Corresponding author: A van Eyssen (ann.vaneyssen@uct.ac.za) Background. Allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplant (Allo-HSCT) is a specialised and costly intervention, associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is used to treat a broad range of paediatric conditions. South Africa (SA) is an upper middle-income country with limitations on healthcare spending. The role of paediatric Allo-HSCT in this setting is reviewed. Objectives. To review paediatric patients who underwent Allo-HSCT at the Groote Schuur Hospital/University of Cape Town Private Academic Hospital transplant unit in Cape Town, South Africa, and received post-transplant care at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, over the period January 2006 -December 2014 in respect of indications for the transplant, donor sources, conditioning regimens, treatment-related morbidity and overall survival (OS). Methods. A retrospective analysis of patient records was performed and a database was created in Microsoft Access. Descriptive analyses of relevant demographic, clinical and laboratory data were performed. Summary statistics of demographic and clinical parameters were derived with Excel. OS was calculated from the date of transplant to the date of an event (death) or last follow-up using the Kaplan-Meier method in Statistica. Results. A total of 48 children received Allo-HSCT: 24 for haematological malignancies, 20 for non-oncological haematological conditions, 3 for immune disorders and 1 for adrenoleukodystrophy. There were 28 boys (median age 7.5 years) and 20 girls (8.5 years). There were 31 sibling matched peripheral-blood stem cell (PBSC) transplants and 1 maternal haploidentical PBSC transplant. Stem cells were mobilised from bone marrow into peripheral blood by administering granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to donors. PBSCs were harvested by apheresis. Eight patients received 10/10 HLA-matched grafts from unrelated donors. Six were PBSC grafts and 2 were bone marrow grafts. Three of the unrelated PBSC grafts were from SA donors. Eight transplants used umbilical cord blood from international registries. OS for patients with non-oncological disorders was 91.3% (median follow-up 3.9 years), while that for oncology patients was 56.8% (1.9 years). Two of the survivors developed chronic graft-versus-host disease. Conclusions. OS for non-oncological conditions was excellent, while outcomes for oncological disorders were on par with those in highincome settings. Transplantation offers many patients the opportunity for long-term survival and has been shown to be both feasible and rewarding in a less well-resourced environment servicing an economically diverse population.

Background. An exponential increase in the number of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in paediatric services in Cape Town, South Africa, has been reported. The trend in adult/adolescent services has not been investigated. Objectives. To evaluate epidemiological trends of SCD and the profile of patients affected by SCD attending the Haematology Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), Cape Town. Methods. (i)A retrospective review of the number of SCD patients over the past 20 years; (ii) a cross-sectional analysis of clinical and haematological characteristics of SCD patients; and (iii) molecular analysis of the haemoglobin S mutation, the haplotype in the β-globinlike genes cluster, the 3.7 kb α-thalassaemia gene deletion and 19 selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with fetal haemoglobin (HbF) levels. Results. From 1995 to 2016, 81 adolescent/adult patients with SCD were registered, mostly originating from other African countries (n=61, 75.3%). There was an increase of over 200% in new cases (n=47) during the last quarter of the two decades investigated. Data from 34 of 58 regular attendees (58.6%) were analysed. The mean age of the patients was 26.1 years (standard deviation (SD) 9.8), and 70.6% were male. With the exception of four patients with sickle/β-thalassaemia, all the patients had SCD (haemoglobin SS). The co-inheritance of a single 3.7 kb α-globin deletion was found in 42.3% of cases (n=11). The Bantu haplotype was the most observed (65.4% of chromosomes). Most HbF-promoting SNPs were not associated with variable levels of haematological indices. Conclusions.There is an increasing burden of adult SCD patients at GSH. National health and academic institutions need to adapt policies and healthcare professional training accordingly. S Afr Med RESEARCH Methods Ethical approvalThe study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and with the approval of the Faculty of Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee, University of Cape Town (HREC ref. no. 132/2010). Informed and written consent was obtained from adult participants (≥18 years), and for one patient aged 15 years informed consent was obtained from the guardian with assent from the participant. PatientsThe Haematology Clinic runs weekly every Wednesday. Most patients are seen at least once a month, and clinically stable patients every 3 months, with the exception of crisis-related hospitalisation.A retrospective review of the number of SCD patients attending the clinic over the past 20 years and a cross-sectional analysis of patients who regularly attend the clinic were performed. Clinical events and haematological indices were retrospectively collected from hospital records. The haematological measures were those reported at the first visit to the hospital. Molecular methods DNA extractionDNA was isolated from the peripheral blood using the AllPrep DNA/RNA/miRNA universal kit (Qiagen, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. GenotypingHbS mutation and β-globin haplotypes Polymerase chain reac...

Continuous intravenous chlormethiazole is an effective anticonvulsant for status epilepticus, but because of the complications mentioned should be used carefully, preferably for short periods only. We thank the scientific and technical branch of the DHSS and the Government Chemist for their interest and chemical analysis, and the manufacturers of Heminevrin (Astra Chemicals), for their analysis and pyrogen tests.