Assessment of in vitro cytokine response in hemophilia A patients with or without factor VIII inhibitory antibody

Investigation of SEN virus prevalence in hemophilia patients

Background

Hemophilia and transfusion-dependent patients are at high risk of a wide range of blood-borne agents. Among these, SEN virus (SENV) stands out as a significant concern due to its association with transfusion-induced non-A to non-E hepatitis. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the prevalence of this virus in hemophilia patients, focusing on potential complications and risk factors.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a hemophilia center in the east of Iran. Blood samples were taken from patients and healthy people, and demographic and clinical information was collected. The sera samples were then subjected to DNA extraction. PCR-based methods detected SENV and its genotype, and then phylogenetic analysis was performed. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted by SPSS22 software.

Results

The mean age of patients and the healthy group was 26.18 ± 14.97 and 41.69 ± 14.05, respectively. Among the patient and healthy groups, 94.5 % and 36.4 % were male, and the rest were female, respectively. Most of the participants in the patient group had hemophilia type A (85.5 %), then type B (7.3 %), VWD type (3.6 %), and F and plt type (1.8 %) were in the next categories. SENV-DNA was detected in 58.2 % of patients and 20 % of healthy groups (P-value: 0.00). Among these, H and D genotypes were found in 35 % and 23.7 % of patients and 12.7 % and 7.3 % of healthy groups, respectively. The prevalence of the virus was significantly related to minor elevation of AST and was higher in hemophilia type A (63.8 %) and severe type of disease (63.2 %).

Conclusion

This study underscore the significant prevalence of the SENV virus in hemophilia patients, a particularly noteworthy finding compared to the healthy population. With the limited information available about this virus, our findings highlight the importance of continuous monitoring and follow-up of high-risk groups in relation to blood-borne pathogens, providing reassurance about the ongoing efforts in the field.

Overproduction of CXC chemokines CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL12 in β-thalassemia major or patients

BACKGROUNDS AND OBJECTIVES

B-thalassemia major is one of the most frequent hematological genetic disorders, worldwide. Chemokines are the main components of the immune system and play fundamental roles in pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine whether serum CXC chemokines are altered in b-thalassemia major patients.

DESIGN AND SETTINGS

We enrolled 63 b-thalassemia patients and 80 controls in this cross-sectional study, which was performed during 2012-2013 in Kerman, Iran.

METHODS

We enrolled 63 b-thalassemia patients and 80 controls in the present study. Patients were selected from referrals to Samenolhojaj clinic for thalassemia, Kerman, Iran. The circulating levels of CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL12 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in thalassemia patients and healthy controls immediately after blood collection. Data were analyzed by c2, t-test, and analysis of variance statistical methods and using SPSS, version 13 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).

RESULTS

The results of the study demonstrated a significant elevation of CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL12 in thalassemia patients than in control. These results also demonstrated that serum chemokine levels are related to transfusion duration and post-transfusion viral infections.

CONCLUSION

According to the results obtained, it can probably be concluded that chemokines are also involved in the pathogenesis of b-thalassemia major and its clinical complications in addition to several other parameters.