Hemoglobin sickle cell disease complications: a clinical study of 179 cases

Background

Hemoglobin sickle cell disease is one of the most frequent hemoglobinopathies. Surprisingly, few studies have been dedicated to this disease, currently considered to be a mild variant of homozygous sickle cell disease. The aim of this study was to update our knowledge about hemoglobin sickle cell disease.

Design and Methods

The study involved a single center series of 179 patients. Clinical and biological data were collected with special attention to the assessment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and nephropathy.

Results

Hemoglobin sickle cell diagnosis was delayed and performed in adulthood in 29% of cases. Prevalence of hospitalized painful vasoocclusive crisis, acute chest syndrome and priapism was 36%, 20% and 20%, respectively. The most common chronic organ complications were retinopathy and sensorineural otological disorders in 70% and 29% of cases. Indeed, prevalence of complications reported in homozygous sickle cell disease, such as nephropathy, suspicion of pulmonary hypertension, strokes and leg ulcers was rather low (13%, 4% and 1%, respectively). Phlebotomy performed in 36% of this population (baseline hemoglobin 11.5 g/dL) prevented recurrence of acute events in 71% of cases.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that hemoglobin sickle cell disease should not be considered as a mild form of sickle cell anemia but as a separate disease with a special emphasis on viscosity-associated otological and ophthalmological disorders, and with a low prevalence of vasculopathy (strokes, pulmonary hypertension, ulcers and nephropathy). Phlebotomy was useful in reducing acute events and a wider use of this procedure should be further investigated.     

Side of onset does not influence cognition in newly diagnosed untreated Parkinson's disease patients

BackgroundA relation between the side of motor onset and cognitive impairment in early PD has been reported, suggesting that the asymmetric degeneration affecting subcortical regions may play a pivotal role in lateralized cognitive function. However, evidences are controversial and all previous studies were performed on treated patients, though it is known that dopaminergic therapy can affect cognition in PD.MethodsSixty-nine early untreated PD patients underwent an extensive neuropsychological battery exploring memory, visuospatial and attention/executive functions. Patients were divided with respect of the side of onset (right vs. left) and further grouped according to motor phenotype (tremor vs. rigidity-bradykinesia). Multivariate analysis of variance has been carried out to compare clinical and neuropsychological data between subgroups.ResultsThere were no differences in any neuropsychological task between right-sided and left-sided onset subgroups, irrespective of tremor dominant or rigid-bradykinetic phenotype. Age at onset was significantly higher in patients with any cognitive impairment as compared with patients without (66.7 ± 3.2 vs. 56.3 ± 6.8 years, p = 0.001).ConclusionSide of motor onset is not a major determinant for developing lateralized cognitive deficits in newly diagnosed untreated PD patients.     

Primary myelofibrosis: risk stratification by IPSS identifies patients with poor clinical outcome

OBJECTIVES:

To evaluate whether risk scores used to classify patients with primary myelofibrosis and JAK-2 V617F mutation status can predict clinical outcome.

METHODS:

A review of clinical and laboratory data from 74 patients with primary myelofibrosis diagnosed between 1992 and 2011. The IPSS and Lille scores were calculated for risk stratification and correlated with overall survival.

RESULTS:

A V617F JAK2 mutation was detected in 32 cases (47%), with no significant correlation with overall survival. The patients were classified according to the scores: Lille - low, 53 (73.%); intermediate, 13 (18%); and high, 5 (7%); and IPSS – low, 15 (26%); intermediate-1, 23 (32%); intermediate-2, 19 (26%); and high, 15 (31%). Those patients presenting a higher risk according to the IPSS (high and intermediate-2) had a significantly shorter overall survival relative to the low risk groups (intermediate-1 and low) (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS:

These results emphasize the importance of the IPSS prognostic score for risk assessment in predicting the clinical outcome of primary myelofibrosis patients.     

Cigarette smoking and inflammation revisited

Despite the significant health risks resulting from tobacco use, the prevalence of smokers worldwide remains high. Cigarette smoking is one of the major sources of toxic chemical exposure to humans and is the greatest cause of preventable illnesses and premature death. The adverse consequences of smoking in various pathologies are mediated by its effects on the immune-inflammatory system. In this review, we aim to explore the effects of cigarette smoking on the inflammatory response and molecular mechanisms with emphasis on the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) pathway. The effects of smoking on various inflammatory pathologies will be discussed, focusing on oral diseases, airway inflammation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).     

Aerobic exercise training delays cardiac dysfunction and improves autonomic control of circulation in diabetic rats undergoing myocardial infarction

BackgroundExercise training (ET) has been used as a nonpharmacological strategy for treatment of diabetes and myocardial infarction (MI) separately. We evaluated the effects ET on functional and molecular left ventricular (LV) parameters as well as on autonomic function and mortality in diabetics after MI.Methods and ResultsMale Wistar rats were divided into control (C), sedentary-diabetic infarcted (SDI), and trained-diabetic infarcted (TDI) groups. MI was induced after 15 days of streptozotocin-diabetes induction. Seven days after MI, the trained group underwent ET protocol (90 days, 50-70% maximal oxygen consumption-VO₂max). LV function was evaluated noninvasively and invasively; baroreflex sensitivity, pulse interval variability, cardiac output, tissue blood flows, VEGF mRNA and protein, HIF1-α mRNA, and Ca²⁺ handling proteins were measured. MI area was reduced in TDI (21 ± 4%) compared with SDI (38 ± 4%). ET induced improvement in cardiac function, hemodynamics, and tissue blood flows. These changes were probable consequences of a better expression of Ca²⁺ handling proteins, increased VEGF mRNA and protein expression as well as improvement in autonomic function, that resulted in reduction of mortality in TDI (33%) compared with SDI (68%) animals.ConclusionsET reduced cardiac and peripheral dysfunction and preserved autonomic control in diabetic infarcted rats. Consequently, these changes resulted in improved VO₂max and survival after MI.