Correction: Population pharmacokinetics of fludarabine in patients with aplastic anemia and Fanconi anemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

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Type-3 von Willebrand disease in India-Clinical spectrum and molecular profile

INTRODUCTION

Type 3 von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the rare and most severe form of VWD which results from a near-complete deficiency of the von Willebrand factor (VWF). This study evaluates in detail the molecular pathology of type-3 VWD in India. One hundred and two patients from 90 families were evaluated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Phenotypic data, including bleeding scores (BS), were documented using structured questionnaires. Diagnosis of type 3 VWD was based on undetectable VWF antigen levels in the plasma. Genomic DNA from these patients was screened for mutations in VWF gene. Structural modeling and expression studies were carried out for missense mutations.

RESULTS

Out of 102 patients, mutations could be identified in 91% (n = 93). Fifty-five different gene variants were identified. Thirty-four (61.8%) were novel. Mutations could be identified in both the alleles in 90 patients, while no causative mutation could be identified in 9 patients; twenty-four (23.5%) patients had mutations clustered in the propeptide region of VWF. Interestingly, five mutations accounted for the defects in 37/93 (39.8%) patients. Structural analysis and in vitro studies on missense mutations imply impaired processes associated with secretion of VWF.

CONCLUSION

This study is one of the largest series to define the molecular basis of type-3 VWD.

Analysis of beta globin mutations in the Indian population: presence of rare and novel mutations and region-wise heterogeneity

Beta thalassaemia is a major public health problem in India. A comprehensive database of the spectrum of mutations causing beta thalassaemia in the Indian population is necessary. This study in which a large number of patients with beta thalassaemia including those from certain regions that were not explored earlier shows a great heterogeneity of mutations. Several novel and rare alleles that have not been reported earlier in the Indian population have been identified, and mutations differ in frequency in different regions of the country. This information on the spectrum of mutations has implications for the control of beta thalassaemia in a population with complex ethnic background and also on the genotype-phenotype correlation of the disease.