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Background:The pattern of gynecological malignancies varies among nations and even within health institution in the same country. Understanding the histo-pathological pattern of these malignancies will help in the management of the patient.Aim:The aim of the following study is to establish the frequency, histo-pathological features, and distribution of genital tract malignancies as seen in a tertiary health institution in North - western Nigeria.Materials and Methods:A retrospective analysis of data from ward admissions and discharge records, surgical biopsy materials from the theater and the histopathology laboratory results of slides. The study was carried out at the Usmanu Dan-Fodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria. Data were entered into a study proforma and analysis was through SPSS version 15 (Chicago IL) for windows. The results were expressed in simple percentages, tables and charts.Results:During the study period (2000-2009), there were 404 cases of gynecological malignancies recorded in the hospital. Cervical cancer was the most common gynecological malignancy 274/404 (69%), followed by choriocarcinoma 52/404 (13.1%), ovarian cancer 46/404 (11.4%) while the least common was vaginal cancer 1/404 (0.3%). The mean age of the cancers was 54 years (28.3). The mean age of incidence of all ovarian cancers was 52.5 years (SD ± 16.2). Epithelial ovarian tumors had a mean age incidence of 67 (12) years, while that of ovarian germ cell tumors was 18.5 (8) years. The incidence of cervical cancer showed a rising trend. Moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histological variant of cervical carcinoma 170/252 (67.5%). Among the ovarian tumors, epithelial cancers were the most common 38/46 (82.6%), and were followed by the germ cell tumors 5/46 (10.9%). Dysgerminoma was the predominant ovarian germ cell tumour 4/5 (80%). There were 50 deaths from these cancers in our hospital.Conclusion:Cervical cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy in our centerand it was followed by Choriocarcinoma. Efforts to reduce the cancer burden should focus on heath education of the masses, national organized screening especially for cervical cancer and establishing regional centers for monitoring and evaluation of these programs.

Background The medical community's understanding of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was limited initially, and many laboratory investigations were performed to observe effects of the virus on the body, its complications, and outcomes. We observed that some laboratory investigations provided redundant information regarding outcomes, and, therefore, were not necessary. Therefore, the extent of laboratory investigations may need to be pared down to not only avoid issues related to repeated blood sampling but also to minimize the financial burdens in poor socioeconomic countries. Objective This study aimed to observe trends of clinical and laboratory values in COVID-19 patients and their relationship to outcomes, including disease severity, length of hospital stay, and mortality. Methods We conducted an observational cohort study of COVID-19 patients treated as inpatients at the Shifa International Hospital (SIH) in Islamabad in April 2020. Patients were included if they were nonsurgical, adult inpatients of SIH diagnosed with COVID-19 via positive polymerase chain reaction test. We monitored study participants' clinical and laboratory values (including hypoxia) on admission and throughout the study period. We used IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) for data entry and analysis. Descriptive statistics were calculated for qualitative and quantitative data. We determined the effect of all variables on outcomes through chi-squared or Fisher's exact test, and p-values <0.05 with 95% confidence interval were considered statistically significant. Results A total of 51 patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. Most of the study participants were men older than age 50 with multiple comorbidities and resided in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Length of hospital stay ranged from eight to 14 days, and most patients had severe disease and survived. Factors such as patient age, gender, comorbid conditions, residence, and medication did not significantly affect outcomes. Hypotension during the height of symptoms and oxygen saturations <80% on admission was associated with prolonged hospital stays. Two complete blood count (CBC) parameters (platelet counts and mean corpuscular volume, MCV) were strongly associated with mortality and severity in our patients. Four non-CBC parameters (alanine transaminase, ALT; D-dimer; C-reactive protein, CRP; and lactate dehydrogenase, LDH) had strong statistical impact on disease severity, length of hospital stay, and mortality in our patients. Conclusion In a resource-limited country, laboratory testing must be chosen wisely and used appropriately. Patient age, gender, comorbid conditions, drugs, residence, and ferritin levels did not affect COVID-19 outcomes. Hemoglobin, platelet count, MCV, CRP, D-dimer, ALT, LDH, hypoxia, and hypotension were all correlated to disease outcomes. Therefore, these factors are useful laboratory examinations for COVID-19 patients, especially in poor countries. Categories: Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease Keywords: covid-19, tren...

Pseudohyperkalemia can appear in a variety of settings and should be recognized early. Treatment of pseudohyperkalemia can lead to an inappropriate decrease of actual serum potassium levels which may lead to life threatening conditions. In the case presented, an 81-year-old male presented with massive leucocytosis and an extremely elevated potassium level. This case report emphasizes the importance of recognizing pseudohyperkalemia in a patient with a severely increased potassium and WBC level; such patients may be clinically asymptomatic or may have a normal ECG.