Hematological Characteristics of Different Genotypes of Thalassemia among Reproductive Population in Chongqing / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the hematological characteristics and genotype distribution of thalassemia among people at reproductive age in Chongqing.@*METHODS@#Hematology analysis and capillary electrophoresis were performed in 29 145 participants at reproductive age. The patients with positive results were confirmed by thalassemia genotyping. Genotype distribution and characteristics of mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and hba2 levels in thalassemia patients were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#--SEA/αα (45.10%), -α3.7/αα (39.31%) and -α4.2/αα (8.46%) were the most common genotypes of α-thalassemia, while CD17 (HBB: c. 52A>T) (31.67%), CD41-42 (HBB: c. 126-129 del TTCT) (26.87%) and IVS-Ⅱ-654 (HBB: c. 316-197 C>T) (24.21%) were the most common genotypes of β-thalassemia in Chongqing. In α-thalassemia ααCS/αα showed the lowest hba2 value (2.18±0.23)%, while --SEA/αα showed the lowest MCV (71.9±8.5) fl and MCH (22.7±3.3) pg value. The patients in βE (HBB: c. 79G>A) group showed comparatively higher values of MCV and MCH and significantly lower HbA and hba2 values than the other genotypes. There was no significant difference in HbA, hba2, MCV, MCH levels of the patients between pregnant group and non-pregnant group.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In Chongqing, there are differences in hematological characteristics among patients with different thalassemia genotypes. There is no significant effect of pregnancy on HbA, hba2, MCV and MCH has been found.

Long-term Levodopa Treatment Accelerates the Circadian Rhythm Dysfunction in a 6-hydroxydopamine Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with long-term levodopa (L-DOPA) treatment are suffering from severe circadian dysfunction. However, it is hard to distinguish that the circadian disturbance in patients is due to the disease progression itself, or is affected by L-DOPA replacement therapy. This study was to investigate the role of L-DOPA on the circadian dysfunction in a rat model of PD.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The rat model of PD was constructed by a bilateral striatal injection with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), followed by administration of saline or 25 mg/kg L-DOPA for 21 consecutive days. Rotarod test, footprint test, and open-field test were carried out to evaluate the motor function. Striatum, suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), liver, and plasma were collected at 6:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to examine the expression of clock genes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the secretion level of cortisol and melatonin. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure the neurotransmitters. Analysis of variance was used for data analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>L-DOPA alleviated the motor deficits induced by 6-OHDA lesions in the footprint and open-field test ( P < 0.01, P < 0.001, respectively). After L-DOPA treatment, Bmal1 decreased in the SCN compared with 6-OHDA group at 12:00 ( P < 0.01) and 24:00 ( P < 0.001). In the striatum, the expression of Bmal1, Rorα was lower than that in the 6-OHDA group at 18:00 (P < 0.05) and L-DOPA seemed to delay the peak of Per2 to 24:00. In liver, L-DOPA did not affect the rhythmicity and expression of these clock genes (P > 0.05). In addition, the cortisol secretion was increased (P > 0.05), but melatonin was further inhibited after L-DOPA treatment at 6:00 (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In the circadian system of advanced PD rat models, circadian dysfunction is not only contributed by the degeneration of the disease itself but also long-term L-DOPA therapy may further aggravate it.</p>