ABSTRACT
Serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, VLDL and HDL cholesterol levels were determined in a group of 442 apparently healthy Lebanese subjects after a 12 hr fast. Age-dependent increase was noted for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. On the other hand, VLDL and HDL cholesterol levels were age-independent. In addition, sex differences were noted for HDL cholesterol only. Our findings for total cholesterol and triglycerides are comparable with values reported by other authors, while values for LDL and VLDL are significantly different.
Subject(s)
Cholesterol/blood , Triglycerides/blood , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Cholesterol, HDL/blood , Cholesterol, LDL/blood , Cholesterol, VLDL/blood , Cross-Sectional Studies , Data Collection , Female , Humans , Lebanon , Male , Middle Aged , Reference Values , Sampling Studies , Sex CharacteristicsABSTRACT
A new VP-16-based drug combination was utilized in the treatment of 3 adult patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia. Marrow aplasia was noted in all patients on day 7. While myeloid regeneration was noted on day 14, there was no evidence of regeneration of the erythroid series before day 21 in any of the 3 patients, and maturation of this cell line was never complete before day 35. Such prolonged suppression of the erythroid series has not been described with standard chemotherapy. Because of this protracted suppressive effect of the above regimen on erythroid cells, we propose to explore its therapeutic potential in a pilot study employing such a regimen in the treatment of erythroleukemia.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Etoposide/therapeutic use , Leukemia/drug therapy , Acute Disease , Bone Marrow/pathology , Cytarabine/administration & dosage , Erythropoiesis/drug effects , Etoposide/administration & dosage , Hematopoietic Stem Cells/drug effects , Humans , Leukemia/pathology , Thioguanine/administration & dosage , Vincristine/administration & dosageABSTRACT
A study of the molecular lesions of beta-thalassemia in Lebanon revealed the presence of eight different mutations in 25 patients with Cooley's anemia. The IVS1 position 110 mutation predominated with a frequency of 62% and was almost invariably associated with Mediterranean chromosome haplotype I. Five other mutations commonly found in the Mediterranean area occurred with frequencies of 2% to 8%. In addition a G----C substitution in IVS1 position 5 (a lesion previously found in Chinese and Asian Indians) was demonstrated in a patient with Mediterranean haplotype IX. A new mutation at codon 29 was found in two other patients with haplotype II. The characterization of these beta-thalassemia mutations should allow the implementation of a prenatal diagnosis program in that country.
Subject(s)
Globins/genetics , Thalassemia/genetics , Haplotypes , Humans , Mutation , Nucleic Acid Hybridization , Oligodeoxyribonucleotides , Prenatal Diagnosis , Thalassemia/diagnosisABSTRACT
This is the first report in the literature of siblings affected with Down syndrome; one sibling had a nondisjunction of chromosome 21 and the other a (21q;21q) translocation.
Subject(s)
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 , Down Syndrome/genetics , Nondisjunction, Genetic , Translocation, Genetic , Humans , MaleSubject(s)
Thalassemia/genetics , Genes, Recessive , Globins/metabolism , Homozygote , Humans , Lebanon , Thalassemia/metabolismABSTRACT
The haematological findings in 50 Bahrainis with sickle cell disease are reported. This establishes the existence of the Hb S gene in Bahrain. The mean Hb F level in the Bahraini patients was 13.8%, a value lower than that encountered in sickle cell homozygotes from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Subject(s)
Anemia, Sickle Cell/epidemiology , Hemoglobin, Sickle/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Anemia, Sickle Cell/genetics , Bahrain/ethnology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Gene Frequency , Humans , Infant , Male , PedigreeABSTRACT
The gamma G/gamma A ratio was determined on 50 cord blood samples from normal newborns and in 28 beta-thalassemia homozygotes among the Lebanese population, using electrophoresis on acrylamide-bisacrylamide gels containing Triton X-100, urea, and 2-mercapto-ethanol. 2-Mercapto-ethanol was found to be the most effective reducer, giving good resolution and a clean background. As the concentration of Triton X-100 was critical in this study, a concentration of 500 microliters of Triton X-100/25 ml of reaction mixture was found to be optimal. In our 50 cord blood samples, the mean total Hb was 20 g/dl, with a range of 12-26. The mean fetal Hb (HbF) level was 64%, and the range 50-90%. The mean value for gamma G/gamma G + gamma A was 0.75. All beta-homozygotes had an elevated HbF, ranging from 7.7-99.3%, and their mean gamma G/gamma G + gamma A was 0.64. Only two out of 28 had gamma G/gamma G + gamma A ratio of 0.5; in the rest it was 0.60 or greater. This may be due to the greater resistance of erythrocytes with higher HbF and higher gamma G/gamma A destruction.
Subject(s)
Fetal Hemoglobin/analysis , Thalassemia/blood , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Fetal Blood/analysis , Homozygote , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Lebanon , Thalassemia/geneticsABSTRACT
We have studied patients with beta-thalassemia from a Lebanese population having a high rate of consanguineous matings. This population exhibits both elevated and normal levels of Hb A2 associated with high levels of Hb F in homozygotes. The clinical course of the anemia suggests that this population consists of the severe Mediterranean type. Twenty-three unrelated homozygous beta-thalassemia patients investigated for globin synthetic ratios, consisted of 18 beta+ and 5 beta 0 with a non-alpha/alpha range of 0.158-0.465 and 0.25-0.41, respectively. The percentage of G gamma chains in Hb F was determined for 21 of these patients and a mean value of 59% G gamma chain content was found.
