Evaluation of liver fibrosis in patients with thalassemia: the important role of hyaluronic acid.

Patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major often develop liver fibrosis due to liver iron overload and/or hepatitis virus C (HCV) infection. Hyaluronic acid (HA) plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and the elevation of serum HA concentration is due to either increased synthesis by inflammatory cells and hepatic stellate cells or impaired degradation by sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) and thus is proposed as a non-invasive biomarker of liver fibrosis either by itself and/or included in the Hepascore formula. In this study we evaluated prospectively a screening of liver fibrosis in 201 adult patients aged 19-54 years with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major, based on HA measurements. 41/201 patients were HCV-RNA (+). HA was measured with a turbidimetric assay applied on a clinical chemistry analyzer. The Hepascore was computed from the results by using the model previously published. The main results of the study showed that: a) HA levels were increased in 110/201 (55%) thalassemia patients 85.0 ± 10.3 ng/ml, ranged from 15.0 to 1495.0 µg/l, compared to 20.8 ± 7.4 µg/l reference laboratory values, p<0.001, b) HA levels were significantly higher in HCV-RNA(+) compared to HCV-RNA(-) patients, 171.6 ± 202 vs 53.8 ± 35.5 µg/l, p<0.0001 c) no significant correlations were found between HA levels and/or Hepascore with ferritin and liver iron content (LIC) assessed with MRI (p>0.324 and p>0.270, respectively). Our findings indicate that hyaluronic acid measurements contribute to the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with thalassemia and might be helpful for further evaluation of patients with liver biopsy if this is truly needed. Furthermore, liver fibrosis in thalassemia seems to be independent from liver siderosis.

Effect of inflammation induced by prolonged exercise on circulating erythroid progenitors and markers of erythropoiesis.

BACKGROUND: Exercise in humans augments the mobilization of circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD34(+)) from the bone marrow. We investigated the effect of inflammation on erythroid marrow activity by mobilization of erythroid progenitor cells (EPs) along with soluble markers of erythropoiesis. METHODS: Ten healthy athletes who participated in an ultradistance foot race participated in the study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated, before (phase I), at the end (phase II), and at 48 h post-race (phase III). EPs were detected as burst colony forming units (BFU-e) and colonies were scored at day 14. Markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, serum amyloid-A, interleukin-6, ferritin and S100B) and bone marrow activity (erythropoietin, soluble transferrin receptor and lipocalin-2) were assessed. RESULTS: An approximately three-fold decrease in BFU-e number was observed at phase II. sTfR concentrations were also decreased at phase II and remained decreased at phase III. However, EPO and lipocalin-2 concentrations reached a maximum value at phase II, with a tendency to decrease at phase III. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that exercise-induced inflammation modulates bone marrow homeostasis leading to an increase in leukocyte turnover and a decrease in erythroid compartment. It appears that lipocalin-2 is the main factor that regulates the production and mobilization of EPs.

Age, beta thalassaemia trait, and iron-deficient anaemia significantly affect reticulocyte indices in pre-school children.

BACKGROUND: Reticulocyte indices are easy to obtain, low cost parameters and have gained interest in the field of diagnosing anaemias of childhood. METHODS: We assessed distribution, age and gender variation, relation to indices of iron metabolism and diagnostic performance of reticulocyte haemoglobin content (CHr), percentage of microcytic reticulocytes (micro_r), percentage of hypochromic reticulocytes (hypo_r), and percentage of reticulocytes with low CHr (low_CHr) in 386 pre-school children classified in four groups: healthy, iron deficiency (ID), iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), and beta-thalassaemia carriers (beta-thal). RESULTS: Age had a positive effect in CHr (Spearman's rho = 0.21) and a negative effect in hypo_r (Spearman's rho = -0.2) in healthy children. CHr and low_CHr were related to ferritin in the IDA group (Spearman's rho 0.55 and -0.53, respectively). In the beta-thal group, HbA(2) is strongly related to all reticulocyte indices. micro_r and CHr performed best in discriminating between IDA and beta-thal heterozygosity (ROC analysis, area under the curve (AUC): 0.76 and 0.74, respectively). CHr achieved the best AUC (0.58) in identifying ID among children without anaemia. CONCLUSION: Age, IDA and beta-thal significantly affect reticulocyte indices. CHr and micro_r may have a role as screening tools in discriminating between IDA and beta-thal heterozygosity.

Serum transferrin receptors: Distribution and diagnostic performance in pre-school children.

Soluble transferrin receptors have gained interest in the field of diagnosing anemias. Reference ranges differ according to the method used for the quantification of sTfR. We aim to explore the distributional properties and diagnostic performance of sTfR in pre-school healthy children as well as in children with beta-thalassemia carriers, iron deficiency with normal hematological phenotype (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Circulating sTfR as well as biochemical and hematological indices were determined in 521 pre-school children and four groups (normal children, beta-thalassemia traits, ID and IDA) were formed. Diagnostic performance and distribution of sTfR according to age and in relation to several parameters were evaluated in every group. Three hundred eighty one children (261 normal, 60 beta-thalassemia traits, 44 ID and 16 IDA) aged 1-6 years were included. We found that distribution of sTfR differed significantly among the four groups (Kruskal Wallis p<0.001) with children in the normal group exhibiting lower concentrations compared to all other. A negative correlation between sTfR and age occurred in the normal (beta=-0.12, p<0.001) and the ID groups (beta=-0.13, p=0.035). In the beta-thal and IDA groups sTfR is correlated to HbA(2) (beta=0.34, p=0.001) and ferritin (Spearman's rho=-0.6, p=0.014) respectively. An area under the curve equal to 0.63 was achieved by sTfR in distinguishing between normal and ID children. Sensitivity and specificity were 70.5% and 50% respectively at a cut-off of 2.5 mg/l. Levels of sTfR are negatively correlated to age in pre-school children while dyserythropoietic procedures like beta-thal, ID, and IDA significantly affect them. These findings indicated that the accuracy of sTfR in diagnosing ID from normal children is limited. Standardization will allow the use of formulas that combine sTfR and ferritin which are of greater diagnostic value than sTfR alone.

Osteoporosis and osteosclerosis in sickle cell/beta-thalassemia: the role of the RANKL/osteoprotegerin axis.

Bone mineral density (BMD) was evaluated in 52 patients with HbS/beta-thalassemia. Seventeen (32%) patients had osteopenia/osteoporosis and 30 (57%) had osteosclerosis. Bone resorption was diminished in patients with osteosclerosis and increased in those with osteopenia/osteoporosis. The sRANKL/osteoprotegerin ratio was elevated in the osteosclerotic group. Osteoporosis patients had mild renal impairment and their BMD correlated with osteoprotegerin, and bone resorption markers. Osteosclerosis patients had multiple infarctions in the studied bones that led to reduced osteoclast activity and increased BMD. In conclusion, HbS/beta-thalassemia patients may develop osteopenia/osteoporosis mainly due to marrow expansion or osteosclerosis because of ischemia after a vaso-occlusive crisis. The RANKL/ osteoprotegerin axis participates in these phenomena.

A case of successful management with splenectomy of intractable ascites due to congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II-induced cirrhosis.

The congenital dyserythropoietic anemias comprise a group of rare hereditary disorders of erythropoiesis, characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis as the predominant mechanism of anemia and by characteristic morphological aberrations of the majority of erythroblasts in the bone marrow. Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II is the most frequent type. All types of congenital dyserythropoietic anemias distinctly share a high incidence of iron loading. Iron accumulation occurs even in untransfused patients and can result in heart failure and liver cirrhosis. We have reported about a patient who presented with liver cirrhosis and intractable ascites caused by congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II. Her clinical course was further complicated by the development of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Splenectomy was eventually performed which achieved complete resolution of ascites, increase of hemoglobin concentration and abrogation of transfusion requirements.

Hereditary hyperferritinemia cataract syndrome in three unrelated families of western Greek origin caused by the C39 > G mutation of L-ferritin IRE.

Hereditary hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome (HHCS) is a well-characterized autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the iron responsive element (IRE) of ferritin L-chain (FTL) mRNA. Mutations in the IRE result in reduced binding of the trans-acting iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) and hence in upregulation of ferritin L-chain synthesis. The disease is characterized by increased L-ferritin in serum and tissues and early onset of bilateral cataracts. Iron metabolism is normal, and there is no tissue iron overload. At least 25 nucleotide substitutions and deletions in the L-ferritin IRE have been described in families with HHCS, originating from diverse European, Australian and North American populations. We studied the molecular pathogenesis of HHCS in three unrelated kinderships of western Greek origin, with 19 affected members. We identified a relatively rare C39G mutation located in the hexanucleotide loop of L-ferritin IRE. Computational analysis of mRNA folding of mutant FTL IRE predicted that the C39 > G mutation leads to a rearrangement of base pairing in this critical region, which is likely to modify the IRP binding affinity. All subjects with HHCS were heterozygotes for the same C39G mutation. Clinical and laboratory phenotypes were described. Moreover, there was evidence of an association between this FTL IRE stem-loop mutation and very high ferritin levels. Our findings broaden the list of populations where HHCS has been described.

Erythropoietin levels in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and anemia of chronic disease (CDA) are often encountered in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Inadequate intake or loss of iron is a clear cause of IDA, but mechanisms of CDA induction are multifactorial and involve erythropoiesis disturbance due to circulating inflammation mediators. The authors investigated erythropoietin (Epo) levels in children and adolescents with IBD and correlated them to disease activity, with the aim of gaining an improved understanding of the role of Epo in CDA. Thirty-three patients with IBD were examined (18 boys, 15 girls) ages 4 to 15 years (median 11 years). Two study groups related to the disease activity were formed: group A, those with active disease (n = 21), and group B, those in remission (n = 12). Epo levels were measured using a two-site chemiluminescence immunoassay. Predictive Epo values in response to the degree of anemia were calculated by the equation: logEpo = (3.48 - 0.20) x Hb. According to the results, CDA anemia was present only in patients with active disease. These patients also had a significantly higher possibility of altered Epo levels than expected compared with patients with inactive disease (16/21 vs. 4/12, P < 0.05). It was also interesting that most of the patients with anomalous Epo concentrations presented with an elevated Epo value compared with that expected from the calculation (14/20). It seems that disturbed Epo concentrations are correlated with disease activity in children and adolescents with IBD. It is possible that failure of the bone marrow to respond to increased Epo levels leads to further incremental response. These in turn lead to the high Epo concentrations detected in most of the authors' patients. Impaired Epo production is another mechanism of CDA development and is the one mainly expressed in patients with low Epo values.

Erythropoiesis: Hereditary Spherocytosis in Greece: Collective Data on a Large Number of Patients.

This paper summarizes data from a haematological, biochemical, and clinical study carried out in 73 patients of Greek origin (38 non-splenectomized children and 35 adults; 17 splenectomized) with Hereditary Spherocytosis (HS). Mean haemoglobin levels in the non-splenectomized patients were significantly lower (122 +/- 15 g/L) than those of the splenectomized group (144 +/- 15 g/L). In all patients with HS (non-splenectomized and splenectomized adults, and children) the MCHC values (355 +/- 22, 358 +/- 16 and 356 +/- 16 respectively) were significantly increased compared to a control group, while the percentage of microcytic and hyperchromic red cell subpopulations was significantly increased in the former group of adults. SDS-PAGE demonstrated that 29 patients (39.7%) had isolated spectrin deficiency, 22 patients (30.1%) had combined spectrin and ankyrin deficiency, 17 patients (23.3%) had band 3 deficiency and 1 patient had protein 4.2 deficiency. No quantitative biochemical defects were detected in 4 patients (5.5%). The biochemical findings did not correlate with the haematological and clinical phenotype of the disease.

Ineffective erythropoiesis underlies the clinical heterogeneity of congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II (CDA II).

BACKGROUND: Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II (CDA II) is an autosomal recessive disease, and is the most common CDA. The qualitative and quantitative defects of erythropoiesis in CDA II, as estimated by the hematological and biochemical parameters at the time of diagnosis, may not reflect the heterogeneity of the disease course of each patient. METHODS: Three pediatric patients with CDA II are herein presented, having an heterogeneous clinical course. In addition to bone marrow morphology, Ham test and SDS-PAGE of erythrocyte membrane protein, the present study also examined erythroid marrow activity, by measuring serum Erythropoietin (Epo), soluble Transferrin Receptors (sTfR) concentrations and Reticulocyte Production Index (RPI). RESULTS: All patients demonstrated the same pattern of ineffective erythropoiesis, having increased Epo (350-389 IU/L), sTfR concentrations (6.2-7.8 mg/L) and low RPI values (0.8-1.3). Erythron expansion was expressed by RPI values nearly twofold higher than normal values in parallel to raised sTfR and high Epo production. Despite the same degree of ineffective erythropoiesis seen in all patients, the severity of the clinical course was diverse in terms of frequency and clinical relevance of transfusion needs. CONCLUSION: An analysis of the parameters expressing ineffective erythropoiesis in CDA II can provide a better understanding of the degree of dyserythropoiesis, however it is not useful for predicting the clinical course of disease in patients, because the underlying genetic heterogeneity of this disorder remains obscure.

Unusual phenotypic observations associated with a rare HbH disease genotype (- -Med/alphaTSaudialpha): implications for clinical management.

A single patient with a rare Haemoglobin H (HbH) disease genotype (- -Med/alphaTSaudialpha) was observed to have exceptionally high levels of HbH (> 60%) and paradoxically high total haemoglobin levels. Studies of haematological parameters, blood biochemistry and oxygen transport properties revealed a severe functional anaemia, associated with marked erythropoietic stimulation and a markedly raised cardiac output. This rare case illustrates the complexity of interactions that may be associated with the clinical course of HbH disease, highlighting that haematological parameters alone may lead to spurious evaluation of clinical status. Issues related to the therapeutic management of unusual cases are raised.

Rare thalassemic syndrome caused by interaction of Hb Questembert (alpha1 codon 131, TCT>CCT, Ser>Pro) with an alpha-thalassemia-2 deletion: implications for diagnosis and management.

Abnormal globin chain biosynthesis may result in deficient quantity (thalassemia) or structural variation (abnormal hemoglobins) and traditionally, they represent two phenotypically distinct groups of disorders. However, the phenotypic expression of unstable hemoglobin variants often combine features of thalassemia together with variable peripheral hemolysis. To achieve definitive diagnosis in a child presenting with hemolytic anemia along with features associated with thalassemia intermedia, we evaluated clinical, hematological, biochemical, globin biosynthetic and molecular data. Definitive diagnosis was achieved by DNA analysis which characterized the proband to be a compound heterozygote for a common alpha-thalassemia-2 deletion (3.7 kb) and Hb Questembert (alpha131[H14] Ser>Pro) caused by a C>T mutation in codon 131 of the alpha1 globin gene in trans. The phenotype of thalassemia intermedia with marked dyserythropoiesis, found in patients inheriting alpha-thalassemia mutations along with unstable alpha-globin variants (i.e., alpha-thalassemic hemoglobinopathies), represents a distinct type of thalassemic syndrome. The proband in this study additionally had variable peripheral hemolysis, presumably related to characteristics of the unstable Hb Questembert. There is minimal experience for the management of such atypical cases and this case illustrates that it is probably insufficient to monitor clinical status in patients with such hemoglobinopathies based only on the levels of hemoglobin.