ABSTRACT
To determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) markers among Bahraini children with hereditary haemolytic anaemias, a cross-sectional study was conducted at the paediatric outpatient clinic of Sulimaniya Medical Center in the State of Bahrain. A total of 242 patients with hereditary haemolytic anaemias were enrolled in the study: 171 (71%) with sickle cell syndromes, 59 (24%) with beta thalassaemia major and 12 (5%) with alpha thalassaemia. Among the 191 multi-transfused patients, 39 (20.5%) had one or more markers for HBV, 78 (40%) were seropositive for HCV antibody, and three (1.6%) were seropositive for HIV antibody. In contrast, none of the 51 non-transfusion group was seropositive for HBV and HIV antibodies but one patient was seropositive for HCV antibody. HBV, HCV and HIV infections therefore remain a major hazard for children with hereditary haemolytic anaemias, despite blood donor screening. More refined and sensitive tests which would detect infection in all stages of the disease are required. Hepatitis B vaccine should be given to all children with hereditary haemolytic anaemias.
Subject(s)
Anemia, Hemolytic, Congenital/virology , HIV Infections/epidemiology , Hepatitis B/epidemiology , Hepatitis C/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Anemia, Hemolytic, Congenital/epidemiology , Antibodies, Viral/analysis , Bahrain/epidemiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , HIV Infections/diagnosis , Hepatitis B/diagnosis , Hepatitis C/diagnosis , Humans , Infant , Male , Prevalence , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Transfusion ReactionABSTRACT
The ontogeny of glutamine uptake by jejunal basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMV) was studied in suckling and weanling rats and the results were compared with adult rats. Glutamine uptake was found to represent a transport into an osmotically active space and not mere binding to the membrane surface. Temperature dependency indicated a carrier-mediated process with optimal pH of 7.0. Transport of glutamine was Na+ (out greater than in) gradient dependent with a distinct "overshoot" phenomenon. The magnitude of the overshoot was higher in suckling compared with weanling rats. The uptake kinetics and inhibition profile indicated the existence of two major transport pathways. A Na(+)-dependent system correlated with System A showed tolerance to System N and System ASC substrates, and a Na(+)-independent system similar to the classical L system that favors leucine and BCH. The Vmax for the Na(+)-dependent system was higher in suckling compared with weanling and adult rats. The Vmax for the Na(+)-dependent system was 0.86 +/- 0.17, 0.64 +/- 0.8, and 0.41 +/- 0.9 nmol.mg protein-1.10 sec-1 for suckling, weanling, and adult rats, respectively. The Vmax for the Na(+)-independent system was 0.68 +/- 0.08, 0.50 +/- 0.03, and 0.24 +/- 0.03 nmol.mg protein-1.10 sec-1 for suckling, weanling, and adult rats, respectively. We conclude that glutamine uptake undergoes developmental changes consistent with more activity and/or number of glutamine transporters during periods of active cellular proliferation and differentiation.
Subject(s)
Aging/metabolism , Glutamine/metabolism , Jejunum/growth & development , Amino Acids/pharmacology , Animals , Animals, Suckling , Basement Membrane/metabolism , Biological Transport, Active , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Jejunum/metabolism , Kinetics , Lithium/metabolism , Male , Membrane Potentials , Osmolar Concentration , Potassium/metabolism , Rats , Sodium/metabolism , Temperature , WeaningABSTRACT
The ontogeny of glutamine uptake by jejunal brush border membrane vesicles was studied in suckling and weanling rats and compared with the data obtained from previous studies done on adult rats in our laboratory. Glutamine uptake represented transport into the intravesicular space rather than mere binding into the membrane as evident by osmolality study. The process of glutamine uptake was temperature dependent suggesting a carrier-mediated process with a pH optimum at 7.0. Glutamine uptake was driven by Na+ and K+ gradient in both suckling and weanling rats. Both processes exhibited saturation kinetics and were inhibited by other neutral amino acids suggesting the presence of Na(+)-dependent neutral brush border system and Na(+)-independent (L)-like system. The Vmax of Na(+)-dependent and Na(+)-independent processes were significantly greater in suckling rats with Vmax of 4.9 +/- 0.36 nmol.mg protein-1.7 s-1 compared to weanling rats with Vmax of 2.4 +/- 0.2 nmol.mg protein-1.7 s-1 and adult rats with Vmax of 0.70 nmol.mg protein-1.7 s-1. The greater Vmax in suckling rats is also evident when the kinetic parameters are analyzed by subtracting the sodium-dependent uptake values from the sodium-independent values. Vmax of 1.59 +/- 0.3 and 0.76 +/- 0.01 nmol.mg protein-1. 7 s-1 in suckling and weanling rats, respectively, p less than 0.01. Km values were not different at 2.5 +/- 0.6 and 3.5 +/- 0.6 mM, respectively). The data suggest that the activity and/or the number of transporters are greater during the period of active growth and development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
