Current Issue : October - December Volume : 2013 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential components of the immune system and contribute to immune responses by activating or\r\ntolerizing T cells. DCs comprise a heterogeneous mixture of subsets that are located throughout the body and possess distinct and\r\nspecialized functions. Although numerous defined precursors from the bone marrow and spleen have been identified, emerging\r\ndata in the field suggestsmany alternative routes ofDC differentiation fromprecursorswithmultilineage potential.Here,we discuss\r\nhow the combinatorial expression of transcription factors can promote one DC lineage over another as well as the integration of\r\ncytokine signaling in this process....
Background: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is a major chronic health problem in Uganda. In patients with SCA, the level\r\nof foetal haemoglobin (HbF) has been found to be important in influencing the clinical course of the disease. Thus\r\npopulations with high levels of HbF like those in Saudi Arabia have been described as having a milder clinical\r\ncourse with fewer complications as compared to populations with lower levels. Disease modifying drugs can\r\nincrease the Hb F levels and modify the presentation of SCA.\r\nMethods: This was a cross sectional study in which we determined foetal haemoglobin levels and examined the\r\nrelationship between HbF levels and disease severity in SCA patients in Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. We\r\nconsecutively enrolled 216 children aged 1 year to 18 years with SCA attending the Sickle Cell Clinic at Mulago\r\nHospital whose guardians had given consent. The history included age at onset of initial symptoms and diagnosis,\r\nnumber of hospitalisations and blood transfusions and other complications of SCA (cardiovascular accidents,\r\navascular hip necrosis and priapism). A detailed physical examination was performed to assess the current state and\r\nhelp describe the disease severity for each patient. Blood samples were drawn for HbF levels. HbF levels =10% was\r\ndefined as high.\r\nResults: Of the 216 children, (80) 37% had HbF levels =10%. Significant correlations were observed between HbF\r\nlevel and several clinical parameters independent of age including age at diagnosis (p value 0.013), number of\r\nhospitalisations (p value 0.024) and transfusions (p value 0.018) since birth.\r\nConclusion: A third of the children with SCA attending the Sickle cell clinic in Mulago Hospital have high HbF\r\nlevels. Higher HbF level is associated with later onset of symptoms and presentation, and less severe disease\r\ncharacterised by fewer hospitalisations and blood transfusions. We suggest HbF levels should be determined at\r\ninitial contact for patients with SCA to guide counselling and identify those who may need closer follow up and\r\nconsideration for disease modifying drugs....
Background: A 14-month prospective longitudinal study conducted in the Taabo health demographic surveillance\r\nsystem (HDSS), south-central CÃ?´te dââ?¬â?¢Ivoire, revealed high prevalence of anemia in different population groups in\r\nthree types of settings (i.e., small town, village, and hamlet). Demographic parameters and several variables related\r\nto parasitic infections, micronutrient status, and inflammation were significantly associated with higher odds of\r\nanemia. However, cultural concepts and knowledge of various anemia-related illnesses and their relation with\r\npeopleââ?¬â?¢s behaviors have not been investigated.\r\nMethods: Sixteen focus group discussions and six key informant interviews were performed with village authorities,\r\nhealth workers, and traditional healers. Questionnaires were administrated to 200 school-aged children and 115\r\nyoung women. Of these individuals, 206 participated in the preceding longitudinal study, whereas the remaining\r\n109 people were not exposed to prior research, but had similar age and sex profiles. Mean prominence of\r\nparticipantsââ?¬â?¢ responses was compared between groups of participants and across study settings.\r\nResults: Local concepts of anemia-related illnesses referred to its perceived causes based on two logical\r\nframeworks ââ?¬â?? biomedical and sociocultural ââ?¬â?? although a clear distinction was often blurred. We found few\r\ndifferences in knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors across study settings and between participants who were exposed\r\nto prior research and newly recruited ones. Malaria und nutritional issues as understood and managed by the\r\npopulation differed from definitions and recommendations provided by the health system. Malaria was not\r\nacknowledged as an exclusive mosquito-transmitted disease and participants referred to the quantity, rather than\r\nthe quality, of food when talking about nutritional issues.\r\nConclusions: Local concepts and ideas about anemia have public health implications, inasmuch as they are related\r\nto peopleââ?¬â?¢s attitudes, risk-related and help-seeking behaviors, which in turn might affect their health status. Local\r\nterminology and beliefs about anemia and malaria should be carefully considered when developing health\r\nintervention and education programs. The similarity in knowledge about anemia-related illnesses and associated\r\nbehaviors, regardless of study setting and prior exposure to research, suggests that a uniform communication\r\nstrategy may be used to develop education programs and awareness campaigns aimed at the prevention and\r\ncontrol of anemia in south-central CÃ?´te dââ?¬â?¢Ivoire....
Leukemia poses a serious challenge to current therapeutic strategies. ?is has been attributed to leukemia stem cells (LSCs),\r\nwhich occupy endosteal and sinusoidal niches in the bone marrow similar to those of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). ?e\r\nsignals from these niches provide a viable setting for the maintenance, survival, and fate speci??cations of these stem cells.\r\nAdvancements in genetic engineering and microscopy have enabled us to critically deconstruct and analyze the anatomic and\r\nfunctional characteristics of these niches to reveal a wealth of new knowledge in HSC biology, which is quite ahead of LSC biology. In\r\nthis paper, we examine the present understanding of the regulatory mechanisms governing HSC niches, with the goals of providing\r\na framework for understanding the mechanisms of LSC regulation and suggesting future strategies for their elimination....
Background: The genetic polymorphism of thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is well characterized in most\r\npopulations. Four common polymorphic alleles are associated with impaired activity of the enzyme. These are\r\nTPMT*2 (238G>C), TPMT*3B (c.460G>A), TPMT*3A (c.460G>A and c.719A>G) and TPMT*3C (c.719A>G). The aim of\r\nthe present study was to determine the frequency of TPMT polymorphisms and their association with the\r\noccurrence of adverse events, during 6-mercaptopurine therapy in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemic (ALL)\r\npatients in Gaza Strip.\r\nMethods: A total of 56 DNA samples from all pediatric ALL patients admitted to the pediatric hematology\r\ndepartments of Gaza strip hospitals were analyzed. Genomic DNA from peripheral blood leukocytes was isolated\r\nand the TPMT*2, TPMT*3B TPMT*3A and TPMT*3C allelic polymorphism was determined by PCR-RFLP and allele\r\nspecific PCR technique.\r\nResults: No TPMT*2, *3B or *3C alleles were detected. Only one, out of 56 patients, was found heterozygous for the\r\nTPMT*3A allele. Thus, the frequency of TPMT*3A allele was calculated to be 0.89%. Fourteen patients of ALL were\r\nsuffering from myelotoxicity during 6-MP therapy. From our results, no significant association could be established\r\nbetween clinical and laboratory data and/or the presence of the mutation in TPMT gene.\r\nConclusion: TPMT*3A was the only deficiency allele detected in our population with an allelic frequency of 0.89%.\r\nOther polymorphic alleles in TPMT gene, or factors other than TPMT polymorphisms may be responsible for the\r\ndevelopment of myelosuppression in cases that don�t carry the investigated TPMT alleles (*2, *3A, *3B and *3C).\r\nTherefore, more studies are recommended to study such factors....
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