[Beta-thalassemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency]. / Beta-talassemiia i defitsit gliukozo-6-fosfatdegidrogenazy.

Twenty subjects--patients with anemia and their close relatives representing 7 families, were tested for thalassemia. Heterozygotic beta-thalassemia was detected in 17 cases. The national composition of this patient population was as follows: 7 Pathans (Afghanistan), 1 family; 2 Armenians (Georgia), mother and son; 2 Tajiks, sibs; 2 patients of mixed Russian-Ukrainian-Polish-Azerbaijan origin, mother and son; 1 Russian-Arab child and his Arab father (Syria); 1 Uzbek woman and 1 Russian child. The mean content of Hb in the blood for patients with heterozygotic beta-thalassemia is 110 +/- 3.8 g/liter, that of HbA2 fraction 4.8 +/- 0.26% and of HbF fraction 2.6 +/- 0.39%. Clinical manifestations of the disease varied, being more grave in children than in adults. In an Armenian family from Batumi thalassemia minor was diagnosed in the mother and son, whereas in the father and other son a periodic disease was revealed. In a family of 7 members from Afghanistan thalassemia minor was found in 4 representing the paternal line, minimal thalassemia was suspected in 3, and a deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in red blood cells was revealed in 5: in the mother and 4 children. No increase of methemoglobin level was revealed in either of the examinees.

[Effect of cyclic nucleotides and hormones of homologous methylation in nuclear homogenates of rat bone marrow]. / Vliianie tsiklicheskikh nukleotidov i gormonov na gomologichnoe meitlirovanie v gomogenatakh iader kostnogo mozga krys.

In vitro and in vivo studies showed that methylation of homologous DNA in nuclear homogenates of rat bone marrow is controlled by cyclic nucleotides and some hormones. The cyclic nucleotides and their dibutyryl analogs inhibited homologous methylation of DNA in the presence and absence of phosphodiesterase inhibitors. In the presence of Ca2+ the inhibiting effect of the nucleotides was more pronounced. Prostaglandins inhibited DNA methylation in a weaker degree while insulin and erythropoietin had a stronger effect in comparison with the nucleotides. Histamine stimulated DNA methylation, whereas acute hypoxic hypoxia caused a reduction in the rate of DNA methylation.

[Cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate level in donor plasma]. / Uroven' tsiklicheskogo adenozin-3',5'-monofosfata v plazme donorov

The method of competitive protein binding was applied to the study of content of cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) in donor plasma one day before and immediately after the donation of 200 ml of blood. The work was performed by Gilman's radiochemical method. Two types of reaction of donors to donorship were revealed: without any changes and with the changes of the cAMP level. In accordance with these reactions the donors were divided into two subgroups--the stable and the reactive ones. In repeated donors the cAMP level was higher than in the primary ones, and the reactive ones. In repeated donors the cAMP level was higher than in the primary ones, and at the time of blood recovery it increased even more particularly among persons of "reactive" type. In primary donors of reactive type the cAMP content before the blood donation was either below or over the mean value and either increased or decreased to the mean level after the blood loss.