BACKGROUND The medical and economic problem of thalassaemia are considered to be a vast public health problem in the thalassaemia belt countries, emphasizing more on prenatal diagnosis as the solution of the problem. METHODS A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Institute of Haematology & Transfusion Medicine located in Medical College, Kolkata, India to assess the socio-de...

The effect of isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH), a potent haem inhibitor, on globin chain synthesis was studied in reticulocytes from the following groups of patients: four non-thalassaemic patients (group i); five beta thalassaemia heterozygotes (group ii); three Hb S/beta thalassaemia heterozygotes (group iii); and two additional patients--one with homozygous beta thalassaemia and the other w...

The role of inflammatory cytokines in the pathophysiology of beta-thalassaemia is still unclear. In this study production levels of interleukins (IL)-12 and IL-13 were measured by commercial ELISA in culture supernatants of mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells-from 30 non-splenectomized beta-thalassaemia cases with iron overload and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. ...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES In a routine community health survey conducted in adult Adivasis of the costal Maharashtra, microcytosis and hyprochromia were observed in more than 80 per cent of both males and females having normal haemoglobin levels suggesting the possibility of α-thalassaemia in these communities. We conducted a study in Adivasi students in the same region to find out the magnitude ...

This study was designed to estimate interferon-gamma (INF-gamma) levels among polytransfused haematology cases. Cases were selected from the haematology unit of Alexandria main university hospital, Egypt. Complete blood counts, estimation of INF-gamma and hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) status were conducted on 20 unsplenectomized patients with gamma-thalassaemia major and 20 patients wit...

background : the medical and economic problem of thalassaemia are considered to be a vast public health problem in the thalas­saemia belt countries, emphasizing more on prenatal diagnosis as the solution of the problem. methods: a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the institute of haematology & transfusion medicine lo­cated in medical college, kolkata, india to assess the socio...

A case-control study aimed to determine the prevalence of C282Y, H63D and S65C mutations of the HFE gene in beta-thalassaemia carriers and investigate their influence on iron absorption. A total of 41 beta-thalassaemia carriers and 40 control subjects without haemoglobinopathies were screened for the C282Y, H63D and S65C mutations by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymor...

This molecular genetics study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan from 2004 to 2006 to provide guidelines for prenatal diagnosis programmes in the country. Blood samples of patients with beta-thalassaemia minor (n=200) and beta-thalassaemia major (n=150) were collected from hospitals, transfusion centres and diagnostic laboratories from different districts of Karachi, representing 5 major ethnic...

Thalassaemia is the most frequent hereditary disorder in Pakistan, with an estimated 8-10 million carriers. This single-centre study reported the frequency of haemoglobinopathies among 504 consecutive cases visiting Islamabad Diagnostic Centre for haemoglobin electrophoresis from July 2010 to February 2011. Haemoglobin electrophoresis was performed on cellulose acetate membrane, followed by sta...