BACKGROUND:Recurrent spontaneous pregnancy (RSA) is defined as a sequence of three or more consecutive spontaneous abortions. One of the major causes of RSA is immunological where alloimmune antibodies develop towards human leucocyte antigen (HLA) antigens. Earlier research had suggested that anti-HLA antibodies are produced in normal women; studies have been reported that normal pregnant women develop anti-HLA antibodies, mostly after 20–28 weeks of gestation.AIM:To evaluate the role of anti-HLA antibodies in RSA patientsMATERIALS AND METHODS:A total of 80 randomly selected couples with unexplained three or more RSA and control group of 50 normal pregnant women were screened for anti-HLA A and B antibodies. The anti-HLA antibodies were analyzed following the standard two-stage NIH microlymphocytotoxicity assay.RESULTS:In our study group a high frequency of anti-HLA antibodies among women with RSA (26.25%) was detected compared to normal pregnant women (8.0%). Most of the sera showed HLA-A and HLA-B antibodies which had high titer, up to a dilution of 1: 4096.CONCLUSION:This incidence of high anti-HLA antibodies in RSA women during early weeks of gestation may explain the recurrent pregnancy loss.

The present study assesses the effect of such chronic sleep deprivation on brain functioning with special emphasis on frontal lobe functions. Chronic sleep deprivation is common in the modern society. Deficits in daytime performance due to sleep loss are experienced universally and associated with significant social, financial, and human cost. The objective way to assess effect of chronic sleep deprivation on various brain functions such as sustained attention, planning, and memory is to conduct the neuropsychology test battery. The general public was recruited as volunteers. Volunteers were asked to wear Actiwatch and/to fill sleep diary for 7 consecutive days. The neuropsychology test battery utilized included psychomotor vigilance task, forward digit span, Iowa gambling task, tower of London, Wisconsin card sorting test, Stroop, and Rey auditory verbal learning test. Results show that chronic sleep deprivation has the most significant effect on the younger generation as compared to older adults. There was no significant effect on the elderly population. Future large cohort studies are underway to substantiate the findings of this study.

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Introduction / Objective: The primary objective of the current pilot observational study was to establish feasibility and acceptability of sleep disorder screening tools, viz, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) in Indian Population. The study also aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of both the screening tests. The outcome of the study will provide the threshold values for PVT to determine positive and negative diagnosis. Method: It was a community based study in clinical settings. Patients visiting sleep clinic during period of year August 2011 to year September 2012 formed the study population.The sample population included 66 patients; 49 males and 17 females with mean age of 45 (age range 14-75). All subjects administered ESS as well as 10 minute PVT followed by confirmatory tools such as Nocturnal Polysomnogram, MSLT and Actigraphy. ESS score >10 was considered positive. The presence of any of intrinsic or extrinsic sleep disorder is considered a positive diagnosis. Bayesian theorem was applied to determine sensitivity and specificity of tests administered. Results: Sensitivity of PVT was found to be high as 90.16 % as compared to that of ESS as 39.3%. However the specificity for both the tests was found to be equal at 100%. Among PVT measurements, number of lapses and average reaction time were found to be co-relating with a sleep disorder diagnosis. Conclusion: Individuals having low ESS score were diagnosed with sleep problems which were well predicted in their PVT results. For Indian population, PVT assessment is more sensitive screening tool for sleep disorders as compared to ESS. Although, when administered together, chances of missing any sleep problem are minimised. It was a pilot study and needs to be further validated with larger population.