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Shchemeleva E, Salomashkina VV, Selivanova D, Tsvetaeva N, Melikyan A, Doronina L, Surin VL. Active spread of β-thalassemia beyond the thalassemia belt: A study on a Russian population. Clin Genet 2024. [PMID: 39143497 DOI: 10.1111/cge.14606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
β-Thalassemia is a disease traditionally associated with thalassemia belt countries. Nonetheless, as global migration intensifies, β-thalassemia-causing variants spread far from their origin. We investigated this process to detect some patterns underlying its course. We analyzed β-thalassemia-causing variants and the origin of 676 unrelated participants in Moscow, the largest city of Russia, far away from the thalassemia belt. Our analyses revealed that modern Russia has one of the broadest spectra of thalassemia-causing variants: 46 different variants, including two novel β0 variants. Only a small proportion of the reported pathogenic variants likely originated in the resident subpopulation. Almost half of the variants that supposedly had emerged outside the Russian borders have already been assimilated by (were found in) the resident subpopulation. The primary modern source of immigration transferring thalassemia to a nonthalassemic part of Russia is the Caucasus region. We also found traces of ancient migration flows from non-Caucasus countries. Our data indicate that β-thalassemia-causing variants are actively spilling over into resident populations of countries outside thalassemia belt regions. Therefore, viewing thalassemia as a disease exclusive to specific ethnic groups creates a mind trap that can complicate the diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Shchemeleva
- Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, National Medical Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Valentina V Salomashkina
- Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, National Medical Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Daria Selivanova
- Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, National Medical Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nina Tsvetaeva
- Department of Orphan Diseases, National Medical Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anait Melikyan
- Department for Standardization of Treatments of Hematological Diseases, National Medical Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Liliya Doronina
- Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, National Medical Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- JICE - Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Vadim L Surin
- Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, National Medical Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia
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Zurlo M, Zuccato C, Cosenza LC, Gamberini MR, Finotti A, Gambari R. Increased Expression of α-Hemoglobin Stabilizing Protein (AHSP) mRNA in Erythroid Precursor Cells Isolated from β-Thalassemia Patients Treated with Sirolimus (Rapamycin). J Clin Med 2024; 13:2479. [PMID: 38731008 PMCID: PMC11084795 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13092479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background/Objectives: in β-thalassemia, important clinical complications are caused by the presence of free α-globin chains in the erythroid cells of β-thalassemia patients. These free α-globin chains are present in excess as a result of the lack of β-globin chains to bind with; they tend to aggregate and precipitate, causing deleterious effects and overall cytotoxicity, maturation arrest of the erythroid cells and, ultimately, ineffective erythropoiesis. The chaperone protein α-hemoglobin-stabilizing protein (AHSP) reversibly binds with free α-globin; the resulting AHSP-αHb complex prevents aggregation and precipitation. Sirolimus (rapamycin) has been previously demonstrated to induce expression of fetal hemoglobin and decrease the excess of free α-globin chain in the erythroid cells of β-thalassemia patients. The objective of this study was to verify whether sirolimus is also able to upregulate AHSP expression in erythroid precursor cells (ErPCs) isolated from β-thalassemia patients. Methods: the expression of AHSP genes was analyzed by measuring the AHSP mRNA content by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and the AHSP protein production by Western blotting. Results: AHSP gene expression was found to be higher in ErPCs of β-thalassemia patients in comparison to ErPCs isolated from healthy subjects. In addition, AHSP expression was further induced by treatment of β-thalassemia ErPCs with sirolimus. Finally, AHSP mRNA was expressed at an increased level in ErPCs of sirolimus-treated β-thalassemia patients participating in the NCT03877809 Sirthalaclin clinical trial. Conclusions: this exploratory study suggests that AHSP expression should be considered as an endpoint in clinical trials based on sirolimus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Zurlo
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (M.Z.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.)
| | - Cristina Zuccato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (M.Z.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.)
- Center “Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago” for the Research on Thalassemia, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;
| | - Lucia Carmela Cosenza
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (M.Z.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.)
| | - Maria Rita Gamberini
- Center “Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago” for the Research on Thalassemia, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;
| | - Alessia Finotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (M.Z.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.)
- Center “Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago” for the Research on Thalassemia, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;
| | - Roberto Gambari
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (M.Z.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.)
- Center “Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago” for the Research on Thalassemia, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;
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Almasmoum HA, Tabassum A, Iqbal MS, Abo-Alshamat R, Aqeeli W. Knowledge and Attitude toward Hemoglobinopathies in Premarital Screening Program among the General Population in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. Hemoglobin 2022; 46:277-284. [PMID: 36369918 DOI: 10.1080/03630269.2022.2142607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The National Premarital Screening Program, which includes sickle cell disease and thalassemia, was made mandatory in 2004 by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the earlier studies have shown a poor knowledge and negative attitude toward this program in the different study groups. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitudes toward premarital screening (PMS) in a randomly selected national sample of the Saudi population, 18 years and above. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Saudi population in the western region between July and December 2021. Valid and reliable questionnaire and data were collected from 893 participants aged ≥18 years. The χ2 test was used to ascertain if there is an association between categorical variables. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors predicting satisfactory knowledge. All 893 study participants had heard about PMS with 625 (70.0%), 244 (27.3%) and 24 (2.7%) having satisfactory, fair and poor knowledge, respectively. Participants aged 26-35 years (p =0 .038), females (p < 0.001), those with higher education (p = 0.003) and employed (p = 0.004), had a better knowledge compared to other groups. Most of the participants had a positive attitude toward PMS. There is a changing trend in the knowledge and attitude toward PMS with a greater number of people wanting to go for PMS. There is also an improvement in the number of participants opting out of marriage in case of incompatibility with their future partner. However, the health education programs need to be improved regarding the hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hibah A Almasmoum
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha Tabassum
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Shahid Iqbal
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Refal Abo-Alshamat
- Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Waad Aqeeli
- Laboratory Medicine Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Peng C, Zhang H, Ren J, Chen H, Du Z, Zhao T, Mao A, Xu R, Lu Y, Wang H, Chen X, Liu S. Analysis of rare thalassemia genetic variants based on third-generation sequencing. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9907. [PMID: 35701592 PMCID: PMC9197973 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14038-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Thalassemia is a group of common hereditary anemias that cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, precisely diagnosing thalassemia, especially rare thalassemia variants, is still challenging. Long-range PCR and long-molecule sequencing on the PacBio Sequel II platform utilized in this study could cover the entire HBA1, HBA2 and HBB genes, enabling the diagnosis of most of the common and rare types of thalassemia variants. In this study, 100 cases of suspected thalassemia were subjected to traditional thalassemia testing and third-generation sequencing for thalassemia genetic diagnosis. Compared with traditional diagnostic methods, an additional 10 cases of rare clinically significant variants, including 3 cases of structure variants and 7 cases of single nucleotide variations (SNVs) were identified, of which a case with − α3.7 subtype III (− α3.7III) was first identified and validated in the Chinese population. Other rare variants of 11.1 kb deletions (− 11.1/αα), triplicate α-globin genes (aaa3.7/αα) and rare SNVs have also been thoroughly detected. The results showed that rare thalassemia variants are not rare but have been misdiagnosed by conventional methods. The results further validated third-generation sequencing as a promising method for rare thalassemia genetic testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuiting Peng
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Haixia Zhang
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Jun Ren
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Han Chen
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Ze Du
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Tong Zhao
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Aiping Mao
- Berry Genomics Corporation, Beijing, 102200, China
| | - Ruofan Xu
- Berry Genomics Corporation, Beijing, 102200, China
| | - Yulin Lu
- Berry Genomics Corporation, Beijing, 102200, China
| | - He Wang
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Xinlian Chen
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. .,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China. .,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, 17 South Renmin Road, Chengdu, China.
| | - Shanling Liu
- Center of Prenatal Diagnosis, Department of Medical Genetics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. .,Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China. .,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, 17 South Renmin Road, Chengdu, China.
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Piccoli GB, De Pascale A, Randone O, Vigotti FN, Priola AM, Naretto C, Ferraresi M, Aroasio E, Gonella S, Mongilardi E, Scognamiglio S, Consiglio V, Roggero S, Piga A, Roccatello D, Veltri A. Revisiting nephrocalcinosis: A single-centre perspective. A northern Italian experience. Nephrology (Carlton) 2016; 21:97-107. [DOI: 10.1111/nep.12535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Giorgina Barbara Piccoli
- SS Nephrology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Agostino De Pascale
- Radiology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Oncology; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Olga Randone
- SS Nephrology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Federica Neve Vigotti
- SS Nephrology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | | | - Carla Naretto
- Interregional Center for Rare Diseases; G Bosco Hospital; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Martina Ferraresi
- SS Nephrology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Emiliano Aroasio
- Laboratory; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Silvana Gonella
- Laboratory; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Elena Mongilardi
- SS Nephrology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Stefania Scognamiglio
- SS Nephrology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Valentina Consiglio
- SS Nephrology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Simona Roggero
- Microcythemia Unit; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Antonio Piga
- Microcythemia Unit; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Dario Roccatello
- Interregional Center for Rare Diseases; G Bosco Hospital; Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences; University of Torino; Torino Italy
| | - Andrea Veltri
- Radiology; ASOU San Luigi; Department of Oncology; University of Torino; Torino Italy
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