal services available for affected families at various centers across the country and the challenges and ethical considerations associated with genetic counseling. Mutation detection in the index case and analysis of chorionic villous sampling or amniocentesis remain the preferred procedures for PND and phenotypic analysis of cordocentesis sample is reserved for families with well-characterized index case seeking PND in the latter part of the second trimester of pregnancy. A total of 112 families were provided PND services in the last decade and the presence of an affected fetus was confirmed in 32 families. Post-test genetic counseling enabled the affected families to make an informed decision about the current pregnancy.

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