Blood service in the Tibetan regions of Garzê and Aba, China: a longitudinal survey

BACKGROUND

Garzê and Aba form the second largest Tibetan-inhabited area of China. Blood services have never been reported for this region before.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the current situation and analyse whether a safe and adequate blood supply has been developed in both Garzê and Aba.

METHODS

We conducted a longitudinal survey covering the period 2011-2016. The subjects of interest were recruited from non-remunerated voluntary donation, blood testing, clinical transfusion practices and infrastructure of local blood service systems.

RESULTS

The donation rate and blood collection volume were below the average levels of both the Sichuan Province and mainland China. Component therapy was widely used, but inappropriate usage of whole blood existed. A lack of national specific standards for people on the plateaus led to local blood transfusions being conducted without full clinical assessment. Endemic and frequently occurring disease, such as hydatid disease and gastrointestinal disease, were inevitable risks for blood utilisation and safety. The potential influence of religious belief and traditions, like 'male-leaving marriages', of Tibetans on donor recruitment and blood safety requires further research.

CONCLUSIONS

A relatively safe and complete blood service system has been developed in this region. However, there is still an urgent need for comprehensive and effective support from the government in terms of policies and finance. As an epidemic area of hydatid disease and sexually transmitted disease, this region needs to emphasise public health measures, such as blood safety and inappropriate usage of blood products.

Effect of early vitamin D supplementation on asthma and the possible mechanisms

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways with variable airflow obstruction and bronchial hyper-responsiveness. It is believed that Th2-derived cytokines orchestrate the asthmatic response and the maintenance of the balance of Th1/Th2 plays a crucial role in prevention of asthma. Moreover, 1,25(OH)2D3, the biologically activate form of vitamin D, was reported with an almost opposite role in prevention and treatment of asthma. Therefore, in this study, we elucidated the evaluations of in vivo anti-asthma effects when treated with different doses of vitamin D and validated the relationship between vitamin D and asthma. Our data demonstrated that intervention with the appropriate dose of 1,25(OH)2D3 in early life could improve pulmonary function and reduce eosinophil cell infiltration in the airways of rat asthma models. However, overdose might play a detrimental effect. Its mechanism may correlate with the effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on interleukin (IL)-4, IL-12, IL-13, interferon-γ, and ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin E secretion and the expression of p-JAK1/p-STAT6/SOCS5.

AUNX1, a novel locus responsible for X linked recessive auditory and peripheral neuropathy, maps to Xq23-27.3

BACKGROUND

We report here the genetic characterisation of a large five generation Chinese family with the phenotypic features of auditory neuropathy and progressive peripheral sensory neuropathy, and the genetic feature of X linked recessive inheritance. Disease onset was at adolescence (at an average age of 13 years for six affected subjects). The degree of hearing impairment varied from mild to severe, with decreased otoacoustic emissions; auditory brainstem responses were lacking from onset.

METHODS

Two-point and multipoint model based linkage analysis using the MILNK and LINKMAP programs of the FASTLINK software package produced maximum two-point and multipoint LOD scores of 2.41 and 2.41, respectively.

RESULTS

These findings define a novel X linked auditory neuropathy locus/region (AUNX1, Xq23-q27.3). This region is 42.09 cM long and contains a 28.07 Mb region with flanking markers DXS1220 and DXS8084, according to the Rutgers Combined Linkage-Physical Map, build 35. However, mutation screen of the candidate gene SLC6A14 within the region did not identify the causative genetic determinant for this large Chinese family.