Reference intervals of complete blood count parameters in the adult western Sudanese population

BACKGROUND

A complete blood count (CBC) analysis is one of the most common conventional blood tests that physicians frequently prescribe.

THE OBJECTIVE

of this study was to determine the reference intervals (RIs) of CBC parameters in the population of healthy adults living in the western Sudan region.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of healthy people residing in the western area of Sudan was carried out. We assessed the CBC RIs in samples taken from 153 individuals using an automated haematology analyser (Sysmex KX-21) and a modified Box-Cox transformation procedure to transform the data into a Gaussian distribution after eliminating outliers using the Dixon method. IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 was used to analyse the data, and t tests were employed to examine variations in the mean CBC parameters according to sex and age. P was considered significant at ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS

Beyond all the other measured values, the only CBC parameters that significantly differed between the sexes were haemoglobin (HGB) and white blood cell (WBC) counts. Women were found to experience more WBC counts than men did. However, they have less HGB RIs.The male participants in our study exhibited lower WBC count RIs, a significantly lower limit, and a greater upper limit of platelet RIs than did the individuals from other nations.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with males, females had higher platelet and WBC counts and lower HGB.

High-precision non-invasive RBC and HGB detection system based on spectral analysis

Non-invasive blood composition analysis based on dynamic spectrum (DS) theory has gained significant attention due to its non-invasive, simple, and fast performance. However, most of the multi-wavelength photoplethysmography (PPG) detection devices used to obtain DS are composed of halogen light sources and spectrometers and cannot detect effective PPG signals in the visible light short band (400-620 nm), which limits the detection accuracy of blood components with significant absorption spectral differences in that band. Therefore, this paper designs a multi-wavelength spectral acquisition system that can measure high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR > 65 dB) PGG signals at wavelengths of 405, 430, 450, 505, 520, and 570 nm and combines this system with a halogen lamp spectrometer acquisition system for non-invasive blood component detection. Furthermore, this paper collects the DS of 272 subjects with the combined system and establishes a predictive model for DS with the content of red blood cell (RBC) and hemoglobin (HGB) components. The results show that, compared with the halogen lamp spectrometer acquisition system, the correlation coefficient (Rp) of RBC and HGB prediction model established by the combined system has increased by 0.0619 and 0.0489, respectively, and the root mean square error (RMSE) has decreased by 0.08 1e12/L and 0.85 g/L, which confirm the feasibility of the designed multi-wavelength spectrum acquisition system to enhance the accuracy of blood component detection.

Evaluation and Association of Hematological and Biochemical Parameters of Untreated COVID-19 Patients on the Basis of Differences in Ethnicity and Curcumin as a Possible Treatment

BACKGROUND

CBC (complete blood count) tests, along with RPM (Renal parameters) and LFT (Liver function tests), are clinically important for coronavirus patients; curcumin can serve as a possible treatment for SARS- CoV.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to determine the relationship of CBC parameters with renal parameters and liver function tests and to develop the hypothesis that curcumin may be the best and non-invasive drug for coronavirus. Materials &Methods: The differences between the results of 91 confirmed cases of covid-19 (symptomatic and asymptomatic) and 100 controls were assessed by an independent t-test and Mann-Witney U Wilcoxon test. Microscopy, hematological tools, and techniques were used to assess the improvements/abnormalities in blood components and parameters.

RESULTS

This is a case control study along with the feasibility of curcumin as covid treatment. The association between parameters was assessed by Pearson & Spearman correlation analysis. The level of significance was p<0.05. Changes were observed in urea (p=0.000), creatinine (p=0.02), total bilirubin (P=0.000), SGPT (ALT) (p=0.000), RBC (p=0.001), HGB (p=0.001), MCV (p=0.002), MCH (p=0.03), MPV, PDW, NE%, LY%, and MO% EO% (p=0.00), in comparison to normal controls. Differences in the correlation of electrolytes, RPM, and LFT tests along with CBC parameters in Pakistani and Chinese individuals provided a new idea for using various diagnostic and therapeutic tools in different ethnic groups. The covid-19 infected blood components and parameters showed rapid improvement/recovery, especially the total count of platelets and WBCs (lymphocytes and basophils), HGB, HCT, MCV, and MCH.

CONCLUSION

Curcumin drugs can be used as an immediate remedy/treatment to cure COVID-19 patients.

The diagnostic value of the combination of hemoglobin, CA199, CA125, and HE4 in endometriosis

BACKGROUND

We aimed to analyze the differences in the peripheral blood cells and tumor biomarkers between the patients with endometriosis and healthy people, and establish a more efficient combined diagnostic model.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the differences in the peripheral blood cells and tumor biomarkers between the patients with endometriosis and healthy people. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to establish a combined diagnostic model. We plotted the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve to analyze the diagnostic efficiency of different diagnostic indexes.

RESULTS

Compared with patients in the control group, patients in the endometriosis group had significantly lower eosinophil% (p = 0.045), neutrophil (p = 0.001), lymphocyte (p < 0.001), red blood cells (RBCs) (p < 0.001), and hemoglobin (HGB) (p < 0.001), and had significantly higher monocyte% (p = 0.008), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) (p = 0.001), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (p < 0.001), carbohydrate antigen (CA)-199 (p < 0.001), CA125 (p < 0.001), human epididymis protein (HE)-4 (p < 0.001), and the risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA) (p < 0.001). The combined diagnostic model of HGB, CA199, CA125, and HE4 was established by binary logistic regression analysis. The ROC curve showed that the combined diagnostic model reached a sensitivity of 85.4%, a specificity of 78.83%, and an area under the curve of 0.900, which was significantly higher than that of the individual index in endometriosis diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

The combined diagnostic model of HGB, CA199, CA125, and HE4 may provide a new approach for the early non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis.

Natural selection on TMPRSS6 associated with the blunted erythropoiesis and improved blood viscosity in Tibetan pigs

Tibetan pigs, indigenous to Tibetan plateau, are well adapted to hypoxia. So far, there have been not any definitively described genes and functional sites responsible for hypoxia adaptation for the Tibetan pig. The whole genome-wide association studies in human suggested that genetic variations in TMPRSS6 was associated with hemoglobin concentration (HGB) and red cell counts (RBC). Here we conducted resequencing of the nearly entire genomic region (40.1 kb) of the candidate gene TMPRSS6 in 40 domestic pigs and 40 wild boars along continuous altitudes and identified 708 SNPs, in addition to an indel (CGTG/----) in the intron 10. We conduct the CGTG indel in 838 domestic pigs, both the CGTG deletion frequency and the pairwise r² linkage disequilibrium showed an increase with elevated altitudes, suggesting that TMPRSS6 has been under Darwinian positive selection. As the conserved core sequence of hypoxia-response elements (HREs), the deletion of CGTG in Tibetan pigs decreased the expression levels of TMPRSS6 mRNA and protein in the liver revealed by real-time quantitative PCR and western blot, respectively. We compared domestic pigs and Tibetan pigs living continuous altitudes, found that the blood-related traits with the increase of altitude, however, the HGB did not increase with the elevation in Tibetan pigs. Genotype association analysis results dissected a genetic effect on reducing HGB by 13.25 g/L in Gongbo'gyamda Tibetan pigs, decreasing mean corpuscular volume (MCV) by 4.79 fl in Diqing Tibetan pigs. In conclusion, the CGTG deletion of TMPRSS6 resulted in lower HGB and smaller MCV, which could reflect a blunting erythropoiesis and improving blood viscosity as well as erythrocyte deformability. It remains to be determined whether a blunting of erythropoiesis for TMPRSS6 or others genetic effects are the physiological adaptations among Tibetan pigs.

DcR3 combined with hematological traits serves as a valuable biomarker for the diagnosis of cancer metastasis

Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) is abnormally up-regulated in many cancer cells. It may help cancer cells to escape from immune surveillance and establish metastatic lesions. However, whether DcR3 can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of cancer metastasis is unclear. In this study, sera from healthy controls and patients with different cancers were collected, and tested for their DcR3 levels by ELISA. Significantly elevated DcR3 levels were observed in the sera of patients with gastric cancer (2.04 ± 1.01, P = 0.0061), lymphoma (1.62 ± 0.75, P = 0.041), and breast cancer (1.53 ± 0.51, P = 0.023). DcR3 was found to be a suitable biomarker for identifying gastric cancer patients. Importantly, DcR3 was positively associated with platelet distribution width (PDW) (P = 2.45 × 10⁻⁶, R = 0.63) in metastatic cancers but negatively associated with hemoglobin (HGB) (P = 0.002, R = −0.59) and hematocrit (HCT) (P = 0.001, R = −0.62) in non-metastatic cancers. Combined with PDW, HGB and HCT, serum DcR3 could be used to predict the occurrence of cancer metastasis. These findings indicate that DcR3 could be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of gastric cancer, and for cancer metastasis in combination with hematological traits.

Short-term administration of an aqueous extract of kalanchoe integra var. crenata (Andr.) Cuf leaves produces no major organ damage in Sprague-Dawley rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Kalanchoe intergra (Ki) leaf extract is an orally administered multipurpose plant medicine in Ghana and other parts of the world for the treatment of ulcers, pain and adenoma of the prostate gland. There is paucity of information concerning its short-term usage. The present study is aimed at conducting histopathological and biochemical studies in a 14-day sub-acute toxicity studies using female Sprague-Dawley rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Crude extract of Ki leaves was prepared and freeze-dried. A 14-day sub-acute toxicity studies was conducted using 2 week old nulliparous and non-pregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats (120-150g). Reconstituted Ki was administered at a dosage of 900mgkg(-1) (high dose), 300mgkg(-1) with a control group receiving an equivalent volume of distilled water (as vehicle) by gastric lavage. Histopathological studies of major organs and blood chemistry analysis were performed on blood obtained via cardiac puncture into EDTA tubes after euthanisation.

RESULTS

There was a significant decrease in urea (p<0.016) and creatinine levels (p<0.001) in both the high and low dose groups. There was an increase in ALP levels (P=0.01) in both the high and low dose groups. ALT and AST rather decreased significantly in both the high and low dose groups (p<0.0001). Histopathological results did not show any abnormalities in all the H&E stained paraffin sections. Thus the photomicrographs of the liver, kidney and heart were within histopathological limits.

CONCLUSION

Ki leaf extract is non-toxic when administered by the oral route over a time period of 14 days at the above doses.

Calotropis gigantiea (L.) R. Br (Apocynaceae): a phytochemical and pharmacological review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Calotropis gigantiea (L.) R. Br (Apocynaceae) commonly called as "crown flower" or "giant milk weed" is a well-known weed to many cultures for treating various disorders related to central nervous system, skin diseases, digestive system, respiratory system, reproductive system etc. Indigenous groups made the plant as a part of their lives since they use the fruit fibre to make ropes, household items, for weaving clothes and flowers for garlands apart from usage for various indications. The study aims at far-reaching review on phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, ethnopharmacology, intellectual property transfer on pharmacological therapies, toxicity which aids to provide scientific evidence for the ethnobotanical claims and to identify gaps required to be conducted as a future research prerequisite.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed using different databases such as Scopus, Science direct, PubMed and Sciverse with no timeline limit set during the search. All the available abstracts and full text articles were included in the systematic review.

RESULTS

Most of the folkloric uses were validated by the scientific studies such as analgesic, anti-arthritic, anti-asthmatic, anti-bacterial, anti-convulsant, anti-pyretic, central nervous system disorders, contraceptive, anti-ulcer and wound healing. In addition other studies such as anti-diabetic, anti-diarrhoeal, anti-helminthic, anti-histamine, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, cardio-protective studies, cytotoxicity, hepatoprotectivity, fibrinolytic, mosquitocidal, nerve muscle activity, vasodilation and skeletal muscle activities were also reported for the plant. Isolated compounds such as calotropin, frugoside and 4'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl frugoside were tested for the cytotoxicity efficacy against both human and rat cell lines out of which calotropin showed potent activity (IC50-15 ng/ml). However there were no clinical trials reported on the plant which is one of the major lacunas.

CONCLUSIONS

This review article explores the ethnopharmacological, pharmacological activities phytochemistry and intellectual rights of Cg which gives the evidence of a potent and commercial drug which up on further research leads to the most viable drug for variety of treatments. However there is further need for in-vivo studies and clinical trials on isolated phytoconstituents which will help to commercialise.

A protective role of heme-regulated eIF2α kinase in cadmium-induced toxicity in erythroid cells

Although a number of studies have demonstrated that cadmium (Cd) can incur damage to mature red cells, the potential injuries of Cd to erythroid progenitor cells have not been investigated thus far. Heme-regulated eIF2α kinase (Hri) is essential for translational regulation and survival of erythroid precursors in the setting of iron deficiency. Hri has been demonstrated to activate Atf4 signaling in reducing oxidative stress and in promoting erythroid differentiation during stress erythropoiesis. Here, we demonstrated that Cd significantly provoked cell death and suppressed erythroid differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells. Importantly, our results established a crucial role of Hri in ameliorating Cd-induced impairment to erythropoiesis. Upon Cd treatment, Hri-eIF2αP-Atf4 signaling was activated to protect cells from cell death and differentiation attenuation in Wt fetal liver erythroblasts; in contrast, Hri(-/-) erythroblasts suffered from enhanced oxidative stress, as evidenced by increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consequentially elevated apoptosis. As for Cd administration in vivo, impaired erythropoiesis in bone marrow and dramatic extramedullary erythropoiesis in spleen were observed in Hri(-/-) mice. Taken together, our combined data highlighted a crucial role of Hri in protecting survival and differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells upon Cd treatment.