Fatema Jawad  ( Sughrabai Millwala Hospital, North Nazim¬abad, Karachi. )

Intussuception in Children and its Management Husain, A.M., Sultan, S. Rawal Medical Journal, 1984; 13 : 10-14.
The results of a retrospective study of 32 patients diagnosed as intussuception in the Civil Hospital, Abbottabad in the period from June 1981 to May 1984 are presented. Majority of the cases were below one year of age and 66 percent were males. Abdominal pain and vomiting were the main symptoms whereas blood on rectal examination and a palpable abdominal lump were the chief signs.
Fourteen of the patients required resection due to a gangrenous gut. This was attributed to bringing in the patient late to the hospital. Wound infection and dehiscence occurred in 11 patients who underwent resection. The mortality rate in these cases was 43 percent and the cause of death was determined as septicaemia and hyperpyrexia.
The eighteen patients who had a simple reduction made an uneventful recovery.
Talagang Encephalopathy Hameed, S.S.N., Shaikh, J.1., Anjum, M., Kundi, M.Z.M., Baqai, H.Z. Rawal Medical Journal, 1984; 13 : 15.21.
15 cases labelled as Talagang Encephalo. pathy have been presented. Talagang is a Tehseel situated 40 miles in the south west of Islamabad. 162 cases of encephalopathy were reported over a period of 14 weeks from July to October 1984. Of these 15 who were severely ill were admitted in the Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi.
The onset of the disease was sudden with seizures. There were no prodromal symptoms. Most of the cases had a remarkably quick and complete recovery with an average stay of 4 to 5 days in hospital. 75 percent of the patients were below 15 years of age and were malnourished. The laboratory tests carried out gave normal results except for a raised leucocyte count. This excluded any viral or bacterial cause of the illness and pointed towards a toxic etiology.
The causative factor was confirmed when enquiries revealed the indiscriminate use of in secticides and pesticides resulting in food contamination. The chemical contained chlorina­ted hydrocarbons and were the cause of the toxic encephalopathy which is a known fact. These compounds cause an acute stimulation of the central nervous and have a dominant neuroconvul. sant effect with cortical predilection.
Proper education and guidance of the people in developing areas, regarding the use of insectici. des is necessary to prevent possible hazards, less toxic substances should be substituted for the more toxic ones.
Prevalence of HBs  Ag Among Blood Donors of Islamabad Kazmi, K., Ghafoor, A., Burney, M.I. Pakistan Journal of Medical Research, 1985; 24: 181-182.
The blood of 10,451 voluntary donors in three blood banks of Rawalpindi and Islamabad was tested for the presence of HBs Ag. Eight percent of all were found to be carriers and thus a reservoir of infection. The donors belonged to different units of the army, near relatives of patients, young college students and some gover­nment employees. The test was carried out with Hepatest (Welicome). The donors from the armed forces were ?ound to have the highest rate of positivity with 10.7 percent being HBs Ag positive.
As blood donors are considered to be a healthy section of the population and the average rate of antigen positive cases was calculated to be 8 percent, Pakistan is placed in the intermediate! high prevalence area of hepatitis. With this revelation it is strongly advised that all blood banks should have screening procedures so that the risk of post-transfusion hepatitis is minimised.
Preliminary Study on Colour Blindness in PakistanHarani V. Journal of Pakistan Acad. Ophthaimol., 1986; 1: 59 - 60.
The results of a study to spot colour  blindness in all the four provinces of Pakistan are presented. 773 candidates were examined of which 713 were males and 60 were females with ages ranging from 25 to 35 years. Colour vision testing was done by 24 plates Isihara Charts. 30 of these individuals, all males, were found to be colour blind, thus giving an incidence of 4.2 percent.
Colour blindness an inability to recognise red, blue and green colours is usually congenital and is transmitted by recessive sex linked inheritance. This makes the females carriers and males are affected.
As colour vision is gaining importance in the daily routines of life due to electronic technology, so it is important that screening should be carried out in school children. This will help in selection of a suitable career by the affected person.
This reported preliminary study showed that the incidence of colour blindness in Pakistan is less than that mentioned in Western literature where the figure is 8 percent.